Heart's death certificate is quite interesting and gives a lot of information, but contextual information makes a few details stand out. South Carolina began issuing death certificates January 1, 1915, less than 2 months before she died. The registered number on her certificate is 5, which means hers was the 5th death recorded in the … Continue reading Heart’s Death Certificate
Category: Documents
Something to Change My Plans
John Bones lost his wife, Maria, to tuberculosis. In a letter to his mother dated 4 June 1833, he writes, "I thought when in health that I appreciated her...but I now find that much as I love her I was never fully aware...of the treasure I possess in her, until the prospect of her removal, … Continue reading Something to Change My Plans
A Thousand Letters
Letters were a lifeline for the Bones family and their associates to their families in Ireland in the 19th century. They communicated the latest family news, neighborhood changes, business dealings, and political perspectives. But their letters also had limits. Some letter writers were limited by a scarcity of paper or ink, keeping letter writers to … Continue reading A Thousand Letters
Emmet’s Speech framed
Three words: "Emmet's Speech framed." These three words didn't mean much to me as I read through the inventory of John Strong Adams' Charleston, South Carolina, house. I was more intrigued by some of the other pictures listed, portraits of Bonaparte and Mary, Queen of Scots, curious about their significance. But the significance of Emmet's … Continue reading Emmet’s Speech framed
Unchilled by the Cold
Isabella and William Campbell made the trip across the Atlantic ocean just weeks after they were married in August of 1838. According to Isabella's letters home, they sailed from Belfast to Liverpool and then on to Canada and down to Georgia, probably making stops along the way. By November they were in Augusta, Georgia, staying … Continue reading Unchilled by the Cold
Peculiar Gratitude
My 4th great-grandmother, Mary Elizabeth (Eve) Carmichael, kept a diary from 1837 to 1850 that was passed down and is now kept at the library at University of North Carolina. As a teenager, on one of our semiannual drives from Washington, DC to Clemson, South Carolina, to visit my grandmother, we stopped at UNC so … Continue reading Peculiar Gratitude
Fort of the Fianna
James Bones is a bit of a legend in our family history. There are several stories surrounding his participation in the 1798 Rebellion for a free and independent Ireland. One legend says that James, fleeing for his life, took a piece of the Giant's Causeway with him before he met a boat at nearby Dunluce … Continue reading Fort of the Fianna