Note
Tag Date: 2010-02-11 11:38:14.999000
Notes: See Multimedia tab for 1913 image (#1).
Email of 2/9/2010: "I am a direct descendent of Jacob Schirmer and have a picture of his home on the grounds of the Quaker Site burial site at 138 King Street (see attached image) ... John and Louisa Fletcher lived in the house until it was torn down and they have both passed away. Louisa Tovey Fletcher was the direct descendent of Jacob Schirmer. One of Jacob Schirmer's daughters married a Tovey. Their children do not know of any other existing pictures. Even though the image is very faded, I’m assuming that the house was white or off-white with Charleston green shutters. I visited the house often as a child in the 1940s, but only remember it as a very dilapidated structure badly in need of repair, where we were not even allowed to go onto the second storey piazza for fear it would cave in." Sent on 2/10/2010 from Hermeine Tovey; 1021 Dominion Dr.; Hanahan, SC 29410; Phone 843-744-2860; Cell 843-729-3004.
Email of 2/11/2010: Also found through excerpts of his diary that he built the house in 1838 and erected the iron fence in 1856 - so it was indeed his fence and not the Quaker's as has been assumed. After the earthquake of 1886, he petitioned the city to help repair the damage that it sustained, but was turned down.
The Tovey connection is that Jacob Schirmer's daughter, Emma, married a Tovey, they ended up living in the house. It was occupied by Tovey's for another generation until an elder daughter, Louisa, married John Fletcher. They remained in the house until I think they finally abandoned it as it was falling down. Some of the Schirmer descendants are still in the area, but for some reason, either don't know anything, or aren't interested in sharing.
