LAWSON'S POND PLANTATION Porcher and Couturier Families

2 Black & White

In the period immediately after the American Revolution, Upper St. John's, Berkeley was still suffering from the loss of the English bounty on Indigo. Even before the Revolution, Francis Marion and ot.her planters of St. Stephen's and the lower parishes had begun buying lands from the earlier English settlers of this section. This movement was accelerated by the early success of cotton planted by Peter Gaillard at The Rocks. Where these lands had first been desired for raising food crops for hands and because of  the healthy location, they became highly prized as a fertile region ideally suited for the cotton plantation.

The old Cherokee Path, known as the Congaree River Road or Moncks Corner Road depending on the direction of travel, put. this section on a main road of that day.

The Map of Raphoe Barony as reconstructed by Judge H. A. M. Smith opposite page 3, Vol. XV, No. 1 of The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, accompanying his "The Baronies of South Carolina" shows Lawson's Pond as a large pond on the southwest side of The Congaree River Road (Cherokee Path) at the point where that road is joined by the Nelson's Ferry Road in what is in 1983 the upper part of the Cross Community. This road is now S. C. State Highway No. 6.  The Pond is shown outside the old Barony lines.

This Pond exists today and is located behind the Lawson's Pond house, which is now the home of Mrs. Elias F. (Eliza S.) Couturier.

In his Upper Beat of St. John's, Berkeley, Prof. F. A. Porcher relates that this tract was acquired in the early 1800's by Philip Porcher (Philip, Jr. who died in 1817) of Old Field plantation in St. Stephen's Parish, whose widow, Mrs. Catherine Porcher, purchased Spring Plains and lived at that place until her death in 1833; and her youngest son, Thomas Cordes Porcher, lived there until his death in 1861.

Philip Porcher made his will in Nov. of 1816 and it was proved in Apr. of 1818. I'rof. Porcher relates that he left Lawson's Pond to Charles Cordes Porcher (b. Oct. 1, 1801, d. Sept. 20, 1877 or 1878), who is considered to have built the house as a residence in anticipation of his marriage in 1823 to Rebecca, oldest daughter of Francis (Dwight) Marion of nearby Mount Pleasant Plantation. She died in 1827 and their only child, Francis Marion Porcher, died in infancy.

Thomas A. Waterman, in "A Survey of The Early Buildings in The Region of The Proposed Santee and Pinopolis Reservoirs in South Carolina," 1939, states "Lawson Pond" was "built in 1816," but he does not discuss the owners or builders. Other writers state that the house was built bv Thomas Cordes Porcher in 1823, but Prof. Porcher tells us that it was built by Charles Cordes Porcher and that he resided in the house at the time Porcher was writing. If the house was built as early as 1816, it would have been begun before the builder actually possessed the property, but had begun the building with permission of his father with the expectation of receiving it. We can probably safely say that the house was built some time between 1816 and 1823; and, in view of the fact that it was never completely finished, it may have been begun well before 1823.

In his report, Waterman states that Lawson Pond is "The only house in the area which approaches The Rocks in architectural importance." Like the visitor today, he was impressed by the color that has come to the weatherboarding through years of weathering.

This house has the porch across the front and on the east side. It is constructed on a grand scale and is "greatly enriched" from the two matching front doors throughout with "excellent trim" on doors, windows, cornices, and mantels.

This house sits high above the ground on massive brick pillars. Underneath, the massive hand-hewn timbers, held together by pegs, are impressive. This area provided space for storage and plantation activities. Above this basement, the two stories and attic are impressive as approached through broad fields.

The Porchers furnished this house with furniture suitable to the house. As was the practice of that day, a Porcher estate sale disposed of the handsome pieces of furniture. This was probably the sale of the personal property of Charles Cordes Porcher that took place in 1879. Samuel Oliver Russell of the vicinity of Black Creek Church purchased the handsome dining room furniture, a massive secretary with brass claw feet, and a wrought iron floor candelabra.  John J. Cross purchased a Federal period shelf clock with three gold leaf split columns, above each other on each side and a gold leaf eagle at the top of the clock, a maple wardrobe, and a chest of drawers about five feet in height and made of inch thick mahogany boards.

When Charles Cord.es Porcher died intestate, his est.ate was indebted to Philip Sidney Kirk, Trustee for funds held mder the terms of the marriage settlement of Peter J. Couturier and Elizabet.h Sumter McKelvey, sometimes spelled McElvey. Dr. Joseph Palmer was appointed administrator of the estate of Charles Cordes Porcher, consisting of both real and personal property.

In 1879, Joseph Palmer stated in legal papers that he had sold the Porcher personal property by order of the Probate Court and paid the net proceeds to Philip Sidney Kirk, Trustee. Steps were also being taken to dispose of the real estate and debts of Porcher.

The question has arisen at times as to when the Couturier family moved to Lawson Pond. We know that the Couturier home at Moss Pond Plantation had burned before Adam Cross bought the brick from the chimney s of the burned house to construct the chimneys nwv standing at either end of the body of Moss Grove plantation house, which rldam Cross built in 1880. These chimneys were damaged by the eart.hquake of 1886.

Peter J. Couturier died "about 14 Oct. 1890" owning the 94 acre Windsor plantation, and may have resided there for a short time after the Moss Pond house burned. Documents pertaining to the settlement of the Porcher estate tell us that Philip Sidney Kirk, Admr. and Elizabeth S. Couturier took possession of the property by virtue of a sale by Christopher C. Bowen, Sheriff of Charleston County in February of 1880.

As Bowen died before executing a deed for the property, Hugh Ferguson, Sheriff of Charleston County executed the deed on April 5, 1897. The documents state that all terms of the Couturier-McKelvey Trust had been fulfilled and as Peter J. Couturier had died, ownership of the property was absolutely vested in the said Elizabeth S. Couturier, and that she was "still" in possession of Lawson Pond. It appears then that the Couturiers took possession of Lawson Pond in Feb., 1880 along with Dr. Kirk, Trustee, and that her ownership became absolute with the death of her husband.

My father, J. Pressley Cross, was born in 1877 and recalled that, as a boy, he went with his grandfather, John James Cross, to a fair held at Lawson Pond by the Black Oak Agricultural Society of which his grandfather was a member. He was particularly impressed by the large pits in which whole oxen were being barbecued. This home had ample grounds to take care of the crowds that attended these fairs.

During the earthquake of 1886, one of the chimneys of this house was damaged and had to be reworked. Other than that, this house has been fortunate enough to have escaped restoration and is much as it was when built by Charles Cordes Porcher. It is thought by architects who studied this house and Springfield of the Palmer family that the same master builder might have been used in the construction of both houses, judging from the similarity of interior decorations, which are more restrained at Lawson Pond. The name of this place is commonly called "Lawson Pond" locally and has been spelled this way and as "Lawson's Pond" in written articles, using the spelling for the pond shown on the Map prepared by Judge Smith of Raphoe Barony.

The following family chart explains the relationship of the first Couturier owners of this property and the present occupant of Lawson's Pond.

PETER JAMES COLITURIER (1839-1890) was married April 7, 1863 at Loch Dhu Plantation to ELIZABETH

SUMTER McKELVEY (1838-1898 )

Children:

1. JAMES RANSOM (1864-1900) married LAURA M. KIRK (1872-1965)

Their children:

James Ransom Couturier (1899-1904)

Sidney Kirk Couturier (1897-1964)

2. MARTHA EMIIY COU'I'LIRIER (1867-1889) - Never married.

3. ELIAS FRANCIS COIITURIER (1869-1932) married on Dec. 30, 1902 to ANNA SINKI.ER GAILLARD

(1879-1918). He married 2nd. SARAH SINGLETON KIRK (1879-1927). No Children by 2nd. marriage.

Children of  lst. marriage:

(1), (2), (3), daughters: Margaret, Elizabeth & Allen died as babies.

(4) ELIAS FRANCIS COUTURIER (1909-1973) married in 1946 ELIZA R. SPIERS. Mrs. Eliza R. Spiers

Couturier  is the present occupant of Lawson's Pond.

(5) ANNA SINKLER COUTURIER (b. 1912) married in 1938 H. E. PADGETT.

(6) MATTIE McKELVEY C0U'I'UIZIER (b. 1915) married in 1937 W. E. LESESNE.

4. WILLIAM RANDOLRH COUTLIRIER (1872-1955) married HARRIOTTE DOAR SPIERS.

5. MARY CHARLOTTE COUTURIER (1877-1880)

Waterman Report

Information and Article from "Historic Ramblin's Through Berkeley"  written by and used with permission of Mr. J. Russell Cross