Andrew Jackson's Lost Mother at CofC

Marker, at CofC

Ever noticed this gravestone near the Robert Scott Small building at College of Charleston? It's Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson's Gravestone and she is Andrew Jackson's Mother. The story of how her gravestone came to CofC was a mystery until now.


Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson was born in 1740 in Carrickfergus, Ireland. She later married Andrew Jackson (Husband) and had two children (Hugh and Robert) before they moved to America. They ran from Ireland because they were receiving religious persecution at the time. Sadly, three weeks after her husband's unexpected death, Andrew was born, so he did not even get to meet his father. 
She raised Andrew during her work as a housekeeper and a nurse; During the time of the Revolutionary War, Andrew wanted to battle the British and Elizabeth was the nurse for many of the wounded. Elizabeth's last words to her son were in "When Prose Becomes Poetry", so that he would remember to make something happy out of sorrow. Awhile after that, Elizabeth was tending many soldiers on a ship and caught cholera, which is a fever and she passed away. 

Memorial of Elizabeth H. Jackson

There was controversy about where she was actually buried; Mostly, she was buried on a hill with an unmarked grave. It was said that she was probably buried near "The Governor's Gate", which is now called Magnolia Cemetery. Her memorial is placed at Washington Park. 

Her grave marker was saved by a few townsfolk in 1967, placed at a not-so-friendly side of the town. Over the years, nature took over the marker and no one could really tell whose it was. So, Some Charleston Historians successfully moved it to the site where it is now, just before Ted Stern became president at College of Charleston.