Southern Graves

Departed this life, at the residence of her mother, near Waverly Hall, Harris county, Georgia, on the 16th inst., MISS GEORGIA WHITEHEAD. - 22 April 1880 Columbus Daily Enquirer-Sun (Georgia) The broken gravestone for Georgia is at the Waverly Hall Cemetery. She was born 14 August 1849 to J. Thomas and Catharine McGehee Whitehead. Her death on 16 April 1880 was noted in the Harris County Census Mortality Schedule for that year. "Disease or Cause of Death" was listed as Neuralgia of head . From WebMD : Occipital neuralgia is a condition in which the nerves that run from the top of the spinal cord up through the scalp, called the occipital nerves, are inflamed or injured. You might feel pain in the back of your head or the base of your skull...Occipital neuralgia can cause intense pain that feels like a sharp, jabbing, electric shock in the back of the head and neck. Symptoms include aching, burning, and throbbing pain that typically starts at the base of the head and goes...

Wyatt Sulzer Moore, whose middle name I've seen spelled more than one way, was born 26 July 1835 in Paulding County, Georgia to Arbin Moore and "Harrett" (Harriett?) Casper.  By the taking of the 1850 U.S. Federal census , Wyatt and family were living in Gwinnett County, Georgia.  Mr. Moore would spend the rest of his life in this county, farming all the while. Wyatt S. Moore was married three times.  He married first Elizabeth Brogdon.  She was just a few years his junior, born in 1838.  They had at least nine children together, before Elizabeth died in 1881.  She was just 43. Wyatt next married Ellen / Ella Jane Whitehead in 1882.  She was ten years younger than he, and died in 1900 at the age of 55. Thirdly, Wyatt married Rachel Elizabeth King.  She was twenty-one years his junior, and died 8 May 1925 at the age of 68. Though each wife was younger -- and lived longer -- than the one prior, Wyatt S. Moore outlived them all.  Almost four mor...

Did you have a nice Memorial Day weekend? I hope so.  This was the first in ages that I wasn't at a "traditional" job.  So I was free and fortunate to be able to attend a local Memorial Day service.  I posted about it here . Earlier in May, Elizabeth Shown Mills shared a link on facebook about a lecture being given by University of Georgia History Professor Stephen Berry.  It was about coroners in the 19th century South.  From lecture summary:  "He discussed the role of a coroner as an agent of the state and talked about the records created from coroner inquests. He argued that coroners can shed light on the emerging patterns of death within a society…" It was a highly informative and very interesting lecture.  As of this writing, it is still available (free!) on C-Span.org . I was able to visit a couple of cemeteries this month.  One I wrote about for yesterday's post .  The other was "the older one" across the way.  I was looking for ...

Clinton Webster Whitehead was born 8 February 1923 in Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County, Georgia to John M. and Alma Whitehead.  By about the age of 7 years, Clinton was living in Atlanta with his parents and siblings.  Ten years later in 1940 , the family was still in Atlanta.  Clinton's father was a laborer for the W orks P rogress A dministration Park Project . At the age of 19, about six months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Clinton registered for the draft.  Another six or seven months passed before Clinton officially enlisted in the United States Army on 7 January 1943 -- a month before his 20th birthday.  Ten more months would pass.  Then, just after Thanksgiving 1943, Clinton would be lost at sea. Sinking of the Rohna On November 26, 1943, during WWII, one thousand, one hundred and thirty eight men perished when a British troopship, the HMT Rohna, was attacked from the air and destroyed in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Algeria… …it result...

Sliding this in among the A to Z Challenge posts . Hope you're enjoying it, whether participating directly or following along. Sallie Virginia was a daughter of Reason and Mollie D. Whitehead.  She was born 24 April 1881, and died 7 May 1881 – living only twelve days.  The epitaph on her tombstone reads, in part, "Too pure for Earth, its little spirit winged its flight to Heaven." I found a poem today that seemed apropos to the passing of little Sallie.  "Departed" is from a book entitled, Select Poems by Harvey Rice (c. 1878). DEPARTED. Too pure for earth, too pure for earth, Thy home the spirit-land, Where earth-born flowers unfading smile, Transferred by angel hand ! Yes, on thy brow the calm, bright skies Of heaven their radiance shed : The gift is thine, an angel's harp. How blest the early dead ! From sorrow's vale uncheered and dark, From tears and vain desires, While young and sinless thou art freed, The soul to heaven aspires. But stil...

The tombstone for John T. Whitehead has a lot going on -- a glowing epitaph, quotes, Bible scripture, and symbols of the urn and hourglass. Sacred To The Memory Of John T. Whitehead In All Life's Relations He Exemplified The Virtues Of The Christian And Gentleman, And Won The Love Of All. He Was Beloved By His Family, Cheerful In Company, Conscientious In Spirit, Successful In Business, Patient In Affliction, And Victorious In Death. The Love Of This Community Claimed A Longer Stay, But Higher Attraction Prevailed, Earth Yielded, And Heaven Bore Away The Prize. The Key To His Most Triumphant Death Is Found In His Dying Request, To Be Put Upon His Tomb, "I Am A Man Of Prayer." Born March 27th, 1816 Died September 11th, 1860 "I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." "Let sickness blast, let death devour, If heaven must recom...

This wonderful piece of art is located at Waverly Hall Cemetery in Harris County, Georgia. The inscription: In Memory Of Susan A. Consort Of Anderson G. Jones, And Daughter of Wm & Catherine Whitehead Born In Harris Co, GA Sept 5th, 1834, And Died In Harris Co, GA Feby 2nd, 1861 A constant Christian, a devoted Wife and fond Mother. The few photos I have here do not do justice to the intricate carving involved. The vining work is very pretty. I looked for a signature, but did not notice one.

Mrs. Fannie M. Wife of S. H. Pitts And daughter of Thomas & Mary A. Whitehead Born Nov 4th, 1842 Died Aug 14th, 1873 She dwelleth in heaven, yet deep in our hearts Her image is graven, and never departs. And while we yet linger, we watch and we wait Till death who has parted, again shall unite. Ledger marker located at Waverly Hall Cemetery; Harris County, Georgia.