Hello again friends!
September is shaping up to be a calmer month. program-wise, for the BDC as we gear up for a very busy October. Let's hope our weather remains calm too, and no storms come ashore this year!
This month, we are looking forward to Raul Galvan's program, which will help the BDC ring-in this year's Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15)!
Join the BDC and BHM for The Gonzalez-Elliott Family of Beaufort District, with Raul Galvan on Tuesday, September 15, at 2:00pm in the Beaufort Branch Library's Meeting Room.
Raul Galvan is a native of Havana, Cuba. He worked for 48 years in video production, retiring as Manager of Program Production for Milwaukee PBS in 2021. He was named to the Silver Circle of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Chicago Chapter. He earned his Ph.D. in Global History from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (UWM), with a concentration in Latin American History. His dissertation centered on 19th Century Cuban Transnationals. He has published numerous articles in academic journals, several op-ed pieces and a youth book. He has taught Latin American History at UWM and has accompanied numerous groups to Cuba. Raul and his wife Becky made Beaufort their home in July of 2024.
In this talk, Galvan will discuss the career of Col. Ambrosio Gonzales, who, after taking part in the 1850 filibustering expedition to liberate Cuba from the Spaniards, returns to the United States and eventually ends up in the Lowcountry to fight in the Civil War. While in South Carolina, he meets Harriett “Hattie” Elliott, the youngest daughter of Beaufort planter William Elliott III, and after a whirlwind romance, they are married in 1856. Hattie is 17, Gonzales is 37. At first, the Elliotts received Gonzales into the family warmly but as time passed, and the Civil War began, Gonzales struggled to spend time with his wife and the family. Hattie kept the family together.
The talk will also examine the relationship between Gonzales and the Elliott Family, his role in the Civil War, and the family’s struggles after the War. After the War Ambrosio moves most of the family to Cuba, where 29-year old Hattie dies young of yellow fever. After Hattie’s death Gonzales brings some of the children back to South Carolina where they lived with Hattie’s mother and sisters. Gonzales struggled to make a living for the remainder of his life. The Gonzales children grew up to be successful professionally - Narciso and Ambrose founded The State newspaper in Columbia, and the newspaper stayed in the family until 1986.
This local history program is co-sponsored by the Beaufort District Collection and the Beaufort History Museum. Doors open at 1:30 PM. As always, please check the BCL Calendar for any updates.
We look forward to seeing y'all there!
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