Southern Graves

A ll Rome was there to meet her.  With the earliest glimmer of dawn the little city of the hills began to stir – but softly, like the tread of gentle snowflakes.  Long before the sun was up, every road was thronged with travelers from the neighboring farms and hamlets, while every train brought its burden of souls from the remoter towns and cities.  It was a day to be remembered by the youngest child when an aged man or woman, a day whose significance made it a rare forget-me-not in the year's calendar of events.  But, instead of the emblems of rejoicing, the symbols of grief were displayed on every hand…No sound of hammer or anvil smote the air.  Shops were closed…It was Mrs. Wilson's home-coming; and this vast assemblage of friends was here to welcome in silence a returning daughter of Georgia, one whose name was upon a nation's lips:  the beloved First Lady of the Land. [Georgia historian, Lucian Lamar Knight, 1914] Mrs. Wilson was coming home – and she...

As mentioned in my previous post about the Cotting-Burke mausoleum at Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia, there once was a temporary resident housed there.  That person was none other than former congressman, former vice-president of the Confederacy, and Georgia governor, Alexander Hamilton Stephens. Alexander H. Stephens was born 11 February 1812 in Crawfordville, Georgia.  He is often described as small and sickly.  In fact, in 1843, at the age of 31, he only weighed 96 pounds.  But he had a boldness about him that could not be denied.  Famed Georgia historian, Lucian Lamar Knight, noted Mr. Stephens as being " game to the core ." I think it's safe to say Alexander Stephens was a much beloved citizen of Georgia.  Upon his death in March of 1883, it is estimated that approximately 25,000 people lined the roadways and followed his funeral procession to Oakland Cemetery. Per Lucian Lamar Knight in Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials, and Legends : The funeral ...

The Cotting – Burke sarcophagus type mausoleum stands in Oakland Cemetery at Atlanta, Georgia.  It contains a couple of prominent individuals, and also temporarily housed another.  Today, I'd like to share the obituaries for David and Frances Cotting.  He was Secretary of State for Georgia, and she was a "leading social light." They both died of pneumonia, though 29 years apart. Savannah Daily Advertiser (Georgia) Friday, 9 October 1874 -- [via GenealogyBank ] Death of David G. Cotting. Mr. David G. Cotting, who has been suffering for sometime [sic] from a complication of disorders, died on Sunday night.  The immediate cause of his death was pneumonia. Judge Cotting was born in Delham, Massachusetts, on the 28th of September, 1812, and was, therefore, over sixty years of age. After graduating he devoted four years to the study of Greek and Latin.  He moved to Washington, Wilkes county, in this State, where, for a short while, he engaged in school teaching....

I didn't believe it at first.  But then I found a newspaper article that confirmed it.  John Walz, well known German born sculptor of Savannah, Georgia, was commissioned to carve a statue of Bertha Wolff – and that statue was delivered to and placed in Rose Hill Cemetery at Macon, Georgia. I am deeply in love with Macon's Rose Hill Cemetery .  It's one of the few things I was sad to leave when we moved to the mountains.  But it doesn't get oohed and ahhed over quite as much as Savannah's Bonaventure Cemetery.  Over 100 pieces of mortuary art found in Bonaventure are attributed to John Walz.  To know a piece of art by a sculptor who helped give Bonaventure some of those oohs and ahhs was located in Rose Hill, tickled me pink. Think you don't know John Walz? Well, maybe you do.  One statue he carved out of marble is pretty well known.  If you visit Bonaventure, you'll find directions pointing to it, and you will likely find a few people already ther...

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed…but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." (I Peter 1:18-19) What's more valuable than silver or gold? A pure and innocent child, without spot or blemish. That's why lambs are in cemeteries.  To represent the innocence and purity of those little lives lost. Proof that Mary had a Little Lamb. (Yep.  I had to go there.) In a cemetery located in southern middle Georgia, the city of Perry, is a tombstone placed for "Little Sissie" – Mary Derrille Culler.  She was a daughter of Dr. & M. S. Culler, who died at the age of just 1 year and 9 months.  The lamb sculpted and placed atop her stone is one of the most lifelike I have ever seen. A tidbit of religious history I found interesting was with Douglas Keister's entry for the Lamb in his book, Stories in Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography (2004).  He wro...

I haven't written about symbols in the cemetery in quite some time.  Today, I'm highlighting the anchor . In addition to the "heavy object attached to a rope or chain used to moor a vessel to the sea bottom" definition for the word anchor, a dictionary offers this: … a person or thing that can be relied on for support, stability, or security; mainstay. … to keep hold or be firmly fixed. Unless there is an obvious naval or nautical connection, an anchor in the cemetery generally represents hope .  This symbol can be traced back to the Bible  and Hebrews 6:19 -- Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil. Matthew Henry provided the following commentary on the anchor as a symbol of hope, Biblically speaking: What use the people of God should make of their hope and comfort, that most refreshing and comfortable hope of eternal blessedness that God has given them…We are in this world as a ship at sea...

Resting in Locust Grove City Cemetery at Henry County, Georgia is Rachael and her husband W. W. Williams.  The epitaph inscribed for Rachael is quite poignant -- Rachael Williams Born Dec 19, 1823 Died Apr 20, 1909 At last we learned submission to our lot, And though we less deplored her, ne'er forgot. The last lines of Rachael's epitaph, though not word-for-word, are from a poem by William Cowper (1731-1800) titled My Mother's Picture : MY mother, when I learned that thou wast dead, Say, wast thou conscious of the tears I shed? Hovered thy spirit o’er thy sorrowing son,— Wretch even then, life’s journey just begun? I heard the bell tolled on thy burial-day; I saw the hearse that bore thee slow away; And, turning from my nursery-window, drew A long, long sigh, and wept a last adieu! But was it such? It was. Where thou art gone, Adieus and farewells are a sound unknown; May I but meet thee on that peaceful shore, The parting word shall pass my lips no more. Th...

Mr. H. E. Ellis, 81 years old, formerly of Locust Grove, died at a private sanitarium in Atlanta…   is how the obituary begins.  Henry Ellis, born in Georgia, was a son of T. J. and Nancy (Dunn) Ellis. The obituary (24 December 1925 McDonough Advertiser ) further states: Mr. Ellis was a Confederate veteran, member of Company E, Second Georgia Regiment, Wheeler's Cavalry, who during the days of the war between the states volunteered to do his share for the south in the great struggle that lasted four years. Henry married Martha Rebecca before 1881, and he later became a widower when she died in 1890. When Mr. Ellis died in the late morning of 20 December 1925, cause of death was listed as Uremic intoxication .  This is generally a by-product of kidney failure, when waste enters the bloodstream. I found something interesting on Henry's death certificate.  Both the informant and the physician was noted as H. C. Ellis of McDonough, Georgia.  The obituary confirmed m...

Mollie E. was born 7 June 1854 in Henry County, Georgia to Mr. and Mrs. Shirley Green. She married Dave Thomas Copeland about 1873.  Mollie died the evening of 1 December 1929 in Locust Grove, Henry County.  Despite her age, death was unexpected.  Per her death certificate, Mollie Died [of Paralysis] very sudden without medical attention in presence of witness. She was laid to rest at Locust Grove City Cemetery.  At the time, this cemetery belonged to the Baptist Church. Husband Dave was laid beside Mollie almost seven years later.  This cemetery also holds Mollie's daughter Gertrude (Copeland) Parr, who died 1939 at the age of 64.

Julia (Colvin) Sowell was born 10 December 1867.  She died 12 September 1899 in Locust Grove, Henry County, Georgia due to typhoid fever.  She was the wife of M. Perry Sowell and left behind "several" children.  Julia's obituary states she was laid to rest "in Indian Creek cemetery," but I know the location as Locust Grove City Cemetery. Sleep on, dear one, and take thy rest. In Jesus' arms, forever blest. Five years later, Julia's husband succumbed to "lung trouble." M. Perry Sowell was born 1 September 1862.  Not long before his death on 16 November 1904, Perry had remarried to Miss Jewell Dickson.  Per his obituary, "Perry Sowell was a true, good man…" He hath done what he could. By the will of God, he fell on sleep.

Homer F. Bell…miraculously escaped serious injury or possible death late Wednesday when he fell through a collapsed porch partly into a well. This nugget was printed on page 1 of the 23 May 1940 Marietta Journal (Georgia).  Almost exactly one month later, another accident happened.  This time, Mr. Bell was not as lucky.  The same newspaper, issued 24 June 1940, stated Homer F. Bell died "of an accidental shotgun wound inflicted while cleaning his gun."  He was just 43. The tragedy is echoed on Mr. Bell's death certificate. In the section devoted to cause of death is written: We the sworn an Empaneled jury – according to Law find that Homer Franklin Bell came to his death from accidental gunshot wound. Homer Bell was born  2 November 1896 in Canton, Georgia to Mr. and Mrs. C. F. Bell.  He received excellent marks in prep school and graduated from Mercer University.  His career was devoted to education. Homer died 21 June 1940 in Smyrna, Georgia...

FYI:  Robert Young Burton, according to the Georgia Death Index at FamilySearch.org, died 17 January 1965 in Fulton County. Robert and Mittie rest at Level Creek Church Cemetery in Gwinnett County, Georgia.

Martha Jane Armstrong was born 12 August 1833 in Gwinnett County, Georgia.  She was a daughter of Martin W. Armstrong and Martha Jane Fincher, both of Georgia.  Daughter Martha married, less than a month after her nineteenth birthday, John L. Wisdom. Martha J. Wisdom died April 1922 in Buford, Gwinnett County.  Her death certificate gave her age at death as 88 years, 8 months, and 8 days.  The draped urn topped tombstone Martha shares with her husband, however, gives her date of death as 22 April 1922, turning those 8 days into 10. I'm no doctor, but I dare say "old age" was the simple cause of death for Martha Jane Wisdom.  Yet Local Registrar George L. Brogdon decided to explain it this way: There was no doctor in the case.  I have known this old lady for years and her health has been failing for some time.  And the family said she died in a few minutes after they discovered something unusual was wrong with her and they didn't have time to get a doct...

Level Creek Church Cemetery Gwinnett County, Georgia George and Sarah Brogdon were parents to Noah R. Brogdon , and grandparents to Daniel G. Brogdon .

If anyone has anything to add about Uncle Dan, please comment.  I found myself wanting to know more and more the deeper I tried to delve… He was 5' 8" tall, had light skin, light hair, and blue eyes.  His name was Daniel G. Brogden. He was born 1841 in Gwinnett County, Georgia to Hope J. and Emily Brogdon.  One of at least 13 children born to the couple.  Based solely on census records , Daniel G. appears to have started life just like most who were born the son of a farmer – attending school when he could, and working the land as soon as he was able. When Daniel was 20 years old, he – along with his uncle Noah Richard and brother Shadrach G. – joined the Gwinnett Beauregards, Company A of the 42nd Georgia Infantry Regiment, C.S.A.  Less than two months in, toward the end of April 1862, Dan was at a hospital in Knoxville, TN.  Another short two months pass and Dan's uncle Noah was dead at Cumberland Gap. Daniel G. Brogdon was captured as a prison...

Wyatt Sulzer Moore, whose middle name I've seen spelled more than one way, was born 26 July 1835 in Paulding County, Georgia to Arbin Moore and "Harrett" (Harriett?) Casper.  By the taking of the 1850 U.S. Federal census , Wyatt and family were living in Gwinnett County, Georgia.  Mr. Moore would spend the rest of his life in this county, farming all the while. Wyatt S. Moore was married three times.  He married first Elizabeth Brogdon.  She was just a few years his junior, born in 1838.  They had at least nine children together, before Elizabeth died in 1881.  She was just 43. Wyatt next married Ellen / Ella Jane Whitehead in 1882.  She was ten years younger than he, and died in 1900 at the age of 55. Thirdly, Wyatt married Rachel Elizabeth King.  She was twenty-one years his junior, and died 8 May 1925 at the age of 68. Though each wife was younger -- and lived longer -- than the one prior, Wyatt S. Moore outlived them all.  Almost four mor...

Just a few days shy of the 116th anniversary of her death. Our Mother Martha B. Wife of H. M. Long Born Oct 5, 1812 Died July 29, 1900 On that bright immortal shore, We shall meet to part no more. Level Creek Cemetery Suwanee, Gwinnett County, Georgia For an added bonus, here's a poem published 1865 in the book, Eighty Original Poems , by John McNair, D.D.  The poem does contain a line from Martha's epitaph, but really I'm posting it just because I like it.  I think I'm drawn to the cadence, as well as the words. UP IN HEAV'N. I have a treasure great indeed Reserv'd for me in time of need -- Which does all other things exceed; A treasure up in Heav'n. I have a house far out of sight, A blessed mansion pure and bright Where I shall dwell in ceaseless light, Exalted up in Heav'n. I have a hope both firm and strong, It is so now, has been so long, That I shall join the happy throng Who shout and sing in Heav'n. I have a faith my Maker gav...

J. W. Pierce seems to be the only member of his immediate family to be buried at Level Creek Cemetery in Suwanee, Gwinnett County, Georgia.  He was born in Lumpkin County, Georgia 14 April 1865 to Wilson Jasper Pierce and Letty Caroline Roberts. James first married Sallie Pitner 28 August 1884 in Lumpkin County.  They had at least three children before Sallie died in 1899.  James, on Christmas Day of 1900 in Fulton County, then married Lillie Allen Collins, a widow.  This association with the Collins in-laws of Lillie brought about James' death less than a year later. The particulars, as laid out in the 11 December 1901 Augusta Chronicle (Georgia), follow.  Full article is available at GenealogyBank . GEORGIANS IN A FATAL FIGHT DUEL WITH KNIVES ON A RAILROAD TRAIN. ONE MAN IS CUT TO DEATH. James Pierce and Thomas Collins, Settling a Family Trouble, Cut Each Other -- The First Killed, the Other Fatally Hurt. Doraville, Ga., Dec. 10 -- In a bloody duel with knive...