First, Finest and Oldest- More Charleston Historic Nuggets

The unabashed purveyor of "All Things Charleston" was back Monday in my "Beyond the Grave" classroom and I was amazed to learn so many new things in this, her fourth talk to my class.

Ruth Miller has authored several books about Charleston graveyards

Longtime Charleston historian, author and tour guide Ruth Miller seems a fount of unlimited "Holy City" knowledge.

For decades she has studied Charleston's past and has given tours in the downtown Historic District. She says her interest in the many old church graveyards came after giving a tour to a visiting group of morticians who asked to spend time looking around some of old downtown graveyards, pointing things out to Miller that she did not know.

Yes the Ashley and Cooper Rivers are named for this guy

In class, Miller outlined the early years of England's Carolina colony.

Lord Anthony Ashley-Cooper was the key figure in attracting settlers to the vast region by promoting three incentives:
1. Free land- "Twelve thousand acres could be given one man," Miller said.
2. Titled nobility- Miller said the landowners could have titles such as Lord Proprietor and Duke. This was unique to the Southern colonies, she said, and led to the plantation system and slavery.
3. Freedom of religion- Only seven people were needed in Carolina to form a church. This would make Charleston the colonial city with the most different religions.

More on Ashley-Cooper and his influence can be found here in my previous post.

Ruth Miller is a graduate of Duke University 

Ruth Miller gave an excellent talk and presentation. I will be interested in reading my students' take on her treasure trove of local history.

Here are some of my other new takeaways, thanks to Ruth Miller:

• "Carolina" is Latin for "Charles' Land" (as in King Charles II) 
• The Quaker religion name came from "feel God and shake," Miller said
• The Old Bethel United Methodist Church on Calhoun Street across from the "newer" Bethel UMC is Charleston's third oldest existing church building behind St. Michael's Episcopal Church and the Unitarian Church
• In Charleston’s  early and colonial days, black and whites "could pray together but blacks were not given the right to be buried with whites," Miller said. While in church services together, blacks had to sit away from the whites, and depending on the religion, receive communion after the white folks
• "Tombstones tell a story- the lack of them or the presence of them," she said. For example she cited how Charleston's early Quaker presence can only be seen today by way of a small sign on King Street  because the Quaker cemetery was covered years ago with a parking garage
• Another interesting point made by Miller is how we show our value system in what we build. "In the 18th century, where people's money was going was in their (respective) House of God," she said. "Churches were built before schools, banks and corporations. In the 18th century, religion was valued." 

Star of David 

• Miller showed us an old Charleston grave in a Christian cemetery that featured on it a six-pointed star, what today is called the Star of David. "This was not a Jewish symbol until the 20th century," she said. "Hitler started identifying Jews with Star of David armbands." 
• Hilter would also usurp the swastika for his sinister purposes. One of our course textbooks says how the swastika is considered one of the oldest symbols used, dating to Buddhist memorials to represent the seal of the Buddha's heart; the doctrine of Buddha, the round of existence. The Chinese and Romans also used the swastika symbol, according to that book. 

More on Ruth Miller can be learned by visiting her website and checking out her "Touring the Tombstones" books at Charleston shops and on this link.