Southern Graves

Thomas Milton Allen was a prominent minister who was born and enslaved in 1833. In 1890 he formed the first association for Black churches, the Kennesaw Baptist Association. Marietta Journal  (Georgia) Thursday, 22 April 1909 NEGRO EX-LEGISLATOR AND MINISTER, Rev. Thomas Allen, Dies at His Farm, Near Marietta. Rev. Thomas Allen, a well-known colored Baptist minister, died at his farm home, near Marietta, on the 11th instant, aged seventy-six years. Before moving to Marietta, he lived in Jasper county, Georgia, and represented that county in the Georgia legislature during the 'reconstruction period,' immediately after the late civil war. He was associated in the legislature with Bishop Turner, colored, when the storm of passion and misrule reigned. Be it said to the credit of the memory of Rev. Thomas Allen, he was a conservative man, of probity and respectability, as his life in Marietta demonstrated. He served the Mt. Zion Baptist church here, as pastor, sixteen years, and the...

Unfortunately, I could show you far too many photos from "forgotten cemeteries," the topic for the latest Graveyard Rabbit Carnival. To be fair, most of the cemeteries I come across can actually more accurately be described as containing forgotten individuals. This photo shows what the area surrounding a cemetery in my part of the country often looks like. It is more common to find a cemetery that was once on family land or attached to a church rather than a large perpetual care cemetery. Especially if you find yourself traveling in rural areas away from any sizable town. These cemeteries are not always abandoned, though. They are sometimes still in use. It's just that not every burial site within the cemetery is visited or taken care of. This is New Bethel Cemetery. It is located near Emerich in Dooly County, Georgia. Until yesterday, I had never heard of Emerich. It is on the map, however. Many parts of this cemetery are quite overgrown. There are many gr...