Southern Graves

THADDEUS M. NORTON born Jan y 13th 1839 died Jan y 28th 1844 ---------------------------- MARGARET E. NORTON born Feb y 20th 1843 died Dec r 28th 1843 ---------------------------- ALONZO NORTON born Sept r 4th 1845 died April 15th 1846 Lawrenceville Historic Cemetery, est. 1819 Gwinnett County, Georgia Photo © 2010/1 S. Lincecum [Note: For what it's worth, the stone for these three little ones is next to the stone for John Norton .]

SACRED To the memory of JOHN NORTON Who was born July 14th 1808 and died March 15th 1847. ---------------------------------- Jesus can make a dying bed Feel soft as downy pillows are, While on his breast I lean my head And breathe my life out sweetly there. The poetic finale of John's epitaph is from a hymn written by Isaac Watts about 1707 entitled "Why Should We Start, and Fear to Die?" Why should we start and fear to die? What tim’rous worms we mortals are! Death is the gate of endless joy, And yet we dread to enter there. The pains, the groans, the dying strife, Fright our approaching souls away; Still we shrink back again to life, Fond of our prison and our clay. O, if my Lord would come and meet, My soul should stretch her wings in haste, Fly fearless through death’s iron gate, Nor feel the terrors as she passed. Jesus can make a dying bed Feel soft as downy pillows are, While on His breast I lean my head, And breathe my life out sweet...