So, how's college going Brooke?

My experience so far at CofC I would describe as being..... unexpected, but not in a bad way. I honestly expected college to be similar to high school, but it really is so different. Going to classes only twice a day has been fun in the fact that I have a lot more free time, but it has also made time management much more difficult. I initially expected it would be that difficult, but it is actually way harder than I thought.

Me and Abby

A positive thing I have enjoyed about my semester at CofC is the total and complete freedom I have experienced while being down here, away from my parents and anybody I knew before. It has honestly been one of the best parts for me, as I have now been free to make my own decisions and therefore suffer the consequences of my actions and learn from them. My mom was always very overprotective and a little overbearing at times so learning this skill on my own for the first time has been hard. However, I do enjoy having the ability to go anywhere I want at any time and not needing to check in with her.

Lea, Maddie and I (Vibes)

Creating friendships at CofC has been both easy and hard. I've met so many great people here in the groups I'm in, especially in my acapella group the Charleston Vibes, but things move fast around here and friendships come and go. I'm still really good friends with my roommate and her group, but the only friend I still have from my group at the beginning of the year is my friend Abby. It is honestly hard balancing many friend groups but everyone is still just starting out and I enjoy socializing so I haven't had a need to narrow down my circle just yet.

Overall, being at the College of Charleston has been a dream come true. Living in this beautiful city and meeting all the awesome people here has been the majority of the last few months for and honestly, I'm the happiest I've felt in a long time.

Caroline Gilman: a woman in a man's world

The historic Charlestonian I decided to research is Caroline Howard Gilman (1794-1888). Caroline, (pen name Mrs. Clarissa Packard) was an accomplished writer, poet, and documentary of the Unitarian cemetery in Charleston. 

Caroline Howard Gilman (1820)

Caroline was born on October 8th, 1794 in Boston, Massachusetts. Her father, Boston shipwright Samuel Howard was one of the original participants in the Boston Tea Party. Sadly, both her parents died young and she was raised and educated by her sister Ann Marie White. She developed a great love for writing and poetry and in 1810 when she was sixteen her family secretly submitted one of her poems called "Jephthah's Rash Vow" to be published in a Boston newspaper. She described feeling "as alarmed as if I had been detected in Man's apparel."

Caroline married Samuel Gilman in 1819 and moved to Charleston, South Carolina where he became the pastor of the Unitarian Church from 1819 to 1853. This, however, did not mean an end for her budding writing career. From 1832 to 1842, she published the first American weekly journal for young people called Rose Bud, later the Southern Rose, which circulated all over the country and made her the best-known woman writer of the South.  Other publications include "Recollections of a Southern Matron" in 1837, "The Lady's Annual Register and Housewife's Memorandum Book" in 1838, a manual for housekeepers and "Love Progress in 1840", a domestic novel. She also wrote children's books including  "The Little Wreath of Stories and Poems for Children" in 1847.

Her most popular work was "The Letters of Eliza Wilkinson during the Invasion of Charleston" which documents the British conquest of Charleston in 1780. This work shows that while Caroline was always in support of gender equality, her position on slavery was not quite as progressive. Although she and her husband bought, educated and freed several young black men, she justified slavery in her writing and supported the Confederacy during the Civil War. Her biographer states that "her prose was of an unaffected and light-hearted character, and her poetry dealt with the beauties of nature and domestic affection, qualities which appealed to the sentiments of the time and which made her one of the most popular women writers of her day" These traits in her writing made Gilman one of the most famous female authors in the South from 1830's to the 1850's.

Caroline's death card

Arguably one of Gilman's most important work, however, is her documentation of the Charleston Unitarian Cemetary's gravestones. Gilman's husband was the pastor of the Unitarian Church and the cemetery, which had been there since the 1770s, was in a state of severe neglect. Gilman was moved by this, and in 1859 she and a few others decided to clean up the cemetery. She writes "Can not some neglected surroundings, where rank growth repels even the footsteps of kindred, be resigned and converted into beauty?... and now around all our sepulchers, as around that of christ's, "there is a garden.". Gilman chose purposely to leave the natural beauty of the cemetery by leaving the trees and vines to make it a sort of garden. While doing this, Gilman went around and transcribed every gravestone carving still visible. This has proven to be a very important piece of writing for the Unitarian cemetery because most of those gravestones are no longer legible. Fortunately, with Gilman's detailed writings, we can still figure out who is buried there and what their gravestone once said.

Overall, Caroline Gilman was a very interesting research topic. She was very much a woman ahead of her time and became a very successful writer in a time where women didn't do that sort of thing. It is very cool that she is buried in our cemetery, the very same cemetery she documented and help reform.

The Jungle Graveyard

Our Church is the Unitarian Church of Charleston 

Marker Types:

Box tomb: Not sure who was buried here because the tomb is in such bad shape.

Ledger: Mrs. Edward Courtenay was buried here. She was born in 1769 and died in 1852.

Headstone: This Col. Francis Dickinson and his wife Rachel were buried here. Francis Dickinson died at the age of 63 on December 30, 1835. One thing that really stands out is that the headstone says that he was a “kind Master”. Rachel died at the age of 87 on July 21, 1869.

Obelisk: This grave marker provided very little information on who was buried here. Their last name is Taggart and they died in 1854. 

Fancy Die, Base, and Cap: The resting place of Rev. Dr. Samuel Gilman and his wife Caroline Howard Gilman. Samuel was born on February 16, 1791, and died on February 9, 1858. Caroline was born on October 8, 1794, and died on September 15, 1888.

Fancy Die on Base: This grave marks the final resting place of Ann Eliza Graves. She was born on April 8, 1820, and died March 20, 1858.

Bedstead: This is Sydney Smith’s grave. She was born on October 23, 1800, and died in 1830

Most Common Marker Type: 

The most common type of marker would have to be the classic headstone.

Oldest Markers:

Here are some examples of 3 of the oldest gravestones 

The first one I can read that the gravestone is from 1807, one of the oldest ones I could find. I couldn't read the name of the person but I can see that they were 22 years old when they died. 

The second gravestone is in memory of Hannah Jordan who died in 1808, making it one of the oldest gravestones in the cemetery. 

The third gravestone is almost illegible with moss, but what I read is that it is in memory of Captain Jeremiah and that he died in September of 1792, making his gravestone the oldest one I could find in the cemetery, that was still legible of course.

Impressive/ Interesting Marker Type:

One of the most interesting gravestones is also one of the oldest ones in the cemetery. The gravestone of Hannah Jordan says she was the youngest daughter of Dr. John (N) Ogelthorp of Camden, South Carolina. It also states that she was the consort (that means wife) of James Jordan from St. Mary’s Georgia and that she passed in the 15th year of her age. I thought it was a little weird that she was already a consort at the young age of 15.

Another interesting Gravestone is that of Mrs. Sarah Hutchenson. It is most interesting because of the age the woman lived too. It says she was born in 1754 and died in the year 1839, making her 85 years old at the time of her death. For someone born in the mid-1700’s, that is an extremely long life to live as survival rates from that era are extremely low, especially for a married woman who I'm presuming had to go through the highly dangerous ordeal of childbirth.

One last marker we thought was pretty is that of Mrs. Mary R Horton, Wife of Thomas Horton. The intricately carved pillow with tassels on the lavish headstone, with the craving of a rose resting on the pillow, is one we thought was very pretty.

Sad/ Poignant Markers:

This grave marks the final resting place of Mary Rebecca Colburn. She was born on March 9th 1860 and died on September 17th of that year. The headstone includes a quote that says, “Suffer little children come unto me and forbid them not”. We found this marker sad because the child buried here wasn’t even a year old when she died.

This gravestone is one that we sadly cannot read very well due to erosion. We can, however, still can tell what it’s about. A sleeping lamb was usually used for children who died under the age of 1, which was quite common at that time.

Unique Epitaphs:

One that we thought was unique that could still be read is the gravestone for Reverend Samuel Gilman D.D. We thought it was interesting how it says “Beneath this monument rests the mortal remains of the [Rev. Samuel Gilman D.D]. The way it is worded so dramatically we thought was interesting, and possibly references to a gothic book or some kind of gothic literature

We thought this epitaph was particularly interesting because of how long it was. It says “With a mind strong, comprehensive and aspiring, he united those traits of character which adorned the husband, father, and friend. In his death, Science and Literature have cause to mourn. & pure & liberal Christianity to deplore the loss of an able Advocate.”

Another one we thought was interesting was that of Ephraim Seabrook Mikell. It says that he “died after a short illness May 5. 1896” and that he was “A favorite with all who knew him” We liked it because it doesn't just say the straight numbers and years of his life and death, it makes it more personal, like this person was an individual who others cared about.

Group Photo:

I found my family in Magnolia Cemetery?

We visited Magnolia Cemetary last Friday and it was, to put it lightly, overwhelming. The mass amount of gravestones and the sheer size of the cemetery was hard to comprehend. Looking back, I should have researched on Magnolia Cemetary's website or its Wikipedia page before being surprised by the size.

I would usually consider myself very good at directions whilst walking. Maps have always been easy for me to understand and I can find my way around any city if I've been there at least once. I don't know what it was about Magnolia Cemetary, but about halfway through our tour, I realized I had absolutely no bearing of where I was or what direction I came from. The hundreds upon hundreds of gravestones seemed to blend together combined with the Spanish moss trees and the meandering layout, I got completely lost.

One of my favorite gravestones in the cemetery is General James Conner's plot. I particularly liked that one because he had the same last name as me, but other than that I did enjoy hearing the story of his life. He was a great confederate general, present at both the Battle of Bull run and returning from a bullet injury to fight in Gettysburg. He had his leg amputated as a result of the war and went on to become a very successful lawyer in Charleston before his death. His box was very handsomely decorated, with a wreath of honor depicted on the front and a detailed frieze with poppies and other add-on's. The two graves next to him are those of his daughters, both of which roughly say "Daughter of General James Conner" further emphasizing his importance.


Another one of my favorite gravestones is the one for James Henry Parker (January 4th, 1843- January 23rd, 1915) and his wife Julia Augusta Parker (December 22nd, 1947). According to our professor Mr. Harwood, the husband James was killed due to injuries sustained by an incident with a revolving door, which I think is pretty funny in itself. Apparently, the wound he received due to the door became infected and killed him. I think this is a good example of how fleeting life is and how this one incident could leave his wife a widow for 32 more years. I like how this gravestone is sculpted though, with a kind of acropolis where people can sit and talk if they so choose. The center is framed with the large cross emphasizing the importance of Christianity. Overall this grave is unique in style to others in the cemetery but is still one of my favorites I saw.



One of my other favorite gravestones I saw was this one. The only information I could see was that it said "Little Annie" on the side. This one was heartwrenching because it was obviously made by grieving parents who have just lost there child. The carving on the top is one of a sleeping child, and I believe there are a few other sleeping children gravestones in Magnolia Cemetary, but this one was my favorite because of how open it was around it and how clearly you could read the descriptions. The child depicted looks around 5-7 years old and is holsing a wreath in her hand to symbolize remembrance. I do not think there is anything else known about this child, but the fact that it is unknown makes it more touching to random strangers such as myself.

Lastly, I have included a photo of me and my friend Emma in front of the Vanderhorst tomb. I thought overall it was a very enjoyable tour and I wish I had gotten more time to explore all that this beautiful cemetery has to offer.

Elizabeth Jackson, hero of the Revolution and mother to a Presedent

“Andy, never tell a lie nor take what is not your own nor sue for slander. Settle those cases yourself.”
This is what it says on the headstone located on the College of Charleston campus right off of the cougar mall. It was made to mark the life of Elizabeth Jackson, mother of President Andrew Jackson. But how did it come to make its way onto the campus, and is she really buried there? The story of how she made her way to Charleston and her eventual death is very important to the life of our seventh president

The headstone on the cougar mall

 Elizabeth Hutchinson was born in 1740 in Ireland. She married Andrew Jackson Sr. in 1761 and the couple emigrated to America in 1765 to escape religious persecution. In February 1767 Andrew Jackson Sr. died unexpectedly aged 29 while Elizabeth was pregnant with Andrew Jackson and three weeks later he was born. In 1780, the British launched an invasion of South Carolina and captured Charleston on May 12. Groups of soldiers and Tory sympathizers began to loot and pillage the countryside with soldiers leveling settlements and killing more than a hundred patriots. 

The Jackson family tended to the wounds and administered first aid. After the attacks, Andrew (age 13) and his brothers Hugh and Robert joined a patriot regiment. Soon thereafter, Hugh and Robert both died due to Revoluntary war involvement
Having already had lost her two eldest sons, Elizabeth traveled to Charleston to care for two ill nephews. She also reportedly tended other sick soldiers on a prisoner-of-war ship off the Charleston harbor before succumbing to yellow fever, typhus or some other illness and dying in Charleston in the fall of 1781. Sadly, that is all we know about her death. Nobody is quite sure of the whereabouts of her body

Elizabeth's son Andrew Jackson, 7th president

The mystery of Mrs. Jackson’s burial site is more than just a historical footnote; Andrew later in life went on a sort of mission to find her bones and bring them back to be buried with his family. A Jackson biographer Jon Meacham’s describes how Jackson tried in vain to find her final resting place.“He long sought the whereabouts of his mother’s grave but to no avail. Perhaps partly in reaction to what he may have viewed as the lack of respect or care others had taken with his mother’s burial, he became a careful steward of such things -- a devotee of souvenirs, a keeper of tombs, and an observer of anniversaries.”In 1942, several service members responded to a newspaper’s call to honor Mrs. Jackson. These men commissioned the marker and placed it in a railroad right of way.

They didn’t choose the site by chance. According to an 1825 letter from James H. Witherspoon to Jackson himself said that: "Your mother is 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.”Sadly, it wasn't quite a scenic place and the stone quickly fell into disrepair as early as 1947. eventually, local historians succeeded in getting it moved to the College of Charleston in 1967 around when Ted Stern became president. It again fell into disrepair until in 2005 when it was revealed and brought back forward in cougar mall for anyone passing by to see.The story of Elizabeth Jackson and the tragic tale of her life and how her stone came to be on our campus is one that will intrigue and inspire others for generations

My Great-Grandmother may have worked for the mob?

Recently, my great aunt Nancy, my grandmother’s sister who our family is so close to we all just call “Aunt Nancy”, started getting into genealogy and finding old photographs of our relatives. Last Christmas I remember her sitting us all down in front of our computer while we looked through some of the photos she found from her own childhood. Some of the photos of her own mother intrigued me and I recently called her and asked her to tell me more about her, my great-grandmother.

Me and my brother with Cele in 2005

Cele in 1921 aged 9

My great-grandmother's full name was Mary Cecelia Loftus Dole, but she always went by Cele Dole. She was born June 20, 1912, and died in February of 2007, both in Cincinnati, Ohio, and she is buried in Spring Grove Cemetery. I was able to meet her a couple times before she died, but I don’t remember much of it because I was so young. She died when I was 6 and in a sad twist of fate, she died just months before our family moved from Phoenix, Arizona to Cincinnati where she lived. I’m sure I would have gotten to know her better if she had lived a little longer since we would have been living so close.

Cele on the far left

According to my Dad, people who met her apparently “would have met a very feisty and opinionated woman”, which according to him “wasn't always a good thing for a woman in the mid-century midwest”. She stood at a solid 5”9 and, as you can see in the photos, towered over her friends. She played basketball in high school and, as a woman in the 1930’s, that was almost unheard of. She had a lifelong love for sports, especially UC Basketball and Cincinnati Reds baseball, and one of the only memories I have of her is of her wearing a Red’s baseball hat in her retirement home.

Some of the fun stories I have of her is that when she first married my great-grandfather in the 1930s, they lived in New York City. According to Aunt Nancy, the trash hauler company Cele worked for at that time may have had mob connections. Nancy says that “business like that usually had “connections” although (Nancy) did not think Cele realized this at the time. She would make bank deposits by carrying the money in a paper bag to the bank. Whether it was mob-related or not, I think it is so cool to think my great-grandmother could have been involved in something as exciting as the mob scene in New York City during the height of organized crime.

Another fun story from my aunt is in the mid 30’s, Cele worked for the fledgling American Airlines at the Lunken Airport in Cincinnati. Apparently, the company ran into financial difficulties (this was during the height of the Great Depression) and could not afford to pay her. They, instead, offered to pay her in flying lessons but, sadly, Cele needed the money so she had to leave the job. 

Cele and Harvey with my Grandmother

As a mother to my grandmother and great aunt, she was apparently very conservative and strict. She even banned my grandmother from listening to The Beatles, which I always thought was quite funny. She was very religious, attending her methodist church regularly, but she wasn't pious or crazy, according to my dad. I have no idea how Cele handled my aunt, however, as my aunt is quite younger than my grandmother and is a generic hippie woman to this day, as she never took her husband’s last name and keeping her maiden name of Nancy Dole. I’m sure that probably drove Cele crazy, but I think it was just her daughter taking after her headstrong mother, a trait I think I inherited

I chose to do my great grandmother because I was curious about the woman who I never got to know, the woman who raised my grandmother and aunt, two women I respect and admire greatly. I’m glad I chose her because now I know some facts about my family from a time before I was born, and I have stories I can pass down to my children someday.

Bethel Graveyard

We took a trip to Bethel Methodist Cemetary this last monday, and it gave us a very good insight to the many types of gravestones that people have and what they mean. It was a very well kept cemetary and it was so fun to walk around at sunset, esspeclly since it is currently October. They have a Find-A-Grave that was very intresting as well.

This gravestone is a great representation of an broken flower gravestone. The broken flower  is used to symbolize death

This headstone has an example of a weeping willow. This is used to represent sorrowful mourning 

The pedastool and the open book isusually used to represent a preacher or a learned man. The  open book usually represents the holy book, the bible, and the open book means a life that was lived

This is a greart example of a pedastool gravestone. They werre usually large and dramatic and expensive and usually only wealthier famlies could afford them

The dramaric fabric draped over the headstone is usually representive of a life snuffed out. It was a fashionable trend durning the victorian era.

The usuage of a Wreath symbolizes victory and redemption, while the dove ususally represents the Holy Spirit, along with love and purity.

The usage of the cross though a crown is quite common. The cross represents the holy suffering of jesus and the crown is the redemption to heaven

The usage of flowers and lilies usually are used with women and symbolize the purity and kindess of heart of the women. This along with the dove symboklizes extreame purity

The usage of angels on this gravestone symbolizes holyness and devotion to religion.

The obalisk cut off at the top was a common symbol in the Victorian era. They susalyh represented a life cut short.