Histroy of the Kaigler Davis Cemetery by TMD

KAIGLER-DAVIS CEMETARY by THOMAS MARION DAVIS, M.D.

THE PRESENT KAIGLER-DAVIS CEMETARY IN SANDY RUN I' 17 MILES BELOW COLUMBIA, S.C. AND IS AT THE SITE OF THE "OLD PLACE". THE HOME PLACE OF GEORGE KAIGLER THE FIRST (BORN 1771. AND DIED JANUARY 10, 1831). HE WAS THE SON OF JOHN KAIGLER AND CAROLINE LEITNER. JOHN WAS THE SON OF THE IMMIGRANT, ANDREW KAIGLER AND HIS WIFE CATIE KAPPELPOWER HE MARRIED ELIZABETH GEIGER IN 1800. SHE WAS BORN MARCH 4, 1776 AND DIED APRIL 19, 1856. THEY BUILT THERE HOME SHORTLY AFTER THEY MARRIED AND WE CALL THIS THE "OLD PLACE". GRANDFATHER DAVIS SAID THAT IT WAS A DUPLICATE OF THE PRESENT JOHN KAIGLER PLACE WHICH IS STILL STANDING. JOHN WAS HIS SON. HIS OTHER SON GEORGE IS OUR GREAT-GREAT-GRANDFATHER AND THE BUILDER OF "PINELAND PARK". THE BRICK CASED WELL HERE IS 86 FEET DEEP. SHERMANS ARMY BURNED THE "OLD PLACE" ON FEBRUARY 16, 1865 WHEN THEY CAMPED AT SANDY RUN BEFORE BURNING THE CITY OF COLUMBIA ON FEBRUARY 17, 1865.

GEORGE KAIGLER THE FIRST AND ELIZABETH GEIGER KAIGLER HAD TWO SONS AND FOUR DAUGHTERS. THEIR SONS WERE: JOHN KAIGLER (BORN OCTOBER 4, 1801 AND DIED DECEMBER 6, 1843); GEORGE KAIGLER (BORN MARCH 16, 1803 AND DIED SEPTEMBER 17, 1887). HE MARRIED CATHERINE KINSLER (BORN SEPTEMBER 28, 1815 AND DIED OCTOBER 29, 1905) AND THEY WERE THE PARENTS OF SARAH ELIZABETH KAIGLER DAVIS (WIFE OF JOHN KINSLER DAVIS) WHO WERE GRANDMAA AND GRANDPAA DAVIS. THE DAUGHTERS OF GEORGE KAIGLER THE FIRST AND ELIZABETH GEIGER KAIGLER WERE: 1) CAROLINE KAIGLER (BORN SEPTEMBER 27, 1804 AND DIED SEPTEMBER 1, 1874). SHE MARRIED COLONEL ARCHIE WOLFE. 2) MARIAN KAIGLER (BORN DECEMBER 27, 1805 AND DIED NOVEMBER 29, 1898). SHE FIRST MARRIED BENJAMIN PLANT AND SECOND LEWIS RUMPH. 3) HARRIET KAIGLER.

SHE MARRIED JACOB HAUGABOOK. 4) MARGARET HENRIETTA KAIGLER (BORN 1809 AND DIED DECEMBER 12, 1831). ON DECEMBER 10, 1829 SHE MARRIED JACOB DEIDRICK HANE OF GRANBY.

OUR CEMETARY HAD ITS BEGINNING AT THIS POINT. HENRIETTA HAD A BABY SON, NICHOLAS HANE WHO DIED DECEMBER 28, 1830 AT AGE 3 WEEKS. HE WAS NAMED FOR HIS GRANDFATHER HANE. THE LITTLE BOY WAS BURIED IN THE FLOWER GARDEN IN FRONT OF THE HOME AT THE "OLD PLACE". APPARENTLY HENRIETTA AND DEIDRICK WERE LIVING WITH HER PARENTS. SHE WAS EXPECTING A BABY THE NEXT YEAR AND WAS NEAR TERM WHEN ACCORDING TO FAMILY TRADITION THE HUSBAND CAME IN FROM THE PLANTATION WITH A VERY LARGE RATTLESNAKE THAT HE HAD KILLED. SHE WAS SITTING IN A LOW CHAIR ON THE PIAZZA SEWING WHEN HE THOUGHTLESSLY DROPPED THE DEAD SNAKE IN HER LAP, "JUST PLAYING". SHE BEGAN TO CONVULSE AND HAD SEIZURES UNTIL SHE DIED. DR. MULLER SAID SHE WAS FRIGHTENED TO DEATH BUT I SUSPECT SHE WAS ECLAMPTIC (OFTEN SEEN IN PREGNANCY (ATOXEMIA)). SHE DIED AS A RESULT OF THIS. SHE WAS 22 YEARS OLD AND BURIED WITH HER UNBORN CHILD NEXT TO HER INFANT SON, NICHOLAS. SHE DIED ON OCTOBER 12, 1831. DEIDRICK HANE LEFT SANDY RUN AND MOVED DOWN TO FORTE MOTTE AND MARRIED MARY KEITT AND IN THE WELL KNOWN FAMILY OF HANES IN LOWER CALHOUN COUNTY A DESCENDENT FROM THIS UNION. HENRIETTA'S FATHER, GEORGE KAIGLER THE FIRST DIED JANUARY 10, 1831 (AGE 59 YEARS) AND WAS BURIED BESIDE THE OTHERS. HIS WIFE ELIZABETH GEIGER KAIGLER DIED APRIL 19, 1856 AND WAS BURIED WITH HER HUSBAND, DAUGHTER AND GRANDSON. SHERMANS ARMY BURNED THE HOUSE AT THE "OLD PLACE" ON FEBRUARY 13, 1865 AND GEORGE KAIGLER THE SECOND AND CATHERINE KAIGLER HAD BUILT A FINE HOME JUST BEHIND THE "OLD PLACE" ON HIGH GROUND WHERE THEY REARED THEIR FAMILY.

THEY LOST ALL THREE OF THEIR YOUNG SONS FROM TY?HOID FEVER IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME; LEAVING ONLY THE ONE SURVIVING DAUGHTER, S1RAH ELIZABETH WHO WAS CALLED "SALLY" WHO MARRIED JOHN KINSLER DAVIS. THEY WERE MY GREAT-GRANDPARENTS AND REARED A LARGE FAMILY. THE LITTLE KAIGLER BOYS WERE: 1) JOHN WILLIAM KAIGLER BORN ON JUNE 11, 1846 AND DIED MAY 23, 1847. 2) GEORGE EDWARD ELLISON KAIGLER BORN APRIL 8, 1852 AND DIED OCTOBER 20, 1855. 3) HENRY ASBURY GAMEELL BORN SEPTEMBER 17, 1854 AND DIED JULY 8, 1856.

THEIR SISTER, SALLY, WAS BORN NOVEMBER 11, 1842 AND DIED MARCH 29, 1912. SHE WAS THE ONLY SURVIVING CHILD AND HEIRESS OF HER PARENTS.

WHEN THE LITTLE KAIGLER BOYS DIED THE FAMILY LAID THEM TO REST AT THE "OLD PLACE" AND BY NOW IT HAD BECOME THE GEORGE KAIGLER FAMILY CEMETARY. GRANDMAA DAVIS (SARAH ELIZABETH KAIGLER) LOVED THIS SACRED PLACE AND BEAUTIFIED AND KEPT IT. SHE PUT UP MARBLE BOX TOMBS AND WROTE THE BEAUTIFUL EPITAPHS FOR ALL, EVEN REPLACING SOME OF THE OLD STONES WHICH WERE FADED. SHE BURIED HER PARENTS THERE AND MOST OF HER CHILDREN ARE THERE AND ALSO SHE AND HER HUSBAND.

HER PARENTS WERE'GEORGE KAIGLER (BORN MARCH 16, 1803 AND DIED SEPTEMBER 17, 1887). HIS WIFE, CATHERINE KINSLER KAIGLER (BORN SEPTEMBER 28, 1815 AND DIED OCTOBER 29, 1905. SARAH ELIZABETH KAIGLER DAVIS WAS BORN NOVEMBER 11, 1842 AND DIED MARCH 29, 1913. HER HUSBAND JOHN KINSLER DAVIS WAS BORN OCTOBER 6, 1839 AND DIED JANUARY 22, 1908. HE IS THE ONLY CONFEDERATE VETERAN BURIED IN THIS CEMETARY. GRANDMAA (MS. JOHN K. DAVIS) HAD A BEAUTIFUL IRON PICKET FENCE AND WROUGHT IRON GATE ERECTED AROUND THE CEMETARY. SHE ACTED AS CURATOR AND CARETAKER HER ENTIRE LIFETIME. THE FOLLOWING CHILDREN AND SPOUSES WERE BURIED THERE ALSO: 1) CATHERINE KINSLER DAVIS NELSON, BORN JUNE 7, 1864 AND DIED FEBRUARY 11, 1934 AND HER HUSBAND THEODORE MCFADDEN NELSON, BORN MAY 19, 1863 AND DIED JANUARY 29, 1911. 2) THOMAS ROOT(S), BORN NOVEMBER 5, 1865 AND DIED MAY 18, 1948 AND HIS WIFE CAROLINE LEGARE FISHBURNE DAVIS, BORN FEBRUARY 17, 1871 AND DIED MARCH. 15, 1955. 3) ELLEN KINSLER DAVIS, BORN AUGUST 26, 1867 AND DIED AUGUST 10, 1904 AND HER HUSBAND JAMES BATES WILLIAM BECKHAM, BORN JUNE 3, 1870 AND DIED JULY 4, 1913. 4) GEORGE KAIGLER DAVIS, BORN FEBRUARY 13, 1869 AND DIED NOVEMBER 14, 1940 AND HIS WIFE OLIVIA ELIZABETH GEIGER DAVIS, BORN DECEMBER 10, 1882 AND DIED NOVEMBER 18, 1962. 5) JOHN KINSLER DAVIS.("JOHNNY"), BORN JANUARY 9, 1871 AND DIED FEBRUARY 16, 1873. 6) WILLIAM KINSLER DAVIS, BORN MARCH 28, 1872 AND DIED OCTOBER 29, 1916. 7) EDWARD HOLMES DAVIS, BORN SEPTEMBER 11, 1874 AND DIED SEPTEMBER 12, 1952. UNCLE EDDIE IS NOT BURIED HERE. HE IS BURIED WITH HIS WIFE, MARY CHARLOTTE REESE, IN CAYCE, S.C.. 8) CAROLUS FROST DAVIS (UNCLE CARL), BORN MAY 31, 1876 AND DIED MARCH 27, 1943. HE IS UNMARRIED. 9) CAROLINE ELIZABETH DAVIS BELLINGER (AUNT CARRIE), BORN OCTOBER 10, 1879 AND DIED IN 1968. HER HUSBAND JOHN SKOTTOWE BELLINGER, BORN SEPTEMBER 2, 1875 AND DIED JULY 17, 1938.

THERE ARE MANY OF THE 5TH GENERATION WHOM I WILL NOT NAME BUT THE FAMILY CONTINUES TO LOVE AND CARE FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL SPOT AND DEEPLY RESPECT ITS LONG TRADITIONS AND TIES WITH THE GENERATIONS SINCE IT WAS STARTED. IT STARTED IN THE ROSE GARDEN AT THE "OLD PLACE". THE SLAVE CEMETARY IS ACROSS THE ROAD IN THE EDGE OF THE FLOWERY POND AND HASN'T BEEN USED SINCE JUST AFTER THE CONFEDERATE WALLS WHEN THE FREEDMAN BEGAN USING THE HEYWARD AME CHURCH A FEW MILES NORTH TOWARDS COLUMBIA. AFTER GRANDMAA DAVIS DIED, MY GRANDFATHER THOMAS ROOTS DAVIS ASSUMED THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CARING FOR THE GRAVES.

HE WAS FOLLOWED BY BURLEY (JOHN SKOTTOWE BELLINGER, JR.), HIS NEPHEW.

A CONSTITUTION WAS DRAWN UP DURING BURLEY'S TENURE SO THAT TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS COULD BE MADE. THIS CONSTITUTION SET FORTH WHO WAS ELLIGIBLE TO BE BURIED HERE. IT IS A FAMILY, NOT A COMMUNITY CEMETARY. ONE HAS TO BE A DIRECT DESCENDANT OR A LEGAL SPOUSE OF A DIRECT DESCENDENT OF SARAH ELIZABETH KAIGLER DAVIS.

GEORGE KEITH NELSON HAS BEEN THE LONG TIME CEMETARY SECRETARY. HE IS A SON OF WILLIAM KINSLER NELSON AND A GRANDSON OF CATHERINE KINSLER DAVIS NELSON (AUNT KATE). FOLLOWING BURLEY MY FATHER (GEORGE BELLINGER DAVIS, SR.) WAS PRESIDENT AND NOW MY BROTHER GEORGE BELLINGER, JR (BEE) IS PRESIDENT. WE THINK THAT IT IS 'HE BEST KEPT OLD FAMILY CEMETARY AROUND.

I HOPE THIS HAS BEEN OF SOME HELP TO THE YOUNGER MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY TO REALIZE HOW DEAR THIS HALLOWED SPOT IS TO THE KAIGLER-DAVIS FAMILY.