Southern Graves

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.

(l-r) James K. Craig, Eugenia Peeples Craig, Annie McGee, Samuel Newton McGee at Fairview Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County, Georgia. Photo © 2010/1 S. Lincecum. Annie was born 25 September 1877 to James K. Craig and Eugenia Peeples. She married Samuel Newton McGee while in her early twenties, but died 1 September 1919 at the young age of 41. Her tombstone (pictured above, third from left) depicts a lovely epitaph: Thy life was beauty, truth, goodness and love. Also included is a descending or "diving" dove from Heaven. As mentioned before on this blog , a dove sculpted in this way represents the Holy Ghost, part of the Holy Trinity in Christianity.

Duluth Cemetery Gwinnett County, Georgia Photos © 2010 S. Lincecum

Rev. E. T. McGehee, M.D. (1808-1870) From the 7 June 1870 Macon Weekly Telegraph , Georgia: " IN MEMORIAM Reverend, Edward T. McGehee, M.D., a Master Mason, and a member of Houston Lodge, No. 35, F. A. M., died April 16th, A. D., 1870, A. L., 5870 -- Aged 62 years. Our Lodge has never been called upon to mourn the death of a brother more beloved than he, whose name heads this notice. At heart brother McGehee loved the mystic charms of Free Masonry. His intercourse with his brethren in all the relations of life, and his communion with them around our sacred altars, illustrated his high appreciation of a devotion to our time honored and indissoluble Fraternal Union; his outer life exhibited his high estimate of our Moral Temple and added lustre to its wisdom, strength and beauty. Over and around all of which he threw the higher charms and purer light of a holy life consecrated and devoted to the cause of Him in whom we put our trust. Honored and revered by us while liv...

Whew! I've been working! Some more photos are now available online. These are from Henderson Church Cemetery in Henderson, Houston County, Georgia. Surnames include Brown, Clark, Coleman, Haywood, Hodge, Jones, Kendrick, Kezar, McGehee, Peacock, Rogers, Shafer, and Till. Direct link to individual photos and commentary - Henderson Church Cemetery .

In March of 1875, at least three tornadoes touched 18 counties in the state of Georgia. In Harris county, at least six members of the Capt. John H. Kennon family were killed. They were laid to rest in the Waverly Hall cemetery. An account of the disaster in the 30 March 1875 Macon Weekly Telegraph says this: "...At Mt. Airy, the house of Capt. John Kennon was whirled around, and portions of it carried half a mile. Mrs. Kennon was killed with her two grown daughters, a son aged seventeen, a daughter of twelve, and a baby. Their bodies were scattered along the road for 50 to 150 yards, and everything else was gone. The bones of all were broken and they had received severe gashes..." Here is an additional article that describes more of the storm. I transcribed the whole article for those that might have genealogical interests. After this transcription is a link to even more articles from other newspapers detailing the destruction of the storms. Augusta Chronicle ...