Family History Project

This was an 11th grade (1998) project compiled by John C. Derrick.  Below is a exact copy of this project. 

"Looking back on it now... we should all be so lucky to have 11th grade projects we don't like. This is a very personal page... but for the very reason that it should be... to prove our lives, our histories are personal... but that they will remain so unless we take the time to ask... and listen." -John Derrick

Derrick Family Tree
~Click to enlarge~

In July of 1738, the ship “Two Brothers,” commanded by Capt. William Thomson, embarked for Georgia with many other German servants to help establish the colony of Georgia. On October 7, 1738, the ship arrived at Frederica on St. Simons Island, Georgia. This ship carried 133 passengers aboard. The records say 116 “head” of German servants arrived but children did not count as a whole “head.” All of these 133 Germans were required to indenture themselves as servants to pay for their passage from Europe. Among these Germans was a woman recorded as the Widow Derick, age 26, with a daughter Elizabeth, age 8, a son Malchier(Melchoir), age 7, and a son Jacob, age 5, and a daughter Margaretta, age 1. The Widow Derick(Derrick) and her children settled at Village Bluff, also known as the German Village, St. Simons Island, Georgia, until her bond was paid. It was concluded that the Widow Derrick’s husband became ill on the voyage to America and died at sea. No further records have been found on the Widow Derrick and it is assumed since she was still young and in need of support, that she remarried and lost the identity of the Derrick name in all future records. However it was found that her son John Melchoir moved to an area in Lexington County South Carolina in 1764, between the Broad and Saluda Rivers. This section is commonly known as the “Dutch Fork” area. It is know as the “Dutch Fork” because the German people who settled here in the fork of the Broad and Saluda Rivers were known as Deutsche. Now that Melchoir and his wife Barbary had settled permanently in America, this was the true beginning of the Derrick Family. The Derrick family has lived in the “Dutch Fork” for the last 233 years. On December 12, 1953, my father, Charles Alan Derrick , was born to Charles DuRhea and Helen Mathias Derrick. On November 9, 1980, Charles Alan Derrick and Dorothy Louise Coogler gave birth to their first son, John Charles Derrick. David Alan Derrick, my brother, and I are the descendants of the Derrick family. Hopefully many more generations of the Derrick family will follow us.

The Derrick family is only one of the main branches of my family tree. The other main branch in my family tree is the Coogler branch, which is my Mother’s(Dorothy Louise Coogler) side of the family. Matthew Coogler arrived in Charleston on the ship “Snow Rowand,” on October 2, 1752. He arrived with two children Eva, 8 years old, and Mathias, 4 years old. His wife is not known. She is predicted to either have died on the voyage to America, or had died before Matthew left Europe. Matthew Coogler settled in the “Dutch Fork.” The exact year he settled in the “Dutch Fork” is unknown. The Coogler family has lived in the “Dutch Fork” for about 245 years. In 1953, Dorothy Louise Coogler was born to Howard David Coogler and Margaret Elizabeth Ballentine. In 1976, Dorothy Coogler married Charles Alan Derrick, and four years later in 1980, I, John Charles Derrick was born.

The two family names above, Derrick and Coogler are my main family “branches.” I can trace my family tree back 9 generations, and if only one person had been missing from these 2040 people(my ancestors), then I would have never been born. I can accurately trace birth and death dates back to my Great, Great, Great, Great, Grandfathers, Godfrey Derrick and John Uriah Coogler. I can only trace marriage dates back to my Great Grandparents unfortunately. All of this information is given below. The descriptions below start with myself, then my parents, grandparents, etc.

Name: John Charles Derrick
Born: 11/9/80
Where Born: Baptist Hospital
Education: Presently in the 11th grade at Dutch Fork High School, in Irmo, S.C. Planning to go to University of South Carolina, and to Major in Meteorology.

Name: Charles Alan Derrick
Born: 12/12/53
Where Born: Baptist Hospital
When Married: 5/7/76
Where Married: Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Irmo, S.C.
Education: Has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering. Charles graduated from the University of South Carolina.
Profession: Works for South Carolina Electric and Gas. (SCE&G)

Name: Dorothy Louise Coogler
Born: 2/23/54
Where Born: Baptist Hospital
When Married: 5/7/76
Where Married: Bethlehem Lutheran Church
Education: Graduated from Irmo High School. Attended University of South Carolina for 2 years. Graduated with an Associate Degree in Accounting. Worked at SCE&G until 1980.
Profession: Worked for SCE&G. House wife after 1980.

Name: Charles DuRhea Derrick
Born: 12/24/23
Where Born: Home place
When Married: 5/3/47
Died: 11/16/1974
Where Buried: Elmwood Cemetery. Located in Columbia, S.C.
Education: High School Degree from Irmo High School.
Interesting Facts: Was a World War II veteran.
Profession: He worked as a Senior Engineer for Southern Bell. He also was a Church Deacon.

Name: Helen Elaine Mathias
Born: 6/11/28
Where Born: Baptist Hospital
When Married: 5/3/47
Education: High School Degree. Attended the University of South Carolina for a period of time.
Profession: Worked for Southern Bell. Was a service order clerk.

Name: Howard David Coogler
Born: 4/18/28
Where Born: Home place
When Married: 3/7/48
Died: 06/01/2009
Where Buried: Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Located in Irmo, S.C.
Education: High School Degree
Profession: Worked for the City Water Department. Columbia, S.C.

Name: Margaret Elizabeth Ballentine
Born: 12/13/24
Where Born: Home place
When Married: 3/7/48
Education: High School Degree
Profession: Previously was a cashier, and a house wife after 1954.

Name: Walter Harry Derrick
Born: 9/4/1894
Where Born: Home place
When Married: 12/24/21
Died: 8/13/54
Where Buried: St. John’s Lutheran Church in Irmo, S.C.
Interesting Facts: World War I veteran.
Profession: Farmer


Name: Alma Julia Drafts
Born: 2/28/1899
Where Born: Home place
When Married: 12/24/21
Died: 8/13/85
Where Buried: White Rock, S.C.
Interesting Facts: Was a school teacher.
Profession: School teacher.

Name: Walter Quitman Mathias
Born: 5/8/1895
Where Born: Home place
Died: 4/30/81
Where Buried: Columbia, S.C.
Interesting Facts: World War I veteran.

Name: Beulah Mae Johnson
Born: 4/8/05
Where Born: Home place(most likely)
Died: 8/14/84
Where Buried: Columbia, S.C.
Interesting Facts: She was sent to orphanage, because her daddy died really young, so they had to be sent to the orphanage.

Name: Samuel William Coogler
Born: 8/30/1879
Where Born: Home place
Died: 2/24/61
Where Buried: Irmo, S.C.
Interesting Facts: Farmed all his life.

Name: Cora Inez Graddick
Born: 2/12/1892
Where Born: Home place
Died: 9/9/69
Where Buried: Irmo, S.C.
Interesting Facts: Loved gardening

Name: Malcolm Augustas Ballentine
Born: 2/19/1891
Where Born: Home place
Died: 4/12/43
Interesting Facts:

Name: Mattie Louise Koon
Born: 5/2/1892
Where Born: Home place
Died: 10/26/67
Interesting Facts: Loved to grow lots of flowers

Name: Julius Clarence Derrick
Born: 11/7/1858
Died: 3/11/38
Interesting Facts: Helped in “founding” of St. John’s Lutheran Church.

Name: Martha Elizabeth Kesler
Born: 1/27/1866
Died: 10/31/50

Name: Daniel Charlton Drafts
Born: 8/2/1872
Died: 11/27/57

Name: Ann Eliza Drafts
Born: 1/16/1869
Died: 8/7/52

Name: Walter Jesse Mathias
Born: 9/9/1868
Died: 9/2/43
Interesting Facts:

Name: Plumie Elmina Joanna Shull
Born: 6/23/1867
Died: 4/23/40

Name: George Washington Johnson
Born: June, 1847
Died: 1907

Name: Sarah Julia Skipper
Born: 6/29/1871
Died: 11/17/38

Name: Joseph Pickney Coogler
Born: 6/10/1845
Died: 7/15/1889

Name: Martha (Millie) Ann Ellisor
Born: 3/6/1843
Died: 11/19/29

Name: James David Graddick
Born: 4/1/1866
Died: 3/23/39

Name: Lizzie Ellen Eargle
Born: 3/3/1874
Died: 5/1/54

Name: James Wesley Ballentine
Born: 7/18/1865
Died: 3/14/39

Name: Margaret Carrie Coogler
Born: 7/14/1863
Died: 4/14/36

Name: George Hillard Koon
Born: 6/16/1861
Died: 11/6/40

Name: Mary Elizabeth Alewine
Born: 9/13/1858
Died: 11/12/1895

Above are 5 generations of my Ancestors. I have included as much information as possible about these relatives. I know the names of many more generations past the ones listen above, and they are on my family tree(of names).

I learned a great deal from this project. I saw how much life styles changed from the late 1800’s up to the present date. I learned what life was like for my grandparents in the Great Depression, and in WWII, and what school was like back then. I was suprised to learn that nearly all of my ancestors were of German blood, and were of the Lutheran denomination. I was able to collect many pictures of my ancestors, and that was really interesting also. I remember asking my grandparents what is the biggest change they have seen in this town in the last 65-70 years of their lives, and they said it most certainly had to be all the new people and new businesses popping up everywhere. I remember them telling me about what it was like after electricity had been discovered. It was like a history course I had never taken before, and I definately learned a lot. I believe this project has now brought me closer to my family, because I know so much more about my ancestors than I have ever before. There is a lot to learn about when you study your family history . Each person is a different and unique being. Each limb on the family tree pertains to one person and through their veins runs the history of thousands of years! Basically, your family tree is a “tree of life.”

Works Cited

Boukinght, Ivan. “Immigrant List.” The Lexington Genealogical Exchange.
Fall 1982: 72-76.

Coogler Family Bible. Personal reference. 7 September 1997.

Coogler, Howard. Personal Interview. 6 September 1997.

Coogler, Margaret. Personal Interview. 6 September 1997.

Derrick, Charles Alan. The Derrick Family. United States: Charles Alan Derrick, 1991.

Derrick, Charles. Personal Interview. 7 September 1997.

Derrick, Dorothy. Personal Interview. 7 September 1997.

Holcomb, Brent H. Memorialized Records of Lexington District, South Carolina 1814-1825. United States: Rev. Silas Emmett Lucas Jr., 1978.

Mathias, Helen. Telephone Interview. 21 September 1997.

The Lexington County Genealogical Association. Lexington County South Carolina 1850 Census. United States: The Lexington County Genealogical Association, 1985.