Corinne Elliott Lawton died on January 24th, 1877. The lore surrounding her tells the story of a young woman who fell in love with a man below her station in society – a man her family could not accept. Refusing to give their blessing, her family forced her to marry a wealthy man she did not love.
One her wedding day, the story goes, dressed in her gown, she took her father’s best horse to the shore of the Savannah river and drowned herself rather than marry the man her family chose.
Her family relegated her tomb to the corner of the family plot, with her back turned to the statue of Jesus, as a way of shunning her.
This is the story the tour guides tell the tourists who visit the famous Bonaventure Cemetery. It's not true.
The truth is Corrine died of either pneumonia or of Yellow Fever, which had killed so many in Savannah the previous year. The consensus is Yellow Fever. Although it was January when she died, and cold weather kills off the mosquitoes, they will repopulate here year round if we have a warm winter. Her mother's dairy indicates both as a possible source.
As further refutation, Corinne was 30 years of age and still single. In an era of young marriages, it doesn't seem to have been her first priority. She was reportedly a very bright and Christian young lady. No announcements of either engagement or marriage banns can be found in the local paper. This was very high society in Savannah, and would have had a full page spread in the society/wedding pages.
More relevant is the fact she was first buried in Laurel Grove Cemetery. The sculptured Italian marble statue/monument was moved from there, along with her remains, to Bonaventure after the death of her parents in the 1890s. The statue of Jesus at the Gate was commissioned by her parents and placed in the early 1890s.
Those are all the known facts. A conspiracy can be made from them, certainly. At the most, it is a 139 year old salacious bit of gossip, passed along recently for the sake of the almighty tourist dollar.
Camera Info: Nikon D750, HH
Lens: VR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G
Focal Length: 28mm
Focus Mode: AF-S
AF-Area Mode: Wide Area
VR: ON
Aperture: f/3.5
Shutter Speed: 1/2000s
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: -0.7EV
Metering: Matrix
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 400
83% of full frame
PP in LRCC 2015, PSCC 2015, NIK Silver Efex Pro
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