New Year, New Programs: January and February BDC Programs

The BDC is welcoming the new year with quite a few new programs. We can't wait to learn from these presenters, and we look forward to seeing y'all there too!

Dr. Brenda Litchfield has been growing camellias for 30 years and is a co-author of The Camelia Garden Field Guide. Her program on January 27th at the St. Helena Branch Library, from 2:00 to 3:00 PM, will cover the fascinating history of camellias along with their care and propagation. Dr. Litchfield will also discuss the different forms and varieties suitable for growing in the Lowcountry. 

Dr. Brenda Litchfield grew up in Beaufort when it was a sleepy little town that no none had discovered yet. She taught elementary, middle, and high school in Neptune Beach, FL for 11 years before earning her Ph.D. She taught at Florida State University for one year and for 27 years at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. She has been growing camellias for over 25 years and had 250+ in her former yard in Alabama. Dr. Litchfield's book, The Camellia Garden Field Guide, is a guide for anyone interested in growing camellias. She is on the Board of Directors of the American Camellia Society and has served on many committees. She was president of the South Alabama Camellia Club for 13 years – because no one else would do it! She and her husband travel whenever they can, and she has been to 70 different countries. She lived in China (Macau and Xi’an [she awn’] for 10 months and Thailand for 6 months while teaching at universities there.

This program is co-sponsored by the Beaufort History Museum and the Beaufort County Library. 

On Saturday, February 7th, the BDC is going on a Field Trip to the Beaufort National Cemetery - and you're invited! Docent and historian Bonnie Wade-Mucia will be our tour guide. 

 Bonnie Wade Mucia, AG® is an Accredited Genealogist in the New England region and is the owner of Keeper of the Past Genealogy, LLC. She serves as the Director of the Mayflower Families Silver Books Project for the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, where she concentrates on the descendants of Mayflower passengers. In addition, Bonnie is a volunteer docent and historian at Beaufort National Cemetery and has conducted military repatriation casework for the U.S. Army and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) on World War II soldiers. She has published numerous articles in respected genealogical journals and delivered lectures on various topics. Originally from Rhode Island, Bonnie now resides in Bluffton, South Carolina with her husband, Joseph.

The tour will begin promptly at 1 PM and will last an hour. Registration is not required.

Please note:

• Transportation to the Beaufort National Cemetery is on your own. Carpooling is encouraged as parking is limited.
• Please arrive at the National Cemetery (1601 Boundary Street) before 1 PM to ensure that you are not left behind.
• Please dress comfortably in clothes and shoes that will support an hour-long walk outdoors.

Then, on Friday, February 20th at 11:00 AM in the Beaufort Branch Library Meeting Room, NPS Historian Eric J. Ellis will lead a thought-provoking program on Reconstruction-era politics. During the beginning of the Reconstruction period in Beaufort, SC, a division in the Republican party grew. This political division pitted William C. Morrison and Robert Smalls, heroes of the Planter, against each other. This division in the Republican party was heated and even violent at times and involved some big names in Beaufort history. Hear how this division began, how it played out, and how it impacted the Republican Party of Beaufort’s Reconstruction period at "A Party Divided: Political Divisions of the Beaufort Republican Party During Reconstruction." 

Originally from Jacksonville, Eric joined the US Navy after high school serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. After the Navy, Eric attended school at New Mexico State University, in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Eric earned his Bachelor of Arts in History and his Master of Arts in Public History and 19th c. US History. After graduation Eric took a position with New Mexico Historic Sites as an Interpretive Ranger. In 2023, Eric accepted a position as a historian for the National Park Service at the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park. In his time with the Park Service, Eric focused his research on Black Landownership during the Reconstruction period and completed research on a variety of topics on the Reconstruction period for the park and park partners.  

This program is part of the "Historically Speaking" local history series brought to you by the Beaufort District Collection and the Beaufort County Historical Society.

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This schedule is subject to change. We ask that you check the Library's online calendar for program updates and cancellations. Also, please note that the BDC Research Room may be closed on local history program days due to limited staff availability.

Reminder: The Library system will be closed on Monday, January 19, 2026 in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy AND on Monday, February 16, 2026 in honor of Presidents Day. 

Researching Your Roots in the BDC: ALE and Much More by Sydney Whiteside

Beaufort District Collection Research Room

The Library System's Marketing Calendar Resource Highlight for January is our subscription to the Ancestry Library Edition database. Our front-room person, Sydney Whiteside, shares information about the BDC's family history related materials and services, including access to Ancestry.com in our Research Room below. -- Grace Cordial

Please note: Access to Ancestry Library Edition is available only inside the Beaufort County Library buildings. ALE is not available to you from home.  

The Beaufort District Collection's main purpose is to acquire, preserve, maintain and make accessible a research collection of permanent value that records the history of the area of Lowcountry South Carolina known as the old historic Beaufort District. A decent percentage of our customers are interested in genealogy. We help a lot of family historians in search of their ancestors who once lived in this area - and occasionally assist family historians studying ancestors in other parts of the world as well. 

Sometimes we wish that family history television shows would better reflect the real-life research skills and universe of surviving historic records required to build a family tree. More times than not, there are many obstacles to overcome when researching one's family history, especially in our geographical area. Over time, boundaries have changed, records have been destroyed, and often it can be difficult to piece together historical context. Here at the BDC, we assist researchers of all skill levels by guiding them through the materials we have and connecting them with  cultural heritage institutions holding historical and genealogical resources. 

We can offer our best help to those who contact us in advance about their specific research challenge: bdc@bcgov.net; 843-255-6468. 

Our Genealogy Services Primer provides a more a more detailed overview of the BDC's family history related materials and outlines our genealogical operations and procedures. Do not fret, for if we do not have information on your ancestors, we will do our best to guide you in the right direction to learn more from other institutions, organizations and potential sources of genealogical records. 

Tracing ones ancestry can be quite a harrowing task. Perhaps your New Year's resolution is to finally sit down and research your roots; 'tis the season! If you have ever wondered how and where to start, or what a visit to the BDC would even look like, this is the post for you. Without further ado, let's walk through an Ancestry visit to the Beaufort District Collection! 

Entrance to the Beaufort District Collection

First things first, you will be greeted by a member of our staff at our Research Room door. As a safety precaution, each door to the collection remains locked; but we are more than happy to open our door and welcome you into our collection. 

With our main mission being to preserve and safeguard our special collection and archival materials, all patrons are required to register in order to utilize our resources. You will then be asked to read and sign our set of rules - which are pretty standard for most respected special collection libraries and archives. 

If you scheduled an appointment ahead of time: Staff will have already created a course of action and will have materials prepared prior to your arrival so you can make the most of your time in our Research Room. 

If you are walking in with no prior appointment: We will do our absolute best to accommodate you if there is adequate staffing and no scheduled appointments. 

While you are signing in, staff will conduct a quick research interview in order to curate a course of action for your visit. A search will be completed to see if our collection contains any materials on the ancestor(s) you are looking to research. We will retrieve any relevant materials and if you wish to receive a tutorial on how to navigate Ancestry Library Edition, our patron use computer will be prepared for use. 

Beaufort District Collection Ready Reference Section 

Once you are registered, staff will provide an overview of the materials they have pulled as well as an introduction to our Ready Reference section. Our Ready Reference section consists of our most commonly used materials and our general genealogical materials. Staff will be sure to point out the genealogy Ready Reference section for you to refer to during your visit. If any other topics or names appear during the course of your research, staff will be more than happy to complete another search and retrieve materials from our closed stacks.

There are quite a few helpful resources in the BDC that could assist researchers on their quest to learn more about their family history. During the course of your visit, you may see the following materials:

• Vertical Files, including Family Surname Files

• The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, 1900-

• 23 series of primary documents from the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, 1663-1900

• Land and marriage related secondary sources, late 17th-19th centuries

• Our Online Obituary Index, an index to obituaries published in historic local newspapers, consists of over 33,000 entries. Various BDC staff and volunteers have been working for more than twenty years to create this index. 

If you are interested in utilizing Ancestry Library Edition and wish to receive an orientation to this database of databases, BDC staff will be more than happy to offer guidance on navigating the site. ALE is accessible from any device connected to the library system Wi-Fi, including a patron's laptop.  

To use the Library's subscription to ALE, you must begin by visiting the Library's website and be inside one of our buildings using the Library system's WI-FI. You will then hover over the first tab, the "Locations" tab, and select "BDC/Local History." This will bring you to the BDC home page which contains our basic information along with direct links to ALE, the Online Obituary Index, Beaufort History Moments YouTube channel, as well as our Digital Collections, Facebook page, Connections blog, and WordPress blog.

Selecting the "Ancestry.com Library Edition" tab will take you directly to ALE. The site can be quite overwhelming with all of its different sections. To start simple, you will be directed to click on the "Begin Searching" tab toward the center of the screen. 

Searches can be as specific or as broad as you would like for them to be; however, we recommend beginning with a broader search, as inputting hyper specific information may actually limit results. You are immediately met with the option to input a first/middle name, a last name, a location, and a birth year. If you can answer all of these prompts, wonderful! If you are unsure of the birth year, it is alright to begin with a name and location. Selecting "Show More Options" allows you to input even more information if you are able to, such as: life events, dates, family members, and keywords. Just remember that sometimes less if more. Each search is unique. 

You are able to yield results for all records available on ALE, but you are also able to narrow your search to certain records. Let's take a look at some of the main searchable resources Ancestry Library Edition offers and what information they can provide:

• United States Federal Census Collection

• District Maps and Descriptions

• Mortality, Slave, and Veteran Schedules

• Vital Records

• Birth, Baptism, and Christening

• Death, Burial, Cemetery, and Obituaries

• Marriage and Divorce

• Social Security

• Military Records

• Awards, Dedications, and Disciplinary Actions 

• Causalities

• Draft, Enlistment, Pension, Registration, and Service

• Histories and Photographs

• Soldier, Veteran, Prison Rolls and Lists

• Immigration and Emigration

• Citizenship and Naturalization

• Passenger Lists

As you can see, there are a great deal of searchable records available on Ancestry Library Edition. Staff will walk you through the records that your search yields and help to interpret the information they may provide. However, we are unable to say for certain that a given record belongs to one's ancestor; that is for the researcher to determine. Researchers carry knowledge from prior research that staff cannot know, oftentimes without even realizing - until something else comes up in the research process that provides context. 

You are more than welcome to take a photo or bring a flash drive to capture parts of records you wish to keep. We are also able to print copies from your ALE searches or from most of our resources for 10 cents a page. (In some cases the records may be too fragile to photocopy.) 

If you need help researching ancestors who once lived in Lowcountry South Carolina, we offer 2 hours long one-on-one Ancestry Library Edition database assistance and family history research guidance by advance appointment. We will even set up multiple appointments with you as long as we are making progress together. Contact us to learn more about what we can do to help you in your ancestral quest: bdc@bcgov.net; 843-255-6468. 

Please note: Some of the Branch Libraries have staff who guide customers with family history questions and how to use ALE for other parts of the country and world. Ask at your  branch library for assistance.   

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I hope you have enjoyed learning more about the Beaufort District Collection's genealogical services, specifically Ancestry Library Edition. Whether you are just beginning your family research journey or you have been researching your family for forty years, the Beaufort District Collection is here to help! Walk-ins are sometimes accepted; appointments are always encouraged. To make an appointment, send an email to bdc@bcgov.net or give us a call at 843-255-6468. We hope to hear from you soon!

Re-cap of December 2025 Posts

The holiday season almost always reduces our social media output. This year was no exception. I took some time off over the holiday period to visit some of my children and grandchildren. (I'll get to see every one of my progeny later this month at a wedding. Hurray!) As per usual I have eliminated posts about local history programs that have already occurred. - Grace Cordial

December 1 - 10 AM - Monthly Overview; 2 PM "Uniquely BDC: Materials Monday:" We try to collect copies of titles published by local presses. An example to fit the holiday season is the Chinese Christmas Box by Gerald Chan Sieg with calligraphy by Han Sun Woo. The booklet shares the author's Christmas memories from China and in the United States. The booklet was a product of poet Edith Dowling's private press, "The Peacock Press, LTD" in 1970.

December 2 - The Hallelujah Singers led by Dr. Marlena Smalls are a state and national treasure. The BDC has video, audio and vertical file materials by and about this group, including their Joy: A Gullah Christmas CD from the late 1990s. It includes these seasonal carols: Joy to the World; Children Go Where I send Thee; Sing to the King; Mary had a Baby; Rock dat Baby; Go Tell It on the Mountain; The First Noel; Sweet Little Jesus Boy; O Holy Night; Come See da Baby; and Silent Night.

December 3 - "Black History Note:" When I was at the 7th American Revolution Symposium at the Archives last month, a member of the audience shared some research that had been presented at the Francis Marion Symposium in October. I wish that I had caught the historian's name who made a case for "Oscar Marion" being the Black man in the hat directly behind Marion's left shoulder. As a personal servant to Marion, he argued that Oscar would have been better dressed than an enslaved person in charge of the cooking. That argument makes sense to me.

This painting has been owned by the U.S. Senate since 1899 and is entitled "General Marion Inviting a British Officer to Share His Meal", which consisted of roasted sweet potatoes.

The lowly but tasty sweet potato became "a symbol of Patriot determination and strength" according to a blog post on the SC250 website. Learn more about the painting.

December 4 - In honor of National Cookie Day, see the "Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip" cookie recipe shown in the image from The Cookie King: A Lifetime Journey of Cookie Baking by Robert Merten (Lydia Inglett Ltd. Publishing, 2015).

December 5 - "Finding Aid Friday:" Archival collections can be formed from local celebrations and commemorations, such as we have done with a variety of materials from and about the Ribaut Quadricentennial of 1962. The "Prologue to Freedom" theatrical production was an integral part of the 400th anniversary celebration of Jean Ribaut's landing on Parris Island.

December 7 - Today we observe a solemn anniversary: the 84th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Learn about Samuel and Leon Bush, two Beaufortonians who were there that fateful day.

December 8 - "Uniquely BDC: Materials Monday": Did George Washington really chop down that cherry tree? Did Henry Laurens really say ""My flesh is too good for worms. I give it to the flames."? Probably not. But Mason Locke Weems, AKA "Parson Weems" made good money from his biographies of historical figures. His books were full of entertaining apocryphal anecdotes about the personages he wrote about - as he did not let historical accuracy get in the way of a good story. Weems is described as a convivial fiddle-playing guest, particularly on his trips to the southern parts of the nation. Weems just so happened to drop dead in Beaufort, SC on May 23, 1823 while on a sales trip to our area. For awhile his remains were buried in the Churchyard at the St. Helena Episcopal Church.

The BDC has the only copy of The Book-Peddling Parson: An Account of the Life and Works of Mason Locke Weems, Patriot, Pitchman, Author, and Purveyor of Morality to the Citizenry of the Early United States of America by Lewis Geary (Chapel Hill, NC : Algonquin Books, 1984) in the SCLENDS Consortium of Libraries.

December 9 - Cremation is more common than burial in many places in North America now but that was certainly not the case before the late 20th - early 21st centuries in the United States or Canada. The first intentional cremation in England's North American colonies was likely that of a prominent South Carolinian whose body was cremated 233 years ago today.

December 10 - "Black History Note:" Gullah Spirituals: The Sound of Freedom and Protest in the South Carolina Sea Islands by Eric Sean Crawford with Bessie Foster Crawford includes these Christmas spirituals that you may have heard or sing yourself: "Go Tell It on de Mountain;" "Mary had a Baby, Aye Lawd;" "Mary had a Baby, Sing Hallelu;" and "Rise Up, Shepherd an' Foller."The BDC and Branch Libraries have plenty of copies of this important title on the diffusion of Gullah culture to share.

December 11 - By creating National App Day in 2017, C.J. Thompson, founder of Platinum Edge Media aimed to recognize how apps have transformed our lives. For example, I use the SCLENDS app to search the consortium catalog and access my personal library account; the Flipster app to borrow magazines; and the Hoopla digital app to read e-books and graphic novels, listen to audiobooks and music, and watch tv series, movies, and to take an occasional Great Courses. Needless to say, it's the Hoopla digital app that I use the most. On this National App Day, ask your branch library staff about the ins-and-outs of downloading and using the BCL's apps on your personal electronic devices.

December 12 - Happy "National Poinsettia Day." There's a Palmetto State connection to the holiday - though not a Beaufort District one.

In 2002 Congress chose December 12 in remembrance of former ambassador to Mexico Joel Roberts Poinsett a native South Carolinian who popularized the colorful bracts (another way to say "modified leaves") as well as of American businessman, Paul Ecke Jr., who later successfully marketed the poinsettia worldwide. Poinsett died on Dec. 12, 1851; Ecke in 2002. Ecke's version of the Mexican plant is what most Americans would identify as Euphorbia pulcherrima.

I was surprised to see the poinsettia as a foundation shrub on a visit to the Land Down Under a few years ago.

For me, a poinsettia says "Christmas is coming." I still prefer the traditional red bracts to the pink and white ones. But that's just me. BTW: Poinsettias can also be spelled without the 2nd "i" - as poinsettas. Both poinsettia and poinsetta are considered correct spellings of the common name of Euphorbia pulcherrima. The pphoto by Salil Kumar Mukherjee from the Wikipeida Commons is the image I associate with the word "poinsetta"; an example of the shrub "euphorbia pulcherrima" is from the Picture This website.

December 14 - The Feast of Lights began at sundown. This notice came from the Fall 1994 issue of the Beaufort Magazine. BTW: The Beth Israel congregation recently celebrated its 125th anniversary. It is the oldest Jewish congregation in Beaufort County. 

December 15 - AM: "Uniquely BDC: Materials Monday:" If you are of a certain age, you may have fond memories of the arrival of the annual Christmas letter that became the thing to do after WW2 until the pervasiveness of email and later still of Facebook, Instagram, etc.

The BDC has Christmas Letters: An African-American Story, 1968 - 2003 by Ervena Faulkner. Faulkner taught in the public schools, was a school counselor, shared her life and recipes through a column in the Beaufort Gazette/Island Packet newspapers, and was honored by the Penn Center 1862 Circle. In this book, she shares stories of the goings on, successes and challenges of her family life and career. Her prose is always upbeat and full of warmth. What I most admire is that she wrote a letter every November for 35 years without fail. Now that's an impressive run!

The BDC has a permanent copy and we have placed additional copies you can borrow in the branch libraries. The BCL is the only library system within the SCLENDS consortium to have copies of this title.

December 15 - PM: The Library began its "Holiday Cheer Days" today. We're a bunch of history nerds so the way we "sport our favorite 'team'" is by wearing the most recently issued Beaufort County Library shirts. Rah! Rah! Go Team!!

December 16 - AM: My former boss, Dennis Adams, wrote a column for the Beaufort Gazette. Among his many articles was this one about the meaning of Hanukkah and shares a recipe for latkes. The BDC has copies of all his "Answer Man" articles in our Research Room: bdc@bcgov.net; 843-255-6468.

December 16 - 10 AM: Today's Holiday Cheer Day involved flannel.

December 16 - 2 PM: Sydney was our designer for the County's Winter Holidays "Decorating Your Unit's Door" contest. Cassi and I added in a few tweaks. A lot of the clippings came from our extensive vertical files and blog posts. The door is a perfect prequel to coming inside the Research Room to see the "Winter Wonderland" display she designed and wrote about in elsewhere in Connections. BBBrrrr! The flyer has links to some of our wintry weather in the past posts.

December 16 - 6 PM: Today's Holiday Cheer Day involved flannel. Sydney and I and our guest, Madison from the NOB Bookmobile crew, channeled our inner lumberjacks.

With that image in your mind, you might want to come do some research about wood harvesting in the Lowcountry. Two titles come immediately to mind: The Bull-Hunchers : A Saga of the Three and a Half Centuries of Harvesting the Forest Crops of the Tidewater Low Country by Howard A. Hanlon, 1970 and Live Oaking : Southern Timber for Tall Ships by Virginia S. Wood, 1981. Contact us to set up a date and time to get Sydney's assistance: 843-255-6468; bdc@bcgov.net.

December 17 - AM: "Black History Note:" Laura Towne came to St. Helena Island to found Penn School in 1862. She remained on the island until her death, educating generations of children and adults and providing basic medical care. Here's what she wrote in her diary about her first Christmas Day on the island:

"The celebration went off grandly. The [Brick] church was beautiful. Lottie [that is, Charlotte Forten] draped the pulpit in long moss and put a wreath of red holly and broad leaves along the top from which the moss fell like a fringe. The words "His People are Free" were put up opposite the pulpit. Festoons of green hung between the pillars, with a cluster of red berries and magnolia leaves looping each up. On the walls were circlets of green, each surrounding a little flag that Miss Ware sent us. It was beautiful."

The BDC and SCLENDS libraries have a variety of editions of the Letters and Diary of Laura M. Towne to share with our cardholders.

December 17 - PM: It was "Holiday Cheer Come in as Your Favorite Decade Day." I chose to don the apparel of the 1820s; Theresa represented the 1970s; Traci revisited the 1980s; Sydney was preparing for Y2K; and Cassandra re-produced the ensemble from a photo she had taken in 2013 when monogrammed chevron infinity scarves were all the rage. Thanks go to Travis Walters who took the image for us.

December 18 - AM: Sometimes holiday plans go awry. How did Santa cope with his "flying crew flu" situation? He got a reindeer team from Hilton Head Island to fill in on Christmas Eve of course! More in Connections, the BDC's longest running blog.

December 18 - PM: It was "Honor Your Alma Mater" day today. Together the BDC staff represented the American Military University, College of Charleston, Harford Community College, Midlands Technical College, Newberry College, Technical College of the Lowcountry, University of North Carolina, and University of South Carolina. We are as a group, however, not into alumni paraphernalia and clothing. Hence the makeshift points of pride, except for Cassi's College of Charleston shirt. But even she is not honoring her latest Alma Mater: She graduated with her MLIS degree from USC's School of Library and Information Science on Tuesday. Sydney and I hosted a small "Congratulations- cake-and-ice-cream Drop-in" for Library staff and BDC docents to celebrate Cassi's achievement.

December 19 - AM: One knows that the holidays are near when the newspaper writes about three holidays in one article. This clipping about the "Symbols of the Holidays" comes from the Beaufort Gazette, 21 December 2003, p. 1C.

December 19 - PM: Holiday Cheer "Channel Your Fav Holiday Movie" was Home Alone (1990) for us as a staff. In the spirit of seasonal cooperation, I agreed to be Kevin McCallister, the boy who was left home alone, portrayed by Macaulay Culkin; Cassandra was Harry Lyme, the short robber portrayed in the movie by Joe Pesci; and Sydney was Marv Murchins, the taller robber portrayed in the movie by Daniel Stern.

December 23 - Today's Cheer Day theme was Disney! BDC's Cassandra and Sydney along with Beaufort Branch's Will dressed as Mike, Sully, and Randall from Monsters Inc. Merry Christmas everyone!

December 29 - The BDC is back from our Christmas vacation and we're celebrating another BCL Cheer Day. Today's theme was "Fandom - Cheer on what you geek!" Sydney repped her Hogwarts House while Cassandra donned a t-shirt with her favorite show, Sailor Moon.

December 30 - 10 AM: As the BDC gets ready to say goodbye to 2025, we look forward to our first program of 2026: "Camellias" with Dr. Brenda Litchfield on Jan 27th at 2:00pm at the St. Helena Branch Library. Dr. Litchfield will cover the fascinating history of camellias along with their care and propagation in the Lowcountry. The BDC hopes to see you there next year!

December 30 - 1 PM: Today's Holiday Cheer Day theme was "Fantasy." Sydney brought her Toothless dragon plush, BCL Admin's Theresa dressed like a Gryffindor student, and Travis from Marketing wore his WOW hoodie. Tomorrow will be our last Cheer Day as we say goodbye to 2025!

December 30 - 5 PM: Make sure to start your 2026 off right with some traditional Lowcountry cuisine. I never want to miss out on good luck so I always have a meal of Hoppin’ John and greens on New Year’s Day. There's still time for you to get the ingredients - and try out our posted recipes! We will be open regular hours tomorrow.

Thank you for reading our Facebook posts this year. I hope that you've learned a little local history about this wonderful place where we live and a little about how the BDC tries to share the deep and storied of Beaufort District with others through our programs, collections, and social media as a result of the time you've invested with and in us.

December 31 - AM: "Black History Note:" Tonight there will be Watch Services throughout the lowcountry in remembrance of President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation that freed all enslaved people within the Confederacy. Read first person accounts of that original Day of Jubilee, January 1, 1863 in the BDC's Connections blog.

Cassandra, Sydney and I trust that your time with family and friends as this year draws to a close and another one dawns is jolly, merry and bright. May 2026 be a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year for us all! See you in 2026!

December 31 - PM: It was "End 2025 in (Work Appropriate) PJS" Holiday Cheer Day!

Bluffton's Princess : Etta Pollitzer Hartford Pignatelli, January 4, 1881 - June 3, 1948

This is another example of research previously left by the wayside. I decided to finish it just in time for Etta's 145th birthday today. She led a very interesting life marrying an heir who left her one of the richest women in the United States. She spent 15 years as a widow before marrying a titled but financially strapped fortune-hunter. Was Guido only interested in her money? -- Grace Cordial

Henrietta Guerard "Etta" Pollitzer, daughter of Henry C. Pollitzer and Mary Elliott Guerard, was born in Bluffton on January 4, 1881. Known as a local beauty, she met Edward V. Hartford, an heir to the A & P grocery fortune, on a steamer trip. They married in Bluffton on 27 June 1901. 

It is interesting that the Palmetto Post's coverage of the wedding shown above was "imagined" as indicated in the clipping from its 27 June 1901 issue. The wedding was held in the home of the bride's parents. The Savannah Morning News of 30 June 1901 wrote of the nuptials: 

Edward's interest was in motor cars. He made his own fortune through his perfection of shock absorbers and as founder and President of the Hartford Suspension Company. He would also serve as Vice President and Secretary of the A & P Company. Edward died in 1922 leaving Etta at age 41 as one of the wealthiest women in the United States with an estate estimated at $200,000,000. 

Their marriage produced two children: Marie Josephine Hartford, 1903-1992 who married multiple times and as did her brother George Huntington Hartford, III, 1911-2008 (nicknamed "Hunt"), a businessman, stage and film producer, and art collector. You can read more about these high society siblings on "The New York Social Diary" blog by Charles J. Burns.

Etta married her second husband, Prince Guido Pignatelli di Montecalvo of Rome, Italy in St. Vincent's Church in Los Angeles in 1937. Having secured a Reno divorce from Constance Wilcox that very day, the prince was 20 years younger than his bride, who was 2 years older than his mother, and the groom was only 2 years older than his bride's daughter, JoJo. The New York Times covered the Hartford-Pignatelli wedding: 

Etta entertained the socially prominent often at her Wando Plantation near Charleston. The plantation house, built in 1931, burned down on Sept. 2, 1942. Time Magazine estimated the loss at $400,000, about $8 million in 2026 dollars. The Pignatellis did not rebuild, opting instead to sell the property. 

During World War II Princess Pignatelli bought almost $1 million worth of war bonds (almost $20 million in 2026 dollars). She was involved in supporting the Charleston Museum and the Dock Street Theater during her lifetime and made bequests to both institutions upon her death. She died at her home in Wycoff, New Jersey on June 3, 1948. She is buried in Charleston's Magnolia Cemetery.

Don Schueler wrote "Bluffton SC's Gilded Age Princess" about Etta on his Gilded Greats website and Gilded Greats podcast. Each is a part of his "Southern Gilded" blog series of short vignettes about some of this area's more colorful characters. 

Come to the BDC Research Room to review the content of our PIGNATELLI, HENRIETTA GUERARD POLLITZER HARTFORD, 1881-1948; POLLITZER FAMILY; and GUERARD FAMILY vertical files. We have obituaries for Etta's parents in our Obituary card files. For assured service, please make an appointment: bdc@bcgov.net; 843-255-6468.