Archibald Douglass (10th March 1770 -27th March 1815)
was the son of 'James Douglas of Scotland' and, by repute, a nephew of
Margaret, Duchess of Douglas. He was allegedly heir to a fortune.
History of the Douglass Family of Abbeville, South Carolina (Taken from
the Abbeville Press and Banner, dated September 1, 1924) extracted from
"Dubh Ghlase", the newsletter of the "Clan Douglass Society of America",
September, October 1985 issue, Volume XI, No. 2, pp. 22-24). Recopied by
Pauline Young, 14 Langley Street, Abbeville, South Carolina.
George C. Douglass, City Clerk and Treasurer of Abbeville, South
Carolina, armed with a pick and shovel, started out last Sunday to dig
up the remains of his great grandfather, Archibald Douglas which lie
buried in a small neglected graveyard near Verdery.
The elements
seemed to disapprove of the remains being disturbed however, as black
angry clouds arose accompanied by lightning, thunder, wind, and a heavy
downpour of rain, all coming on so suddenly it was decided that the
occasion digging was abandoned, according to Mr. Douglass.
It is
now know if any further attempt will be made to exhume the late
Archibald, as Frank Hodges of Abbeville another descendant, upon hearing
of the attempted disinterment warned Mr. Douglas to "leave the old
fellow alone, lightning struck my chimney while you were down there
trying to dig him up".
It is a fact that lightning did strike the
chimney of Mrs. J. C. Ellis, a sister of Mr. Hodges, with whom he lived,
on this same afternoon and another strange coincidence was the fact that
all the lights in the city that night was out though the residences
adjoining remained lighted. Services had to be called off on account of
no lights and the superstitious might be able to connect up these
incidences with the wrath
of the Gods.
The disinterment
Sunday was to be accomplished with a view to finding the will of
Archibald Douglass. This will, after being probated was, with other
papers and keepsakes, sealed in a copper pot, and buried with the
remains of the late Archibald Douglass, so Mr. Douglass, the City Clerk,
has been informed. It is also believed that a certain ring, presented
some 300 years ago, along with "We=Wyn-We" Castle and other properties,
by his most Gracious Majesty, King James of Scotland and England, to one
James Douglass of Scotland, is also buried in this pot.
Upon the
finding of this grave and other data is said to have hinged, for many
years, on the disposal of an immense fortune consisting of some millions
of pounds Sterling in cash and Gilt Edge securities. In addition to an
immense Castle and vast estates held by the Chancery Court of England
for the heirs of James Douglass, who was known as "James of Virginia".
The grave in question is almost unfindable, deep in a pine thicket
some 200 to 300 yards to the left of the highway, doing from Verdery to
Bradley and about halfway between these two towns.
On the
tombstone are these words, "to the Memory of Archibald Douglass, who was
born March 10, 1770, and departed this life March 27, 1815, Has Left a
wife and six children to lament the loss of an affectionate husband and
a tender parent".
(page 23)
Just at the head of this grave
and in direct line therewith, from head to foot, is the grave of his
first wife, of the tombstone of which is inscribed "Sacred to the memory
of Mrs. Elizabeth Douglass who departed this life on the 27th day of
September 1809, aged 33 years".
It is said that his second wife,
"for good and sufficient reasons of her own" as she expressed it, had
Archibald buried at the feet of his first wife and had "Douglass"
instead of "Douglas" inscribed on his tombstone.
Strange as this
may appear, stranger still is the fact that the second wife, with an
only child, David, disappeared about this time leaving no trace
whatsoever of themselves, even to this day.
To obtain the immense
fortune in Scotland it is necessary for the descendants of Archibald
Douglass buried near Verdery to establish the fact, not only of their
relationship, but also that Archibald Douglass was heir to James Douglas
of Virginia. Was he an only child?
Going back some 300 years, the
descendants claim James Douglas of Scotland, came into the possession of
We-Wym-Wye Castle and the lands attached thereto through the generosity
of His Most Gracious Majesty, King James, King of Great Britain, Ireland
and France, Defender of the Faith, etc., etc., who as was in the custom
in those days, presented this castle and lands to James Douglas, his
heirs, assigns, etc., to have and hold as freehold property forever and
in perpetuity, in consideration of most valuable, valiant and glorious
service rendered His Majesty King James by the said James Douglas who
with a mere handful of faithful followers, put the quietus to several
thousand of the King's enemies.
And further, that on this
occasion, King James placed the utmost faith and confidence in the honor,
loyalty and fidelity of his most worth subject, James Douglas, did
present unto him, the said James Douglas, as signet ring.
According to the records, hundreds of years prior to this James Douglas,
another James Douglas, on returning from fighting in Palestine, fought
for and assisted in establishing Robert Bruce on his throne, and "The
Bruce" presented this James Douglas of Castle Dangerous with vast lands.
James Douglas of Scotland enjoyed the peace and quiet of beautiful
We-Wym-Wye for many years. He married and had one son, Archibald
(Archibald of We-Wym-Wye). Archibald grew to manhood, married and had
two children, both boys, James and Archibald. James, the elder, was wild
and reckless and kept his father in hot water most of the time.
Archibald the younger was of a quieter nature and disposition and was
his father's favorite.
James, the elder son, fell desperately in
love with his brother Archibald's promised wife and was on the verge of
eloping with this lady, who returned his love twofold, when his father
who had made other plans for a wife for James, hearing of this plot, had
James brought before him.
(page 24)
Father and son had a
quarrel and James was thrown into the Castle dungeon. The father
determined to disown and disinherit James and leave the immense fortune,
which he had accumulated to the younger, and favorite son, Archibald.
Accordingly, and with this end in view, the father had James
smuggled forcibly and in chains aboard a sailing vessel bound for the
Colonies (the 13 original) trusting that if James wasn't lost overboard,
the ship didn' sink, he didn't die of some disease, the red men or some
varmint didn't get him, didn't get lost in the swamps or freeze or
starve to death, James would remain and die in his chosen Country and
never return to Scotland.
The lady in the case, hearing of the
fate of her lover, threw herself over a cliff and was lost at sea. This
was a great shock to Archibald and he never married.
James duly
arrived in America and settled in America where he married and reared a
family. He became known far and wide as James of Virginia and it is his
eldest son, possibly his only child Archibald Douglas, who is buried
near Verdery. The date and birth on the tombstone establishes this fact
beyond a doubt, the City Clerk of Abbeville believes that Archibald of
We-Wym-WyeWym-Wye died and his remains were laid to rest alongside his
father in the Ivory Chapel at the Castle.
The property not being
claimed by James, the elder son, upon the death of his father, had
passed to Archibald, the younger. This Archibald died without issue. He
left a will that was not to be opened for 50 years after the death of
his brother, James, bequeathing the property of the estate to the heirs
of his brother, James.
The Archibald Douglas buried near Verdery,
South Carolina, claimed by his descendants to the only child of the
elder brother James of Virginia, married Miss Elizabeth Cochran of
Cokesbury, and to this union were born five children:
Donald,
Rebecca, Phoebe, John and Thomas Jefferson.
Donald Douglas, the
eldest child married Drucilla Hodges and had five children: Fannie,
Matilda, Celeste, Mary and Elizabeth.
Rebecca and Phoebe were
carried off by the Indians, but after months of hardship among the red
men, got away and returned home and were afterwards happily married.
Rebecca married General George Washington Hodges and Phoebe married
Gabriel Hodges. Washington, Gabriel and Drucilla were brothers and
sisters. Frank Hodges of Abbeville whose chimney was struck by lightning
is descended from Rebecca.
John Douglas went to La Grange,
Georgia, where he married and reared a family.
Thomas Jefferson
"Jeff" Douglas' first wife was Matilda Lomax and they had three
children: George Archibald "Arch", Thomas Dilworth, and Elizabeth. His
second wife was Emily.
(page 25)
Adkins and to them were
born several sons and daughters, three of whom are still living: Mrs.
Ida Douglas Fell of Verdery, Mrs. Emily Agnew of Greenwood and Thomas
Lucien Douglas, also of Greenwood.
The City Clerk of Abbeville is
a grandson of Thomas Jefferson and a son of the late George Archibald,
known by his friends as Arch Douglas.
Mrs. Rebecca Douglas Lowe,
then of Atlanta, daughter of John Douglas, some 25 years ago with her
lawyer, visited and searched in vain over the State of South Carolina,
in an endeavor to locate the grave of her grandfather, Archibald
Douglas, with a view to obtaining the fortune in Scotland. Mrs. Lowe at
that time, possessed practically all the data, records, etc., necessary
to secure the fortune for the descendants of Archibald Douglas. All that
was lacking at that time being the grave. Other descendants have spent
much time and money in fruitless searching.
The grave however,
was not located until some 15 years later after Mrs. Lowe's visit and
strange to relate it was a great grandson Archibald Fell, now of
Augusta, Georgia, who had never joined the search or interested himself
in any way in the grave or fortune, who was the finder.
Mr. Fell
accidentally stumbled over the grave while going over an old farm he had
rented and he says it is a mystery to him in the "first off" how anybody
ever found the out of way place on which the graveyard is located.
A peculiar coincidence is the fact that Mrs. Rebecca Douglas Lowe
died on the same day that the grave was found. It is not known what
became of the numerous data, records, information and so on that Mrs.
Lowe collected.
Mr. John Boozer of Denmark, South Carolina, a
great grandson of Donald Douglas and other relatives have secured the
services of a lawyer in Washington, D. C. who expects to go to Scotland
to look into the matter for descendants.
Articles in the
newspapers recently regarding the finding of the grave near Verdery have
started a deluge of letters to postmasters, preachers, judges, doctors
and others from claimants who Mrs. Douglas states are as numerous as
Grasshoppers seeking information as to Who's Who and Why.
From
"Bee" Lane, #0033, Route 7-B, Bluffton, South Carolina 29910
This
newspaper article was found in the collection of genealogical records of
the noted genealogist Leonardo Andrea of South Carolina. After his death
his collection was put on microfilm. I read the microfilm at the Library
of the Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia, and secured a
photocopy of this article as typed by Pauline Young. I, in turn, retyped
it as I found it, not making any corrections except in the typing
errors. Evidently, Mr. Andrea did not do any research for this Douglass
family, as only this article was found in this file.
A slightly
different version of the above legend can be found on page 215 of
"Greenwood County Sketches" by Margaret Watson. The following is
verbatim from page 215.
Archibald Douglass, 1770-1815, and his
first wife, Elizabeth Cochran Douglas, 1776-1809, are buried on a family
cemetery just off Highway 221 about 1 1/2 north of Bradley. Their home
must have been in that area. Archibald Douglass was the son of James
Douglass who immigrated to Virginia from Scotland. James was a brother
of Margaret, Duchess of Douglass, and that link had some of the
descendants interested in sharing an inheritance in Scotland, but their
efforts were futile.
It appears that Duchess Margaret set up
entailed property designated "Douglass Support" for the benefit of
children of her brothers and sisters. There is no record that Archibald
Douglass made any effort to claim his share of this property. He may not
have known the inheritance existed, and the family in Scotland
apparently did not know that he had six children as "Burke's Peerage"
official register of noble families in England and Scotland, says that
Archibald Douglass, son of James, died in America unmarried or without
issue. The "Douglass Support" property in and around Glascow went to
children of Lady Margaret's two sisters and became quite valuable. In
1921 Douglass descendants in Georgia came to this area seeking the grave
of Archibald Douglass to start establishing a claim to the Scottish
property. They believed that a necessary part of the identification was
a family seal ring, which Archibald was known to have owned, and
tradition was that the ring had been buried with him. Church and family
cemeteries in much of Abbeville and Greenwood counties were checked
without success. Some months later, Andrew Fell of Verdery, a Douglass
descendant, found the family cemetery, notified two other descendants,
L. C. Douglass and McNary Cochran. When those latter two men visited the
site they found the grave of Archibald Douglass had been opened, and
there was no sign of a signet ring.
In the meantime, information
was obtained that under Scotch law an inheritance could not be pursued
after a family had peaceful possession for 20 years and since the
American Douglasses had made no claim in more than 120 years, further
effort was not advised. A suggestion was made that the family might pay
the required fee, "possibly several thousand dollars" to secure the
right to assume the coat of arms matriculated by Margaret, Duchess of
Douglass, with the Lyon King of Arms in Edinburgh. So far as is known no
one pursued that suggestion.
The name of Archibald Douglass's
second wife is not known(1). There was one child, David Douglass who sent
West and nothing further was know of him by relatives here.
Lillie Ann Simmons Griffin believes that the story about the two
daughters being kidnapped may well be untrue. At about the same time
Dorothy Hodges (Rosamond) was indeed kidnapped by the Indians and she
had a son by one of them. Permitted by her Indian captor to return home
for a visit, she extended the visit to a permanent stay. He son returned
to the Indian father and was not heard from again. Ann thinks it very
likely that these two stores were confused over the years.
The
following abstract of estate administration of Archibald Douglass RN 126
provided by Erline Black Wilkerson 330 Irene Bridge Highway, Hickory
Grove, South Carolina 29717 on 10 Jul 1990 with the notation that it
comes from page 88 of "Abstracts of Old Ninety Six and Abbeville
District Wills and Bond" by Pauline Young.
"Douglass, Archibald -
Box 27, Pack 607
Est. admin. April 25, 1815 by Nancy Douglass,
Jno. Cochran, Jno. Donald, Andrew Gray, Jas. Pettus, Wm Cochran bound to
Moses Taggard, Ord. Abbeville Dist. Sum $20,000. Cit to acct. on
petition of Wm. Cochran a distributee of est. of Phepe Hearst alias
Phebe Cochran, July 8, 1816 Pd. Nancy Douglas $510.00, Jan 16, 1817 paid
Jno. McGee for schooling and boarding Jno., David Douglass 1 yr. $96.00,
decd. $24.44 Apr 12, 1817 paid Joseph Foster for boarding Phebe Douglass
to school $27.50."
Mrs. Erline Black Wilkerson, same date as
above states:
"Dr. Alexander Donald of Opelusas, La., wrote in
1861 that Lydia Donald had a m. first Archibald Douglass and second
William Morrow. Dr. Donald said that Nancy had not married. He was
writing from memory and should have said that Lydia never married."
Mrs. Erline Black Wilkerson, in a letter dated February 21, 1991
provides abstract of will of Alexander B. Donald RN 33834 which mentions
Archibald Douglass as follows:
"Alexander Donald - Box 106, Pack
2775 - will dated 5 July 1803 in Abbeville Dist. {SC} Rec. 2 March 1806.
"A tract of land lying in Chester Co. which my son James Donald had in
his possession when he died." "Grandson: Archibald Douglass land lying
on Bever Creek in Fairfield Co. {SC}" "Great Grandson: Donald Douglass
land on Bever Creek in Fairfield Co. {SC}" p. 393"
Note:
Headstone reads: to/the Memory of/Archibald Douglass/ who was born March
10th 1770/ and departed this life/march 27, 1815/has left a wife and
six/children to lament the loss/of an affectionate husband/and tender
parent/Graves on plantation of Major Joseph C. Logon, approximately 1
mile from town of Bradley (halfway between Bradley and Verdery) in pine
thicket 200-300 yards left of highway from Verdery toward Bradley
(Highway 21, 1 1/2 miles north of Bradley).
Note:
1. Archibald Douglas's second wife was Nancy Ann
Wilson. She inherited his estate. I have no knowledge of children. She
was 20 when they married and 23 when he died. She married for the second
time John Baylis Earle, who is mentioned in the will. Nancy was
born in 1793, Abbeville, Abbeville, South Carolina, USA
and died on 12 Nov 1852, Greenville, South Carolina, USA.
She remarried at 23 and had her only child at 24, Georgia Washington
Earle, a wealthy heir. She was the second wife of John Baylis Earle b.
23 Oct 1776, Spartanburg, SC, d. 3 Feb 1836, Silver Glade Plantation,
Pendelton, Anderson Dist, SC
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