Ancestor Introduction Proposal

I have chosen my late grandfather, Carl Whiteside, as my ancestor of choice for my personal ancestor research and writing project. He is my grandfather on my mom's side. Although, Whiteside's life was ended early by lung cancer at age 69, he lived a notable life and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia with full military honors.

5 Favorite Churches

On Monday, February 10 we went on a walking tour of churches in the old historic Charleston district. Here is a countdown of my five favorites from the tour:

#5 is First Scots Presbyterian Church, on 53 Meeting Street. This Church was established in 1731 as a Presbyterian Church when a dozen Scottish residents left the Circular Congregational Church which was then called the "Independent Church of Charleston". First Scots is the fifth-oldest ecclesiastical building in the city.

#4 is the Circular Congressional Church on 150 Meeting Street. The architectural styles are Greek Revival architecture and Romanesque architecture. This Church was established in 1681.

ABC - Ava & Bella's Church Project

Bella and I selected St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church due to the eye catching beautiful structure of the church we noticed on our tour. The architectural style of the church is Ancient Greek and the denomination is Roman Catholic. We thought it was interesting that the Church was completely enclosed by gates and has huge columns holding it up.St. Mary's Roman Catholic church can be found at Hasell Street, Charleston, SC 29401.

The Church's building/property was purchased in 1789, but this first structure was was a brick church that burned in the Charleston fire of 1838. Reverend John Carroll sent Reverend Matthew Ryan to Charleston from Ireland to start a parish, making St. Mary's the first Roman Catholic Church established in the Carolina's and Georgia.

Ruth Miller's Charleston Chat

"Presbyterians brought golf to North America," explained Ruth Miller when she took over our Charleston Beyond the Grave course as a guest speaker on Monday, February 3, 2020. Miller kept the class interesting by telling us a lot of surprising facts about Charleston's rich history that seems like it could be uncommon knowledge. For example, "every rock in Charleston comes from somewhere else. Cobblestones are from England, Slate is from Wales..." (Miller). Her interest in graveyards and the window to history they provide began when Ruth Miller was a tour guide, which she has been for forty years, and she was giving a bus load of morticians a tour when they taught her about graveyards which made her realize she wanted to learn more about graveyards, churches and the history that can be learned through them.

Miller taught our class about how the "Carolina colony stretched from Virginia all the way to St. Augustine, Florida" and how Charleston was the first permanent settlement south of Virginia. Also,

Variety of Grave Markers in Charleston, SC

Throughout the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul and St. Patrick Catholic Church there is an array of different grave markers. Both churches have a rich history with grave markers dated back to the 1800's. Also, the first black priest to ever serve in Charleston, Reverend Egbert Figaro, was assigned to St. Patrick's Catholic Church. Here are ten examples of grave markers in these historic sites:

Headstone
This headstone was found in St.
Patrick's Cathedral Church. I can't read
the words on the headstone but the Angels
could symbolize maybe a child or
children dying. Angels are also symbols of
innocence and the transition
to Heaven.

Die On Socket
This picture was taken in the Cathedral
Church of St. Luke and St. Paul. Elizabeth
H. Reeves was born February 5, 1908
and died August 16, 1984, making her
76 years old. This grave marker is in good
condition and the full bloom flowers on
the grave could mean Elizabeth died in
her "prime of life".

Box Tomb
This box tomb was found in the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Pauls's graveyard. The body is actually buried below the marker rather than inside. Box
tombs were popular in the early 19th century, so it can be assumed this person died between 1900-1950.