Richardson Moses Bowen Taft Geddings lived a life filled with tragedy and prosperity
Mary Richardson Moses (Nee) Bowen is listed as purchasing Hillsboro (also seen spelled as Hillsborough) in February of 1880. Her husband of two years, Christopher Columbus Bowen, passed away in June of that same year. In July of 1880 an article ran in The New York Times reviewing confusion in the ownership and disposition of his property. Among the sites listed was 166 acres in St. Andrew’s Parish valued at $100. Nothing more is noted about the exact location of these 166 acres. The information creates a mystery. Delve into his obituary: “Death of Sheriff Bowen — A Strange and Chequered Career Ended at Last” and one could go further and write a sensational story.
However, the story here is really about Mary.
What happened next? Well, Mary was pregnant at the time of Bowen’s death and gave birth to Christine on Aug. 2, 1880. One year later to the day, Mary Richardson Moses Bowen married William Nelson Taft. He was a Postmaster when she married him and held the title of General in the National Guard, prior he had held the title of Colonel of the 1st regiment of colored troops and held a law degree that he used to assist a clientele of mainly “colored people.”
According to census records, General Taft had been a lodger in the Bowen home at 75 Rutledge Ave. at the time of Bowen’s death. It is also reported that Taft was with C.C. Bowen at the time of his death. Seven weeks after the wedding, one-year-old Christine died on Sept. 25, 1881. Mary’s only other child with Bowen had also died in infancy three years earlier in 1878. William and Mary Taft’s only daughter, Harriet, was born in May of 1882. She suffered from epilepsy and died in an institution in 1923. William Taft died June 21, 1889 and his only other child with Mary, William N. Taft Jr., was born two months after Taft’s death on Aug. 23, 1889.
If one explores the numerous references to Maryville, the Village of Maryville, Ashley, and Hillsboro in the newspapers, plats of property, and deeds during this time of Mary’s life, which is obviously filled with one personal tragedy after another, the narrative can suggest that C. C. Bowen and then William Taft owned the property. However, careful examination reveals Mary as the owner. Taft would have been her heir, but there is no transaction found to date that shows her deeding this large and valuable tract to her husband and Taft preceded her in death. One can surmise, however, that they were simpatico in thought. Mary’s father, Franklin J. Moses, had been Governor of South Carolina and sympathized with the African-American population of the state. Thus Mary and her husband saw the land as an opportunity for African-American ownership and Taft used his gender to assist in a development strategy for the “new suburbs” in St. Andrew’s Parish.
The ads announcing the sale of lots indicated to contact William Taft, but never referenced him as the owner. However, there were many references to his ownership in newspaper articles, a possible assumption of journalistic license due to male-dominance in business and land ownership. However, a “Special Notice” that ran in the Aug. 7, 1889 edition of The News & Courier lists Mary R. Taft as the “Owner.” In addition, deeds and conveyances listed Mary R. Taft as the “Grantor.”
The circle of influence around the land and the Town of Maryville is small. William Taft had a relationship with Hawkins Jenkins, the representative for Berkeley County in the S.C. House of Representatives who introduced the act to incorporate the Town of Maryville in December of 1888.
Mary went on to marry Dr. Henry Downes Geddings in 1891. The circumstances that led to their meeting are unknown. By the time of their marriage, Dr. Geddings was an assistant surgeon with the U.S. Public Health Service. The medical experience gained by managing Yellow Fever epidemics provided him international acclaim. In 1897 he attended the 12th International Congress in Moscow. One can conclude that Mary accompanied him as she made a passport application in 1897 at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, Germany for travel to Russia. She lists her permanent residence as Washington, D.C. and used her husband’s passport as proof of her identity. Her residence is also confirmed with the 1900 census. Dr. Geddings, Mary, and Mary’s son William Taft, Jr. were recorded as living in Washington D.C.
Doctor Henry Downes Geddings died in 1913 from a cerebral hemorrhage. Shortly after his death President Wilson provided an opportunity for Mary to enter civil service without the required exams or formalities. The presidential decision was based on the distinguished service of Dr. Geddings “in matters relating to sanitation and public health”.
Mary Richardson Moses Bowen Taft Geddings died in 1927. Up until the time of her death, real estate transactions in St. Andrew’s Parish bore her name. Now for one last mystery, who were her heirs? Her only surviving child, William N. Taft Jr., died by his own hand in 1932 leaving a wife and four children. However, as late as 1974, public notices of court proceedings were published trying to resolve this question.
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