Who knew when Edgefield Connections was named just how connected this historical town in the Piedmont section of South Carolina is to Willie Griffis McManus and his family? Besides boasting about Edgefield, the town that is home to ten governors and makers of fine pottery, Willie’s family boast of their ancestral connection to nine other Edgefield families. John Trapp McManus and Mamie Virginia Griffis grew up in the Sleepy Creek area in the northern part of Edgefield County. In tracing old land deeds, it was discovered they lived on connecting farms. Who knew that the marriage of the descendants of the German Palatines into the Griffis and McManus families from Ireland and Wales had made owning their adjoining property possible? Originally granted to the Palatines by the King of England to settle the backwoods, the land was intended as a barrier from the Indians in the area later to become Edgefield. During the American Revolution each Palatine family had to make the difficult choice of whether to support their benefactor, the King of England, and risk losing their land if the Patriots lost, or to join forces with others in their new homeland who were fighting to become an independent nation. A thread of the story of the German Palatines appears throughout Edgefield Connections.The beginnings of the Edgefield area, the wars that affected its history, and the churches where they worshiped all appear in Edgefield Connections. A chapter is included about each of their nine connecting maternal lines of ancestors. Besides the Palatine families of Fleeke (Flick), Zimmerman (Timmerman) and Derrin (Dorn) were the English families of Harling, Stidham, Jennings, Holley, and Clegg and the Burkhalter family from Switzerland. The sixth and final book in the series, The Faith of Our Fathers, about South Carolina families, Edgefield Connections also includes charts, maps, stories, pictures, and information about the area where they lived. Written not only for the enjoyment of readers today, it is also intended as a legacy passed on to future generations. June, your book just arrived this morning and Iam so pleased with it. I think you did a fantastic job! William Ansel Corley 1/3/18. "The book is bautiful! I started reading the first few pages onMcManus and I love it! You've done suchan awesome job. Thank you from thebottome of my heart for doing this! Camille Stevenson The book came yesterday. It is beautiful! I only had a few minutes to glancethrough some of the pages, but I cant wait to have some time to do somereading.I commend you of your fine book. I may only have a small understanding of theamount of work that went into the book, but, it is wonderful. Your book will bein libraries for many years to come to help those looking to read about theflavor of the times in Edgefield County. Cousin Jean Timmerman Swisher in Pa. It was a joy to write this book and learn about my father's ancestral family.  Edgefield now feels like a second home.  I am proud to be a part of nine families described in the book, especially the Palatines. Edgefield Connections is the story of a small historical town in the Piedmont section of South Carolina where the author's father, Willie Griffis McManus grew up. The town boasts of being home to ten governors and makers of fine pottery. Willie's parents were John Trapp McManus and Mamie Virginia Griffis who grew up in the northern part of Edgefield County.In tracing old land deeds, an interesting discovery was made showing that our Griffis and McManus families had connecting farms in the Little Stephens and Sleepy Creek area. How did the McManus family from Ireland and the Griffis family from Wales end up owning adjoining property where the Palatines, a German Settlement on Sleepy Creek, originally received land grants? A thread of the interesting story of the German Palatines appears throughout Edgefield Connections.Information about the beginnings of the Edgefield area, the wars that affected its history and the churches where our ancestors worshiped appears in Edgefield Connections. A chapter is included about nine of our connecting maternal lines of ancestors in Edgefield--Fleek, Harling, Stidham, Jennings, Dorn Burkhalter, Holley, Clegg and Timmerman.This is the sixth and final book in the series Faith of Our Fathers about the ancestral lines of author June McManus Gardner's sons, Rusty and Larry. Each indexed book has a South Carolina setting and includes charts, maps, stories and pictures about the families and where they lived. These are intended not only to be enjoyed by readers today, but to be passed down for future generations.June was a pastor's wife for more than sixty years. She and her husband, Norman, now live in upstate area of South Carolina.