Beyond the Grave

“Old Charlestonian” Research Project/Blog Post
“Beyond the Grave” FYE Course
Fall 2017

Due Date: Monday, Nov. 20

First Scots Presbyterian Church Graveyard

“Old Charlestonian” Project Guidelines

Due Nov. 13:  Write and turn in a typed proposal on the Charlestonian you will research and write about for your blog and class blog: who is this person, why this person, when did he/she live and where is he/she buried (needs to be in a Charleston graveyard or cemetery). 

In this proposal you do not have to answer all of these questions yet, but in your research try to find out when did he/she live and die (and how).  Include other details you know so far about life, occupation, family, achievements (and failures), legacy and any other interesting facts and tidbits. 

Describe the gravesite. What is unique, interesting or magnificent or artistic about it? Also, include research sources you have and will use to write a detailed article. Style and length should be similar to the stories I have in “In the Arms of Angels.”

Important Note: Your “Old Charlestonian” research project and post must be from a gravesite found at one of the graveyards/cemeteries we have visited this semester. It can also be from one in Charleston you visit on your own. See a list of six nearby graveyards on the syllabus. Subject must have lived and died in the 18^th or 19^th centuries. Subject can be a child or young person.

Due Nov. 20:  A 500-plus word story with two or more photos/visuals and two/more embedded links. You should use and site three or more sources and resources used to gather and write this post. Hit on the themes mentioned above, including why you selected this person/gravesite to feature. Attribute sources as newspaper and online writers or reporters would. Examples:

       “In a collection of her writings, Vanderhorst described in great detail the dangers and difficulties of living in Charleston during the Union bombardment from 1863-65.”

                       “A Tiffany monument, just like Magnolia Cemetery’s Witte one, can be found in Chicago’s Forest Home Cemetery. The monument marks the grave of Edmund Cummings, a real estate and street mogul who lived from the 1840s to 1920s.”  

Presentations: Each of you will come to the front of the class, bring up your Old Charlestonian, and briefly discuss who your person is, why you chose this person, what was interesting/unique/unusual about your person’s life and death (possibly), how you researched this person, and also discuss the grave site of the person.

###