Southern Graves

Yet another neat tidbit of information from Georgia historian Lucian Lamar Knight: "Hon. W. B. W. Dent was another resident of Coweta [County] who served in the National House of Representatives. He was not a lawyer but a merchant, possessed of an unusual capacity for public affairs. Mr. Dent at one time owned Stone Mountain." [ Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends (1914), pg. 492.] William Barton Wade Dent rests at Oak Hill Cemetery in Newnan, Georgia: Wm Barton Wade Dent Col Dent's Co Heard Vols GA Militia Indian Wars Sep 8, 1806 - Sep 7, 1855 Congressman

Here's an interesting discrepancy between a written history and what is "written" in stone. William M. Smith was a soldier of the American Revolution from North Carolina. He is mentioned by Lucian Lamar Knight on page 489 of Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends (published 1914): From an obscure grave in the county [Coweta] the remains of William Smith, another soldier of the first war for independence, were brought to Newnan some time ago and re-interred in the Confederate burial-ground, in the southeast corner of Oak Hill. He was given the sobriquet of "Hell Nation", a somewhat descriptive title which may indicate the fiery quality of his valor. Mr. Smith died at the age of 81. He enlisted in Moore County, N.C., and was granted a pension on September 3, 1832. I visited the final, final resting place of Mr. Smith in October of last year. When putting an image of the stone with the history by Mr. Knight, I noticed a bit of an issue. The older ...

While the photos are from just six months ago, the following text was originally written over 100 years prior: " Soldiers of the Revolution Buried in Coweta [County, Georgia]. On an old box-fashioned tombstone, in the lot of the Robinson family, in Oak Hill cemetery, in the town of Newnan, is chiseled the following epitaph: Randall Robinson, departed this life on the 27th day of February, 1842, in the 80th year of his age. He served a short time in the Revolutionary War and was for many years a member of the Baptist church. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. Mr. Robinson was a descendant of the first Governor of North Carolina. He enlisted at the age of fourteen and served for 189 days in a Palmetto State regiment. He became one of the earliest settlers of Coweta and with his family organized the first Baptist church. His great-great grand-daughter, Mrs. Marie Robinson Wright, is a well-known author, who has written some excellent books...

Just over an hour ago, I posted a biographical sketch written by famed Georgia historian Lucian Lamar Knight at the Peachy Past blog . The subject of the sketch was Judge Walter T. Colquitt, namesake of Colquitt County. It was mentioned that Judge Colquitt was placed, upon his death, in an unmarked grave at Columbus, Georgia's Linwood Cemetery. One of his sons, Colonel Peyton H. Colquitt, was later also buried at Linwood. Conversely, he rests beneath a beautiful tombstone. Daily Constitutionalist (Augusta, Georgia) 29 September 1863, pg. 1 Via GenealogyBank . DEATH OF COL. COLQUITT. -- The announcement of the death of Col. Peyton H. Colquitt, of the 46th Georgia regiment, will fill thousands of hearts with the deepest sorrow. It is said that he died at Atlanta on Wednesday, from wounds received at the head of his regiment in the late fierce struggle on the banks of the Chicamauga [sic]. Col. Colquitt, was a son of the famous Walter T. Colquitt, and, though young, ha...

3,000 Confederate dead representing every southern state are buried in the Confederate Cemetery at Marietta, Cobb County, Georgia. The cemetery was first established for soldiers killed in an 1863 railroad collision that occurred north of Marietta. It grew to hold the remains of soldiers from nearby battlefields. Some were even collected after the war ended. [Source: historical and information markers at cemetery.] A monument to these Confederate dead was dedicated in July of 1908. Lucian Lamar Knight in Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends (pub. 1914) states: "Fourteen little girls, representing various States whose soldiers were sleeping in the sacred area around the monument unveiled the shaft and revealed the finished work of the artist, while the great throng gazed upon the scene in mute admiration." The south side of the monument bears this inscription, in raised letters: "To Our Confederate Dead. Erected and Dedicated, By Kennesaw Chapter,...