Alexander Hewat, a Presbyterian minister, was the first individual to write a comprehensive history of South Carolina during the eighteenth century. His Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Colonies of South Carolina and Georgia was published in London in 1779. Despite his express desire to eventually revise the work, which dealt primarily with South Carolina, his only other published books were three volumes of sermons, which appeared in 1803 and 1815. (A pamphlet containing one of his sermons was published in 1795.) Hewat's only attempt at writing history, however, proved to be of lasting significance, as his Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Colonies of South Carolina and Georgia continued to influence writing of South Carolina's history for the next two hundred years.

There is very little information about Alexander Hewat's personal life. It is believed that he was born in Scotland between 1740 and 1745. After attending...