A Glimpse at the Life of an Old Charlestonian

Have you ever seen a grave marker and wondered about who was buried there? For my Beyond the Grave class, two of my classmates and I did a combined blog post on the Circular Congregational Church in Charleston, SC, that you can read about here. For this blog post, I chose someone who is buried in the Circular Congregational Church cemetery and researched their life. 

John Ashe (photo from findagrave)

I picked Colonel John Ashe to research because he built a beautiful house on the battery in Charleston, that is now famous for its distinct look and high value. According to Find a Grave, John Ashe was born in 1760 in Charleston, SC. He married Marie De Veaux Ashe, and had four children, Richard Ashe, John Ashe Jr., Eliza Livingston, and Harriet Ashe, referring to his will on Ancestry.com.

According to Ashefamily.info, John Ashe made his money by importing goods in South Carolina. He was very wealthy for the time period, and he owned many different properties throughout and around Charleston. He was also a planter, mentioned in a historical and archeological survey, located on the Charleston Museum website. He owned land lots on a couple of different plantations. 

On Ancestry.com and every other website I have seen, he is referred to as "Colonel John Ashe" however, I can't find any record of him being in the military. Also, his tombstone refers to him as "John Ashe Esqr." Esqr meaning esquire, which leads me to believe that he had some kind of high social standing.  

If you have ever taken a walk along the Battery (Battery Street) in Charleston, SC, then you are well aware of the beautiful houses that face out towards the water and you have probably admired them. John Ashe built one of these classic Charleston homes around 1782, which is now called the Colonel John Ashe House. It sits on Battery Street, close to the intersection of King Street and Battery Street. According to Wikipedia in 2015, the house "became the most expensive house sold in Charleston when it fetched about $7.72 million."

The Col John Ashe House around 1933 (photo from loc.gov)

Referring to a Post and Courier news article about the John Ashe House, the Ashe family owned it until about 1870- almost one hundred years! As stated on the Historic Charleston Foundation website, the John Ashe House was renovated in the 1930s and many alterations were made. However, the renovated house looks very close to the original. I wasn't able to use the picture of the original house from the Historic Charleston Foundation website but click here to see it. 

One thing that makes the house so unique is its' cupola, the dome-like structure on the top of the house. It was lit up at night and according to Ashefamily.info, "the house is said to have served as a lighthouse for sailors coming into Charleston harbor."

Who is Rev. John Mood and How is He Famous in Charleston's History?

What makes someone famous? Talent, courage, determination, or even having goodwill? If these are the characteristics that make up a famous person, then John Mood should undeniably be considered famous.

John Mood was born in 1792, in Charleston, South Carolina. Mood's father, Peter Mood Sr., emigrated from Germany and started his silversmith company in Charleston. According to Green-Wood.com, Peter Mood Sr. trained John Mood to be a silversmith along with his brother, Peter Mood Jr., and they eventually,  ran their business together. However, John Mood is known for many other reasons besides being a successful silversmith.

Rev. John Mood (photo from Green-Wood.com)

Mood's silver products are very well known to collectors and antique shops. The Charleston Museum even has a silver ladle marked by John Mood. You can find many of Mood's products for sale, and they are very desirable today. Mood made many different products including gravy boats, spoons, jewelry, and even slave badges. Now you are probably wondering what John Mood, a silversmith, has to do with slave badges, continue reading to find out.

Pap Boat made by John Mood. A Pap Boat was used for feeding pap into
 infants' mouths. Pap was one of the first meals introduced to infants.
(photo from oldsouthsilver.com)

A Look Back at Life 150 Years Ago

Have you ever wondered about who your ancestors were and what their lives were like? For my Beyond the Grave class, my assignment was to research one of my ancestors and write about his or her life. I chose my great-great-great-grandmother, Sallie Robinson from my mom's side of the family. For this blog post, I will be getting information from my grandma, ancestry.com, and a Lancaster newspaper article that was written about Sallie Robinson in 1946. 

Sallie Robinson with one of her sons, John Robinson

Sallie Robinson, known as "Granny" or "Granny Robinson" to most, had a fascinating life. She was born in 1852 and died in1950 at 98 years old. Living to 98 years old was a huge deal back then. The life expectancy for females born in the 1850s was 40 years old and for males 38 years old, according to Infoplease.

Sallie was born in Kershaw, South Carolina and according to the newspaper article written about her, she moved to Lancaster, South Carolina so her husband could work in the Lancaster Cotton Mill. The article says that "Lancaster wasn't anything but a village then, no electric lights, no sewerage, no waterworks, and no paved streets."

Sallie gave birth to eight kids, however, one died at childbirth. She also adopted her niece a little later. The newspaper article also mentions that Sallie said that she used to walk 7 miles to church and take three children.

The picture of Sallie from the Lancaster News article

Grave Marker on a College Campus?

How often is it that you see a grave headstone while on the way to class? As a student at the College of Charleston, I've noticed this grave before and wondered why it was here. For my Beyond the Grave class, our assignment was to research this grave and to learn the story behind it.

Elizabeth Jackson's Grave Marker

This grave marker is dedicated to Elizabeth Jackson who was the mother of Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the United States. It is interesting because one thing that is written on the marker says "Near this spot is buried, Elizabeth Jackson." It turns out that Elizabeth Jackson isn't buried here. In fact, the location of where she is buried is a mystery. Andrew Jackson tried to find where his mother was buried, however, he had no luck according to the Post and Courier in 2011.

Elizabeth Jackson came to Charleston to look for her two nephews, who were POWs on a British ship. She died in 1781 in Charleston, from the disease cholera during the Revolutionary War. According to The History of American Women Website, Elizabeth caught cholera by tending to soldiers who were being held on prison ships in the Charleston harbor. Her grave marker was not always on the College of Charleston campus. It was moved here in 1920 or earlier to rescue it from its original spot about two miles away, according to The Post and Courier Article.

Uncovering the Meaning Behind Grave Symbols

Bethel United Methodist Church

Have you ever walked through a cemetery and wondered what the meaning was behind the symbols you saw on the tombstones? For my Beyond the Grave class, we visited the Bethel United Methodist Church graveyard and our goal was to interpret the meaning of the symbols that we saw on the different graves.

The Bethel United Methodist Church is the oldest standing Methodist Church in Charleston and has a unique racial history. The first church served black and white members from 1797 to 1852. The first church is now known as "Old Bethel" and was donated to the black congregation in 1876 when a new and larger sanctuary was built. The Old Bethel Church was physically moved across the street while the new church was built on its old spot.

Old Bethel United Methodist Church

Catherine Lord's Headstone

To the right, is the grave Catherine Lord, who was born in 1826 and died at 32 years old. Her grave is decorated with a wreath and has a ribbon in the background. The use of wreaths was adopted by the Christian religion from the ancient Greeks. It symbolizes victory and redemption. It is also said to indicate memory and victory over death. This grave marker has been moved from its original spot, however, it is most likely a die on socket.

Family Ancestor Proposal

For my family ancestor research project, I am researching Sallie Robinson. Sallie is my great-great-great Grandma on my mother's side. I chose her because she had a very interesting life, lived to be almost 100, and had a newspaper article written about her in the 1940s.

History of the Circular Congregational Church

I did a group project for my Beyond the Grave class, we collaborated to write a blog on a historic Charleston Church. We researched the Circular Congregational Church, one of the oldest churches in Charleston. Visit this link if you want to find out more about the Circular Congregational Church.

Top 5 Best Historic Charleston Churches

Have you ever wondered about the architecture styles or history of the old Charleston churches? I created a list of my top five favorite churches in Charleston, South Carolina for my First Year Experience class. My class visited ten historic Churches and our assignment was to pick and research our top five favorites. 

First Scots Presbyterian Church

#5- First Scots Presbyterian Church
The First Scots Presbyterian Church is number five on my list. This Presbyterian Church was built in 1814, but the congregation of First Scots dates to 1731. It was designed by Benjamin Latrobe, the same architect that designed the United States capital, according to the National Park Service. The National Park Service website also says that the Churches' walls are made of brick and are three feet thick and covered with stucco.

This church is one of my top five because I like how symmetrical it is and I also like all the different types of stained glass windows it has. The National Park Service Website says, "Reflecting the heritage of the congregation, the seal of the Church of Scotland is displayed in the stained glass window over the main entrance." I think that the windows give the church a unique and interesting look.

French Huguenot Church

#4- French Huguenot Church
The fourth church on my list is the French Huguenot Church, which is the only remaining independent Huguenot Church in America. The original church was built in 1687, however, was destroyed during a fire (French Huguenot Church website). The church that is there today was constructed in1845 and was the first building of this style constructed in Charleton, according to, SC Picture Project. Its style is called Gothic Revival and this church is also built with brick and covered with stucco (SC Picture Project).

What I find interesting about this church is that it has a slight, pink tint to it. Due to structural damage, the church underwent a renovation in 2013, and part of the project was changing the white exterior to pink (SC Picture Project). I also find the architecture of this church interesting, I like how everything goes to a point. The door, windows, steeples, and even the fence is all pointed. There are also mini, pointed steeples the align the sides of the church. This church is on my list because of how much detail it has to it and its' unique color.  

French Huguenot Church

St. Michael's Episcopal Church

#3- St. Michael's Episcopal Church
Next on my list, at number three, is one of the most iconic churches in Charleston. St. Michael's Episcopal Church is the oldest church edifice in Charleston and was the first Anglican Church built south of Virginia. The Church was built in 1752 and little has been changed since then, according to the Church's website.

The architect is unknown but the type of architecture follows the tradition of Sir Christopher Wren, generally used during the colonial period (St. Michael's Website). I also think it is interesting that it is one of the few city churches in America that has kept its original design. The church's clock and the ring of eight bells were imported from England in 1764, according to their website. I found it interesting that it is thought to be the oldest functioning colonial tower clock in the country. St. Michael's made my list because it is so classic but so grand and beautiful too.

Charleston Through Ruth Miller's Eyes

Did you know Charleston's graveyards have more 18th Century graves then anywhere else in the country? I learned that from Ruth Miller, a Charleston tour guide for forty years, when she talked to my "Beyond the Grave" class. Ruth Miller is very educated on the history of Charleston and on Charleston graves. She has written many books about Charleston and its different churchyards. Miller became interested in grave sites during a tour she was doing with morticians. When she was showing them a church, they went in the graveyard and started telling her facts about the different graves. From then on Miller was fascinated with learning about Charleston's grave sites.

Ruth Miller posing with one of her etchings.

Miller said, "The Circular Congregational Church has more portrait tombstones than any other church in the United States." The Circular Congregational Church is located in Charleston and was established in 1680. If someone had a portrait on their tombstone, it meant that they were rich. Charleston did not have stone carvers at this time, so people would have to have their tombstones carved somewhere else. Boston, Massachusetts is where most of the stone carvers were, and in the Circular Church graveyard, all of the tombstones were carved by carvers in Boston. 

An etching that Miller brought to the class.

Charleston was the center of the slave trade. "Forty percent of all Africans sold, were in the city of Charleston," according to Miller. In 1776, Charleston was the number one export for rice and all of that rice was grown by slaves. Charleston was also the number two export for indigo. Charleston was the fourth largest city in the world in 1776, and African Americans were the majority of people living there. However, African Americans were not allowed to be buried in the churchyards, even if they attended that church. 

First Class Cemetery Visit

William Johnston is buried here along with any other
 family members who chose to also be placed there. William
 Johnston lived from 1776 to 1840. This is structure is called a
 mausoleum and it is located in the Cathedral Church churchyard.
There is a plaque on the front of the mausoleum that says, "As a resting place
 for his remains and for those ofhis descendants who wish to be placed herein." 

Have you ever walked through a cemetery at night for a class? On Monday, January 27, that is what  I did during my First Year Experience "Beyond the Grave" class. This was our first time leaving the classroom for an outing and it was like a mini field trip.

Rebecca Freer Thomson was born in 1766 and died in 1826. She is buried in the Cathedral Church cemetery and her grave marker is a box tomb. On the box tomb, states the names of who she was the wife and daughter of. The symbol located at the top of the tomb, looks like a shield with a head of a deer, a cross and two stars in it. Above the shield is another deer head, but this one is turned to the side. The cross and the stars were probably meant to represent her faith. I think that the deers are also meant to represent her faith and maybe how strong it is.

   This type of grave marker is a column, because it is broken,
   it symbolizes a life that was cut short. This is the grave of
  Christopher Gadsden Hume, he lived from 1825 to 1849
  and died at just 24 years old. On the marker is written,
  "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and
 Christ shall give thee light." A bible quote from Ephesians
 5:14. This memorial can be found at the Cathedral Church graveyard. 

First, we walked to the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul  churchyard. Cathedral Church is an Anglican church built in 1816, their beliefs come from the 39 articles and the Book of Common Prayer. Anglicans were birthed out of the Reformation and they acknowledge that the Scriptures contain everything they need for salvation.

Who am I?

My parents and I in London

Hey! My name is Cora Standley and I am a freshman at the College of Charleston. Fort Mill, South Carolina has been my home since I was five years old, so it was a big change moving to Charleston and being away from my family. But, it was definitely worth it, I love living in Charleston and going to school here.

I went to school at Nation Ford High School, I was on the lacrosse team and in the marching band, so I enjoy having more freedom now that I'm in college.

I don't exactly know what I want to major in yet, but I am interested in majoring in International Business. After college, I want to find a job that I enjoy doing in Charleston and continuing to live here.

My dog, Chase