Southern Graves

Charles W. Washington was born about 1802, possibly in Wilkes County, Georgia. I do not know the names of his parents, but I can tell you he had two brothers. Of the three, Charles was "the middle." Robert Beverly Washington was the elder brother, and James H. R. Washington the younger. Approximate location of Washington Academy land on today's map.  It possibly extended closer to the Ocmulgee River. Full map here . In a 1923 Macon Telegraph (Georgia) article, Charles's niece (Mrs. Ellen Washington Bellamy) offers this anecdote: ..."In 1824, one year after Macon came into being," she began after a few minutes, "Robert and Charles Washington came to Macon from Milledgeville. They were the grand-nephews of George [Washington, first president of the United States], and were the brothers of my father... "Charles Washington opened the first mercantile establishment in East Macon, where the remains of the mounds are. He lived at the foot of...

George Steptoe Washington, nephew to President George Washington, died January 1809 at Augusta, Georgia. He was laid to rest in St. Paul's church Cemetery. 28 January 1809 Savannah Republican (Georgia) - pg. 3 AUGUSTA, January 19. Died, suddenly on Tuesday night last, in this place, GEORGE STEPTOE WASHINGTON, esq. of Virginia, nephew of the late President Washington, aged 37 years. This worthy man came to this place about ten days since for the benefit of his health, and from the day of his arrival, had apparently been gaining strength so fast, that flattering hopes were entertained of his complete recovery from a tedious indisposition. On Tuesday night he went to bed in high spirits, and as he supposed much better than he had before been, but a little before twelve o'clock, he was attacked with a fit of coughing in which he ruptured a blood vessel; his friends were immediately called to his assistance, but their efforts and applications were ineffectual, and in about ...

The Old City Cemetery in Macon, Georgia was established in 1825 and used by many until 1840. That year marked the opening of Rose Hill Cemetery, a much larger and more beautiful landscape that attracted most Maconites for decades to come. Today, the city of Macon maintains the grounds. When I visited in May of last year, the grass was pretty and green and not too tall. That didn't hide the fact that the tombstones left in the cemetery were in poor shape and most of the brick walls surrounding family lots were crumbled. I did see several plaques stating restorations were done, many from the 1960's. All in all, the cemetery is a shell of what I imagine it once was. The Old City Cemetery was neglected for many, many years. In fact, old newspaper articles I have read on the subject say as much. A 1919 "Just 'Twixt Us" column by Bridges Smith of the Macon Telegraph states, "We now speak in sorrow of the neglected condition of the old cemetery at the f...

The Macon Daily Telegraph , Georgia 27 March 1907 Viewable online at GenealogyBank . Caught on the Wing By JOHN T. BOIFEUILLET The remains of the daughter of a former Governor of Georgia, the dust of a president of the first bank in Macon, and the ashes of other persons once well known in this city repose in the old cemetery situated near the foot of Cherry street. This is the burial ground which Alderman Bowdre, with commendable spirit, desires to have reclaimed by the Mayor and Council from many long years of neglect. Broken tombstones, bearing inscriptions to the memories of members of families formerly prominent in Macon, lie on the ground, under leaves and dirt, the walls of the graves in a crumbled state. Some of the tombstones still stand erect, and the lettering on them is easily read, but in the majority of cases the marble memorials are badly broken and the inscriptions almost obliterated by the corroding effects of time. In numerous instances there is scarcely any sig...