Tombstone Tuesday: Gertrude Bliss McMillan

Gertrude A. Bliss
Wife of Thomas H. McMillan
Oct 5, 1864
Apr 14, 1903
Ever thoughtful of home and loved ones,
as wife and mother she was all that one could be.

Gertrude was born in Savannah to James S. and Julia C. Bliss. She seems to have been a member of a wealthy family. In the 1870 Chatham County federal census, Gertrude's father had an occupation of "Pilot," and there were three domestic servants listed in the household.

Gertrude married Thomas H. McMillan, a prominent Savannah businessman about 1882. They had four children: Daniel B., Thomas H. Jr., Alice B., and Raymond. According to the 1900 Chatham County federal census, Thomas Sr. was a turpentine manufacturer, born 1854 in North Carolina.

From A History of Savannah and South Georgia, Vol. II by William Hardin, published 1913 - "Mr. MacMillan married, in Savannah, Gertrude Bliss, who was born and educated in this city. Their union has been blessed by the birth of four children, namely: D. B. MacMillan, who has charge of the MacMillan interests in Pensacola; Thomas H. MacMillan, Jr., connected with the Savannah plant; Raymond H. MacMillan, representing South Atlantic Blow Pipe Company in Jacksonville; and Miss Alice MacMillan."

Gertrude's stone is also profiled in Douglas Keister's Forever Dixie: A Field Guide to Southern Cemeteries & Their Residents.

Comments

Diane Wright said…

Beautiful stone!!! Love that story! I am going to get that book.

March 6, 2009 at 12:32 PM

S. Lincecum said…

It is a beautiful stone. I can't wait until I can make it back to Bonaventure again... I haven't made it all the way through the book, yet. I sure do like it, though. He profiles a dozen southern cemeteries.

March 6, 2009 at 1:43 PM

Dash Tours said…

It is highly unlikely that this statue is the likeness of Gertrude Bliss.
There is a statue just like it in Laurel Grove South in Savannah, Ga.

Tim
Savannah Bonaventure Dash Tours

December 1, 2015 at 8:05 PM

Rocks, Rocks, and More Rocks

Why do people put rocks on grave stones? Some time ago, I learned that the rocks signified a visitor. That is true enough, but I decided to learn a little more about the custom and share my findings with you. Putting rocks on tombstones is most often described as a Jewish custom. There are many "Ask a Rabbi" columns out there, but I did not find one that knew for sure where the custom originated. They all agreed, however, that a rock symbolized a visitor and when put on a tombstone said, "I remember you." I also read that some people pick up a rock wherever they are when they think of a person that has passed. Then, the next time they visit the grave, they place the rock to say, "I wish you were here." Rabbi Shraga Simmons offers a deeper meaning: "We are taught that it is an act of ultimate kindness and respect to bury someone and place a marker at the site. After a person is buried, of course, we can no longer participate in burying them. H...

Southern Cross of Honor

I'm late to this discussion, but it's one I'd like to join. :-) Terry Thornton at The Graveyard Rabbit of the Hill Country started with Grave Marker Symbols: The Southern Cross of Honor and UCV (link no longer available). Judith Shubert at The Graveyard Rabbit of the Covered Bridges continued with Hood County Texas: C.S.A. Veterans & Southern Cross of Honor Symbol . [UPDATE, 1 June 2009: Judith has moved this post to the blog, Cemeteries with Texas Ties . The link has been corrected to reflect this move. You may also link to her article via her nice comment on this post.] Wikipedia states: The Southern Cross of Honor was a military decoration meant to honor the officers, noncommissioned officers, and privates for their valor in the armed forces of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. It was formally approved by the Congress of the Confederate States on October 13, 1862, and was originally intended to be on par with the Union Arm...

Thursday Link Love: EyeWitness To History

Yesterday, a link was added to the Genealogy Research Resources Group at Diigo. The link was to the website titled EyeWitness to History.com: History through the eyes of those who lived it . It's a great site, and I encourage all to visit it. Here are several items I found while snooping around. - Inside a Nazi Death Camp, 1944 : "Hitler established the first concentration camp soon after he came to power in 1933. The system grew to include about 100 camps divided into two types: concentration camps for slave labor in nearby factories and death camps for the systematic extermination of "undesirables" including Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, the mentally retarded and others." - Crash of the Hindenburg, 1937 : "Radio reporter Herbert Morrison, sent to cover the airship's arrival, watched in horror. His eye witness description of the disaster was the first coast-to-coast radio broadcast and has become a classic piece of audio history." [You ca...

Southern Graves

Search This Blog