He knows the Aiken area’s freeways, highways and main streets well, largely through his professional background, and Andrew McCaskill can also navigate the courses that his family has taken over the past 300-plus years, back to the days when major developments in “the colonies” included such events as the Salem witch trials, establishment of the College of William and Mary and the Carolinas winning the right to initiate legislation in the British House of Commons. 

“I enjoy history and genealogy research,” the Columbia native confirmed. “I’ve got family that dates back in the CSRA to the 1770s, in the Barnwell District, and then I have family in South Carolina dating back to 1690.”

His ancestors include Huguenots, a group that took shape in France during the Protestant Reformation and scattered widely abroad in years of persecution, war and exile. 

McCaskill, while studying his ancestors and looking to help his own children get a good start in life, has also focused on helping other families – especially young people – face challenges and make the most of tough circumstances. He also appreciates the value of a simple pleasure, making a living now as a sales representative for a candy company. 

“I wanted to be a career Army officer, and then I had a very significant religious experience where I felt led in a different direction,” he said,…