diceylangston.com

Langston Baptist Church in Clinton, SC is having a homecoming on Sunday, September 27, 2009 at 11:00 a.m.

Did you know Solomon Langston once owned the land Langston Baptist Church sits on? He married Sarah Bennett and they had four sons and six daughters, all of whom were in his home during the Revolutionary War. One of his daughters, Dicey, the famous Revolutionary War heroine, married Thomas Springfield and they had 22 children. Therefore they have many descendants. George Washington was alive when Langston Baptist was organized in 1773. Washington was born in 1732 and died 1799. 

The folks at Langston Baptist Church are looking forward to telling the history of the church. They would love for Langston descendents to attend.  Bring a well-filled picnic basket because after the history presentaiton they will all eat together. If you have a colonial style outfit or a Civil War style outfit, wear it. You don’t have to dress up but if you’d like to, it would even be more fun.

During the service they will sing a few of the old-time hymns. They will also have someone dressed as Dicey Langston and she will tell about Dicey’s life. They will then have the church history presentation. After the history presentation, they’ll share different memories that people have of things that have happened at Langston. Please bring pictures if you have any, or if you know anyone who has any, ask them to come and share them.

They will have a history room set up in the back of the churc. If you have things you’d like to display, contact Marvin Nelson at 864-682-2393.  If you have any pictures or church memories, call Marlynn Powell at 864-682-7306. 

Langston Baptist Church was mustering grounds for the confederate soldiers during the War Between the States. If only the church walls could talk, it could tell us so much.

Langston Baptist Church
by Michelle Rose Powell

Little white walls,
Church in the oaks
What history could your walls tell?
Little white walls,
Church in the oaks
Time like a veil
Into our soul soaks.
Years, centuries, what could your walls tell?
Time over your little roof swells
Into our soul soaks; What could these walls tell?

Directions from Greenville, SC to Langston Baptist Church, Clinton, SC

Get on I-385 going South
Get off exit at Hwy 49 (the exit right past the rest area)
Take a left towards Cross Anchor and go approximately 3.8 miles. There is a sign showing Langston Baptist Church. Turn right on Langston Church Road and go approximately 1.5 miles. Church is on the right.

Directions from Clinton, SC to Langston Baptist Church, Clinton SC

From North Broad Street in Clinton go approx. 1 mile north to Hwy 308. Take Hwy. 308 north toward Ora, SC. Go approx. 5 miles to and turn right on Bethany Church Road. Go approx. 2.5 miles and take a left on Langston Church Road. Church is approx. 1/2 mile down Langston Church Road.

Directions from Laurens, SC to Langston Baptist Church, Clinton, SC

From Laurens, take Hwy 221 North to Hwy 49 North towards Cross Anchor. You will pass I-385 and Laurens Academy. From Laurens Academy go approx. 2.9 miles. Turn right on Langston  Church Road and go approx. 1.5 miles. Church is on the right.

If you have any questions, call 864-200-0074 (cell) for George Powell. Home Phone: 864-682-7306

Greenville, SC – The South Carolina Society Sons of the American Revolution and the Friends and Family of Dicey Langston will honor the memory of this Revolutionary War Heroine by rededicating the cemetery where she and nearly 50 other family members are buried on Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 11:00 AM. The Springfield-Langston Cemetery is located at 213 Bridwell Way, Travelers Rest, SC.

Over the course of the summer, approximately 40 descendants, friends, and members of the Sons of the American Revolution have labored to clear, clean and protect this historic cemetery. Monetary donations toward the project have been received from as far away as Arizona, Oklahoma, and Florida.

This project is not the first time that Dicey Langston’s gravesite has been honored. In October of 1907, members of the Nathaneal Greene DAR chapter placed the original marker on the gravesite which remains to this day.

Laodicia Langston, better known as Daring Dicey, was born in 1766 and was raised in Laurens County. During the Revolution, her family was staunchly patriotic even though the majority of their neighbors were primarily loyalists.

During the Revolution, Dicey was most famously credited with saving the life of her brother James and his company by traveling four miles during the night from her house to the settlement of Little Eden to warn him of an attack by “Bloody Bill” Cunningham and his group of loyalists. During this trek, she had to cross a rain swollen river (either the Enoree or the Tyger) without the aid of riding a horse or a lantern.

The re-dedication ceremony will begin with the presentation of the national and revolutionary colors by a color guard in Revolutionary War uniforms. After the presentation of colors, a biography will be read and special presentations will be made. A litany will be performed and a new flag will be raised. The ceremony will conclude with a presentation of wreaths and a musket volley.

Additional information on the South Carolina Society can be found at the Society’s website www.scssar.org or by contacting State Secretary Mark C Anthony at 864-255-7442 or manthony.psy90@gtalumni.org.

Additional summary information is provided below.

Further questions on this event or requests for interviews should be directed to Mark C Anthony at 864-255-7442 or manthony.psy90@gtalumni.org.
Laodicia “Daring Dicey Langston

Laodicia Langston was born 14 May 1766 and was raised on the farm of her father Solomon Langston which was located eleven miles northeast of present day Laurens, South Carolina. During the Revolution, her family was staunchly patriotic even though the majority of their neighbors were primarily loyalists.

During the Revolution, Dicey earned the nickname “Daring Dicey” due to her serving as a courier of information and a “spy.” Her spying activities were due to the fact that many loyalists did not consider a young girl as a threat and thus she could overhear many conversations.

She is credited with saving the life of her brother James and his company by traveling four miles during the night from her house to the settlement of Little Eden to warn him of an attack by “Bloody Bill” Cunningham and his group of loyalists. During this trek, she had to cross a rain swollen river (either the Enoree or the Tyger) without the aid of riding a horse or a lantern.

Later in the Revolution, she was credited with saving the life of her father by stepping between the leveled barrels of a pistol held by a loyalist. Her bravery shamed the loyalists into leaving the house. Demonstrating their humanity, Dickey’s father later sent her to warn loyalist neighbors who were good friends and fellow church members of the Langston family of an impending attack by a rouge patriot band.

Following the Revolution, she married Thomas Springfield on January 9, 1783. After having given birth to ten children the Springfield family relocated to land awarded to Thomas Springfield in the Travelers Rest area for his service in the Revolution. They settled this land in 1793. Thereafter, she gave birth to another twelve children for a total of twenty-two.

Her passing on 23 May 1837 was eulogized in the Greenville Mountaineer which referenced her children and 140 grandchildren.

*Material for this summary was taken from various sources including The Patriot Wore Petticoats by Marne Pehrson, www.diceylangston.com, and sources available in the Greenville County Library’s South Carolina Room.

I received this email from Johnnie H. Beasley, Jr. about the cleanup of Dicey and Thomas’ grave:

To the descendants and concerned citizens of Thomas Springfield and Laodicea “Dicey” Langston, on Saturday June 6, 2009 we will be honoring the memory and accomplishments of Revolutionary War  heroine “Daring Dicey” Langston and her husband Thomas Springfield by cleaning and landscaping their gravesites.  This will take place at 213 Bridwell Way Travelers Rest, SC 29690 starting at 8 o’clock am until complete.

Directions to the family site are as follows: take Tigerville Rd. turn right onto Enoree Rd. from Tigerville Rd. then turn to the first right onto Bridwell Way follow Bridwell Way until you come to the Horse Ranch, turn into that driveway and it runs straight into the house.) Any parties interested in helping honor these historic figures please contact:  Johnnie H. Beasley Jr. (864) 271-9253  (864) 414-7339 goodoljb74@aol.com,  Randy Hawkins (864)380-1935,  Curt Doherty (864)
834-3268  Montana horses@bellsouth.net,  Jeffery A. Hess (864) 294-9358 (864)  294-1874 pattyhess66@gmail.com, for additional information and help with directions above by Thursday May 28, 2009.  Parties willing to bring yard tools (shovels, rakes, wheel barrows, chainsaws etc.) will be needed. Also help hauling the brush and debris from the site will be needed.  Tree service to remove three large dead trees that could cause harm to the sites is requested.   Donations to install iron fencing around sites, as well as donations for river rocks to go on the sites to help them last will be accepted.   Thank you for your concern and support! We look forward to seeing you on June 6, 2009 to honor these historic figures of our community.

Sincerely Yours,
Johnnie H. Beasley Jr.
5th Great Grandson of “Daring Dicey” Langston

This was sent to me by the Daring Dicey Chapter of the DAR:

The Daring Dicey Chapter of Daughters of American Revolution  held their organizational meeting on 22 February, 2009 at the City Hall in Vernon, Alabama, with Kawatha “Kay” Koonce as the Organizing Regent.  Alabama State Regent Shelby Dean Ward  administered the Oath to the following Organizing members; Ann Black, Norma Chandler, Mahalia Enlow, Ruth Ann Faris, Teressa George, Jennifer Hopper, Kawatha Koonce, Ruth Newell, Chloe Otts, Mary Elna Rector, Janiece Yerby Strickland, Donna Thompson, and Deana Vernon

Alabama State Regent Shelby Ward administered the Oath of Office to the following officers of the chapter; Regent, Kawatha “Kay” Koonce; Vice Regent, Mahalia Ann Enlow; Recording and Reporting Secretary, Deana Vernon; Treasurer, Ruth Newell; Registrar, Ruth Ann Faris; Historian, Mahalia Ann Enlow; Librarian, Jennifer Hopper; Chaplain, Chloe Hankins Otts Parliamentarian, Teressa Chandler George

We had 46 attendees for the event, including the following State of Alabama Officers; Regent,Shelby D. Ward; Corresponding Secretary,  Annette Smith; Recording Secretary and incoming State Regent, Rita Horton: Organizing Secretary, Tad Douglas; First Vice Regent, Helen Hahn.

Also attending and our speaker for the event was Cindy Shelton Hays, D. C. Corresponding Secretary, who spoke of  the history of our chapter name. “ Daring Dicey”, who was Laodicea Langston, a female Revolutionary War Patriot growing up in North Carolina, who forged the river to warn our troops that the Tories planned to attach, in addition to standing between the Tories and her father to keep them from killing him.  She later married Thomas Springfield and bore at least 22 children.  A third generation descendant of Dicey was Thomas Walker Springfield, who was a minister at Springfield Free Will Baptist Church in Lamar County.  Among her many descendants in Lamar and surrounding counties is Dona Sanders Thompson, an organizing member of the Daring Dicey Chapter.

The DAR founded in 1890 and headquartered in Washington, D. C. , is a non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future through better education for children.

The Daring Dicey Chapter of DAR is the first in the history of Lamar County

We welcome any one interested in becoming a member of the Chapter, who has lineal descent from a Revolutionary War Patriot,  to contact Ruth Ann Faris at  faris@hughes.net , Kawatha ‘Kay’ Koonce  kaykoon@bellsouth.net or any of the members of Daring Dicey Chapter.

Our next meeting will be on the 4th Sunday in March with the location announced in this newspaper.

Deana Vernon, Corresponding Secretary

I’ve decided to tie into some of the genealogy sites like Rootsweb for more info on the children of Dicey Langston. There are so many of Dicey’s descendants at work out there who are uploading their Gedcom’s, that it just seems simpler to link to their ongoing research on the various lines.

Today I updated

• James Langston Springfield
• Elizabeth Springfield
• Henry Springfield
• James Bennett Springfield
• Sarah (Sallie) Springfield

For some reason I have 2 Thomas Springfield Bates under Sarah Springfield Bates. One died as an infant and the other married and had children. If anyone knows about the accuracy of this, please let me know. The link on Rootsweb I found for Sarah only showed the infant. But I kept the info I had on the adult Thomas Springfield Bates on our site just in case.

Ill continue to post updates to the other children. When I first started this site, I envisioned having lots of photos of the descendants of Dicey and Thomas. If you have photos you’d like to contribute, I’d greatly appreciate it! Please send them to marnie@pwgroup.com and tell me who they are (if you know) and how they tie back to Dicey and Thomas.  Thanks!

Back in April, I was asked to speak about Dicey at Langston Charter Middle School in Greenville, SC. This morning, the lady who invited me to speak sent me some photos she found on her camera. These children were such a joy! Bright, sweet, and they gave me hope for the future. She told me the school kicked off the year in August with 80 new students so they’re up to 285. It’s great to see a school that integrates community service and leadership skills into their curriculum. It shows in these young people!

The following question was submitted to me today and I thought it was a good question.

Q. I was wondering about your book on Dicey. It sounds interesting to get but I am wondering if it is all true or part fiction. I know when people say Dicey met Thomas Springfield I doubt that as the two volumes of the Springfield Family indicate to me that Dicey knew Thomas from birth most likely.

A. Thank you for your interest in my novel about Dicey. I stayed as true to the stories that we have of her as I could and then fictionalized the rest in a way that seemed logical and plausible. I think whether Dicey knew Thomas that closely before the gun incident is a matter of opinion. The stories handed down seem to indicate that she was not familiar with him. The Springfield family books (which I have a copy of) seem to assume there was an earlier connection since Solomon Langston (Dicey’s father) was one of the jurors on the investigation of Thomas’ father’s death.

If memory serves, the Springfield volumes assume that since Thomas was an orphan, the Langstons somehow raised him, but there were 11 other jurors in that investigation and other townspeople who could have taken him in. I think it’s more of a leap to assume the Langstons raised him than it is to assume the gun story passed down about how Dicey and Thomas met is true.

There really is no indication that I could find that shows an ongoing interaction between Thomas and the Springfield’s after the time Thomas was 3 years old.

When writing the book, I worked off the assumption that a) the historical record of the jurors is accurate AND b) the story of how Dicey and Thomas met is accurate as well…

I bring in the Solomon Langston – Thomas Springfield Sr. connection in my book, but I do it in a way that stays true to the story that has been passed down about how Dicey and Thomas met. There’s no way to make the book 100% accurate, of course, because we don’t have those details. Whenever I write historical fiction I do my very best to stay as true to the stories, history, and personalities as I possibly can. Rather than assume one account is inaccurate and another accurate, I usually try to find a way to incorporate both in a plausible cohesive story. This is a typical example of one of those incidences.

The funnest part about writing this book (besides researching and getting to know this great heroine) is getting to know her descendants. So many people email me and tell me how they are connected to Dicey and Thomas. And so I’m opening this discussion thread for Dicey Langston descendants and relatives. Please chime in and tell us how you relate to Dicey and what her story means to you.