Tag Archives: cemetery

The Lady in Black-Marietta, Georgia

Cobb County

Located in the Marietta City Cemetery, this memorial for Mary Annie Gartrell (1853-1906) was erected by her sister Lucy. The grieving sister visited her sister’s grave twice a week, often on foot and in black, for the next 48 years. She became known as the “Lady in Black.”

Horton-duBignon House and Cemetery-Jekyll Island, Georgia

Built in 1743 by Major William Horton, the tabby house is one of the oldest homes in the state. Christophe DuBignon returned to Georgia to escape unrest in France. By 1800 he owned the whole island. The DuBignon family remained in the home for decades. Family members and two staff members from the Jekyll Island club are buried in the cemetery across the street.

Lott Cemetery-Waycross, Georgia

William F. Beach, (1850-1904)

Lott Cemetery was established in 1877 as the city cemetery for Waycross. It is a one-block-by-one block cemetery named for Dr. Daniel Lott, one of the founders of Waycross. Many of the city’s founders are buried here.

For the size of the cemetery, it has one of the largest collections of Victorian monuments I’ve seen. The photos represent some of the markers in this small city cemetery. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

Alice McRae, 1908-1913
James Beach, 1879
Bas-relief marker for Wooston Johnson, (1897-1913)
Infant Daughter Benton
Noel Lary, 1854-1890. The hand reaching from the sky to earth symbolizes that the earthly bonds are now broken.

Nancy, the Elephant-Moultrie, Georgia

A life-sized baby elephant named Nancy sits atop the grave of William Duggan (1899-1950) in the cemetery of Pleasant Grove Primitive Baptist Church in Moultrie, Georgia. While Primitive Baptists are known for unadorned churches and cemeteries, this is one of a handful of cemeteries in Georgia where there is a one-of-a-kind sculpture honoring someone.

Duggan grew up working around circuses. He had a special love for elephants. He fulfilled a lifelong dream of owning a circus, but he passed away before being able to travel with it. His son had this life-sized monument made of Nancy, the elephant.

I found two references to a Nancy, the elephant, in the newspapers. One was in a Florida parade and another that lived in a Chicago zoo. My assumption is that the one in Florida is this Nancy based on date and location. I am sharing the one from Chicago, too.

Orlando Evening Star, November 25, 1952
Chicago Sunday Tribune article about Chicago’s “zoologic park at Brookfield“ features Nancy, the elephant. (July 1, 1934)

Myron Hinson Memorial-Adel, Georgia

Cook County

This incredibly detailed monument for Myron Griggs Hinson (1908-1913) stands in Woodlawn City Cemetery in Adel, Georgia. He was the son of George and Virginia Hinson who you can see in a poignant photograph on Findagrave.

While this page is more about the live-in housekeeper for the Hinsons than the Hinsons, here is an interesting Facebook page by someone dedicated to keeping this monument clean and sharing what they have discovered about the family and their housekeeper,

Oak City Cemetery-Bainbridge, Georgia

Decatur County
Sarah Will Harris, 1919-1926

Founded in 1853, Oak City Cemetery was the first public cemetery in Bainbridge. There are many Victorian markers in the cemetery, most of which are marking the graves of children. The most famous markers belong to the Bower wives and sister. Judge Byron Bowers married Ellen Dickinson in 1881. When she passed in 1885, he married her sister Annie in 1886. Annie passed less than a year into their marriage.

Ethalynde Griffin, 1900-1910
Annie Dickinson Bower, 1857-1886, & Ellen Dickinson Bower, 1853-1885. They were sisters, and both were married to Judge Byron Bowers. Annie died within a year of marrying Judge Bowers
Hopkins Field, (1891-1891)