Memoir of plantation childhood: Mrs. Kershaw's stories, the front steps, Dr. John Ancrum, Dr. Huger

Scanned page 14 of Book 2 — Scan of original. Open full size →

Kershaw helped her in many ways. He enjoyed hunting and paid us a visit every winter. He was good company and was one of the people Pa & I were glad to see come. Some times Mrs. Kershaw came too. She was a fussy — fat little lady. Always full of stories about Charleston “queers”. One was of the old gentleman — who would wear an old threadbare pair of pants. Until [they] were too short for him. His wife had begged him to stop wearing them but to no avail. One night she sewed a wide lace ruffle around the bottom of each pants leg. To her horror he put them on and wore them — lace ruffle and all — to his office.

The front steps were a wonderful place to sit in the sun on winter mornings — and Mauma Mim and her friends often used to sit there and talk. We could stay with them — as long as we were quiet. We loved to listen to Mrs. Kershaw — and Aunt Helen Porcher and cousin Annie Waring. Cousin Jane Waring was too austere and we were a little afraid of her.

Cousin Jane’s husband — Mr. Ancrum — was our family Dr. in Charleston. He brought us — Bob, Glencoe — I am sure of three — into the world. After his death Mr. Huger — who had been our grand-father FitzSimons['s] great friend —

AI Notes

Continuation of Amy FitzSimons’s plantation-childhood memoir. Mr. Kershaw came hunting each winter and was a great favorite — Pa and Amy were glad to see him come. Mrs. Kershaw sometimes came too: ‘a fussy, fat little lady, always full of stories about Charleston queers’ (period slang for eccentrics). Mrs. K. told the story of the old gentleman whose wife sewed a lace ruffle around his too-short threadbare trousers to shame him out of wearing them — and to her horror he put them on and wore them, ruffle and all, to his office. The front steps were a favorite place to sit in winter sun; Mauma Mim’s friends — Mrs. Kershaw, Aunt Helen Porcher, Cousin Annie Waring — gathered there, with the children allowed to listen as long as they kept quiet. Cousin Jane Waring was too austere and a little frightening. The page closes with the family doctors: Cousin Jane’s husband Dr. Ancrum was the family physician in Charleston (he ‘brought us — Bob, Glencoe — I am sure of three — into the world’); after his death Dr. Huger — a great friend of grandfather FitzSimons — took over. Dr. Ancrum is Dr. John L. Ancrum (m. Jane Lesesne Waring; see book-001 p384, p624, p628), who is recorded as the attendant at Amy’s own 1888 birth. Dr. Huger, the second family doctor, is almost certainly Dr. William Harleston Huger (1854–1906), longtime Charleston physician, who took over after Ancrum’s death. Bob and Glencoe in the text are children Ancrum delivered (siblings or cousins of Amy).