LUCAS, Charles Daniel - May 23, 1780 ~ "Donated by descendants of Mary Matilda RAINWATER and Amasa TRIMM"

LUCAS, Charles Daniel - June 30, 1771 - May 31, 1853 ~ (newer marker with correct dates) 

An Excursion into History....

On April 9, 2011, Glenda NORRIS, a descendant of James Grantson and Cornelius HOLLIMAN families, led fifteen of her distant cousins through the cemeteries of her many great grandparents to share their stories.  She would be the first to tell you that she stands on the shoulders of her grandfather, Cecil Rhodes HOLLIMAN, and his son, her uncle, Dr. Rhodes HOLLIMAN.  The research about to be shared comes from their hands and also of the late Walt HOLLIMAN, a descendant of James Grantson and Charles HOLLIMAN, his son.

Glenda Norris reports:

The first stop of the tour was Charles Daniel LUCAS, Jr. burial site.  It was unseasonably hot for April (92f) even for the Deep South.  But that didn’t slow anyone down.  Everyone was more than willing to take a short "hike" into the woods, up a small hill and then a left turn into the forest to view the "old Indian burial ground" where Charles Daniel LUCAS, Jr. gravesite is located.

Charles Daniel LUCAS, Jr. was the son of Charles Daniel LUCAS, Sr. and "Dorcas" (no last name has been found).  It is believed that the mother of Charles Daniel LUCAS, Jr. could be a Catawba Indian from the Pee Dee River area in Marlboro County, South Carolina.  She was only 13 years old when she married Charles Daniel LUCAS, Sr., a tailor.  Their son, Charles Jr., was born on June 30, 1771 and died May 31, 1853.

Charles Daniel LUCAS, Jr. was a traveler and migrated from South Carolina to Alabama before the HOLLIMAN brothers.  His first homestead was in Marengo County, Alabama where he purchased 80 acres on October 20, 1823 and then 80 more the next spring.  Two years later, he established a homestead in Fayette County, and still ambitious, 40 acres on October 16, 1834 in Tuscaloosa County.  The Fayette and Tuscaloosa properties were connected, almost touching Highway 171 on its east side.

An early deacon at the Springhill Church in Tuscaloosa County, he and Cornelius HOLLIMAN, a son-in-law, are among the "founders" of this church.  Charles earned his living "stock dipping" and as a Creek Indian agent.  He claimed to be "black Dutch" at the time, a term that often obscured one's possible Indian ancestry.  He was a man of large stature (6'4" - 6'6") and had great strength.  A story has been passed down through generations that Charles Daniel killed a panther with his bare hands!

His burial site is in southern Fayette County, Newtonville area off of County Road 100 (Walnut Lane).  At one time this land belonged to Charles Daniel LUCAS and his home was not far from the burial site.  His grave is on a ridge line, over looking a ravine.  The site is an Indian burial ground as he chose to be buried with his friends.

Charles Daniel was married to Mary HASTEN (in some places spelled HASTINGS).  They had 10 children together.  Family historians suggest that Charles Daniel "over disciplined" one of his grandchildren.  It is reported that he struck the child with his cane.  This event and his temperament led to a family crisis.  His wife, Mary, and the rest of his children left him and moved to the Bluff community.  Due to this estrangement, Mary Hasten LUCAS was buried at the Springhill Cemetery, 20 or so miles north of this pioneer’s resting place.

When Charles Daniel LUCAS, Jr. was born, George III, was sovereign over the American colonies.  When Charles Jr. died Franklin PIERCE had just become president of the United States, a union on the verge of dissolving.

Source: Holliman Family History - reposted by permission

~ Photograph courtesy of Glenda Norris ~