Bishop Thomas Frederick Davis

Bishop Thomas Frederick Davis  (1804-1871) was born on a plantation near Wilmington, North Carolina on February 8, 1804.  He attended a preparatory school that was attached to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and upon graduation attended the University proper.  After graduating from the University of North Carolina, he returned home, studied law, and became a lawyer.  His first marriage was to Elizabeth Fleming in 1827.  She passed away the following year giving birth to a son, later the Reverend Thomas Frederick Davis, Jr.

After the death of his wife, Reverend Davis felt the calling of the ministry.  He was ordained a deacon in St. James' Church, Wilmington in 1831, and a priest the following year.  In 1832, he married Anne Ivie Moore. 

The first year he ministered in Pittsboro and Wadesboro.  The following three years, he served as rector of St. James' Church in Wilmington.  After taking a leave of absence due to health, he assumed charge of St Luke's. in Salisbury where he remained for ten years. 

In 1846, he moved to Camden, South Carolina to minister at Grace Church.  In 1853, he was elected Bishop of the diocese of South Carolina and was consecrated in New York City.  Bishop Davis paid Camden the high compliment of continuing his connection with Grace Church after election to the Episcopate.  This was the first instance of a Bishop residing elsewhere than in Charleston.

In 1858, Bishop Davis' eyesight began to fail.  Despite conferring with the best medical authorities, he lost nearly all of his eyesight in 1862.  After the war, he became a pillar in the post reconstruction of his city and state.  He continued to minister, entering the sanctuary, leaning on some supporting arm, or guided, at confirmation, so as to lay his hands on the heads of the candidates kneeling at the rail.  He was universally venerated as the "good blind Bishop."  In 1859, Bishop Davis started a Theological Seminary for the Diocese in Camden.   At the beginning of the civil war, there were ten students.  On March 31, 1865, the seminary burned to the ground.

A newspaper tribute read:  "First the highly gifted, broad-minded Bishop Davis, the blind, eloquent old man, whose speech on tolerance of opinion where non-essentials are concerned is still spoken of by his contemporaries as the noblest ever uttered before the House of Bishops.  We all know that he was great in intellect and great in character.  His presence won for him a sense of deep reverence, almost a feeling of awe, as we looked upon him, sightless himself, but glowing to us with the spiritual life so bright within his soul.  This holy, consecrated man held his diocese a unit."  Bishop Davis passed way on December 2, 1871 in his residence on Broad Street in Camden, SC.

2013 The Bloomsbury Jam-off

The great Bloomsbury amateur jelly, jam, preserve, spread, marmalade competition is scheduled for 13 September 2013.  All novice "J-petitors" are welcome to enter this jam-tastic competition! You may submit as many jars as you like!!!

All submissions must reach

                Bloomsbury Inn, 1707 Lyttleton Street, Camden SC 29020

not later than 10 September 2013.  Be the arrival by post, special delivery or hand delivery, each jar must be securely sealed and accompanied by a card containing the following information:

                Name of j-petitor (amateur maker):

                Address:

                Phone Numbe:r

                Email Address:

                Category:  jelly.....jam.....preserve....spread.....marmalade

                                (note:  we cannot accept freezer or refrig products; all entries must be home-canned)

                Recipe:

Please address any additional questions to:  Bloomsbury Jam - aster, bloomsburyinn@gmail.com.

A team of j-tasters will judge each of the five categories.  All decisions are final.  Each winning entry will receive a Bloomsbury Jam-off Winning Certificate and a canning surprise!  You could win the next battle of the preserves...so get busy, capture summer in a jar, and be sure your submissions are received by 10 September 2013.

Rules for the Kitchen at a Bed and Breakfast

So much can happen in a bed and breakfast and it's not long that you can start developing the application of Murphy's law....especially in the kitchen.

1.  Multiple-function gadgets will not perform any function by itself adequately.

2.  The simpler the instructions (an example is "press here") the tougher it will be to open the package especiallly when you are pressed for time.
3.  When you find that one unique recipe from you grandmother's recipe book, the most vital measurement will be illegible.
4.  Once you make a mistake with a recipe, then anything you add to save it will only make it worse.
5.  The most complimented item that you serve takes the least effort to prepare.
6.  The one ingredient you made a special trip to the store to get will be the one thing your guest dislikes.
7.  The more time you spend preparing that special breakfast, the more time the guests will spend talking about other great breakfasts.

Oh, well.  The life of an innkeeper.

Augustus Cicero (A.C.) Brown, Sr.

(12 May 1832 - 8 October 1862)

View from Open Knob Hill

A Narrative

By Col. Bruce Alan Brown, USAF Ret.

After the Confederate defeats at Forts Henry and Donelson in February of 1862, a call went out for additional volunteers. Governor Joseph Brown authorized the creation of a brigade-sized unit from thirty-four counties in northwest Georgia. According to my grandmother, Clara Belle Bennette Brown, Augustus Cicero Brown, Sr., decided he was going to join and "show them Yankees."

On March 4, 1862, my great, great grandfather was mustered into the 41st Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment at Camp McDonald in Big Shanty, Georgia. Company K (the "Campbell Salt Springs Guards as they called themselves) were 133 volunteers from Campbell County who were commanded by Captain Jonathan J. Bowen. A review of the company roster reveals twenty-six separate families, represented by at least two or more relatives were in the unit. While the practice of keeping family members together contributed to unit cohesiveness, it often decimated entire families and communities.

After training at Camp McDonald, the 41st was posted to guard a railroad bridge over the Tennessee river at Bridgeport, Alabama. Then the siege of Corinth compelled the movement of the 41st Georgia to Mississippi.  Outnumbered by Union forces, the Confederates abandoned Corinth, withdrawing 50 miles south to Tupelo, Mississippi in late May. While encamped there, illness was taking its toll. On July 17, 1862, Augustus's half brother, Hiram, passed away from illness.

On July 21st, 98 of the original 133 officers and enlisted men of Company K left Tupelo to defend Chattanooga from a potential attack . On August 29, the Army of Mississippi, commanded by General Braxton Bragg, invaded Tennessee. Moving on to Kentucky, the Confederate Army stopped in Perryville. There was a drought and as the Union and Confederate Armies confronted each other, the primary issue became water. On October 7th, fierce skirmishes broke out for control of the only water source, Doctor's Creek. At night fall, the fighting closed for the day. The next day, October 8th, a little after noon, Confederate artillery opened fire on the Union lines. The 41st Georgia was formed on the right side of the Rebel battle line that stretched over a mile in length. Company K was deployed near the center of the regiment. which formed under the cover of a grove of oak trees that lined Doctor's Creek and waited. Ordered to form up, they deployed shoulder to shoulder in a linear formation with intervals of only 21 to 24 inches between them. They were followed by a second identical line, only 32 inches behind the first. The 98 men of Company K covered a front of approximately 25 yards.

At 2:15 that afternoon, moving out from the woods, Company K came under fire from Union troops defending Open Knob Hill about two hundred yards away. Opposing Company K were elements of the 33rd Union Brigade, the 105th Ohio and 123rd Illinois, and an artillery battery under the command of Lt Charles Parsons. Soon the battery opened fire on the advancing lines. As the 41st Georgia emerged from the woods it came in view of the enemy's battery. The enemy opened upon them a most terrific and deadly fire. Ten minutes into the attack, Company K encountered a wooden fence. Confederate forces laid down on the ground firing volley after volley at the 770 men of the 123rd Illinois as they charged down the hill with bayonets fixed. After decimating the first and second lines of the 123rd Illinois, Company K rose from the ground, crossed the fences with a Rebel yell, and moved forward shoulder to shoulder as Union cannons fired round shot and shell into their ranks. Company K and the rest of the brigade continued to march up the hill repeatedly firing into the third line of the 123rd Illinois. The action was described by Private Sam Watkins, a member of the 1st Tennessee Regiment, which was to the immediate right of the 41st Georgia:

"Two [Union] lines of battle confronted us. We killed almost everyone in the first line, and were soon charging over the second, when right in our immediate front was their third and main line of battle. We were soon in a hand-to-hand fight, every man for himself, using the butts of our guns and bayonets. The guns were discharged so rapidly that it seemed the earth itself was a volcanic uproar. The iron storm passed through our ranks, mangling and tearing men to pieces. Our men were dead and dying right in the very midst of this grand havoc of battle. It was a life and death to death grapple."

Private Augustus Cicero Brown, Sr. was in that firing line.

A "bombshell [exploded} knocking from his body his right arm and immediately afterwards he was pierced through his chest with a bayonet," according to Private James McClarty of K Company.

The 41st swept over Open Knob Hill and captured the guns and moved down the hill chasing the remnants of the Union 33rd Brigade until the Union line formed on a ridge commanded by Col John C. Starkweather.  They formed with twelve guns. The 41st continued to advance with the rest of the Rebel line and after an initial repulse, charged again. This time reaching the top of the ridge. After fierce hand-to-hand fighting they took the ridge and six of the Union guns. The Union line further retreated to another ridge 100 yards to the West. At this point the Union line stabilized and was able to repulse three southern frontal assaults.

While it was a tactical victory for the South, it was technically a defeat since General Bragg made the decision to withdraw the Army of Mississippi from the area.  Augustus Cicero Brown was survived by his wife, Rachael, and four children: Sarah C. Brown (b.July 1855), Mary Minerva Brown
(b. August 1857), Martha P. "Mattie" Brown (b. October 1859), and Augustus Cicero Brown Jr. (b. February 1862) my great grandfather.

On December 23, 1890 the State Assembly of Georgia passed a law giving widows up to February 15, 1893 to apply for a Confederate Veterans Pension. On January 31st 1893, Augustus Cicero Brown's wife, Rachel Ann Marena Fults Brown, applied for that pension. Quoted in the application is a description of my great, great grandfather's death by his friends Privates William A. Howell, James W. Mauldin, and William S. Tucker:

Augustus Cicero Brown was "killed by the explosion of a bomb shell at the battle of Perryville, Ky...his right arm was torn from his body as well as a part of his shoulder...deponents know absolutely that he died immediately afterwards...living only about one hour. Depondent Tucker says he knows that he was also pierced with a bayonet as he fell back after the explosion of the shell. This took place on the 8th day of October 1862."

Confederate dead laid on the battlefield for over three days, some accounts estimate a week, before they were buried in shallow graves. Later, Henry P. Bottoms, lead the excavation and re-interment in two pits on his land. Few were identified and it may be assumed that Augustus Cicero Brown, Sr. was put to rest in a mass grave.

Company K of the 41st Georgia Volunteer Infantry fought in twelve pitched battles from Perryville, Missionary Ridge, Kennesaw Mountain, Franklin and Bentonville; participated in two sieges, Vicksburg and Atlanta, and served in campaigns that spanned seven separate states of the Confederacy.

Company K stacked arms and surrendered to General Sherman, at Goldsboro, NC,  on April 26, 1865.  Of the 133 men who mustered into Company K on March 4,1862, only 25 were left.

References:

Foote, S. (1958). The Civil War: Fort Sumter to Perryville. New York: Random House Inc.

Georgia, Confederate Pension Applications 1879-1960. (1893, January 31). Retrieved May 23, 2012, from www.Ancestry.com: http:// search ancestry.com

Harmon, J. (1997, October 28). Brown-L Archives. Retrieved May 23, 2012, from Rootsweb:
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/BROWN/1997-10

Harmon, J. (2000, March 19). Brown-L Archives. Retrieved May 23, 2012, from Rootsweb:
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/BROWN/2000-03

Kelley, M. (n.d.). 41st Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Retrieved May 21, 2012, from Rootsweb.ancestry.com: http:www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gacampbe/Company_K-History.htm

Kennedy, F. H. (Ed.). (1990). The Civil War Battlefield Guide. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Leonard, C. B. (2011, September 5). The Battle of Perryville. Retrieved June 11, 2012, from www.carolynbleonard.com:  http://www.carolynbleonard.com/CarolynBLeonard/DutchCousines/Entries/2011/9/5
Muster Roll of Company K, 41st Georgia Volunteer Regiment. (n.d.). Retrieved May 21, 2012, from
www.generalbartonandstovall: http:/www.generalbartonand stovall.com/html/company_k.html

The Armies at the Battle of Perryville. (n.d.). Retrieved May 24, 2012, from History of War:
http://historyofwar.org/articles/armies_perryville.html

The Battle of Perryville. (n.d.). Retrieved May 24, 2012, from Wikipedia: http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Perryvile

The Baxter Family from Georgia. (n.d.). Retrieved May 28, 2012, from Ancestry.com:
http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/24036662/family/familygroup?fpid=1462572717

The War of the Rebellion: A compilation of the official records. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2012, from
Cornell.edu: http://ebooks.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/

Watkins, S. R. (1900). Co. Aytch (2nd ed. ed.).  Chattanooga: Times Printing Co.

Lieutenant James Willis Cantey, Jr.

Lieutenant James Willis Cantey, Jr. (1822 to 1847) monument is erected next to the memorial marker for his father, General James Willis Cantey Sr.   Neither of which are buried at these sites in Quaker Cemetery. 

Lieutenant Cantey was born on 21 November 1822, in his family home in Camden, he attended the University of Carolina and graduated in 1843.  In 1846, when President Polk called for volunteers against Mexico, the first South Carolina Company to volunteer was the DeKalb Guards of Camden.  Included in this group was Lieutenant James Willis Cantey Jr.  This Palmetto regiment engaged the enemy from Vera Cruz to Mexico city. 

On 12 September 1847, the main assault began on Mexico City.  The entry to the city was guarded by Chapultepec Castle.  The infantry assault was preceded by an all day artillery barrage.  The next day, 13 September,  the 4th Division, under the direction of General John A. Quitman, spearheaded the attack against the castle. 

General Quitman pointed at the stone fortification with 15-foot walls, lined with six cannons of the 12-pounder classification, supported by 2,000 Mexican soldiers, and stated that the fate of the day depended on taking that wall.  One hundred and fifty South Carolinians, what was left of the DeKalb Guards, some wounded and lame, heard his address.  With the battle cry of "come on boys" every man stepped forward with unflinching determination. 

Captain James  Cantey,  a cousin to Lieutenant Cantey and later a Confederate Brigadier General,  described the action:  "Our way lay over an open plain cut up by many deep ditches; through by fire from the fort in front crossed by another from the right.  The regiment moved forward and gained the wall without discharging a musket.  But, alas, many who started for that goal of distinction failed to reach it.  It was crossing the plain near the wall, that Lieutenant James Willis Cantey, poor fellow, received his wound while leading a detachment of two companies in advance of the Regiment.  He was a noble and generous a spirit as ever lived, and as brave and gallant a soldier as ever bore a sword; his conduct was the subject of remark by the whole Regiment."

As soon as Chapultepec Castle was taken and under heavy fire, the army moved on towards the gates of the city.  The Palmetto Regiment had started the campaign with 1100 men and at the end of the Battle for Mexico City they were left with 140 effectives. 

On Lieutenant Cantey's  monument is engraved:

 "When South Carolina summoned her sons to the field, he obeyed the call  by shouldering his musket.  Afterwards elected a Lieutenant in the company from his native district, he shared with honor in all the hazards and glories of his regiment in the Mexican campaign."

"In the battle of Churubusco where the regiment from South Carolina came near being annihilated on the field, from which they refused to retreat,  his chivalric daring was eminently conspicuous .  His superior officers being disabled by honorable wounds, he henceforth assumed command of the remnant from Kershaw who had escaped death without dishonor."

"On the 18th Sept. 1847, the castle of Chapultepec was carried by storm.  While leading his men up to a breach in the walls which he had discovered, this gallant soldier fell before it.  Shot in the front and died under the victorious flag of his country."

Lieutenant Cantey's actions led the way for the DeKalb Guards to be the first to storm the gates of Mexico's capital and their flag was the first that floated over the gates of the city.

General James Willis Cantey, Sr.

General Cantey (1794-1860) was born on Town Creek, approximately one mile south of Camden. At an early age he was taken to Sandersville, Georgia, and placed in the tutelage of Colonel Morgan Brown.

After the declaration of war in 1812, he made the decision to enlist in the Army. His father wanted him to gain an appointment to a unit that would see service in the northern frontier, then the scene of active operation. Failing in this, he joined a corps of volunteer cavalry under Captain John Irwin and was mustered into service at Fort Hawkins, GA in 1813. Serving as the Sergeant of his company, he saw action against the Creek nation and was engaged in the battles of Ottosee and Talassee in 1813. In his discharge papers, reference is made to his gallantry during hand-to-hand combat with Creek warriors.

Cantey returned to Camden in 1814 and in 1821 became Sheriff of the District. He was married to Camilla F. Richardson on March 26, 1822. By 1835, he had grown sufficiently wealthy to built a handsome home on Hobkirk's hill on the site where Hawe's Virginians had fought during the revolutionary battle. The location is now west of Broad Street, north of downtown.

His military career continued when he was elected Brigadier General of the 5th Brigade in 1834. In 1836 a call went out for the recruitment of one company, 76 mounted men, from Col John Chesnut's regiment for three months duty in the Seminole War. The regiment was paraded on February 8th, and General Cantey read the order for a draft, if sufficient members did not volunteer. John Chesnut's company saw combat at the Seminole Villages of Abram and Micanopy. They then moved to a location near Tampa Bay at Peay's Creek. The company returned to Camden in mid-May.

General Cantey was then appointed Adjutant and Inspector General of the state militia. He served in the Legislature from 1846 to 1848 and was quite active in local politics. He died August 20, 1860 at the age of 65. His tombstone in Quaker Cemetery is a memorial and reads:

To the memory of Gen James Willis Cantey.
Born Nov. 30, 1794. Died Aug. 20, 1860
And his wife Camilla Floride Richardson
Born July 30, 1798. Died Dec. 19, 1866
He was a Camden native but was buried in Alabama

Colonel Henry G. Nixon

Colonel Henry G. Nixon (1800-1829) was a darling of the Camden community. Well-liked, polished, and generous, Col. Nixon was a local attorney and politician. With differences to settle, on January 15, 1829 he and Thomas A. Hopkins (1803-1831) met to dual at the Sand Bar Ferry near Augusta, Georgia. The genesis of the dispute started in 1824 when the Hopkins family sued the Nixon family. William Nixon, Henry Nixon's father, was accused of fraud in a land deal. The Hopkins family won the dispute in court. Both men were in the militia with Henry Nixon with the rank of Colonel while Thomas Hopkins was a Major. Folklore has it that the duel was because of a critical remark by Nixon regarding the maneuvers of Hopkins' regiment. The duel was held at one o'clock. Col. Nixon is described as wearing a fancy coat with a white handkerchief showing from his breast pocket. Legend says that Hopkins believed that "the man has marked his heart for me to hit." Hopkins had practiced his marksmanship in the Quaker Cemetery in Camden firing at the grave stone of Neil Smith. You can still see the pit marks of bullets on the back of the stone. Hopkins, a superb marksman, was the first to fire hitting Nixon in the right breast and he fell instantly dead with his pistol going off harmlessly Hopkins regretted the necessity of the duel and felt it has been forced on him by Nixon's comments. It is said that Hopkins died from a broken heart. Thomas Hopkins soon followed, dying just two years later. In 1832 Nixon's father enclosed the grave of his son behind a wall of granite with iron railing. Henry G. Nixon is the only one buried in this plot at the Quaker Cemetery in Camden. Thomas Hopkins is buried at the old Swift Creek Church. The history to be learned in the Quaker Cemetery is amazing, and it is just over two miles from Bloomsbury.

Is Miss Kitty Stray Cold?

Many of the friends of Bloomsbury, specifically friends of Miss Kitty Stray, have asked about her and winter. Miss Kitty Stray elects to be an outside cat. With our weather continuing to be cold, with some freezing, we have found a winter plan that she loves.

She spends most of her time on the veranda of Bloomsbury. In fact, on cold days like today, she spends most of her time in her house. She has a good-sized, heated cat house. It is not bothered by guest traffic; it is up off the cold porch; it offers two ways in and out; it does not snow or rain into the house, and, it offers heat when she is in the house. Yes, an automated pad heats the inside when she makes contact with it. And, she keeps her favorite cat blanket inside the house.

Since food and hydration are also essential during really cold weather. She has her own feeding station. She is fed dry food twice a day, and she constantly has fresh water. A tiny pinch of sugar keeps the water from freezing too quickly and it gives her a little energy boost. On really cold days, she gets wet food which is easier to digest in really cold temps.

It is true that she prefers spring weather, but she also loves her heated house.

Quaker Cemetery: Joseph Brevard

In addition to all the things to see and do in Camden while staying at Bloomsbury Inn, we continue to highlight some interesting sites in the Quaker Cemetery.

Joseph Brevard has been described as upright, unostentatious and industrious. Born July 19, 1766, Joseph entered the revolutionary service in 1782 at the age of sixteen. He was commissioned a Lieutenant in the North Caroline line, filling this position until the end of the war. His brother Alexander described him as delicate and small of statue, and felt sorry for him when it came time to mount the guard. Joseph became a secretary to General Arnold who was in command of Philadelphia. It seems that young Joseph had a fine hand at writing. Joseph Brevard had seven brothers, besides himself, who fought in the Revolutionary War. His family performed distinctively or patriotically.

At the end of the war, Joseph settled in Camden, South Carolina. In 1789, he was elected by the Legislature to the position of Sheriff of Camden District. He was only twenty-three and served well in this arduous post in those unsettled times. In 1792, he was admitted to the bar, and on March 17, 1793 he married Rebecca Kershaw.
A successful lawyer, he began in 1793 the compilation of the law reports which bore his name and continued to do so until 1815. In 1801, he was elected a Judge. In 1802, his wife Rebecca passed away. Judge Brevard continued on the bench until 1815 until ill-health caused him to resign.

In the next few years his health improved, and in 1818 he won election to Congress and served one term. In 1821, at the age of fifty-five, Judge Brevard passed away at Camden.

Judge O'Neall made the following statement concerning Congressman Brevard: "In every situation and office of life he did his duty. What more can or ought to be said, unless it be to say that he feared God and kept his commandments, which is declared in the inspired volume to be 'holy duty of man.'"

History-rich is an understatement concerning Camden, South Carolina. As you visit, you will quickly learn from Dr Bruce A. Brown of Bloomsbury that you must visit often and visit soon if you want to learn more.

Quaker Cemetery - Captain Benjamin Carter

Captain Carter lived from 1758 until 1830. A revolutionary war veteran, he lived in Camden for fifty years. He enlisted in 1776 and was considered a gallant soldier of the Revolution. He participated in the Battle of Camden, Brandywine and Germantown. He also spent the winter at Valley Forge.

A great story is told of him concerning the Battle of Camden. According to Judge O'Neall "This old soldier (Captain Carter) said that he commanded a company on the extreme left of Gates line, at the Battle of Gum Swamp (Battle of Camden) and at the first fire all of his men fled. Left alone he went to the Captain next to him, whose men had also abandoned him, and asked what was to be done. He received no satisfactory answer. Whereupon he said to his neighbor: 'I'll be d---d if I am here to be shot down.' He jumped on his pony, which he had fastened in the bushes, left the field, and said: "I suppose I was the first man out of reach of danger.'"
Despite this tongue-in-cheek story told by him of the disaster at the Battle of Camden, Captain Carter was a popular man in Camden. He kept an open hospitable parlor and dining-room for his neighbors where wist and loo (card games) parties were sometimes conducted. While some gambling may have occurred, there was never excess characterized in these meetings nor evil attributed.

Captain Carter was an old bachelor. He was a kind man, with a warmth of heart and yet could be rough and brusque at times as a bachelor could be. Captain Carter passed away on January 20, 1830. His best friend was Benjamin Bynum who died six years after him on July 9, 1836. They are buried side by side with headstones that are duplicates of each other.

Sunday afternoons during the fall season are a great time to visit the cemetery. It is located about 3 miles from Bloomsbury...a very easy drive...some prefer to walk!

Agnes of Glasgow

The oldest grave of fame associated with the Quaker Cemetery is really not in the cemetery proper, but a few hundred yards prior to the entrance. The grave site is that of Agnes of Glasgow. Agnes of Glasgow lived from 1760 to 1780. She was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and followed her lover Lt Angus McPherson, a British Army Officer, about the world. Agnes knew he had been sent to America. She stowed away on a ship in order to reach Charleston, South Carolina, and believed that he was in Camden. Hearing that he was wounded, she searched from town to town and finally arrived in the Camden area. Agnes then became ill and died. Folklore lends that she was buried, under the cover of darkness, in Camden by King Haigler of the Wateree Indian tribe. This story is suspect as King Haigler was slain on 30 August 1763 by the Shawnee tribe, while he was traveling between the Waxhaws Settlement on Cane Creek to a Catawba town on Twelve Mile Creek. His death was 17 years before Agnes arrived in Camden. Nevertheless, it is known that she came here looking for Lt McPherson, died, and l was buried here in Camden. Many believe she walks the Quaker Cemetery at night looking for her lost love. Who knows, when you visit Bloomsbury, you might spend an evening by her grave watching for the truth. Come to Camden, enjoy her history and enjoy a lovely evening at Bloomsbury Inn!!

Quaker Cemetery was established by Quaker settlers around 1750. Samuel Wyly, conveyed four acres of land to the Quakers in 1759. It was conveyed for the rental of "One Pepper Corn Per Year" for 999 years. The purpose of the land was to build their house of worship and to provide a cemetery for the Quaker community. The Cemetery is located about three miles from Bloomsbury. The cemetery has grown from four acres and to approximately 50 acres today. Growth was through deeded property, purchases, and of course, gifts from the community. The cemetery is now maintained by the Quaker Cemetery Association and other citizens who visit local grave sites regularly. Our local cemetery is rich with history from the Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWI, and WWII. Several Quakers are buried there. The cemetery includes seven veterans of the American Revolution, 210 Confederate graves, three medal of honor winners , and three brothers killed in WWII. Many Bloomsbury guests visit the cemetery. In the next series of blogs, I'll be writing about different persons who rest in this wonderful, old cemetery. Come join me!

Quaker Cemetery

Camden, South Carolina and Bloomsbury hosts interesting Civil War history. The Civil War is full of curious facts of how families split over the issues. One example is from the White House itself. Four of President Lincoln's brothers-in-law wore Confederate uniforms. They were Mary's brother George Rogers Clark Todd and her half-brothers Alexander Todd, David Todd, and Samuel Todd. Her brother, Dr. George Rogers Clark Todd (Colonel, CSA) was a surgeon who lived here in Camden, SC. He is quoted as saying that Lincoln was "one of the greatest scoundrels unhung." Dr. Todd is buried in the circle at the end of Quaker Avenue North, Quaker Cemetery, Camden, SC Alexander Todd was killed at Baton Rouge. Samuel Todd was killed in the Battle of Shiloh. David Todd was wounded at Vicksburg and later charged with brutality to Union prisoners in Richmond, VA. One of Mary Todd Lincoln's sisters was married to Ben Hardin Helm, a Confederate General, who was killed at Chickamauga. He had spurned a personal offer of a commission from President Lincoln. Mary's other two sisters were married to Confederate officers. Come visit Bloomsbury, visit Quaker Cemetery, and explore Civil War history!

Who Names Nail Polish

The amazing questions of life never end...who names nail polish? Have you noticed that "red" is now "Friar, friar, pants on fire"? "Pink" is "Hot Tub Toner". "Midnight in Moscow" is not blue. Polish comes in so many colors and by even more names! Do you know the name of the color you are currently wearing?

2011 Loyal E. Horton Award

The Bloomsbury Cold Fruit Soup recipe was recognized in the 2011 Loyal E. Horton Awards. The University of Georgia, featuring this soup, won the "best in the business" Bronze Award with their Sunset Breakfast. This special breakfast served at dinner, offered the Bloomsbury Cold Fruit Soup during the first course.

Bloomsbury Cold Fruit Soup
Total preparation time: 15 minutes, plus chilling time
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
• 2 cups fruit (peach, cantaloupe, honeydew, mango…any one of these work well…fresh is better, but canned or frozen will work if well drained)
• 1/2 cup sugar (sugar to taste depending upon natural sweetness of fruit)
• 1 individual-sized vanilla bean yogurt
• 1 tsp extract (extract flavor based upon fruit: vanilla, cinnamon, rum)
• 1/4 cup half & half or heavy cream (add cream to determine consistency desired)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Steps:
Carefully clean fruit. Place in the blender, add all remaining ingredients. Blend on liquefy until smooth. Chill for at least 8 hours. Garish with whipping cream, candied/sweet-flavored nuts, fresh mint or whole fruit pieces). Serve very cold.

The History:
Fruit soup is a wonderful, eloquent first course for breakfast or lunch or dinner. Katherine presents a breakfast soup at least two times a week at Bloomsbury Inn. She and Bruce first encountered a similar fruit soup at a bed and breakfast in her home state of Arkansas.

Bloomsbury Summer Chutney

Chutney is a fruit/vegetable combination, spices and vinegar cooked slowly for a long period of time to create a divine flavor and texture. Chutney is highly spiced and develops into a sweet-sour blending of flavors that are perfect when served with meat or cheese.

4 quarts finely chopped fruit (peeled peaches, peeled pears, figs or pitted plums)
1 large chopped sweet onion
1 cup of raisins or dried cranberries
1 small seeded and chopped hot pepper or 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 - 3 cups of brown sugar (the sweeter the fruit the less sugar)
1/4 cup mustard seed
2 Tbs ginger
2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp ground nutmeg
4 - 5 cups vinegar (white or cider)

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepot. Simmer until very thick. Stir often -- be careful as you do not want to wear HOT fruit! Ladle hot chutney into hot jars, leaving 1/4=inch headspace. If air bubbles are visible, run a knife inside the jar to release the air. Add the jar seal/lid and tighten. Turn the jar upside down on a clean cloth for five minutes so the heat of the chutney can seal the lid. Invert and listen for each jar to "pop" which signifies a good seal.

At Bloomsbury, we have many uses for summer chutney. Serve room temperature chutney in a side dish as a condiment for meats. Serve hot chutney over pork tenderloin or roasted turkey. Top brie with chutney, encase in puff pastry and bake. It is so good, that you might be tempted to just eat with a spoon! Enjoy!

Taking Tea

Now that you know the Charleston Tea Plantation is the only tea grower/producer in America, you should also know a perfect way to brew tea. At Bloomsbury we follow the same basic guidelines regardless of making loose leaf tea or when using tea bags.

Bring fresh/filtered room temperature water to a boil. When making black tea, herbal tea and some oolongs, it is best to pour boiling water over the leaves. If you are making white, green and tender oolongs, allow the boil to die before pouring the water over the leaves. It just could not be much more simple than that. Use one teaspoon of tea leaves for making each eight-ounce of tea.

Steeping time is primarily driven by your preference, but most black teas should steep about five minutes. Oolongs and green teas steep between one and five minutes. White teas require three to eight minutes. This guide will assist in brewing the best teas....remember we want to brew...not stew...tea.

For those interested in tea types: All teas are from the same plant,Camelia sinensis. Black Tea and Green Tea can come from the exact same plant; it is the curing and production process that makes the tea either black or green. Green tea is picked and dried almost immediately. Black tea is picked and alowed to wilt before being dried. 'This oxidation process produces either green or black tea. Oolong tea is produced about half way between green tea and black tea. Decaffeinated tea is green or black tea which is produced via a decaffeinating process. Remember, decaffeinated tea is not caffeine free. Herbal tea is caffeine tea, but it isn't actually tea. It is a mixture of herbs, spices or fruit that has been dehydrated and is brewed in the manner of good tea.

We would love to share a cup of tea with you...tea is always available to guests of Bloomsbury Inn.

The only tea grown in America!

The Charleston Tea Plantation is the home of American Classic Tea, tea grown in America. It is located on picturesque Wadmalaw Island in the heart of South Carolina's Lowcountry. Its grounds include 127 acres of Camellia Sinensis tea plants and a working Tea Factory and a charming Plantation Gift Shoppe.

Bloomsbury proudly serves iced and hot tea from this plantation at the afternoon social and at breakfast. These teas are also available in the Bloomsbury gift case. Although there is no tea harvested at Bloomsbury, you can see a very old Camellia Sinensis tea plant.

The plantation is 2+ hours from Bloomsbury, it is a great place to visit. Both the factory and the plantation tour are very interesting. Did you know that caffeine-free tea contains no tea?

Rainbows

It has been so hot and dry in historic Camden SC...today's rain was a blessing. And, the blessing brought a rainbow! A traditional rainbow is sunlight spread in a spectrum of colors and diverted to the eye by water droplets. Have you ever noticed that the sun is always behind you when you see a rainbow? The sun always points directly to the top of the arc of the rainbow. Did I mention that it has been rather hot here!

Where Did April Go?

Isn't it amazing how the beautiful days of Spring race by? It has been a record month at Bloomsbury for many reasons:
1) major storm damaged the old kitchen house
2) largest number of visitors per month since 2005 opening
3) great Hobkirk's Hill Society social
4) Miss Kitty videos introduced
5) beautiful Easter with family
6) Azalea pruning in progress
7) two Buckley School debates
8) Camden Military Academy hosted Special Olympics
9) opening of the new Town Green
10) tax returns arrived
11) etc.
So, which pix would you like to see?