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I recently visited the Old Langston Cemetery in Laurens
County.
Accessible for about 350 yards by auto on an old, rarely
traveled bush
road. You must walk about 100 - 150 yards back into the
bush. Cannot be
seen from Langston Road nor the old bush road.
The Old Langston Cemetery is built as a square, approximately
60 - 70 feet
on each side. An old stone fence once surrounded it,
however it has fallen
in some parts and rises only 1.5 feet to 2.5 feet high
now. An entrance
through the stone fence is located on the east side of
the cemetery.
Once you enter it, you are amazed at how wild and weedy
and bushy it is.
The cemetery has not been maintained for many years.
My estimate of the
number of graves, based on old marker stones and tombstones
(most of them
eroded by time and weather are unreadable), is between
40 and 60.
A relatively new pink and very readable headstone has
been placed about 5
feet from the entrance and reads:
"SOLOMON LANGSTON
SOUTH CAROLINA
LIEUTENANT SPARTAN REGT.
REVOLUTIONARY WAR
1732 - 1825"
Other heavily eroded tombstones (x = unreadable)
================
"Mary Langston, Wife of John Langston,
and Daughter of David & Isabelle
Mason, Born on December 8, 1798, and died
June 4, 1842"
================
Sacred to the Memory of Mary Toland, Daughter
of Henry & Sarah Langston,
born Sept 29th 1795, departed this life
Sept 12th 1864, Aged 68 years 11
months 17 days
================
"Hugh Toland"
Hugh Toland's stone is next to Mary Toland.
It has a Masonic Symbol at
the top of the stone.
"Born in Ireland 6-10-1792 May 22, 1871"
(Hugh is a nickname, Elihu is his given
name)
================
A 4' tall, 30" wide, 3" thick stone:
"Sacred to the Memory of TIRZAH MOSLEY,
consort of Thomas H Mosley, and
the daugher of Mary Toland, who was born
March 26, 1824, and departed
this life Sept 26, 1851, aged 27 years
and 6 months"
(This stone has a 4 line poem written
at the bottom of the stone:)
"There is a xxx for those who weep
At rest for weary pilgrims found
The xxx can be and sweetly sleep
Through years of time in silent ground"
================
A small stone, 18" tall, 1 foot wide, 1.5"
thick:
"Dedicated to the memory of Margaret Emma
Eudora Eliott, daugher of
James E. & Mahala C. Watson, born
Oct 1, 1856, died Oct 5, 1857"
================
A simple rounded top 2' tall, 12" wide,
2" thick stone:
"John Langston, Died 1862, Aged 62 years"
================
Next to John Langston, lies a similar sized
stone, except it has a more
pronounced arch on top:
"In the xxx, Sarah Isabella Langston,
daugher of John & Mary Langston,
who was born July 9, 1828 and died July
21, 1838, aged 10 years and 12
days."
================
A pointed-top stone, similar in size to
John Langston's:
"Sacred to the memory of Sarah Langston,
Consort of the late Henry
Langston, dec., who was born Nov 29, 1769,
died May 16th 1854, aged 84
years, 5 months, 17 days"
(This stone has a 4 line poem written
at the bottom of the stone:)
"Blessed are the dead
that die in the Lord
for they rest from their labours
and their works do follow them."
================
Henry Langston
b. 23 Jun 1769 d. 09 Oct 1844
aged 75y 3m 14d
================
Mary Donnan Toland
Feb 27, 1850, Jun 18 1897