Former US President's Mother Buried on my College Campus??

Born around 1740 in Carrickfergus, Ireland, Elizabeth Huntchinson, was the mother of the seventh president of the United States, Andrew Jackson. Escaping religious prosecution from the ruling Anglican faction in the United Kingdom, Elizabeth and her family, along with the Crawford family, fled to America. A few weeks before Andrew Jackson II was born, Elizabeth's husband passed away. "A few weeks later, Elizabeth and her sons moved to the house of her sister and brother-in-law, Jane and James Crawford, just over the border in South Carolina. Jane’s health had greatly deteriorated after she moved to America, and she was now and invalid" (Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson para 6). 

During the Revolutionary War, the British invaded South Carolina and captured Charleston in addition to Andrew and Robert, Elizabeth's son and nephew. This caused Elizabeth to move to Charleston and bargain for their lives. "As a result of this incident, Andrew and Robert were held prisoner at Camden, South Carolina. Both boys became infected with smallpox and would have likely died, but Elizabeth arranged a prisoner transfer – the patriots turned over thirteen redcoats and the British freed seven prisoners, including the two Jacksons" (Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson para 13). Up until her death, she spent the her time tending to the soldiers that had escaped from the British warship. 

Elizabeth Jackson's grave marker memorial on Cougar Mall at the College of Charleston. 

Following her death as a result of the cholera epidemic, Elizabeth was buried in 1781 near what is now Magnolia Cemetery. However, there is a grave marker on the College of Charleston's campus that many people believe is where she is actually buried. Originally, her memorial grave marker was not located on C of C's campus. About 2.5 miles away, some "well-intended folks" wanted to move the marker from it's location as a result of it's neglected state. "In 1942, several service members at Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island responded to a newspaper’s call to honor Mrs. Jackson. These men, who mostly hailed from Columbia, commissioned the marker and placed it in a railroad right of way -- a sort of no man’s land just east of King Street Extension and Heriot Street. They didn’t choose the site by chance: An 1825 letter from James H. Witherspoon of Lancaster tells Jackson: “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” (This History is a Mystery para 6). 

Fast forward to 1967, due to the headstone's "unkept roadside surroundings," local historians succeeded in moving the headstone to the College of Charleston's main campus prior to Ted Stern becoming president of the college. Although she is not buried on the the College of Charleston's campus, the Daughters of the American Revolution took it upon themselves to create a statue by, making a best guess at the location of her grave, and then erecting a statue in her memory of the woman they imagined she resembled. It serves as a monument to all the forgotten, long-suffering mothers of Presidents, past, present, and future" (Statue of Andrew Jackson's Mom para 1). 

Statue of Elizabeth Jackson 

Great Great Great Great Great Grandfather Henry B. Nave

Over fall break, I was able to travel back to Ohio to visit my family and friends. While I was there, I was able to meet with my grandfather on my dad’s side to discuss our family ancestors and their history. Originally, I agreed to write a paper on my grandfather’s father, but after I got to talking with him, I realized that I wanted to trace back my ancestry even more; all the way back to 1787 when my great great great great great grandfather was born.

On December 7 of 1787 in Greene County, Tennessee, Henry B Nave was born. He was the oldest and only male out of his five siblings: Mary Catherine, Elizabeth, Emma, Clara, and Annabelle. When he was 21 years old, he married Mary Elizabeth Brooks Squires in Cocke County, Tennessee. From there, they had 4 children: John, Henry, Issac, and Rebekah. My line of the Stout family was descended from his first born son, John. 

In addition to his family life, Henry B Nave also fought in the War of 1812 under Colonel Samuel Bunch’s Regiment Mounted East Tennessee Volunteers. This group was more commonly known as the 1^st Regiment of Volunteer Mounted Infantry. After the war, he moved his family across the Mississippi all the way to Saline County, Missouri where he became a significant land owner. In 1832, he took part in the Black Hawk War, which was another conflict between the United States and the Native Americans. His first wife, Mary Elizabeth, passed away while he was off fighting in the Black Hawk war. A few years later, he remarried to a woman named Amanda Church where they had two children: David and Anthony.

Henry B Nave's gravemarker in our family cemetery in Saline County, Missouri. 

At ninety-six years old, my great great great great great grandfather passed away peacefully in his home in Saline County, Missouri on February 4, 1884. A few years ago, my grandfather went back to Missouri to see his brother and also visited the cemetery where he was buried on their land. Also, since cameras were invented in 1816 and they were not very easy to apprehend, there is no photograph of Henry B Nave ever taken. Instead, I choose to include the photos of his gravemarker that my grandfather took during his trip to Missouri. 

Henry B Nave's gravemarker side profile. 

Grave Marker Symbol Scavenger Hunt

Our "Beyond the Grave" class visited the Bethel Methodist Cemetery last week. While we were there, we saw a lot of different symbols on many of the grave markers. I thought it was very cool to see such a variety of symbols dispersed on different grave markers. 

The flowers on the grave marker represents love, hope, and beauty.  

This angel represents holiness and devotion to religion. 

The wreath in this image represents redemption and victory. 

This broken flower is typically used to symbolize love, attraction, and admiration. 

The fabric draped over the headstone is typically representative of a life snuffed out. This was a popular trend especially during the Victorian Era. 

The wreath symbolizes redemption and victory. The dove represents the holy spirit, love, and purity. 

This broke flower is supposed to symbolize death. 

The sideways cross is a symbol of the crucifixion of Jesus.  

The grave marker has an engraving of a weeping willow. This symbolizes sorrowful mourning. 

The cross through a crown typically represents the suffering of Jesus and the redemption to heaven. 

Great Grandpa Stout

            For my ancestor research project for our “Beyond the Grave” class, I have decided to research my great grandfather on my dad’s side of the family. I do not really know that much information about him and his life, but I am hoping to change that after this project. My dad always talks about him and how he was such an amazing person. However, I do know that he was a first generation American and earned a “purple heart” after fighting in the Army. I am going home for fall break, so I will definitely use the resources available to me to find more about him and his life. 

Class on a Saturday Night?? Touring KKBE Jewish Cemetery

Last Saturday night, our class visited the KKBE Jewish cemetery, the oldest Jewish Cemetery in the Southern part of the United States. The Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Cemetery was established in Charleston, South Carolina. This piece of land is said to be the second oldest surviving Jewish burial ground in the South!

Right when you walk into the cemetery, there is a sink off to the side of the entrance. It was mentioned by one of our tour guides that, "it is a tradition to wash your hands after visiting a cemetery." This was very interesting to me as I have never heard this practice before. Another thing that I noticed was that there were small stones on top of some of the grave markers in the cemetery. Our guides informed us that "the stones are a symbol of remembrance and respect." This tradition originated in the Sahara desert when someone died. Their bodies would be covered in stones to prohibit animals from digging them up and consuming them.

A headstone that is currently being refurbished. 

The grave marker of the second female president of the KKBE.

An overview of the cemetery.