Southern Graves

(From December 2008)This post was generated for Smile for the Camera - A Carnival of Images . The word prompt is "Stocking Stuffer." The photo above features my handsome grandfather atop a PEAVY gravestone. My mother and I took him some time ago to pay respects to some cousins at their final resting places. These graves were approximately 10 miles from his home, and he was not aware of them. I was so happy to show him these and other spots related to his cousins around town. Pa had stopped to take a breather while Mom and I were a short distance away documenting some other stones. I saw him, handed Mom the camera, and asked her to snap a photo. I think she got a great one. I would stuff the stockings of my grandfather and two of his daughters with this photo. Grandpa loves hearing stories I find about his and my family history. He doesn't do the genealogy directly, but loves to pour over anything pertaining to it. Every now and again he finds something ...

I absolutely adore the fall season. It is positively my favorite time of year. Fall means football, chilly mornings, and beautifully breezy afternoons. It means pumpkin pie, apple cider with Savannah cinnamon, and the promise of more family time soon. It also means it's time for Mom to break out the scarecrows and bales of hay to display in her front yard. The season of fall also promises breathtaking scenery, not only around my home and in the mountains of Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina (just to name a few), but also in the cemetery. The bright colors of the fall are different from the bright colors of spring. The reds, oranges, browns, and golds actually remind me of the passage of time. Walks in the cemetery are filled with pauses. Not only for photographs, but for moments of reflection and wonders for the ones who came before me whose footsteps I'm possibly retracing. It is easy to immerse myself in a cemetery on a crisp fall day. In October of last y...

Kick yer feet up, folks, this is a long one. Don't worry, it's fun and full of pictures.  You'll enjoy it! A scavenger hunt in a cemetery? You know I'm there! I excitedly played along for the next edition of the Graveyard Rabbit Carnival. I chose to try and find all the suggested items at one cemetery. That could have been a challenge in itself, but I put the odds in my favor by selecting Riverside Cemetery in Macon, Georgia as my hunting ground. This cemetery was established in 1887 and covers a beautiful 125 acres. It is a delightful mix of old and new tombstones. I especially love it because even the "new" sections have maintained an increasingly "old style" look. Upright markers are the norm, and plots can be decorated to the hilt. I know this makes upkeep more challenging, but I am grateful Riverside has chosen to continue with this layout. Fifteen items were on the list -- from crosses to flowers to stars to mausoleums -- and I found...

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...

The topic for the next Graveyard Rabbit Carnival is "cemetery critters." I was reluctant to participate because my best critter find actually took place more than a year ago, and I've already blogged about it. Then I decided my wonderfully tolerant readers wouldn't mind seeing it again. And if you missed it the first time around, well, it's new to you! Here is a rerun of a post originally created 20 December 2008: Wild Turkeys at Beech Springs Cemetery : Once again, the work of a fellow Graveyard Rabbit provides inspiration for a post to this blog. Mr. Morgan at the Central Florida Graveyard Rabbit composed Graveyard Wildlife , an article about an active bald eagle nest in a downtown Orlando cemetery. This reminded me of a visit I made this past summer to Beech Springs Methodist Church Cemetery in Twiggs County, Georgia that had several young wild turkeys running through it. They were hanging around the church sign when I pulled up. I thought they would...

The prompt for the latest Graveyard Rabbit Carnival is "favorite cemetery-related photo," and the one above would certainly be one for me. I actually used it in my very first carnival post, Smile for the Camera, Grandpa , more than seven months ago. A quote from that post: "The photo above features my handsome grandfather atop a PEAVY gravestone. My mother and I took him some time ago to pay respects to some cousins at their final resting places. These graves were approximately 10 miles from his home, and he was not aware of them. I was so happy to show him these and other spots related to his cousins around town. Pa had stopped to take a breather while Mom and I were a short distance away documenting some other stones. I saw him, handed Mom the camera, and asked her to snap a photo. I think she got a great one." Picking a favorite cemetery-related photo wasn't exactly easy. I enjoy visiting cemeteries so much, and I more often than not have a favorite ...

When I learned the topic of the newest edition of the Graveyard Rabbit Carnival [now defunct] is going to be "Obituaries," my first thought was "I can do that!" Soon after, however, I became somewhat overwhelmed. Sounds silly, maybe, but true. I have, at the very least, hundreds of tombstone photos to choose from. How do I pick one? I recently visited the Byron City Cemetery in Peach County, GA for some other business and thought I'd choose a stone there. Nothing seemed to grab me, though. When I got home and loaded the pictures I did take into my computer, I started looking at photos from some of the other cemeteries I've visited. I don't quite know how it happened, but I fixated on William Wesley Middlebrooks. As you can see, there is nothing special about Wesley's gravestone. It's a simple granite block with his name, birth year, and death year: William Wesley Middlebrooks, 1903 - 1917 . Wesley is buried in Liberty Church Cemetery; Bibb C...

[This post was originally published at my Lincecum Lineage blog . Since the topic for the current Graveyard Rabbit Carnival is Veterans Memorials, I thought it would be nice to add to and highlight this post here at Southern Graves.] Michael Peavy was my great-great-grandfather. During the American Civil War, he fought with Company C, 54th Georgia (1862-1864). He lost his right arm from amputation 18 June 1864 at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia. Though you cannot tell it from his military gravestone, Grandpa survived the amputation. This is somewhat of a miracle, considering how many soldiers lost their lives from infections contracted during surgeries such as his. At the top of Michael Peavy's gravestone is an engraving of the Southern Cross of Honor . His service in the Confederate States Army is noted, but no birth or death dates are present. This is the only stone for Grandpa Peavy visible at his gravesite in Bethany Baptist Church Cemetery; Washington County, Georgia...

Cynthia Logue Barrentine: Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Wife, Mother, and Friend. We lost my Aunt Cindy almost nine years ago, and, for me, it's still hard to think about her without longing to see her again. Hear her again. Hug her again... The topic for the upcoming Carnival of Genealogy is "Mothers." My first instinct, of course, was to write about my own mother. She raised me and taught me so much. In fact, she continues to raise and teach me! Not only as my mother, but now as my friend. However, I don't think my mother would mind that I was guided to her sister Cindy. I am constantly reminded that Cindy left behind a daughter. She's in high school now, and I cannot imagine how she must ache for her mother. This post, however, is from my point of view. And that is how I intend to tell you about Cindy. Cindy was one tough lady. The phrase, "cuss like a sailor," would fit her just fine. What was funny, though, was (as far as I could tell) she was the only ...

Road Trip #2 started with a surprise. You see, my Aunt really enjoys Billy Currington. I'll say it again, she REALLY enjoys him. A few years ago, Mr. Currington was on tour as the opening act for Brad Paisley. They came to Columbus, Georgia, and my uncle surprised my Aunt with tickets to the show. In fact, enough tickets were purchased to enable me, my Aunt, my Mom, my Sister-in-Law, and my Niece to go. Woo Hoo! [On a side note, I'm sure my uncle was happy he didn't have to go. The whole method to madness thing.] We all piled into the SUV and headed south. We were fortunate to be staying overnight after the concert, so we would not have to drive the long way home that same evening. My brother graciously got us room in the Marriott. This was a treat for two reasons. #1 - it was in an old building, and I just love that. The hotel was built (with refurbished, original brick) around a restored cotton mill that began operations in 1861. #2 - there was a Starbucks in...