A Low Country Boat Ride

I am in the midst of packing for week two on the South Carolina coast.  Last week was spent at my parents' home at Pawley's Island.  This week will be at our home at Edisto Beach, 45 minutes south of Charleston.  Yes, I know we are extremely blessed to have two homes...

Last Wednesday, I shared our boat ride down the river.  And... I promised that I would share some of the historic things we saw.  This fabulous home is Dirleton Plantation on a finger off of the Pee Dee River.

Owned by the Sparkman family, Union soldiers hung Dr. James Ritchie Sparkman TWICE during the Civil War on this tree.  He was saved both times by the same male slave who continued to work for him after the War was over.

Did you ever wonder about the little "trap door" on the keyhole?  It was so that the servants/slaves (whether in the north or south) couldn't look in when the doors were closed.

 

Along the river and on the fingers, you can still see these "trunks" or  tidegates.  These trunks allowed the rice planters to flood and drain their fields with water from the rivers.  Even today, these simple wooden structures do a better job of controlling tidal flooding in Low Country rice fields than more modern technology.

Although both my boys are almost as big a history nerds as I am, this got their attention more than anything:  An awesome rope swing from a three hundred year old oak tree!

They had a ball... Jackson was a little very sad we had to leave!

For the Love of Spoons and Grappling Hooks

I just got off the phone with my oldest son (they will be at Pawley's Island with the grandparents through Sunday), and the first thing out of his mouth was:  "Yes Mom, we used the spoons!"  You are probably wondering what on earth I am talking about, but I thought I would use that to introduce the story of how my first ancestors arrived in our country.  (Beth AKA Social Climbers, you asked for this story! LOL).

Our family is lucky to have four ancestors arrive on the Mayflower.  These Separatists left all they knew in England, traveled to Holland for a few years (bet some of you didn't know that tidbit), and finally left for America. My children and I are descended from John and Joan Tilley (both died the first winter), their daughter Elizabeth, and John Howland.  Elizabeth and John later married in 1625.

But that's not the really amazing story.  This is...

During the Mayflower's voyage, John Howland fell overboard during a storm, and was almost lost in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Luckily, he managed to grab hold of the topsail halyards, giving the crew enough time to rescue him with a grappling hook.  William Bradford, in the falling-overboard incident, refered to Howland as a "lusty young man".  I always have to laugh at that!!!  So... I am very thankful for grappling hooks.  Had John Howland not been rescued, I would not be here!

But what about the spoon?  My parents went to Plymouth Plantation a number of years ago and had the opportunity to visit John Howland's home.  It's the only one still standing.  They also purchased pewter replicas of his spoon for my sister and me, as well as the grandchildren.  All the children love to use the spoons during our own Thanksgiving dinners.

This is the original spoon.  I couldn't take a picture of mine - it's still at the beach!

So here's to you, ten-great grandfather John... and our love of grappling hooks!

"The Fort Brothers" and Other Family Names

Over the past week I have dedicated one blog to each of my sons.  For Sumter, Pink, Green, & Southern commented that he had a great name.  A huge public thank you goes out to you PG&S!  Actually, I absolutely LOVE my boys' names.  I belong to one of those crazy South Carolina families where everyone is named after everyone else.  NO ONE has an original name.   (Well, almost no one.  Keep reading!)

My sister's name is the most beautiful in the family:  Anne Stuart.  It's a double name and, of course was taken from some dead great, great, etc. grandmother.  Not Anne.  Not Stuart.  It's Anne Stuart.  And don't mess with her on that because she'll just ignore you.  She and I went to summer camp on the shores of Lake Michigan when we were younger, and those Midwestern girls just couldn't grasp the concept.  They called her "Stuart".  We didn't correct them after a while, because... well, we just guessed they just didn't know any better.  :)

I am named after my mother, Beverly.  My given middle name is Mason.  Mason is her mother's maiden name.  My grandmother's family was from Virginia, and she was always fond of saying, "We were the Masons... of Virginia."  Never knew exactly what that meant.  It must have meant something as it is through her line that we are all members of the NSCDA.

My sons are known throughout parts of South Carolina as "The Fort Brothers" as in two forts in South Carolina:  Fort Sumter and Fort Jackson.  NO!  I didn't plan that.  On my side of the family every first-born son for the past five generations have been named "James Sumter".  They have all been called Sumter.  My "however many greats" grandfather was the personal physician to General Thomas Sumter of the Revolutionary War.   Our youngest, Jackson Elliott, was named for his paternal great-grandmother's maiden name (Jackson).  The Elliott is from my father's side.  Our ancestor, William Elliott, owned a large plantation that much later became Sea Pines (of Hilton Head Island).  Legend has it that he was forced to hand over the deed to a Union soldier at gunpoint. 

My sister has two beautiful daughters, Mary Stephens (double name, of course) and Caroline.  My family was absolutely thrilled with Mary Stephens' name.  Not only was she named after people from her father's side, but my mother discovered that we actually have a Mary Stephens on our side all the way from the 1600's!   But Anne Stuart really made a social familial gaff with poor Caroline.  When she told my mother what she was going to name her second daughter, my mother sniffed, "Oh. We don't have any Carolines in our family."  To which Anne Stuart replied, "Well, we do now!"

Mimi with Sumter, Jackson, Mary Stephens, and Caroline

Kanuga, 2008

So here's to all of you out there with crazy family names!  I'd love to hear your stories!

AKA Beverly Mason