Old Charlestonian Project: The Influential (And Infamous) John C. Calhoun

One of South Carolina's most famous historical figures is John Caldwell Calhoun. He was the 7th Vice President of the United States, a congressman, a senator and secretary of the presidential cabinet. Currently his place of rest is Saint Phillip's Episcopal Church  in Charleston South Carolina. This old Charlestonian left a long, infamous legacy of history.  

John Calhoun was born March 18, 1782 in Mount Carmel, South Carolina. John's father, Patrick Calhoun, had a reputation as an 'indian fighter'; but he was also well known in their community as a surveyor, farmer, and politician, he was a member of South Carolina Legislature. According to Wikipedia, Patrick Calhoun was a Patriot during the American Revolution and he opposed the ratification of the Constitution 'on the grounds of states' rights and personal liberties'. Patrick's politics  and political views greatly influenced John's beliefs  John would later adopt his father's states' rights beliefs during his own political career. 

In 1811 John married Floride Bonneau Colhoun. She was the daughter of a rich senator and was a part of the Charleston high society. Together John and Floride had ten children. But according to Wikipedia, sadly three of them died in infancy. 

Find a Grave; John Calhoun's Grave: Saint Philip's Church

John Calhoun is most well known as a spokesperson for the slave-plantation system and his ideological role in the South's succession in the Civil War. The History channel claims, "[He] was a renowned as a leading voice for those seeking to secure the institution of slavery." John Calhoun believed that slavery was an integral part of the South's economic stability. His strong defense of the institution of slavery eventually lead to his role as a prominent political and intellectual leader of the South and his ideas heavily influenced the Civil War. 

Ethan Rafuse, from History Net, calls John Calhoun "The man who started the Civil War". Calhoun devoted much of his time defending slavery and believed in 'states' rights'- meaning that if a state believed a federal law was unconstitutional  that a state could make the executive decision not to obey it. Calhoun believed that 'to destroy slavery, would be to destroy a powerful symbol of what motivated the Southern man to improve himself.' He believed the South was a minority compared with the booming industrialized North. The South's agrarian culture depended on the use of enslaved Africans in order to thrive. 

John Calhoun argued that the free laborer in the North was just as much a slave to his boss as an African slave was in the South. Claiming that, "The amount of money a master invested in his slaves made it economically unfeasible to mistreat them or ignore their working and living conditions." John Caldwell calhoun died March 31, 1850 a decade before the Civil War. Today we know how wrong slavery is and many of us would disagree with Calhoun's politics. But this old Charlestonian left a significant impact on American history and influenced many during his time. Although John Calhoun helped influence one of the United States' darkest times, he is still highly recognized for his political theory, his philosophy and his mind in contemporary issues. 

Find a Grave; photos by Ryan David Schweitzer

'Mood'y Silversmith

Rev. John Mood Headstone UMC Bethel 

Who is John Mood?

Neck Stock Buckle, By Peter Mood Sr.

 John Mood was born in Charleston, SC January 11, 1792.  John began his very successful career as a silversmith at the age of 13 when he started an apprenticeship with his father, Peter Mood. John married Cathrine McFarlane in May of 1815. In 1816, when John was 24, he became partner at his fathers silversmith shop in Charleston. Their silver shop made a variety of beautiful silver pieces ranging from cutlery, dishes and jewelry.

John Mood passed away March 1, 1864 at age 72. He was buried at the Bethel United Methodist Church cemetery. He was born and raised in Charleston, spending all his life there. The Mood family had been members of the methodist church since John was a child. He grew up to become a reverend and opened the first Sunday school for African Americans in Charleston.

John Mood lived a successful and plentiful life, he truly left his mark on Charleston.

Gravy Boat, By John Mood

Ladle, By John and Peter Mood

Elizabeth Jackson and the Mystery of her Remains

Before we can delve into the mystery of why Elizabeth Jackson was buried right on our own campus we must first learn about who she was. Elizabeth Jackson was the mother of the 7th president of the United States, Andrew Jackson. According to the History of American Women Blog, Elizabeth was an Irish immigrant born in Country Antrim around 1740. Elizabeth and her husband Andrew Senior immigrated to the United States in 1765 with their two sons Hugh and Robert. Shortly after the families arrival to the Carolinas the Jacksons obtained 200 acres of land in the Waxhaws settlement.

Courtesy of Professor Hardwood's blog

President Andrew Jackson or Andrew the second, was born March 15, 1767 just three weeks after Andrew Senior, his father, passed away. After his passing Elizabeth and her children moved into her sister and brother in-law's house in present day South Carolina. Elizabeth worked as a housekeeper and nurse for her very sick sister. Finally when Andrew was 14 Elizabeth passed away due to small pox. 

According to the Post and Courier Andrew was devastated over the missing remains of his mother, “The uncertainty over the fate of her remains was a matter of concern to Jackson even in his White House years,” But where is Elizabeth? The marker on campus states she is "near this spot", the Post and Courier claims that her grave marker was moved to campus from a place 2 1/2 miles away...the location of Elizabeth's remains is a mystery, but her memory lives on through her now distant relatives and history fanatics.

My McLoughlin Ancestry

"People will not look forward to prosperity who never look backward to their ancestors." -Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France

Trying to research my family was a difficult task. My Grandparents immigrated to the United States with nothing more than their passports, some clothes and a few dollars. In the way of documents, little can be found about my Grandparents much less about my great grand parents and beyond. Thankfully one of my cousins on my father's side put together a family tree a few years ago. Although for the majority of my family there are just names, no dates of birth, or death because there simply aren't records readily available. 

My Great Grandparents marriage license 

One of the very few records I was able to find was the marriage certificate for my paternal Great Grandparents, Patrick McLoughlin and Helen 'Ellie' McNamara. They were married February 9, 1911 in Mohill, Ireland. The marriage certificate was officiated and the ceremony was performed at the Roman Catholic Church of Mohill. 

One of the only records I was able to find was for my Great Uncle Paddy, my paternal Grandfather's brother. Uncle Paddy was the oldest of thirteen kids. Patrick was born June 16, 1914 in Mohill, Ireland. What I find very interesting is that on my Great Grandparents marriage license and on my Great Uncle's birth certificate the documents ask for "Rank of Professionalism of Father".  My Great Grandfather was a potato farmer. 

My Great Uncle's Birth certificate

According to my Dad, my Great Grandpa was some sort of 'important political leader' in Mohill. Although my Dad is not sure what my Great Grandpa did, I know my Grandpa had some sort of connections to the IRA- the Irish Republican Army. My Dad said when he was little he remembered my Grandpa helping to collect money and donations for the IRA from New York with other Irish immigrants, so I can only imagine my Great Grandfather was involved in the Irish Republican Army in some way as well. My Dad never met his Grandfather so we can only assume what he was like. He was a tough Irish potato farmer who was born and died in the small rural town of Mohill. My family may not have exciting backgrounds but my ancestry is filled with hard workers and deep Irish roots.

Mohill, County Leitrim Ireland 1940s 

Our Deadly Scavenger Hunt

Last Monday, February 24, we visited the Bethel United Methodist Church. This church has a rich history. Until 1852 the church hosted mass for both white and black churchgoers.
Then "Old Bethel" was donated to the black congregation in 1876. Today, Bethel United Methodist Church is Charleston's oldest Methodist church. At Bethel UMC their graveyard is home to countless graves since 1796, here are my ten favorites;

Let the (Ancestral) Digging Begin!

When told that we were doing an ancestors project I became very excited. I have always wanted to learn more about my families history. Both of my parents are first genereation in the United States so I really only know about my great grandparents and ancestors through my grandparents, parents and relatives.

My maternal and paternal grandparents met their spouses shortly after their arrival to the United States coincidentally all four of them immigrated to New York. My maternal Grandpa is from the Dominican Republic and immigrated to the United States in search of refuge from the rising dictator Rafael Trujillo. My maternal Grandma immigrated to the United States from Costa Rica, to chase the "American Dream" and be able to provide for her four children who remained in Costa Rica. Both my paternal grandparents had a similar goal in mind of escaping poverty and made their way to New York from Ireland.

For the sake of this project I will be researching an ancestor from my paternal side of my family in Ireland. From my research online I cannot seems to find any information regarding my maternal side of the family. Although research on both sides of my family is challenging a few years ago one of my cousins began compilling a family tree and went to Ireland to access documents and records not accessible to us here. I am very excited to begin my research on the McLoughlin clan and learn about my family history!

My Top 5 MUST SEE Charleston Churches

Last week we visited ten local, historic places of worship right here in downtown Charleston. This post is a breakdown of my top five favorites. Whether it was the architecture, the setting or the vibe all of these Churches are unique and beautiful in their own rite!

#5: Second Presbyterian Church

The Second Presbyterian Church, located at 342 Meeting St., was a a beautiful sight to see! The stunning white stone of the building stands out against the greenery. This church was opened on April 3, 1811 but was founded in 1809.  This is a church of Presbyterian faith, meaning it is a branch of Christianity that believes in, "the Five solas: Scripture alone, faith alone, Christ alone, grace alone, glory to God alone." The architecture of this church is inspired by Jeffersonian style.