Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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s XU | ->3, 17th President Was Laurens Tailor , c; (O \ • * r # WADSWORTH SCHOOL—Shown above are stu dents of Wadsworth School which was located across from Randolph Davis’ home. Shown above with teacher Miss Mary Osborne are, first row: Westley Boyd, Ernie Young, Luther Young, Earle Workman; second row: Helen Smith, Mag- i I ii gie Chandler Golden, Will Boyd, Alice Meadors, Metz Beeks, Lucile Meadors, Nelle Boyd, Mabel Hopkins Moorhead; third row: Ellen Workman Scurry, Ollie Workman Cleland, Lessie Chandler Allen, Lalla Workman Speakman, Stella Chand ler Cannon and Lois Workman. m f -t : Andrew Johnson,seventeenth President of the United States, formerly lived in Laurens as a young man before he gained historical notoriety as the only president to be impeached. Johnson fell in love and was engaged to be married for a time to one of the most beauti ful girls in Laurensvllle. Johnson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina on December 29, 1808^ His father died when he was three years old, and his mother apprenticed him and his brother, William, to James J. Selby, a tailor in Raleigh. When Johnson was sixteen years old, he and some friends stoned several business houses in Raleigh. They realized the seriousness of their actions and left town that night. They soon returned home, but Andrew went to Carthage, a town about sixty miles southwest of Ra leigh to open his own shop. Being that close to Raleigh and the laws governing appren tices being as strict as they were, Johnson decided to leave the area and move to Laurens, a small village on the Little River in Piedmont, South Caro lina. He opened a tailor shop and began his romance with Miss Sarah Word,the beautiful daughter of James and Eliza beth Word of the city. In a letter written by Word’s granddaughter, Johnson is de scribed as he came into Lau rens. She wrote ‘Andrew John son came to Laurens with his possessions wrapped in a ban danna handkerchief suspended from a stick and carried a- cross his shoulder. Miss Word’s granddaughter also de scribes his romance with Miss Word. She wrote‘although quite young he opened a tailor shop in the town and ere long he was recognized by the good people as worthy of their patronage and their confidence. He was received in the homes of the people of the town and soon he fell in love and became en gaged to one of its popular and beautiful young women by the name of Miss Sarah Word.* To while away the hours in Laurens, Sarah and Andrew made a quilt as a remem- berance of their love affair. Johnson and Sarah would talk quietly as she made the quilt. She refused to let the young tailor assist her in the making of the coverlet, but she did let him design some of the or- nimentation that was to go on it. The 146 year old coverlet is now the property of Miss Word’s family. Johnson em broidered the initials ‘S. W.* on the bottom of the quilt as a symbol of their undying love. Something happened to the idyllic love affair when John son went to request the beauti ful young lady’s hand in mar riage. Benjamin f. Perry, a Greenville lawyer, author and a leader in South Carolina poli tics for over forty years, writ ing in his Reminiscences of Public Men, 1883, says John son ‘went one Sunday morning to ask her mother, who was a widow lady, for the hand of her daughter. He told Gov. James Orr of Anderson that he saw Mrs. Word’s manner was not favorable disposed towards him. It was late in the evening before he could muster enough courage to pop the question. When he did so, Mrs. Word told him very plainly that her daughter should not marry a tailor...the young tailor boy and future President of the United States was so mortified at the rebuff that he had re ceived that he decided to quite Laurens, and did so the very next day.* v * v- ,-v—'* 1670 1970 ROCK BRIDGE WATERFALL — Shown in an outing at the Rock Bridge waterfall are some students of Miss Sara Copeland, standing at right. Others shown, right to left, are: Lizzie Madden (Mrs. Pierce Hipp); Elberta Simpson (Mrs. John Boyd); Florence Chandler, Lola Mar tin, Lula Young, Ellen Chandler (Mrs. Gus Ram- age) ; Mamie Copeland, Killy Martin (standing): Lydia Hipp, Eva Workman (Mrs. Russell Poole); Alise Martin; sitting on rock at left, Dravton Simpson, Lynn Copeland and his dog; Jim Simp son, Carl Chandler, Hayne Chandler, James Da vis, Leroy Copeland, Emma Snyder, Othella Mad den, Ray Hipp and Dixie Copeland; sitting on the low ledge of the waterfall is Lem Chandler. SOUTH CAROLINA. TRICENTENMAL PROVIDING (UNION With Quality skvke 6—THE CHRONICLE, Clinton, S. C., Nov. 12, 1970 ••71 * 1/ > Since 1933 Distributor Of TEXACO FASHION PARADE ... In Front of Bell’s Store in Renno / Mail Service Changes Johnson went to Greenville for a short time and returned to Raleigh. He offered to finish working out his apprenticeship for Shelby, but his former em- ployeer had sold his tailor shop and had no place for him. The disgruntled young man decided to “go west* and tryto find some relief from his problems.. He purchased a wagon, loaded with his worldly possession on it, and with his mother, stepfather and younger brother, he set out for Tennessee. He settled in Greenville, Tennessee, mar ried a local girl and set up a tailor shop of his own. The young man then began his phenominal rise a politician. In 1829 he was elected alderman and in 1831, he was made the mayor of the town. This was followed by a successful cam paign for the state legislature. In 1843, he was elected to the House of Representatives and served ten years in this dis tinguished body. In 1853, he was elected Governor of the Vol unteer State and was elected again in 1855. In 1857, he was elected to the United States Senate. When his state suc- eeded, Johnson refused to sup port the secession. In 1862, he was made Military Governor of the part of the state under Union control. When Lincoln offered for re- election in 1864, he needed a Southerner who supported the Union position to swing the boarder states in favor of Lin coln. Johnson was the obvious choice for the Vice-F’residental spot on the ticket. W hen the Great Emancipator was as- sinated by a half-crazed actor, Johnson found himself the lead er of a nation that was wracked by war in a terrible general condition. Johnson tried to carry out Lincoln’s plan for a liberal reinstatement of the rebellious Southern states. However, a vindictive Congress was det ermined to punish the South. They passed several bills that Johnson considered both unfair and unconstitutional. He tried to fire Edwin Stanton, his Sec retary of War, for conduct that was highly questionable. Con gress overrode his action by passing the Tenure of Office bill that said the President could only dismiss officials with the approval of the Senate. Johnson vetoed the bill and caused a storm on Capitol Hill. The Senate proceeded with im peachment proceedings that had been in the planning stages for months. On the day of the vote, Congress failed by only one to get the number needed to im peach the President. Johnson rode out the most crushing defeat of his political career and served the re mainder of his term in com parative silence. He retired to Tennessee, was elected to the U. S. Senate for a brief period in 1875, but suffered a stroke •and died that same year. Johnson did not have a very successful administration in his four years as President. However, he was a proud and honest man and he fought with all that he had for what he be lieved in. In his last speech in the United States Senate, this former poor tailor who had loved and lost in Laurens set forth the ideal of his political life. He said, ‘Let peace and prosperity tie restored to the land. May God bless this people and may God save the Constitu tion.* -V«j DAVIDSON HOMESTEAD — Shown above is the homestead of George Henry Davidson and Mary E Adair Davidson. The homestead is believed to he at least ll."> vears old. Davidson Homestead Over 100 BY MRS. THOMAS P. OWENS George Henry Davidson was born July 4, 1825, came to Clinton as a young man from Charleston, S. C. He was the son of Captain John David son. His mother’s first name was Isabell (last name un known). After he was orphan ed, as an infant, he lived with relatives and friends. Soon after his wife’s death, Cap tain Davidson went to Texas. He corresponded with rela tives at first, then the let ters ceased, it is believed he married again out there. George Henry Davidson married Mary E. Adair of Clinton, October 25, 1855. To this union seven children were born at the homestead, 513 Musgrove Street. The children were, Lawrence H. Davidson, born, August 17, 1856; Alice S. Davidson McMillan, Dec. 11, 1859; Augustus B. Davidson, Aug. 11, 1861; Mary A. L David son, July 29, 1864, (died at an early age); Mattie L. Davidson, Dec. 10,1867;(marriedThomas R. Owens). Annie R. Davidsm Copeland, September 10, 1870; George Robert Davidson, Aug. 19, 1874, all are deceased. The homestead was located on a large tract of land on Musgrove Road, as then known, and to the writer’s knowledge, is 115 years nld and possibly older. Mr. George Davidson was an orchardist and gardener. His worshop was in a building at the rear of the premises and there he made beautiful furniture, some of the masterpieces are in the family today. Also in this shop he made caskets which his wife and daughters lined beautifully. He was Clinton’s first undertaker. Mr. Davidson gave to each of his children a lot from this tract of land on which they built and reared large families. Mr. Thomas Richard Owens, known as “Uncle Tommy* came in possession of homestead lot and in 1942 it was purchased by his son, the late Thomas P. Owens. Several years later the house was renv-deled but still has the walnut diuble- dimrs and ttie staircase built by the original owner. You will note in the picture two small rooms added to the two-story part of the house, this was said to tie Clinton’s first schtxil- house. The place, of course, shows the march of progress, electric lights, running water, gas heat, telephone, paved sidewalks and street. “The good old days* with tlieir joys and sorrows, kero sene lamps, log fireplaces, wood burning stoves, wagon and buggy transporation, roads hub-deep in mud, chick ens running all over the yard, and hogs in pen was an era in which large industrious fam ilies gave their contributions to the building of modern Clin ton. This family has a street and a church bearing it’s name, Davidson Street and David son Street Baptist Church. Mr. George Henry Davidson died May 25, 1919, age 94, leaving a goodly heritage. Dealers In Sales And Service istributors Of flrtitotM Tires And Tubes H. D. PAYNE Company “You Can Trust Your Car To The Man Who Wears The Star'* CLINTON. S. C. The increasing amount of mail and the lack of regular train service in the last few years has made delivery of the mail increasingly difficult, ac cording to William D. Adair, the Postmaster of Clinton for the past 24 years. In an effort to meet this in crease, the Clinton Post Office has increased its number of em ployees to 24 from the 18 who handled the mail when Adair took over in 1946. Improvements and enlargements have also been made on the Post Office Building on North Broad Street in Clinton. The building was constructed in 1924, but these improvements nare kept it up-to-date. According to Mr. Adair, the greatest change occurring in postal service has been the In creasing need for rural de livery, but the delivery is hard er because of the tremendous increase in number of stops. The 1969 receipts for the Clinton Post Office were $203, 032.91. Adair pointed out that despite some advances made in delivery of the mail, it has been slowed somewhat by the short age of mail trains. There were formerly 10 to 12 passenger trains leaving Clinton daily with the mail. Since these trains no longer run, all mail to Clinton is delivered by trucks enroute from Spartanburg to Columbia. Since 1927.... We've served the automotive needs of our community and county 24 Hour Wrecker Service C.W. Cooper Garage Phone 833 0330 Hlghts 833 0150 Clinton, S.C. Marvin Manloy, Manager