"No one can fully appreciate South Carolina history without an understanding of the Barbados history that led to the colony's settlement. In the same way, much of the history of Barbados can be found in the outreach of her residents - to North America, South America, and the islands of the Caribbean. Our histories and our cultures are closely intertwined. Even after more than a hundred years of research about that relationship, much of it we are only now uncovering." - from the introduction by Stephen G. Hoffius