Southern Graves

Felton Cemetery; Montezuma, GA. Caroline's stone at far left. Caroline Holmes was laid to rest in Felton Cemetery at Montezuma, Georgia. Her tombstone inscription: Mother Caroline Card Holmes Feb 12, 1846 Oct 17, 1909 Asleep in Jesus! Blessed sleep, From which none ever wake to weep. Caroline's epitaph is from a hymn written by Margaret Mackay (1802-1887): Asleep in Jesus! Blessed Sleep Asleep, in Jesus! Blessed sleep, From which none ever wakes to weep; A calm and undisturbed repose, Unbroken by the last of foes. Asleep in Jesus! Oh, how sweet To be for such a slumber meet, With holy confidence to sing That death has lost his venomed sting! Asleep in Jesus! Peaceful rest, Whose waking is supremely blest No fear, no woe, shall dim that hour That manifests the Savior's power. Asleep In Jesus! Oh, for me May such a blissful refuge be! Securely shall my ashes lie And wait the summons from on high. Fellow Graveyard Rabbit M. Diane Rogers also...

On a grand scale: save the planet. On what might seem like a smaller scale: save a cemetery. Everything we love about a cemetery -- the stones, the flowers, the trees, the landscape, the art -- is connected to our earth. I wrote more about my thoughts on the subject in a post for Earth Day 2009 . I hope you'll join me at Earth Hour 2010 .

C. C. Grant Born May 10, 1842 Died Aug 6, 1883 Gone From Our Home, But Not From Our Hearts. C. C. Grant's tombstone was made by the Monumental Bronze Co. of Bridgeport, CT. It is located in Felton Cemetery at Montezuma, Georgia. Photo © 2010 S. Lincecum

Well, as you can see, I made a change or two to the blog. I hope it's for the better! I first took advantage of Blogger in draft and worked with their new template designer. I love it. It makes it much easier to change the background of your blog. As you can see, I decided to acknowledge St. Patrick's Day a day late. I have not decided on a steady background just yet. It may take me a few attempts before I settle. The layout will stay the same though, so any navigational links you might be used to from the sidebars will still be there. I also added a few things to the bottom of each post. The labels specific to each post can now be found there. If you are looking for similar articles, this is another way to find some. I also added a way for you to rate posts because comments and feedback are always appreciated. I am especially excited about the location feature Blogger added. At the bottom of applicable posts will be a location link. The location will usually...

Mrs. Nettie C. Hall's (1841-1908) ledger marker is located in Evergreen Cemetery at Fitzgerald, Georgia. At first glance, there might not seem to be a whole lot of information inscribed here. However, there is actually much included in these few lines. Let us start at the top. W. R. C. stands for W omen's R elief C orps. From the W. R. C. website : "The National Woman's Relief Corps, Auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic, Inc., is a patriotic organization whose express purpose is to perpetuate the memory of the Grand Army of the Republic, as we are their auxiliary organized at their request on July 25 and 26, 1883 in Denver, Colorado..." The first statement of their mission reads, "To perpetuate the memory of the Grand Army of the Republic and its heroic dead; to assist in every practicable way in preserving, and making available for research, documents and records pertaining to the Grand Army of the Republic and its members..." The Grand Army...

I came across this emblem during a recent visit to Evergreen Cemetery in Fitzgerald, Georgia. It is one of the most detailed symbol of the Knights Templar I have seen. At the top is a knight's helmet. A cross in crown is on top of a Maltese cross with crossed swords behind it. Included is the motto In Hoc Signo Vinces , a Latin rendition of a Greek phrase meaning "in this you will conquer." According to Wikipedia.org , the Knights Templar were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders. The organization existed for approximately two centuries in the Middle Ages. It was officially endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church around 1129, became a favoured charity, and grew rapidly in membership and power. Templar knights, in their distinctive white mantles with a red cross, were among the most skilled fighting units of the Crusades. Today, the Knights Templar is "an international philanthropic chivalric order affiliated with Freemasonry." ...

Remember Henry Chaple ? He was one of two brothers from a New York regiment that were captured at Plymouth, NC during the Civil War. They were both sent to Andersonville Prison Camp in Georgia. Henry survived, but his brother did not. When I photographed Henry's grave at Evergreen Cemetery in Fitzgerald, Georgia, I had no idea of his story. After I returned home and learned more, I decided I wanted to also pay my respects to the brother that did not survive. His name was Alfred Chapel. We headed down I-75 yesterday morning. It was raining, and the forecast was not great. I was determined to go, however, since various things had interrupted my plans in recent weeks. I was armed with Alfred's grave site number that I had obtained online, as well as a map and my digital camera. At some point, before we reached Andersonville, I began to wonder about Alfred's arrival to the prison camp. Since he was captured in April 1864, it is very close to being exactly 146 years ago. Was i...

Here are the most popular posts from the last thirty days. - Sacred to the Memory of Mr. Jared Bates (Today's Epitaph) - Pvt. Henry Chaple Survived Andersonville - Mrs. Hannah E. Howard (Tombstone Tuesday) - John Buckley & the Congressional Medal of Honor (Tombstone Tuesday) - New "Featured Articles" Page - Here Lieth Mary, Never was Contrary... (Today's Epitaph) - The Forgotten Ones - Sunday Slideshow -- Centerville Cemetery in the Snow (A Valentine's Day Gift for Me & You) - Is that a Pillow Carved on Top of Bernice's Tombstone? - A 60 Year Search Results in a Heart-Breaking Find

This type of gravestone is not common in my area at all. A zinc marker is pretty rare all by itself. A zinc bedstead is even more so. It can be found at Evergreen Cemetery in Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Georgia. Inscription: Dora, Wife of S. O. Swafford, Died Aug 3, 1906. Love Is Eternal. Photo © 2010 S. Lincecum

Walter Berry Born in Delaware Co, Ind. Oct 21, 1861 Died Nov 22, 1911 Walter's tombstone is known as a diamond die. The diamond shaped stone is on top of a stone base. See the three chain link above Walter's name? This emblem shows he was a member of the Odd Fellows. I have written about this emblem and organization before. The article is here --> Odd Fellows and Rebekahs This stone is located in Evergreen Cemetery at Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Georgia.

Pvt. Henry Chaple survived Andersonville. His brother did not. Brothers Henry and Alfred Chaple were members of Company D of the New York Volunteer Regiment during the Civil War. They were both captured by the Confederate Army at Plymouth, North Carolina in April 1864 and sent to Andersonville, Georgia. There, a military prison designed to hold 10,000 POWs had just opened months before. By August of 1864, when Henry's brother Alfred died of diarrhea, the number of union soldier inmates was approximately 32,000. I'm not sure how, but Henry Chaple survived Andersonville. He died 15 April 1930 and was laid to rest in Evergreen Cemetery at Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Georgia -- where the "Yanks and Rebs rest together." See also >> My Journey to Visit the Brother that Did Not Survive .

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...

(From Orpington, England - 1755) Here lieth Mary, never was contrary To me nor her neighbours around her. Like Turtle and Dove we lived in love And I left her where I may find her. [Source: Grave Matters by E. R. Shushan]

Please go read Ruth Coker Burks' article I'm Stunned at the last2cu blog . It is about a 60 year search that resulted in a heart-breaking find. She's been searching for remnants of a family cemetery that she knew was destroyed decades ago. What she found is both amazing and sad. If you have any advice for her, please comment.

Bernice Ellars (13 Jan 1894 - 15 Jul 1905) was laid to rest in Evergreen Cemetery at Fitzgerald, Georgia. Her stone is a little different. The top of it looks somewhat like a pillow, with tassels hanging down on all four corners. For some reason it reminds me of a pulpit marker. I think I actually read about something similar on another blog, but I unfortunately cannot remember which one. By the way, Bernice's epitaph -- "And we wept that one so lovely Should have a life so brief." -- is a quote by William Cullen Bryant. It is from the poem "The Death of the Flowers." The last stanza: And then I think of one who in her youthful beauty died, The fair meek blossom that grew up and faded by my side. In the cold moist earth we laid her, when the forests cast the leaf, And we wept that one so lovely should have a life so brief: Yet not unmeet it was that one, like that young friend of ours, So gentle and so beautiful, should perish with the flower...

Mother Mrs. Hannah E. Howard Feb 18, 1833 Apr 17, 1897 Fitzgerald, GA Evergreen Cemetery Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Georgia

I've created a new page for my wonderful visitors. I called it "Featured Articles," and it includes several articles I have written. While most were written for this blog, I also linked to a few on the Rose Hill Cemetery blog as well as the main Southern Graves site . All the pages for this blog are listed at the top on the right sidebar. Here is a direct link to the Featured Articles page .

I've always been just a wee bit jealous of people who lived in places that got a yearly snowfall. Not because I like the white stuff, but because I've wanted to take pictures at a cemetery under a blanket of snow. I think the images are beautiful. Yesterday I got my wish! Late Friday we received about 5 inches of snow. It was almost gone in 24 hours, but I managed to get to the cemetery when it was still well covered. I literally said "Thank-you, God" before I even got out of my car at the cemetery. The landscape was breathtakingly beautiful. Since Valentine's Day is all about love, and I love my cemeteries, I believe this was H is Valentine's Day gift to me. If you love cemeteries like me, then the following slideshow of some of the photos I took are my Valentine's Day gift to you. I hope you enjoy them.

(From Lincoln, Maine - 1800) Sacred to the Memory of Mr. Jared Bates who Died Aug. the 6th 1800. His Widow aged 24 who mourns as one who can be comforted lives at 7 Elm Street this village and possesses every qualification for a good wife. Is it just me, or do these words seem to be advertising the widow Bates is ready for another marriage? [Source: Grave Matters by E. R. Shushan]