Quotable...

"If you are walking in Charleston, you are walking on someone's grave."--Sue Bennett, Charleston tour guide

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Intro to Susie Malinda Henrie Toland

In my Beyond the Graveyard class, we were assigned to pick an ancestor that we believed to be the most interesting and write a blog on them. This is only a proposal to write about Susie. 

Susie is my great grandmother, born in Hyrum, Wyoming on June 6, 1878 to Joseph Ozro Henrie and Mary Christine Andersen. She died at age 88 in Salt Lake City, UT on November 29, 1966 due to a stroke in her resting home. 

She is buried in the Afton Wyoming Cemetery which is a Public Cemetery. 

Susie had a long life and was raised during a time when horse transportation was the only means of transportation but then grew up to see the first automobile. She also saw the inventions of radio, party line telephones and rotary. 

But the one thing that I find most interesting about Susie is that she knew the notorious Butch Cassidy    the king of the Wild West and his sidekick Heiner, better known as the Sundance Kid. Her small town in Wyoming was a place that Cassidy had gone to -possibly to hide out while cops were chasing him- and Susie's dad was a warm and welcoming man who invited all to dinner at their house.

Butch and Heiner couldn't deny the invitation and sat at a dinner table with her and her family. They had no idea that these new friends were really criminals.

Later she witnessed him attempt to shoot a sheriff, but when his gun didn't go off, it allowed the sheriff to buy time and he hit him with the butt of his gun. 



Monday, February 25, 2019

Ruth Ruth Ruth, Read All About Her!

Click Here!!! To see how our visit with Ruth Miller went!

Ruth Miller--Historical Genius

click here to see my post on Ruth Miller's visit last Monday!

The 18th and 19th Century came to life through Ruth Miller

If you want to read more about Charleston in the 18th and 19th century than click here and see what Ruth Miller shared with me.

Captivating Chapters of Colonial Charleston

Want to learn more about Charleston's history? Click here to see what local historian Ruth Miller has to say.


How holy is the history of the Holy City

Click here to see what Ruth Miller had to say about the Holy City.

Nothing But the Truth with Ruth- Charleston History Expert Visits Class

Miller is the author of several books about Charleston churchyards
"Consultant for All Things Charleston and the Lowcountry" is prominently stated on the website of author, historian, educator and tour guide Ruth Miller.

She knows her stuff and my students and I were the happy recipients of her hour-long presentation on how the Holy City became so holy.



Charleston's rich religious heritage was the theme of Miller's Feb. 18 talk. In my "Beyond the Grave" class that features visits to several old church graveyards and cemeteries, she has proven a valuable expert source.

Cemetery Symbols Presentation (Prezi)

Here are some of the common symbols that adorn grave markers at old cemeteries. This will be shown in advance of our visit to Bethel United Methodist Church.  Click here if you are unable to view this Prezi.

Ruth's Riveting Tales

Check out what Ruth Miller had to say here!

Sunday, February 24, 2019

Image result for ruth miller graveyards booksRuth Miller has done amazing things around the Charleston areas. She is a local historian and tour guide and has been since 1979. she specializes in local religious history. She is the author of multiple books.












Ruth Miller has multiple book out there including "The Angel Oak Story" also Touring the tombstones. Touring the tombstones is a series or books where she went around to different gravesites and told the stories and how the were made and all of the stories behind the symbols and shape of the tombs.








The influence of religion pays a huge part of
the way these tombs are made. Ruth states "It takes
seven people to make up a religion" The power that religions
have on the symbolism that are displayed on these tombs. Religion
ruled this time period which is why there is so much displayed 
on these grave sites





During this period is when the slaves where being taken from Africa to the States. Ruth says " By 1710 there were more slaves than Europeans" But their graves were never found. The mystery is where did the bury them? Did they bury them? No one will know where they are or what the Europeans did with them .



" You win the war you write the history" Ruth states, the winner of the war writes what happen no matter if it is true or not which is a problem. The peoples familes that lost the war might not truly not know what happen to their loved ones. 








  

My Grandfather's Link to a Prominent California Hotel

(Click here to see a video introduction and overview I produced to go along with this story)

During a holiday visit to my folks’ house in Virginia, I asked my mother some questions about her parents. One was where her late father (my grandfather) had worked. I knew that he was at a hotel for many years in Santa Monica but I didn't know which hotel.

"The Miramar" was her response. My immediate reaction was asking if it was located near San Diego. My thoughts went to the Tom Cruise movie "Top Gun" that was set at the fighter pilot school at the Miramar U.S. Navy aviation base.  

No, not that Miramar, Mom said.  It was not until yesterday when I began doing some research for this post that I learned about Santa Monica's Miramar Hotel and its rich, interesting, even glamorous history.  

Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows (courtesy Booking.com)
And I admit to shivering with pride to think my Grandpa Frank spent much of his working career at such a prestigious resort hotel.  

A 2011 article from the Santa Monica Mirror recounts the property's long history.  Early highlights included: 
  • The co-founder of Santa Monica, John Percival Jones, built a Victorian mansion called Miramar in 1889
  • His wife Georgina would plant a small Australian Moreton Bay fig tree that would grow into the huge landmark and signature tree (below) that dominates the resort's front courtyard

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Monday, February 18, 2019

Saturday, February 16, 2019

Elizabeth Jackson and the Mystery of Misleading Monuments

Click here to check out my most recent post about the Elizabeth Jackson monument mystery.

Monday, February 11, 2019

Danielle Williams - Written in Stone- Grave Markers

Hey y'all go check out my new post on my blog!!!

Gravesites Found in Charleston

Click here to view my first blog post in Beyond the Grave Class.

Night One (Feb. 4, 2019)

Click here to check out my post about last Monday's graveyard excursion.

Graveyard Blog

Check out my blog from last Monday's trip here

A Gravestone Tells a 1,000 Memories

Hey guys! Want to see what gravestones I found last Monday night? Click here to check it out.

First Graveyard Visit

Hey y'all! Check out the new post on my blog about grave markers!

Spooky Churchyard Visit

Hey guys, I just uploaded my blog with our most recent graveyard adventure. Click here to check it out.

Sunday, February 10, 2019

Churchyards Offer Grave Discoveries

Thanks to Harper Richards for taking this photo at Cathedral Church
Our first “grave trotting” this semester took us to a pair of churchyards a short walk from campus. I like Cathedral (Episcopal) Church of St. Luke and St. Paul on Coming Street for its wide variety of grave styles in a fairly small space.

Friday, February 1, 2019

Types of Grave Markers

Here is another look at the wide variety of grave markers that we will see during our journeys to area churchyards and graveyards. Students will need to be able to properly identify these for various blog posts and the tests too.  Click here if unable to view this Prezi.