Southern Graves

Charles McRay Campbell died on this date 8 years ago. He was born 26 February 1961. His gravemarker in Magnolia Park Cemetery describes him as a "Beloved Son and Brother." Lucas James Thompson died on this date 3 years ago. He was also buried in Magnolia Park Cemetery. Magnolia Park is located in Warner Robins, Houston County, Georgia. Southern Graves Home

Mary Ethel Garner died on this date 45 years ago. She was born 11 August 1893. Mary was buried in Magnolia Park Cemetery ; Warner Robins, Houston County, Georgia.

I've been thinking lately that it's time to write about road trip #4. Then I remembered -- I already did! I wrote about our trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee in the post White Oak Flats Cemetery about five months ago. If you missed it the first time, it's new to you!

If you've been following Southern Graves for any amount of time, you probably have figured out I like to video cemeteries. While names and dates are what most people are after when searching in a cemetery, I've always been one who wanted to see a photo. What kind of marker did a particular individual have? Big? Small? Is it well kept, or barely hanging together? Was the inscription easily read, or will it be unreadable this time next year? You know, that sort of thing. When my latest digital camera gave me the ability to take video clips, I was thrilled. Now I could show people what the cemetery as a whole looked like. Beautifully maintained, or in horrible shape. The stones are often visited, or no one has been there in years. Is the cemetery buried in the woods, is it beside a run-down church, or is it next to a shopping mall? This and more can be seen in a video. Not to mention, just getting the feel of an area is another way to add substance to an individual's o...

JoLyn at the Mount Timpanogos Graveyard Rabbit blog gave the Southern Graves blog the Kreativ Blogger Award! Thanks a bunch, JoLyn! It is now my pleasure to pass the award along to more deserving bloggers. Be sure to visit and show them some love! Nick at Battlefield Wanderings - I recently discovered Nick's blog, and I really enjoy it. He's a little under the weather right now, but he'll be back posting soon. Blogging a Dead Horse Mona at Graveyard Rabbit of Yoknapatawpha County Louisiana Graveyard Rabbit Morpho Ophelia George at Santa Fe's African American Graveyard Rabbit Craig at GeneaBlogie How to display the Kreativ Blogger Award: 1. Copy the award to your site. 2. Link to the person from whom you received the award. 3. Nominate 7 other bloggers. 4. Link to those sites on your blog. 5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominate. Thanks, everyone, for the work and creativity shown on all your blogs!

This article rendered me speechless, so I guess this is a different kind of "Wordless Wednesday." Vandals do $100,000 Worth of Damage to Turin Cemetery

I recently purchased the book, Forever Dixie: A Field Guide to Southern Cemeteries & Their Residents , by Douglas Keister, and I've been enjoying the read. One of the cemeteries profiled is Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana. Within this article was mention of the Walker Mausoleum. Here is where I learned of Mr. Charles A. Orleans: Monument designer and contractor Charles A. Orleans (1839 - 1923) came to New Orleans in 1878 following a string of business failures in the building trade in Chicago, New York, and Paris. Almost immediately after his arrival in New Orleans, he turned to the business of building tombs and monuments...By 1894, he claimed in an advertisement that he had erected three-fourths of the principal granite vaults and monuments in New Orleans during the previous sixteen years. I became interested and searched online, hoping to find more examples of his work. I didn't find much. What is most oftened cited as the work of Mr. Orleans is the fire...

Mr. James Allen, with the help of Larry Childs, has completed a monumental task. Over 9,700 photos from Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon, Bibb County, Georgia are now online. I know from experience the amount of time and energy that requires, and I personally thank these gentlemen for the effort. Researchers will be forever grateful for their hard work. See it here in the USGenWeb Archives .

On the Road Again! For road trip #3, us girls decided to go to Savannah, Georgia. Unfortunately, we were not able to spend a whole lot of time there. In fact, we would arrive in Savannah around 10pm one day, and have to leave mid to late afternoon the next. That's less than 24 hours! You know what that means -- we had to prioritize . Before I get to our respective objectives, let me tell you what my Aunt did. Before we even journeyed to Savannah, she made it clear that she would NOT go on a ghost tour. Therefore, I didn't bother lining one up. Upon arrival in the beautiful city and cruising the historic downtown area, we saw many tours ongoing. My Aunt then thinks a ghost tour would be OK since there are groups and much is out in the open. Now she often asks, "When are we going back to Savannah to take a ghost tour?" Whatever. We've moved on. ;-) Back to the main story. The three of us each had an objective, all to be completed before we returned ...

In February 2008, I posted about the destruction at Gunn Family Cemetery in Centerville, Houston County, Georgia. At one time, this cemetery was in the woods. Time (progress?) eventually brought it out into the open, and the land surrounding it was stripped. You can ready the original post here --> Destruction at Gunn Family Cemetery . I pass by this cemetery often enough, and I have been keeping my eye on it for the past year. So far, a strip mall has been built right next to the little cemetery. A short wall was built around the raised land of the cemetery, and there are KEEP OUT signs posted around it. The stones are still in bad shape. I went by today and took some photos. I did not climb up to see for sure, but it looks like all the broken markers that were strewn around are gone. There is a real estate sign in front of this would-be shopping plaza, so I wonder if there are even any renters of the spaces. I'm thankful the cemetery wasn't moved or bulldoze...

This is so unusual. If anyone can explain it to me, I would appreciate the knowledge. The only inscription I see is - Robert Our Only Son This gravesite was found in Linwood Cemetery; Columbus, Georgia. Southern Graves Home

Road Trip #2 started with a surprise. You see, my Aunt really enjoys Billy Currington. I'll say it again, she REALLY enjoys him. A few years ago, Mr. Currington was on tour as the opening act for Brad Paisley. They came to Columbus, Georgia, and my uncle surprised my Aunt with tickets to the show. In fact, enough tickets were purchased to enable me, my Aunt, my Mom, my Sister-in-Law, and my Niece to go. Woo Hoo! [On a side note, I'm sure my uncle was happy he didn't have to go. The whole method to madness thing.] We all piled into the SUV and headed south. We were fortunate to be staying overnight after the concert, so we would not have to drive the long way home that same evening. My brother graciously got us room in the Marriott. This was a treat for two reasons. #1 - it was in an old building, and I just love that. The hotel was built (with refurbished, original brick) around a restored cotton mill that began operations in 1861. #2 - there was a Starbucks in...

Me, my Mom, and my Aunt. From time to time, when schedules permit, we have a "girl's day." You know the kind - a get together that allows all involved to not only enjoy themselves (usually over food; my Aunt calls it fellowship), but also vent about the good and bad in life. These days are fun. We still have them. The fun really begins, though, when we take a "girl's trip!" These are 1-2 day getaways to a not too distant destination. This is number one of a series of posts in response to genealogy blogging prompt #5: Genealogy on Vacation. When I read genealogy blogging prompt #5, I chuckled. It reminded me of a few trips in which I dragged my Mom and Aunt to cemeteries. Then I realized something: I have dragged them to a cemetery on EVERY girl's trip we've taken! Had to blog about it. It all started a few years ago when my aunt just had to get away. I mean, she HAD to get away. It was that, or she was going to "nut up" (as w...