Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-06-09

There seems to be so little known
about the life and purpose of Thomas
G. Clemson in connection with the
donation of his property to the State
for the purpose of founding an in
dustrial college, in justice to his
memory and his purpose l feel it to
be my duty to state the facts and let
the people Judge.
A short while before Mr.. Calhouns
4 death his friends in Charleston, see
ing his declining health, subscribed
literally to purchase or charter
yacht to send him OH a cruise, think
Ing thereby to restore him ito his
usual vigor. Before this laudable
purpose could be carried into effect,
Mr.. Calhoun died. l cannot speak
accurately of the amount subscribed,
but according to my recollection 1T
was between $4,000 and $4,000
After his death it was agreed by the
subscribers to this fund to apply it
to the payment of Mr.. Calhoun's
debts. He was not a rich man and
was largely in debt at the time Of
his death. This purpose was carried
into effect. Mr.. Calhoun's debts
were paid, and his children released
their interest in his estate in favor
Of their mother, Mrs. Floride CAL
houn, and her afflicted daughter,
Z, 10
ly Mrs. Floride Calhoun sold Fort
Hill plantation and the negroes, for
merly the property of John G. CAL
houn, to her son, Col. A. P. CAL
noun, for the sum in round numbers
Of $4,000, for which he gave his
bond and mortgage. Mrs. Floride
Calhoun was to reside with her son,
but there arose an unfortunate diff
Guilty between the mother and son,
and Mrs. Calhoun purchased home
In Pendleton and resided there to t''e
time of he death, and it was there
she had her friend and relative, Arm
stead Burt, to write her will, in
which she wllled and devised her
Pendleton property to her 'grandsons,
sons OF William and John Calhoun,
then deceased, and the bond and
mortgage of A. p. Calhoun on the
Fort Hill plantation, three-fourths
thereof, to Mrs. Clemson, her daugh-
ter, and one-fourth to Mrs. Lee, her
granddaughter, with the provision
that If the bond and mortgage were
given in exchange for the land, it
was to go to Mrs. Clemson and her
daughter, Mrs. Lee in the same pro-
portion.
Some time after the close of the
war and after the death of Mrs. Flo
ride Calhoun and Col. A. p. Calhoun,
Mrs. Clemson began proceedings to
foreclose the mortgage on the Fort
Hill plantation. After a great deal
y OF litigation, accounting, ETC., the
court ordered the plantation to be
sold. Mr.. Clemson attended the sale
at Walhalla, and bid in the land
(Fort HID for Mrs. Clemson and his
daughter, Mrs. Lee, for the sum of
full value Of the land. The cost and
expenses of the litigation connected
with this foreclosure proceedings,
owing to the complicated questions
involved and the number of attor-
neys employed, amounted to $4,000.
These costs and expenses, instead Of
being paid out Of the proceeds of the
sale Of the land, were paid by Mr..
Clemson out Of his own private
funds.
Mr.. and Mrs. Clemson resided at
Fort Hill. After the death of their
two children, Mrs. Lee and Calhoun
Clemson, they entered into an agree.
ment TO make wills in each others
favor and the survivor was to devote
their joint property to the State to
found an industrial college, Mrs.
Clemson having nothing to will but
her three-fourths of the Fort Hill
plantation, while Mr.. Clemson had
quite sum Of money which he had
fortunately saved after the war.
1t was also a part Of this agree
ment that Mr.. Clemson was to will
out OF his private property the sum
of ten thousand dollars to their
granddaughter. the only surviving
child>of their daughter, Mrs. Lee, and
their object in making this donation
to their granddaughter was that they
could donate their property to the
State free of nnN claim or emit hle