Pineville, a historic refuge
Part 69: Belvidere Pilgrimage, 2008
By Warner M. Montgomery Warner@TheColumbiaStar.com        

Donald Glover (l) and Linda Sosbee (r) attended the Belvidere reunion. Donald is grandson of Ottway Cash of Belvidere. Linda is the wife of Warner M. Montgomery, a Sinkler relative.

A Sinkler family reunion was held on March 28, 2008, at Belvidere Plantation. It was organized by Dr. Norman "Pard" Walsh. The event began with a pilgrimage into the Lake Marion lake bed to visit the remains of the Belvidere house. It concluded with a luncheon in Eutawville. Those attending were

1. Descendents of William Sinkler (1787- 1853) of Belvidere and Eutaw and his son Charles (1818- 1894) of Belvidere:

• Sidney Lockwood Tynan (granddaughter of Charles St. George Sinkler and niece of Anne Sinkler Fishburne)

• Phyllis Poor (Sidney's daughter- in- law)

• Sisters Angie Sinkler Whaley LeClercq, Emily Sinkler Whaley Whipple, and Marty Sinkler Whaley Cornwell (daughters of Emily Fishburne Whaley. Their grandmother was Anne Sinkler Fishburne who grew up at Belvidere.)

• Douglas (son of Emily Sinkler Whaley Whipple) and Andreja Balentine and their children, Rose and Kean

Julia DeSaussure Hall, granddaughter of Lewis and Rosena DeSaussure, lived on Belvidere Plantation until it was covered by Lake Marion in 1940.

• Anne (Moonee) Sinkler Ball Helms (granddaughter of Anne Sinkler Fishburne) and her son, Carter Helms

• Bernard Manning (descendant of Charles Sinkler of Belvidere, William Henry Sinkler II of Eutaw, and Governors Richard I. Manning I and Richard I. Manning III) and his daughter Elizabeth Dorn and her husband Walt Dorn

• Laura Manning Williams (niece of Bernard Manning) of Kingstree and Columbia

2. Descendants of William Henry Sinkler I (1819- 1856) of Eutaw Plantation:

• Dr. Norman "Pard" Sinkler Walsh and Marcy Stoney Walsh (Pard is grandson of William Henry Sinkler III of Eutaw. Both are decended from James Gaillard of the Rocks Plantation), their son William Gaillard Walsh, his wife Terry Walsh, and their son Kevin Walsh.

• William Henry Sinkler V and his sister Harriet Clare Sinkler Little (great, great grandchildren of William Henry Sinkler of Eutaw Plantation)

Dr. Norman "Pard"Walsh and his wife, Marcy, head out to the remains of Belvidere Plantation.

• Eliza Couturier, owner of Lawson's Pond Plantation (her husband Elias was descended from William Sinkler)

• Floyd and Elizabeth Dovell (descended from William Henry Sinkler I)

3. Relatives and friends of Sinkler family:

• Brothers Chris (wife Martha) and George Carpenter (grew up on Gippy Plantation owned by Nicholas Roosevelt and his wife Emily Sinkler Roosevelt, sister of Anne Sinkler Fishburne)

• Robert and Carlotta Norris (owners of St. Julian Plantation of Eutawville)

• Henry Ravenel Porcher of Columbia and Richard Dwight Porcher Jr. Ph.D. of Mt. Pleasant (brothers, descendants of the Porchers of Pooshee and Northampton plantations)

• Heyward Porcher (Richard Porcher's first cousin)

• Videau Kirk Simons and her daughter ViVi Simons (descendants of the Kirks of Mt. Pleasant plantation, the Marions, and the Dwights)

Daddy Lewis DeSaussure was the chief servant at Belvidere until his death in 1934. His wife, who died in 1930, was known as Maum Rosena.

• Will Nelson of Columbia (descendant of the Nelsons of Nelsons Ferry)

• Keith Gourdin (descendant of Palmers, Marions, Gaillards) and his wife Betty of Pineville

• Henrietta Gourdin Acton (descendant of Palmers, Marions, Gaillards) and her husband Alfred of Pineville

• Warner M. Montgomery Ph.D. (descendant of Palmers, Marions, Gaillards, Gourdins) and his wife Linda Sosbee of Columbia

• Whit Boykin • Beverly Medane • Johnny and Liz Ball

• Eddie Davis

4. Descendants of African- Americans who worked on Belvidere or Eutaw Plantations:

• Julia DeSaussure Hall (granddaughter of Lewis [1867- 1934] and Rosena [d. 1930] DeSaussure. They were known as Daddy Lewis and Maum Rosena and were the chief servants at Belvidere and Eutaw. Daddy Lewis and Gen. Charles St. George Sinkler, the last male owner of Belvidere, died the same month. Julia lived on Belvidere as a child. She was 13 in 1940 when the plantation was dismantled. She witnessed the removal of the African- American graves from Belvidere to New Belvidere Cemetery adjacent to Spring Hill Baptist Church in Eutaw Springs.)

• Brenda Dingle Matthews (great granddaughter of Lewis and Rosena DeSaussure, granddaughter of Mollie DeSaussure Dingle)

• Ann Small (great granddaughter of Lewis and Rosena DeSaussure, granddaughter of William DeSaussure)

• Harold Smith (great grandson of Lewis and Rosena DeSaussure, grandson of Elizabeth DeSaussure Smith) and his daughter, Harolyn Smith

• Frances Bryant (granddaughter of Robert Rivers, the brother of Rosena DeSaussure. Robert and Rosena were children of Mingo Rivers of Belvidere.)

• Oscar Cash (son of Ottway Cash, the butler and chauffeur of Charles St. George Sinkler of Belvidere. The Cash family lived in Eutaw Springs.)

• Donald Glover (nephew of Oscar Cash, grandson of Ottway Cash, and son of Roosevelt Cash who worked at Gippy Plantation which was owned by Emily Sinkler Roosevelt)

(Next week: Belvidere stories)