In this month’s episode, we’re gearing up for October, which is Family History Month and American Archives Month. We’re focusing on genealogy research and the story of a researcher, Andrew Thompson, who took a deep dive into his family history using materials at the SC Historical Society! You’ll hear his story learn more about the specifics of researching African American families.

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In this month’s episode, we are putting ourselves in the shoes of a schoolgirl in Charleston during the last decade of the 19th century, thanks to a first-hand account of the childhood of Frances Jervey that is held in our archives. The composition book was part of an assignment from her school, Misses Gibbes’s School. It includes topical essays that were assigned to her as well as accounts of her Christmas holidays, trips to the mountains during the summer, and festivals in Charleston.

If you’re describing a typical Fourth of July celebration to someone, you’re probably going to talk about spending the day outside or on the water, food on the grill, drinks in a cooler, and big noises booming throughout the night with bright lights and spectacles of explosives. And, almost from the very beginning, fireworks and celebration were the way that some American leaders wanted to mark the day. It was a topic of debate in the Continental Congress in 1779, and one of those in favor was South Carolina delegate William Henry Drayton. But if fellow South Carolina delegate Henry Laurens had had his way, it would have been a much more somber occasion. The fireworks weren’t the only topic the two argued about, and we talk all about it on this episode