New Research and Writing Assignment: Hope You Are In The "Mood"!

Greetings Students!  As we continue our distance learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic here is the next blog post assignment.

You all did a great job with your personal ancestor research. Now I'd like to bring us all back to Charleston for the next project.  There is a very interesting man buried in the graveyard at Bethel United Methodist Church who is very prominent but few people today know about him.  Findagrave.com's Bethel UMC site, for example, lists only one "famous memorials" and it's not this person. He should be on such a list and we'll try to make that happen!

Rev. John Mood (courtesy geni.com) 

Rev. John Mood (1792-1864) deserves to be added to that famous/prominent list of Bethel burials.  What I judge the best research post on him I will, with the student's permission, submit it to findagrave to try to get Rev. Mood added as a famous memorial.

Mood was a Methodist minister and also part of a family of Charleston silversmiths.  Today, Mood- made silver products are valuable and highly sought after, from spoons, pitchers and jewelry to slave badges and bits, spurs and other equipment for Confederate cavalry during the Civil War. 

People at antique shops and high-end collectors in South Carolina and beyond, know the Mood name and greatly respect it.

Bethel Church Visit- Rainy But Righteous!

Church administrator Sue Bennett greets the class

Thank goodness Bethel United Methodist Church has a large covered area by its massive white columns and huge front door.

We needed the protection as off and on rain fell during our Oct. 8 visit.

Kizoa Slideshow Demo: Bethel UMC Tour

Tonight I briefly introduced the class to Kizoa, a fun and easy to use platform for producing slideshows.  I have asked the students to create a semester-in-review video and suggested Kizoa as a free and pretty easy way to make a high-quality visual project.

For this sample, I used photos I took in February when we visited nearby Bethel United Methodist Church where staff member Sue Bennett gave us a very interesting tour.  

Bethel UMC Tour Feb 2018

Cemetery Symbols- What Do They All Mean?

Old cemeteries and graveyards, especially those from the 19th-century Victorian era, are rich in symbolism. From crosses and angels to plants and animals, each has a special meaning. Though some symbols are up to interpretation, there seems to be a general consensus on most messages. The term "iconology" refers to the study, description, analysis, and interpretation of icons.


There are many resources online and in books to help interpret grave site symbols, including this in-depth one that lists symbols alphabetically.  My "In the Arms of Angels" book's chapter 5 "Cemetery Symbology" samples symbols found at Magnolia Cemetery.  And our "Stories Told in Stone" text includes a "Glossary of Common Gravestone Symbols & Interpretations" chapter (pages 71-82).

Symbols listed in Sharon Carmack's "Your Guide to Cemetery Research" 

This Prezi goes into the types of symbols to be seen at older graveyards and cemeteries.