"Historically Speaking" Season 4 Begins : Register for "Civil War Bands"

Latest update: 12 January 2023 - gmc

A History of the Port Royal Bands by John Brookfield (Sam Teddy Publishing, 2015) is one of those titles that I learned of because of a customer inquiry - and has led to not one, but two forthcoming local history programs! 

According to the book's introduction, the US government issued General Order 15 to establish infantry bands of 26 musicians on May 5, 1861. That order was rescinded 14 months later due to cost. However smaller brigade level bands of 16 musicians shared among 4 to 5 regiments were allowed.

By all accounts, two of the finest bands in the Union Army came from New Hampshire, the Third Regiment Band of the New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry, and a few months after the Third's dissolution in August 1862, the Band of the Second Brigade, 10th Army Corps, Department of the South, often refered to as the Hilton Head Post Band. Both organizations were stationed near Port Royal, South Carolina, and led by Gustavus W. Ingalls, a native of Bristol, New Hampshire. (p. xii)

Besides being an historical account of Civil War bands, Brookfield researched the individual members of the bands before, during and after the war including as illustrations portraits and gravesites of some of the men, photographs of instruments owned by the men, and even an occasional sheet music cover.  

The Beaufort County Historical Society, Coastal Discovery Museum and the BDC are sponsoring programs by Dr. Michael Johns about the role of Civil War bands on Thursday, January 19, 2023  in the St. Helena Branch Library,6355 Jonathan Francis Sr. Road and on Tuesday, January 24, 2023 in the Hilton Head Island Branch Library, 11 Beach City Road. Program start time at both locations is 11 AM. 

Registration is required for the January 19th session at St. Helena Branch Library. (The "Historically Speaking" series has a lot of groupies North of the Broad River. I expect that we'll "sell out" well before the program date.) Registration is suggested for the January 24th session at Hilton Head Branch Library. (I'm in process building a local history groupies South of the Broad River.) Those with registrations will be seated first beginning 30 minutes ahead of lecture start time. Those without registrations will be seated in any remaining seats at 10:55 AM. 

Michael Johns has spent a lifetime in music, both as a vocation and avocation. A graduate of New England Conservatory and Temple University, he received degrees in French horn performance and music history. He was featured in the April 2018 Beaufort Lifestyle magazine.

Expanding his study of history has provided a stimulating and rewarding encore career in the lowcountry, an area that has provided an outsized array of historically significant, course-changing events. One of the most consequential was its role in the Civil War, serving as a union staging, training, refitting, and recuperation hub. Music was an essential aspect of the soldier's life and bands were essential in defining daily activity, maintaining morale, comforting the wounded, and emboldening the warrior.

“Civil War Union Bands—Members, Duties, Instruments, and Music with special emphasis on Beaufort District” is a presentation about the war-time sounds and instruments heard in camp, during battle, and at social settings. Who were some of the specific bands that came through Beaufort District, what did bandsmen do, how were they treated, why were they integral to the fighting unit, what instruments and music did they play? Multiple recorded examples on period instruments will provide a varied aural sampling of what the soldier would have heard and his reaction to it. 

We hope to see you at one (or both!) of these local history opportunities.

Looking ahead: The next program after Civil War Union Bands sessions is the "Battle of Port Royal Island, 1779" with Neil Baxley on February 2, 2023 at Beaufort Branch Library, 311 Scott Street. Registration opens January 19, 2023 on the Beaufort County Historical Society website events page. 

The Library is closed Monday, January 2, 2023. Regular hours resume on Tuesday, January 3. Happy 2023 to you all.

Register for these Upcoming Programs Today!

For the most part, programs held inside library buildings are free of charge and often are "First come; First seated" programs. However, when library staff make presentations outside the library buildings or co-sponsors a community event, there may be advance registration and fees assessed by our co-sponsors. Sometimes programs inside our buildings require registration because we only have so many computers or so many seats and expect good turnouts. Thus, it can get somewhat confusing so here are the programs in January, February and one in March that require registration and/or payment of a fee to attend. Don't delay register today or risk all the seats being taken!   


Coming up on Thursday, January 31, 2019 - Lecture at Coastal Discovery Museum

Coosawhatchie. Pocataligo. Combahee. These words can be difficult for newcomers, or even old-timers, to pronounce. Join us to learn how to properly pronounce local family and place names the way native South Carolinians do while also picking up some local history tidbits. Beaufort District Collection manager, and South Carolina native, Grace Cordial will share fascinating stories of our local history, places, and families - and the correct way to mispronounce them!

Correct Mispronunciations of Some South Carolina Names with Grace Cordial
BDC@ Coastal Discovery Museum, 70 Honey Horn Drive, Hilton Head Island
January 31 at 3 pm. Cost is $7 per person and reservations are required by continuing online to https://www.coastaldiscovery.org/event-registration/?ee=12625 or by calling 843-689-6767 ext. 223.
The lecture will be closed when capacity is reached.


Coming up on Saturday, February 2, 2019  - FREE Family History Workshop at St. Helena Branch Library

PLEASE NOTE: Wait List started on 15 January 2019. We may be able to offer this workshop again. So please get your name on the Wait List.

We had such a great experience working with Toni Carrier of the International African American Museum and the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission in October 2018 that we are jointly offering a follow-up genealogy workshop about how to use Freedmen's Bureau Records.

Family Search has posted most of these Federal records online. The Freedmen's Bureau records that Family Search has made into a digital collection consists of an index and images of records relating to census lists, arrival and departure registers, transportation records,  and some birth, death and burial records. Field Office records from the following states are represented: Alabama (M1900), District of Columbia (M1902), Georgia (M1903), Louisiana (M1905), Maryland and Delaware (M1906),Mississippi (M1907), North Carolina (M1909), South Carolina (M1910), Texas (M1912), Virginia (M1913). [The (M####) indicates that the records were taken from National Archives microfilm series]. 


The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (often called the Freedmen’s Bureau) was created in 1865 at the end of the American Civil War to supervise relief efforts including education, health care, food and clothing, refugee camps, legalization of marriages, employment, labor contracts, and securing back pay, bounty payments and pensions. The collection covers the years 1865 to 1872. As such, Freedmen’s Bureau records are a major source of genealogical information about post Civil War African Americans.

There are three ways to get on the wait list: Call 843- 818 - 4587; or register through the GGCHCC's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/336240036925392 or send an e-mail to info@gullahgeecheecorridor.org.

 Coming up on Thursday, February 7, 2019 - Lecture at Tabernacle Baptist Church

The Beaufort County Historical Society and the Beaufort History Museum celebrate their 80th anniversaries with a special lecture sponsored by the BCHS, BHM, Tabernacle Baptist Church in cooperation with the Beaufort District Collection. The BDC's role is to share images of materials from our holdings about the history of those august institutions, these two lawyers, and the Reconstruction period during the celebratory reception.

Prof. W. Lewis Burke

William J. Whipper and Jonathan Jasper Wright: Beaufort's and South Carolina's First Civil Rights Lawyers presented by Distinguished Professor Emeritus W. Lewis Burke of the School of Law, University of South Carolina.
Thurs., February 7, 2019, 6:00 - 7:30 PM
BDC@ Tabernacle Baptist Church, 901 Craven Street, Beaufort
$ charged by partners
Details and registration: https://beauforthistorymuseum.wildapricot.org/event-3119022

Seats are limited.


The Beaufort District Collection is partnering with the Pat Conroy Literary Center to bring a very special world premiere program about Beaufort's Forgotten Author, Ann Head and her influence on Beaufort's best known author, Pat Conroy. The program is free though space is limited. Registration has opened: http://bit.ly/2Ddyda6

A word to the wise:

Don't delay registering if you're interested in the programs and workshops. Many of our program opportunities "sell out" in advance of the program date. 

BDC Program and Outreach Goal for FY 2019

The Beaufort County Library's fiscal year mirrors that of Beaufort County so it runs from 1 July 2018 through 30 June 2019. As manager of the Beaufort District Collection I have set a goal for this unit to increase attendance at our programs and community events by 15% over FY 2018.

I want to touch the lives of 1000 people this year, 600 at local history programs inside the Library and 400 people through community outreach at locations outside the Library's buildings.

Attendance at the Daufuskie Island Author Book Talk on July 25th gave us a good start towards meeting our goal. We have 565 people to go for our in-Library programs and 400 to go for our community outreach programs as of this date. We trust that the enlightening, illuminating and educational programs planned for August and September and beyond will continue that trend:


"Dr. Meade and the Medicine in Gone With The Wind" with Dave Smoot
Wednesday, August 29  | BDC@ Beaufort Branch, 311 Scott Street, 1st Floor | 5:30 PM

Question: "Why is the BDC sponsoring a program about medical treatment based on what happened to characters in Gone With the Wind?"

Answer: "Longtime readers know that there has to be some connection to Beaufort District history for the BDC to sponsor a program. The connections are these: 1) The Union used Beaufort and Hilton Head as a hospital base during the Civil War. Thus, it is appropriate to highlight the subject of Civil War medical practices and techniques in a BDC program. 2) Some students of Mitchell's work claim that at least some of the inspiration for the life and times of the Old South came from her childhood visits to Beaufort."

Popular Civil War medical re-enactor Dave Smoot becomes beloved Dr. Meade for an hour (or so) to tell us all about mid-19th century medical practices using the maladies and conditions of the characters from Gone with the Wind as his patients. 

Medical Re-enactor & Living Historian Dave Smoot as "Dr. Meade"

For example:Scarlett's first husband, Charles Hamilton, contracts measles; what would have been the treatment?; Scarlett's mother contracts typhoid fever; how would it have been treated?; Mr. O'Hara's beloved Tara falls on hard times after the Southern defeat and he becomes addle-headed; what would have happened to him?; Both Scarlett and Melanie give birth; what special circumstances would have been present?; and A cast of thousands are lying wounded on an Atlanta street. One screams, "Don't cut, don't cut", on the operating table. What happened to the wounded? The book and the movie are different. There are characters in the book that are not featured in the movie? Some get sick. What happens to them? Come let Dr. Meade explain what did.

"Altamaha and the Yamasee Indians" with Dr. Eric Poplin

Tuesday, September 11 | Beaufort Branch, 311 Scott Street, 1st Floor | 2:00 PM

Season 3 of the very popular Beaufort History Museum / Beaufort County Library local history series begins with the return of our favorite archaeologist, Dr. Eric Poplin of Brockington and Associates. Learn about the local Native Americans, the Yamasee. Be sure to register through the Beaufort History Museum website because the 75 seats available go fast. Registration normally opens about 2 weeks in advance of the program date so the link for registration will open on 28 August. The program is free though Beaufort History Museum appreciates donations to its institution. 

"Correct Mispronunciations of Some South Carolina Names" with Grace Cordial
Thursday, September 13 | BDC@ Bluffton Branch, 120 Palmetto Way | 3 PM

Two days later, I will be at the Bluffton Branch presenting my favorite reference book Correct Mispronunciations, a gem of a book about onomastics. This program is free. Because there are 100 seats available at this location, there's no need to register.

"Tide of Death": The Hurricane of 1893 (Hilton Head emphasis) with Grace Cordial
Wednesday, September 26 | BDC@ Coastal Discovery Museum, 70 Honey Horn Drive | 3 PM


Please note: On August 8th, Natalie of Coastal Discovery Museum notified me that all 70 seats in their lecture space are claimed for my lecture highlighting the materials we have about the Great Sea Island Hurricane.

The Daufuskie Island Author Book Talk at Hilton Head with Jenny Hersch and Sallie Ann Robinson that was originally scheduled for September 19 has been rescheduled to December 5th at the request of the authors.

Registration for the October 6th "Gullah Roots" workshop event has opened. We are thrilled to be co-sponsoring this introductory session about how to begin researching one's Gullah Geechee ancestors with the International African American Museum's Center for Family History and the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission.  Reserve your spot before all spots are taken.

Reminder: All units of the Beaufort County Library will be closed for Labor Day, Monday, September 3rd. Regular hours resume Tuesday, September 4, 2018.

Tours of Civil War Exhibits and Historic Sites

The Beaufort County Library is partnering with the Beaufort History Museum to host a Living History Civil War Encampment at the Arsenal March 11 - 13, 2016. An encampment often brings in folks who are interested in learning more about the era by touring other nearby sites and exhibits about the topic. As librarians we love to share information about the long and storied history of Beaufort District with others. Beaufort County is blessed to have a number of cultural heritage organizations that sponsor regular tours and have permanent or special exhibits about local historical people, places, events, and eras. Here are just a few of the recurring tours of Civil War related historic sites that sometimes includes permanent or special exhibits on the Civil War:

FORTS OF PORT ROYAL TOUR WITH COASTAL DISCOVERY MUSEUM
Wednesdays at 10am | Tours meet at the Port Royal Golf Club, 10 Clubhouse Drive, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928

Learn about the area's early explorers and the importance of the island during the Civil War, Mitchelville, and the Steam Cannon. The tour visits the site of Fort Walker and the Steam Cannon. Regular price is $12 adult $7 child (ages 6-12); Reservations are required for this tour. Call Coastal Discovery Museum at 843-689-6767 for reservations. www.coastaldiscovery.org

FORT MITCHEL TOUR WITH THE HERITAGE LIBRARY 

Thursdays at 10am | Tours meet at Fort Mitchel, Hilton Head Plantation

Visit a well preserved example of a Civil War era coastal artillery battery. Learn about what life on Hilton Head Island was like for northern soldiers during the Union occupation 1861-1865. Reservations are required for this tour offered by the Heritage Library, owner of the historic site. Regular price is $12 adult $7 child (ages 6-12); Call Heritage Library at 843-686-6560 for reservations. (The Heritage Library will give you directions upon placing your reservation for the tour.) www.heritagelib.org

JOHN MARK VERDIER HOUSE MUSEUM TOURS
Permanent & Special Exhibit for March 2016 only| Mon-Sat, 10a-4p
Verdier House, 801 Bay St, Beaufort | 843-379-6331

Paid admission to the John Mark Verdier House includes a tour of the house museum and two Civil War related exhibits: “Robert Smalls: Beaufort Hero” showcasing the life of the African-American slave who became a Republican leader in the Lowcountry after the Civil War; and a special exhibit, “They Came to Beaufort….Three Women of the Civil War,” featuring the inter-connected stories of Clara Barton, Susie King Taylor and Frances Dana Barker Gage (runs March 1 - March 31, 2016). $10 per person, children and teenagers free.

BDC@ Series returns

The BDC has two programs coming up in mid-January (which would be incredibly difficult to make happen except for the fact that Charmaine has returned to the BDC. She is finally back from her sojourn helping out at Lobeco Branch in light of chronic shortage of staff within the library system).

On Wednesday, January 14th, manager, librarian and archivist, Grace Cordial, is presenting "Tide of Death: The Sea Island Hurricane of 1893" at Coastal Discovery Museum. Listen to first person accounts and see rare materials about the night that death came to call. Consider it a “Beaufort District Collection Show-and-Tell of Local Disaster.” The presentation is free because it is co-sponsored by the Beaufort County Library. To register: http://www.coastaldiscovery.org/event-registration/?regevent_action=register&event_id=1148

On Thursday, January 15th at 4 pm, Dr. Larry Rowland tells all about "The Treaty of Beaufort" in the final lecture supplementing the South Carolina Historical Society's panel exhibit, "The Shaping of South Carolina," that is on display just outside our Research Room door. The lecture is free but registration is required as seats are very limited. Closed when full. Call 255-6468 or e-mail gracec@bcgov.net to sign up.

Heads up: The Library system, including the Beaufort District Collection, will be closed Monday, Jan. 19th to observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Regular hours resume Tuesday, January 20th (barring anything unforeseen, of course.) 

Brooker on Tabby at CDM

You can learn about the history of tabby construction at the Coastal Discovery Museum next week.  Colin Brooker will discuss tabby and similar building methods and materials in “Tabby, Pise and Cob: Investigations, Discovery and Interpretation,” at 3 PM on Wednesday, December 17^th in the Coastal Discovery Museum on Hilton Head Island.  Fee: $7.00 per person. 

Brooker will discuss his most recent research and restoration projects in the Lowcountry including: cisterns at Fort Johnson, an ice house on Edisto Island, an early Freedman’s house on Berry Island, and slave dwellings on Daufuskie Island.  In addition, he will address international projects in the Bahamas and in southeast England. Brooker is an international expert on form-built structures comprised of natural materials found on site.  His investigations have widened accepted scholarship about this subject. He will discuss the character and techniques of these sites as well as their meaning during the period of 1780-1845.

If you can’t make his lecture, you can visit the Beaufort District Collection room to review some of our materials about tabby (several of which he wrote) and/or read about tabby in the “Virtual BDC” http://bit.ly/1umfw4W

Reminder: The BDC Research Room is closed Fri., Dec. 12th due to staff shortage. We plan on returning to regular hours Mon., Dec. 15 - Tues., Dec. 23rd.