Southern Graves

J. W. Pierce seems to be the only member of his immediate family to be buried at Level Creek Cemetery in Suwanee, Gwinnett County, Georgia.  He was born in Lumpkin County, Georgia 14 April 1865 to Wilson Jasper Pierce and Letty Caroline Roberts. James first married Sallie Pitner 28 August 1884 in Lumpkin County.  They had at least three children before Sallie died in 1899.  James, on Christmas Day of 1900 in Fulton County, then married Lillie Allen Collins, a widow.  This association with the Collins in-laws of Lillie brought about James' death less than a year later. The particulars, as laid out in the 11 December 1901 Augusta Chronicle (Georgia), follow.  Full article is available at GenealogyBank . GEORGIANS IN A FATAL FIGHT DUEL WITH KNIVES ON A RAILROAD TRAIN. ONE MAN IS CUT TO DEATH. James Pierce and Thomas Collins, Settling a Family Trouble, Cut Each Other -- The First Killed, the Other Fatally Hurt. Doraville, Ga., Dec. 10 -- In a bloody duel with knive...

Latin is a classic language originally spoken in Latium, Italy.  And it's still the official language of parts of the Catholic Church. Two Latin phrases I recently found in the cemetery are below.  I thought to share them here in case anyone is looking for a translation.  First up:  Deus vobiscum or Deus nobiscum . I couldn't make out the letter just to the left of the crease in the open book sculpture above, but both translated to similar phrases:  God be with you or God with us . The second phrase I come across (on the same stone, actually) was Fideli certa merces . This translates to – To the faithful there is certain reward. These phrases were found on the tombstone for J. W. Pierce (1865-1901) at Level Creek Cemetery in Gwinnett County, Georgia.