Back in January of this yr I was at the old Quaker Cemetery looking for a grave to satisfy a photo request for Find a Grave. I came upon this broken stone, I said "what a shame this is broken' and yet it was such a perfect stone in every other way and I read it...
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Sacred to the Memory of My Husband
Lucius R LeGrand
aged 31 years
Who was drowned on the Memoralble 5th May, 1860
at Boykin Mill Pond
Since Im very familiar with the Boykin Mill Pond, about 10 miles outta town....I was intriqued immediately..and then right beside that stone was this one
WHAT??? A brother also drowned...May 5th, 1860? So of course that did it...I had to find out why these brothers drowned!!! So I googled it..
HOLY COW...here's what I found:
SUMTER WATCHMAN EXTRA FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT!
SPECIAL TELEGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE TO KINGSVILLE FOR THE WATCHMANTWENTY FIVE PERSONS DROWNED
BOYKINS' MILL POND, NEAR CAMDEN
THE SCENE
MONDAY MORNING MAY 7, 1860 -- SIX OCLOCK
TERRIBLE ACCIDENT
UNbelievable!! Ive found 2 graves of 25 persons drowned in a mass drowning...
So it was that the old newspaper article declared it such a horrid tragedy...the news was relayed by telegraph and old Mr Whitherspoon took down the names of the dead and that list was published, 25 people DROWNED...IT was later learned that the number was 24....the grisly list saddened every heart as it was read. Listed were the 22 sir names of the now dead young girls and boys and at the end of the list was stated ....and 2 negroes! Pre Civil War....(DAMN-how inhumane is that? More on this at a later Date!)
So a picnic and party was on and about 50 or so of the prominent family members got on a flat bottom boat, they intended to pole the boat across the pond and back it was such a beautiful May day...out about 100 ft from shore in 25 feet of water, they got caught on a snag...The polers rocked it back n forth in an attempt to get free but------THE WOOD BOTTOM busted and the craft began to take on water,,,,most paniced and jumped sinking to the depts of the murky mill pond muddy bottom.....and it took their lives away...SO I decided to TRACK down the burial place and hopefully photo of each of the victims gravesites....next week part 2!!
So a picnic and party was on and about 50 or so of the prominent family members got on a flat bottom boat, they intended to pole the boat across the pond and back it was such a beautiful May day...out about 100 ft from shore in 25 feet of water, they got caught on a snag...The polers rocked it back n forth in an attempt to get free but------THE WOOD BOTTOM busted and the craft began to take on water,,,,most paniced and jumped sinking to the depts of the murky mill pond muddy bottom.....and it took their lives away...SO I decided to TRACK down the burial place and hopefully photo of each of the victims gravesites....next week part 2!!
