City Directories and History:
Other sources: Charleston Tax Payers of Charleston, SC in 1860-61, Dwelling Houses of Charleston by Alice R.H. Smith – 1917, Charleston 1861 Census Schedule, and a 1872 Bird’s Eye View of Charleston, S.C. The Hist. Charleston Foundation may also have additional data at: Past Perfect
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The property upon which 47 Cannon Street was built was one of several parcels owned by Daniel Cannon, a successful lumber merchant and mill owner. Lot 13 (outlined below in red below) of Mr. Cannon’s enormous holdings was 108 feet on Cannon St. and 265 feet on Coming St. Over time, it has been repeatedly divided, giving rise to several properties on both Cannon and Coming Streets. The property that would become 47 Cannon Street was the northwest corner of the original Lot 13. Mr. Cannon leased Lot 13 at the southwest corner of Cannon and Coming Streets to Daniel Singleton on March 27, 1793, and took a mortgage back from him, using the lot as security.[1] Before anything was ever built, Lot 13 was advertised for sale by Sheriff John Hart in July 1795 to satisfy the mortgage owed by Mr. Singleton (by then deceased).[2]
Ownership of the land between 1795 and 1834 has not been confirmed. However, on May 12, 1834, John Joseph Lafar[3] contracted to buy Lot 13 for $1600 and made an initial payment of $533.33.[4] The deed, recorded on January 16, 1835, referred to a “house and buildings” on the land, but no specifications were given. It seems unlikely that the reference was to the existing house at 47 Cannon Street. The position of 47 Cannon St., relative to the large lot that was being sold, would have been very odd; most Charleston single houses would have been built at the corner of a property. Today, the house is upon its lot’s eastern property line, but the house would have been nearly in the center of the Cannon Street frontage at the time.
Title to the land that Mr. Lafar was buying had passed upon the death of Mary Moore Winchester (nee Mulligan) to Martha Ann Winchester, Joseph Riggs, Mary Riggs (Joseph’s wife), and Martha Ann Parker. But, because one of the sellers, Martha Ann Winchester, was a minor, conveying title was impossible. Eventually, a court ordered the property conveyed to Mr. Lafar upon his paying the remaining $1066, and the transfer was finally recorded on October 30, 1840.[5]
Mr. Lafar was the first owner to subdivide the land. On October 9, 1846, he sold the northern 166 feet (outlined below in orange) to Joseph Lamble, a French immigrant who worked as a finisher and served as a captain in the French Volunteers (a South Carolina militia unit),[6] for $2200 with a deed that referred to buildings on the property.[7] Again, the increase in price from $1600 in 1834 (for all of Lot 13) to $2200 in 1846 (for only about 60% of Lot 13) suggests that Mr. Lafar might have built on the northern part of his property during his 1840-1846 ownership. But, even if he did, the reference might have been meant to describe 43 Cannon Street; that corner commercial building certainly existed by 1850 (and perhaps earlier) when a newspaper notice mentioned an application to operate a tavern by Mr. L.M. Peper at the corner.
Although pinpointing a date of construction for 47 Cannon is perhaps impossible, the two-story house existed at least by 1852 based on tax records. The fact that Mr. Lamble himself lived around the corner in an unspecified house on Coming Street in 1851 but that a fine house existed at 47 Cannon Street at least by 1852 perhaps suggests that Mr. Lamble added the house in 1851. No sources indicate whether Mr. Lamble relocated to Cannon Street between 1851 and the time that he sold the parcel with the house in 1857.
In April 1857, Mr. Lamble continued the subdivision of the original Cannon tract when he conveyed a 71 by 49 foot property (the land that would become both 45 and 47 Cannon St., outlined in yellow below) with improvements to widow Mary N. Kirk for $2900. That price is consistent with a fine house’s already having been added to the otherwise relatively small lot. Because Ms. Kirk was not the absolute owner until she paid the full purchase price to Mr. Lamble, the deed included a few special terms: The tenant of the corner building at 43 Cannon St., L.M. Peper, was allowed to use the privy and the well on Ms. Kirk’s property.
Ms. Kirk did not stay current on the payments and returned the property in April 1858.[8] Upon reclaiming the house, Mr. Lamble seems to have occupied the house himself starting in at least 1859.
Mr. Lamble sold the property to Susan E. Cleapor[9] on January 17, 1874, for $1800.[10] Mrs. Cleapor died in 1876, but her widowed husband, Philip Cleapor,[11] an agent of the Northeastern Railroad, continued to occupy the house until selling the house and moving to Summerville.
Eliza E. Knee bought the property on March 9, 1887, for $2050.[12] Henry and Eliza Knee lived at 110 Rutledge Ave., and they apparently rented out the house on Cannon Street.[13] Eliza Knee died about 1895-96, and her estate sold the 71 by 69 foot property to Edward W.G. Kugley for $1600 on September 30, 1897.[14]
Not long after the sale to Mr. Kugley, the narrow building at 45 Cannon Street (the property for which was still united) appeared for the first time, indicating that Mr. Kugley was responsible for constructing the structure to the east, which was used as a rental property with Mr. E.S. Wood occupying the small building for more than twenty years. Meanwhile, railroad carpenter Edward W.G. Kugley[15] occupied the main house at 47 Cannon Street along with his wife, Gertrude, and other members of his family.[16]
Mr. Kugley sold the property, including both 45 and 47 Cannon Street, to Carolina E. Stevens on March 4, 1919.[17] Ms. Stevens was responsible for the final subdivision of the properties that would become 45 and 47 Cannon Street. On January 22, 1920, she sold off the 50 by 50 foot property that includes 47 Cannon Street (outlined in blue) to Charles E. Franks.[18] On the same day, she sold off the adjacent building with 21 feet of frontage on Cannon Street (45 Cannon Street) to Ida B. Kroeg.[19]
Although railroad car inspector Mr. Franks lived in part of his house, a collection of short-term occupants was also listed at the house, indicating that Mr. Franks subdivided his house into smaller apartments.[20] The estate of Mr. Franks sold 47 Cannon St. at a public auction to Hazel St. J. Hollings on July 14, 1931, for $3000; the sale was recorded on November 14, 1931.[21]
Ms. Hollings died on September 20, 1940, and left her brother, Edward B. Holings, as her only heir. On October 31, 1945, he died too, leaving as his heirs an aunt and several cousins. They sold the house for $4500 to Dr. J. Irvine Hoffman on September 24, 1946.[22] The house was received by Joseph I. Hoffman, Jr. in 1989[23] from the estate of his father. The house was used as a rental property throughout the ownership of Ms. Hollings, Dr. Hoffman, and Mr. Hoffman.[24]
Johnny E. and Centuria S. Watson bought it on May 21, 1992.[25]
Kari M. Alford and Maren C. Alford bought it on December 29, 1995, for $84,500.[26] Maren C. Alford bought Kari’s share for $10,000 and the assumption of the mortgage on December 31, 1997.[27] Just a few days later, on January 13, 1998, he sold the house to Cannonball Investments, LLC for $112,500.[28] There were no returns for the address in city directories for 1992 to 1996, but in the late 1990s, the house appears to have been rented out.[29]
Cal J. Matthews, III; Sheryl Matthews; and John A. Liberatos bought the house from Cannonball Investments, LLC on January 8, 2003, for the assumption of a mortgage with a balance of about $149,000.[30] During their ownership, Willis Russell occupied the house. The three owners sold the house to Daniel Hodge, Jr. on September 1, 2004, for $290,000.[31]
What followed was a series of ping ponging transfers between 2004 and 2009 with the property eventually ending up with 47 Cannon Street, LLC.[32] That business sold it to Michael John Quinn and Emily Anne Matles on May 24, 2013, for $440,000.[33] After their purchase, Ms. Matles has occupied the house along with apparent renters.[34]
Regardless of when it was built, the house is a fine example of a Charleston single house. The two-and-one-half story house is a slightly larger version of similar houses being built in the neighborhood in the mid-19th century, but not quite so large as others. The house features a two-story piazza, six-over-six windows, and attic dormers overlooking the side yard.
Lot 13 of Daniel Cannon’s property has been subdivided repeatedly as shown with the colored lines.
[1] Deed book H6, 481 (lease); deed book H6, page 482 (mortgage)
[2] Charleston Courier, July 30, 1795, at 4
[3] (b. 1784; d. Jan. 30, 1849)
[4] Deed book G10, page 490
[5] Deed book C11, page 457
[6] (b. abt. 1820 in France, m. Pauline; emp. as molder; d. Sept. 20, 1880)
[7] Deed book Q7, page 87
[8] Deed book T13, page 166; deed book W13, page 465
[9] (b. Oct. 10, 1844; d. Feb. 1, 1876)
[10] Deed book N16, page 238
[11] (b. May 1, 1836; d. Apr. 25, 1888)
[12] Deed book G19, page 286
[13] Occupants included Nora Strohecker (1886-87), Andrew Swingman (1888), Carrie Johnston (1889), George J. Veronee (1890-91), C.W. McCaffer (1892), and Henry A. Meyer (1895-96).
[14] Deed book C23, page 140
[15] (b. June 5, 1856; d. Jan. 22, 1927)
[16] (b. Feb. 5, 1893)
[17] Deed book T28, page 287
[18] Deed book S29, page 162
[19] Deed book S29, page 160
[20] Residents included John and Anna Porter (1922), J. William and Elizabeth Stevens (1924), Charles Kolb (1925-28), Leila Skinner (1927-28), and Harry Brown (1932).
[21] Deed book H34, page 209
[22] Deed book C47, page 143
[23] Will book 88E, page 1006
[24] Residents included Lester Carson (1932), Otis Livingston (1934), Mrs. Geraldine Raley (1934), James Mikell (1938-48) Julius and Clarence Ford (1955-61); Mrs. Hester Deas (1968-86); Ethel Leach (1971-81); Oscar C. Leach, Jr. (1982-91); Joyce T. Spruill (1979); William Deas (1988-91); and Hester D. Campbell (1988-91). The house consistently had two united listed during the first years with a third year added in the late 1970s.
[25] Deed book C214, page 660
[26] Deed book T263, page 334
[27] Deed book X273, page 139
[28] Deed book T295, page 262
[29] Occupants included Tanya L. Perkins (1997); Jay Couch (1997); Jessica Garner (1997-98), Jenny Cummings (1999), Kim Cummings (1998-99), and Jennifer Dyer (1999-2000).
[30] Deed book G432, page 237
[31] Deed book T475, page 741
[32] Daniel Hodge, Jr. conveyed a one-half interest in the house to Lindsay Nevin on September 1, 2004, for the assumption of a mortgage with a balance of $275,500. (Deed book X510, page 394) Daniel Hodge, Jr. and Lindsay Nevin sold it to 47 Cannon Street, LLC on April 4, 2005, for the assumption of a mortgage with a balance of $275,500. (Deed book X510, page 399) The company immediately conveyed it back to just Daniel Hodges, Jr. for the assumption of a mortgage with a balance of $275,000 on April 4, 2005. (Deed book M532, page 1) Mr. Hodges, Jr. sold it back to 47 Cannon Street LLC on March 13, 2009, for the assumption of an existing mortgage with a balance of $357,000. (Deed book 0041, page 915) There were no returns for the period, and the use of the house is unknown.
[33] Deed book 0333, page 909
[34] Renters included Graham Solomons (2013-15), Sam Crickenberger (2014-16), and Kelley Glover (2015).
Written and submitted to R&R.com by Kevin Eberle – 2017
Stay Connected
Explore history, houses, and stories across S.C. Your membership provides you with updates on regional topics, information on historic research, preservation, and monthly feature articles. But remember R&R wants to hear from you and assist in preserving your own family genealogy and memorabilia.
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