Southern Graves

I, probably like most amateur historians, gravitate toward the "old" tombstones when traipsing through cemeteries. I paused at Lucius Van "Rip" Peavy's newer granite ledger marker, though, because I'm related to many (most?) Peavys of middle and south Georgia. So I must always document those! I was not only rewarded with some vital dates for cousin Rip Peavy, but also a quite interesting epitaph. Lucius Van "Rip" Peavy, Sr. Aug 29, 1905 Jan 1, 1994 No Longer Let Life Divide What Death Can Join Together We often see death as dividing the living from those that have passed on, but this line tells it a bit differently. Here, death is joining Lucius together with those that have gone before. The prophetic words are from a poem by Percy Shelley entitled Adonais: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats . They can be found in the 53rd of 55 stanzas: Why linger, why turn back, why shrink, my Heart? Thy hopes are gone before: from all things h...

Oscar C. Horne graduated from the Maryland College of Pharmacy in May of 1899. About nine years later, it seems he found life too hard to handle. Augusta Chronicle (Georgia) 7 January 1908, page 4 DRUGGIST OSCAR HORNE SHOOTS SELF TO DEATH Found Dying Behind Counter With Bullet Through Heart. Special to The Chronicle. Savannah, Ga., Jan. 6 -- Oscar C. Horne, a druggist, was found dead this morning behind his counter in his drug store at Bull and Thirty-ninth streets. A revolver lay on the floor beside him, with one chamber empty, the bullet from which had gone through his heart. Druggist John Schwaib made the discovery, having gone to the drug store on business. When no one responded to his rapping on the counter he investigated and found the body. Horne's negro porter came in within a few minutes and said he had left Mr. Horne a short time before to go out on an errand, and that the druggist had then appeared thoroughly rational and cheerful. A pencilled note lay...

I like his name! Marsh was born 17 March 1883 to Henry D. and Martha L. Wood. When Marsh was 17 years old, the family was living in Dooly County, Georgia. About 1905 Marsh married Bessie, and by 1910 they were living in Montgomery, Alabama. Marsh was working as a street car conductor at the time. When Marsh registered for the draft in 1918, he and Bessie were in Lafayette County, Florida. A couple of years later (January 1920) would find Marsh and Bessie in Clinch County, Georgia, where Marsh was a sawyer in a shingle mill. Five months after that, Marsh was dead. God's hand touched him and he slept. (Pinehurst City Cemetery, Dooly County, Georgia) What the heck happened? Was there an accident at the mill? Did Marsh get sick? I sure would like to know. Anybody? BTW - Marsh was brother (and brother-in-law) to Henry A. and Laura Hendley Wood .

Unless the phrase is simply "At Rest" , I don't often see two individuals buried side-by-side with the same epitaph. (Though I suppose it's probably not that uncommon.) I found this to be true, however, with Henry Arthur Wood and his wife Laura E. Hendley. They rest at Pinehurst City Cemetery in Dooly County, Georgia.  And both were "faithful to every duty." Henry Arthur Wood (1880-1935) and wife Laura E. Hendley Wood (1882-1970). Faithful to Every Duty. Photo © 2011-2015 S. Lincecum. An 1894 Sunday School Helper says, "Faithful to duty is one way of honoring him who gives you a duty to do." Henry and Laura honored God by doing the best they could with their lives. I'm sure the lives of the Wood family were turned upside down with the passing of Henry. Here's an excerpt from his obituary printed in the 30 March 1935 Macon Telegraph (Georgia), page 4: Mr. Wood succumbed to injuries suffered Sunday afternoon in an automobile a...

Beneath this stone reposes all that was mortal ~ of ~ MARY  H. Daughter of Mary & Dr. Wm Savage And wife of Col. A. R. Wright, Born Dec'r 28th, 1825 Married April 26th, 1843 Died June 23rd, 1854 A Christian Woman is the highest best gift of God to earth and here lies one of its highest exemplifications! Christianity was with her a sentiment deeply inwoven in all her thoughts, feelings and affections. Kind and benevolent, unexacting and charitable, brilliant but humble --- Vigorous in intellect, sweet and lovely in person, meek and gentle in disposition --- her life and character have left their impress indelibly fixed in the hearts of those whose wise counsellor and devoted partner she was throught all the vicissitudes of an eventful though brief career.  Though married when young, ardent and hopeful in the midday splendor of youthful hopes and aspirations. She entered upon her domestic duties an energy and devotion which could feel no decline:  and by the purity a...

William Walker (son of Joel Walker, Rev. Sol. , and his wife Judith ---), b. Buckingham Co., Va., 1762; d. Jefferson Co., Ga., 1818. Private in Ga. Militia, under Major Gen. John Twiggs. Served as scout. Mar., Jefferson Co., Ga., Elizabeth Bostic (1770-1835) (dau. of Nathan Bostic (or Bostwick), b. Suffolk Co., Va., 1746; d. Jefferson Co., Ga., 1818; received bounty grant of land for service as private in Ga. Militia. Mar. Martha Gwinn, b. 1750). [Source: Ancestry.com. Roster of Revolutionary Soldiers in Georgia Vol. 1 [database online]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.] The dates don't quite jive, but there is a Nathan Bostwick resting "two graves over" from William Walker, Sr.

A single monument in the Revolutionary War Cemetery at Louisville, Jefferson County, Georgia stands for the memories of thirteen children born to Owen and Bdelia McDermott. Owen was born in County Sligo, Ireland 9 March 1806 and died 27 January 1877. Owen's wife Bdelia lived less than a decade more. Of those memorialized, and I probably have some of these dates wrong since they were difficult to read, it appears only a few made it to adulthood. Daniel Born Novr 1827 Died Augt 1829 Mary Ann Born May 1829 Died Sept 1832 Michael Born Novr 4th 1830 Died Sept 1834 Susan Born May 10th 1831 Died Sept 3rd 1839 William Born Augt 4th 1833 Died Sept 4th 1839 Joseph Born Augt 1835 Died Novr 1839 Eliza Born May 9th 1837 Died Novr 1844 George Born May 14th 1839 Died Novr 1855 Julia Born July 1841 Died Jany 1844 Andrew Born May 9th 1843 Died Mch 14th 1873 [1878?] James Born Augt 20th 1845 Died Augt 22nd 1863 [1862?] Louisa Martha Born Feby 22nd 1847 Died July 28th 1868 [1862?] C...

Sacred to the memory of JOSEPH  MAYRANK  JONES son of Joseph Jones of Liberty county, Georgia who died on the 5th January 1831 near Louisville on his way home from the Legislature in which body he represented his native county three years, aged 26 years & 8 months. This tribute to departed worth as dedicated by paternal affection to one who by his amiable deportment and many virtues justly merited the warm affection of his numerous relatives and friends. Farewell dear youth, a long & fond adieu A father's tears, thy early tomb bedew.

It came in the form of the Yazoo Land Act, but let's back up a bit. I snap digital images of gravestones all the time, often having no clue who I'm photographing. And this was easily the case when I visited the Revolutionary War Cemetery at Louisville, Jefferson County, Georgia (also known as Old Capitol Cemetery, or Old City Cemetery). It was not a planned visit, and I was looking for no one in particular. The simple ledger marker for James Gunn, however, piqued my interest. A Brigadier General?  Well this might be someone I can research. Here lies the Body of Brigadier General JAMES GUNN who died on the 30 of July 1801. Aged 48 years, 4 months and 17 days. A death notice in the Western Star (Stockbridge, Massachusetts) from 7 September 1801 told me Gen. James Gunn was formerly a Georgia Senator. The American (Baltimore, Maryland) went into slightly more detail [20 August 1801, page 2]. (Don't forget the letter s was often written as an f.) Died at Lo...

[Sometimes I publish a post at the Rose Hill Cemetery blog I think Southern Graves readers will enjoy. This is one of those.] Original photo by James Allen. Slightly enhanced image above by Stephanie Lincecum. Metta Cubbedge was born 26 April 1861 in Georgia to Richard W. and Anna M. Cubbedge. The beginning of 1877 saw Metta as a bright scholar of the junior class at Macon, Georgia's Wesleyan College. She was described, in reference to her role as a student, as "faithful to every duty, never by word or action, disobeying her preceptors." Metta also had an active extracurricular life. She was President of a secret literary society (it was only allowed to maintain a member number of 30) at Wesleyan known as the Philomathean * Society. She also seemed to enjoy singing. Newspaper articles included her name when describing performances by Macon's Baptist Church choir, as well as Wesleyan's Philomathean Society. Miss Metta Cubbedge was often singled out as a ...