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Greenville, SC – The South Carolina Society Sons of the American Revolution and the Friends and Family of Dicey Langston will honor the memory of this Revolutionary War Heroine by rededicating the cemetery where she and nearly 50 other family members are buried on Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 11:00 AM. The Springfield-Langston Cemetery is located at 213 Bridwell Way, Travelers Rest, SC.

Over the course of the summer, approximately 40 descendants, friends, and members of the Sons of the American Revolution have labored to clear, clean and protect this historic cemetery. Monetary donations toward the project have been received from as far away as Arizona, Oklahoma, and Florida.

This project is not the first time that Dicey Langston’s gravesite has been honored. In October of 1907, members of the Nathaneal Greene DAR chapter placed the original marker on the gravesite which remains to this day.

Laodicia Langston, better known as Daring Dicey, was born in 1766 and was raised in Laurens County. During the Revolution, her family was staunchly patriotic even though the majority of their neighbors were primarily loyalists.

During the Revolution, Dicey was most famously credited with saving the life of her brother James and his company by traveling four miles during the night from her house to the settlement of Little Eden to warn him of an attack by “Bloody Bill” Cunningham and his group of loyalists. During this trek, she had to cross a rain swollen river (either the Enoree or the Tyger) without the aid of riding a horse or a lantern.

The re-dedication ceremony will begin with the presentation of the national and revolutionary colors by a color guard in Revolutionary War uniforms. After the presentation of colors, a biography will be read and special presentations will be made. A litany will be performed and a new flag will be raised. The ceremony will conclude with a presentation of wreaths and a musket volley.

Additional information on the South Carolina Society can be found at the Society’s website www.scssar.org or by contacting State Secretary Mark C Anthony at 864-255-7442 or manthony.psy90@gtalumni.org.

Additional summary information is provided below.

Further questions on this event or requests for interviews should be directed to Mark C Anthony at 864-255-7442 or manthony.psy90@gtalumni.org.
Laodicia “Daring Dicey Langston

Laodicia Langston was born 14 May 1766 and was raised on the farm of her father Solomon Langston which was located eleven miles northeast of present day Laurens, South Carolina. During the Revolution, her family was staunchly patriotic even though the majority of their neighbors were primarily loyalists.

During the Revolution, Dicey earned the nickname “Daring Dicey” due to her serving as a courier of information and a “spy.” Her spying activities were due to the fact that many loyalists did not consider a young girl as a threat and thus she could overhear many conversations.

She is credited with saving the life of her brother James and his company by traveling four miles during the night from her house to the settlement of Little Eden to warn him of an attack by “Bloody Bill” Cunningham and his group of loyalists. During this trek, she had to cross a rain swollen river (either the Enoree or the Tyger) without the aid of riding a horse or a lantern.

Later in the Revolution, she was credited with saving the life of her father by stepping between the leveled barrels of a pistol held by a loyalist. Her bravery shamed the loyalists into leaving the house. Demonstrating their humanity, Dickey’s father later sent her to warn loyalist neighbors who were good friends and fellow church members of the Langston family of an impending attack by a rouge patriot band.

Following the Revolution, she married Thomas Springfield on January 9, 1783. After having given birth to ten children the Springfield family relocated to land awarded to Thomas Springfield in the Travelers Rest area for his service in the Revolution. They settled this land in 1793. Thereafter, she gave birth to another twelve children for a total of twenty-two.

Her passing on 23 May 1837 was eulogized in the Greenville Mountaineer which referenced her children and 140 grandchildren.

*Material for this summary was taken from various sources including The Patriot Wore Petticoats by Marne Pehrson, www.diceylangston.com, and sources available in the Greenville County Library’s South Carolina Room.