Magonlia Cemetery "The Graddady of Them All"

Through the fog of mosquitos and early afternoon sun, Beyond the Grave FYE visited the 150 acre Victorian era Magnolia Cemetery. As described by a fellow College of Charleston student, it is the "land of hella dead people." Magnolia boasts over 15,000 internments according to findagrave.com with 41 of them being someone of importance or famous.

The lagoon in the middle of Magnolia

We braved mosquito bites and talkative cab drivers to cross over to the other side and explore a time where death was used as a way to immortalize the living with grand statues and burial places unlike the lawn markers of today. This breath taking cemetery has almost every kind of grave marker known to man with some being considered modern, marvelous monuments as there really is no classification for them.

The office at Magnolia

Magnolia is known for its large landscape with plenty of places to enjoy the scenery and vast examples of markers. It has one large lagoon in the middle of the front property with multiple other ponds across the grounds; these create a breeding ground for the mosquitos that suck the life out of unsuspecting visitors to Magnolia. Its sprawling grounds host many different cemeteries, including a section for newer internments and some ethnic spaces as well.

It also has an old house that is used as the office for the cemetery that was built in its early days.







At Magnolia there are many different monuments it is hard to just pick three to talk about but I will narrow down the best and explain some things about them.

The sun smiled down on the Smith pyramid that day.

This mauseloum that is in the shape of shape a pyramid is by far the best in my opinion. Belonging to the family of William Burroughs Smith, a prominent banker in Charleston during the late 1800s. His pyramid is roughly over 100 years old and has been vandalized sadly, however you can see that new life emerged on the pyramid with grass and a tree poking out from the top. The idea of a pyramid came from his daughters when he died, I personally think the shape goes right along with his career as pyramids are prominent on our currency.

The Elbert P. Jones Monument is another of unprecedented beauty at Magnolia Cemetery. The monument features four different angles carved and paced on each side showing different emotions over the plot. Jones was only $6,500 dollars during his day, a sum of almost $300,000 today would be needed to recreate this masterpiece. He was a prominent business man in San Francisco but later moved to Charleston just a year before his death in 1852. His monument also has a Bible verse under the hands of on angel reading "Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble."

This monument to Sergeant James Brown Boyd just beat out some for the last space in this countdown of magnificent monuments at Magnolia Cemetery. He was a Confederate War solider tat fought in the bloodiest battle of the war at Sharpsburg in 1862. He was part of the Palmetto Guards, as seen by the palmetto fawns on his column. He also has flag crossed around the palmetto fawns that show he was a decorated war veteran. He was killed at only 22 during the war and had no other family other than a distant cousin at the time of his death.






As our visit to Magnolia Cemetery drew to a close, the whole class was over taken with its beauty and stood in awe, while slapping mosquitoes, looking at the beauty that is Magnolia Cemetery. We had such a great time at the cemetery and nothing could compare in the other sites we visit. Thanks to Professor Harwood's book In the Arms of Angels: Magnolia Cemetery for providing the information, as well as, findagrave which also provided information used in the post.

Just a big portion of the nine that attended from left to right: Beth, Aline, Hunter, Myself, Megan, and Zack

Bloggers Take on Bethel United Methodist

Just after a weekend trip to Magnolia Cemetery the day before, the Beyond the Grave FYE class traveled to Bethel United Methodist Church on the corner of Pitt and Calhoun. The small graveyard boasts only 519 internments, however not near that many headstones are in the small cemetery of today. With only one distinguished "guest" inside the fences it is not a very well known graveyard around town (guest found through findagrave.com)

Our main mission was to find 10 or more graveyard symbols and describe them for part of the midterm grade. In the small space there were plenty of symbols to find and I have a few of them here outlined for you. All symbols are identified with either Stories Told in Stone by Gaylord Cooper or a grave symbol website included in the course.

This is a photo of the famous internment at Bethel, a Confederate general named Francis Capers. He was born on August 8, 1819 and died January 11, 1982. He was not only a general but also taught at the old Citadel Military School. He has a simple cross inside a circle which represents Christianity and eternal life.

This second, most likely fallen headstone, belongs to Charles C. Seyle. Born July 12, 1828 and died February 10,1880. This headstone has a cross which again symbolizes Christianity but also ivy vines around it which denote friendship. This makes sense due to many people with the last name Seyle are in this cemetery.

Ms. Catherine L. Lord was born September 27, 1826 and died just a few days shy of her birthday on September 25, 1859. Her headstone leaned up against the buildings side has an elaborate wreath with ribbons woven throughout it. This stone also has the births and deaths of a few other members of her family. The wreath symbolizes victory in death with the ribbons meaning not easily found an does not have a specific meaning.

Anna Elizabeth Chrietzberg was born March 15,1821 and died January 18m 1872. She was the wife of a pastor and has a flying dove and wreath on her die on socket headstone. The wreath symbolizes victory in death and the flying dove  represents the holy spirit and is often used on graves with a Christian background.

William H. Fleming was the pastor at Bethel during the middle 1800s and born January 1, 1821 and died April 16, 1877. He has a cradle grave adorned with a bible on he top and a wreath with what looks to be poppy flowers and roses. The bible obviously denotes that he was a man of God and the wreath meaning the same thing as earlier discussed. The poppy flowers and roses mean eternal sleep and beauty respectively.

Elizabeth M. Ainger was born October 14, 1807 and died October 6, 1872. Her headstone is kind of hidden away by this bush on the side of the building. Her headstone boasts many different types of flowers and a dove with a branch in its mouth. The flowers look to include daisies which means innocence. The dove with a branch in its beak symbolizes peace, hope, and promise.

Anna Eliza Childers was born May 25, 1842 and died May 19, 1859. Her headstone is also leaned up against the building as well. It has wilted rose flower on the top. This is considered wilted and broken by the book which often denotes a teen death as well as mortality.

This headstone is my favorite partly because I love willow trees and it just seems like a hidden beauty of the graveyard. James F. M. Lord was born sometime in 1825 and died on February 1, 1862. His weeping willow symbolizes the sadness and mourning of a family.

Mary Syfan was born December 30, 1775 and died July 26, 1823. She has what looks to be a weeping woman under w willow tree. The weeping woman means mourning and sorrow as does the weeping willow that she is under.

Elizabeth Moore was born sometime in 1796 and died October 26, 1865. She was another pastor's wife and has a beautiful angel on the top of her headstone turned ledger. The angel means  guide to heaven.















Overall, the class visit to Bethel United Methodist was a short walk away from campus and  boasted many different symbols in a very tiny space downtown.

Bloggers Take on Bethel United Methodist

Just after a weekend trip to Magnolia Cemetery the day before, the Beyond the Grave FYE class traveled to Bethel United Methodist Church on the corner of Pitt and Calhoun. The small graveyard boasts only 519 internments, however not near that many headstones are in the small cemetery of today. With only one distinguished "guest" inside the fences it is not a very well known graveyard around town (guest found through findagrave.com)

Our main mission was to find 10 or more graveyard symbols and describe them for part of the midterm grade. In the small space there were plenty of symbols to find and I have a few of them here outlined for you. All symbols are identified with either Stories Told in Stone by Gaylord Cooper or a grave symbol website included in the course.

This is a photo of the famous internment at Bethel, a Confederate general named Francis Capers. He was born on August 8, 1819 and died January 11, 1982. He was not only a general but also taught at the old Citadel Military School. He has a simple cross inside a circle which represents Christianity and eternal life.

This second, most likely fallen headstone, belongs to Charles C. Seyle. Born July 12, 1828 and died February 10,1880. This headstone has a cross which again symbolizes Christianity but also ivy vines around it which denote friendship. This makes sense due to many people with the last name Seyle are in this cemetery.

Ms. Catherine L. Lord was born September 27, 1826 and died just a few days shy of her birthday on September 25, 1859. Her headstone leaned up against the buildings side has an elaborate wreath with ribbons woven throughout it. This stone also has the births and deaths of a few other members of her family. The wreath symbolizes victory in death with the ribbons meaning not easily found an does not have a specific meaning.

Anna Elizabeth Chrietzberg was born March 15,1821 and died January 18m 1872. She was the wife of a pastor and has a flying dove and wreath on her die on socket headstone. The wreath symbolizes victory in death and the flying dove  represents the holy spirit and is often used on graves with a Christian background.

William H. Fleming was the pastor at Bethel during the middle 1800s and born January 1, 1821 and died April 16, 1877. He has a cradle grave adorned with a bible on he top and a wreath with what looks to be poppy flowers and roses. The bible obviously denotes that he was a man of God and the wreath meaning the same thing as earlier discussed. The poppy flowers and roses mean eternal sleep and beauty respectively.

Elizabeth M. Ainger was born October 14, 1807 and died October 6, 1872. Her headstone is kind of hidden away by this bush on the side of the building. Her headstone boasts many different types of flowers and a dove with a branch in its mouth. The flowers look to include daisies which means innocence. The dove with a branch in its beak symbolizes peace, hope, and promise.

Anna Eliza Childers was born May 25, 1842 and died May 19, 1859. Her headstone is also leaned up against the building as well. It has wilted rose flower on the top. This is considered wilted and broken by the book which often denotes a teen death as well as mortality.

This headstone is my favorite partly because I love willow trees and it just seems like a hidden beauty of the graveyard. James F. M. Lord was born sometime in 1825 and died on February 1, 1862. His weeping willow symbolizes the sadness and mourning of a family.

Mary Syfan was born December 30, 1775 and died July 26, 1823. She has what looks to be a weeping woman under w willow tree. The weeping woman means mourning and sorrow as does the weeping willow that she is under.

Elizabeth Moore was born sometime in 1796 and died October 26, 1865. She was another pastor's wife and has a beautiful angel on the top of her headstone turned ledger. The angel means  guide to heaven.















Overall, the class visit to Bethel United Methodist was a short walk away from campus and  boasted many different symbols in a very tiny space downtown.

The Fighting Life of Ferdinand Ankenbrand

Americans know all too well the horrors of the World War II era. The reign of Hitler caused great destruction and a senseless genocide of Jewish people. As Americans, many of us had family members who fought for the Allied forces...but what would the war look like from the other side? My great grandfather, or große Opa, got to see what life was like fighting for the German Army during World War II.



Ferdinand Ankenbrand was born on 26 July 1913, right before World War I began in Europe. As a child growing up in the post World War I era, the war lasted from 1914-1918, my great grandfather did not have much. In fact, stories of his childhood are pretty much lost as it was turbulent and he chose not to talk about them with my Oma, his daughter.

From what I do know, Ferdinand was an orphan by the age of 11; his father most likely fought for the German Army in World War I and I have no idea what caused his mother to pass away while he was so young. No one in my family knows anything else beyond these few facts about Ferdinand's parents, everyone who knew them is either deceased or I have never met because they live in Germany. It's common for that side of the family to not talk about ancestors or anything pertaining to family life  really for that matter.

My great-grandfather and some of the men he fought with.

He is pictured top row, left.

As a German citizen, you are required to sign up for a draft much like the one we practice in America. This is what happened with my great grandfather, during World War II Germany issued a draft calling all the men to come to war; Ferdinand was drafted in 1938. He answered the call to avoid repercussions to his wife, Pauline. Ferdinand excelled in the German Army eventually becoming a sergeant. I want to clear something up, in no way did he work in concentration camps or any job that dealt with them; he merely was a fighting solider on the fields.  

In July of 1945, Ferdinand was fighting in Italy when American troops captured him and he became a prisoner of war and was transported to America first going to Alabama then landing at Camp McCain in Mississippi. During his stay at Camp McCain, he had quite the unusual experience.

The German POW's at Camp McCain, were "treated like friends," he said during an interview when he later came back to visit. They did not have to do extremely hard labor or have unusual punishment because they were part of the German Army. As a POW, he picked cotton and did other work in the fields of nearby farmers who would return them to camp at the end of the day. He was also allowed to keep somewhat of a higher positon because of his sergeant status; he was the "commander" of  the around 30 men in his barrack.

Through all of this, my great grandmother Pauline had no clue where her husband was. She was first told that Ferdinand was only missing-in-action, or MIA; she later just assumed his was killed-in-action because she never received the POW information card the American government was supposed to send. She waited quite some time to be reunited with him, but eventually, in October of 1947 they were finally together again.

Little is known about why it took so long after the war ended for them to be together again but we do know Ferdinand spent some time in England working in shipyards after being released from Camp McCain in 1946 right after the war ended.

This is my great grandfather and his wife, Pauline.

This was at their home in Gochsiem, Germany.

Two years later they would have a daughter, their only child and my Oma, Renate. She has never really talked about growing up in a post-war reconstructing country so I do not know much about how her childhood was different from her fathers'.

Ferdinand and Pauline would later return to Camp McCain while visiting family here in America. That event was quite big for the camp as many of the POW's returned at some point because they did not have feelings of bitterness and hatred for the American soldiers there.

Not much more is known from their by any of my family that are willing to reminisce about ancestors. My mother, who was born in Germany, was able to visit only a couple of times when she was very young and does not remember much.

The only photo of my great grandfathers burial place. He's urn is placed in the

first spot on the left of the second row.

My great-grandfather passed away at the age of 82 on 3 December 1995 in Gochshiem, Germany
his hometown. He perished due to natural causes along with the complications from diabetes; he had several amputations in his later years which eventually shocked his system so terribly he never made a recovery. He was cremated and placed into the only cemetery of the city, because this is so, the cemetery is unnamed and impossible to find online.

Not much more of him is ever talked about. I think it would have been very interesting to meet him when I travelled to Germany. The German part of my heritage has always intrigued me. maybe one day I can explore more of my family tree and visit again.