The Mysterious Headstone of Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson

Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson was the mother of 7th President of the United States, Andrew Jackson. She died on November 2, 1781 in Charleston, South Carolina. Her headstone was originally placed near Magnolia Cemetery, but, by request of College of Charleston President Ted Stern, was transported to the Cougar Mall directly outside of the Robert Scott Small building on the College of Charleston campus. 

Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson was born in North Ireland, then moved to America for a better life. She and her family moved to a town just southeast of what is now known as Charlotte. She moved to Charlotte in 1781 to look for and help her two nephews who were on a British ship

Andrew Jackson and his brother, Robert, fought in the American Revolutionary War, which led to Roberts’ death. Elizabeth worked as a nurse in the Revolutionary War, taking care of the sick soldiers while on a British prison ship. As a result, she passed from Cholera, leaving behind only her son, Andrew Jackson.

Her headstone reads “Near this spot is buried Elizabeth Jackson mother of president Andrew Jackson, She gave her life cheerfully for the independence of her country, on an unrecorded date in November 1781 and to her son Andy this advice: ‘Andy, never tell a lie nor take what is not your own nor sue for slander settle those cases yourself.’”

Above is a close up view of her marker
on the CofC campus.

Above is a farther away view of her marker
on the CofC campus.

The exact location of her burial site is unknown, as she has several markers and memorials around the area, including one at Magnolia Cemetery. However, her marker on the College of Charleston campus is a significant one, attracting historians to the lovely campus that is today, one of the most historical campuses in the nation. 

Above is a photograph of her headstone in Waxhaw, South Carolina. (photo credit: Tim Bash)

My Dope Ancestors

My ancestors I chose to research for this ancestor project are my moms grandparents, Tillie Besen Ostrie and her husband, Joseph Abraham Ostrie. Tillie was my great-grandmother. They are both buried at Riverside Gordon Memorial Chapels at Mount Nebo in Kendall, Florida. Tillie was buried in a grave with a single marble stone flush with grass. Her headstone reads, "Beloved Wife, Mother and Grandmother. 10/20/1911-7/13/1994". She is buried next to her husband, Joseph Abraham Ostrie, who is my great-grandfather. Joseph was buried in a single marble stone laying flat and flush with the grass. His headstone reads, "Beloved Husband, Father and Grandfather 12/24/1908 - 6/1/1975". Both stones had a Jewish star engraved in the top center of the marble, since they both were Jewish. I chose to research them because I did not ever have the chance to meet them, so I wanted to get a better understanding of them and their lives both as individuals and as a married couple. I resorted to asking my mother and uncle for information about them, since they knew them the best out of my family. In addition to asking my mom and uncle, I called the funeral home to gain information about their graves and any information they had on them and their lives. 

Above is the census from 1940, where their names are located on the left side towards the middle/bottom of the list

Joseph Abraham Ostrie was born in Poland and moved here at a young age. When he moved here, they did not know his actual date of birth, so they made it up as December 24, 1908. Tillie Besen Ostrie was born in New York, and lived there her whole life, up until the day she met Joseph. They moved to Miami where he started the Zamora Temple in Coral Gables, Florida. He also was a production manager for a sports coats Company. Tillie was a stay at home mom, and never worked. They married and had my moms’ adoptive mom, Harriet. Harriet and Bert, my grandpa, adopted my mother, Faith, and my uncle, Evan. Harriet passed in early 2000’s, and Bert remarried his second wife, Sharon. Tillie and Joseph both lived very interesting lives, traveling from Poland to New York, and growing a big family together. According to my grandpa, Bert, "Tillie was a very lovely grandmother", and "Joseph was a hard worker, who never stopped working until he was done with his task."

Above is a picture of Tillie and Joseph.

My Ancestry

My ancestors that I will do a blog post about are my moms grandparents, Tillie Besen Ostrie and her husband, Joseph Abraham Ostrie. Tillie was my great-grandmother. She was buried in a grave with a single marble stone flush with grass. The headstone reads, "Beloved Wife, Mother and Grandmother. 10/20/1911-7/13/1994". She is buried next to her husband, Joseph Abraham Ostrie, who is my great-grandfather. Joseph was buried in a single marble stone laying flat and flush with the grass. The headstone reads, "Beloved Husband, Father and Grandfather 12/24/1908 - 6/1/1975". Each stone had a Jewish star engraved in the top center of the marble, since both were Jewish. Both are buried at Riverside Gordon Memorial Chapels at Mount Nebo in Kendall, Florida. 

Bethel United Methodist Church: Scavenger Hunt

Last week, my class took a trip fo Bethel United Methodist Church to complete a scavenger hunt for symbols in the cemetery. Here are 10 of the ones I found:

Above is the flat headstone grave of  Elizabeth M. Its symbol is an angel which represents the agent of God and spirituality.

Above is the flat headstone grave of  Ellen Amelia. Its symbol is a rose which represents unfailing love, beauty, and hope.

Above is the upright headstone grave of  Priscilla Sabah Eason. Its symbol is a crown on a cross which represents the "sovereignty of the Lord".  

Above is the upright headstone grave of  Elizabeth M. Ainger. Its symbol is a bird flying which represents divine mission.

Above is the upright headstone grave of  Rebecca H. Martin. Its symbol is a flower which represents love, grief, and sometimes happiness.

Above is the upright headstone grave of  Mrs. Eliza Caeder. Its symbol is a flower which represents love, grief, and sometimes happiness. 

Above is the upright headstone grave of James F. M. Lord. Its symbol is a draping tree which represents the love of Christ and the Tree of Life.

Above is the flat headstone grave of an unknown person. Its symbol is a cross which represents love, faith,  and Christianity.

Above is the flat headstone grave of an unknown person. Its symbol is a lion which represents power of God and guards the tomb against evil spirits. 

Above is the flat headstone grave of Catharine Frances. Its symbol is a flower which represents love, grief, and sometimes happiness. 

Above is the upright headstone grave of  Priscilla Sabah Eason. Its symbol is a crown on a cross which represents the "sovereignty of the Lord". 

Above is the flat headstone grave of  Mrs. Elizabeth Furchess. Its symbol is a tree over a fountain which represents hope or deep mourning and looking over something or someone.

Above is the upright headstone grave of  Priscilla Sabah Eason. Its symbol is a crown on a cross which represents the "sovereignty of the Lord". 

Above is the upright headstone grave of Rosa Mary. Its symbol is a toga which represents the power in patriarchy.