The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-10-26
n Spectator at
History, Shaking


this community all her life, cele-
brated the Tooth anniversary of her
birth July 8, 1922. The 101st year OF
her life found her in good health,
selfreliant, vigorous for her years
and with the fine intellect and keen
interest in affairs that has always
marked her.
Mrs. DuRant is the daughter of
James Rembert, who was of French
Huguenot stock. She was born on
her fathers plantation near this
place. A large part of this beautiful
plantation, which contained more
than 5000 acres, was Inherited by
her and has been in her possession
for over 81 years. Mrs. DuRant was
married "a years ago. Her husband
was John o. DuRant, grandson of
Henry DuRant of the American Re-
volution.
Mrs. DuRant has lived through the
anxieties and sorrows of five wars,
She had relatives constantly in peril
during the Indian war in Florida in
1882. When the Palmetto regiment
marched to the Mexican war, Caleb
Rembert, her only brother, was one
Of it's brave volunteers. She never
saw him again, as he died from dis
ease and was buried in the City of
Mexico during the seige of that
stronghold. To the Confederate war
went her husband and two sons,
David and James. This great war
took it's deadly toll, too, as James
died from disease in the Confederate
hospital at Charlottesville, Va. Then
came the Spanish-American war and
the anxieties connected with the peril
to her grandsons engaged in it. And
finally the World war, in which were
engaged many grandsons and great
grandsons, one greatgrandson, Hugh
Merritt, having made the supreme
sacrifice.
Naturally the Confederate war
made the greatest impression up her,
and she talks most Interestingly of
her experiences. Like so many other
brave Southern women, during that
period she worked increasingly to
keep the plantation going, to care for
the young children at home and to
cheer and aid loved ones in the field.
She must have realized that the
end of the Confederacy was near,
when one Saturday night in March,
1865, while she and her five young
daughters were seated at the supper
table, there rushed into the room,
entirely Unexpectedly, more than a
dozen Union soldiers. They ransack-
ed the house and made merry with
brandy which they found. They form
ed part of Sherman's army, camped a
few miles away.
On the Sunday following hundreds
Of Federal soldiers pillaged her place.
They took horses, cured meats, chick
ems and everything to eat that they
could find. They burned the barns
and outbuildings and the gin with
hundreds of bales of cotton, but they
left her home standing. For week,
she says, nothing was cooked in the
"big house." for the soldiers would
stand around the store while the food
was being prepared and would eat it
as fast as it was cooked, so she had
to stop trying to prepare anything.
The only food which she and her
young children had during that time
was brought to them secretly by
faithful negro slaves. She did not go
to bed for week, but just slept for
few minutes at a time, day or
night, in chairs.
During this week officers interview
ed her constantly, trying to get in
IOImdllOu dS W VIC "uO1 OoOOdIS W
the men of her family and threaten
ing to burn her home if this infor-
nation was not given. Sometimes
they would make preparations to
carry out their threats by pulling
brands from the fireplace and would
boast of having burned Columbia.
With brave calmness, which she still
evidences, she told them that she
did not know where her men folk
were and that if she did she would
not tell.
Probably no one else, in South
Carolina has lived through as much
history as Mrs. DuRant. She was
born the year after the death Of the
great Napoleon, when the world had
been recently torn with wars, and
she lived to see, nearly 100 years lat
or, practically the entire world in