Southern Graves

Garrett Smith Born July 23, 1821 Died March 23, 1884 Death has taken thee, and thee far country to which we journey seems nearer to us, and the way less dark for thou art gone BEFORE. Smith Cemetery Bonaire, Houston County, Georgia Garrett Smith was a brother-in-law to Needham Smith . Photos © 2012 S. Lincecum

Needham Smith's Will [continued] ... I m Seventh And should my Wife Ardilla marry before the youngest child arrives at the age of twenty one I desire and will that she receive out of my Estate the same as one of my three daughters, mentioned in the fifth item and when my daughter Martha arrives at the age of twenty one years or marries, my Wife Ardilla if single shall receive the same as she would have receive had she married. I m Eighth I desire that the residue of my estate then be divided equally between my Wife Ardilla Smith, and the children of my Deceased daughter Harriet Walker, Deborah Ann Roquemoses, Mary Ann Burney, Drupina Smith, Elizabeth Smith, Martha Smith and William Thomas Speight. Alexander Smith (1805-1864) I m Ninth I constitute and appoint my Son in law Milton L. Burney, Garratte Smith and Alexander Smith executors to this my last Will and testament this 7th day of July 1854. interlined before assigned          Needham Smith ...

Needham Smith's Will. [continued] Ardella Smith (1803-1872) ... Fourth I desire that the residue of my Estate be kept together and that my Wife Ardilla, my daughters Drupina Smith, Elizabeth Smith and Martha Smith and my Grand Children William Tho s Speight, Franklin Bryant Walker George Henry Walker and Betsy Joel Walker, be supported out of the income or product of the Estate until my youngest daughter Martha shall arrive at the age of twenty One or marries provided they all remain single until that time, the support to cease of each one at their marriage and the education of those not completed to be completed and the expences of the same be paid out of the products of my estate, the remainder of the income to be laid out by my executor as they may Judge most conducive to the interest of said Estate. I m Fifth I desire and will that each of my daughters Drupina, Elizabeth and Martha whenever they shall arrive at the age of twenty One years or marries, shall shall rece...

Needham Smith's Will. In the name of God Amen, I Needham Smith of the County of Houston and State of Georgia being of sound and disposing mind and memory, and being desirous to settle my worldly affairs while I have strength to do so, make and publish this my last will and testament hereby revoking all wills by me at any time heretofore made, And first I commit my soul to the God who gave it and my body I desire to be buried in a Christian like manner, And my worldly estate I dispose of as follows. Needham Smith (1796-1854) First I desire and direct that all my just debts be paid without delay by my Executor hereinafter named. Second I desire and will that my Daughter Deborah Ann Roquemore Wife of James A. Roquemore receive Five hundred Dollars in addition to what I have already given her (and will make her equal with what I gave her sister Harriet Walker) to be free from the disposition of her present or any future husband, but to be to her and children by her present or...

We lost our 14 year old baby boy Thanksgiving morning. Words cannot express the joy, comfort, and companionship he brought to my life. Jack 1998-2012

I mentioned yesterday about a number of points I took away from Dr. Henderson's class at the 2012 Georgia Family History Expo. Another item she spoke of was a poem that resonated with me, but I certainly couldn't get it all down in class. Doing a Google search, I think I found it. I'm sharing it here since I think it might resonate with you, too. Spirits (aka The Dead are Not Dead ) by Birago Diop Listen to Things More often than Beings, Hear the voice of fire, Hear the voice of water. Listen in the wind, To the sighs of the bush; This is the ancestors breathing. Those who are dead are not ever gone; They are in the darkness that grows lighter And in the darkness that grows darker. The dead are not down in the earth; They are in the trembling of the trees In the groaning of the woods, In the water that runs, In the water that sleeps, They are in the hut, they are in the crowd: The dead are not dead. Listen to things More often than beings, Hea...

The Georgia Family History Expo, 2012 edition, came to an end yesterday evening. I had a wonderful time throughout it all. More classes were attended and enjoyed, including courses dealing with colonial Georgia records, African-American cemeteries, and possible Cherokee ancestry. Some of the further reading suggested by Robert S. Davis in the colonial Georgia records class include Georgia Journeys: Being an Account of the Lives of Georgia's Original Settlers and Many Other Early Settlers and Colonial Soldiers of the South, 1732-1774 . I was also reminded of the Colonial Wills on Georgia's Virtual Vault . Dr. D. L. Henderson did not disappoint with her Tale of Two Cemeteries talk. She gave a great overview of the African American burial grounds at Oakland Cemetery as well as those at South View Cemetery. A book she suggested is now on my to-read list: The Afro-American Tradition in Decorative Arts . Though she made several points to remember, one of the best ones w...

Old Morris Cemetery Half of the 2-day Georgia Family History Expo has come and gone. For those of you who couldn't make it this time around, here's a recap of my day 1. Even though the opening session was not set to begin until early afternoon, I was out and about before 9 am. Every year thus far, I have stayed in a different city in order to be closer to different cemeteries. This time around, Alpharetta was the chosen locale. I had already planned to visit Resthaven off of Main Street in downtown, but I received a pleasant surprise which added an addition to my schedule. Turns out, my hotel is right across the street from a small family cemetery. View of my Hampton Inn & Suites from entrance to Old Morris Cemetery. So I was able to visit two cemeteries before the expo even officially began. More than 160 photos later, it was time to head to Duluth for the opening session given by Robert S. Davis. If you've read my blogs before today, you might know o...

I cannot wait to hear Dr. D. L. Henderson speak at the Georgia Family History Expo this Friday and Saturday in Duluth. According to her speaker bio, Dr. Henderson "is the historian for South-View Cemetery and serves on the advisory boards of the Historic South-View Preservation Foundation and the Historic Oakland Foundation. In June 2012, she received the Atlanta Urban Design Commission’s Jenny D. Thurston Memorial Award to an Outstanding Preservation Professional." I've posted about some of the stones in Oakland Cemetery previously on this blog. Most recently with Shadrach Inman Made Two Fortunes . And believe you me, there will be more. I simply adore this cemetery. At 1 PM this Saturday, I will be in Dr. Henderson's class entitled A Tale of Two Cemeteries: What Lies Beneath the Landscape of African American Burial Grounds . This "presentation focuses on the cultural landscapes of two Atlanta cemeteries and emphasizes socio-racial influences — establi...

While continuing to revisit some photos taken at Bethany Cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina, I came across the stone for John H. Gotjen, Jr. (1904-1926). I had not posted about him before because I could not fully read his entire epitaph. I only recently had decided to go ahead and post what I knew, but before I could do so a bit of serendipity happened. I posted John Gotjen's information on FindAGrave back in 2008, and I recently received additional information from fellow contributor (and Naval aviator researcher) Mike Weeks . He was able to fill in where I had only blanks, and he added a death notice to boot! In Loving Memory of Ensign John H. Gotjen Jr. U.S.N. Feb 9, 1904 - Oct 30, 1928 Mortally Wounded On Old Corry Field Pensacola, Florida Under The Wide And Starry Sky Happy He Lived And Brave Did He Die Home Is The Sailor Home From The Sea Home Where He Ever Loved To Be The death notice Mr. Weeks submitted was from The Bee of Danville, Virginia -- Wed...