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Conrad Nichols "The Legend"

When evidence of one's existence can't be found, but stories of him abound, that person becomes a legend. So it is with Conrad Nichols. Through exhaustive research in census reports and other various records, I have found no conclusive evidence to confirm the existence of this man. However, the stories that have been passed down from generation to generation leads to one fact; that being that the descendants came from someone of considerable character.
Thomas Heflin Compton, descendant and researcher of the Nichols family compiled his research in the 1970s. His base was from research of the Nichols family by Joe Russell Nichols in 1932. He stated, as quoted by Thomas, "The oldest relative by the name of Nichols about which we are certain is Conrad Gunrod Nichols". I wish I could be as certain. One should consider this; much of the information that Joe compiled actually came from close descendants of Conrad.
According to legend, Conrad was born about 1770 in North Carolina, moving at a young age with his parents to South Carolina. They settled in what was then known as "District 96". In the first census of 1790, there are eighteen Nichols listed as "Head of Household" in the state of South Carolina. Of these Nichols, nine were in the 96th District. They were; Ambrose, Charter, James, John, Joseph, Solomon, and two by the name of William. There is no mention of a Conrad, but these were listed as heads of household. Conrad would have been about twenty at the time and may still have been living at home. Conrad's first son was named John, and as was the custom to name first born sons after their grandfathers, its possible Conrad's father may have been John Nichols.
Rumored to have been somewhat adventurous and a Indian fighter, lore has it that Conrad was at one time captured by the Indians but managed to make good on his escape. Though possible, I'm certain there may be a bit of exaggeration to this story. Conrad had a total of seven children and died in 1816. This would have left little time for such adventure. There were the Indian Wars of South Carolina but they occurred in the 1750s, twenty years or so before Conrad was born. It is fact however, that there were a few skirmishes between some settlers and the Cherokee.
Joe Russell Nichols stated that Conrad died from some disease and was buried at "Old Fort 96", located in Greenwood County, South Carolina. Knowing a little on the history of this site, one could draw some conclusions on the loyalties of Conrad's parents if they lived within this area. The British occupied "Old Fort" in 1780 to squash a civil war that had been raging between the Patriots and Loyalist since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Little love was lost between the groups and the British offered the Loyalist some protection within the walls of the fort. From May 22, 1781 through June 18, 1781, the Southern Colonial Army under the command of General Nathaniel Green laid siege upon Old Fort. He failed in his attempt to capture the fort. However, within a few weeks after the siege, the British abandoned Old Fort, burning all that remained. A few years later the citizens who remained rebuilt it. It is my assumption that Conrad's parents were loyal to the Crown and not Patriots.
Maybe Conrad didn't exist, or maybe Conrad wasn't a given name, but a nickname. Whoever this man was, there is no doubt about the descendants. There has been plenty of documentation to verify them. Point given that there was a man with the surname of Nichols living in the 96th District of South Carolina who was married and had seven children.

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