THE story of a Cornishman who emigrated to America in the 1880s and later left a lasting legacy in his community has come to light as part of a family history search.

Nicholas Tinman, who was born in Tywardreath in the second half of the 19th century, emigrated in the hope of living in “a land flowing with milk and honey”.

He went on to settle in South Carolina, where his great-grandson Richard Chalk now lives.

Richard, who is keen to discover more about his ancestors, has items relating to Nicholas. One is a picture of St Andrew’s Church in Tywardreath which his great-grandfather took with him when he set sail for America as a 23-year-old in 1881. Another is a newspaper interview with Nicholas from the late-1930s.

Richard has told the Rev Shona Hoad, the priest in charge at Tywardreath and Golant, of these artefacts as he tries to piece together more of his family’s story.

Much of Nicholas’s childhood centred around the church, his parents Nicholas and Susanna Tinman, who lived on North Street, being Anglicans. He was a young bellringer and there is a family tale that he left his name or initials on the bell tower.

Nicholas’s father died when he was only 11 years old, forcing the youngster to leave school and go to work in a quarry. There he learnt his trade, becoming an expert stonecutter.

He took his skills with him when he emigrated. After landing in Boston, he worked in Massachusetts for a few years before heading to South Carolina. There he continued to work as a stonecutter until, in 1914, he eyes partially failed.

He then turned his passion for gardening into a second career. His work in the gardens of private properties was noted and he landed the job of helping to create beautiful grounds in the campus of the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

This role led to him being interviewed for a newspaper not long before his death. The reporter told how “Mr Tinman gives vent freely to his anger in a flow of strong language on anyone who dares to trespass on a bed of young plants on his territory”.

The report said Nicholas proudly called Cornwall one of the finest counties in the British Isles and it also told of how he had lost touch with his younger brother for 30 years after his mother died back in the county. Eventually, his long-lost brother was located in Australia.

His newly-found relatives wanted him to move to Australia, but Nicholas remained in America where he had married and had a family, saying he loved the country and thought it was the best place for him.