Leonce Vaughan Sr ... 30 March 1860 – 24 February 1933

Leonce Vaughan (Sr.) was born in Darlington County SC, the third of nine children to Elias Henry Vaughan (1827-1881) and Elizabeth Holloman Vaughan ( 1833-1904).  Just 54 weeks later and 95 miles to the south east, the first shot of the Civil War was fired upon Fort Sumter in the Charleston Harbor changing forever the future of the United States. 

Trinity College (now Duke University) and a business college in Atlanta, GA. In 1888, he moved to Hartsville, SC taking a position as a bookkeeper and clerk for the J.L. Coker & Company, a business owned by Major James Lide Coker, a Civil War veteran and hero. Major Coker founded the Carolina Fiber Company, which later became Southern Novelty Company whose name was later shortened to Sonoco Products. Today Sonoco Products Co Inc employees over 22,000 people worldwide. 

Julia E Coker, the eleventh of 17 children (no, that's not a mistake) of Josiah McLendon Coker (1819-1892) and Ann Elizabeth Strother (1824-1886) in 1988.  The date of their marriage is uncertain. 

The first of their four children was born, Edith Vaughan (1890-1988), then Lucille Coker Vaughan (1892-1973), Charles Leonce Vaughan Jr (1894-Infant death), and Leonce Vaughan Jr. (1898-1963) 

Leonce and Julia purchased the plot of land at 408 East Home Ave from Major Coker (who  happened to be Julia's first cousin) and in 1901 completed construction of their new 2,300 ft2 home.

Leonce was one of the founding organizers of the Bank of Hartsville, initially serving as it's cashier. He was elected President in 1909 and served in this position for 23 years until 1932. The Bank of Hartsville was one of the few banks to survive the Great Depression. In 1932, he was aslo elected  Chairman of the bank's Board of Directors. He was also the founder of the Trust Company of SC and was made it's Vice President and Trust Officer. He was President of the Standard Building and Loan Association and held directorships in all three of the financial institutions in which he was associated.

Moved their house approximately 400 feet (Don't ask me how they did that in 1908) to the back of their lot fronting Calhoun St. They lived there during the construction of their new, ultra modern and magnificently built 3,400 ft2, 5 bedroom home at the 408 E Home Ave address. The new house was completed in 1910 and Leonce (age 55) Julia (age 56) and daughter Lucille (age 18) moved in to the expertly crafted home. 

Leonce died of heart failure and his wife Julia lived in the house with her daughter Lucille until her death in 1934 leaving Lucille as the sole occupant. In 1935 a new "Jack and Jill" bathroom was built between two bedrooms lending to the idea that Lucille may have had boarders occupying some or all of the upstairs bedrooms. Lucille was well known and loved by the Hartsville community and even to this day is survived by her many students who speak fondly of her skills as a pianist and teacher. The house contained boxes of sheet music from all around the world in many languages. Lucille passed on the 4th of November, 1973. 

Leonce's skills as a banker became available to the US government during WWI and he proved an effective worker in war loan drives and other wartime campaigns. He was a staunch Democrat and an admirer of the Late President Woodrow Wilson. The church was prominent among his list of loyalties, his parish having been the First Baptist Church of Hartsville where he lies in perpetual internment. He served for many years as Deacon, taught Sunday School, and was a member of the finance and building committees. Leonce's salient qualities were fairness, inflexible honesty, courtesy to all and a unvarying good humor. These qualities endeared him to all who knew him. ,

To Leslie Vaughan Wilson the great-granddaughter of Mr Vaughan for providing some of the aforementioned history.