Southern Graves

James Exom Taylor was born on 9 May 1837 in Pulaksi County, Georgia, the son of Charles Edward Taylor (1810-1886) and Charlotte Exum Phillips (1814-1877). Aside from the ten years he was married to Anna Bell Jordan (d. 1882), James lived the bachelor life, usually occupied with farming pursuits. James maintained a close friendship with members of the George Walker family, whose sons settled the Longstreet community where James was born. Upon James's death in 1913, Dr. T. D. Walker wrote the tribute to his friend transcribed below, and James was laid to rest by his late wife in the Walker Cemetery at Bleckley County, Georgia. Bleckley was carved from Pulaski the year before James's death. In the dim unknown standeth God, within the shadow, keeping watch above His own. Note:  This tribute is a classic example of early 20th-century memorial writing. During this era, particularly in the South, it was customary for friends or family to write highly sentimentalized tributes for newsp...

This is technically the last post I'll be writing for the challenge because Z is already in the queue.  I could not find a single Y idea to satisfy me, so today is a hodgepodge. The first two Ys are from epitaphs.  Both come from tombstones placed in Harmony – Smyrna Cemetery at Dooly County, Georgia.  As far as I can tell, however, there is no relation between the two individuals.  First up is a dear mother whose name is Lucy Taylor. Our Dear Mother Lucy Taylor Born June 24, 1867 Died Feb 21, 1909 Dearest mother thou has left us And our loss we deeply feel But tis God that has bereft us He can all our sorrows heal Yet again we hope to meet thee When the day of life is fled Where in heaven with joy to greet thee Where no farewell tears is shed Next is little "Boby" ~             In Memory Of Our Little Son Robert W. Floyd Son of J. M. & Sarah E. Floyd Born Feb 20, 1866 Died Oct 7, 1870 Yes Our Boby Is An Angel But...

It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. I read an old obituary and think, "I've been to that cemetery before. Do I have a photo for this burial?" And I DO! In this case, the photos were taken almost five years ago. Photo © 2008-2013 S. Lincecum This particular find was especially neat when I discovered from the obituary that Mr. Taylor's likeness was made from Italian marble and placed in the churchyard before his death. Read on for more information: "James Taylor, one of the oldest and wealthiest citizens of this section, died here [Fort Valley, Georgia] last night from paralysis. He was nearly 77 years of age and leaves besides his wife three young children, two sons, Charles A. and Lomie T., of this place; a daughter, Mrs. Matt G. Thames, of Bibb county, by a former marriage. Until a few years ago Mr. Taylor resided on his farm in Crawford county, where he attained a fortune. He belonged to no church, but was inclined to the Primitive B...

Dudley Taylor Co F 52 GA Regt C.S.A. Taylors Chapel Cemetery Black Rock Mountain Rabun County, Georgia Photo © 2011/2 S. Lincecum According to the Rogers Family Tree online at Ancestry.com, Dudley (whose first name was Sidney) was born 1842 to Henry Taylor and Susan Smith. His Confederate soldier files at Ancestry and Fold3 show he served a little over one month in the spring of 1862. Sidney Dudley Taylor supposedly died about 1867.