City Directories and History: The Ashe Home in McConnells
The Ashe family members were among the early settlers in the territory in north central South Carolina. John Jackson Ashe (March 6, 1824-February 14, 1878), son of James and Margaret Ashe and grandson of Ann (possibly Mary Ann) and Robert Ashe, married Sarah Jane Rainey (June 26, 1827-December 4, 1892), daughter of John and Nancy S. Rainey of Sharon. They built their home on family land in 1873 near where an old Ashe home once stood facing a road, the forerunner of Highway 321, which meandered through the area farms in and around McConnells. The home was built during one of the most difficult periods of Reconstruction when the radical Republican state government was raising taxes on land, the state militia was destroying farm buildings and harassing local farmers, and money was scarce. Fortunately, there were
family members and neighbors who willingly assisted with the construction. The Ashe home is a two story wooden structure that has plaster walls in the formal rooms and smooth wooden lathe walls in the less formal spaces; it has fireplaces with interior chimneys, a curved staircase, and downstairs ceilings that are 12 feet high. Despite the dire conditions of Reconstruction, John J. Ashe was a prosperous farmer whose family owned much of the land along Highway 321 between Lowrys and McConnells. He died in an accident while cutting timber within only a few years of construction of his new home, and his wife continued to live in the home until her death.
John Jackson Ashe (March 6, 1824-February 14, 1878) and Sarah Jane Rainey (June 26, 1827-December 4, 1892) had six children who survived to adulthood. Their children were:
- Infant June 10, 1853-July 3, 1853
- James Calvin Ashe (November 2, 1854-August 13, 1896) married on November 15, 1877 (one source indicates November 26) Elizabeth (Liza) Inman (March 25, 1854-November 18, 1914) and lived in the home after his mother’s death.
- John Rainey Ashe (August 15, 1856-March 18, 1893) married Georgia Anne Jeffreys (September 19, 1851-September 27, 1885?) then Sarah Cyples Niles (February 14, 1872-March 18, 1901) and lived on East Liberty Street in York.
- Margaret (Maggie) Agnes Ashe (May 18, 1859-June 27, 1909) married on November 15, 1877 (same wedding date as the one listed for her brother James Calvin Ashe) William Augustus Anderson (August 7, 1851-November 2, 1915) son of Dr. Augustus Frazier Anderson (September 26, 1818-November 1, 1909) and Violet Allison Jackson Anderson (1822-December 3, 1887) daughter of John Jackson (1772-27 Mar 1847) and Catherine Porter Barry and granddaughter of David (1745-May 15, 1818) and Mary Morrison Jackson (1749-25 May 1830 in Bethel).
- William Newton Ashe (October 16, 1861-February 11, 1932) married Edna Kathleen Love (August 2, 1879-1911) who died in childbirth. He owned and operated Ashe Brick Company, which was founded in McConnells and housed in the brick building (Gin) once located on Church Street before being moved to Van Wyck due to the greater availability of clay.
- Twin Babies April 12, 1865
- Sarah Jane Adeline (Addie) Ashe (August 16, 1866-) married James Moore Williams (November 21, 1857-September 26, 1915) and lived in McConnells.
- Mary Elizabeth (Lizzie) Ashe (April 25, 1869-) married Joseph Marion Moore (October 7, 1868-January 22, 1949) and moved to Van Wyck.
Members of this family built several homes along the Ridge Road (Hwy 321) from McConnells and Lowrys. Maggie Ashe and William Anderson built their two story home on Highway 321 just north of Lowrys in Chester County, Addie and J. M. Williams lived within the town limits of McConnells on Hwy 321 on the northern side of town. John Jackson Ashe’s brother, William Newton Ashe, also built his home on Highway 321, which later belonged to Robert Harshaw. Frank Ashe also owned the farm beside W N’s and built a one story home with Victorian trim facing Church Street aka W. McConnells Hwy in McConnells.
The Ashe home has remained in the family for several generations. After Sarah Rainey Ashe’s death, her son James Calvin Ashe, his wife, and family lived in the home. His children were: J Luther Ashe of Rock Hill, Massey Ashe Harshaw of McConnells, William Elias Ashe, Ina Inman Ashe, Estelle Ashe Wilson, and Ruth Ashe Lever who inherited the farm and home. Ina Elizabeth Lever Frame and her husband Ralph inherited the home from her parents and lived there until her death.
Information researched and contributed by Agnes Love, 12.21.18
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