David,
It was Cynthia Connor's thesis on cemeteries of the East Branch of the Cooper River.
Natalie Adams Pope, RPA
Executive Vice President

NEW SOUTH ASSOCIATES, INC.
722-A Blanding Street
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 771-7083/FAX (803) 771-7087

www.newsouthassoc.com

A Women-Owned Small Business






On Mar 23, 2012, at 5:42 PM, David W Babson wrote:

> I remember a student at USC working on this topic in 1987--do not remember the name, or the title of her (it was a woman, as I recall) of her thesis.  Does anyone from USC have any further information?
> 
> D. Babson.
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lyle E. Browning
> Sent: Friday, March 23, 2012 5:14 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Ritual deposits on African-American graves
> 
> I am working on a burial permit for a somewhat problematical graveyard containing 60-100 people in Southside VA. The earliest land ownership is in the 1770's with the last of the family out of the area by 1828. The marked graves have fieldstone headers and some footers. The presumption is that they are African-American slaves and descendants who were buried from the 1770's up to a totally unknown date, presumably well after the Civil War based upon the number of counted burials and the possibility of more that were not discernible as surface depressions.
> 
> Some African-American graveyards have produced what can for once be correctly termed "ritual" deposits consisting of items placed in memory of the departed, glassware and other objects.
> 
> My question is when this started? The earliest I have seen is solarized glass on a SC graveyard with objects up to the 1940's when the area became off-limits due to ownership.
> 
> Some of the very much later objects were in trees and some were also obviously surface deposits which has implications for the top 6 inches of soil in the graveyard in question.
> 
> Any information would be gratefully received.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Lyle Browning, RPA