Marker Logo HMdb.org THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Edgefield in Edgefield County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

First Baptist Church / Village Cemetery

 
 
First Baptist Church Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
1. First Baptist Church Marker
Inscription.
First Baptist Church
Founded in 1823 as Edgefield Baptist Church, with Basil Manly, Sr., Pastor, Matthew Mims, Clerk, and Arthur Simkins, Moderator, this church led in the establishment here in 1826 of Furman Academy and Theological Institution. William Bullein Johnson, pastor here 1830-52, served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention 1845-51; Robert G. Lee, a former pastor, served in 1948-51.


Village Cemetery
Burial place of
three S.C. Governors: F.W. Pickens, 1807-1869, J.C. Sheppard, 1850-1931, John G. Evans, 1863-1942 and the families of Gov. Pierce H. Butler and Gov. M.L. Bonham. Also buried here are Francis H. Wardlaw 1800-1861 Preston S. Brooks 1818-1857 Matthew C. Butler 1836-1909 John Lake, 1870-1949, missionary to China.

 
Erected 1967 by First Baptist Church, Edgefield, SC. (Marker Number 19-3.)
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial SitesChurches & ReligionEducationGovernment & Politics. A significant historical year for this entry is 1823.
 
Location. 33° 47.45′ N, 81° 55.65′ W. Marker is in Edgefield, South Carolina, in Edgefield County. Marker is on Church Street, on the right when traveling
Paid Advertisement
Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.
Click or scan to see
this page online
north. Marker is on the church grounds. The cemetery is located on the property to the immediate north of the church building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 212 Church Street, Edgefield SC 29824, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Old Law Building (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Booth-Toney Shootout of 1878 (about 600 feet away); Israel Mukashy Building (about 600 feet away); Turner's Country Store (about 600 feet away); The Jewish Merchants of Edgefield (about 700 feet away); Edgefield (about 700 feet away); Welcome to Historic Edgefield (about 700 feet away); Lynch Building (about 700 feet away); Industrial History (about 700 feet away); Religion & Education (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Edgefield.
 
Also see . . .
1. Descendants of Matthew Mims. Born June 16, 1780 (Edgefield District, South Carolina; died October 6, 1848). (Submitted on January 31, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

2. Furman University. Official website of Furman University. (Submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

3. Furman University. Furman University is a private, coeducational, non-sectarian university in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. (Submitted on December 28, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
Village Cemetery Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
2. Village Cemetery Marker
 

4. William Bullein Johnson. South Carolina Baptist leader and first president of the Southern Baptist Convention. (Submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

5. Southern Baptist Convention. Official website of the Southern Baptist Convention. (Submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

6. Southern Baptist Convention. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a United States-based, mostly conservative Christian denomination. (Submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

7. Robert G. Lee. Robert G. Lee was pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee from December, 1927 until April 10, 1960. (Submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

8. Francis W. Pickens. Francis Wilkinson Pickens (April 7, 1805 – January 25, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as Governor of South Carolina when the state seceded from the United States during the American Civil War. (Submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

9. John C. Sheppard. John Calhoun Sheppard (July 5, 1850 – October 7, 1931) was Democratic Governor of South Carolina from July 10, 1886 to November 30, 1886. (Submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
First Baptist Church - South View<br>Marker Can Be Seen Left of the Entrance image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
3. First Baptist Church - South View
Marker Can Be Seen Left of the Entrance
 

10. John Gary Evans. John Gary Evans (October 15, 1863 – June 27, 1942) was Democratic Governor of South Carolina from 1894 to 1897. (Submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

11. Pierce Butler. Pierce Butler (July 11, 1744 - February 15, 1822) was a soldier, planter, and statesman, recognized as one of United States' Founding Fathers. (Submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

12. Milledge Luke Bonham. Milledge Luke Bonham (December 25, 1813 – August 27, 1890) was a American politician and Congressman who served as the Governor of South Carolina from 1862 until 1864. (Submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

13. Francis H. Wardlaw Biography. Member of the Secession Convention and one of the signers of the Ordinance of Secession. (Submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

14. Preston Brooks. Preston Smith Brooks (August 5, 1819 – January 27, 1857) was a Democratic Congressman from South Carolina, known for physically beating senator Charles Sumner on the floor of the United States Senate. (Submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

15. Matthew C. Butler. Matthew Calbraith Butler (March 8, 1836
First Baptist Church and Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Mike Stroud
4. First Baptist Church and Marker
– April 14, 1909) was an American military commander and politician from South Carolina. (Submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 
 
Additional commentary.
1. Basil Manly II: Distinguished Baptist Leader Had Important Ties to Edgefield by Carol Hardy Bryan
The Manly family American roots are found in the state of Maryland. Thomas Manly married Mary Ford, daughter of John Ford of St. Mary’s County, MD. The couple had eight children. Mary Ford Manly died about 1756, and Thomas decided to move to North Carolina with his son Basil and four unmarried daughters. Thomas tragically died during the voyage, and Basil, a young lad of fourteen, arrived in the port city of Wilmington, North Carolina with the responsibility for his four sisters. He took the advice of a friend and moved up into Bladen County to make a home.

Basil participated actively in the American Revolution by forming a body of Home Guards called "Manly’s Band." He was commissioned as a captain in the American Army. In 1793, Captain Basil Manly married Elizabeth Maultsby (1768-1855), daughter of William Maultsby, II, and Ann Evans.

Captain Manly later moved to Chatham County where he established a home site known as "Oak Mount" about
First Baptist Church - South Tower image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
5. First Baptist Church - South Tower
three miles north of Pittsboro. He and Elizabeth had six children: Charles (1795-1871), Basil (1798-1868), Matthias Evans (1801-1881), Maurice Ford (1804-1828), Louisa Sophia (1807-1888), and Julia Ann (1810-1831). The Manly boys received instruction from William Bingham at the famous Bingham School in Orange County. The school was established at Pittsboro in 1793, moved to Orange County, and finally to Asheville. One of the school’s scholarships was later named the Manly Scholarship in honor of its early patron, Captain Basil Manly.

Charles Manly attended the State University at Chapel Hill and graduated first in his class in 1814 at the age of nineteen. Basil had to suspend his own studies and take charge of the family farm after his father was injured by the attack of a mad bull. During the same time period, Basil’s mother was baptized and joined the Baptist Church at Rocky Spring. This event had a obvious positive affect on young Basil, who told about the event in a letter which he wrote to a friend many years later:

I was a wild boy; but it pleased God to call me by his grace before I was grown into the fellowship of His Son and to lay upon me impressions of duty that I must preach the Gospel. My father was old, very proud of any evidence of talent in his children, and anxious to set them forward in their worldly prospects. One of his sons has been governor
First Baptist Church Sign image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
6. First Baptist Church Sign
of the State of North Carolina [Charles], another has been a Judge of the Supreme Court of that State [Matthias]; and he fondly hoped that I too might reach some honorable distinction in the world. He was himself brought up a Catholic; and had a hearty contempt of the condition and prospects of most of the preachers that were common in that day, and especially Baptists and Methodists, who were generally uneducated. When he saw that I had joined the Baptist Church and was beginning to pray in public and to speak in the meetings, altho he was so delicate of my feelings that he never expressed to me his disapprobation, yet it grieved him sorely. He would come to the meetings were I was to perform, and sit and weep profusely the whole time of the service. At length when he would not but see that my mind appeared decided and that I wished to become a Baptist preacher, he asked me outright one day, what was my purpose and plan of life. I felt that the time had come for me to make an explicit avowal of my wishes. So I opened my mind decidedly and fully, yet most respectfully to him. I expected him to disapprove and remonstrate. But what was my surprise to see him burst into tears, and putting both his aged hands on my head, he sobbed out, "God bless you, my son."

After some conversation on the subject, he gave his full consent to my wishes, and put money into my hands to complete
First Baptist Church Front Entrance image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
7. First Baptist Church Front Entrance
A similar entrance was also used on the Edgefield United Methodist Church. Both churches, in fact, share a similar design.
my education under Dr. Maxcy at South Carolina College.

Afterwards, when I was fully embarked in the ministry (1824), hearing he was ill, I hastened to attend him, and was with him in his last hours. He asked me to pray with him often, and seemed to be sustained and comforted by the hopes of the Gospel; and I remained with him until he died.


At the age of sixteen, Basil was sent away to the Bingham School to resume his education. He was acutely aware of his "wretched state as a sinner before God." One day while he was out walking he heard a Negro man praying aloud. Going up to him he expressed his wish to participate in the prayer. While they knelt together, Basil found pardon of sin and peace with God. From that time Basil’s Christian walk took on heartfelt enthusiasm.

Basil united with the Baptist church at Rocky Spring and was baptized by Elder Robert T. Daniel August 26, 1816. Soon after this he was sent as a delegate to the Sandy Creek Baptist Association, and was made clerk of that body. It was while returning home from that meeting that he was pressed to lead his first public exhortation and prayer at an evening meeting in the house of William Marsh. Basil Manly was licensed to preach April 26, 1818...It was evident to young Manly soon after his conversion that he had been called to the ministry, but even at the opposition of his father Basil
First Baptist Church / Village Cemetery Marker looking north on Church Street image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Mike Stroud, 2011
8. First Baptist Church / Village Cemetery Marker looking north on Church Street
adhered to his conviction. Rev. William Tomlinson Brantley, a native of Chatham county, encouraged his young friend and school-mate by urging him to go with him to Beaufort, South Carolina, where he was a pastor and college president Brantley housed Basil in his own home and provided free use of his books and counsel. In December of 1819, he was admitted to the junior class in South Carolina College. He spent the summer of 1819 in the Georgia town of Eatonton with memorable results. Basil Manly became an active member of the Baptist church in Columbia during his college days and even filled the pulpit for a time after the death of Dr. Jonathan Maxcy. That college year he had a particularly "deranged state at college." He wrote to his father from college 5 Oct 1821:

Dear Father, I once more address you, and probably for the last time from my room in college. My summer’s excursion into the country (Edgefield District) restored my health and activity, and I am brought back to my arduous business in a state both of body and mind pretty well prepared to encounter it...My summer’s residence in the village of Edgefield....has paved the way for an engagement to live during the next year.

Basil graduated first in his class on December 3, 1821. It seems that some of the "Spirit of Edgefield" existed in young Manly. As the Manly book puts it A discomfited competitor
First Baptist Church / Village Cemetery Marker, looking south along Church Street image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Mike Stroud, 2011
9. First Baptist Church / Village Cemetery Marker, looking south along Church Street
for the honor, giving way to vindictive and furious passion, went to the class meeting armed with a dirk, and endeavored to fix a quarrel on young Manly. Failing in this, and more exasperated by a coolness that his violent words could not disturb, he rushed upon him and endeavored to plunger the deadly weapon into his breast. The blow was warded off, and before the assailant knew what was going on, he was disarmed; and then, it is said, a fitting chastisement was inflicted by the slender, smooth-faced, gentle preacher whose laurels he had contested and whose heart’s blood he would have shed. "Bodily exercise profiteth little," but in this instance the young man’s labors in plowing the fields of old Chatham had given him a vigor and endurance which rendered him excellent service in self-defense...The fellow sneaked off without desiring to renew the contest, and the boys threw up their hats and swore it was the best fight they had ever seen a Baptist preacher make.

Extracts from his diary describe his early residence in Edgefield:

I arrived in Edgefield village at the request of certain citizens of that place, chiefly Matthew Mims and Abner Blocker, on Jan. 23, 1822, under an engagement to preach there one year. I joined Little Stevens’ Creek Church by a letter from the Baptist Church of Columbia, on the Saturday before the first Sabbath in February 1822, and
Rev. Basil Manly<br>(1798-1868) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Unknown Source, circa 1850
10. Rev. Basil Manly
(1798-1868)
was ordained to the ministry by the Brethren John Landrum and Enoch Brazeale, in said church, on March 10, 1822. The Baptist Church in Edgefield was constituted on the third Lord’s Day in April, 1822.


Manly’s impact on the village is highlighted in a letter he wrote November 25, 1822, to Mr. Alexander McDonald of Beaufort, South Carolina:

God has indeed in a most signal manner blessed the church to which I belong during this year. I have counted up the number baptized and find it to be 146. Weekly additions are made, and I hope that there are many more precious souls yet to join themselves to the Lord within the bound of that church. The work is spreading. I was called last week to baptize by a neighboring destitute church. Nine followed their Lord into the watery grave. I have another appointment to preach and baptize at the same place. To give you an idea of the spirit of the people even where the revival has not yet appeared; I was called to marry a couple one night last week some ten or twelve miles from this place. After the ceremony was over and supper ended, the whole assembly, which was large, both old and young, insisted I should preach to them. I remembered the exhortation of the Apostle, "Be instant in season - out of season." I propounded the question "Wilt thou go with this man?" and endeavored to persuade them to adopt in reference to Jesus
Rev. William Bullein Johnson<br>(1782-1862) image. Click for full size.
Southern Baptist Archives
11. Rev. William Bullein Johnson
(1782-1862)
Christ the answer of the lovely maiden, "I will go." I saw and felt during the worship that a sense of eternal things had taken hold of their minds. Even the bride wept profusely. When I had closed and was looking for a hymn to dismiss with, a number of young persons, all dressed in their finest for the wedding, rushed up, as if unable longer to restrain themselves, and in a flood of grief fell down before me and begged me to pray for them. It was truly a solemn time. "Enoch Bacon is not among the subjects of this work of grace".


He was married December 23, 1824 to Sarah Murray Rudolf. She was the daughter of Rev. Zebulon Rudolf who served Red Bank Baptist Church. They had five children, including Basil Manly, Jr. (b 29 Dec 1825 Edgefield, SC) and Charles Manly (b 28 May 1839 Charleston, SC).

Immediately after graduation he taught school in Edgefield, South Carolina as he was mentioned in the history of Little Stevens Creek Baptist Church in the Edgefield Chronicle of March 29, 1890:

It was at this place, on the 2nd Sabbath in April of the year 1823 that the Rev. Basil Manly, Sr., was ordained as a minister. Revs. Jno. Landrum and Enoch Braziel conducted the ordination service. Dr. Basil Manly, Sr., whose name is now familiar in every Baptist organization in our "Sunny South" was then a young man stationed at Edgefield C. H., if we mistake
Rev. Robert G. Lee<br>(1886-1978) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Unknown Source
12. Rev. Robert G. Lee
(1886-1978)
not, engaged in teaching. He was, after ordination, elected pastor of our church, and served until 1825. Our oldest people speak of him as being in every respect the greatest pastor our church has had the fortune to be supplied by.

He, that is, Dr. Basil Manly, Sr., of blessed memory, left upon the church an impress which has lasted long; he left in the bosom of his congregation a love which has been bequeathed to succeeding generations. His fame has been written on brighter pages than ours, and nothing that we could say would add greater lustre to his name than Baptist annals have already recorded. We speak of him as pastor of our church. The love which the church had for him was extraordinary, second only to the love which he excited in its members for the Martyr of Calvary. During his pastorate, a spiritual inundation swept over the church. Many were added to its numbers, and the zeal of the whole church was increased. Tradition speaks of a revival during his pastorage, probably in the year 1824, the most notable in the early history of our church and some of our old people are now living who united with the church then; and many who united afterwards, dated their renewal of life as beginning with this revival. There was a strong Baptist age in our community, and we must ever regret that the records of this period and periods before this have been destroyed.


On
Village (Willowbrook) Cemetery image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
13. Village (Willowbrook) Cemetery
October 29, 1825, the church in Edgefield presented a formal request for Manley to continue his labors there for three Sundays a month for a salary of $800. The fourth Sunday Manly was to serve at Little Stevens Creek.

In February of 1826, the Church in Edgefield received a request for Basil Manly to fill the position of pastor at the First Baptist Church in Charleston. The previous pastor, Dr. Richard Furman, had died in 1825. This request was reluctantly granted and Manly moved to Charleston. The decision, however, was fraught with distress and tears. On the margin of his sermon notes of his last sermon in Edgefield are these words, "My last sermon (wept not preached) at Edgefield, March 19, 1826." He left with a reminder to his church in Edgefield that the Southern Baptist Convention had already resolved to place in Edgefield a literary and theological institution. It was during his eleven-year tenure at First Baptist Church in Charleston that he played an instrumental part in the establishment of Furman University In Edgefield.

In 1837 Manly was unanimously elected to the presidency of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Throat trouble from his "incessant preaching" played a part in his anxious deliberation to accept the position. In 1855 Dr. Manly accepted a call to the Wentworth Street Baptist Church in Charleston which had been formed partly from the
Village (Willowbrook) Cemetery image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
14. Village (Willowbrook) Cemetery
First Baptist Church. He remained for four years. It was during this period that one of the dearest wishes of his heart was accomplished, the founding of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In 1859, he returned to Alabama as State Evangelist.

When the inauguration of the President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, took place, it was Manly who served as chaplain. Dr. Manly’s death occurred December 21, 1868 at the home of his son, Basil Manly, in Greenville and he was buried in the family lot in Springwood Cemetery in Greenville. Manly’s accomplishments are too many to list here, but his achievements and impact are still felt in the many institutions and organizations he gave so much of his talents, time, and material means to provide and sustain. (Source: Quill: Official Publication of the Old Edgefield District Genealogical Society, March/April 2003.)
    — Submitted January 30, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

2. About Arthur Simkins
In addition to having the honor of being named the "father of Edgefield", Arthur Simkins was also its first senator in Columbia, serving four consecutive terms from 1790-1806. His son, Eldred, was also a senator from Edgefield (1822-1826) as was his grandson, Arthur (1862-1863). During the Revolutionary War,
Village (Willowbrook) Cemetery image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
15. Village (Willowbrook) Cemetery
Simkins sided with the Patriots and his plantation was burned by Tory forces. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and voted against the document, believing that it took too much power from the states. His granddaughter, Eliza Simkins, was the first wife of South Carolina Governor Francis W. Pickens.

From Biographical Sketches of the Bench and Bar of South Carolina by John Belton O'Neall (1859):

"Arthur Simkins was of the most respectable class from the eastern shore of Virginia, and emigrated early in life to this part of South Carolina. He came first to the region of the Santee, but soon dissatisfied with that locality, pressed onward to the more distant and less frequented forests on the Savannah side of the State. After several years of observation, he ultimately settled a fine body of land on the waters of Log Creek, in Edgefield - a plantation, still remembered by many as 'the Cedar fields.' Here he lived and died. He was County Court Judge under the old system, and was looked up to, as a standard of worth and probity, by all who lived within the sphere of his influence...Sound in principles, and conscientious in politics, he remained a member of the General assembly for many (perhaps twenty) consecutive years, and was universally loved and respected for the simplicity, truthfulness, and sagacity of his life and character. He
Village (Willowbrook) Cemetery image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
16. Village (Willowbrook) Cemetery
died, in 1826, leaving a large property. He was a Baptist in his religion, and was seldom missing from his place in the house of God, even in the years of his extreme old age."
    — Submitted January 1, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

3. Francis Wilkinson Pickens (1805–1869)
Francis Wilkinson Pickens, (grandson of Andrew Pickens), a Representative from South Carolina; born on a plantation on the Toogoodoo River, St. Paul’s Parish, Colleton District, S.C., April 7, 1805; completed preparatory studies; attended Franklin College, Athens, Ga., and was graduated from South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina) at Columbia; studied law; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Edgefield District in 1829; engaged in planting; member of the state house of representatives 1832-1833; elected as a Nullifier to the Twenty-third Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of George McDuffie; reelected as a Nullifier to the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Congresses and elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh Congresses and served from December 8, 1834, to March 3, 1843; chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs (Twenty-sixth Congress); member of the state senate 1844-1846; member of the Nashville southern convention
Village (Willowbrook) Cemetery image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
17. Village (Willowbrook) Cemetery
in 1850; delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1856; unsuccessful candidate for the United States Senate in 1857 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Andrew P. Butler; Minister to Russia 1858-1860; governor of South Carolina 1860-1862; died in Edgefield, Edgefield County, S.C., January 25, 1869; interment in Edgefield Cemetery. (Source: Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress.)
    — Submitted December 27, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

4. Preston Smith Brooks (1819-1857)
Preston Smith Brooks, a Representative from South Carolina; born in Edgefield District, S.C., August 5, 1819; attended the common schools and was graduated from South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina) at Columbia in 1839; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1845 and commenced practice in Edgefield, S.C.; member of the State house of representatives in 1844; served in the Mexican War as captain in the Palmetto Regiment of South Carolina Volunteers; elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-third and Thirty-fourth Congresses and served from March 4, 1853, until July 15, 1856, when he resigned even though the attempt to expel him for his assault upon Charles Sumner on May 22, 1856, had failed through lack of the necessary two-thirds vote; chairman, Committee
Village (Willowbrook) Cemetery image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
18. Village (Willowbrook) Cemetery
on Expenditures in the Department of State (Thirty-fourth Congress); reelected to the Thirty-fourth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by his own resignation and served from August 1, 1856, until his death in Washington, D.C., January 27, 1857; had been reelected to the Thirty-fifth Congress; interment in Willow Brook Cemetery, Edgefield, S.C. (Source: Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress.)
    — Submitted December 28, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

5. Matthew Calbraith Butler (1836-1909)
Matthew Calbraith Butler, (grandson of William Butler [1759-1821], son of William Butler [1790-1850], and nephew of Andrew Pickens Butler), a Senator from South Carolina; born near Greenville, Greenville County, S.C., March 8, 1836; attended the local academy in Edgefield, S.C., and South Carolina College at Columbia; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1857 and commenced practice in Edgefield; elected to the State house of representatives in 1860; entered the Confederate Army as captain in June 1861 and served throughout the Civil War, attaining the rank of major general; again elected to the State house of representatives in 1866; unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor of South Carolina in 1870; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1876; reelected
Village (Willowbrook) Cemetery image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
19. Village (Willowbrook) Cemetery
in 1882 and again in 1888 and served from March 4, 1877, until March 3, 1895; unsuccessful candidate for reelection; chairman, Committee on Civil Service and Retrenchment (Forty-sixth Congress), Committee on Interstate Commerce (Fifty-third Congress); resumed the practice of law in Washington, D.C.; appointed major general of United States Volunteers during the Spanish-American War, and was one of the commissioners appointed to supervise the evacuation of Cuba by the Spanish forces in 1898; returned to Edgefield, S.C., and resumed the practice of law; died in Columbia, S.C., April 14, 1909; interment in Willow Brook Cemetery, Edgefield, S.C. (Source: Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress.)
    — Submitted December 28, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

6. Milledge Luke Bonham (1813-1890)
Milledge Luke Bonham, a Representative from South Carolina; born near Red Bank (now Saluda), Edgefield District, S.C., December 25, 1813; attended private schools in Edgefield District and at Abbeville, S.C.; was graduated from South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina) at Columbia in 1834; studied law; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Edgefield in 1837; served as major and adjutant general of the South Carolina Brigade in the Seminole War
Detail of Styalized Palmetto Tree Used in Many of the Iron Fences Around Plots image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
20. Detail of Styalized Palmetto Tree Used in Many of the Iron Fences Around Plots
in Florida in 1836; during the Mexican War was lieutenant colonel and colonel of the Twelfth Regiment, United States Infantry; major general of the South Carolina Militia; member of the State house of representatives 1840-1843; solicitor of the southern circuit of South Carolina 1848-1857; elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-fifth and Thirty-sixth Congresses and served from March 4, 1857, until his retirement on December 21, 1860; appointed major general and commander of the Army of South Carolina by Gov. F. W. Pickens in February 1861; appointed brigadier general in the Confederate Army April 19, 1861; resigned his commission January 27, 1862, to enter the Confederate Congress; elected Governor of South Carolina in December 1862 and served until December 1864; appointed brigadier general of Cavalry in the Confederate Army in February 1865; again a member of the State house of representatives 1865-1866; delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1868; member of the South Carolina taxpayers’ convention in 1871 and 1874; resumed the practice of law in Edgefield, engaged in planting, and also conducted an insurance business in Edgefield, S.C., and Atlanta, Ga., 1865-1878; appointed State railroad commissioner in 1878 and served until his death at White Sulphur Springs, N.C., August 27, 1890; interment in Elmwood Cemetery, Columbia, S.C. (Source: Biographical Directory of the
Francis W. Pickens<br>(1805–1869) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Harper's Weekly, circa 1860
21. Francis W. Pickens
(1805–1869)
S.C. House of Representatives 1832–1834
U.S. House of Representatives from S.C. 1834–1843
S.C. Senate 1844-1846
U.S. Minister to Russia 1858–1860
Governor of S.C. 1860-1862
U.S. Congress.)
    — Submitted December 29, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

7. Unknown Confederate Dead Monument
The Edgefield Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy erected this $500 marker to the unknown Confederate dead after several years of fund raising. They erected the marker on August 25, 1908, and held the dedication ceremony on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1908.

A "large concourse" attended the "imposing ceremony" in the village cemetery where the seven-foot monument rests over the graves of one of more Confederate soldiers who died in the wayside hospital at Edgefield. At 3:30 p.m., Reverend T.P. Burris, master of ceremonies, "called the assemblage to order and pronounced a beautiful invocation." The orator of the day, Dr. C.E. Burts, followed. In his address, Dr. Burts praised the hitherto unhonored, unknown dead, as well as the local chapter of the U.D.C. for its persistent work. The Honorable Samuel McGowan Simkins also participated in the ceremony. Simkins was the son of John C. Simkins, lieutenant colonel of the First S.C. Infantry Regiment (Regulars) who was killed on July 18, 1863 at Battery Wagner. Simkins read a poem, "Unknown," written by Reverend T.P. Burgess to honor the Confederate soldiers. Finally, four members
John Calhoun Sheppard<br>(1850-1931) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Unknown Source
22. John Calhoun Sheppard
(1850-1931)
S.C. House of Representatives 1876-1882
Lieutenant Governor of S.C. 1892-1886
Governor of S.C. 1886–1886
S.C. Senate 1898-1904, 1919-1920
of the Edgefield Chapter, U.D.C., unveiled the gray granite shaft. Reverend P.P. Blalock then gave the benediction. (Source: I Guide to Confederate Monuments in South Carolina: "Passing the Silent Cup" by Robert S. Seigler (1997), pgs 306-307.)
    — Submitted January 1, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

8. The Spirit of Edgefield
by Hortense Caroline Woodson
Carved on her tombstone, located in the cemetery.
(Air: The Bells of St. Mary's)

The Spirit of Edgefield,
Whatever betide,
Is calling her children,
From far and from wide;
Or far out to sea,
They hear her voice calling,
"Come back, sons, to me!"

The Spirit of Edgefield
Is calling today
Her young men and maidens,
Her youth to the fray
To build a great nation
As strong men of yore;
A challenge she offers:
"Go forward once more!"

Old Edgefield, dear Edgefield,
Thy children all love thee,
Thy great men, they good men,
Wherever they be,
Turn back to the scenes oft'
Remembered in story
Thy children all come back
Come back
To thee, to thee.

Old Edgefield, dear Edgefield,
Thy children all love thee,
Thy great men, they good men,
Wherever they be,
Turn back to the
John Calhoun Sheppard, Jr. Monument (left)<br>John Calhoun Sheppard, Sr. Tombstone (right) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
23. John Calhoun Sheppard, Jr. Monument (left)
John Calhoun Sheppard, Sr. Tombstone (right)
Monument Inscription:
Sacred to the memory of
John Calhoun Sheppard, Jr.
Second son of John Calhoun Sheppard, and
Helen Wallace Sheppard
Born June 18, 1888
Died July 9, 1914
-----
Farewell loyal and lovable son till we meet again.

Tombstone Inscription:
John Calhoun Sheppard
July 5, 1850-Oct. 17, 1931
Helen Wallace Sheppard
July 17, 1853-Mar. 19, 1948
scenes oft'
Remembered in story
Thy children all come back
Come back
To thee, to thee.
    — Submitted January 30, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.
 
Pierce Mason Butler<br>(1798–1847) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Fitzgerald
24. Pierce Mason Butler
(1798–1847)
Governor of South Carolina 1842-1844
Milledge Luke Bonham<br>(1813-1890) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Unknown Source, circa 1863
25. Milledge Luke Bonham
(1813-1890)
U.S. House of Representatives from S.C. 1857–1860
C.S.A. House of Representative from S.C. 1861–1862
Governor of S.C. 1862–1864
Francis H. Wardlaw<br>(1800-1861) image. Click for full size.
South Carolinian Library
26. Francis H. Wardlaw
(1800-1861)
S.C. House of Representatives 1834-1838
Chancellor 1850-1861
Court of Appeals Judge 1859-1861
Preston S. Brooks<br>(1819-1857) image. Click for full size.
Library of Congress
27. Preston S. Brooks
(1819-1857)
S.C. General Assembly 1844-1846
U.S. House of Representatives from S.C. 1853-1856, 1857
Preston S. Brooks Monument image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
28. Preston S. Brooks Monument
Preston S. Brooks
Born in Edgefield Village August 6th 1819
Elected to the State Legislature in 1844
Elected Capt. of Company D
Palmetto Regiment, in 1846
And Served during The Mexican War
Elected to Congress in 1853
And died in Washington City
January 27th 1857
Preston S. Brooks Monument image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
29. Preston S. Brooks Monument
Ever Able. Manly. Just.
and Heroic;
Illustrating true Patriotism
By his devotion to his Country;
The whole South unites
With his bereaved family
In deploring his untimely end.

"Earth has never pillowed
Upon her bosom a truer son,
Nor heaven opened wide
Her gates,
To receive a manlier spirit."
Preston S. Brooks Monument image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
30. Preston S. Brooks Monument
Preston S. Brooks will be
Long, long remembered;
As one in whom the virtues
Loved to dwell.
Tho' sad to us, and dark
This dispensation.
We know God's wisdom
Orders all things well.
Matthew C. Butler<br>(1836-1909) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Unknown Source, circa 1863
31. Matthew C. Butler
(1836-1909)
S.C. House of Representatives
1860-1861; 1866-1868
U.S. Senator from S.C. 1877-1895
Monument to the<br>Unknown Confederate<br>Dead - 1908 image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
32. Monument to the
Unknown Confederate
Dead - 1908
The South Carolina Division of the Children of the Confederacy re-dedicated this marker Nov. 23, 2008. This marker was originally dedicated on Thanksgiving Day 1908. (Wendy Gilbert of Clarks Hill, South Carolina)
Thurmond Family Plot image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
33. Thurmond Family Plot
Senator and former South Carolina Governor Strom Thurmond's marker is to the far right.
John William and Eleanor Strom<br>Thurmond Tombstone image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
34. John William and Eleanor Strom
Thurmond Tombstone
John William Thurmond, L.L.D.
May 1, 1862 - June 17, 1934

Devoted husband and father. A friend of the people and loved by them. Rendered distinguished service to his country as lawyer, statesman, legislator, solicitor, U.S. District Attorney, Special Circuit and Supreme Court Judge.
As a lawyer, able and profound.
As a man, kind, generous and true.
His wife
Eleanor Gertrude Strom
July 18, 1870 - January 30, 1958

Devoted to family and friends. Kind, helpful,
gentle and loving. Gracious example of
Christian womanhood. S.C. State Mother, 1947.
J. Strom Thurmond<br>Tombstone and Monument image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
35. J. Strom Thurmond
Tombstone and Monument
J. Strom Thurmond
Educator * Soldier * Statesman

Son of
John William and Gertrude Strom Thurmond
Born December 5, 1902,
Edgefield, South Carolina
Died June 26, 2003,
Edgefield, South Carolina
Married November 7, 1947
Jean Crouch Thurmond (1926-1960)
Married December 22, 1968
Nancy Moore Thurmond (1946- )
Graduated Clemson College, 1923
Teacher & Athletic Coach, 1923-1929
Edgefield County Superintendent of Education 1929-1933
Edgefield City & County Attorney, 1930-1938
South Carolina Senator, 1933-1938
South Carolina Circuit Court Judge, 1938-1942
United States Army Service in World War II
Participated in D-Day Invasion, June 6, 1944
Awarded Five Battle Stars, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart
and 17 other Military awards and Decorations
Major General, United States Army Reserve
Governor of South Carolina, 1947-1951
Presidential Candidate, 1948
United States Senator, 1954-2003
Chairman, Judiciary Committee
Chairman, Armed Services Committee
President Pro Tempore
Only Person in History Elected to the
United States Senate by Write In Vote, 1954
Longest Service Member and Oldest Person Ever
to Serve in the United States Senate
Presidential Citizen Medal
presented by President Ronald W. Reagan
Presidential Medal of Freedom
presented by President George H.W. Bush
A Century of Service
to the Palmetto State and America
Hortense Caroline Woodson Monument image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, October 10, 2008
36. Hortense Caroline Woodson Monument
Author, Scholar, Historian
"The Spirit of Edgefield"

Born in Edgefield July 7, 1896
Died in Edgefield October 20, 1990
Daughter of Reverend Tucker Everett Woodson
and Agatha Abney Woodson
Author of many works related to the history of Edgefield
A half century of service to
the Edgefield County Historical Society: 1939-1990
Vice President, Treasurer, President, President Emeritus
----------
She loved Edgefield with all her being and
Edgefield loved her as it loved no other.
----------
First Baptist Church and Village Cemetery image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Mike Stroud, 2011
37. First Baptist Church and Village Cemetery
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on August 5, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 5,848 times since then and 29 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week November 16, 2008. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   4. submitted on October 1, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.   5, 6, 7. submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   8, 9. submitted on October 1, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.   10. submitted on December 29, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   11, 12, 13. submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   14, 15, 16, 17. submitted on December 29, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23. submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   24. submitted on October 28, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   25. submitted on October 23, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   26. submitted on December 26, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   27, 28. submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   29, 30. submitted on December 29, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   31, 32, 33. submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   34, 35. submitted on October 12, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   36. submitted on October 19, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   37. submitted on October 1, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.

Share this page.  
Share on Tumblr
m=12671

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisements
Mar. 19, 2024