Southern Graves

Resting in Locust Grove City Cemetery at Henry County, Georgia is Rachael and her husband W. W. Williams.  The epitaph inscribed for Rachael is quite poignant -- Rachael Williams Born Dec 19, 1823 Died Apr 20, 1909 At last we learned submission to our lot, And though we less deplored her, ne'er forgot. The last lines of Rachael's epitaph, though not word-for-word, are from a poem by William Cowper (1731-1800) titled My Mother's Picture : MY mother, when I learned that thou wast dead, Say, wast thou conscious of the tears I shed? Hovered thy spirit o’er thy sorrowing son,— Wretch even then, life’s journey just begun? I heard the bell tolled on thy burial-day; I saw the hearse that bore thee slow away; And, turning from my nursery-window, drew A long, long sigh, and wept a last adieu! But was it such? It was. Where thou art gone, Adieus and farewells are a sound unknown; May I but meet thee on that peaceful shore, The parting word shall pass my lips no more. Th...

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 ...

Born October 1866, Mrs. Clara / Clarra Williams was the wife of Mr. M. E. "Lige" Williams.  She died at the age of just 30 years at Pinehurst, Dooly County, Georgia the 14th of February, 1897.  She had been ill for about week with La Grippe . Her obituary in the 18 February 1897 Vienna Progress (Georgia, pg. 5, col. 2) goes on to say: Mrs. Williams was…a most estimable lady in every respect.  She was buried at Harmony Monday afternoon at 3 o'clock.  Her death leaves disconsolate her husband and children who have the deepest sympathy of a large circle of friends. The following is a poem by American editor and poet James Aldrich (1810-1856).  The apropos title is A Death-Bed , and the last two lines were added as part of the epitaph on the tombstone for Mrs. Clarra G. Williams. A Death-Bed Her suffering ended with the day, Yet lived she at its close, And breathed the long, long night away, In statue-like repose. But when the sun in all his state Illumed the e...

Sliding this in among the A to Z Challenge posts . Hope you're enjoying it, whether participating directly or following along. It happens from time to time, I know, but I still don't think it's all that common. Beaulah Williams has two death certificates.  They both can be viewed online at FamilySearch.org within the Georgia Deaths, 1914-1927 collection.  At first blush, there might not seem to be any earth-shattering differences between the two certificates.  However.  If you're trying to piece together the story of Beulah's life, and maybe even trying to trace your lineage, having one death certificate without the other might just put you at a disadvantage. So for that reason, here is the information from both certificates.  If you stick around 'til the end, you might even get another surprise. The top certificate in the collage at right is number 24065, filed 1 September 1924 -- denoted as (a) below.  The bottom is number 27018, filed a month later on ...

M. E. Williams Aug 2, 1861 Dec 29, 1914 At Rest Pinehurst City Cemetery Dooly County, Georgia I always find the rough-hewn look visually appealing.

M. W. S. S. Williams Co. F. 3rd Ala. C. S. A. Born Apr 17, 1818 At Rest Atlanta, GA July 15, 1880 Not far inside the gates of Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery is the famed Jasper N. Smith mausoleum. Beside it is a small traditional tombstone standing for Meshack W. S. S. Williams. Meshack was a private in Company F of Alabama's 3rd Infantry, C. S. A. He wasn't a young pup when he enlisted in 1861, but rather was a nice middle age of about 43 years. Toward the end of the war, Meshack Williams was listed as a prisoner of war at Point Lookout, Maryland. He had been captured at Sutherland Station, Virginia in April 1865. A couple of months later, Pvt. Williams was released after swearing to the Oath of Allegiance. According to his Confederate Soldier File on Fold3 , Meshack was described as having a fair complexion, greyish hair, and blue eyes. An interesting feature of Meshack Williams's tombstone is the crossed pair of Confederate battle flags. The elements ha...

The Williams plot located at Shadowlawn Cemetery in Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County, Georgia contains a good bit of information. The headstone is devoted to the parents: Mary E. Williams (June 24, 1850 - Oct 12, 1930) and James D. Williams (June 9, 1847 - May 6, 1925). The ledger marker pertains to their (presumed) children: · Charles P. Williams (July 9, 1875 - Nov 7, 1939) · Sallie Williams Armstrong (Jan 5, 1877 - Sept 25, 1957) · Pearl Williams Brock (Aug 17, 1884 - Nov 18, 1956) · Minnie Estelle Williams (Jan 20, 1888 - Dec 8, 1913) · George L. Williams (Nov 24, 1891 - June 21, 1982) --------------------------------------------------------------------- · Jack E. Armstrong (June 1, 1874 - Dec 11, 1959) · John J. Brock (Aug 5, 1881 - May 27, 1946) Also found on the ledger marker is this thoughtful and poetic addition to the epitaph: Lord God Of Host That Reigneth On High That Man Is Truly Blest Who Only On Thee Doth Rely And In Thee Only Rest.

Not a great title, I know, but I couldn't resist the alliteration... I've been giving you snippets for about seven months, and I'm finally ready to share everything in one place. Photos from Fairview Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County, Georgia are now all online -- more than 110 of them. As a reminder, you can view them as a slideshow or individuals, and comments are enabled. Click on the small slideshow below to go to the Picasa Web Album. Enjoy! Surnames included are the following: Adair, Alexander, Bagby, Brown, Byrd, Carter, Casey, Craig, Crow/e, Dunlap, Gossett, Green, Gresham, Haney, Hood, Huff, Hutchins, Jackson, Kelley, Liddell, McGee, Mitchell, Moss, Noel, Pattersen, Rakestraw, Reid, Roberts, Russell, Simmons, Sparks, Steadman, Strickland, Stuart, Terrell, Thompson, Wight, Williams, and Wilson.

Larry Jean Williams US Marine Corps World War II Aug 6, 1916 ~ Oct 18, 1996 Fairview Presbyterian Church Cemetery Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County, Georgia Photo © 2010/1 S. Lincecum Census records suggest Larry was a son of Roland R. and Minnie E. Williams, also buried at Fairview Presbyterian.

I have posted more than 40 photos from Midway Baptist Church Cemetery to my Picasa web albums. This small church cemetery is located in Lizella, Bibb County, Georgia. Midway Baptist Church Cemetery Surnames include Blasingame, Clark, Davis, Elder, Gates, Greene, Hamrick, Ingram, Lamar, McCallum, McCord, Moseley / Mosely, Williams, and Yarbrough. Photos may be viewed individually or as a slideshow. Some commentary is included, and comments are enabled.

I'm still playing with Picasa's web features and found out I can embed a slideshow into my blog posts. This works well for a small number of photos, as with the case of Shiloh Cemetery. This predominantly African-American burial ground is an old church cemetery located in Henderson, Houston County, Georgia. There are several dated tombstones that likely memorialize former slaves. This is not a complete survey, but a compilation of photos of some of the older stones and others that simply caught my eye. Surnames include Adkison, Amica, Davis, Hill, Jones, Nix, Riley, Simmons, Sneed, Thompson, Webb, and Williams. If you are interested in viewing larger images and / or individuals, as well as my commentary, you may go directly to the album here - Shiloh Cemetery .

Lula L. English died on this date 102 years ago. She was born 26 April 1873 and was the wife of H. W. English. Mrs. English was buried in Magnolia Park Cemetery ; Warner Robins, Houston County, Georgia. Lounell Kersey Williams died on this date 20 years ago. She was born 31 October 1931. Lounell was also buried in Magnolia Park Cemetery. Southern Graves Home

Lounell Kersey Williams Oct 31, 1931 Jan 25, 1989 Wife - Mother - Friend When Your Love is Gone And She Lies Beneath the Flowers, You'll Find that the Nights All Have Twenty Three Hours. ( Magnolia Park Cemetery ; Warner Robins, Houston County, Georgia)

Ada Laverne Williams June 30, 1938 Dec 16, 1986 For God in His Perfect Way Chose This Rose for His Heavenly Bouquet ( Magnolia Park Cemetery ; Warner Robins, Houston County, Georgia)