Caroline Howard Gilman: The 1800s Most Famous Female Author

Caroline Howard Gilman was a very progressive women who went against the social norms of a women's ability to write. In her childhood it was something she would secretly do and once she was married and her adult life progressed she wrote many novels, started a weekly journal for young adults, and wrote children's literature.

She was Born October 9 1794, and was raised in Boston Massachusetts before moving to Charleston South Carolina for her adult life. I chose Caroline because I similarly left Boston for Charleston when I turned eighteen so I found her as some one with a similar background that would interest me.

Sadly she passed away on September 15 1888 at the age of 93 and is buried at the Unitarian Church of Charleston. I am looking forward to visiting her grave as well as researching her family and her accomplishments.

Magnificent Magnolia

Walking into Magnolia Cemetery I was immediately overwhelmed with the size of all the graves. I have never seen that many large graves in one singular cemetery. The size was only my initial impression. As I went deeper and deeper inside I was mesmerized by the size and the beauty of the cemetery. We had learned in class that it was a place people would go to enjoy there day, I always thought it was strange to want to spend time in a graveyard. But after experiencing it I realized that truly more than a typical cemetery. The pond with the bridge, the views, and the art that went into the graves made it unexpectedly, truly beautiful. 

Beautiful Layout

I really liked the lay out of Magnolia Cemetery. You didn’t need to walk all over peoples graves to explore and see others. That is some thing I strongly dislike doing in modern, common, squishy cemeteries today. The amount of space between them was nice and made the walking easy, along with the vast paths and roads. Additionally having a pond of that size is something unexpected but perfectly fitting for Magnolia cemetery. 

One of my favorite graves belonged to Osma Bailey, Born December 20, 1825 and passed away on January 11, 1897. I liked the font used on this grave, the clarity it still held, and the intricate designs. 

Bailey Family 

We learned that the Simonds Grave Monument was looked down upon because of how extravagant it was. I understand how it “outshone” many of the neighboring graves causing conflict amongst families. However I feel as though that was the point of Magnolia to show your wealth and have something large to be remembered by. 

Simmonds Grave

Robert E Lee was the commander of the confederate soldiers in the civil war and is extremely famous in US History. His grandsons grave was there which was the one person who stuck out to me. The grave was not special compared to the others but it was cool to see a name who popped out to me.

Robert E. Lee III

Me next to my favorite grave in Magnolia Cemetery. As well as my new favorite view in Charleston of the Beautiful Ravenel Bridge. 

The STEPS To Being A Hero

His Family Grave

Although I never meet him I have heard many stories about my Great Grandfather, John Cotter. He was born March 30, 1914 and passed away from Lung Cancer April 3, 1991 at the age of 77, due to smoking cigarettes and being a firefighter without modern health/ safety measures. He is buried in Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts with his ancestors before him under a Die, Base, and Cap grave. In this cemetery it also lays rest to many members of the Kennedy Family.  

My Great Grandfather was born, raised and lived his whole life in Needham, Massachusetts. I am the fifth generation of my family to live in that same hometown and he was heavily involved in the community.  He had 1 son and 4 daughters, including my Grandma who told me all about him for this project.

The Inside of the Church He Saved

My favorite story I have learned about him involves my family church, St. Joseph Parish. My Great Grandfather was left on the church doorstep and raised by Nuns until he was adopted at 3 years old. The history of where he comes from was never known to my family and is still a mystery. That church is also meaningful because it is where I grew up going to and five generations before me have been married there, it’s very important to me and my family. One day however it caught on fire, and because my Great Grandfather was chief he made the decision to go inside the church to save pictures of Jesus and other pieces from the alter. Afterwards he was told by the priest to keep the works of art for his bravery. When he passed away my family decided to donate the things he saved to my hometowns historical society. 

My Great Grand Father and Mother

Another hobby of his included photography. Similarly to my story before, after the church was burned down he took pictures of the aftermath and the rebuilding of the new church. His pictures were printed in the town newspaper many times in the years of reconstruction. Nowadays many members of my family have an interest in photography, which I believe stems from him.