Altruistic Ancestry

Eloise Beck Crouch was my great grandmother on my fathers side, she was born on February 24, 1935, to the late Olin and Lenora Beck and was raised in Montmorenci, SC. She lived many years in Graniteville before making North Augusta her home in 1977. She was an active member of Grace United Methodist Church and thoroughly enjoyed her time spent with the Florrie Derrick Circle. She was married to the late Charles William Crouch for forty-four years. Charles William Crouch or "Hookus" to his family was an overseer of 3 of the bearings stores in South Carolina for 45 years

Eloise Beck Crouch

Eloise lived a quaint and calm life. She retired as a research analyst from Graniteville Company after over forty years of service. A research analyst is responsible for researching, analyzing, interpreting and presenting data related to marketing, operations, finance/accounting, economics, customers, and other information related to their field.

Shortly before and for many years after her retirement, she could be found volunteering at Univerity Hospital as one of the "Pink Ladies". A "Pink Lady" was someone who worked throughout the hospital. They would interact with patients, bringing flowers, books, nourishment, or a warm blanket. They would comfort families with information, coffee, or a hug. They would escort those who were unfamiliar with hospital services and locations.

Eloise and family

Ballroom dancing, cooking, baking, sewing, and spending time with her family were among her favorite activities. She was famously known in her community for her chocolate cake. It can be described as the perfect amount of sweet, moist, creamy, velvety frosting, and soul-warming to those who were lucky enough to eat it, and you could not stop at just one piece.  

Her family was an undoubtedly important pillar of her life, after her retirement that's all she had. She was known as"Gran Gran" or "Darling" by her grandchildren. Every holiday she would hold family dinners or lunches and prepare a typical Southern meal with a spread of cakes, pies, and brownies for dessert. She had two children, Charles Martin Crouch Sr and Marilyn Crouch Ried, both still living with families of their own. 

She died this past year of Sarcoma Cancer on August 14, 2019. She was cremated the same day however a tomb was erected in Graniteville Cemetery next to her husband so her family and friends can remember/visit her. 

I was lucky enough to grow up with her in my life and she was a staple in the Crouch family. She is missed every day and was loved by many, She was one of the most selfless people I had ever had the pleasure of knowing

Citations:
Family members (Grandfather, Grandmother, Sister, Father)

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Elizabeth Jackson

Born in 1740 Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson, mother of our seventh president of the United States, Andrew Jackson. She held a great value on family, she loved both her sons and nephews. During the revolutionary War. the British invaded South Carolina and captured Charleston in addition to Andrew II and her nephews. This caused Elizabeth to move to Charleston and bargain for their lives. It's assumed that her nephews and second son died of small pox  but still She arranged for a transfer because of her history with helping other prisoners and soldiers who escaped the British.

Our dear Elizabeth succumbed to cholera which is an bacterial disease that infects the lining of the stomach and cause very watery diarrhea.

Elizabeth Jackson's tomb stone 

Her headstone was actually located many other places before it was transferred here to the COFC campus. It was in Lancaster, SC and they wanted to put it by railroad tracks but the people relocating it decided to place her on the property. According to Mr. Harwood it is suspected that there is a general area where her remains are and that are is about 2 miles from the tombstones current location (outside of the Robert Scott Small building).

Elizabeth Jackson is not buried outside of the Robert Scot Small building, but her memorial tomb stone is. The reason the tomb is in cougar mall is because Andrew didn't know where her remains were, however, there are many theories as to where her remains are. Some say they just threw her into the harbor with the rest of the prisoners she was helping, others say she is somewhere in the Magnolia cemetery, I vote she was thrown from the harbor because it's an interesting way to die and people just wanted to get rid of the body. Still, her remains have never been found.

Citations:
https://www.postandcourier.com/columnists/behre-column-this-history-is-a-mystery/article_f0a6388f-dac2-5f25-ab58-2246049e150d.html
http://www.strangehistory.org/cms/index.php/popular/93-elizabeth-hutchinson-jackson-the-missing-matron

hunting symbols at BUMC

The Bethel United Methodist Church is home to many unique grave markers, and our class went on a scavenger hunt to find some examples of these personalized gravemarkers.

Some history about the church is that it was founded in 1797 in the heart of downtown Charleston, SC. They have services every Sunday and they are obviously a methodist denomination. More information can be found on their website here. 

The following examples of gravemarkers were the ones that caught my eye and made me question the meaning of their burial. 

 The first one I found had these beautiful flowers on the top of the die in socket grave. Buried here is Charles D. Bateman, he was born on August 29, 1828, and died on September 22, 1889 (61). According to his death certificate found here, he killed himself. The flowers on top of his grave signify the frailty of life, meaning he was in the condition of being weak and delicate.

 Next, we have this cradle grave with a book over a podium. The deceased was a pastor by the name of Reverend William H Fleming. He was born on January 1, 1821, and died on April 6, 1877 (56). According to his death certificate, he died of pneumonia and was a very well respected man who attended college and earned the title Doctor of Divinity. The bible on top of the grave represents a religious layperson or cleric.

This die in socket caught my eye because it was up against a wall and clean. Here lies Pracilla Sarah Shepherd, born on June 28, 1809, and died on March 10, 1885 (75). She was a mother to eight children and a loving wife to Robert Henry Eason. There are no details on the cause of death but the symbol on the grave means the sovereignty of the lord, meaning she taught about God.

This die on socket grave is a personal favorite just because it is draped over and meaningful. The deceased is Rosa Mary Burnham Muckenfuss and was born on October 9, 1835, and died on November 2, 1881 (46). There is not a lot of information regarding her death but we can infer that she was a loving person. The drape over the grave represents sorrow or mourning, and the flowers represent the frailty of life.

This pedestal tomb is unique because it was one of the only ones in the churchyard. The deceased is Sarah Heron and there was little to no information about her and her life journey. She was born in 1789 and died on November 12. 1835. I'm guessing there was an urn on top of the cone-like structure because you can see that something was there and that it was chipped or fell off.

 This obelisk grave marker was in the corner of the churchyard and is "home" to Abigail S. Swift Capers. She was born in 1811 and is estimated to have died on August 30, 1846 (34-35). What the obelisk symbolizes devotion to god, an important event or achievement in their life.

 Here lies Sarah Margaret and she was born in 1838 died September 12th, 1855 and aged seventeen years. What really caught me eye was the weeping willow and the urn on the grave. I thought it was interesting because no other graves' insight had the same art on it. The weeping willow signifies natures lament; sorrow and mourning and the urn is the greek symbol of mourning, the body as a vessel of the soul. So we can infer that people were obviously upset about her passing because of her age and possibly how she was as a person.

This petit grave was located near the parking lot and was up against a concrete wall in front of a parking space. The deceased is Casey Poyas, and was born in 1871 and is unknown when they died. However, there is a hand pointing to the sky symbolizing a reward of righteousness. conformation of life after death. Often also associated with someone who was known to practice religion.

The second to last die in socket grave was in the main churchyard. The deceased is Elizabeth Martha Simons Virno Moore, she was born in 1796 and died on October 26, 1861 (64-65). There is no information on how she died but we can gather that she was religious because of the angel and urn on her tomb. The angel symbolizes spirituality and the angel is an agent of god. The urn represents an ossuary.

The final grave I found was also up against the concrete wall in the parking lot. The deceased are Alice Elmina and Samuel Ward. Alice born on April 22, 1852, and died on August 7, 1854 (2). Samuel Ward was born on August 16, 1855, and died March 7, 1856 (6 months). There is no information bout how they died but we can infer they were loved. There is ivy on the die in socket grave and the ivy represents memory; immortality; friendship; fidelity; faithfulness; undying affection; eternal life. 

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