Down a sandy road, there is the Sheffield UMC Cemetery which has several vernacular headstones made with tile. Outside of marbles, this is one of the most used materials I see in homemade headstones and ledgers. There was a church next to the cemetery, but it burned many years ago.
This vernacular headstone can be found in Greenwood Cemetery in Tifton, Georgia. The KOFP represents the Knights of the Pythias. The interlocking links are a symbol of the Independent Order of the Odd Fellows, and the links stand for friendship, love, and truth.
The Union Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery contains three very interesting markers. Two are of Stephen and Narcissus Spooner. The other one is for Marion Blankenship.
Stephen Morrow Spooner, 1823-1901, was a farmer in Miller County, Georgia. There was once a Spooner, Georgia in this area. My assumption is the town was named after this family.
One interesting story about Stephen Spooner is that I. 1871, he killed Dr. James Barrow Guest over a disagreement according to one news article I found. I cannot Iocate a follow-up article that states whether or not there was a trial. I do know he was living at home in 1880. His property contained 550 acres and it’s value was assessed at $1000 in the late 1870’s.
The Spooners’ 3rd great-grandson, Kevin Daniels, informed me that two different sculptors created their monuments.
Marion Kenneth Blankenship was not your average Elvis Presley impersonator. “Kenn” was was a very talented musician and singer who was nominated for the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
Mary (1858-1860) and Emma (1860-1861) Hartmann were the young daughters of Catherine and Claus Hartmann. Like so many young children in the 1800s, they lost their life at a young age. John Walz is the sculptor on this marker.
Rosalie Raymond White, who died at seven months old in 1882, was one of seven children of Blake and Rosalie White. Only two of their children lived to see adulthood.
Rosalie was the White’s first child. Her likeness is carved in relief on a bassinet. Some suggest this is a death mask, which is a likeness created directly from a mold of the person’s face. At any point of the year, different flowers are planted in the bassinet.
The Victorians often used symbols and words to indicate someone “sleeping.” The bassinet represents this concept.
