Lecque family papers

Liberty Hill and St. Peter's African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E) Church

The Lecque family was one of the founding families of the Liberty Hill community, located in the area that is now called North Charleston, South Carolina. The community was established by Freedmen in 1864 (or 1867) along the railroad tracks to Mixon Avenue and along Montague Avenue. Liberty Hill was one of three communities established by Freemen in the North Area, the others were Petigrue, named after the Unionist attorney and the third was Lincoln Village, developed by the Pastor of the Emmanuel A.M.E. Church.

In 1871, William Lecque along with three other African American men (Ismael Grant, Aaron Middleton, and Plenty Lecque (William's brother)) established the oldest church in the area, St. Peter's African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church. According to Ruth Cupp's research, church members previously worshiped in a tent in the Turnbull community, which is now the northern part of the Navy Base. The men purchased the 110 acres of land for $900 from Paul and Harriet Trescot and built the church on the property. William's son Elijah Lecque was the first of four generations (Abraham, Arnold Sr., Arnold Jr., and James) to pursue brickmasonery as a profession. The people of Liberty Hill mostly worked as farmers, but they also worked as shop owners and barbers.

In 2002, the City of North Charleston and the North Charleston Heritage Corridor erected a historical marker noting the significance of the town.

Lecque Family Background

Below is some information about a few of the known Lecque family members (Note: this should not be seen as an exhaustive compilation) (the dates and family connections were compiled from U.S. Census and death records through ( http://www.ancestry.com/home/lo/index?version=d)

William Lecque (1822-?) was married to Minny Lecque and not only helped to build St. Peter's African Methodist Episcopal Church, but also worked as a farmer. William and Minny raised three children, Elijah (1868-1939), who became a brickmason; Ishmael; and Season.

Elijah married Minnie Johnson Lecque (Leque) (1878-1920) and they had five children Abram (1898-?), Rosa, Beulah, Augusta (1902-?), and Christina (1904-?). Abram Lecque married Anna Liza Scott Lecque (1895-1982), together they had two children Arnold William Lecque, Sr. (1914-1990); and James Alonzo Lecque (1915/1919-1948), married Beatrice Lecque and worked as a truck driver. Abram was a brickmason and helped to build the Navy Yard, West Virgina Pulp and Paper Co., and the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina.

Arnold William Lecque, Sr., married Wilhemena Beatrice Jordan Lecque (1914-1982), they raised four children Arnold William Lecque, Jr. (1941-1998), James E. Lecque (1944-?), Carolyn E. Lecque Collins, who married Eugene Collins, Jr., and Sylvia Lecque Stoney (?-2004), who married Raymond Stoney. Arnold W. Lecque, Sr., worked as a bricklayer and served as president of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen, No. 1 South Carolina and was appointed to numerous commissions including the North Charleston Public Service Commission, the Tri-County Hospital Commission, and the Tri-County Police Planning Commission. He also served as a delegate to three Democratic national conventions. In 1945, he was commissioned to brick the St. Peter's A.M.E. Church in Liberty Hill. Arnold Lecque Sr., was a part of a generation of brickmasons that included Thomas E. Garris, Bill Sanders, Charles Missell, C.P. Ford, and Coleman Jacques.

Carolyn Lecque Collins and her brother, the late Arnold William Lecque, Jr., opened up the Golden Dream Motel, which was built by their father, the late Arnold William Lecque, Sr., who repurposed Navy housing to create the motel.

The 1880 United States Census lists Plenty Lecque/Leque (1843-?) as married to Dolly Leque (1845-?) and working as a farm laborer. He was William's brother and in official documents he spells his name without the "c." Plenty and Dolly raised four children, Francas Leque, who became a farm laborer like his father; Rosa Leque (1871-?); Henry Leque (1876-?); and Mary Jane Leque (1878-?). The U.S. Census of 1900 lists a Plenty Lequex (1837-?) residing in St. James Goose Creek Township and married to Jennie Lequex (1865-?) with five children: Anna Maria Lequex (1887-?), Elizabeth Lequex (1889-?), Ella Nora Lequex (1892-?), William Lequex (1894-?), and Willima Lequex (1896-?). ( https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M3RZ-VMJ) It is unclear if Plenty Lecque/Leque and Plenty Lequex are the same individual, however, Census records with both names do not overlap.