Solving the Jackson Mystery

Steps away from our "Charleston Beyond the Grave" classroom, the headstone of Elizabeth Jackson can be found. This marker indicates that the mother of the seventh President of the United States, Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson, is buried around it...

 However, according to a 2011 The Post and Courier column, "Today, just off Cougar Mall in the heart of the College of Charleston’s campus, a granite marker stands and notes that Mrs. Jackson is buried 'near this spot'. But she most probably is not. This marker was moved there in 1967 by well-intended folks who wanted to rescue it from its original location about 2 1/2 miles uptown."

Elizabeth's headstone was moved to this specific spot in the Cougar Mall because a letter from  James H. Witherspoon in 1825 from Lancaster told her son, Andrew Jackson, that his mother was buried in "the suburbs of Charleston about one mile from what was then called the Governor’s Gate, which is in and about the forks of Meeting and Kingstreet Roads" (The Post and Courier).

Not much is known about Elizabeth besides the fact she passed away in the fall of 1781. Elizabeth fell victim to small pox or cholera herself after taking care of Revolutionary War soldiers that were also sick with small pox.

In regard to my research, Elizabeth's place of rest is still unknown yet there are multiple monuments honoring her including this gravestone in Cougar Mall, a monument in Old Waxhaw Cemetery, and more.

It is disheartening that Andrew Jackson spent so much time and effort for the lost cause of finding his mother's burial spot.

Symbol Scavenger Hunt

This week our class visited the Bethel United Methodist Church graveyard and looked for ten different symbols on grave markers to later research and discover their meanings. The Bethel Methodist Church is distinguished as a National Historic Landmark and has been in established in Charleston for almost 220 years! On my scavenger hunt, this is what I found:

This is the headstone of Elizabeth Moore. The symbol
on the grave is an Angel lighting a candle which
represents protection on the journey to Heaven and a
life ended too soon. From the writing on the grave
I've determined Elizabeth was in good health when
she died at age 65 unexpectedly. 

This is the headstone of Catharine Frances who died
of Yellow Fever at age 3 years old. The leaves represent innocence of the child and the broken rose bud explains the death of a girl before blossoming into adulthood.  

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.