30 October 2009

Frederick & Mary Burghard

Frederick H. Burghard
1827 - 1869

Mary C. Peter
Wife of F. H. Burghard

1839 - 1924

Obituary for Capt. Fred H. Burghard:

31 July 1869, Macon Daily Telegraph (Georgia)
ANOTHER OLD CITIZEN GONE. -- We are pained to announce the death of Capt. Fred H. Burghard, which occurred at his residence in this city on yesterday afternoon about 6 o'clock, produced by congestion of the bowels and stomach. Capt. Burghard has been a citizen of Macon for the last twelve or fifteen years, and was before the war a heavy dealer in jewelry.

His funeral takes place this afternoon at 3 o'clock.
Mr. Burghard was, during the Civil War, a captain in the German Artillery, a volunteer corps from Macon.

According to her death certificate, Mary C. Peter Burghard was born 18 May 1839 in New York City to Julius Peter and Anna Stumph. Both of her parents were born in Germany. Mary died 7 May 1924 at her home at 1018 Vineville Avenue in Macon. Her son, Louis H. Burghard, was the undertaker and took charge of his mother's burial in Rose Hill Cemetery.

Frederick H. Burghard and Mary C. Peter were the parents of Julius E. and Henry Peter Burghard. They were recently wrote about here and here, respectively.

29 October 2009

Henry P. Burghard

Henry Peter
Son of F. H. & M. C. Burghard
1860 - 1920

Macon Weekly Telegraph
2 August 1920

"DEATHS AND FUNERALS
HENRY P. BURGHARD

Henry P. Burghard, aged 60 years, died at the home of his mother, Mrs. M. C. Burghard, Vineville avenue, Sunday morning at 7:30 o'clock after an illness of five months.

Mr. Burghard was born and reared in Macon, but for the past thirty-five years had been a resident of Birmingham, Ala., and was engaged in the wholesale salvage business.

Surviving him, besides his mother, are one brother, L. H. Burghard; two sisters, Misses Annie and Minnie Burghard, of Macon.

Funeral services will be held from Burghard's chapel this morning at 11 o'clock. Bishop W. N. Ainsworth will conduct the service. Interment will be in Rose Hill cemetery."

3 August 1920
"DEATHS AND FUNERALS
HENRY P. BURGHARD

Funeral services for Henry P. Burghard, aged 60 years, who died Sunday morning at the residence of his mother, Mrs. M. C. Burghard on Vineville avenue, were held yesterday morning at 11 o'clock from Burghard's Chapel, 718 Cherry street, Bishop W. N. Ainsworth officiating. Interment was in Rose Hill cemetery. The following acted as pallbearers: L. H. Burghard, W. W. Jones, Sr., A. W. Jones, W. W. Jones, Jr., Louis R. Jones and Clarence Jones, all relatives of the deceased."

[Note: L. H. Burghard, Henry's brother, was an undertaker and operator of Burghard's Chapel.]

28 October 2009

Julius Burghard Dies

Julius E. Burghard
Son of F. H. & M. C. Burghard
1853 - 1915

Macon Weekly Telegraph
21 November 1915

JULIUS BURGHARD DIES
Stricken Last Night While Preparing to Retire
For Thirteen Years He Had Been With G. S. & F. Railway and Was Widely Known in Macon.

Julius E. Burghard, aged 58 years, died suddenly last night at 9 o'clock at his home on Lake avenue. Mr. Burghard had been in good health up until the time of his death, and was about to retire when death struck him. Medical aid was summoned, but he was dead when the physicians reached him.

The deceased is survived by his widow, two sons, Julius E., and Louis Burghard, three sisters, Misses Anna and Lillie Burghard, and Mrs. W. W. Jones; two brothers, L. H. Burghard of Macon, and H. P. Burghard of Birmingham, Ala., and by his mother, Mrs. L. P. Burghard of Macon.

Mr. Burghard was well known and well liked in Macon, where he has resided for a number of years. He was held in high esteem by his associates in the railroad business, he having been an employee of the Georgia Southern & Florida Railway company for the last thirteen years, gaining by his efficient service the good will and esteem of his employers.

27 October 2009

Fred T. Carson was a Well Known Machinist of the Central of Georgia Railroad Shops

Fred T. Carson
May 29, 1864
Dec 23, 1911
Joined Franklin Lodge No. 2 July 17, 1890

Eglantine Square

Macon Weekly Telegraph
24 December 1911

Deaths and Funerals
CARSON

Fred T. Carson, a well known machinist of the Central of Georgia Railroad shops, was found dead in his room on First street, near the city hall, yesterday morning about 10 o'clock. An inquest was held over the body at Hart's undertaking establishment yesterday afternoon, and the jury declared that he came to his death from a stroke of apoplexy.

Mr. Carson went to his room late Friday afternoon, and was not seen again until the nurse in the house found his body across the bed face downward. He was fully dressed and his hat was across his face. It is believed that he was stricken shortly after he entered his room Friday afternoon.

Mr. Carson had lived in Macon for a number of years and was born in Sweden. He had no living relatives except a wife, from whom he was divorced about ten years ago. He was known to be a steady and industrious worker and was a member of the Franklin Lodge of Odd Fellows, the Royal Arcanum, and the Machinists' Union.

The attack of apoplexy, which caused his death yesterday, was the second that he had had in the past six months.

The funeral will be held from Hart's mortuary chapel this afternoon at 3 o'clock.

The members of the fraternal orders to which he belonged will attend the funeral and the body will be laid to rest in Rose Hill cemetery.

The following will act as pallbearers: Ed Crissey, W. W. Elfe, C. S. Collins, J. W. Garrison, Carl Dohn and M. OHara.

30 September 2009

The American Bar: A Biographical Directory of Contemporary Lawyers, 1934 ed.

This book does not list every lawyer in a particular area. It is "...a directory of contemporary lawyers actively practicing their profession, who by reason of their high standing and repute at the bar are particularly worthy of mention."

There are four firms from Macon listed, and I can confirm two individuals listed are buried in Rose Hill:

Robert Lanier Anderson
December 20, 1871 ~ February 2, 1959
Central Avenue Division
Member of the firm of Ryals, Anderson, & Anderson - General civil practice in all courts. Specialize in Corporation, Banking, Real Estate, Probate, and Insurance law.
"R. L. ANDERSON was born in 1871. He was admitted to the bar in 1893. He graduated from Mercer University. City Court Solicitor, 1896-1899. County Administrator & Guardian, 1903-1933. Member Phi Delta Theta fraternity and the Macon Exchange Civic Club (former president). Member of the Macon, GA State, and American Bar Associations."

William Conrad Turpin, Jr.
Aug 24, 1891 ~ Sept 8, 1972
Central Avenue Division
Member of the firm of Turpin & Lane - General practice.
"William Conrad TURPIN, Jr. was born in Millwood, Virginia 24 August 1891. He was admitted to the GA bar 1914. Educated in publich schools and Gresham High School in Macon. Graduated from the University of GA in 1911. Received legal education from Mercer University. Member Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Member of the Macon (president) and GA State Bar Associations."

09 September 2009

Alexander McGregor Died 153 Years Ago Today

Alexr McGregor
Born in Anson County, North Carolina
Nov 7th, 1790
Died Sept 9th, 1856
Aged 65 y'rs & 10 months

I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness - Psalm XVII, 15 vr.

A tribute of greatful and
affectionate rememberance,
from his Wife and Children.

Online family group sheets suggest Alexander was the son of William and Nancy McGregor. He married Elizabeth Danielly 20 June 1820 in Baldwin County, Georgia, and they had two sons -- John Arthur and Richard. Elizabeth died in 1840 and was laid to rest in the Rose Hill Cemetery Central Avenue Division plot purchased by Alexander. Two years later he married Mary Augusta Heath on 23 February 1842 in Bibb County, Georgia. They had one son, Alexander S.

Alexander McGregor, a carpenter and a "most industrious mechanic," was one of the earliest settlers of Macon. He was very much involved in the building of the city. Alexander was one of the first city commissioners and was elected "pump connector," one responsible for keeping city water pumps repaired. He also built the first framed building west of the Ocmulgee River.

Alexander was a 2nd Sergeant in the "Macon Volunteers," an 1820's Georgia militia unit.

In November 1826, Alexander McGregor and Daniel Pratt completed building the first bridge across the Ocmulgee River. It was known as a superstructure, and the stone pillars remained many years after Alexander's death.

In the 1830's and 1840's, Alexander was elected Principal Marshal of the city. Early Macon newspapers detail some of his duties and arrests.

Alexander McGregor was also noted in an 1850 edition of the Macon Telegraph as a builder of the famed Lanier House, a hotel operated by Sterling Lanier.

The death of Alexander McGregor was reported in the 23 September 1856 Macon Weekly Telegraph:

"DIED
In this city, on the 9th inst., of Billious Cholic, Mr. Alexander McGregor, aged about 66 years. He was among the earliest settlers of this city, and erected the first framed building west of the Ocmulgee, and the first bridge over that river. Through life, was one of the best, and most industrious mechanics of the city."

I will not go into detail here, but suffice it to say Mr. McGregor's death was unpleasant. Bilious Colic is a dangerous disease filled with "atrocious" pain. I hope Alexander's suffering was short, and I hope he is resting in peace.

Also buried in the plot of Alexander McGregor was his sister-in-law, Caroline Danielly Wilson, the first to be interred in Rose Hill Cemetery. A great-granddaughter, Kathleen McGregor Dure (once wife of Leon S. Dure), was laid to rest there as well.
[Sources for this post include census records, tombstone transcriptions, notes from fellow researchers, marriage record databases, online family trees, newspaper articles, obituaries, books detailing the history of Macon, and online medical information.  Specifics available upon request.]

01 September 2009

First Interment in Rose Hill Cemetery (Tombstone Tuesday)

On a tip from Mr. John Davis, I've begun rooting around in the life of Mr. Alexander McGregor, buried in the Central Avenue Division of Rose Hill. While visiting his gravesite today, I discovered Mr. McGregor was buried on the same lot as Caroline Wilson, the first interment in Rose Hill. A little subsequent research suggests Mrs. Wilson was Alexander McGregor's sister. I think the more accurate relationship is sister-in-law, but I will have to keep researching to be sure.

Caroline Wilson
Born Baldwin County, GA
Died Bibb County, GA
Feb 28, 1840
Age 30 Years
Wife of Col. David F. Wilson
First Interment In Rose Hill Cemetery

The Middle Georgia Historical Society's Rose Hill Rambles state this above ground vault was rebuilt many years ago, using all original bricks.

I am working on a sketch of Mr. Alexander McGregor, and will post as soon as completed.

25 August 2009

Jacob Dinkler, Confectioner

Jacob Dinkler
Died Oct 5, 1897
In His 76th Year


Eglantine Square

Yesterday, I introduced you to Louis J. Dinkler, a baker turned hotel baron. Today, I would like you to meet his business teacher and father, Jacob Dinkler.

According to census records and his tombstone inscription, Jacob was born between 1821 and 1826 in Bavaria. He emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1855. He was married to Josephine, and they had two sons.

Jacob was a confectioner. Sometimes called a candymaker, a confectioner is a maker of confections (fancy, sweet foods). He was a craftsman who was determined "not to be surpassed."

Jacob had a bakery and "ice cream saloon" on Cherry Street in Macon. While I can still walk that same street today, I wish I could go back in time to visit the bakery of Mr. Dinkler and taste some of his sweet treats!

Here are a couple of 1860-1861 advertisements for Mr. Jacob Dinkler and his line of confections:

"A NEW BAKERY.
MR. JACOB DINKLER,

FOR the past six years engaged with Henry Horne, Esq., in the baking business, would respectfully inform the citizens of Macon, and surrounding country, that he has opened, on Cherry street, below the Georgia Telegraph Office, and next door to W. T. Nelson's, a Cake Bakery and Confectionary.

Persons may rely on finding a good assortment of Cakes, gotten up in the best style of the culinary art, and of the best material. He is determined not to be surpassed.

Parties furnished at short notice. A share of public patronage solicited...J. DINKLER
Macon, Sept 5, 1860"

"TO THE
LADIES OF MACON!
As good as the BEST will always be found at the
Ice Cream Saloon of Jacob Dinkler,
ON CHERRY STREET.

EXCELLENT ICE CREAM furnished at all hours of the day and evening. Also Cakes, confectionaries and everything in my line will be furnished at moderate prices to Ladies, Excursion parties, Pic Nics, Weddings, &c., &c.

Give me a trial if you wish to be satisfied...JACOB DINKLER"

24 August 2009

Louis J. Dinkler: From Baker to Hotel Baron

Louis Jacob Dinkler, pictured here with his wife Rose, was born 21 March 1864 in Nashville, Tennessee to Jacob Dinkler of Bavaria and wife Josephine. Louis' father immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1855.

Jacob Dinkler was a confectioner and presumably taught his son Louis the trade. Louis and his family were residing on Mulberry Street in Macon in the year 1900. Louis' occupation was listed as baker. By 1910, Louis was a proprietor in the hotel business.

An article in the 9 July 1911 Macon Weekly Telegraph tells of the opening of Louis' first Hotel Dinkler:

"LOUIS DINKLER INVITES PUBLIC TO SEE HOTEL
Reception to Be Held Monday Evening From 7 to 10 O'Clock -- Open to Receive Guests Tuesday

The new Hotel Dinkler, at Fourth and Mulberry streets, will be thrown open for the inspection of the public Monday night from 7 to 10 o'clock, and Louis Dinkler, the manager and proprietor, has extended an invitation to all of his friends to call during those hours and go through the building.

...It contains eighty rooms, forty of which are equipped with baths. Mr. and Mrs. Dinkler will reside in the hotel."

Three years later, with the hotel a success, Louis sold the property. He then retired to New York to rest. After some time passed, Louis Dinkler became head of the Atlanta based Dinkler Hotels. By 1921, Louis Dinkler was operating the "best known hotel in the South," Atlanta's Kimball House. Carling Dinkler, the son of Louis and Rose, joined the business after graduating from college. Father and son soon after became owners of the Ansley Hotel of Atlanta and the Phoenix of Waycross, GA. The following is a 1921 advertisement:


Sadly, Louis Jacob Dinkler committed suicide in the basement of his leased Piedmont Hotel in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia 30 November 1928. Louis was laid to rest in the family burial plot in the Eglantine Square section of Rose Hill Cemetery. Here is a 2 December 1928 obituary and funeral notice from the Atlanta Constitution:

"FINAL RITES TODAY FOR LOUIS DINKLER
Last Service Will Be Conducted at St. Joseph's Church in Macon.

Funeral services for Louis J. Dinkler, 67-year-old hotel magnate and beloved head of the Dinkler Hotels system who died by his own hand late Friday night, will be conducted at 3:30 o'clock this afternoon at St. Joseph's church in Macon.

Mr. Dinkler had been in ill health for a number of months and in a sudden fit of despondency over his condition shot and killed himself in the basement of the Piedmont hotel shortly after 10 o'clock Friday night.

Mr. Dinkler was one of the best known as well as one of the most successful hotel operators of the south. He was chairman of the board of directors of the system which operates ten hostelries in eight southern and middle-western cities. His son Carling Dinkler is president and general manager of the chain. He was known to hundreds of travelers from all sections of the country.

In addition to his widow and his son, Mr. Dinkler is survived by a brother, O. J. Dinkler, who is also a hotel man. Carling Dinkler was in Nashville at the time of his father's death and did not arrive in Atlanta until Saturday morning."

(L. J. Dinkler's signature on 1923 U.S. passport application.)

An interesting note: Leon Sebring Dure, who is also buried in Rose Hill Cemetery and has been written about on this blog previously, was a pallbearer at Mr. Dinkler's funeral.

For images of Dinkler hotels and information about later generations of the family, as well as their continued success in the hotel business, you might wish to visit Dinkler Hotels at SouthernEdition.com.


Sources for this post include tombstone inscriptions, newspaper articles, census records, death record, and passport application. Specifics available upon request.

23 August 2009

In Memoriam: Mary Waggenstein Resigned Her Pure Soul to God

Mary Waggenstein
May 16, 1833
Dec 29, 1884

Eglantine Square

11 January 1885
Macon Weekly Telegraph
"In Memoriam
Died, in Macon, Ga, Monday, December 29, 1884, Mrs. Mary Waggenstein, a native of Hesse Darmstadt, in the fifty second year of her age.

After a life of love filled with kindness and charity to all, our noble hearted friend resigned her pure soul to God. She was not sick long, for our Heavenly Father knew she was always ready to go.

Our hearts are bowed in sorrow at our loss, and it will be hard, very hard, for us never again to see her noble face on earth.

The great comfort and consolation of her grief stricken husband, children, sister and friends is that she has exchanged her cross for a crown.

When on earth she loved us so dearly and spent all of her life in ministering to our wants and cheering us in our sorrows, then how much more will she not think of us when enjoying eternal bliss.

Our loss is her great gain, and we will not be so selfish as to wish her back to the work and cares of this world. We must be resigned to the holy will of God. He knows what is best for us and we must pray to meet her in our heavenly home, where the sorrow of parting is not known, and pray that at the close of out life, our hands and hearts may be filled with good works and deeds, like hers. Farewell kind friend, we had to part on earth, we will meet in heaven... A FRIEND"

18 August 2009

William Bonnell Once Occupied Chair of Natural Science at Shanghai, China

William B. Bonnell
Oct 31, 1847
Mar 30, 1912
I am the resurrection and the life.


Eglantine Square Block 1, Lot 32

31 March 1912
Macon Weekly Telegraph
Viewed online at GenealogyBank.

"PROF. BONNELL EXPIRES AFTER MONTH'S ILLNESS
Head of Department of Science at Wesleyan,
WAS NOTED EDUCATOR
Son of Late John M. Bonnell, Former President of Wesleyan -- Once Occupied Chair of National Science at Shanghai, China

Professor William B. Bonnell, the well known educator and scientist, died Saturday afternoon at 2:35 o'clock at his home in Vineville after an illness of four weeks. On March 1 he was stricken with paralysis of the left side later resulting in complications causing his death.

Prof. Bonnell was born October 31, 1847, at Athens, Ga, being the eldest son of John M. Bonnell and Mary A. Bonnell, the former at one time president of Wesleyan Female College and a well remembered and conspicuous figure in the earlier history of Macon. It was at this time that Prof. Bonnell was engaged in the Atlanta campaign of the civil war, and some time later he entered the University of Georgia where he graduated with the B. S. degree. After leaving college Mr. Bonnell engaged in civil engineering and did his part toward the building of some of the earlier railroads throughout Georgia. His national aptitude for teaching, however, soon manifested itself so strongly that he gave up engineering and followed in his father's steps. His phenomenal powers in this direction soon won for him an exalted position as an educator throughout the south. In 1884 he volunteered for missionary service in the foreign field and accepted the chair of natural sciences in the Anglo-Chinese college of Shanghai, China. Here his personality and undying zeal continued to win him many true friends, not a few among whom were the Chinese, with whom he became closely affiliated. He has many personal friends among the highly educated and cultured people of that race now. Returning to America in 1895 he was elected to the position of head of the department of natural science at Wesleyan College, to which work he diligently attended up until the last few days of his life.

Prof. Bonnell is survived by his wife, Mrs. Alice Wright Bonnell; seven children, Miss Lillian Bonnell, John Wright Bonnell, Mrs. W. L. Clifton, all of New York City; Geo. H. Bonnell, of Atlanta; H. W. Bonnell, Miss Alice Wright Bonnell, Miss Gladys Bonnell; his brother, John F. Bonnell, of Emory College, Oxford, Ga, and his sister Mrs. H. H. Stone, of Oxford, Ga.

The ceremony will be conducted in Wesleyan college chapel by the Rev. J. T. Ryder, assisted by the Rev. W. N. Ainsworth, Sunday afternoon at 4 o'clock. Interment will be made at Rose Hill cemetery. The body will be in state from 12:30 p.m. until the hour of the funeral."


William was also part of the University of Georgia Centennial Alumni Catalog of 1901. If he indeed filled out the questionnaire, the above is his name written by his hand.

17 August 2009

Mrs. Bonnell Dead

Mary Ann Eliza
Daughter of W. J. & C. M. Morton
Wife of John M. Bonnell
1827 - 1904
"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord."


Eglantine Square Block 1, Lot 32

1 May 1904
Macon Weekly Telegraph
"MRS. BONNELL DEAD.
Passed Away at Oxford, Ga. -- Remains Arrive Here Today.

Mrs. Mary Ann Bonnell, aged 77 years, widow of Dr. John M. Bonnell, who for many years was the president of Wesleyan Female college, passed away yesterday morning at about 6 o'clock at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Stone, in Oxford, Ga. She had been in declining health for the past several years and her death was not entirely unexpected.

Mrs. Bonnell was a former resident of Macon, but moved to Oxford when her husband, who was then president of Wesleyan, died, and has since lived there with her daughter.

The deceased is survived by two sons and one daughter -- Professor W. B. Bonnell of Wesleyan, Dr. John F. Bonnell of Emory college and Mrs. Harry M. Stone of Oxford.

The remains will arrive here today at 1:10 p.m. and the funeral services will be held at Rose Hill cemetery by Rev. J. S. Scruggs of the Vineville Methodist church.

The pall-bearers will be Messrs. DuPont Guerry, R. F. Burden, C. T. King, W. G. Solomon, J. J. Cobb and Isaac Hardeman."

06 August 2009

Geraldine Hoge Laid to Rest 87 Years Ago Today

Geraldine Ware
Wife of Joseph Wells Hoge
Dec 15, 1891
Aug 4, 1922


Gerald Ware Lot
Eglantine Square

6 August 1922
Macon Weekly Telegraph
"DEATHS AND FUNERALS
MRS. GERALDINE HOGE
Funeral services for Mrs. Geraldine Hoge, wife of J. Wells Hoge, of Atlanta, and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Ware, of Macon, will be held from Burghard's Chapel, 718 Cherry street, this (Sunday) afternoon at 5 o'clock, Rev. Osgood Cook, pastor of the Vineville Methodist Church, officiating. Interment will be in Rose Hill Cemetery."

Note: An additional funeral notice in the same edition states Geraldine died in Atlanta.

04 August 2009

One of the Few Remaining Southern Dames of the Old Regime was Virginia Cope

Virginia Sullivan
Wife of John L. Cope
May 17, 1826
Mar 30, 1910
Blessed Are The Dead That Die In The Lord


Ainsley H. Wyche Lot
Eglantine Square

Virginia Cope sounds like somebody I would like to have known. She spent the bulk of her life as a single woman; she was a widow for about fifty of her eighty-three years. Blurbs in the local paper state she was a business woman, and she owned a shop on Third Street in Macon. I found one mention of a "fruit store," but have yet to ascertain what exactly she sold. "Domestic novelties" seems to be the proper phrase. A Macon Weekly Telegraph article about a fair in December 1860 states, "Mrs. Virginia Cope,...shows neat specimens of baby caps, toilet slippers..." An article entitled "Personal Points" in September 1883 states, "Mrs. Virginia Cope leaves this morning for New York, where she will secure her patterns and purchase her full [fall?] stock of novelties."

It is clear she was a kind and charitable woman, as well. A blurb in the 31 December 1881 Macon Weekly Telegraph states, "Mrs. Virginia Cope arranged a Christmas tree yesterday evening in the room back of her fruit store for the benefit of some of the little ones whom Santa Claus had neglected in his round. About thirty little ones were made happy by presents of dolls, confectionary and trinkets, and thirty little hearts were touched, softened and gladdened by the soft hand of Charity."

Her death and funeral notice:

31 March 1910
Macon Weekly Telegraph
"Deaths and Funerals
COPE

Mrs. Virginia Sullivan Cope died at the residence of her sister, Mrs. Harriet Wyche, 418 Walnut street, yesterday morning at 3 o'clock, after an illness of several weeks.

Mrs. Cope was the daughter of Capt. Daniel Zillette Sullivan, of Virginia, who was one of President Andrew Jackson's closest friends and advisers. She was born in Columbia 83 years ago, coming to Macon after the death of her husband, John L. Cope, of Savannah, in which city she lived her married life.

For fifty years she was a resident of Macon, endeared to all who knew her. Her life was one of sweetness and gentleness, and in the later years she was looked upon as one of the few remaining southern dames of the old regime. Although she would have reached her eighty-fourth year next month, she went about unattended, and hers was a familiar figure in her comings and goings to the First Presbyterian church, of which she was a devout member.

She leaves a sister, Mrs. Harriet Wyche, her niece, Mrs. Gertrude Freeman, and other relatives.

The funeral will be held at the residence on Walnut street this afternoon at 3:30 o'clock, and the services will be conducted by Rev. R. E. Douglas, of the First Presbyterian church; and Rev. Jno. S. Bunting, of Christ church, Episcopal. Interment in Rose Hill."

Harriet Wyche (May 22, 1823 - Feb 27, 1911), Gertrude J. Freeman (April 1, 1849 - Feb 28, 1934) and Virginia Cope are all buried in the same lot.

"And I heard a voice from heaven
saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the
dead which die in the Lord
from henceforth:
Yea, saith the Spirit, that they
may rest from their labours; and their
works do follow them." - Revelation 14:13

21 July 2009

Tombstone Tuesday: Little Juanita Lee


22 May 1920
Macon Weekly Telegraph (Georgia)
(Viewed online at GenealogyBank.)
DEATHS AND FUNERALS
MARCIA JUANITA LEE

Funeral services for little Marcia Juanita Lee will be held from the residence, 1153 Ash street, this (Saturday) morning at 10 o'clock, Rev. J. C. Mays officiating, and interment will be in the family lot at Rose Hill Cemetery.

The child was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Lee. She was twenty months old. She fell in a bath tub Thursday evening about 6 o'clock and died a short while afterwards.
[*Photo by James Allen.]

14 July 2009

Frank A. Coburn Died at Midnight

Frank Augustus Coburn (Sept 2, 1861 - Aug 7, 1908) was laid to rest in the Geo. A. Dure Family plot in the Cabiness Ridge section of Rose Hill Cemetery. Mr. Coburn's gravestone contains quite a bit of symbolism; read about it here. An obituary for Mr. Coburn can be found in the 8 August 1908 edition of the Macon Weekly Telegraph:

Deaths & Funerals
COBURN

Died at midnight at his residence, No. 19 Navaro Flats, Frank A. Coburn, in his 46th year.

The many friends and acquaintances in the city and throughout the State, of Mr. Frank A. Coburn will learn the news of his death with genuine sorrow, for he was widely known and greatly loved.

Mr. Coburn's death, while a distinct sorrow, was not unexpected. He had traveled much in the west for the last two years in search of health, but only recently his decline had been very rapid and most of his relatives were at his bedside when the end came.

Mr. Coburn was a Floridian by birth, but had lived in Savannah for several years before coming to Macon. After making Savannah his home for some time, he cam to Macon, but then went to Valdosta where he and his family lived up to about two years ago.

He was married to Mr. Leon Dure's sister, the union resulting in two children who survive him, Frank B. and Estelle Coburn. He also leaves four sisters and two brothers: Miss Emma Coburn of Savannah, Mrs. S. M. Harris, of Savannha; Mrs. H. Willis McFadden, of New York City; Mr. Cas. D. Coburn, of New York City; Mrs. Helen C. Drummond, of Atlanta, and Mr. W. S. Coburn, of Atlanta.

The deceased was for several years secretary of Mabel Lodge of Macon, and was a member of the Elks.

09 July 2009

Frances Adelia Wicks' Obituary on Southern Graves

I uploaded a few photos and a video along with the obituary for Mrs. Frances Adelia Wicks, buried in the St. Joseph's Catholic Church section of Rose Hill. Check it out on the Southern Graves blog.

08 July 2009

Frank Coburn Expires After Long Illness

Frank Dure Coburn
Son of
Frank Augustus & Anna Dure Coburn
Nov 4, 1889
Aug 11, 1916

Geo. A. Dure Plot
Cabiness Ridge
Rose Hill Cemetery

12 August 1916
Macon Weekly Telegraph
FRANK COBURN EXPIRES AFTER LONG ILLNESS
Former Macon Business Man Passes at Highland, N.C.

Frank Coburn, aged 25, formerly one of the best known young business men in Macon, died yesterday morning at Highland, N.C., after having been in feeble health for some months. Everything possible was done to try to save his life, but all in vain. His mother was at the bedside at the time of his death.

The body arrived in Macon at 12:35 o'clock last night, and notice of the funeral arrangements will be found in another column.

Mr. Coburn was a native of Macon and had many friends here. He first started in business as receiving teller at the Fourth National Bank, but the confinement did not agree with him so he entered the insurance business with his uncle, Leon S. Dure, forming the partnership of Dure & Coburn. About five years ago Mr. Coburn left Macon on account of ill health and his death was not a surprise to his relatives and friends.

Mr. Coburn is survived by his mother, Mrs. F. A. Coburn; one sister, Miss Estelle Coburn, and his uncle, Leon S. Dure.

The funeral services will be held this afternoon at 5 o'clock from the residence of his mother, Mrs. F. A. Coburn, 251 Bond street, Rev. Dr. Wells officiating. Interment will be made in Rose Hill Cemetery.

07 July 2009

DURE Cenotaph, Technically Not a Tombstone Tuesday

There's a cenotaph (a monument erected in honor of a person or people whose remains are elsewhere) in the Geo. A. Dure Family Plot. Though not buried in Rose Hill, these individuals are memorialized there with the following granite marker:

Leon Sebring Dure, Jr. (1907-1993)
Katherine Macken Dure (1908-1987)
Kendrick Dure (1937-1985)

Leon Sebring Dure, Jr. was the son of Leon Dure and Kathleen McGregor. Katherine Macken was the wife of Leon Dure Jr., and it's possible Kendrick Dure was a child of theirs.

Leon Dure, Jr. seemed to be a very driven man, like his father. Here are two articles about him. The first is about his baptism in Macon, Georgia, and the second is about his death in Fort Myers, Florida.

24 September 1907
Macon Weekly Telegraph
SHORT STORIES
LEON S. DURE, JR. WAS BAPTISED LAST SUNDAY

Sunday afternoon at 5 o'clock the little son of Mr. and Mrs. Leon S. Dure was baptised at St. Paul's Church, the Rev. J. M. Northrup officiating at the pretty and impressive service of the Episcopal Church. The son and heir of the well-known Councilman was baptised Leon S. Dure, Jr. Messrs. Ed. Hallum and Howard Smith are the godfathers and Mrs. C. H. Humphries the godmother.
Note: St. Paul's Church has a website.

10 November 1993
Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia)
LEON DURE JR., NEWSMAN, DIES
Leon S. Dure Jr., managing editor of The Times-Dispatch from 1935 to 1945, died Oct. 26 in Fort Myers, Fla., from injuries sustained in a fall. He was 86 and lived in Fort Myers.

Mr. Dure was born in Macon, Ga., and was White House Correspondent for The Washington Post in the early years of the Roosevelt administration. He was secretary and treasurer of the White House Correspondents' Association.

Mr. Dure was an intelligence officer in the U. S. Army Air Corps in the Chine-Burma-India Theater during World War II.

After the war, he worked briefly at The Times-Dispatch before he was named executive news editor of the Winston-Salem Journal.

In 1947, he moved to Albemarle County, where he was a farmer. He retired to Florida in 1980.

He was the widower of Katherine Macken Dure, who died in 1987...

06 July 2009

Leon S. Dure, Banking and Investments

Leon Sebring Dure was born 8 October 1874 in Brunswick, Glynn County, Georgia to George Augustus Dure and Julia Kendrick. On 26 July 1906, Leon married Miss Kathleen McGregor in Christ Episcopal Church in Macon, Bibb County, Georgia. Leon and Kathleen had at least two children, Leon Sebring, Jr. and Mary, before divorcing about 1916. Leon, Sr. died 10 January 1948. He was laid to rest in the Geo. A. Dure family plot in the Cabiness Ridge section of Rose Hill Cemetery.


Mr. Dure was a serious businessman in the early 1900's in Macon. He was a banker, investor, and real estate developer. He owned rental homes, hotels, storefronts, and apartments. He dealt with stocks, bonds, and mortgages. He also bought and sold companies in financial distress. At one point, he was even in partnership with his nephew in an insurance company -- Dure & Coburn. Leon was also on many local boards and committees. He even held small political offices. As written about in a previous post, Leon owned a farm simply because he wanted to. A newsman described it as his "toy" farm. I wonder if he could be considered the Donald Trump of early 1900's Macon? I did not come across any mention in the local newspaper as to how much he was "worth," but his home was described at large and elegant, and his wife and children vacationed in Paris.

However, Mr. Dure does not rest under a large, elaborate, or decorative tombstone. He has a simple granite ledger marker with an inscription that includes his name, birth date, and death date.

30 June 2009

Tombstone Tuesday: Jonnie & His Infant Sister

Jonnie & His Infant Sister,
Children of W. S. & M. A. Lightfoot.
He Died Aug 28, 1854,
AE 21 Mo's 1 Day,
She Sep 2, 1854,
AE A Few Hours

29 June 2009

Military Monday: 2nd Lt Richard W. Johnson

Richard Wooten Johnson
Aug 30, 1917
Aug 13, 1943
2nd Lieutenant U.S. Army Air Force
481st Bombardment Sqdn.

23 June 2009

Leon S. Dure Tries His Hand at Farming

Leon S. Dure (1874-1948), son of George A. Dure, is buried in his father's family plot in the Cabiness Ridge section of Rose Hill Cemetery. The following article tells how Leon, a banker, decides to give farming a try.

7 June 1910
Macon Weekly Telegraph
"VETERAN AND TYRO MEET TO COMPARE
Leon S. Dure Has a Fine Little Farm and Shows it to the Mayor.
HIS HONOR MAINTAINS A DISCREET SILENCE
Then Takes Him Over to Have a Look at a Real Sure Enough Farm.


The veteran and the tyro met yesterday. The experienced farmer was invited by the amateur to view a farm that the latter was cultivating, and which promised extraordinary return.

About six miles from Macon, out on the Zebulon road, Leon S. Dure, the banker, bon vivant, and enterprising city man, has a farm of some one hundred acres. He bought it because his tastes sometimes ran to the bucolic, to the golden fields of grain and whitened patches of cotton, to say nothing of the pastoral delights of the farmer. And then he had an eye to the future.

Time was coming, he thought, when the price of living in the city would soar with aeroplanes and monoplanes, and when commercial [c]apacity would choke the growth of grass in the city, and by having a farm he could hie thither, and there in the cool shade of his spacious veranda he could drink spring water from a gourd and cool his perspiring brow with a collard leaf. Thus he could look back to the hard lines of the city, and snap his fingers if the stocks fell several points.

As he swept his eye over his growing crops and watched the chickens scratch for fishbait, and the pigs amble about the lawn, he felt satisfied that his farm was progressing as finely as any well-fed farmer could desire, so far as he could see, but he wanted some regular farmer to pass judgement on it. He invited Mayor Moore, whom he knew to be an experienced farmer, to go out with him, and hence the meeting of the veteran and the tyro.

They entered the farm by way of the cotton patch. The cotton had grown up since the last visit of Mr. Dure, and he pointed it out to Mr. Moore as his potatoes, remarking that he thought it was a remarkably good stand for sweet potatoes that had been planted on the full of the moon.

After the point had been settled that Mr. Dure was not converting the ground into a park, and was really conducting a farm, the party passed on to the oat patch, and here arose a question in Mr. Dure's mind whether it was oats or wheat. The old negro in charge of the farm was called on by Mr. Dure, and through him it was learned that the patch was one of oats.

City Duties Arduous.

Mr. Dure apologized for his seeming lack of knowledge of grain, by saying that his city duties at present were so arduous that he was not paying the attention to the farm now as he would in the future. But there were many things that came up to puzzle him, just when he had company. For instance, it developed that he could never gather but one squab from the pigeon ranch at a time. He had given a great deal of study to the cultivation of pigeons, but this was one of the things he had not learned. The only way he could account for the single squab was that the hen pigeons invariably laid one large egg and one small egg. The large egg hatched, the smaller egg did nothing. Why this was thus, he could not say, and it was the first time that he appealed to Mayor Moore for light.

The mayor felt a delicacy in volunteering any advice, but when the hogs were called up, and the heads of the flock waddled up looking pale and emaciated, the mayor asked if he ever provided them with water. There was no water visible. Thereupon the man about the farm was asked about the watering of the hogs, and he pointed to the creek. He seemed to think that if the hogs were not amphibious they could go without water.

Mr. Dure was asked what he had gathered from the farm so far. It was some time before he could think of what had been produced, but he finally remembered that one goose and some onions had been laid on his town table, and he had hopes of gathering some Irish potatoes before the summer is gone.

Leaving the cotton and grain, the pair rambled through the cultivated huckleberry patch, the strawberry beds and the pennyroyal layouts, fed English walnuts to the pigs, patted the fatted calf on the head, and fished a squab of so from the pigeon roost, and then drove over to Mayor Moore's farm on the Houston road. There Mr. Dure was given some information about the transplanting of four-leaf clover and spinach. As he looked upon the waving fields of the ripened wheat, the giant cornstalks in their garniture of rich dark green, the cotton way up and drinking the sun's rays, the ambling pigs disporting themselves about the place, the chickens lustily crowing, and everything about a first-class farm looking in fine fettle, Mr. Dure heaved a sigh and said: "Never mind; you wait a year or so, and I'll show you a farm that will make this look like a pewter dollar."

All of which remains to be seen."

08 June 2009

Another DURE Family Plot, but This Time with No Tombstone in Sight

When doing some research for George A. Dure, I visited the official Rose Hill Cemetery website to conduct a search. I plugged in the DURE surname and found something I did not expect. Adrienne Dure, George's mother, is also buried in Rose Hill. I guess I assumed she would've been in the Geo. A. Dure family plot I had already transcribed. Since she was not, I didn't think she was in Rose Hill at all. That, my friends, is what I get for assuming.

According to the Rose Hill site, Adrienne was buried in the Central Avenue district, Block 1, Lot 121. Using the map posted on the site, as well as my personally copied map, and the map posted at the cemetery entrance, I had a pretty good idea where this family plot was. I just found it odd that I did not recall seeing the DURE or MAUSSENET name in the area before. (Maussenet is the other name prominent in this plot.) Not that I know where every name can be found in Rose Hill, mind you, I just know I have walked that particular area many times before.

Armed with my new knowledge, I set out the other day to find the Dure-Maussenet family plot. It took me a little longer than expected, but I found it! It's a good thing that burial site was marked, or I would've never been sure of whether I had really found it or not. Why do I say this? Because there was not one tombstone in sight on that lot! The only marking was a stone with 'DURE' engraved in it.




If you look closely, you will see many brick-covered grave sites.


Not one tombstone seems quite strange. I know that Adrienne Dure was a property owner and, in 1860, she had a personal estate of $6,000. I know that her son-in-law, Edward Maussenet, was a jeweler and watch maker and seemed prominent in the community. Why no tombstones? Also buried in the plot are a couple of children of George and Julia Kendrick Dure.

I was reminded of a very important lesson when looking for the grave site of Adrienne Dure: just because you don't find a tombstone in a particular cemetery does not mean an individual was not buried there. And! Just because you transcribe all the stones in a cemetery doesn't mean you have recorded all of the burials. Of course, this is something I already knew, but it is always good to be reminded. Tombstones sometimes carry more information about a person, and they sometimes can even give you a "feel" for a person. However, burial records for a cemetery are just as important to the researcher who cannot locate a stone.

The transcriptions of the burial records for this lot are a little difficult to decipher, but here is what I can figure out. According to the Rose Hill Cemetery site, the following individuals were laid to rest in Block 1, Lot 121 of the Central Avenue District:

- Mary Daly
- Adrienne Baulard Dure - b. 5 Dec 1788, d. 31 Dec 1871, bur. 5 Jan 1872
- Jasper Dietz Dure [s/o Geo. & Julia K. Dure] - b. 29 Dec 1868, d. 3 May 1870, bur. 8 May 1870
- Julia I. Dure [d/o Geo. & Julia K. Dure] - b. 14 Aug 1866, d. 29 Oct 1868, bur. 3 Nov 1868
- Miss Hilda W. Humphries - bur. 23 Sep 1979
- Adrienne Maussenet - d. 2 Mar 1863, bur. 7 Mar 1863
- Edward Maussenet [son-in-law of Adrienne Dure] - d. 10 Jul 1866, bur. 15 Jul 1866
- George Maussenet
- Maria There[x?]se Delia Dure Maussenet [d/o Adrienne Dure, w/o Edward Maussenet] - b. 7 Dec 1823, d. 14 Apr 1863, bur. 19 Apr 1863 [I wonder if she died from complications from the birth of Adrienne Maussenet?]

I'm not sure of the plot owner, but I would imagine that either a child of Edward & Maria Maussenet or George & Julia Dure was the first burial.

27 May 2009

Capt. Dure, an Honorable & Hospitable Southern Gentleman

George A. Dure
Aug 6, 1832
Mar 18, 1908
Cabiness Ridge, Rose Hill Cemetery
Macon, Georgia

George Augustus Dure was born in Savannah, Georgia to French parents. His mother, Mrs. Adrienne Baulard Dure (who at one time owned lot no. 6 in square 37 on Cherry St.) is also buried in Rose Hill Cemetery.

George married Julia Kendrick 22 December 1857 in Hancock County, Georgia. Julia was a sister of George's first wife, Cornelia Kendrick, whom he married in 1852 in Bibb County. George and Julia had nine children, all of which are profiled in the post, Julia Kendrick Dure Part of a Historical Southern Family.

During the Civil War, George was made a captain of the Jackson Artillery Regiment, Georgia Volunteers. A news article written about the Jackson Artillery was a post on the Southern Graves blog.

George's occupation is somewhat of a mystery. He seems to have been financially secure, and is often stated in the newspapers as being a businessman. In the 1860 US Federal census for Macon, Bibb County, Georgia, his occupation was listed as Railroad Treasurer. In the 1870 US Federal census for Brunswick, Glynn County, GA, his occupation was listed as News Dealer. And in 1900, again in Macon, GA, his occupation was furniture house bookkeeper.

An article in the Macon Weekly Telegraph, 1 December 1912 edition, entitled "Macon in 1869," states:
The only wood dealer mentioned is Capt. George A. Dure, father of Leon S. Dure, who had an extensive wood-yard and lumber plant opposite the old Macon & Brunswick depot, near where the Acme brewery is now.
In fact, George Dure was very active in his community. A search of the Georgia Historical Newspapers Database at GenealogyBank reveals over 100 entries for Mr. George Dure. Mr. Dure, just to mention a few items,
- was elected recording secretary of the St. Omer Commandery of Knights of Templar;
- was named registrar for at least one municipal election;
- ran for City Marshall;
- was appointed jury commissioner;
- was elected city assessor;
- was elected secretary of the Royal Arch Masons;
- was appointed temporary chairman of the Board of Health;
- lost his home to a fire;
- was elected to the board of directors for a public library; and
- was a member of a board of trade committee.

A couple of obituaries for Captain George Augustus Dure probably portray him best:

Atlanta Constitution, 19 March 1908
from Historical Newspapers, Birth, Marriage, & Death Announcements, 1851-2003
GEORGE A. DURE DIES AT MACON
Was One of Macon's Oldest & Most Highly Respected Citizens

Brown House, Macon, Ga., March 18 - (Special.) - George A. Dure, one of the oldest and most highly respected citizens of the community, answered death's summons shortly after 4 o'clock this morning. He had been in declining health for several months and recently suffered a severe setback on account of grip. Members of his family were at his bedside when death came. Many citizens who have long known him were saddened at the announcement of his death.

He was 75 years of age, a Confederate veteran and a Mason, having served Macon lodge No. 5 for many years as secretary and treasurer. He was identified with many business enterprises in the community and spent the greater portion of his active life here. He is survived by a wife and one son, Leon S. Dure, and 4 daughters, Miss Nela, Mrs. Frank A. Coburn, Mrs. Emma Cherry, Mrs. Harry Ferell, of Memphis. The funeral will be conducted at the family home on Orange street tomorrow afternoon by Rev. Mr. Frasier, of Christ Church. The remains will be laid to rest in Rose Hill Cemetery.
Macon Weekly Telegraph, 19 March 1908
Deaths & Funerals
DURE

Death claimed another of the old guards yesterday morning at 4 o'clock...

Capt. Dure has been a familiar figure in Macon for many years. He belonged to the old school of Southern gentlemen with who honor and hospitality when hand in hand, whose laws were always and under all circumstances strictly obeyed - Loved, honored, and respected they were, they were the types of Southern citizens now fast passing away.

Capt. Dure was born in Savannah on August 6th, 1832, and came to Macon in 1846. His first work in Macon was in the old Journal & Messenger office then owned by the late Simri Rose... He then became connected with the Central Railroad in a clerical way and was promoted rapidly, finally reaching the treasurership...

When war was declared Capt. Dure organized the Jackson Artillery and was made captain. The company was hurried to St. Simon's Island as a part of the coast defense, but the danger shifted to the mountains, the company was sent to Tennessee.

In the meantime the State had possession of the Old Macon & Brunswick Railroad and Gov. Brown made requisition for Capt. Dure and he was placed in charge of that road, holding the position of superintendent from 1862 to 1868.

...He was prominent in Masonry and other secret orders.
Click Here for a Video of the Geo. A. Dure Family Plot.

21 May 2009

No Man Valued Friendship More Than Capt. Billy Davis

William A. Davis (4 April 1847 - 19 January 1907) was buried in the Hawthorne Ridge section of Rose Hill Cemetery. Here is an obituary and a sketch of his life:

Macon Weekly Telegraph
20 January 1907
DEATH CAPT. W. A. DAVIS AFTER LONG ILLNESS
Prominent as Mason, Citizen and Business Man for Many Years
Funeral Services to Be Held Monday
Capt. W. A. Davis died early yesterday morning at his residence on Orange street.


This brief announcement tells of the death of one of the best beloved and foremost men of Macon. Known to everybody, a familiar figure on the street, always courteous, always with a cheery word, as readily approached by the humblest as by the richest, and a friend to all, there was a pathos in the voice that passed the word from one to another yesterday that Captain Billy Davis was dead.

It was known that he had been sick for ten days or more because one so familiar and well known would be missed, but the inquiries after his health elicited no answers that conveyed any intimation that his sickness was of a serious nature. Thus the news yesterday came as a shock to the people, and to those who were close to him it brought a moisture to the eye.

It now develops that a cold contracted last summer laid the foundation for the illness that resulted fatally. The sickness following the cold left him weak, but in spite of this he plunged into his business with the same vim and determination he had always used. The strain was too great. The strength of the younger man had been diminished, and he succumbed.

It was not until after midnight did the family feel alarmed. It was then that the physician saw the end was near, and all that skill or tender nursing could do was of no avail.

Capt. Davis was a native of Bibb County. He was born on a farm eight miles from the city, near Strong creek, April 4, 1846, where his boyhood was spent. He attended school in Jeffersonville, but in 1863, at the age of sixteen years, he felt as if his services were needed by the Confederacy and at that early age he enlisted, becoming a member of Company B of the Second Georgia Cavalry. Later he was promoted to a sergeantcy and held that position until the surrender. His comrades in arms speak of him as being a model soldier.

Anxious for an education, he took up his studies at Allentown, in Twiggs County, under one of the old time educators, James E. Crossland. Later he returned to the farm to take charge of his father's affairs.

It was about this time that he first entered politics. Elected to represent Twiggs County in the General Assembly, he served with distinction on several important committees, and, as in after years, he was always looking after the interest of the public. To his efforts, perhaps more than to those of any other man, is due the location of the agricultural college at Dahlonega.

Later on, on becoming a citizen of Macon, Capt. Davis represented Bibb County in the Legislature. He was a member of the last House, and his work there was that of an able and fearless representative.

For six years he served as an Alderman for the city, four years of which he held the position of Mayor pro tem. While in Council he was alive to the city's progress and interests, and the records show that his services were valuable, and that by voice and deed he did his part in the upbuilding of the city of his adoption. For many years he was a road commissioner of the county.

It was in 1880 that he settled in Macon. Some few years later he engaged in the cotton business, first with M. C. Balkcom, and later in the firm known so long throughout this section as W. A. Davis & Co. In addition Mr. Davis had held many positions among the commercial institutions of the city.

The great pleasure of Capt. Davis was his fraternal connections. In Masonry he was a shining light. He had filled the chairs from worshipful master to grand master, and in the chapter, being a past priest of Constantine Chapter of Royal Arch Masons; past eminent commander of St. Omer Commandery, Knights Templar, and grand senior warden of the grand lodge.

He was also a member and past officer in the Odd Fellows, the Elks and the Eagles.

To him is due as much as to any other Mason, the location of the Masonic Home at Macon. To him is due in a large measure the establishment of the Georgia Industrial Home.

Of his fraternal affiliations, one of his friends says:
"No man valued friendship more than Capt. Davis. He loved the fraternal ties that bound men together in one great brotherhood, and if the obligations that men take in fraternal organizations would permit, it would be known to what extent that his voice has been heard time and time again in the earnest advocacy of brotherly love, peace among men and charity for all. In his daily life, even when absorbed by business cares and worries, no man in distress ever applied to him in vain, to my knowledge. Scarcely a day passed that he was not seeking to find employment or in some way relieving the distress of the unfortunate."

It was in 1868 that Capt. Davis married Miss Mary R. Summers. Of this union there were four children, Hattie, Edwin, Mabel and Gussie, the last named died several years ago.

The father of Capt. Davis was Elisha Davis, or sturdy stock, who had in his day served his people in the General Assembly. He died in 1866 on his farm near Macon, at the age of sixty-one.

The funeral services will be held at his late residence, 369 Orange street, Monday afternoon at 3 o'clock, conducted by Rev. T. W. Callaway, of the First Baptist Church.

The interment will take place in Rose Hill Cemetery. The following have been selected as pallbearers: Col. C. M. Wiley, R. H. Smith, C. E. Damour, Judge Robert Hodges, George A. Dure, W. H. Snowden, E. T. Holmes, R. J. Anderson.



About 12 years before his death, a biographical sketch of William's life to that point was published by the Southern Historical Association.

From Memoirs of Georgia, Volume II (1895).
Transcribed by S. Lincecum about 2006.
William A. Davis, one of the most prominent business men in Bibb county, was born on a farm eight miles east of Macon, Ga, April 4, 1847, living there until he was thirty years of age. He studied at Jeffersonville, Twiggs Co., Ga, in the years 1861-2-3. In 1863, though but sixteen years old, he entered the Confederate service, enlisting in Company B, Second Georgia battalion of cavalry, as a private, and later was made orderly sergeant, serving as such until the surrender. He fought in the battles of Chickamauga and Griswoldville, participated in many skirmishes, and left the service with an enviable record. After the cessation of hostilities he resumed his studies at the academy of Allentown, Twiggs Co., of which James E. Croslin, an educator of reputation, was principal, and then returned to his home in Bibb county, being called there by the death of his father. He managed the homestead from 1866 to 1877, during which period he was elected to represent Twiggs county on the general assembly, and during the session served with distinction on the committees on agriculture, public institutions and other matters before the legislature. A majority of his fellow-members not favoring the permanent institution of the college at Dahlonega, a bill to that end was defeated, but Mr. Davis secured a reconsideration and succeeded to having the bill passed, to which fact the agricultural college at that point now owes its existence, and for which service he received unstinted praise. Entering municipal as well as state politics Mr. Davis has been elected alderman from three different wards of the city of Macon -- serving six years in all in the city council -- and for four years of that time he acted as mayor pro tem. He has also been road commissioner from his district for several years. In 1880 he came to Macon and five years later, in company with M. C. Balcomb, engaged in the business of handling cotton, the style of the firm being Davis & Balcomb. The firm existed until 1890, when it was re-arranged under the title of W. A. Davis & Co., and now continues as such. For years Mr. Davis was a director of the Merchants' National bank of Macon, which went into voluntary liquidation in 1893. He is now vice-president and director of the Guarantee company of Macon, and has interests in various other business enterprises. He is a thirty-second degree Mason and a Mystic Shriner. He has held all the principal offices in the subordinate lodges, to-wit, past master of Macon lodge, No. 5, F. & A. M.; past high priest of Constantine chapter, Royal Arch Masons; past eminent commander of the St. Omar commandery, Knights Templars, and he is at this time grand senior warden of the grand lodge of the state. He is also a member of the I. O. O. F. and the Encampment, having held all the chairs and being at present district deputy grand master. He is past noble grand of the United Brother's lodge, I. O. O. F., and past chief patriarch of the Encampment. He is, as well, a Knight of Pythias. He affiliates with Baptist church, and, while living on his farm, was for many years a deacon of the local church. In 1868 Mr. Davis married Mary R., daughter of J. W. and Susan (Barlow) Summers; they have four children, Hattie B., Edwin, Mabel C. and Gussie M. Edwin is a graduate of Mercer university, Macon. Mr. Davis' father was Elisha Davis, a native of Burke county, Ga, who was several times elected to the general assembly. He was a jurist and served on the bench of the inferior court of Bibb county for many years. He died in 1866 at the age of sixty-one. Two of his sons, in addition to William A., served in the late war. John N. was in the Bibb county cavalry and with the western army almost all the time that army was in the field. Gilbert M. enlisted in Hampton's brigade as a private, saw service during the entire war period, and was mustered out when in command of his company. Elisha Davis' father was John Davis, a Virginian by birth and the son of John Davis, a Welshman, who emigrated from Wales to Virginia and was killed in the revolution at the battle of Brandywine. William A. Davis has won his way in life by force of individuality and honest determination to succeed, using his great natural abilities to the best advantage; and as a public-spirited citizen has won a host of friends in social, business and political circles.

Ancestry.com

20 May 2009

Relics of the Jackson Artillery on Southern Graves

I just transcribed and published on the Southern Graves blog an 1892 article from the Macon Weekly Telegraph - Relics of the Jackson Artillery. It is an article about a painting by a daughter of a Confederate soldier. Several individuals named in the article are buried in Rose Hill Cemetery.

14 May 2009

Julia Kendrick Dure Part of a Historical Southern Family

Julia Kendrick Dure (1836-1929) was laid to rest in the Cabiness Ridge section of Rose Hill Cemetery, next to her husband in the DURE Family Plot.

Julia, born 16 September 1836 in Wilkes County, Georgia, was the daughter of John Bull Kendrick and Sarah Ann Powell. On the 22nd of December 1857, Julia married George Augustus Dure in Hancock County, Georgia. Julia and George had nine children. Three of them died young, and Julia was at the bedside of George Powell Dure, her eldest son, when he passed away in 1902. Six years later, Julia buried her husband of fifty years.

Julia and George spent most of their lives together in Macon, Bibb County, Georgia. They did spend some time in Brunswick, Georgia, as they are found there in the 1870 US Federal census. Oftentimes, other family members would be listed with Julia and George in the census entries. This shows a close-knit family with an always welcoming parents' household.

Julia died in Macon, Bibb County, Georgia on the 5th of January 1929.

The Kendrick family is profiled in John Bennett Boddie's book,
Historical Southern Families, Volume I
(1957), on pages 136 and 137:

John Bull Kendrick, son of Jones and Susan (Bull) Kendrick, was b. 22 July 1812 in Wilkes County, GA, and d. after 1880, probably in Columbia County, GA, where he was living with his son Zachariah in that year. John Bull Kendrick married (1) 23 June 1831 in Wilkes County, GA Sarah Ann Powell (b. 4 July 1818, d. 24 November 1844 in Wilkes County), daughter of his stepmother, Nancy M. Kendrick, by her second husband, Nelson Powell. John B. Kendrick married (2) about 1848 his second cousin, Mrs. Sarah Maria (Harrison) Patton, daughter of William and Susan (Kendrick) Harrison and granddaughter of Benjamin Kendrick, his uncle. By her he had one son, William Harrison Kendrick, b. 1849, killed by lightning while on his wedding trip at age 22. After the second marriage John B. Kendrick married (3) Charlotte Wright of Union Springs, AL; (4) a lady in Mobile, AL, by whom he had one daughter who married Mr. Dandy; and (5) he married again in New Orleans. It has been reported the daughter born of the 4th marriage was named Lilias. The children of John B. Kendrick by his first wife Sarah Ann Powell, were:

I. Zachariah Kendrick, b. 1832, living in Columbia County, GA in census of 1880, with wife Amanda (b. 1838), and children: Ora (b. 1859), Cephas (b. 1862), Phoison (b. 1865), James (b. 1866), Georgia (b. 1871), and Allison (b. 1874).
II. Cornelia Kendrick, b. about 1833, married as his 1st wife Capt. George Augustus Dure, no issue.
III. Julia Kendrick, b. 1835-6, d. 1929 Macon, GA, married 22 December 1857 as his 2nd wife Capt. George Augustus Dure (b. 1832 Savannah, GA, d. 1908 Macon, GA); issue:
----1. Cornelia Dure
----2. Anna Dure m. Frank Coburn
----3. George Powell Dure
----4. Emma Dure
----5. Lily Dure
----6. Leon Sebring Dure, b. 8 October 1874 in Brunswick, GA, d. 10 January 1948 Macon, GA, m. 26 Jul 1906 Kathleen McGregor (b. 6 Jun 1886), and had 2 children:
---------(1) Leon Sebring Dure, Jr., Major, 2nd World War, Burma Theatre, Bronze Star, b. 27 Jun 1907 Macon, m. 15 Jan 1928 Katherine MacKean (b. 1 May 1908 Macon), and has 2 sons: (a) Leon Sebring Dure, III, and (b) Kendrick Dure, b. 7 Aug 1938 Richmond, VA; and
---------(2) Mary Dure, b. 3 Apr 1909 Macon, GA, m. 15 Jun 1925 Buford Sanford Birdsey (Lt. U.S.N., 2nd World War, citation, b. 1 May 1906 Macon), and has one son, Buford Sanford Birdsey, Jr.
----7. William Dure d. young
----8. Julia Dure d. young
----9. Jasper Dure d. young
IV. Ann Marshall Kendrick, b. 1838 Wilkes County, GA, d.s.p.
V. Lucius Franklin Kendrick, b. 1841, living in Columbia County, GA, census of 1880, served in Confederate Army and lost an arm, married about 1870 Mary Elizabeth Marshall and had issue:
----1. John P. Kendrick, b. 1872
----2. Naomi A. Kendrick, b. 1875
----3. Leila B. Kendrick, b. 1877
----4. Martha Ray Kendrick, b. 1879
----5. Julia Kendrick m. Mr. Luck and lived at Grovetown, GA
VI. Susan Kendrick, b. 15 Nov 1844, died at birth, buried with mother.

09 May 2009

Obediah F. Adams Requested that His Face be Turned Towards His Wife

While searching for information about another Rose Hill Cemetery interment, George P. Dure, I came across this obituary (viewed online at Ancestry) for Obediah F. Adams. It's interesting, and I'm sure I'll add more information for Capt. Adams as I uncover it. He was laid to rest in the Magnolia Ridge section of the cemetery.

Image by James Allen
The Atlanta Constitution, 7 April 1890

CAPTAIN ADAMS DEAD.
MACON'S EX-TREASURER NO LONGER AMENABLE TO THE LAW.
He Passed Away Quietly at 7 o'clock Yesterday Morning -- Killed By Remorse -- The Funeral


Macon, Ga., April 6 -- [Special] -- Captain Adams is dead. Surrounded by his family and friends he passed away quietly at 7 o'clock this morning. For several days he has been at death's door and the announcement this morning caused no surprise.

Captain Adams's death is plainly the result of remorse. For several months he has remained at his home, shutting himself out from the world and seemingly anxious for death to relieve him of his troubles. Captain Adams was treasurer of Macon from 1880 until December 1888.

The circumstances surrounding his removal have been fully given in The Constitution, and their rehearsal, since death has drawn the curtain over his life, is unnecessary.

Whatever may have been his actions in the past, he had the sympathy of almost the entire city in his last days. His funeral will take place tomorrow afternoon at 3 o'clock. He will be buried by the side of his wife and son in Rose Hill cemetery. Before death he requested that his face be turned towards his wife. The casket is one of the handsomest that could be procured. It is metal[l]ic with an elegant black broadcloth covering and trimmed in silver. On the silver plate is the inscription "Obediah F. Adams, Born November 24th, 1826, Died April 6th, 1890, He rests in peace."

The following gentlemen have been requested to act as pall bearers:
W. A. Huff, Tom Hendrix, T. J. Carling, George B. Turpin, George A. Dure, John D. Dentz, M. J. Hatcher, T. S. Massenburg, W. E. Harris, Robert Brown.

Mr. Adams, it is stated, carried insurance on his life to the amount of $20,000.

A SKETCH OF HIS LIFE
Mr. Adams was born in Twiggs county on November 24, 1826. His father was Daniel Adams formerly of Rowan county, N.C. The deceased attended Mercer college in 1846 and after leaving taught school for some time.

In December 1847 he was married to Miss Julia A. Flanders, of this county.

He was elected alderman in 1852 and again in 1864 and 1865. In 1873 he was appointed county assessor and collector of taxes for the city. After several years service in this capacity he was elected chief of police and afterwards city treasurer.

He belongs to the order of Kinght Templars, the Order of Tonti and Knights of the Golden Rule, all of which will probably attend the funeral in a body. He was at one time treasurer of Goodyear lodge Order of the Tonti and was grand secretary of the Knights of the Golden Rule in Georgia. He was also recorder of St. Omer Commandery Knight Templars. Mr. Adams is the father of Walter F. Adams, Sydney F. Adams, Miss Lutie E. Adams, Mrs. Guy Hillsman of Madison and Mrs. John J. Smith, of Indianapolis, Ind.

His funeral is likely to be one of the largest that has occurred in Macon in many years.

08 May 2009

Mr. George P. Dure, Well Known Traveling Man

Image by James Allen.
George Powell Dure was buried in the Cabiness Ridge section of Rose Hill Cemetery. He was laid to rest in the DURE Family Plot. George's parents and wife Carrie Sewell are nearby.

George was the son of Capt. George Augustus Dure and Julia Kendrick. He was born 21 October 1868. George married Carrie Sewell (1865-1902) about 1886, and they had a son, George L. Dure.

George and Carrie are found with her parents in the 1900 Macon, Bibb County, Georgia, US Federal Census. The household was on New Street. George's occupation was listed as traveling salesman.

George Powell Dure died 7 February 1902 at Americus, Georgia, after an illness. The status of his illness, his death, and his funeral were chronicled in the Macon Weekly Telegraph (Viewed online at GenealogyBank):

4 February 1902 -
"MR. DURE DYING
Macon Young Man Who Is Almost Hopelessly Ill at Americus.

A telephone message from Americus states that Mr. George P. Dure has taken a decided turn for the worse. His mother left last night for his bedside. There seems little hope for his recovery."

7 February 1902 -
"MR. GEORGE P. DURE ILL
A Former Citizen of Macon is Seriously Ill at Americus.

Mr. George P. Dure, son of Capt. Geo. A. Dure, is seriously ill at his residence in Americus. Mr. Dure has been in a critical condition for the past several days, but he was better yesterday than formerly. His physician states that should he live through today he will recover."

8 February 1902 -
"MR. GEORGE P. DURE DIED IN AMERICUS
Well Known Traveling Man From Macon Passed Away After Long Illness.

Mr. George P. Dure, son of Capt. and Mrs. George A. Dure, and brother of Mr. Leon S. Dure, Mrs. George Cherry, Misses Nellie and Lillie Dure of Macon and Mrs. Frank A. Coburn of Valdosta, died last night at 9 o'clock at his home in Americus, after an illness of several weeks. A telephone message was received by Capt. Dure last night telling of the death. Mr. Leon Dure left at once to bring the remains to Macon.

Mr. Dure leaves a wife and two children.

The remains will arrive in the city this afternoon. The funeral will take place some time tomorrow. The funeral arrangements have not yet been made."

9 February 1902 -
"MR. DURE'S FUNERAL
It Will Occur This Afternoon at 3 O'Clock.

The funeral [for] Mr. George P. Dure, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. George A. Dure, will take place this afternoon at 3 o'clock from the residence of his parents, 721 Pint street.

Mr. Dure leaves a wife and one child. Mrs. Dure before her marriage was Miss Carrie Sewell of Macon.

The funeral services will be conducted by Rev. H. O. Judd, rector of St. Paul's church. The interment will be in Rose Hill cemetery."

07 May 2009

Glen B. Jennings & Evelyn Cherry

Glen B. Jennings and his wife Evelyn Cherry were buried in the Cabiness Ridge section of Rose Hill Cemetery. Their gravestones can be found in the George A. Dure Family Plot.

Glen Bounetheau Jennings was born 18 December 1888 in Charleston, South Carolina to Henry B. Jennings and Martha Glen Reeves. Julia Evelyn Cherry was born 15 December 1891 in Georgia to George R. Cherry (1868-1931) and Emma Dure (1870-1955). Evelyn's parents are also buried in the DURE family plot.1

Glen and his parents can be found in the 1900 Charleston, South Carolina, US Federal Census.2 Glen was one of twelve children. All are listed in A History of the Glen Family of South Carolina and Georgia by J. G. B. Bulloch, MD (November 1923, pages 40 & 41):3

Martha Glen Reeves, daughter of Matthew Sully Reeves and Ellen Jackson Bounetheau, married Henry Burrett Jennings, and had:

- George Simmons Jennings [I think he was listed as "Grange" in the 1900 census], born 14 December 1887; married 24 June 1914 Maud Hill.
- Rosa Lottie Jennings, born 25 February 1881; died in infancy.
- David Jennings, born 1 November 1882; married 25 September 1907 Adelaide Chalmers Gaston.
- Henry B. Jennings, Jr., born 1 August 1883; married 8 January 1913 Josie Sibley.
- Glen Ellen Jennings, born 21 May 1885; died 11 April 1886.
- Helen Trenholm Jennings, born 26 March 1887; married 10 April 1907 Wallace Bailey.
- Glen Bounetheau Jennings, born 18 December 1888; married 9 October 1912 Eveline Cherry.
- Lottie Witte Jennings, born 21 October 1890.
- Ufford Jennings.
- Virginia Pinckney Jennings, born 19 October 1894.
- Elizabeth Porter Jennings, born 18 February 1897.
- Martha Lucas Jennings, born 17 October 1898.

Glen was found in the 1910 Duval County, Florida, US Federal Census. His occupation was Mill Supplies Salesman.4

The engagement of Evelyn and Glen was announced in the Macon Weekly Telegraph (Georgia) 18 August 1912:5
Weddings and Engagements
CHERRY - JENNINGS

Mr. and Mrs. George Robert Cherry of Jacksonville, announce the engagement of their daughter, Julia Evelyn, to Glen Bounetheau Jennings of Charleston, S.C., the wedding to occur in the fall.

Miss Cherry is the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Cherry and made her home in Macon until the past two years. She is a niece of Leon Dure, of this city, and has a wide circle of friends who will be interested in the announcement of her engagement. During her residence in Macon she was one of the most popular members of the younger set, being a girl of an exceedingly charming and fascinating manner.

Mr. Jennings is a man of sterling qualities and comes from one of South Carolina's oldest and best families.
Glen was living in Macon, Bibb County, Georgia at the time of his World War I draft registration in 1917. His home address was 251 Bond Street.6 A short time later, Glen and Evelyn moved to Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida:7
Macon Weekly Telegraph (Georgia), 3 June 1917
Personal Mention
Mr. and Mrs. Glen B. Jennings expect to leave shortly for Tampa, Fla., to make their home. This announcement is occasioning many expressions of regret from a large circle of friends.
Glen and his wife are found in the 1920 Hillsborough County, Florida, US Federal Census. They were living on S. Willow Avenue, and Glen's occupation was listed as Mill Supplies Manager.8

Glen, his wife, and his wife's parents are found in the 1930 Hillsborough County, Florida, US Federal Census. Glen's occupation was Mill Supplies Manager. Evelyn's father (George Cherry) had an occupation of "wholesale druggist supplier assistant."9

Glen and Evelyn are found in the 1945 Hillsborough County, Florida state census. It was stated that both had a high school education.10

Glen died in Hillsborough County, Florida 8 November 1973.11 Evelyn died 7 March 1981.
Footnotes:
1. Tombstone transcriptions by Stephanie Lincecum. Cabiness Ridge Section, Rose Hill Cemetery; Riverside Drive, Macon, Bibb County, Georgia. April 2009.
2. 1900 United States Federal Census. Precinct 2, Charleston Ward 8, Charleston County, South Carolina. ED 98, Sheet 7B, Family 149, Line 69. Viewed online at Ancestry.
3. A History of the Glen Family of South Carolina and Georgia by J. G. B. Bulloch, MD (November 1923, pages 40 & 41)
4. 1910 United States Federal Census. Precinct 17, Jacksonville Ward 3, Duval County, Florida. (ED 75) Viewed online at Ancestry.
5. Macon Weekly Telegraph; Georgia. 18 August 1912 edition. Viewed online at GenealogyBank.
6. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
7. Macon Weekly Telegraph; Georgia. 3 June 1917 edition. Viewed online at GenealogyBank.
8. 1920 United States Federal Census. Precinct 3, Tampa Ward 2, Hillsborough County, Florida. ED 38, Sheet 1A, Family 6, Line 18. Viewed online at Ancestry.
9. 1930 United States Federal Census. Hillsborough County, Florida. Viewed online at Ancestry.
10. 1945 Florida State Census. Precinct 4, Hillsborough County. Viewed online at Ancestry.
11. Florida Death Index, 1877-1998
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