Found on a walk.
Been a while.
Found on a walk, in a dark corner of a cemetery. Thick Oaks, covered in Spanish Moss let very little light in.
This is all that is left of the marker. No writing is visible. It sits in a spot off the path. Streaks of sun gave it’s hiding spot away.
Behind a marble stone sits this military marker. It is called the Cross Of Honor. The dates 1861-1865 are on the front. At first the were provided by a confederate organization after the war, however now they can be ordered from the US Veterans Affairs for any southern military provided headstones. This appears to be one of the older ones.
I found no name here, just the age of the child. Again, this was in a far corner of this cemetery. A story lost here.
Photographed at Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC.
A quiet place to visit while we are maintaining a safe distance from each other. Ironic since many cemeteries around here first opened during the 1856 yellow fever epidemic.
Found on a walk.
First, no relation. However both David Jennings and his wife Harleston Simons Toomer Jennings were also from Connecticut. That’s where it ends.
The monument, head stones are nearby, was created in Zinc not stone and made in Bridgeport CT.
The site, and monument are clearly dated 1884. This is from a newer section of the old cemetery. Oh yeah, both of them were alive and well in 1884. Planning ahead I guess.
The 1860 Federal Census listed David as owning the large saddle and harness company on Meeting Street Charleston. He did not serve in the CSA army during the Civil War, likely he made saddles instead.
There are many graves in the family area, it was a large family. They had 13 children.
Even for the newer cemetery here this is a very elaborate burial site with a number of statutes and carvings.
The history of this family / monument was well documented.
This is a very old congregation. It started in Charles Towne around 1680, the first settlement here. Eventually the town was moved to it’s current location, Charleston. The first settlement was on the far side of the Ashley River… swamps, marshes, and blood sucking bugs!
Above the steeple of St. Philips rises above the graveyard. An iron fence, seen in the background, separates the graves of these two churches. A large number of the founders of the US are buried in these graveyards.
The building itself has been damaged in numerous wars, fires, earthquakes, and hurricanes. It is a Congregational Church now and once called the Church of the dissenters. It was a Church known for speaking of political and religious freedom, the famous hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ was written in it’s sanctuary, and to this day music of all kinds are performed for the public each month.
Click any image below to view full size images.
The Church is a unique structure, as shown above in it’s current form. Repairs and rebuilding has been done by local parishioners as well as world famous architects. More than once services were held in the brick rubble after a war and natural disaster.
Walking through the graveyard you can see a history of headstone designs for several hundred years.
Click any image below to view full size images.
Note; these photographs were taken a few days prior to Charleston beginning to close for the Coronavirus.
Found on a walk, up high.
Photographed 3/20/2020. A walk in an open and quiet place.
There is always a story behind the old stones. The trick is to find it.
William Taber, a large monument now broken in two.
Wm R Taber was the editor of a prominent Charleston newspaper, and killed in a duel per the New York Times in October 1856. He is buried in St. Philips graveyard in Charleston. Like many respected people in Charleston a monument was erected in Magnolia Cemetery. Most families wanted to be buried at their Church in this period. Cemeteries were ‘a new’ thing.
Wrought Iron surrounds a parcel of land set aside for members of an early Free Masons Lodge. The Lodge was formed in 1735. Lodge Number 1 is one of the early lodges of the Ancient Free Masons. Lodge Number 9, Savannah Ga, held meetings first. Why 9 first? I just publish what I find.
The iron fences surround and mark most of the oldest parcels in Magnolia Cemetery. At one point the Umbra Plantation was still in operation even after Magnolia had been opened. The land was originally owned by Umbra. In 1850 the first land, near the marsh, was set aside for a cemetery. The Civil War put an end to Umbra, troops were camped here, many stayed (a military cemetery).
The First (Scots) Presbyterian Church graveyard. Established in 1731 when members left the Circular Church just down a little on Meeting Street, Charleston.
The wall is a lined with old headstones and monuments.
The building behind was the home of Nathaniel Russel and the graveyard can be seen through the inside windows (click here).
The photograph was first monochrome and then finished using DxO software filters to simulate old film.
