SUBMITTED BY: Steve Bailey
I was told by my cousin Emma Gathings Goodwin years ago that our ancestor Charles Gathings died in the early 1860’s when he was about 70 years old. When Sherman’s Army marched through Anson County during the time period of March 3rd through the 5th in the year 1865, some of the soldiers invaded the Gathings home & plundered though the house & took Charles Gathings hat that was hanging on a nail on the wall. The widow of Charles Gathings begged the soldiers to stop plundering through the house [but they] would not listen to her. Then one of the soldiers found a Masonic apron in a trunk that belonged to Charles Gathings & the soldiers stopped searching the house. Many of the northern soldiers were Masons & respected anyone who was a Mason & all the soldiers left the house.