The Mysterious Headstone

Elizabeth Jackson's headstone located in
front of Robert Scott Small Building

The words on this headstone read:

Near this spot is buried,

Elizabeth Jackson, 

Mother of President Andrew Jackson,

She gave her life cheerfully for 

the independence of her country,

on an unrecorded date in Nov. 1781,

And to her son Andy this advice: 

"Andy, never tell a lie, 

Nor take what is not your own,

Nor sue for slander,

Settle those cases yourself."

Andrew Jackson, son of Elizabeth
Jackson and 7th President
of the U.S.A. 

Elizabeth Jackson and her family moved to America in 1765 where they bought land and started a life for themselves. Years later when the British invaded Charleston, SC during the Revolutionary War, Elizabeth Jackson and her family came to Waxhaw church and helped the sick and wounded soldiers after the massacre in the Waxhaw settlement. Soon after the massacre, Andrew Jackson and two brothers joined a patriot regiment, where one of his brothers died. Soon after , the two brothers were captured and held as prisoners in Camden, SC. Elizabeth Jackson was able to arrange for her sons transfer, unfortunately both boys were infected with small pox and Andrew Jacksons brother died just after returning home. After her son Andrew Jackson got well she returned to Charleston Harbor and helped the wounded soldiers and prisoners in the Charleston Harbor. Shortly after, Elizabeth Jackson died from cholera during the cholera epidemic. According to Agnes Barton, Elizabeth Jackson was nursed in Mrs. Barton's home and when she died they buried her on a hill in a simple unmarked grave. So why is Elizabeth Jackson's headstone on the College of Charleston's campus? No one really knows, and no one really knows where she is buried. The marker was moved to its current location in 1967 from its original location about 2 1/2 miles uptown. 
There are many articles written about Andrew Jacksons mother and her life, but none can provide substantial evidence or truthful reasoning as to why  Elizabeth Jacksons headstone is on CofC campus. 

Thank you to these two websites for the information! Click here or here to read more. 

Storytime: Gen 6

When we received this assignment in class, I remembered my Gigi telling me about her brother in law researching her family. Jerry Breed, her sisters husband (Gigi's brother in law) traveled the country and used ancestory.com to find out a great deal of information about my family. As it turns out, my mothers side of the family dates back to 1695 in Germany! It was so interesting to find out that I am very German (on both my mothers side and my fathers side) because I am actually traveling to Germany over winter break... it is going to be so cool to see where my ancestors lived! 

Saphronia Beaver with son James
Franklin Beaver

Jerry Breed was able to get information dating all the way back to 1695, starting with generation 1, but what I found interesting while reading this report was a woman mentioned in generation 6. Saphronia Hazeltine Abernathy, Gigi's great grandmother, had an entire page of notes based on her life. She was born September 4th, 1840 in Hanging Dog Church, Cherokee and lived to be about 40 years old when she died in 1880 in Georgia. Based on the notes and stories from my great grandmother, Ruth Hagood, Saphronia Hazeltine Abernathy was quite the woman. 

Saphronia Abernathy married a man, Albert Deweese, and gave birth to a son William and then moved to Henrysville in Logan County, Kentucky around 1860. Her first husband, Albert, enlisted in the Civil War and she was widowed shortly after. Saphronia Abernathy and her children somehow made their way back to Cherokee County where she gave birth to another daughter, Ann (Nettie). It is said that Nettie's father was Jehu Reed, a man with a horrible reputation... he had reports of being a bushwhacker, abusive to his wife and children... Jehu Reed was even killed by his own cousins! People spoke harshly about Saphronia's life, judging her for her constant marriages... but you have to think, she was married by 16 and widowed by 23 with two children. She did what she could in order for her children to have a life, therefor she had to marry Jehu Reed for support, despite his reputation. After his death, luckily, things started to get better when she married into my family by marrying Samuel Stewart Beaver (B. 1846 D. 1930) in North Carolina, 1870. They moved to Georgia where she gave birth to my Gigi's grandfather, James Franklin Beaver (1878), and happily lived out the rest of her life until her death in 1880. 

Graveyard Symbol Scavenger Hunt

September 30. 2019. Bethel UMC Symbols Scavenger Hunt.

Bethel United Methodist Church has been around for nearly 220 years, and its first location serviced both blacks and whites until 1852 (building was relocated). The building now known as Old Bethel was donated to the black congregation in 1876, which was then moved again across the street to the present building, where both white and black congregations serve Charlestons oldest standing Methodist Church.

*Fun fact: this church was the only church to stay open and continue services during the Civil War!

For more information, go check out their website by clicking here!

1.

1. Weeping Willow: associated with grief, earthly sorrow, mourning. This grave marker is a headstone, and buried here is James F.M. Lord (B. 1825. D. 1862.)

2.

2. Crown in Cross: (AKA Knight Templars Blood-Red Passion Cross and Crown) typically means "victory over death", usually symbolizing the reward in heaven after going through trials in life. This grave marker is a headstone, and buried here is Joseph W. Aincer (B. 1839. D. 1888.)

3. 

3. Dove and flowers: the dove has several different meanings, in this case the dove has something in its mouth which represents peace and that the soul has reached divine peace in heaven. Different flowers have different meanings, and on this grave stone it is unclear the type of flowers. However, when the family created their mothers tombstone, they most likely put flowers on it to symbolize the feminine and beauty of their mother. This grave marker is a headstone, and buried here is Elizabeth M. Aincer (B. 1807. D. 1872.)

4. 

4. Wreath and dove: the wreath symbolize memory and victory over death and the dove flying downward represents the Holy Spirit. This grave marker is a die in socket and buried here is Anna Chrietzberg, wife of Reverend A. M. Chrietzberg (B. 1821. D. 1872.)

5.

5. Slanted Cross: the true meaning behind a slanted cross has not yet been revealed, however there are many working theories:  Some people believe it is significant because of the way Jesus carried his cross during crucifixion. Others say it is because Jesus has laid down his life for ours and that we are to take up the cross and follow him. The meaning as to why the slanted cross is on this grave marker is most likely to symbolize that the person buried here is of the Christian faith. Also write on this grave are the words "rock ages cleft for me", which is a Christian hymn dating back to 1775. This grave marker type is a headstone and buried here is Charles C. Seyle (B. 1823. D. 1880.)

6. 

6. Angel: An angel with open wings is supposed to represent the flight of the soul to heaven. What it looks like the angel is holding is some sort of an instrument, which is meant to symbolize the angel Gabriel. This grave marker is a die on socket and buried here is Rebecca Jane (B. 1856. D. 1875.)

7. 

7. Cloth over grave marker: usually seen where a cloth is draped over an urn, which represents the veil between the living and the dead, or guarding the body (ashes in the case of an urn). This grave marker is a die on socket and buried here is Rosa Mary (B. 1835. D. 1881.)

8. 

8. Lamb: usually marks the grave of a child, the lamb representing innocence. In the Bible, lambs are associated with Jesus, you may hear "the lamb of God" in the Christian faith. This grave marker is a ledger and the grave marker has deteriorated, therefor I am unable to read the person buried here or their birth / death dates. 

9. 

9. Sleeping child: On this grave marker appears to have a sleeping body (child), which usually represents a child's grave. The body is in the horizontal position, or the "sleeping" position, and is barley clothed- covered in a cloth- representing the innocence of the child. This grave marker is a ledger and buried here is Engenia Robia (B. 1859, aged 3 months and 2 weeks.)

10.

10. VERY IMPORTANT: a lot is happening with this gravestone. There is an open book on the top representing 'book of life', 'Bible', or that their 'life' story has paused. There is a wreath on the back of the gravestone, representing victory over death, and then there is another wreath on the front of the gravestone also representing victory over death, but this wreath is more detailed and has flowers on it, which can represent beauty. The type of grave marker is a bedstead, and this size of bedsteads are commonly used for children. Buried here is someone from the "Fleming" family. 

To learn more about the different types of grave markers, I used these three articles: (click on to go to the page) one, two, and three.  

Ancestry Assignment

For the paper we have to write and the history we find on ancestry.com, I have chosen to start with my great grandmother, Ruth Beaver. We were close when I was little and she would tell me many stories about her father.

Saturday class is NOT what you think!

Tripod MHPCP used to hold
up gravestones

 Class on a Saturday?! As dreadful as that may sound for most students, it is not what someone would think.  On Saturday September 28th, 2019, my professor was able to set up a tour for our class to the oldest Jewish cemetery in the south and one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in America! The cemetery belongs to the Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim synagogue on Hassle Street in Charleston, SC . The cemetery is surrounded by a wall and when you drive by you would not expect there to be a cemetery back there. 

One of the stones Monica was
 working on

Ghost of Jewish Cemetery

We were able to meet with two officials of the cemetery, Anita Moise Rosenberg and Randi Serrins. They told us all about the rich history within the graveyard and even a ghost story. At the gravesite there was a student in the Clemson / Charleston historic preservation and conservation masters program, Monica Hendricks, who was working on gravestones. I am majoring in historic preservation and conservation so I decided to talk to her during our visit about what she was doing in the graveyard, which was very interesting. Due to many natural disasters and over time gravestones start to deteriorate, and in order to restore them people in the historic preservation field restore these stones. Monica was showing me how she was working on the stones, and she has an internship and works with Anita Rosenberg and Randi Serrins to restore the stones. Anita Rosenberg told us about how "each gravestone tells a different story to the person who has passed", for example smaller gravestones belong to young children and stones with a pillar and the top cut off symbolizes a great "warrior" who has fallen. As we were walking around the graveyard, Anita and I stepped off to the side to discuss more about the restoration process in a graveyard, and she gave an example of a section of the graveyard which was sectioned off for a family and costed about $14,000 to restore, which blew my mind because the section was no bigger than a dorm bedroom. 

Gravestone

Charleston's Graveyard Specialist

Click here to purchase one
of Ruth Millers books. 

Ruth M. Miller: Charlestons very own graveyard specialist! Sounds pretty cool, maybe a little creepy, right? Well not to this published author. Ruth M. Miller has published multiple books on various graveyards in Charleston, SC. In my "Beyond the Grave" FYSS class, I had the privilege to hear Ruth Miller speak to my class last Monday, September 16th. She shared with us how she became interested  in studying and acquiring more information about the local graveyards. Ruth Miller enjoyed touring churches and popular places in Charleston and surrounding areas and during one tour she got off the tour bus, which was full of morticians, and instead of following her inside the church the morticians went straight to the graveyards. The other tourists began to tell her stories and random interesting facts that she had not thought of before and this is when she began her love and interest in graveyards. 

Graveyards are part of every towns history and as Ruth Miller said: "The graveyards tell us a lot, they tell us about history, they tell us about perspective, about plants... graveyards are important for explanations about all these different roots". Graveyards give people insight about what a town has been through along with cultural differences. Most graveyards have different symbols on their tombstones representing different cultural or religious beliefs, and even some graveyards are located next to their respected church. 

Being on the coast, Charleston is prone to many water related disasters, which can unfortunately cause historic buildings and landmarks to deteriorate, but fortunately each disaster can be the beginning of a new plant species. Miller said: "People have long forgotten that the plants out there have told them what happened, that something special had happened once upon a time". 

Miller also explained to the class about how Charleston was the richest and most populated city at one point in time, however after the North won the Civil War history books does not recognize  Charleston as one of the wealthiest cities. Miller said "What you see in a graveyard is important but what you don't see is also important", for example Charleston was a city where the population was at least 70% African American but there are no graveyards to represent them, basically wiping them from Charleston's history. Ruth Miller emphasized the point that a graveyard is more than just a place with tombstones representing and remembering people but it is much more than that, a graveyard has more history and has more secrets than one would originally think.