Southern Graves

Wreaths, Roses, and Resurrection: The Testimony of Martha Walker's Tombstone

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 22:02:00 +0000

Walker Cemetery
Bleckley (formerly Pulaski) County, Georgia

Martha was a daughter of George Walker (1793-1865) and Martha Spann Childers (1801-1866). Her maternal grandparents were Richard Childers and Martha Spann. This youngest Martha was born on 4 November 1828 and died on 25 May 1849, less than six months before her 21st birthday. The family lived in Pulaski County, Georgia, and Walker Cemetery is on land that became part of Bleckley County (being carved from Pulaski) in 1912.

Martha's memorial in Walker Cemetery is a pedestal monument, consisting of a substantial rectangular "die" (the main block carrying the inscription) on a tiered base, topped with a heavy capstone—a classic Victorian architectural feature. Offering protection and dignity for the deceased, the capstone's overhanging design gives a sense of permanence and prestige.

Just below the capstone is a laurel wreath, symbolizing victory over death. A premium feature above the inscription is a high relief carving of the "queen of flowers," the rose. Its full bloom represents Martha's death in the prime of life. Below the birth and death information on the front of Martha's monument is a brief statement of affection and respect:

She was amiable, pious, and beloved in her life, and deeply lamented in her death.

Moving to another side of Martha's monument, the iconography signals alignment with the "art of dying" (Ars Moriendi) and, more specifically, the Victorian "good death" movements. Another laurel wreath ("victory over death") is displayed at the top. Below is another high relief carving of a finger pointing up. Paired with the explicit statement, "My Home Is In Heaven," this side of the monument becomes a visual testimony:

The wreath declares the victory.
The finger points the way.
The statement identifies the destination.

All this shows Martha clearly won the final battle for her soul against the temptations of lack of faith, despair, and avarice by displaying full faith, hope, and detachment from worldly possessions.

Finally, a poet's view of the grave. Another panel of Martha's monument shares the following:

Death, rigid Lord, hath claimed the lifeless clay;

While joyously the youthful soul hath gone to take its heritage.

Although the wording is not exact, I found this couplet in a book of poems and essays titled Proverbial Philosophy (first published about 1840), by Martin Farquhar Tupper. The specific writing transcribed below was called Of Death.

Keep silence, daughter of frivolity,—for Death is in that chamber!

Startle not with echoing sound the strangely solemn peace.

Death is here in spirit, watcher of a marble corpse,

That eye is fixed, that heart is still,—how dreadful in its stillness!

Death, new tenant of the house, pervadeth all the fabric;

He waiteth at the head, and he standeth at the feet, and hideth in the caverns of the breast:

Death, subtle leech, hath anatomized soul from body,

Dissecting well in every nerve its spirit from its substance:

Death, rigid lord, hath claimed the helot clay,

While joyously the youthful soul hath gone to take his heritage:

Death, cold usurer, hath seized his bonded debtor;

Death, savage despot, hath caught his forfeit serf;

Death, blind foe, wreaketh petty vengeance on the flesh:

Death, fell cannibal, gloateth on his victim,

And carrieth it with him to the grave, that dismal banquet-hall,

Where in foul state the Royal Ghoul holdeth secret orgies.

Martha Walker’s monument serves as more than just a marker for a life cut down in its prime; it is a meticulously crafted testament to the Victorian ideal of a "good death." Through its symbolic wreaths, upward-pointing finger, and somber yet hopeful poetry, the gravestone transforms a place of mourning into a gallery of faith. It stands as a lasting reminder of a "deeply lamented" young woman, and tells the story of her journey home and the enduring customs of the era.

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George Walker was No Uncertain Dragging Mortal

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 21:42:00 +0000

Yes, that's a real line from a real obituary—a piece of 19th-century prose that didn't just report a death, but painted a vivid portrait of the deceased.

The subject of the two obituaries transcribed below is George Walker III (1793-1865), son of the Revolutionary War soldier George Walker II (1763-1830) and his wife Betsey (1767-1835). George II settled in Pulaski County about the time of its formation in 1808. His home is said to have been built in a hilly section near the Twiggs County line. Sons of George built their homes on a three-and-a-half-mile stretch of the surrounding flatlands that became known as "Longstreet."

George Walker III was a private in Tooke's Georgia Cavalry during the War of 1812. He and his wife, Martha Spann (1801-1866), were buried in the Walker family cemetery in Bleckley County, Georgia, which was carved out of Pulaski in 1912.

Obituary I

An interesting thing about this first obituary is that it actually lists the faults of Mr. George Walker. That is a rare thing in an age where commenting on the strength of one's character was more important than noting the genealogical facts of their lives. Most obituaries of the time were fluff pieces, to be sure.

Georgia Journal and Messenger (Macon, GA)

4 October 1865

The friends of Mr. GEORGE WALKER will regret to learn that he died of Bilious Fever at his residence in Longstreet, Pulaski county, on the 30th ult., in the 73d year of his age.

Mr. WALKER was born in Burke county, Ga., on the 13th day of August, 1793, and about 1808 moved with his parents to Pulaski county, where he ever after lived. He was an extraordinary man. No one could know him without being impressed with the fact that he rose far above the generality of mankind. He had a very large share of common sense. In matters which had claimed his attention, the judgment of but few men was superior to his. He was a man of business, and for it his capacity was remarkable, whether considered as to variety, general arrangement or minute detail. He was ever punctual. GEORGE WALKER was no uncertain dragging mortal. Whatever was the work in hand, he was uniformly at the proper place, and in the proper time, and no one could possess his respect who failed in this particular. His decision was great and his energy was indomitable. Having determined upon a certain course of conduct, he pursued it with all his might. No difficulties discouraged, and no dangers appalled him. He moved on through his round of various duties with a directness, a fixedness of heart which excited the confidence and admiration of all who knew him. His aim was pure and lofty. Uprightness and integrity walked with him arm in arm. He was emphatically an honest man—honest in his dealings, in his opinions, in his rebukes and in his commendations. He had his faults, for he was mortal, but they were not those of a groveling, sordid nature. He sometimes erred in judgment, was sometimes irritable and impatient, sometimes used expressions of needless severity, and sometimes urged his opinions with a zeal bordering on obstinacy. His friends might dissent from opinions, and even sometimes indulge in language of complaint; but still they were compelled to acknowledge that he was a good and upright man.

He was a pious man. He loved his Saviour, his cause and people, and for their advancement he labored. The poor will feel that they have lost a benefactor. He was the leading spirit of the community, and identified with all its interests. Whether as a man, a citizen or as a christian, his place will long remain vacant.

He leaves a disconsolate wife and two children, with a very large circle of relatives and friends to mourn his loss. He did not live for himself alone, and though dead, will long live in the hearts of those who love his memory.

G. R. M.

Obituary II

Daily Journal and Messenger (Macon, GA)

8 September 1865

DIED,

At Longstreet, Pulaski county, on the 30th ult., Mr. GEORGE WALKER, aged about 70 years. Mr. Walker has long been known as a most enterprising planter, a useful and public spirited citizen, in everything pertaining to the community in which he lived. He was one of the directors of the Brunswick railroad, and did much by his influence and means to originate and carry on the work. He was a leading member of the Baptist church, a devoted Brother of the Masonic order, and practiced all the virtues and charities belonging to a Christian, and of the ancient order of Masonry. His work has been well and faithfully done on the square, with all mankind, and we trust, that as a Christian, he will receive the welcome of a good and faithful servant, from the Grand Master of the Universe, to partake of the rewards of a well spent life.

For more information about the family of George Walker II, visit The Ancestor Collection.

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Deciphering the Diagnosis: Edith Lancaster and the "Summer Complaint"

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 03:03:00 +0000

Imagine thirteen siblings, seven of whom were still underfoot, and a 23-year-old mother managing an impossible workload on top of earlier-than-expected summer heat. It was 1913 in New Madrid County, Missouri, and in the Lancaster household, the demands of survival often outpaced the resources available.

Sixteen-month-old Edith Irene, daughter of Cordelia Morrow and Charles Monroe Lancaster, died that June of a severe form of gastroenteritis, listed on her death certificate as illio colitis.

In the early decades of the 20th century, diarrheal deaths in infants surged every summer. Anecdotal evidence suggests these deaths more often came during the "second summer" of a child's life, after breastfeeding was discontinued. Unpasteurized cow's milk and solid foods fit for an infant were difficult to keep fresh in the Missouri heat.

Ileocolitis (the more common spelling) is just one way the inflammatory bowel condition could be described on a death certificate. "Summer diarrhea," "disease of the season," and "summer complaint" are other ways the illness could be recorded. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain, high fever, and bloody diarrhea—leading to rapid and fatal dehydration in an infant. Bacterial infections like E. coli and Salmonella, spread through contaminated milk, were often the cause. Crowded living, imperfect sanitation, and a lack of pasteurization also contributed.

To understand Edith's final days, look at the world inside her front door. It was a bustling, high-energy household: seven siblings underfoot, and a young mother who was navigating the complex dynamics of a blended family. In 1913, without the luxuries of modern plumbing or around-the-clock medical care, a home this size required constant labor. When looking at the tragedy of Edith's infection, don't see a lack of love. Instead, see a family living on the edge of what was humanly possible to manage. In the crowded, hot summers of southeast Missouri, even the most vigilant parents were often at the mercy of a world that hadn't yet caught up to the science of safety.

According to her death certificate, Edith was laid to rest at Hickory Grove Cemetery in Scott County, Missouri. I fear her grave is unmarked.

Cropped image. Original by Brent Gillespie (2008) via FindAGrave.

By 1930, likely due to a combination of public health efforts, medical care improvements, more hygienic practices, better living conditions, and the introduction of refrigeration technology, deaths of children due to "summer complaint" dropped dramatically. But we shouldn't forget that tens of thousands of infants died every summer in the early decades of the 20th century. In the context of history, the aptly named "summer complaint" was a noteworthy cause of child mortality.

For further reading: The Phenomenon of Summer Diarrhea and Its Waning, 1910-1930 (National Library of Medicine)

Genealogical Note: Supplemental Data for Researchers

Children of Charles Monroe Lancaster (1856-1932):

1st wife: Victoria Dickerson (d. aft. 1885) m. 1879

Hattie Ann Lancaster (1883-1933)
at least two other children b. & d. young

2nd wife: Lavina Rachael Parker (d. bef. 1900) m. 1888

Margaret May Lancaster (1890-1958)
James R. Lancaster (1891-1970)
Arthur Charles Lancaster (1892-1971)
Mittie Isabelle Lancaster (1894-1919)
Homer John Lancaster (d. 1968)
Bessie Lancaster (d. 1923)
Rolan Robert Lancaster (1897-1974)

3rd wife: Cordelia Morrow (1889-1972) m. 1904

Otis Monroe Lancaster (b. abt. 1906)
Cora Thelma Lancaster (1908-1989)
baby boy Lancaster (b. & d. bef. 1910)
Leslie Lee Lancaster (1910-1911)
Edith Irene Lancaster (1912-1913)
Eva Marie Lancaster (1914-1962)
Ethel E. Lancaster (1916-1979)

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James Exom Taylor (1837-1913) and the Grand Old South

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 07:58:00 +0000

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 newspapers. These pieces often prioritized "Lost Cause" rhetoric and flowery, symbolic language (such as the "spirit of the lamb and lion") over a purely objective biographical account.

Cochran Journal (Georgia)

26 June 1913

Tribute To James E. Taylor

By His Friend Dr. T. D. Walker

Another one of the immortal heroes of the sixties has fallen on sleep—the summons came to our esteemed and beloved fellow citizen, Mr. James E. Taylor, who died after a short illness, on June 23rd, and was buried in the Walker family cemetery on Longstreet by the side of his wife, who was the daughter of the late Judge G. N. [sic] Jordan, of Hawkinsville.

Mr. Taylor, or "Squire" as we loved so much to call him, was born on April —, 1837 on Longstreet, where he has ever resided and it can be truly said that no suspicion of scandal has ever attached to his name. Impulsive, frank, honest, sincere and a generosity that knew no bounds, he was a great favorite and model citizen.

When the war developed in 1861, he with his friend and chum, Charles Walker, hastened to Macon in April to join the Macon Guards, whose captain was the late Col. Lucius M. Lamar. The company rendezvoused at Savannah, where they went into the organization of the famous Eighth Ga. Reg., command[ed] by the gallant and immortal Francis Bartow. The regiment was immediately ordered to Virginia and they reached there in time to take part in the first battle of Manassas, which was fought on July 21, '61. The regiment was cut to pieces, losing the Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel and many thousand of the men killed and wounded. It was during this battle and the bravery of the men that gave to Jackson the immortal name of "Stonewall."

Dear Old Squire was there and acquitted himself, a man, a soldier and a patriot. This was his first baptism of fire and he followed the fortune of the immortal Stars and Bars throughout all the vicissitudes of war until at last they were furled by Gen. Johnson at Saulsbury, N.C. in April—, 1865. The war over he returned to his native home to take up the plow share which he had lain down for the sword. He was an exceedingly modest, gentle unassuming man, and a faithful generous friend and upright citizen.

No one observing this meek modest man could imagine the veritable lion when facing a foe in defense of his country. This though furnishes the pathos that surrounds the memory of these old soldiers. What influence was it that blended the spirit of the lamb, and lion in our southern soldiery? Was it a lofty sentiment that abhored low materialism and gave birth to an immortal idealism of right and wrong, purity, sincerity, devotion to home and country, and last but not least a fear of God.

Mr. Taylor leaves two sisters and five brothers and many relatives, who are the typical representatives of the grand old South.

Genealogical Notes

Charles Edward Taylor m. Charlotte Exum "Lottie" Phillips on 30 December 1830 in Pulaski County, Georgia. Their children:

Mary E. Taylor (b. Jan 1831)
James Exom Taylor (1837-1913)
Caroline Matilda Taylor (1844-1913)
John Rawls Taylor (1848-1933)
Charlotte E. Taylor (b. abt 1849)
Charles Edward Taylor, Jr. (1851-1918)
Matthew Whitmell Taylor (1853-1936)
John Joseph Taylor (1855-1914)
Nicholas Long Taylor (1857-1938)

As stated above, James E. Taylor was laid to rest in Walker Cemetery next to his wife, Anna Bell Jordan. She was the daughter of George Washington Jordan (1826-1912) and Ann Rebecca Walker (1830-1864). It should be noted that the birthdate provided on Anna's gravestone, 31 August 1862, is off by as much as a decade. Census records suggest she was born between 1852 and 1854. Anna and James were married 24 March 1872 in Pulaski County.

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Charley Andrew White, Woods Superintendent (1873-1951)

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 13:33:00 +0000

Charley Andrew White, the eldest son of Virginia Cathey and Andrew J. White, was born on New Year's Day 1873 in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. The world Charley was born into was full of racial tension. He was just 103 days old when the Colfax Massacre took place that year on Easter Sunday, about 80 miles south of his home. As many as 150 men, all but three of whom were Black, were murdered at the Colfax courthouse in Grant Parish, Louisiana—the deadliest incident of racial and political violence of the Reconstruction Era.

When Charley was three years old, white men were still undoing Reconstruction Era policies in spectacular fashion. The Supreme Court decided, in U.S. v. Cruikshank, that the federal government couldn't prosecute individuals for civil rights violations; only states could. As Charley grew up in the 1880s, he witnessed the total collapse of Reconstruction Era protections for Black Americans and the solidified rise of the Jim Crow system in North-Central Louisiana and the broader South.

Zion Memorial Cemetery in Grant Parish, Louisiana
Image by Candy Reardon Estrada (2011)

On 8 July 1896, in Winn Parish, Charley married Alice M. Long. She was the daughter of Lucy Wright and William Jefferson Long, as well as a second cousin to brothers Huey Pierce "Kingfish" Long, Jr., and Earl Kemp Long. Suffice it to say, Charley married into a political dynasty, albeit an eccentric one. Both Huey Pierce and Earl Kemp were governors of Louisiana. Huey Pierce Long, Jr.—the "Every Man a King" governor—was assassinated at the state capitol in 1935. Earl Kemp Long was briefly committed to a mental hospital the year before he died in 1960.

Given this chaotic political landscape in which Charley was born and raised, he lived a relatively stable life. By the early 1900s, Charley had become involved in the booming timber industry. When he registered for the draft in 1918, Charley stated his occupation was woods foreman for the Grant Timber and Manufacturing Company located in Selma, Grant Parish, Louisiana. Selma was a town built around this company that owned hundreds of thousands of acres of pine and hardwoods, and milled tens of millions of feet of lumber a year.

As a foreman, a mid-to-high level management position, Charley would oversee crews in the forests where the timber was harvested. According to his obituary, Charley served as woods superintendent for the Selma Lumber Company for 35 years, suggesting he was promoted to an executive field position. In this capacity, he likely oversaw the movement of logging camps—mobile villages where workers lived for longer periods of time deep in the woods.

A snapshot of this responsibility can be seen in the 1930 Selma, Grant Parish, Louisiana Federal census. Though his occupation is listed simply as saw mill laborer, the same occupation as nine other white men in the household, it's possible Charley was managing a company boarding house. In timber towns, the company would often entrust a high-ranking employee (and his wife) to oversee the housing and moral character of unmarried laborers.

(Click to Enlarge)

Over the course of his life with the Selma Lumber Company, Charley witnessed the entire arc of the Louisiana timber industry. From the boom years, when the forests were thick and the mill was running at full capacity, to the eventual "cutting out" (total harvesting) of the local forests, to the transition to conservation efforts that led to the creation of the Kisatchie National Forest that now encompasses much of the land once owned by companies like Grant Timber.

For further reading:

A History of the Kisatchie National Forest (pdf)

Genealogical Notes

The shared ancestors between Alice Long and the Long brothers of Louisiana politics are Dr. James Long (1790-1876) and Mary Ann Kirkman (1794-1866), who were married on 17 October 1816 in Ross County, Ohio. Applicable children:

Charles Whatley Long (1821-1862) m. Lucretia Rushing (b. abt 1827)

William J. Long (1851-1943) m. Lucy Wright (1860-1948)

Alice M. Long (1880-1966) m. Charley Andrew White (1873-1951)

John Murphy Long (1825-1901) m. Mary Elizabeth Wingate (1829-1901)

Huey Pierce Long, Sr. (1852-1937) m. Caledonia Paletine "Callie" Tison (1860-1913)

Huey Pierce Long, Jr. (1893-1935)
Earl Kemp Long (1895-1960) m. Blanche Revere (1902-1998)

Children of Alice M. Long and Charley Andrew White:

Shafter Lewis White (1898-1900)
Bessie Ann White (1900-1981)
Charles Otto White (1902-1977)
Willie Dee White (1909-1981)

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Southern Christian Advocate Obituary for Thomas D. Walker (1808-1847)

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 12:47:00 +0000

The Southern Christian Advocate is a weekly religious newspaper that began publication out of Charleston, South Carolina in the early summer of 1837. Obituaries published in the paper are characterized as having a strong religious emphasis, often including the manner of death or descriptions of the "death-struggle," and flowery, triumphant, and emotional language. The obituaries are excellent examples of the 19th-century "Good Death" ideal, where a person's behavior and spiritual state on their deathbed were seen as the ultimate evidence of their character and salvation. In the obituary transcribed below, you'll notice a candid admission of a "spiritual lapse." That is a rare find in these usually polished tributes.

The following is a transcription of the obituary published in the Southern Christian Advocate on the death of Thomas D. Walker of Pulaski County, Georgia. Thomas, born 9 May 1808, was a son of George Walker II. Burial was in the Walker Family Cemetery, located in what is now Bleckley County, Georgia.

OBITUARY.

"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord."

For the Southern Christian Advocate.

Died, of bilious inflammatory fever, Feb. 22nd, 1847, in Pulaski co., Ga., THOMAS D. WALKER, in the 39th year of his age. His illness, though short, was attended by intense agony of body, terminating only, as his spirit took its flight. There is a strong foundation for the confidence, which his bereaved friends entertain, that his sufferings ended with the awful death-struggle. Terrible indeed was that struggle! but it is now passed, and he lives where there is no more death. About twelve years ago, he was received into the M. E. [Methodist Episcopal] Church, by the Rev. Samuel Anthony, whom he called his spiritual father, and ever afterward greatly loved. Bro. Walker was naturally a man of excellent spirit; which, being exalted and purified by the grace of God, made his character shine with peculiar loveliness during the three or four last years of his life. Many were his friends, and strong their attachment, of which no inconsiderable demonstration was given, by the multitude that attended his funeral, and mingled their tears and sympathies with the bereaved widow, and relatives. A man of weight in his community, his influence was felt as it should have been, on the side of pure religion. He was a Methodist from principle, and his acts showed that he loved the institutions, and cared for the interests of the Church, not in word only, but in deed and in truth. The society of which he was a member are ready to attest that he was one of their main pillars, and brightest ornaments. As a christian he not only found peace in believing, but he so walked in the light as to realize the fellowship divine; for a length of time, he had the daily assurance of his readiness, through grace, "to depart and to be with Christ." In a conversation with the writer, in October, 1845, he said in substance as follows: "Ever since last January, I have lived every day as I would dare to die," and immediately added, that if he were then called away, he felt that his home would be in heaven. This blessed assurance was afterward for a time interrupted, attributable, as he believed, to a want of due caution, and watchfulness on his part. Not long afterwards he regained his state of blessed assurance, and retained it to the end. On account of his extreme sufferings in his last sickness he could converse very little; but the day before he died, seeing near him his brother George, he asked him if he thought he was better. From his brother's reply, he seemed to think, that he feared to let him know the worst, and immediately responded, "George, I am not afraid to die: for some time I lived right, but I got a little off track. I think I got back to that point again while I was gone" (alluding to a long trip to the West, from which he had just returned.) He then made his will in a few words; and thenceforward, said scarcely anything of importance, until death closed the scene. Much that is good might be said of him as a husband, father, and master; but his many virtues in these relations, are indelibly written on the hearts of a deeply afflicted family. May the God of the fatherless pity his bereaved orphans, and may his almost broken-hearted widow, find Him the strength of her heart and her portion forever.

F. D. LOWRY.

SACRED to the memory of
Thomas D. Walker,
who was born May the 9th, 1808,
and died February 22d, 1847.

A useful Citizen, a generous friend,
an affectionate father and brother,
a devoted husband, a sincere
Christian, his influence will
be felt long after this stone
shall have crumbled to dust.

Other Southern Christian Advocate obituaries on the blog:

Mrs. Sarah D. Willis (1795-1859)
Myles Lafayette Green (1826-1865)

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Robert L. Walker (1853-1875) and the Patrons of Husbandry

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 21:48:00 +0000

Robert L. Walker was born in 1853, a son of Ann Lucus (1811-1881) and David Walker (1798-1861). Robert died in November 1875 "at his home on Longstreet" in Pulaski County, Georgia. Longstreet was a community settled by the Walker family in the early 1800s. George Walker II, a Revolutionary War soldier and grandfather of Robert, settled in Pulaski County about the time of its formation in 1808. His home is said to have been built in a hilly section near the Twiggs County line. Sons of George, including David, built their homes on a three and a half mile stretch of the surrounding flatlands that became known as "Longstreet."

The Walker family cemetery, where Robert was laid to rest upon his death, is located in what is now Bleckley County (created from Pulaski in 1912). He is memorialized on a stone largely dedicated to his parents.

While searching for an obituary for Robert, I came across a "Tribute of Respect" published in the 4 December 1875 edition of the Georgia Grange. This weekly newspaper, whose first edition was on 1 November 1873, was "devoted to the farming & industrial interests of the country." By 1878, the Grange merged with the Southern Planter and was eventually absorbed by the Southern Cultivator in the early 1880s.

The Tribute of Respect was dated 20 November 1875, and was written by committee members from the "Longstreet Grange, No. 19, P. of H." The Patrons of Husbandry, commonly known as the Grange, was founded in 1867 as the first national agricultural fraternal organization in the United States. Unique for its time, it encouraged both men and women to join as equal members. Primary goals of the organization were to improve the economic and social lives of farmers, provide education on new farming techniques, and lobby for better railroad rates. The Grange grew quickly in the South during the Reconstruction Era; so being the 19th local chapter in Georgia suggests Longstreet was one of the earlier ones.

In the 1870s, powerful railroad monopolies and grain elevator companies often charged rural farmers exorbitant prices to transport and store crops. The Grange organized a massive lobbying effort that led to the passage of the Granger Laws in several Midwestern states, some of the first laws in U.S. history to place a ceiling on what private companies could charge for services.

The Grange continues its work to this day, with a mission "to strengthen individuals, families and communities through service, education, nonpartisan grassroots advocacy and agricultural awareness."

The Georgia Grange (Atlanta, GA)

4 December 1875

"TRIBUTE OF RESPECT.

LONGSTREET GRANGE, NO. 19, P. OF H;

LONGSTREE[T], Nov. 20, 1875.

At a regular meeting of Longstreet Grange, this day held, a committee was appointed to express the heartfelt sorrow of this Grange, at the sad bereavement we have sustained in the loss of our worthy brother, Robert L. Walker, who died at Longstreet on the night of the 9th inst., in the twenty-third year of his age.

Since our organization [began] on June 7th, 1873, this is the first time we have been called upon to mourn the death of one of our members, and we may, with all sincerity, say, Providence could not have chosen from our fraternity one more highly esteemed, or better prepared to cross over the river, than our departed brother. If he had faults, they were the faults of a nature instinctively noble; too noble and ingenous [sic] to stoop to any deed unworthy a Christian gentleman. Loving obedience to the Supreme will, and earnest devotion to duty ruled his every act in his association with his fellow-men.

The laws of kindness and love seemed deeply engraved upon his heart, making him an obedient, dutiful and affectionate son to his widowed, and now anguished mother.

Why one so young, so useful, with such hopes of future happiness, should have been singled out as a target for the shaft of death, appears strange, yet such is the decree of Him who holdeth all lives in the hollow of His hand, and answereth not vain and idle questioning; therefore be it

1. Resolved, That while we bow with submission to the will of Him who doeth all things well, being satisfied that our dear brother has safely crossed over the river for the better rest, we do most sincerely mourn our loss, but rejoice in his eternal gain.

2. That in the death of our brother, our Order has lost a worthy Patron; the community, an honorable, faithful and valuable citizen; the Baptist church, one of its most zealous and devoted members.

3. That we tender to his mother and family, our sincere condolence [sic] in their severe affliction.

4. That we wear the usual badge of mourning for the space of thirty days; also, that a blank page be left in the Secretary's book, to be dedicated to his memory, and that this preamble and resolution be spread upon the minutes, as a permanent record of the Grange, and that a copy be furnished his family, and for publication in the Hawkinsville Dispatch and GEORGIA GRANGE.

T. N. MASON,

L. B. JORDAN,

B. B. DYKES,

G. W. JORDAN,

- Com.

Unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the Grange.

A true extract from the minutes.

H. E. WIMBERLY, Secretary."

The "usual badge of mourning" was likely a black silk ribbon worn on the left lapel or a specific sash used during meetings.

Note: For more information on the family of George Walker, visit The Ancestor Collection Project.

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John Lee Eberhart, Jim Crow, and the Great Migration

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 23:58:00 +0000

Five counties in northeast Georgia—Madison, Elbert, Oglethorpe, Oconee, and Clarke—were the entire world for three generations of the Eberhart family. Landscapes ranged from deep rural isolation to a bustling, rail-connected, manufacturing mecca. The more than three decades between the birth of John Eberhart, about 1841, and that of his son Stokely (Stokes) in 1878 were a whirlwind. The railroad arrived—bringing the outside world with it; the Civil War emancipated, devastated, and nearly starved; and Reconstruction came and went.

Stokes probably thought the stories he heard about the gains African Americans made shortly after the Civil War were tall tales and not to be believed. Just months before he was born, Georgia adopted a new state constitution that instituted a poll tax used to disenfranchise Black voters. The lives of Stokes and his children, including a son named John Lee, were defined by a complex navigation of agrarian labor and the rigid, often violent, social codes of the Jim Crow era.

By 1921, the legal and social architecture of Jim Crow had reached its most claustrophobic peak. While the Eberhart family had transitioned from the status of property to citizens following the Civil War, the "Redeemer" governments (white Southern Democrats who sought to "redeem" the South from Reconstruction-era policies) of the late 19th century had systematically dismantled that citizenship. In the red clay hills of northeast Georgia, Jim Crow was not merely a set of "Whites Only" signs; it was an all-encompassing system of social and economic control. And it was under this system that the lynching occurred.

John Lee Eberhart was accused of killing Mrs. Walter Lee in February 1921. She was "shot to death in the yard of her home, barely fifty feet from the public highway," the Walter home being located "about three miles from Watkinsville on the Athens road."

In September 1918, when registering for the draft, John Lee told the county registrar his home was in Watkinsville, Oconee County, before signing the document with an X. In January 1920, the census taker listed Stokes Eberhart and family on Hog Mountain Road in the Watkinsville District of Oconee County. John Lee had to live and work amidst the oppression, and it cost him his life.

Even the local papers acknowledged the evidence against John Lee was circumstantial. Nonetheless, he was arrested in Athens the afternoon of the killing and placed in the Clarke County jail. The following is from the 24 February 1921 Jackson Herald (Jefferson, Georgia):

Late in the afternoon groups of men formed in and near the court house, and early in the evening the crowd swelled to not less than three thousand.

Sheriff Jackson caused the court house to be locked, and took every precaution to protect the prisoner. Near eight o'clock the crowd grew restless, and when a leader ordered them to enter the court house a mad rush was made, and the big plate-glass windows and doors were broken, and the crowd rushed into the building. A number of men were carrying acetylene torches, while others had crowbars, axes and other instruments with which to make their way into the jail. While the sheriff was arguing with a crowd on the third floor, a number of men rushed the elevator and entered the corridor, they proceeded to the cell, where the negro was confined, and it was only a few minutes until they had entered the cell, and, chaining the negro, they dragged him to the elevator, and rushed him downstairs, where he was hurriedly taken to a waiting automobile, which carried him to the scene of the crime.

Jackson Herald Headline
Milledge avenue was a mass of automobiles and vehicles of all kinds. It gave the appearance of one mammoth white way, and for over an hour this avenue was lined with automobiles rushing to the scene where the proposed burning was to take place. For over a mile on the Watkinsville road cars were parked, and people alighted and walked for over a mile, the parking point being the nearest to the scene they could reach, the road being lined with machines.

In the presence of five thousand men, the negro was chained to a pine tree, and dry kindling wood stacked around his person. When the preliminaries had been arranged, he was asked if he had any statement to make. The negro stated that he did not commit the crime. He stated that if he had, he would confess to it. Time and again the negro was given an opportunity to confess, but he stoutly declared his innocence. The torch was applied, and as the flames enveloped his body he was asked again to make a statement, and the last words he spoke was a positive denial of his guilt. However, the evidence was strong against him, and the determination of the crowd entered into the final disposition of his body by increasing the fire, which grew in high flames above his head.

The torch was applied about 9:30 o'clock, and shortly after the flames had covered his body, the crowd slowly and quietly dispersed, leaving the ashes and charred remains in a field across the road from the home where the scene of the crime had been enacted.

The Stokes Eberhart family was forced into a role of mourning that had to be performed carefully for their own safety. Watkinsville was no longer home; it was a crime scene. Historical data suggests that families of lynching victims were more likely to leave their counties than their neighbors. The Eberharts were now part of a growing exodus—a "voting with their feet" against a system that had failed to protect John Lee. They joined the millions who would eventually leave the South, carrying the trauma of the red clay hills with them to cities like Chicago, Detroit, and Philadelphia.

Where the Stokes Eberhart family was in 1920: Oconee County, Georgia.

Where the Stokes Eberhart family was in 1930: Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan.

Chattanooga, 1907

By 1923, only two years after the white mob murdered John Lee, some Eberharts were already gone. Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee, sometimes called the "Pittsburgh of the South, was a massive rail and iron hub offering work and allowing family members to be out of Georgia while remaining close enough to maintain ties with those who stayed behind. For some, it was the final destination; for others, it was merely a stepping stone.

Stokes Eberhart was living at 1528 East Philadelphia Avenue in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan by 1928. For the 1930 census, he was listed as an "Auto Factory Laborer." Mary Anna, Stokely's wife, and at least five of their children made it to Detroit. In 1940, when son Cordell Eberhart registered for the World War II draft, his employer was listed as Ford Motor Co. of Dearborn. The "Five Dollar Day" at Ford, though it included intense corporate oversight, was not just a wage; it was a ticket to a middle-class life that was legally and socially impossible in the South.

Detroit Skyline, 1929

A Note on the Absence of Grave Markers
Despite research into the final resting places of the Eberhart family across Georgia, Tennessee, and Michigan, no surviving tombstones or photographic records of markers have yet been located. This absence is a common and somber reality in African American genealogy from this era, where financial constraints of the Jim Crow South and the "living paycheck to paycheck" reality of early industrial migration often meant graves were marked with wooden crosses or fieldstones that have since succumbed to time. This lack of physical monuments serves as a silent testament to the systemic economic disenfranchisement the family faced, leaving their stories to be preserved not in stone, but through the records of their resilience and movement.

Genealogical Notes

Children of John Eberhart (b. abt 1841) and Ann Moon (b. abt 1844):

Oscar (b. abt 1868)
Llewelyn (d. 30 Jan 1943 in Fulton Co, GA) moved to Chapel Hill, GA, west of Atlanta, by 1930.
Jerome (b. abt 1872)
Quilla Cully (d. 18 Jul 1945 in Chattanooga, Hamilton Co, TN) was a janitor for Crane Enamelware Co. in Chattanooga for more than 20 years. Two of his sons moved to Cincinnati, OH before 1945.
John Lee (b. abt 1877)
Stokely "Stokes" (b. 10 Aug 1878) moved to Detroit, MI by 1928, where he worked as an auto factory laborer. Stokes became a widower before 1950.
Willie (1879-1923) married a Mr. Smith and died of cancer of the uterus at about the age of 44 in Chattanooga, Hamilton Co, TN.
Janie (d. 30 Sep 1970 in Fulton Co, GA) was still in Athens, Clarke Co, by the summer of 1945. One of her sons, Walter Clyde, was residing in Kansas City, MO by 1948.

Stokes Eberhart (b. 1878) married Mary Anna Williams (b. abt 1876) on 17 Mar 1894 in Oglethorpe Co. Their children:

James (b. abt 1892)
John Lee (1897-1921) was burned at the stake by a white mob in northeast Georgia.
Adell (b. abt 1899) married Elmer Patman.
William "Will" Lou (1900-1938) was living and working at an auto foundry in Detroit by 1930. He died of Graves' Disease at Detroit Receiving Hospital, the city's first municipal hospital, opening in 1915. It was created specifically to care for the rapidly growing industrial population and emergency cases during Detroit's auto boom.
Jessie J. (b. abt 1903) was an auto factory laborer in Detroit by 1930.
Frank (d. 5 Apr 1923 in Chattanooga, Hamilton Co, TN) died of pneumonia about the age of 17.
Cora L. (b. 15 Jun 1909) was residing in Detroit by Sep 1926, where she married Conley Shepard (1901-1978) of Asheville, NC. Cora later married Willie Wright, of Mississippi, on 2 Apr 1949 in Lucas Co, OH.
William W. "Willie" (b. abt 1912) was residing in Detroit by 1930.
Cordell (1914-1989) was in Detroit by 1930, and an employee of Ford Motor Co. by 1940. He married Louise Morrow (b. 1916), who was also a native of Georgia, and one of their sons was named John Lee (1936-2000).

For more details on the lynching of John Lee Eberhart, see The Last Lynching in Athens by Donald E. Wilkes, Jr.

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Tuberculosis Takes Three from the Edward W. Abernathy Family

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 09:02:00 +0000

Edward W. Abernathy was born on 15 May 1887 in Appleton, Missouri, a village located along the south bank of Apple Creek, the boundary line between Cape Girardeau and Perry counties. Appleton Bridge, originally built in 1879, connects the two counties.

We know E.W.'s birthplace thanks to his World War I draft registration. Edward's parents, Henderson William Abernathy and Rachel M. Hemrich, were residing in Apple Creek Township, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri seven years before his birth. A June 1900 U.S. Federal census record places the teenaged Edward in Salem Township, Perry County, Missouri.

On 26 January 1909 in Perry County, Edward Abernathy married Mary L. Cox in Perry County. Mary was one of more than ten children born to Elizabeth Cotner and Rev. William Marion Cox. The younger couple would go on to have at least eight children of their own.

Although we can be certain that the Abernathy family experienced times of joy and sorrow in every decade, the 1930s proved to be especially challenging. While persevering through the throes of the Great Depression, the infectious disease of tuberculosis would exact its terrible toll on the family three times over seven years. Despite the fresh country air often prescribed as a cure, rural families were far from immune.

The tragedy began with their son, Ivan E. Born on 16 January 1916 at Crosstown, Perry County, Missouri, he was just a teenager when the sickness took hold—likely as early as 1931. His death certificate notes that influenza was a contributing factor to his demise; the double burden of two infectious diseases proved fatal, and Ivan died of Tuberculosis of Lungs on the morning of 3 April 1932.

Next, it came for the patriarch. About the time the Works Progress Administration was being created, the Rural Electrification Act was being implemented, and the United States was battling a near country-wide heat wave, Edward Abernathy was diagnosed with Pulmonary Tuberculosis. In St. Louis alone, the 1936 heat wave claimed over 400 lives, with temperatures soaring above 100 degrees for weeks. For a tuberculosis patient like Edward, struggling for breath in a non-air-conditioned sanatorium, the oppressive heat would have been agonizing.

By April 1937, the prognosis was grim. The medical report reads like a litany of suffering: Tuberculous Meningitis, Enteritis, Emphysema, and Pericarditis. He was gone less than two months later, with Pulmonary Tuberculosis still being the official cause of death, not long before midnight on 6 June 1937. Edward breathed his last at Mt. St. Rose Sanitorium in St. Louis, a facility founded by the Sisters of St. Mary. It was a well-respected institution known for its cleanliness and for pioneering new treatments—it was actually the site of the world's first "collapsed lung" therapy in 1914. Notably, the sanatorium often operated on a "pay what you can" basis, a vital grace for families during the Depression.

The final blow struck their daughter, Alma Rachel. Born on 14 June 1918 in Perry County, Missouri, she had just stated her own life, marrying Edgar J. Rubel on 8 October 1938.

Six months later, Alma was dead. She died of T.B. of Lungs on 11 April 1939, leaving a young widower behind. Her death certificate indicates she had battled the disease for months—meaning she likely walked down the aisle already knowing she was ill.

According to "The Forgotten Plague," an American Experience documentary,

As the scientific knowledge of tuberculosis progressed, so too did the prejudice toward people with the disease. Once it was learned that TB was not in fact hereditary, but was transmitted through person-to-person contact, those who suffered from the disease were ostracized from society.

Beyond the profound grief, the surviving Abernathys likely carried the heavy, silent burden of the "White Plague's" stigma for years to come.

Recommended Reading:

The White Plague: Tuberculosis, Man, and Society* by René and Jean Dubos (*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Emma Abernathy Eagleton, a Gold Star Mother

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 13:01:00 +0000

(AI Generated Image)

On 1 April 1866 in Ladonia, Fannin County, Texas, 18-year-old Nannie Hawkins and 23-year-old Lafayette Abernathy welcomed baby Emma into the world. Nancy A. "Nannie" Hawkins was a daughter of Sarah and William A. Hawkins. Lafayette was one of at least eight children born to Emily and Alphonzo Abernathy (1809-1893).

Emma Abernathy married Exile C. Eagleton (1863-1924), a native of Tennessee, on 1 January 1890 in Fannin County. He was a son of Mary Ethlinda "Ethie" Foute (1836-1917) and Rev. George Ewing Eagleton (1831-1899), both also from Tennessee. Emma and Exile had nine children over eighteen years:

Nancy Ethie (1890-1973)
Lafayette Ewing (1892-1918)
Statire Jane (1893-1902)
E. C. (1896-1974)
Mary Ross (1897-1975)
Marcus D. (1899-1966)
Amelia Abernathy (1900-1979)
Foute Wilson (1905-1984)
Marvin Dunlap (1909-1969)

City Hall, Ladonia, Tex. abt 1909. From DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University.

The 1910 census notes Emma as the mother of 14 children, with 8 living. While I have only identified 9 by name, the discrepancy suggests the tragic loss of several infants, adding to the grief this mother had already endured before the war

Emma Becomes a Gold Star Mother

Emma's auburn-haired son, Lafayette Ewing Eagleton, was inducted into the U.S. Army at Dallas, Texas on 28 April 1918. He trained at Camp Travis for little more than a month before heading overseas in June. Lafayette was part of the 359th Infantry, 90th Division (Texas-Oklahoma Division known as the "Tough 'Ombres"), which participated in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel in northeastern France in mid-September 1918.

Though Lafayette survived this battle, he would not survive the next. The Meuse-Argonne Offensive began on 26 September 1918, and this is the date the U.S. Army notes Lafayette was killed in action.

After reading George Wythe's A History of the 90th Division, and given the location of Lafayette's "isolated grave," it seems plausible the young man died during the raid on Preny. This raid was intended as a diversion, but it turned into a deadly trap due to fortified German pillboxes. From Mr. Wythe's book:

The plan for the raid contemplated that the raiders would strike due north...while the detachment from the Texas Brigade was to turn east along the valley south of Bois de Beaume Haie and circle Preny...The 37-mm platoon of the 359th Infantry fired 600 rounds on Preny. The barrage was timed to advance at the rate of 100 meters in 2 1/2 minutes. The infantry found it impossible to keep up with this speed. This fact enabled the German machine gunners to crawl out of their concrete pill-boxes after our artillery had passed over and set up their guns to catch the advancing infantry.

...Machine guns from these positions, as from the woods to the north and west, completely dominated the open space across which the raiders were forced to pass. There were two lines of trenches...each defended by bands of wire. The men were not able to get beyond [the first trench], and only a few reached this position. None who reached it came back to tell the story...

Such was our part in the initial phase of the Meuse-Argonne offensive. The mission was to make a demonstration which would lead the enemy to believe that an attack was impending, thus causing him to hold reserves which he could not spare from the real point of attack. The Division succeeded in this mission.

Cpl Eagleton's Burial Card

In early November, Lafayette's mother "received a message from the War Department stating that her son, Corporal Lafayette E. Eagleton, has been missing in action since Sept. 26..." I don't know when the status was updated to K/A. Still, his burial card shows his body was disinterred from the "isolated grave" at Preny on 10 April 1919 and reburied at the St. Mihiel American Cemetery.

Ten years later, in 1929, the same year the American Gold Star Mothers organization was incorporated, Congress executed legislation that authorized pilgrimages paid for by the U.S. government to European cemeteries "by mothers and widows of members of military...forces of the United States who died in the service at any time between April 5, 1917, and July 1, 1921, and whose remains are now interred in such cemeteries."

A list of all eligible mothers and widows was compiled, and Emma's name can be found on it. The "Yes" in the final column indicates she wanted to make the sponsored trip to visit her son's grave. For a woman from Ladonia, Texas, the government-funded journey to France was likely the trip of a lifetime, though one born of terrible sorrow.

(Click to enlarge.)

A subsequent Ladonia News article and passenger list for the S.S. President Harding leaving Cherbourg, France on 19 August 1930 suggest Emma, at the age of 64, indeed made the trip.

Among the gold star mothers who sailed from New York Saturday was Mrs. Emma Eagleton of Commerce, but a lifelong resident of Ladonia until a few years ago. Mrs. Eagleton goes to visit the grave of her son, Lafayette...Eagleton, one of Ladonia's gallant soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice on the battle fields of France. Mrs. Eagleton's friends are happy for her over this pilgrimage and anxiously await her return that they may hear the many items of interest they are sure she will remember to tell.

Lafayette Ewing Eagleton
Corpl. 359 Inf. 90 Div.
Texas Sept. 26, 1918

The first Gold Star Mother's Day, proclaimed to be on the last Sunday in September, was observed in 1936. Emma Abernathy Eagleton died on 15 January 1939 in Lufkin, Angelina County, Texas. This September, I'll be thinking of you, Emma.

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Harry Joseph Abernathy (1901-1984) and the Circle of Life and Death

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 11:57:00 +0000

(Plainview Cemetery)

Harry Joseph Abernathy was a man of the southeast Missouri soil whose life bridged two distinct eras. Born in the tiny hamlet of Shrum in Bollinger County, Harry belonged to a generation that witnessed their rural birthplaces fade from the map. Named for a local landowner, the hamlet was once a distinct community in Crooked Creek Township. However, like so many small Missouri towns, it fell victim to modernization; the Shrum post office, which had opened in 1900, was discontinued in 1937 as rural mail routes consolidated. Its closure shuttered the town's identity nearly fifty years before Harry himself passed away.

As a farmer in the Ozark foothills, Harry was not merely an agriculturalist but a survivalist. Through the lean years of the Great Depression, his labor stood between his large family—spanning two marriages and at least six children—and the economic hardships of the times. As any lifelong farmer knows, the circle of life and death is a constant. Whether it was animals in the barnyard, crops in the ground, or family members in his home, Harry witnessed and travelled along that circle over and over.

Harry Joseph Abernathy was one of ten children born to Marry Elizabeth Kirn (1877-1950) and Joseph Noah Abernathy (1875-1957). A month and a half before his 24th birthday, Harry married Gladys Marie Campbell. She was the eldest daughter of Hattie Ann Lancaster (1883-1933) and George Moore Campbell (1883-1974).

Clipping from circa 1930 plat book for Bollinger
County, Missouri, showing the village of Shrum
and Joseph Noah Abernathy's property.
- Missouri Digital Heritage

Harry and Gladys would have six children together before he became a widower at the young age of 39 when Gladys died in January 1941. Harry was suddenly a single father with six children, all under the age of 15, including a son of just 6 months.

By the time of that life-changing event, however, Harry had already been around the circle several times. When he was 11 years old, Harry's sister Olga Mary died at the age of 3 years. Three weeks later, his sister Bertha Mae was born.

When Harry was 27, his youngest brother Hersel died at the age of 7 of acute nephritis after contracting pneumonia. Four months later, wife Gladys gave birth to Harry's second son, Lentice Melvin.

Three years after the death of his wife Gladys, Harry married Helen Huffman Williams on 1 February 1944 at Jackson, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri. Four years later, tragedy would strike the Abernathy family again in an unimaginable way.

Sikeston Herald (Missouri), 10 June 1948

"Willard Abernathy, 12-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Abernathy, who live near Whitewater in Cape Girardeau county, was fatally shot by his grandfather, George M. Campbell of Morley, who was visiting in the Abernathy home." I cannot fathom the trauma. Harry lost a son at the hands of his late wife's father.

Harry Joseph Abernathy was 83 when he died on 10 December 1984 at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. During his lifetime, Harry witnessed his country go to war four times, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, the assassination of a U.S. president, and the Apollo moon landing. His life was defined by movement around that circle—not just from the tiny hamlet of Shrum to the city of Cape Girardeau, but from a world of horse-drawn plows to the space age. Harry was a man who had to bury a wife, raise six children, and outlive his own hometown, eventually returning to the same Missouri soil he had tilled for eighty years.

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Gladys Marie Campbell (1903-1941) and Postpartum Psychosis

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 17:59:00 +0000

When Gladys Marie Campbell Abernathy died in early 1941, she was just 37 years old. On paper, her death certificate lists a "coronary occlusion" as the cause, but the location of her passing reveals a much more heartbreaking reality. Gladys died inside Missouri’s State Hospital No. 4 in Farmington, a facility for the mentally ill. While the official record cites a heart issue, the contributing cause—"Manic Depressive Psychosis"—hints that this young mother of six wasn't just battling a physical ailment, but likely suffering from what we now recognize as severe postpartum psychosis.

Gladys's mother Hattie died on 8 June 1933, at the age of 49. Gladys was 29 at the time and had given birth to her fourth child just six months prior.

To understand the sheer weight Gladys was carrying, consider that over the course of thirteen years, she bore six children. She seemingly never got a break from birthing and nursing. When the 1940 Federal Census was enumerated in April, it captured a snapshot of a household that was likely already stretched to its limit. Gladys was caring for five children at the time, but the record obscures a crucial detail: she was heavily pregnant. At that moment, she was just three months away from giving birth to her sixth child, Hersel Eugene, and only nine months away from her death. But her role as a caretaker hadn't started with her own children; as the eldest of twelve siblings, a life of endless responsibility was likely all she had ever known.

Gladys was just 37 years old when she died of a coronary occlusion. A couple of items on her death certificate provide clues to what might've been going on in this still-very-young woman's life.

First, Gladys died in Farmington, St. Francois County, Missouri at State Hospital No. 4. This hospital housed and treated the mentally ill. The death certificate does not provide the length of Gladys's stay, however.

Second, handwritten under "Other contributory causes of importance," is Manic Depressive Psychosis, Manic type. The date of onset is given as 6 January 1941. I suppose Gladys may have been at the hospital for less than a month.

My guess regarding Gladys's life circumstances at the time of her death involves postpartum psychosis. From the National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicine:

Childbirth is considered a major physical, emotional, and social stressor in a woman’s life. Following days to weeks after childbirth, most women experience some mental disturbance like mood swings and mild depression (also known as post-baby blues), but a few can also suffer from PTSD, major depression, or even full-blown psychosis. This change in maternal behavior and thought process is due to several bio-psycho-social factors...Postpartum psychosis is the severest form of mental illness in that category characterized by extreme confusion, loss of touch with reality, paranoia, delusions, disorganized thought process, and hallucinations.

I imagine this was a scary time for Gladys and her family.

Noted in the Missouri Department of Mental Health's history of State Hospital No. 4 (now called Southeast Missouri Mental Health Center), are popular treatments during the times surrounding Gladys's stay: "In 1924 one of the favored treatments was hydrotherapy, followed by lobotomies in 1940 and electro-shock therapy in 1942." At least Gladys and her family were spared that madness.

Genealogical Notes

Subject: Gladys Marie Campbell (1903–1941)

Born: 15 September 1903, Scott County, MO
Died: January 1941, Farmington, St. Francois County, MO
Parents: George M. Campbell (1883–1974) and Hattie Ann Lancaster (1883–1933)

Spouse: Harry Joseph Abernathy (1901–1957)

Married: 7 September 1925, Benton, MO

Children of Gladys & Harry:

Raymond Winston (1926–2001)
Lentice Melvin (1929–2010)
Loudean Olleva (1932–2021)
Willard Ervin (1935–1948)
Hersel Eugene (1940–2022)

Siblings of Gladys Campbell:

Gladys was the eldest of twelve children. Her siblings included: Jessie Mae (1904), Chester Wesley (1906–1994), Marvin (1907–1974), Raymond S. (1909–1997), Arlen M. (1911–2004), Elmer Lloyd (1913), Pearl Olivia (1914–2000), Ovie (1916–1946), Veda Inez (1917–1918), and Roy L. (1920–1995).

Note: the census record and death certificate highlighted above and used to tell part of the life story of Gladys Marie Campbell Abernathy were found with an Ancestry membership. Interested in learning more about your family history? Try a 14-day free trial today with Ancestry® (affiliate link).

Sensationalized Shooting Death of Manly Peacock (1903)

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 21:25:00 +0000

Manly W. Peacock, son of Albert, was born on 6 March 1877. Two of his brothers were Jefferson D. Peacock, mentioned previously in this space, and Zebulon Vance Peacock, a former mayor of Cochran in Bleckley County, Georgia. Upon his death in November 1903, Manly was buried in a family lot at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Cochran.

📰 Framing the Tragedy: Yellow Journalism in 1903

Manly's death "caused much excitement" in cities and towns across the state. The sensationalized reports are perfect examples of the journalistic style prevalent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Often called "yellow journalism," this style prioritized sensationalism, drama, and circulation over strict factual accuracy, leading to the kind of contradictions and unverified claims you will see in these articles.

Macon Telegraph (Georgia)
Sunday, 8 November 1903 - pg. 1

"DUEL TO DEATH IN DODGE COUNTY

MANLY PEACOCK INSTANTLY KILLED BY H. G. EVERETT, AFTER THE LATTER WAS PERHAPS FATALLY SHOT -- TROUBLE GREW OUT OF A SUIT IN WHICH EVERETT CHARGED THAT PEACOCK HAD ALIENATED HIS WIFE'S AFFECTIONS -- SUIT WAS TO HAVE BEEN TRIED THIS WEEK -- ALL THE PARTIES AMONG THE MOST PROMINENT IN THAT SECTION OF THE STATE.

RHINE, Ga., Nov. 7. -- H. G. Everett shot and almost instantly killed Manly Peacock here last night disputing a law suit. The lie was passed. Peacock shot Everett in the groin. Everett then shot Peacock in the head. Everett's condition is serious.

RHINE, Ga., Nov. 7. -- The killing of Manly Peacock was the culmination of domestic troubles of the slayer which have lasted for some time. The Telegraph told last spring of Mr. Everett's finding his wife and Peacock together at a hotel in Birmingham and the sensational arrest of the pair at the time.

Mr. Everett separated from his wife then and a tragedy between Peacock and Everett has been barely averted by friends since then. Everett entered a damage suit against Peacock in Dodge superior court for $10,000, based upon this and other charges of intimacy with his wife, and the case was in order for trial at Eastman next week.

EASTMAN, Ga., Nov. 7. -- Everett entered suit against Peacock in the last court for $20,000 damages for intimacy with his wife and alienating her affections. The suit was carried over and was to be tried here next week. Peacock went to Rhine, it is said to try to settle the case with Everett.

A witness says they were sitting on the steps of a store at Rhine in conversation when Everett told Peacock he had written letters to his wife of late and Peacock raised and said "you lie." Peacock drew his revolver quickly and fired, the ball entering Everett's abdomen. He will die.

While Everett was falling he fired, the ball entering Peacock's head just above the ear. Peacock died in an hour.

This trouble has been brewing a year or more and the outcome is not a surprise here.

Everett is well connected by marriage. His wife was Miss Laura Bowen of this county. Peacock was a handsome, wealthy young man and belonged to one of the best and wealthiest families in this section and his death is deplored by his many friends here.

He will be buried at Cochran, his home, tomorrow. Everett is hourly expected to die.

Everett was a woods rider for Peacock's brother, who ran a naval store business. Peacock was a book-keeper.

Last spring Peacock ran away with Everett's wife and went to Mobile and Everett followed them and had them arrested but released them and brought his wife back home. Peacock came back and has been around there almost ever since. He has several times insisted on seeing the woman, but has had difficulty in doing so on account of her folks and husband. Later he ran away again with her and went to Florida and returned again.

It was thought that Peacock would be killed if he came back to Rhine but he defied the warning and came anyway. He said he had no fear of any man. He used a "Krag-Jorgensen" pistol, and it is said when he pulled the trigger nine balls went into Everett almost instantly and that it shot at the rate of 100 per minute.

COCHRAN, Ga., Nov. 7. -- Manly Peacock, who was killed at Rhine yesterday, was well known here, where he was reared, and where his family still reside.

He was the son of Mr. Albert Peacock, who was quite a prominent and wealthy citizen of this place. Manly Peacock was about 27 years old, and few young men who have ever lived here were more highly esteemed and gave brighter promise of a successful and useful life. He stood high in social and business circles, and was known as a quiet, moral and honorable young man.

After attending the N. G. M. & A. College at Dahlonega and the University at Athens, Mr. Peacock took a business course at Pougkeepsie [sic], N.Y., and entered the naval stores business at Rhine with his brother under the style of A. & M. W. Peacock, where he was still successfully engaged at the time of his most unfortunate tragedy.

Besides his mother, Mrs. A. Peacock of this place, Mr. Peacock is survived by his sisters, Mrs. Arthur W. Jackson of Cochran and Mrs. Duncan McRae of Macon, and his brothers, Z. V. Peacock of this place, Albert Peacock of Barnesville, Herbert Peacock of Rhine, and Ralph Peacock, a student at Dahlonega.

The first news of the tragedy received here was a telegram to Mayor Z. V. Peacock announcing the shooting of his brother. Immediately he, in company with Dr. T. D. Walker, left for Rhine, and a telegram today told of the death.

The remains will reach here this afternoon and will probably be interred at the cemetery here tomorrow."

Defend His Honor, Even To Death

The Savannah Morning News (Georgia) initially reported this story under the headline, "They Shot It Out: Peacock and Averett in a Deadly Duel." And the next day, they followed up with an article titled, "Sinking To His Knees He Fired Fatal Shot: Brother of H. G. Averett Tells of Saturday's Tragedy at Rhine." This resulted in pushback from Manly's brother, Zebulon Vance Peacock. His letter to the editor was published on 12 November 1903.

"The Peacock - Averett Tragedy.

Cochran, Ga., Nov. 10. -- Editor Morning News: The report in your Sunday paper of the tragedy at Rhine, Ga., in which my brother, Manly W. Peacock, was killed and H. G. Averett severely wounded, contains so many inaccuracies and misstatements, I ask that, in justice to the boy who died fighting bravely in defense of his honor and that of his family, you will allow me, through your columns, to say to the public generally, and to our friends, especially, that the report is incorrect in nearly its entirety.

For the sake of the woman involved in the case, I will not give to the public a full statement of the affair until I have her permission. But I wish to assure Manly's friends and those of the other members of our family that he has acted in a manner which will not lessen him in their estimation.

When the truth is known it will be seen that he is not the villain that went abroad wrecking the homes of his friends, but that he yielded to strong temptation -- such temptation that few young men could resist.

The account of the shooting is wholly untrue in every statement. Peacock and Averett had met to settle a damage suit; a compromise had been agreed upon, and Peacock had arisen presumably to take the train home, when Averett used the language which caused the tragedy. The language was such that no honorable man could take, and was promptly resented by Manly. What happened after this is not known. There was only one witness, and he was interested. True it is, that Manly was struck on the pistol arm and shot from the side, and not by Averett from the front, as the two men were standing facing, and so found after the shooting. Three shots were fired; there was only one empty chamber in Manly's pistol. Who fired the other two shots has not yet been determined.

The reporters sending in these accounts, in their zeal to write something very sensational, have done injustice to a man who is not here to present his side of the case. All accounts are friends of Averett, giving his version of the affair. I will say to all who seek to injure Manly or revile his name that in addition to my humble self there are others who will defend his honor even to death.

Z. V. Peacock"

I'm not sure of the name of the other "duelist." Everett was discarded quickly for Averett, so the latter is probably correct. Whether his initials are A. G. or H. G. is unclear, as well, though I lean toward the latter there, too.

Nonetheless, he was quoted in an article published by the Atlanta Constitution (Georgia) on 10 November 1903.

"'GLAD HE'S DEAD' AVOWS AVERETT

Manly Peacock's Slayer Shows No Remorse.

Sorry for Dead Man's Mother but Has No Grief for Peacock, Who Wrecked His Home. Averett May Recover.

Eastman, Ga., November 9. -- (Special.) -- The latest reports from Averett's bedside indicate that he will live. When told that his aim had proved true and that Peacock was dead he replied:

'I am sorry for his mother, but glad that he is dead.'

Up to the time that Averett became suspicious of Peacock and his wife he was working for Peacock as woodsman, Peacock being interested with his brother in the naval stores business. Averett, with his wife and two little children, occupied Peacock's house and Peacock boarded with them.

The petition filed by Averett against Peacock in this county alleges that Peacock and Averett's wife began visiting the same points about the same time and that on one occasion Averett followed to Birmingham, Ala., and found his wife and Peacock registered at the hotel as man and wife.

Averett's wife is a strikingly handsome woman, about 25 years of age, and calculated to entice the affection of a young man as susceptible as Peacock was.

The damage suit filed by Averett against Peacock was called in court today and withdrawn by Averett's attorney."

💔 The Cultural Blame: A Woman's Temptation

After reviewing the conflicting accounts of the shooting itself, an uncomfortable pattern does emerge -- a clear tendency to blame the woman involved in this triangle. Notice how parties to the conflict and reporting journalists frame the event:

Z. V. Peacock: While trying to defend his brother, he shifts blame by stating Manly "yielded to strong temptation -- such temptation that few men could resist."

Atlanta Constitution Reporter: The journalist echoes this sentiment, describing Mrs. Averett as "a strikingly handsome woman...and calculated to entice the affection of a young man as susceptible as Peacock was."

The common societal practice of framing women as the source of "temptation" and moral failure attempts to excuse the actions of the men involved. This makes Mrs. Averett a silent party in this tragedy, whose character is debated and judged in the press without ever being quoted or given a voice of her own.

So, the real historical record of Manly Peacock's shooting death is not a clear account of the duel, but a revealing relic of a time when dramatic circulation and the defense of male "honor" far outweighed the pursuit of accuracy or fairness to every party involved.

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Injury Done with Fork Ends the Life of Cherry A. White (1909)

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 14:53:00 +0000

Decades before penicillin was widely available to the public, Cherry White had an accident with a fork. It cost her her life. Newspapers all across Georgia and neighboring states carried the story:

Stuck Fork in Hand and Died: Miss Cherry White Loses Life from Peculiar Accident

Death from Poisoning is Fate of Girl Student

Wounded By a Fork, Young Girl Dies

Cherry Ann White was born in Georgia on New Year's Eve in 1889, just a couple of weeks after the gold-domed State Capitol building in Atlanta was completed. She was the first daughter born to Coley B. and Elizabeth A. "Lizzie" White, and named after her paternal grandmother, Cherry Ann Coley.

Also in 1889, the Georgia General Assembly established the Georgia Normal and Industrial College. Located in Milledgeville, just over 60 miles from where Cherry's family resided in Cochran, its mission was to educate and train young white women to become teachers and to provide industrial education in areas such as sewing, cooking, and nursing.

Hearkening back to the days when Milledgeville was the state capitol, the old governor's mansion became part of the G. N. & I. College campus. Over time, the school evolved and is now known as Georgia College & State University (GCSU).

Cherry was a student at the Georgia Normal and Industrial College in 1909. In February of that year, she somehow hurt her hand with a fork -- possibly in a cooking class. She battled inflammation and blood poisoning, which likely led to sepsis (essentially untreatable at the time), for three weeks before losing that battle on 8 March. The following article was on the front page of Milledgeville's 9 March 1909 Union Recorder.

"A SAD DEATH.

Miss Cherry White, a Student of the G. N. & I. College, Died Monday Night.

Miss Cherry White, of Cochran, Ga., and a student in the Junior Class, of the G. N. & I. College, died at the Lamar Hall Dormitory on Monday night at 9:30 o'clock. Her mother and Dr. and Mrs. Walker of Cochran had come to Milledgeville before her death. For nearly three weeks she had suffered from blood poisoning.

She had every possible attention, that medical science and loving friends could give. Four physicians were in consultation upon the case while three trained nurses, and the Matron of the dormitory, the President of the College, the faculty and students offered every assistance in their power.

Miss Cherry White was eighteen years of age and a member of the Junior class. She was bright and talented and gave promise of a beautiful and useful life. She was very popular with the students and the faculty of the college and throughout her illness her room was constantly filled with flowers sent by her loving friends.

The remains were carried to Cochran for burial, accompanied by Rev. Lamar Sims, Prof. Scott and her room-mate, Miss Ruby Taylor.

They left on the Central train at 7:50 o'clock Tuesday morning.

The professors of the college acted as pall-bearers, while the faculty and one hundred members of the Junior class went to the train. As the casket was carried from the college dormitories, hundreds of students stood beside the walks in silent grief, at the loss of one of their friends.

The scene was an impressive one."

Another article specifically states, "Mrs. White was with her daughter when the end came."

A few weeks later, as was customary for the time, some of Cherry's classmates published resolutions on her death. This allowed for a formal expression of grief and a tribute to the deceased's character to be entered into the public record as a way to honor Cherry and offer comfort to her family. A transcription of those resolutions follows.

"Resolutions on Death of Miss Cherry White.

On the evening of March the eighth at 9:20 o'clock, the angel of death called from our midst our beloved class-mate, Cherry White. Although she had been with us but six months, not only her class-mates, but all who knew her had learned to love her. The sweetness of her disposition was such that she carried joy and gladness wherever she went, and her smiling face was a daily greeting to her friends, all of whom felt the inspiration of her cheerful spirit. In all phases of her life she showed the beauty of her character by the life she lived, even until the end. During the two weeks of her illness she suffered untold pain, which was met with a fortitude and a thoughtfulness for others that were characteristic of her daily christian life.

Whereas, it is our privilege to pay this tribute to our dear class-mate, we the members of the Georgia Normal & Industrial College offer the following resolutions:

I. That we bow in humble submission to the will of God and thank Him for her lovely life while with us.

II. That our class has lost a faithful, loyal member, and words cannot express the tribute we should like to pay her memory.

III. That we extend to the family our deep and sincere sympathy.

IV. That these resolutions be recorded, a copy furnished the family and a copy sent the Union Recorder and her home paper for publication.

(Signed) LUCY COBB,

MARY ALICE JONES,

MABEL EVANS,

JENNIE JEWELL,

JULIA THORNTON,

Committee."

Cherry Ann White's final resting place is Cedar Hill Cemetery in Cochran, Bleckley County, Georgia.

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Tom G. Padgett is Killed (1943)

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 03:33:00 +0000

The World War I veteran was shot in his left side with a pistol.

Thomas Glover "Tom" Padgett was born on 10 July 1888 in Twiggs County, Georgia, to William B. and Annie Davis Padgett. He was inducted into the United States Army at Jeffersonville, Georgia, on 26 June 1918. Tom served overseas from 24 August 1918 to 2 April 1919. It was noted on his World War I service card that Tom was "slightly" wounded about 1 November 1918, and was honorably discharged on demobilization, 24 April 1919.

Years later, by 1935, Tom had a room in a boarding house on West Franklin Street in Gastonia, Gaston County, North Carolina. Gastonia was once one of the nation's largest textile-manufacturing hubs. Though no occupation was listed for Tom in the 1940 census, he was surrounded by neighbors working in cotton mills.

In February 1943, Tom was shot and killed in his room at the boarding house. While his death certificate officially records the date as February 16th, contemporary newspaper reports suggest the shooting occurred late the previous night. This news soon reached his brother, John, in Cochran, Georgia --

Macon Telegraph (Georgia)

Wednesday, 17 February 1943

Brother of Sheriff Padgett Is Killed

COCHRAN, Feb. 16 -- Thomas Glover Padgett, brother of Sheriff J. D. Padgett of Bleckley county, was killed at his home in Gastonia, N.C., Monday night, according to information received here Tuesday.

Sheriff Padgett left immediately for North Carolina to investigate and to bring the body back to Georgia where it is expected the deceased will be buried at Cary where his father and mother, the late W. B. and Annie Davis Padgett are buried.

Information here is that Mr. Padgett was killed in his bedroom and it is believed that robbery was the motive. He was 54 years of age and was born in Twiggs county.

Witnesses reported two men fleeing the scene, and suspects were questioned, but I don't know if anyone was ever charged with the homicide. It's also worth noting, though robbery was believed to be the motive, $296.71 was found "on person when killed." The coroner turned it over to Tom's estate handler.

Tom was actually buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Cochran, Georgia.

(Death certificate for Tom G. Padgett via Ancestry®.)

Three Pace Siblings and Their Faith Inscribed in Stone

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 21:01:00 +0000

Born just months after the Civil War ended, Thomas B. Pace Jr. lived through Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, and the upheavals of early 20th-century America. His death in 1931 came at the dawn of the Great Depression, a time when the values inscribed on his gravestone—charity, compassion, faith—were desperately needed.

Thomas, and two of his siblings highlighted here, were laid to rest in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Cochran, Bleckley County, Georgia.

Thomas Pace Jr.'s Life of Civic Virtue

Thomas B. Pace Jr.
Son of Thomas B. Pace and Catherine, His Wife
Born Sept 30, 1865
Died Sept 18, 1931

Here is to the remains of our brother, Thomas B. Pace,
who at all times and places gave his strength to the weak;
his substance to the poor, his sympathy to the suffering,
and his heart to God.

This epitaph, presumably composed by his surviving siblings, reflects a life dedicated to civic virtues, especially in the tumultuous era in which Thomas lived. An obituary ran in the Athens Banner-Herald (Georgia) on 25 September 1931. Athens was home to one of his sisters.

"Athenian's Brother Dies in Pensacola

Thomas B. Pace, brother of Mrs. J. H. Becker of Athens died at Pensacola, Fla., and was buried in Cochran, Ga., it was learned today. Mr. Pace was for many years interested in development of West Florida and South Alabama. He was a native of Twiggs county, aged 66, [a]nd was a member of the Masons, Shrine and the Baptist church.

Besides Mrs. Becker he is survived by a sister, Mrs. T. K. McRae, San Antonio, Texas; two brothers, J. G. and J. H. Pace of Jacksonville, Fla. Mr. Pace has visited in Athens."

Susie McRae's Faith Amidst Uncertainty

Susie Clifford Pace McRae, the sister living in Texas at the time of Thomas's death, was laid to rest in Cedar Hill Cemetery eighteen years later.

Susie Clifford Pace
Wife of T. K. McRae
Sept 14, 1873 - Jan 8, 1949

"I know not where His islands lift
Their fronded palms in air;
I only know I cannot drift
Beyond His love and care."

Susie's epitaph is an often-quoted stanza from John Greenleaf Whittier's poem "The Eternal Goodness," expressing deep faith in divine love even amid uncertainty. Whittier was a famous Quaker abolitionist poet, and his reflection on doubt and trust resonates with a long life that spanned dramatic historical change.

Caroline Becker's Promise of Purity

Lastly, there's Caroline Virginia Pace Becker. According to her obituary from the 2 October 1964 Athens Banner-Herald, Becker died on 30 September 1964 "in a local hospital after a lengthy illness." It also noted she had lived in Athens since 1907, was preceded in death by her husband, and was the daughter of the late Thomas B. Pace and Catherine McCrea Pace.

Caroline Virginia Pace
Wife of John H. Becker
1871 - 1964

"Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God."

Caroline's epitaph is from the Bible. Matthew 5:8, one of the Beatitudes, is a cornerstone of Christian teaching. A running theme among the gravestones of these three siblings is deep faith. And in an age of noise, these epitaphs whisper what matters.

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Charles Mullis: From Uneducated Farmer to Financier

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 01:34:00 +0000

An urn-topped obelisk in Cedar Hill Cemetery at Cochran, Bleckley County, Georgia, serves as a single monument to Charles Mullis and his three wives -- each getting their own panel, collectively making up the four sides of the base.

Charles Mullis was born on 7 November 1813 in North Carolina. By 1837, he was residing in Pulaski County, Georgia, where he married his first wife, Cynthia Miller (1820-1857), on 1 November.

Charles next married Julia P. about 1860. She was about 29 years his junior, being born in Georgia on 30 August 1842.

Julia died on 14 October 1882, and Charles married for the final time the next year. He united with Sarah E., who was born on 3 February 1840. This time, the wife outlived the husband. Charles Mullis died on 9 September 1887 in Cochran, as was reported in the Macon Weekly Telegraph (Georgia).

Death of a Wealthy Citizen

COCHRAN, September 10. -- Mr. Charles Mullis, of this place, aged 77, died yesterday afternoon of erysipelas and senile decay. Mr. Mullis, though entirely uneducated, was a success as a financier, and accumulated an estate valued at $50,000. He leaves a wife and eight children, all of whom are grown except a little girl nine years old.

🏦 From Farmer to Financier

An estate valued at $50,000 in 1887 was an extremely substantial amount of money -- worth millions in today's economy. I don't know for certain where Charley got his wealth, but my first thought was land. While his occupation was often listed as "farming" or something similar in census records, by 1870, the census enumerator labeled him a Planter.

Economically speaking, being part of the "planter class" in the American South, especially before the Civil War and during the Reconstruction Era, meant holding a position of immense wealth, social, and political power that was fundamentally tied to land ownership and labor control.

In 1870, Mullis owned 1,045 acres of mixed (improved and unimproved) land in Pulaski County, Georgia, an increase from the 960 acres noted in 1860. (I haven't looked, but it is, of course, possible Charles owned land in other counties.) Also in 1860, the census listed his real estate value at $5,000 and his personal estate value at $13,300.

Another economic characteristic of this wealthy class was control of the local credit system, lending money or goods to smaller (poorer) farmers in exchange for a lien on the future crop. This allowed financiers to profit immensely without necessarily working the land themselves, relying on interest and debt enforcement. Charles Mullis's success as an uneducated financier suggests he was highly skilled in this post-war system of land and credit manipulation, which effectively allowed him to profit from the cotton economy just as much as, or perhaps even more than, the old planter class.

Charles Mullis

Born
Nov. 7, 1813,
Died
Sept. 9, 1887

Kind angels watch his sleeping dust,
Till Jesus comes to raise the just.
And may he wake in sweet surprise,
And in his Saviour's image rise.

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Killing of William Thomas McVay (1876)

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 02:47:00 +0000

Homicide at Cochran, Georgia!

William Thomas McVay was born on 24 August 1835. He married Martha Ella Linder in Laurens County, Georgia, on 4 November 1858. In 1862, W. T. enlisted in the Confederate Army as a private. He was promoted through the ranks, culminating in the position of 1st Lieutenant of Company F, 14th Georgia Infantry.

During the decade of Reconstruction, William transitioned from a Confederate officer to a prominent merchant in the newly established community of Cochran, Georgia. Officially incorporated in 1869, the town was built around a stop on the Macon and Brunswick Railroad. Merchants like McVay were crucial to the town's early economy, linking local cotton and agricultural products to the wider regional markets.

Being a successful merchant in a small, post-war Southern town (not to mention his veteran status) likely meant William was an individual of considerable influence and standing in the local community and surrounding counties. A snippet from an article in the Georgia Historic Newspapers archive suggests that William was also active in local Democratic Party politics. All of this adds significant weight to the event of his killing on 20 December 1876.

Alongside advertisements for Holiday Goods, Christmas Toys, and New Year's Presents, was an article published in the Macon Telegraph and Messenger (Georgia) that reported the demise of W. T. McVay.

"A most unfortunate homicide occurred at Cochrane [sic] yesterday, the particulars of which are briefly set forth in the following dispatch:

A shooting affray occurred here to-day between W. T. McVay, his son G. T. McVay, and Sol Moss, which resulted in the killing of W. T. McVay and the serious wounding of Sol Moss. The difficulty originated over some cotton which McVay and Moss were trying to purchase.

The deceased, Mr. McVay was well known and highly esteemed in Macon, where he did an immense amount of trading. There is a single house in this city which sold him as high as $30,000 worth of goods a year, and others which have probably sold him an equal amount. He was distinguished for his promptness in business matters, as well as for his success as a merchant.

We hope to get further reports from the melancholy affair to-day."

Disputes over cotton were not unusual, as the Reconstruction-era cotton market in Georgia was fiercely competitive, often leading to violent confrontations between rival buyers struggling to secure crops from impoverished farmers to supply Northern and European mills.

The following verdict was rendered by the coroner's jury and published in another local newspaper: "We, the jury of inquest over the body of W. T. McVay, deceased, hereby render this our verdict, in said case, to-wit: That the deceased came to his death by a pistol shot in the hands of some unknown party."

After William's death, Mrs. M. E. McVay entered into partnership with Augustus Edward Choate and continued "the Warehouse and Mercantile business of the old and well known house of W. T. McVay." They bought cotton and all other farm produce, and sold all classes of goods except whiskey.

George Thomas McVay, who was with his father at the time he was shot and killed, died on 28 June 1881. The family included two other sons, William E. McVay and Linder E. McVay, one of whom was expected to graduate the following day. As was reported in the Eastman Times (Georgia) --

"Mr. G. T. McVay of Cochran died on Tuesday last at 2 o'clock P.M.

A correspondent of the Telegraph writing from that place thus speaks of his death:

At half-past two o'clock to-day we witnessed the death of G. T. McVay, son of Mrs. M. E. McVay. Instead of the rejoicing that to-morrow was expected to bring by the graduating of her second son, the broken-hearted mother is called to stand by the grave of her eldest, and all her anticipated joy is turned to mourning. With her many friends we tender our sympathy. Surely the hand of the Lord is being laid heavily upon this community."

Martha Ella Linder McVay died on 11 July 1911. Her death was reported in the Cochran Journal --

DEATH OF MRS. W. T. MCVAY, SR.

Mrs. W. T. McVay, Sr., age 72 years, died at Eastman at 2:00 P.M. Tuesday while visiting her son, L. E. McVay, and was buried at Weeping Pine cemetery here Wednesday afternoon at 4 o'clock. Mrs. McVay was the wife of W. T. McVay, Sr. deceased, who was a prominent cotton buyer and merchant here 35 years ago. At the time of his death he was doing the largest business in Cochran, and occupied the entire block where the post office and the stores of J. J. Taylor and J. E. Cook now stand.

Mrs. McVay was a splendid character, a consistent member of the Methodist church, -- true to her family and friends. She had been in feeble health about a year and a half. She leaves two sons, W. E. McVay, of this city, and L. E. McVay, of Eastman, and eight grandchildren to mourn her loss.

William Thomas McVay, George Thomas McVay, and Martha Ella Linder McVay were all laid to rest in Cedar Hill Cemetery at Cochran, Bleckley County, Georgia.

Execution of George Copelan (1873)

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 22:17:00 +0000

Behind the Greene County courthouse in Greensboro, Georgia, stands an old rock jail. It was built in 1807 and remained in use until about 1895. From the historical marker beside it:

"Built of granite about two feet thick, it is two stories in height and has a trap door in the floor of the upper story where condemned prisoners were hanged. An iron bar supported the trap door. When the signal was given, the hangman pulled the lever that controlled the bar and the culprit was launched into eternity."

I recently read a 2019 story by Tyler Wilkins in the Lake Oconee News (Georgia) about the old gaol, and was surprised to learn only one documented execution took place there. Here's how the Atlanta Weekly Constitution covered it on 4 November 1873:

Quick PSA: Since most newspapers of the time were white-owned and reflected racist views, they were biased. So please question and treat with great caution the papers' descriptions of the alleged crimes, victims, and perpetrators.

THE GALLOWS.

EXECUTION OF GEORGE COPELAN

Rope Breaks -- Large Crowd -- His Confession.

Greensboro Herald, October 23.]

George Copelan (col,) alias George Simpson, convicted at the last September term of Greene Superior Court, was executed in the Jail to-day, a[t] 12 o'clock, for the murder of Miss S. A. Richards, in May, 1871.

The apparatus of death, was a ring, secured by a heavy bar of iron, to the ceiling of the second story of the jail, from which a rope was suspended over the platform, which secured on one side by hinges, and on the other by a rope, stood just at the head of the stairway, giving a fall of four feet.

At an early hour in the morning, we entered the jail, with the Sheriff and two or three others, and found the doomed man, crouching, motionless and silent, in a corner of his gloomy cell, apparently asleep -- but only apparently. The Sheriff spoke to him kindly, and offered him breakfast, but he said he did not want to eat. On being asked if there was any one outside that he wanted to see? He replied, that he wished to see Mr. Willis. This gentleman, a member of the Young Men's Christian Association of Augusta, on being admitted, engaged in a conversation with George, in which he (George) said, "it was all right, he was guilty, but had been forgiven and was prepared, and will to stand in the presence of God.

At 11 o'clock we again entered the jail -- found it surrounded by a crowd of several hundred colored men and women, and a few white men, all anxious to see or hear something of the awful scenes about to be enacted within. Around the door of the jail there was a full armed guard to keep back intruders and for any emergency that might arise. Within the cell we found Mr. Willis and the Rev. Albert Gray engaged in earnest conversation with the prisoner.

At ten minutes past 11, the prisoner was carried up-stairs. At this juncture, Mr. Gray requested the prisoner to make a statement of his feelings and hopes. He said that he had repented of all his sins, that God had forgiven him and spoken peace to his soul, and that he was ready to go.

Mr. Gray then knelt and requested all to join him in prayer for the unfortunate man. During this fervent appeal all knelt, the friends of the prisoner seeming much affected, while George, though calm, seemed solemn and earnest. Mr. Gray here bid him farewell, and took his leave. The colored ministers now approached, and after a few words of counsel, raised a hymn, in which he joined, in a low but distinct tone, and another prayer was offered by one of the colored ministers.

At half-past eleven, the prisoner was securely pinioned and led to the scaffold. He stepped carefully on the trap, and with some hesitation, but no tremor -- pulse 128. When the rope was placed around his neck, Sheriff English told him he had a half hour in which he could say whatever he desired. The statement that follows was made partly in reply to questions that were asked: "I am in a bad condition, and hope it will be a warning to all, but God has forgiven me. I know that I must die -- have no hope of anything else but death right now, and I must prepare to meet it -- must make peace below; there is no repentance beyond the grave. It was a bad affair; there was no one with me; I went into it myself, all by myself. The devil led me there; went to get money; pretty much intended to kill; I went in the house, stood by the fire place and talked to her a few minutes; then struck her on the back of the head with a stick; she fell by the fire; I dragged her out on the floor, and raped her; she said go away; I then took a case knife and cut her throat; she did not speak when I done this; I took money out of the side-board; took sugar, flour and butter; I took some clothes and spool thread, but burdt [sic] them up.

I then put fire on the floor, and while the house was burning went home. There was nobody else there. I made statements about others helping me because Henry Jackson and Wiley Baugh got some of the money and things, and I thought it would benefit me. Henry Jackson knew where I got the things; I told him, because he saw some of them and asked me where I got them. Wiley Baugh did not know. I kept the watch buried until about two months before the camp meeting, and sold it to Wiley; he never paid but one dollar nohow; told tales on others because I hoped it would help me; can't say any more; I know that I must die in seven minutes, have no hope of escape; all that I have said is true; that is all.

His pulse at this time was 130, though he seemed calm and self-possessed.

As the rope was tightened around his neck and the cap put over his head he said farewell! Thank God! Thank God! (in a loud voice), Farewell world, I'm going home to God! Struggle will soon be over! trouble will soon be over.

At precisely 12 o'clock, the sheriff cut the cord that held the trap door; the rope broke, and he fell with a crash down the stairway, caught in a sitting posture, and remained silent and motionless: not a tremor shook his frame; his countenance was placid, indicating no pain whatever; he seemed in a profound sleep.

At fifteen minutes past twelve he was again drawn up, making a glutteral sound and struggling considerably. In four minutes he ceased to struggle, at the expiration of the fifth minute a slight tremor struck him and he drew one breath. In fifteen minutes his pulse ceased to beat, but his heart still beat feebly. At thirty minutes it was doubtful whether there were any pulsation, at thirty-five minutes Dr. Walker again detected pulsation at the heart; at ten minutes past one life was pronounced extinct.

No blame attaches to the sheriff for accident to the rope. It was large and deemed strong enough by all who saw it. It is the opinion of the medical attendants that the deceased died without pain; that he was unconscious from the first moment that he fell. Thus died the perpetrator of a most horrible crime, and thus is the law vindicated and justice meted out.

Sarah D. Willis and Step-Son Edwin Sleep in Jesus

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 20:22:00 +0000

Southern Christian Advocate (Augusta, Georgia)

Thursday, 28 July 1859

MRS. SARAH D. WILLIS was born in Petersburg, Va., and died in Greensboro, Ga., on 13th April, in her 64th year.

She had been a member of the M. E. Church 38 years. Amid the vicissitudes of a long and chequered pilgrimage, she was "soothed and sustained by an unfaltering trust" in the Redeemer. Her piety was noiseless and unobtrusive. Conscious of many infirmities, she meekly and modestly glided down the hill of life, giving offence to none, loving God supremely. Her last days were distinguished by suffering and sorrow. Adieu, dear, dear mother! Thy soul, purified in the furnace of grief, chastened and sanctified by tribulation and grace, is at rest in heaven. Your children may be scattered -- wanderers on the earth -- their graves may be in distant lands, but the resurrection will reunite. O! when the glorious day shall dawn, may mother and children say, "Good morning," on the hills of Immortality.

J. P. DUNCAN.

Southern Recorder (Milledgeville, Georgia)

12 April 1842

DIED at the residence of his father near Greensboro, Greene county, on Monday the 4th inst. Mr. EDWIN S. WILLIS, in the 26th year of his age.

The disease of which Mr. Willis died was pulmonary consumption. About a year since, finding his health rapidly declining, he repared to Havana, where he spent the winter in the mild and genial climate of that place, and upon his returning home, he as well as many of his friends were flattered with the hope that the blow which had threatened his life if not averted was at least suspended for a considerable time. How soon, alas, were all their hopes blasted. Their hopes were, in the language of the poet,

"Like the snow drop on the river,

A moment white -- then gone forever."

Death is always a great mystery; but there are many circumstances which relieve the mystery of death when it comes to the aged and mature. It seems according to the law of nature that the aged and infirm, those with whom there remains but few links of life's broken chain, should lie down in the grave; but when the young die there is no other rational way of accounting for it, but that laid down in the volume of inspiration: "Childhood and youth are altogether vanity; as a flower of the field so are they: In the morning it is green and groweth up, in the evening it is cut down and withereth away." Mr. Willis was a generous, warm-hearted friend, amiable in his manners, and upright in all his dealings.

📚 BOOK #AD -- Cemeteries of Greene County, Georgia (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases.) 📚

Five members of this WILLIS family rest in a single plot in Greensboro City Cemetery:

Loudon Willis - husband of Sarah, son of Lucy, and father of Edwin and William
Sarah D. Willis - 2nd wife of Loudon, daughter-in-law of Lucy, step-mother of Edwin, mother of William
Lucy Willis - mother of Loudon, mother-in-law of Sarah, grandmother of Edwin and William
Edwin S. Willis - son of Loudon, step-son of Sarah, grandson of Lucy, half-brother of William
William Willis - son of Loudon and Sarah, grandson of Lucy, half-brother of Edwin

Two Obituaries for James Nickelson (d. 1852)

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Sun, 16 Nov 2025 17:28:00 +0000

James Blake Nickelson was born 4 October 1808 in Georgia. On 5 March 1833 in Richmond County, James married Anna Maria Willey.

For the November 1850 Greene County, Georgia Federal census, James was occupied as a merchant, and he and Anna had five children: Ann, Julia, Margaret, H. Clay, and James.

Upon the death of James Blake Nickelson, two obituaries were published in the 31 March 1852 Augusta Chronicle (Georgia):

OBITUARY.

Died at Greensboro on the morning of the 22d inst., JAMES B. NICKELSON, Esq., aged about 44 years, after a protracted illness of several weeks. A man of the highest integrity and worth, constant and faithful in the discharge of every duty, a citizen without reproach, a brother kind and affectionate, a husband without fault, and a father whose energies were devoted to the interests and happiness of his children; the community of which he was a member will long feel his loss, and remember the valuable example of his life.

Neither time nor circumstances can heal the wounds that his death has caused to his family and connexions. Their only consolation is in the remembrance of his love, his kindness, and the multiplied virtues which adorned his character.

F. H. C.

OBITUARY II.

"The Church-yard bears an added stone,

The fireside shows a vacant chair."

Died, at his residence in Greensboro, Ga., March 22, 1852, Major JAMES B. NICKELSON, in the 45th year of his age.

His exit, though anticipated, was yet the sundering of ties among the strongest that bind us to earth. Husband, Father, relative and friend, are terms of precious import, always; and most worthily did he exemplify the character they severally indicate: and could he have chosen, happy would have been his privilege to cherish yet longer the loved ones for whom he lived, and to enjoy the consummation of pleasing hopes in reference to his children. But,

"The silver cord is loosed, the golden bowl is broken; the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel at the cistern; the dust has returned to the earth as it was, and the spirit unto him who gave it."

"How peaceful and how powerful is the grave!"

That very state of society most delightful, is the very one where bereavements are most severely felt: and hence, the Author and Giver of these tender relationships sometimes severs them in such a way as to check our tendencies to idolatrous attachment, thus to remind us of our dependence on Him, and of our duty and destiny as immortal beings.

May He who has smitten console the bereaved and desolate, and furnish spiritual blessings to surpass their loss. How merciful is God, to remind us of the frail tenure by which we hold all earthly blessings, and even life itself.

H. H.

📚 BOOK #AD -- Cemeteries of Greene County, Georgia (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases.) 📚

Sacred to the Memory of Samuel Davis (1787-1875)

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Sat, 15 Nov 2025 01:12:00 +0000

Samuel Davis
Born April 16, 1787
Died Sept 7, 1875

For more than thirty years he
was a member of the Baptist
Church, and died trusting in
Jesus for eternal life.
For him death had no terrors
but was a welcome messenger
of deliverance. "Mark the perfect
man, and behold the upright for
the end of that man is peace."

Greensboro City Cemetery
Greene County, Georgia

Greensboro Herald (Georgia)

16 September 1875

Obituary.

Samuel Davis was born in Halifax Co., N.C., in April, 1787. Sometime in the year 1807 he left his father's home, and, unattended, came across the mountains into Georgia, making his way on foot to Greene Co., thus early displaying that energy and resolution which characterized his whole life.

He settled in Greensboro' in the year 1835, and by his sterling integrity and unswerving honesty he secured and retained to the day of his death, the respect and confidence of the entire community.

In 1845 he united with the Baptist Church, and for thirty years was a consistent member of the same.

For many months preceding his death, he was a sufferer, and longed most earnestly for the "Rest that remaineth to the people of God."

On the 7th of September he breathed his last, literally falling asleep in Jesus.

So fades a summer cloud away;

So sinks the gale when storms are o'er;

So gently shuts the eye of day;

So died a wave along the shore.

C.H.S.

📚 BOOK #AD -- Baptists in America: A History -- "The Puritans called Baptists 'the troublers of churches in all places' and hounded them out of Massachusetts Bay Colony. Four hundred years later, Baptists are the second-largest religious group in America, and their influence matches their numbers." (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases.)

Samuel married Mary A. Gant in 1813. The couple had nine children.

It should also be noted that Samuel enslaved men, women, and children. Per the 1850 US Federal Census Slave Schedule for Greene County, Georgia, Samuel Davis stole labor, knowledge, and skills from 35 people ranging in age from 6 months to 60 years.

Tuberculosis Took Neoma McCamish at Age Seventeen

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 21:07:00 +0000

She was just four months shy of her eighteenth birthday.

In continuing to research the names and dates on the gravestones of those buried in Maddux Cemetery at Tennessee's Harrison Bay State Park, I'm saddened by the number of lives cut short by Tuberculosis. "White plague," it was sometimes called, because its victims were garishly pale. I found it repeated on too many death certificates.

I learned that in Tennessee, TB was the number one cause of death in 1923. The governor signed legislation in 1941 to create the first State Tuberculosis Hospital. By 1943, TB had only dropped to the number three cause of death in the state. A state-run tuberculosis hospital opened in Chattanooga, less than 20 miles south of Harrison Bay State Park, in 1951. And it wasn't until the early 1970s that state officials began to contemplate closing those hospitals.

So I shouldn't be so surprised to find several cases in a cemetery of around 300 burials. I'm afraid I'll find more.

Neoma was a daughter of Mollie Cartwright (1877-1954) and Doc McCamish (1872-1942). Per her death certificate, Neoma battled the feared disease for at least two years. Another tidbit I discovered was that the average hospital stay for a Tuberculosis patient in Tennessee during the first few decades of the twentieth century was three years.

Chattanooga News (Tennessee)

Saturday, 21 April 1934

McCAMISH -- Miss Neoma, 17, died at the residence in Harrison early Saturday morning. Surviving are her parents, Mr. and Mrs. D. L. McCamish; five sisters, Mrs. L. M. Walker, Mrs. J. H. Lowe, Mrs. Leon Standifer and Misses Betty and Jenny McCamish; four brothers, L. M., L. R., Robert and Dave McCamish. Funeral services will be held from the Maddox Church, near Harrison, at 2 o'clock Sunday afternoon, with the Revs. Tony Lewis and W. M. Gladyson officiating. Interment in the Maddox Cemetery. Coulter's in charge.

Neoma McCamish
Aug 16, 1916
April 21, 1934

Maddux Cemetery
Harrison, Hamilton County, Tennessee

📚 BOOK #AD -- Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection -- "Tuberculosis has been entwined with humanity for millennia. Once romanticized as a malady of poets, today tuberculosis is seen as a disease of poverty that walks the trails of injustice and inequity we blazed for it." (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases.)

G. M. Bulloch was Stabbed to Death in 1908

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 21:46:00 +0000

Standing on the hallowed ground, merely a visitor scanning the stones, I rarely know what befell the remains buried below. Until I do the research. And even though I've researched many lives, I'm always startled when I learn someone met a violent end. Today, that someone is G. Matthew Bulloch.

Atlanta Constitution (Georgia)

Saturday, 27 June 1908 - Page 9

CORDELE MAN WAS STABBED

Prominent Business Man Stabbed to Death in Thomas County.

Cordele, Ga., June 26 -- (Special.) -- G. M. Bulloch, one of Cordele's most prominent business men, was stabbed to death this morning about 9 o'clock at Ochlochnee, Thomas county, by Jim Thompson. From the best information obtainable, the two men had a few words concerning a land trade between Bulloch's father and Thompson's brother, whereupon it is said Thompson stabbed Bulloch in the heart, killing him instantly. Thompson has been placed in jail at Thomasville. A party of Bulloch's friends left at once for the scene of the trouble, and will bring the remains to Cordele tomorrow for burial.

The news of Mr. Bulloch's death was a great shock to his relatives and friends here. He was a member of the school board of trustees of Cordele, and a prominent Mason. He is survived by his wife, two sons and four daughters, besides other near relations.

Bulloch's wife was Gertrude A. Baston (1865-1929). Per another contemporary news item, "His daughters are Mrs. Harry L. Davis, of Cordele; Miss Minnie Lee Bulloch, who is at present at the Brenau Chautauqua at Gainesville, and two little twin girls. His sons are Herbert and Mitchell Bulloch."

Bulloch was laid to rest in Sunnyside Cemetery at Cordele, Crisp County, Georgia.

G. M. Bulloch
Born Mar 26, 1859
Died June 26, 1908

Father John and Daughter Edith McDaniel Both Succumb to Tuberculosis

noreply@blogger.com (S. Lincecum) — Sat, 11 Oct 2025 21:53:00 +0000

In 1940 and 1945, respectively.

John Wesley McDaniel was born 16 July 1887 in Harrison, James (now Hamilton) County, Tennessee. He was one of ten children belonging to Sarah E. Capps (1864-1922) and George Oliver McDaniel (1862-1941). Two of his siblings were Jennie Green and Ott McDaniel.

John married Addie Ollie Lowe (1887-1982), daughter of James S. Lowe, about 1910. This couple had at least two children: James Elder McDaniel and Mary Edith McDaniel.

Twelve days before his 53rd birthday, John died. The cause of death was deemed to be Pulmonary Tuberculosis. John's death certificate doesn't explicitly state how long he suffered with the disease, but his attending physician cared for him for less than a week.

Mary Edith McDaniel was born 20 September 1917 in Hamilton County, Tennessee. She, too, succumbed to Pulmonary Tuberculosis on 3 October 1945. Edith had just turned 28 less than two weeks prior. It appears her attending physician was the same as her father's, and Dr. Hughes cared for her for almost a year.

Interestingly, mother Ollie and son James successfully weathered their exposure to the deadly disease. In another family I have researched, three of ten died of tuberculosis, even though you can presume all were exposed to it.

Scientists today claim a healthy immune system often kills the bacteria or contains it in a dormant, non-contagious state known as "latent-TB." There have been cases, however, where people with close and long-term contact with the bacteria never become infected. And this phenomenon is not yet fully understood.

Both John and Edith were laid to rest in Maddux Cemetery at Harrison, Hamilton County, Tennessee. When Ollie died at the age of 95, she was laid to rest next to John.

(Better image at FindAGrave.)