Southern Graves

William Crosby Dawson via Wikipedia I headed out before the sun came up one morning several days ago to visit a few cities with roots in early Georgia history. My first stop was Greensboro, the seat of Greene County. It was first chartered in 1786, and later incorporated in 1803. I parked in front of the courthouse with every intention of walking around the back to take a peek at the old jail. Even though it was raining, I was sidetracked by a marker in front of the courthouse detailing the life of William C. Dawson. After reading it, I snapped a picture and moved on. Little did I know, I would visit Mr. Dawson again a bit later...in the cemetery, of course! William C. Dawson marker in front of Greene County's 1849 courthouse. Marker reads: William C. Dawson (1798-1856), Statesman -- Soldier -- Jurist -- Freemason: "A native of Greene County, then on Georgia's Indian frontier, he was educated in the law and admitted to the bar in 1818. The remainder of h...

I don't do this often enough, but from time to time I'm prompted to check the new and updated databases page at Ancestry. U.S. Burial Registers, Military Posts and National Cemeteries, 1862-1960 was updated less than three weeks ago, so I decided to give it a browse. First, here is a description of the database: Many veterans of the U.S. armed services are buried in cemeteries established or maintained by the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) or the U.S. Army. The NCA maintains 131 national cemeteries and other smaller burial grounds. The Department of the Army is responsible for Arlington and the U.S. Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Cemetery. These records also include burial details for soldiers who were disinterred and moved to military cemeteries sometime after their death. Essentially, if you choose to browse, you are reading a burial register. It's fascinating, yet heart wrenching at the same time. These soldiers died and were buried far from home,...

Photo by Gary Sizemore via FindAGrave Ezekiel Absher was born in Tennessee February of 1838. He joined up with Company E of the 43rd Tennessee Infantry in November 1861. (Note: this was a mounted infantry between December 1863 and May 1865.) Shortly after his enlistment, Pvt. Absher was absent from roll due to sickness. Upon returning in January 1862, it seems he remained present for the duration of his service. Ezekiel was elected 3rd Corporal in May of 1862. In November, he was noted as a brigade teamster. By the summer of 1863, Ezekiel was listed as a 4th Sergeant when he was captured at Vicksburg, Mississippi on the 4th of July. After signing an Oath of Allegiance, he was paroled five days later. The "allegiance" didn't stick, however. A year later, on 2 September 1864, Ezekiel was again captured by the Union Army. This time near Martinsburg, Virginia. He was sent to Fort Delaware , and was confined there for 8 months. Release came May of 1865. ...

His mind, however, was another matter. This is how he was described by Lucian Lamar Knight in Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends : "Dr. William H. Felton...was a power upon the stump...Over six feet in height, awkward and angular, his tall figure bent by a stroke of paralysis, and his whole body tremulous by reason of disordered nerves, there was never a man who could surpass him in rocket flights of unpremeditated eloquence and especially in seething thunderbolts of denunciation. Though he leaned heavily upon his stick, he seemed to grow not only in strength but in statue and to acquire by degrees as he waxed more and more eloquent something of the vigor of a Roman athlete. His very infirmities seemed to impart an electrical energy to his withered frame and to suggest a dynamo hidden somewhere on his person...To quote Tom Watson: "No flag was ever dipped to the foe while he held it, nor did he ever once say to triumphant wrong -- 'I surrender'....

Sam P. Jones Mentally heroic, magnetic to a degree which drew all men to him, physically and morally a man militant and unafraid, Sam P. Jones was known to thousands in all parts of this country. [1906] But I had never heard of Rev. Jones before arriving at his draped obelisk at Oak Hill Cemetery in Cartersville, GA the spring of 2011. And still didn't think much of him until learning he was the reason Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium was built . Yes, the home of the Grand Ol' Opry. That Ryman Auditorium. A little factoid such as that will make this fan of country music dig a little deeper. Photo © 2011-2013 S. Lincecum The story goes that Samuel Porter Jones, born 16 October 1847, was quite the whiskey drinker. It ruined his law career and strained familial relationships. He even described himself as "the wickedest young man in Georgia," and further stated: "I was going to hell a mile a minute when I stopped and went the other way....

While working on the collateral Zumwalt line, I found information on the death of Lucinda Zumwalt Lackey. Lucinda Jane was the daughter of Tom and Elsie Billings Zumwalt, and my 4th cousin. She married Green Lackey, and they had eight children. When the federal census taker visited Lucinda and Green for the last time, he found the empty nesters in Kerr County, Texas. By the time of her death in 1926, Lucinda had resided there for 55 years. According to her death certificate, Lucinda died September 1926 after battling breast cancer for at least 18 months. She was laid to rest at Nichols Cemetery in Ingram, Kerr County, Texas. A few years later, Green joined her. Mrs. L. J. Lackey Beloved Wife of Green Lackey Jan 1, 1847 Sept 25, 1926

Thomas Charles Rauls Apr 16, 1886 - Nov 30, 1937 Gone But Not Forgotten -------------------------------- Whitener Cemetery Marquand, Madison Co, MO Isn't he dashing? Thomas Charles Rauls (my 1st cousin, 4x removed) was a son of Powhatan Rauls (1849-1922) and Hannah Yount (d. 1891), as well as the husband of Myrtle Alexander (1894-1960).  The final resting place for Thomas and his wife is Whitener Cemetery in Marquand, Madison County, Missouri. Photos from original images by David & Judi Cloninger via FindAGrave . Enhanced images shown here by S. Lincecum, © 2010.

[Originally posted at the Rose Hill Cemetery blog .] William G. White Born Aug 12, 1841 Died Jan 22, 1885 One Word Tells The Story Of His Life "Faithful." Husband. Father. Husband of Annie Amos White (1842-1929), who is at rest beside him in Rose Hill Cemetery at Macon, Bibb County, Georgia.

Yesterday, I shared with you a couple of photos and information regarding the monument to General Nathanael Greene in Savannah, Georgia. That monument, more than 70 years after it was originally raised, became a tombstone for General Greene and his son. Did the same thing happen with the monument to Count Pulaski? Though originally planned for Chippewa Square, the cornerstone for the monument to Casimir Pulaski was relaid in Savannah's Monterey Square in 1853, with the finished product being dedicated a couple of years later. From Lucian Lamar Knight's Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials, and Legends : "...It is fifty feet in height; a column of solid marble resting on a base of granite and surmounted by a statue of the goddess of liberty, holding a wreath in her outstretched hand..." The Goddess of Liberty atop the Pulaski Monument Photo © 2010-2013 S. Lincecum "...On each of the four corners of the base is chiseled an inverted cannon, emblematic ...

Photo © 2010-2013 S. Lincecum A monument to Major General Nathanael Greene has been standing in Savannah's Johnson Square since before 1830. The "shaft of granite, fifty feet in height" has bore two tablets made of bronze since about 1885. One on the south side portrays the full figure of Greene, sword at his side. The other provides an inscription: Major General Nathanael Greene Born in Rhode Island 1742 Died in Georgia 1786 Soldier. Patriot. The Friend of Washington. This Shaft has been reared by the people of Savannah in honor of his great services to the American Revolution. Since 14 November 1902, this monument has also been General Greene's tombstone. After a long search and recovery , the remains of Nathanael Greene and his son George Washington Greene were placed here. Directly above where they were interred is a bronze wreath placed by the Savannah Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It reads: To Commemorate The Reinter...

In Memoriam W. B. Marshall Son of Stephen & E. Marshall Born May 16, 1796 Died June 24, 1874 O happy stroke! that burst the bonds of clay, Darts through the rending gloom the blaze of day. And wings the soul with boundless flight to soar, Where dangers threat and fears alarm no more. For fifty five years a member of the church which in him ever found a generous supporter. A kind husband, father, and friend. Useful, laborious and public spirited. Ever he lived to do good to others. His excellent sense, sound judgement and inflexible integrity gained for him many positions of honor and trust, yet he never lost his native modesty. His warm and generous heart gained for him many friends who will ever remember him with gratitude and admiration. Waverly Hall Cemetery Waverly Hall, Harris County, Georgia All photos © 2008-2013 S. Lincecum

A couple of months ago, I posted about the death of my 4th cousin, L. B. Lincecum, who was killed by 33,000 volts of electricity . At the time I had newly requested a photo of his burial site via FindAGrave, and today, contributor Lewis Bean fulfilled my request. **Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!** After viewing the image of Buster's tombstone, I sighed with a bit of sadness and disappointment. See that empty oval to the left of his name? I'm 99.9% sure it once contained a photo of dear cousin L. B...and the genealogy roller coaster took me for another ride. L. B. (Buster) Son of L. G. Lincecum Jan 5, 1906 Jan 10, 1930 Columbia Cemetery West Columbia, Brazoria County, Texas Photo contributed by Lewis Bean via FindAGrave.

Along the outer wall that parallels Memorial Drive SE in Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery is a historical marker that tells the story of the final result of the acts of seven of Andrews Raiders, as well as James J. Andrews himself: Photo by S. Lincecum "280 feet south of this location on June 18, 1862, seven of the Union Army's brave Andrews Raiders were hanged and buried. On April 12, 1862, 22 Andrews Raiders seized The General, a tender and three boxcars at Big Shanty (now Kennesaw) and raced toward Chattanooga on the Western & Atlantic Railroad in an effort to burn bridges and otherwise dismember a supply artery vital to the Confederacy. They had covered 87 miles when The General was overtaken by valiant pursuers led by Conductor Fuller. Of the Raiders, only these seven plus James J. Andrews, their leader, were executed by the Confederate Army. In 1866, remains of the seven were exhumed from this location and reinterred at the National Cemetery at Chattanooga. A...

© 2013 S. Lincecum

Several days ago, I concluded a short run of posts about Anthony Murphy , a man who figured prominently on the Confederate side of the Great Locomotive Chase of 1862. That same day, over at the Rose Hill Cemetery blog, I posted about Peter Bracken , another prominent figure in the chase. Since it seems I have a little theme running here, I'll now share with you the burial site of Jeff Cain, engineer of the famed General seized by Andrews Raiders. Jeff Cain (1827-1897) Photo © 2013 S. Lincecum Jeff Cain, as does Anthony Murphy, rests in Atlanta's Oakland cemetery. He actually isn't far from yet another famous interment, golfer Bobby Jones. The back of Mr. Cain's tombstone gives a rendition of his role in the chase, though it is somewhat misleading: Jeff Cain. The historic engineer of the W. & A. R. R. manned the famous General on the thrilling wartime run. It was he who drove the locomotive in the historic chase of the Andrews raders May 12, 1862. Here...

Anthony Murphy TWO SONS SLIGHTED IN MURPHY'S WILL ...was the headline that ran in the Macon Telegraph (Georgia) little more than a month after the death of 80 year old Confederate veteran and builder of Atlanta, Anthony Murphy . The short article continues: Widow and Other Son Divide an Estate of Half a Million in Value. ATLANTA, Ga., Feb. 2. -- The will of the late Anthony J. Murphy, famous as one of the captors of the Andrews Raiders in 1862, was admitted to probate in Ordinary Wilkinson's court this afternoon. It disclosed the fact that two of the sons were cut off with only $2,000 each, which they lose if they contest the will. The estate, which is valued at $500,000, is divided equally between the widow, three daughters and a third son, Charles Murphy. Wait! Wasn't there another son? An article in the Constitution (Atlanta, Georgia) goes into a bit more detail. The will of Anthony Murphy, Atlanta's pioneer citizen who recently died, was recorded ye...

On the morning of 29 December 1909, much of the east coast of the United States woke up to find this on the front page of their newspaper: ANTHONY MURPHY DEAD. From the Tampa Tribune (Florida), all over the state of Georgia, to the Charleston News and Courier (South Carolina), and even up to the Washington Post (District of Columbia) -- Most ran the same general obituary, but some had a nuance or two. Each and every one described Mr. Murphy's participation in the Great Locomotive Chase to some degree. The Macon Telegraph (Georgia) added that Murphy was a builder of Atlanta and that he left a fortune estimated at between two and three hundred thousand dollars. Died Wealthy was part of the headline in the Augusta Chronicle (Georgia). It stated, "The war left Murphy penniless, but he set out to work again cheerfully and when he died, had amassed a fortune of half a million dollars in the saw mill and lumber business." The Charleston News and Courier (Sou...

Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, GA © 2013 S. Lincecum Anthony Murphy's claim to fame is most likely his participation in the Great Locomotive Chase of 1862. Yet he was alive for more than 29,200 days, and that was literally just one of them. From Memoirs of Georgia (Southern Historical Association, 1895): Anthony Murphy, capitalist, Atlanta, Ga., son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Keyes) Murphy, was born in County Wicklow, Ireland, Nov. 6, 1829. [Tombstone says Nov. 29.] ...They emigrated to the United States in 1838, and settled first in Schuylkill county, Pa...Anthony was nine years of age when his parents emigrated to this country; he lived with them until he was eighteen years of age, and was educated at the public schools. At the age mentioned he went to Trenton, N.J., where he was apprenticed to the machinist's trade. After serving three years he went to Piermont, N.Y., worked there a year in the Erie railway shops, and then went to the Pittsburgh (Pa.) shops, where he wo...

Thomas J. Peavy and Sarah L. Mills were my 2nd Great Grand Uncle and Aunt. They, along with at least three of their seven children, were laid to rest in Barber Cemetery at Concord, Gadsden County, Florida. Thomas J. Peavy (1842-1921) Sarah L. M. Peavy (1851-1935) Maggie E. Peavy (1872-1896) Olliver D. Peavy (1875-1899) Annie I. Peavy (1884-1899) Died just 5 days after her brother Olliver.

Photo by S. Lincecum I've been a frequent visitor of Byron City Cemetery (Georgia) for several years now. And every visit includes stops by the graves of cousins, one being that of Moultrie Alfred Warren, Jr. He was a third cousin of mine by way of his mother, Sadie Almira Peavy Warren. Engraved on Moultrie's ledger marker, in addition to his birth and death dates, is "Professional Engineer." And those aforementioned dates reveal Moultrie died at the young age of 43 in 1956. I have often wondered what was the cause -- now I know . Via FamilySearch.org A World War II draft registration card from 1940 shows a 27 year old Moultrie Alfred Warren, Jr. living in Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia and employed by the United States government and the science organization of Geological Survey ( USGS ). In 1947, Moultrie became engaged to Ruth Tomlinson, daughter of Homer R. Tomlinson. Moultrie and Ruth were a very studious couple. Ruth was a graduate of Winthrop ...