"Little Mary Marsh" of the Marsh Juvenile Comedians Troupe

Little Mary Marsh was a member of the Marsh Juvenile Comedians troupe from 1855 until her death in 1859. These travelling performers were famous in their day. "Mary Marsh," daughter of the troupe organizer, was actually a stage name. Her real name was Mary Eliza Guerineau. She was born 4 March 1847 in Troy, New York to Robert and Jane C. Guerineau. Little Mary was their only daughter. Her brother George was also a famed member of the juvenile comedians.

Mary's life was cut short at the age of eleven on 27 January 1859 in Macon, Georgia. Her death was reported in newspapers across the United States. Here is one such report from the 8 February 1859 Plain Dealer in Ohio:

The Death of Little Mary Marsh.
Full Particulars by one of the Troupe.
MACON, Geo. Jan. 31.
FRIEND GRAY: Knowing how much interest you have always taken in our little children and especially in the pet of the company, "Little Mary," I thought I would let you know about the horrible accident which caused her death. On Wednesday night last, after the first act of the "Naiad Queen," Mary, in her blightsome glee ran tripping across the stage so near a candle that the flare of it caught the bottom of her fairy dress, and in a moment she was a mass of flame. Her mother and Georgiana were instantly by her side, but she was literally a ball of fire, and in their efforts to smother the flame were themselves badly burned. Poor little Mary screamed terrifically and the house was in frightful commotion. It was soon all over with her. She died the next afternoon.

Her poor father and mother are almost distracted, but we are all comforted with the hope that she is where suffering and death are known no more.

She died with the name of "Mother" on her lips, and with the prayers of all her little companions in her behalf.
Yours, as ever, ____ .

Mr. MARSH, the father of MARY, in an obituary notice of her, truly remarks:
"Mary was a model for the whole Troupe, both on and off the stage; she was the ground work on which our Troupe was founded. Her modest deportment towards and affection for her friends and enemies, won all hearts."

An article in the same paper one year later describes the monument erected for Little Mary: "A handsome upright monument, ordered by Mr. MARSH, has just been completed at Charleston, S.C. It is an elegantly polished piece of Italian marble, with its edges chamfered, and enriched with an ivy vine with berries cut thereon, and surmounted by an urn enwreathed in immortelles. The stone springs from a marble base, which is set in a ground stone of brown freestone. The obverse of the monument bears an appropriate inscription."

Here is that monument today, minus the urn. There is a hole on top where it once sat.

Front

Back

The "appropriate inscription" includes her name, the name of her parents, as well as birth and death dates with locations. All of which were mentioned at the beginning of the article. The epitaph further includes a poem. It begins on the front side of the monument, and continues on the back:

Winds Of The Winter As Ye Wildly Sweep
Across The Grave Where Perished Beauty Lies,
Pause For A Moment There Are Eyes That Weep
The Lost To Earth, But Blessed In Paradise;
Pause Ye And Mourn; Not For The Freed From Pain
But, That The Sighs Of Love Could Wish Her Back Again.

Pause Ye And Mourn; That Spirit Is Now Breathing
An Atmosphere Of Love Divinely Pure;
Oh: Why Should Kindred Hearts On Earth Be Grieving,
Since God Hath Sent His Angels To Secure
This Pearl Made Bright Through Suffering; No Decay,
Nor Time, Nor Change, Can Steal Her Youth Away,
Mourn Then Ye Winds; Not For The Freed From Pain
But, That The Sighs Of Love Could Wish Her Back Again.

"Naiad Queen" playbill.  Little
Mary performed the part of Idex.

I found mention of the Marsh Troupe in history books about the American Stage and Burlesque. It was organized by Robert Guerineau 1 June 1855, and featured mostly girls with some boys, ages 6 to 16. The children performed legitimate plays in a comedic or satirical fashion. A History of Burlesque (by the San Francisco Works Project Administration, 1940) describes them by the following: "The repertoire was made up of farces, fairy extravaganzas, sensation plays, and burlesques. Daring exposure of limb for an adult became sweet exposition; riotous farce became cute fancy; sex appeal of Greek myth became tinseled daintiness; crime page sensation plots became intellectual exercises..." About George Marsh, Mary's brother, it was said he "proved to be a comedian of almost mature ability..." And of Mary -- "...she was an uncommonly attractive child, bright eyed, graceful, fresh, and fair..."

Another interesting note from the history books is that Georgianna Mosely (described as a sister of Mary, but I am not sure that is true), after her stint in the troupe "married William Henry, a property man, in 1862, and died in New York from the effects of burns received in trying to save Mary Guerineau..."

I have another tidbit for you, if you'll remember from the 1917 Seeing-Macon Car article I posted -- "Here is the grave of little Mary Marsh, the stage name of Mary Eliza Guerineau,... She was a mere child, and was performing with the Marsh Family in the old Ralston Hall, the theater building that stood where the Fourth National Bank now stands."

Old maps show the bank referred to as being on the corner of Cherry Street and 3rd Street, in the 500 block. That space is now occupied by the Market City Cafe.


View Larger Map
The article goes on to say -- "For many years the wreath of artificial flowers worn by the child on that night, enclosed in a circular metal case, remained on the top of the marble slab until some ghoul removed it. For fifty years, in fact up to a few years ago, a lady in black visited the grave and covered it with flowers... It was supposed that she was the mother, and made this annual pilgrimage to Macon until death caused her to cease them."

Mrs. Sarah A. Licette and Family

Macon Telegraph
9 September 1909

"DEATHS AND FUNERALS
LICETTE
Mrs. Sarah A. Licette died yesterday morning at 11:30 o'clock at the residence of her daughter, Mrs. A. L. Moore, on Third street.

Mrs. Licette had been feeble for several weeks, but at the time of her death she was thought to be improved. Her death came as a great shock to her many friends.

She leaves two daughters, Mrs. A. L. Moore and Mrs. W. H. Cherry; two sons, Messrs. P. and G. L. Licette.

The funeral services will take place at 3:30 today at their residence. Revs. J. B. Philips and Lamar Jones will officiate, and the interment will be made in Rose Hill cemetery. Mrs. Licette was born in Marion county, Georgia, and came to Macon about thirty years ago. She is also survived by one brother and four sisters." [end transcription]

Mrs. Licette was laid to rest in the Cabiness Ridge section of Rose Hill Cemetery. I found four other markers in the same plot:

Gilbert L. Licette (1872-1909),
Son of Sarah.

Capt. A. L. Moore (1849-1940),
Son-in-law of Sarah.

Ida L. Moore (1859-1928),
Daughter of Sarah.

Mattie Parnell (1841-1913),
Sister of Sarah.

RoseHillCemetery.org lists an additional burial in the plot -- Pink Licette (d. 1922), but I noticed no gravestone. However, I did find an obituary.

Macon Telegraph
22 April 1922

"DEATHS AND FUNERALS
PINK LICETTE
Pink Licette, 66, died in Birmingham at 7:20 o'clock last night after a long illness. He is survived by two sisters, Mrs. A. L. Moore, of Macon, and Mrs. W. H. Cherry, of Pope's Ferry. The body will be brought to Macon tonight for funeral and interment, arrangements for which will be announced later." [end]

William Zeigler: the Man, His Vault, and His Woman Slave Mary (Tombstone Tuesday)

William Zeigler was born 18 November 1799 in South Carolina to Nicholas Zeigler. William came to Georgia in 1827 and spent his life farming. He amassed quite a fortune and died 11 June 1855 in Crawford County.

Records surrounding the death of William Zeigler are most fascinating. His obituary and will were transcribed and put online for easy access. I also found him in census records and newspaper items. The 1830 Crawford County, GA Federal census lists Wm. Zeigler with another male and 22-25 slaves. In 1840, Wm. had 66 slaves of which 26 were under the age of ten (thirteen boys and thirteen girls). 35 of the teenagers and adults were "employed in agriculture." I presume the other five were house servants. Mr. Zeigler was the only free white person counted in the household.

By 1850, William Zeigler had to be near or at the height of his fortune. He was listed as a planter from South Carolina living alone in Division 20 of Crawford County, GA. His real estate was valued at $40,000 to $60,000 (I can't quite make out the figure). William owned 90 slaves, ranging in age from 1 to 48 years.

After William's death in 1855, an upcoming executor's sale was noted in the Macon Weekly Telegraph (Georgia) regarding his lands. Most were in Crawford County, "containing in all about eight thousand acres." Zeigler had the lands divided into nine plantations: Home Place, the Simonton, Colbert, Boon, Dugger, Atkinson, Hatcher, Worsham, and Miller. He also owned land in Bibb County, and was part of The Macon Manufacturing Company co-op, producers of cotton and wool.

William Zeigler's obituary, transcribed by Cheryl Aultman and contributed to the USGenWeb Archives, was recorded in the Georgia Journal & Messanger on 27 May 1855:

Died at his residence in Crawford county, on the 11th instant, in the 56th year of his age, William Zeigler. He was born in Edgefield District, S.C., whence he removed to Crawford co. GA, in 1827, where he remained engaged in agriculture to the time of his death.

In his business habits he was very attentive and economical, whereby he was enabled in twenty-eight years to increase his capitol from ten thousand to three hundred thousand dollars; thus furnishing indubitable evidence that a farmer may become rich.

In his dealings he was strictly honest. In times of scarcity he would bid the rich and monied, who wished to buy provisions of him, to go to a distance and buy; that they had money and credit and could buy anywhere, and submit to the inconveniences and expense of transporting or carriage; that many of his neighbors had neither money nor credit, and that they must have corn and meat; thus he was a benefactor to the less fortunate. He never attached himself to any Church, but his faith was right. Over a year ago he remarked to the writer of this notice,
that he relied upon the mercy of his Maker, and hoped for salvation through the merit's of the Redeemer's blood.

For the information of distant relatives and friends, it is proper to remark, that his remains now rest in a temporary vault in Rose Hill Cemetery, in Macon, Ga., where they will remain until a permanent vault shall be completed according to his directions. He selected this place himself, while in life, from its peculiar fitness for the purpose intended. There let him rest in peace.

Friend.

Since William Zeigler's will was also transcribed and donated to USGenWeb, we are able to read what the directions were for the vault in which his bones would repose: "My Body I direct my Executor hereafter to be appointed to dispose of in the following manner to wit -- To procure a patent Coffin (Fetche, Metalic or some other Patent Coffin of like nature). Let it be placed therein in a neat Christian Manner in a shroud of the neatest and best material. Let it there remain until the following preparations are made. Obtain a plat of ground in Rose Hill Cemetery Macon Ga -- sixteen feet square, as near the plat upon which is Erected the Monument to the late Oliver H. Prince & Lady as may be practicable. And erect thereon a vault of sufficient thickness to Guarantee its durability above the ground Plat, the ground having been first leveled -- to be supplied with a suitable Iron Door & proper & secure fastenings -- and arched roof made of the best brick and the best Workmanship. The whole of the said vault to be cemented with the best Hydraulic cement and the whole Plat to be surrounded with Iron paleings & proper Gates of Iron with security fastenings. The vault to be of sufficient size to admit the Coffin and persons to arrange it.

Then let my Coffin be placed therein with a proper Monument in front of my vault -- suitable to my condition in Life and the Expenses I direct to be paid by my Executor out of my Estate for which a sufficient sum is hereby appropriated and bequeathed to my Executor for the use & Purpose aforesaid."

Here is how that vault looks today, more than 150 years after it was first built.

The interesting finds in William Zeigler's last will and testament do not end there. The fourth request begins like this: "Is my desire, and so I direct, that the colored children of my Woman Slave Mary, be taken to a state where the laws thereof will tolerate their Manumission, or freedom & that they be there put under Competent and proper Teachers Keeping them together if possible where they may be properly educated according to the Means hereinafter set forth. That they be provided with good & suitable board and lodging having an Eye in this as with selection of Teachers, to Strict Morality, also that they be properly Clothed."

These children of Mary were later named -- Malinda Ann, William Henry, and Octavia. In addition to Mary and her three children being given their freedom and taken to an appropriate state, they each were bequeathed money. $10,000 for Mary, and $30,000 to each of her three children due upon their reaching the age of twenty-one. The interest accrued from the monies was to sustain them until they reached the majority age. Mary's $10,000 was to be put in a trust and she was to be given a sum of the interest paid annually. While the will initially stated the monies were to be given to the children directly, it was later amended to state they instead should be put into a trust and given at the discretion of the trustee. William's two brothers, Henry and Lewis, and his nephew John W. Dent were listed as the trustees.

While William Zeigler does not name these children as his own, it is likely they are. It clearly was his intent that they be educated and financially comfortable for life. But were they?

In 1860, Mary Zeigler (mulatto, age 30, b. VA) and her three children -- Malinda (mulatto, age 12, b. GA), William (mulatto, age 11, b. GA), Octavia (mulatto, age 9, b. GA) -- were living in Batavia, Clermont County, Ohio with a servant and a personal estate of $100,500. In 1870, all were still in Batavia, but the financial situation may not have been quite the same. Forty-one year old Mary then had a personal estate of $100, and there was no longer a servant. Twenty year old William is listed as a "hostler," or stableman. I do not know what happened to Mary Zeigler after 1870.

In 1880, Malinda and Octavia were back in Georgia. They were living at 86 Spring Street, Macon, Bibb County -- not far from where their supposed benefactor and probable father William Zeigler was buried. Octavia was a seamstress.


View Larger Map
Their brother William returned as well to Bibb county. I believe I found him in the census records with a wife, Jane, and later a son, William, Jr. I lost track of him after 1910 when he was working in the railroad yards.

There is evidence that Malinda and Octavia had children, but never married. Newspaper items also indicate they were at least small property owners in the Vineville District of Macon, Bibb County.

In June of 1869, the same year Malinda turned twenty-one, Mary brought her daughter to Macon and demanded what was rightfully theirs according to William Zeigler's will. A couple of months later a lawsuit had to be filed against the trustees of the time, since the original trustees renounced their positions. I do not know the outcome of the suit.

The institution of slavery is an atrocity that cannot be undone and should never be forgotten, yet learned from if possible. Out of the horrible situation arose some interesting relationships -- some forced upon unwilling parties, and some entered into willingly. The case of William Zeigler and his woman slave Mary is one such situation. While I certainly was not a witness to the thoughts and feelings of William or Mary, the relationship they shared seems somewhat like a business. But maybe William was in love, and Mary had no choice. Or maybe there was a mutual attraction. Even with the amount of research conducted, who am I to say?

All Aboard for the Seeing-Macon Car

I recently found this and couldn't resist getting it on the blog quickly, even without any enhancements. Stay tuned for elaborations and photos!

[Update! The articles I have written to go along with several of the paragraphs in this 1917 news article are now linked from within.]

Macon Telegraph
16 December 1917
(Viewable online at GenealogyBank.)

"JUST 'TWIXT US
By BRIDGES SMITH

ALL aboard for the Seeing-Macon Car.

We will now leave the car and take a walk. This is Rose Hill Cemetery, taking its name from one of Macon's earliest public-spirited citizens, through whose efforts and by whose plans it was laid out and established in 1840. The first cemetery for the west side of the river is between Cherry and Poplar, below Seventh, and in it the pioneers of the city were buried. For many years it was neglected, but is now enclosed.

On this stroll we will point out a few of the graves of interest, leaving a more elaborate description of the many beautiful monuments and graves for a second visit.

The Ocmulgee river flows alongside, and before the Southern railroad was allowed to run through on the river bank there were a series of cliffs and bluffs, one of which was the usual Lover's Leap, with its usual tradition of the Indian maiden leaping from it to her death because her dusky lover had fallen a victim to an arrow of the enemy. The railroad cut out all the romance.

This is the Zeigler vault, and holds the bones of William Zeigler, who came here from South Carolina and died in 1855. Formerly there was a heavy plate glass window in the door, through which the hermetically sealed casket, with its elaborate silver handles and ornaments could be plainly seen. Shortly after General Wilson's army came to Macon in 1865, some vandal soldiers broke the glass and entered the vault. They had evidently heard a story in circulation that all Zeigler's gold had been buried with him, but not being able to get into the casket they stripped it of its silver ornaments and handles. It was then that this marble slab was put in place of the glass, thus shutting off a view of the interior.

Here is the grave of little Mary Marsh, the stage name of Mary Eliza Guerineau, whose fluffy dress caught fire from the footlights on the night of January 27, 1859, while dancing, and was burned to death before she could be rescued. She was a mere child, and was performing with the Marsh Family in the old Ralston Hall, the theater building that stood where the Fourth National Bank now stands. Her tragic death caused gloom all over the city. For many years the wreath of artificial flowers worn by the child on that night, enclosed in a circular metal case, remained on the top of the marble slab until some ghoul removed it.

For fifty years, in fact up to a few years ago, a lady in black visited the grave and covered it with flowers. No one knew from whence she came. She was never known to speak to any one, and all her actions were mysterious. It was supposed that she was the mother, and made this annual pilgrimage to Macon until death caused her to cease them.

Here is the Bond monument. Joseph Bond was one of the wealthy planters of antebellum days. Like many others of his day, he owned enough slaves to have made up a regiment, and land in Southwest Georgia sufficient for a site for two or more cities the size of Macon. He loved his slaves, and on one occasion, in the year 1859, when his overseer, from all accounts a man as brutal as the overseer in Uncle Tom's Cabin, was found by him beating a slave unmercifully, Mr. Bond interfered and was killed by the overseer. The imposing monument which you see before you was cut in Italy, and reached New York about the time of the break between the States. It was placed in a bonded warehouse in that city, where it remained until after the war and was then shipped here and placed in position.

Here is the grave of a man who did as much for Macon as any man, Elam Alexander, a contractor. He built Wesleyan College and other prominent buildings. He brought the magnetic telegraph to Macon, expended money in boring artesian wells, which proved failures, however, because of Macon being built upon solid rock, contributed to railroads and every public enterprise, and at his death left a fund, which by wise and careful management on the part of the trustees of the fund gave the city the three handsome public school buildings that bear his name. He died in 1863.

There is something as uncanny as it is unusual for a cemetery. On this lot are the graves of nine victims of a kinsman who slew with an axe almost his entire family. This was Thomas Woolfolk, and the extraordinary crime was committed one night in August, 1897. He paid the penalty of his deed on the gallows.

This grave is that of a man, who had he lived in these days would have received recognition from Carnegie. The inscription on the tombstone will tell you why. It reads:

"Erected by the Mayor and Council of Macon in honor of the public spirit which lost a valuable life in saving the property of his fellow-citizens from the ravage of fire."

This hero of Macon's village days was James Willingham, a printer. He died in 1844. His widow was the mother of Ben, William, Al and John Goodyear, well-known citizens now living.

This plot of ground is consecrated to the memory of Confederate soldiers. Nearly all the bones in these graves were removed from the old cemetery in the lower part of the city through the efforts of the good women of Macon, where the Confederate soldiers dying in the hospitals, and the remains of many dying elsewhere, were at first buried. On the 26th of April of each year memorial exercises are held here, and all these graves are strewn with flowers by both girls and veterans. No city in the South observes Memorial Day more than does Macon.

Adjoining Rose Hill is the Riverside Cemetery, which is one of the several forts or redoubts thrown up around Macon in 1864 to protect the city from the attacks of the enemy. They were thrown up to form a semi-circle, beginning on the east side of the river, where North Highlands is now, and extending to the Columbus road on the west side. That in Riverside is probably the best preserved, the others have been partially or fully destroyed to make room for improvements.

In former days Rose Hill was visited much more than now. Every fair Sunday afternoon it was filled with the younger people. In those days there was a number of springs of cold, clear water, all flowing into the little brook that is still here. One of the springs was the Crystal Spring within a cave, under the hill. It was walled up with crystallized rocks with an iron railing around it, and this was a favorite place to visit.

On the bank of the river, at the foot of Central avenue, was the "Lover's Leap," to be found in nearly all cemeteries that are situated on a river. It was here that the young people gathered and told of the legend of the Indian maid. That the legend was believed by many is evidenced by the fact that when these young people were on it, they preserved the utmost silence, hushing their talking to whispers. It was on this rock that Henry Watterson, during his residence in Macon, spent many a Sunday afternoon."

Aged Odd Fellow Died in Brunswick

While doing some research about Henry Bass Treadwell, who's final resting place is in the Central Avenue District of Rose Hill Cemetery, I found a short biography in a 1999 edition of the United Daughters of the Confederacy Patriot Ancestor Album. The following excerpt was submitted by Jane Joyner Hampton (GGD):

HENRY BASS TREADWELL...was born on Aug 2, 1830, in Richmond County, GA...Henry's brick mason skills must have been taught by his father, who was also a brick mason of some report. Henry became a lay minister in the Methodist Church and actively participated in this avocation throughout his life.

Henry married Martha Ann Holmes (May 29, 1830 - Sept 6, 1915), daughter of Joshua and Nancy Angle Holmes on Aug 5, 1849, in Muscogee County, GA. They left Eufaula [Alabama] and then moved to Bibb County, GA, where Henry joined the Franklin Lodge of the IOOF on March 3, 1854, in Macon, GA, and in 1850, Henry is listed as a member and trustee of the newly formed Methodist mission at First Street in Macon...

Children were: Mary E. b. 1851, d. Feb 8, 1860; Benjamin Franklin b. Oct 28, 1853, d. Feb 14, 1909; William Thomas b. Sept 7, 1854, d. unknown; James Henry b. Aug 1, 1858, d. May 24, 1860; Charles W. b. May 1860, d. Sept 27, 1865; Ella b. February 1863, d. March 6, 1866; Joseph W. b. 1864, d. Feb 2, 1866; Willie (female) b. March 13, 1866, d. Dec 9, 1925; Lee (female) b. March 13, 1866, d. Aug 28, 1908; John Jefferson b. Jan 18, 1872, d. July 13, 1948...

...On March 4, 1862, Henry re-enlisted at Macon, GA, as a private of Co D (Whittle Guard, 10 Batt GA Inf) and was paid a bounty of $50.00. On March 27, 1862, he was appointed chaplain...On Feb 19, 1864, he resigned as chaplain and was assigned the duty as superintendent of the Macon Armory and worked on government buildings...

...By 1870, the Treadwells had moved to Brunswick, GA, and living at 1901 F. Street.

Henry Bass Treadwell died on May 28, 1902, and was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery on May 29 with the funeral service conducted by the members of the IOOF Franklin Lodge of Macon. Martha continued to live in Brunswick until approximately 1908 when she came to Macon. She died Sept 6, 1915, while living at the Kings Daughter's Old Ladies Home in Vineville area of Macon and was buried beside her husband.

Here is an article from the 29 May 1902 edition of The Macon Telegraph announcing Henry's funeral:

"AGED ODD FELLOW DIED IN BRUNSWICK

Mr. H. B. Treadwell Will Be Buried Here Today

The remains of Mr. H. B. Treadwell arrived in the city yesterday afternoon at 1:30 o'clock from Brunswick, and will be interred in Rose Hill cemetery this morning at 10 o'clock. The funeral will occur from the First street Methodist church.

Mr. Treadwell was 72 years of age, and resided in Macon for a number of years. In 1876 he moved to Brunswick, where he has resided since.

Mr. Treadwell has been an Odd Fellow for the past forty-eight years. He joined the Franklin lodge of Macon on March 3, 1854, but on his removal to Brunswick he had his membership changed to the Seaport Lodge No. 68 of Brunswick. At the request of the Brunswick lodge and of Mr. Treadwell's family, the Franklin lodge will conduct the funeral services at the grave."

How Did Rose Hill Cemetery Get Its Name?

Macon Telegraph
24 August 1919
(Viewed online at GenealogyBank.)

"JUST 'TWIXT US
By BRIDGES SMITH

THE question has often been asked: "How did Rose Hill Cemetery get its name?" Judge E. E. Brown, in his interesting reminiscences, answers the question. "In 1840 I was one of the committee appointed by the city council to select a suitable place for a cemetery, and with Simri Rose settled upon the spot now used for the purpose. The majority of the committee was opposed to this location.

They thought it was too far away from the city, and favored the grounds now occupied by the railroad shops. (The Central Shops below Seventh street.) We visited both sites and finally agreed upon the upper site, naming it Rose Hill, in honor of Simri Rose, who always took a great interest in it, even up to the time of his death. I attended the first burial in this cemetery, that of David F. Wilson."

Fred T. Abel: a Good Old Pipe Smokin' Rebel

F. T. Abel (1844-1909)

Fred T. Abel was born in Georgia to German parents Henry and Elizabeth Abel. Just a month after his eighteenth birthday, on 17 May 1862, Fred joined Captain George A. Dure's company in the Jackson Artillery, Massenburg Battery, Confederate States Army.


Fred survived the war and surrendered with his unit at Citronelle, Alabama 4 May 1865.

Fred was listed in the 1870 Bibb County, Georgia Federal census along with his first wife Camilla. His occupation was policeman. Camilla died 19 March 1878. Some time later, Fred married Rebecca G. Holloway.

Fred T. Abel was quite prominent in Macon. His name was often found in the local paper. One article stated Fred was "of a German extraction" and loved his pipe. "For thirty years he never missed a day that he did not smoke his pipe, and that meant that he smoked it all day...He enjoyed his smoke and smoke he would." However, a few weeks after the death of an old friend and neighbor, Fred laid the pipe down and never smoked again. Fred was also described as a "good old Rebel."

I found two instances where Fred was thrown from his buggy by spooked horses. He was bruised but OK both times.

In the 1880's, Fred and his brother William were owners of "fertile swamp land below the city." Other articles detailing swamp land owners' crops stated oats were often grown in these lands. The brothers sold their land in 1887. Around 1890, Fred was named park keeper of what I believe is now Central City Park. The paper described the park as being located in the "swamp lands," and these lands were located below Cherry street in downtown. He readied the field when the Brooklyn and Philadelphia clubs came here to play a major league baseball game. Fred was also a volunteer fireman.

Fred died 11 September 1909. His funeral was held at his late residence of Log Cabin Heights two days later. He was laid to rest in the Eglantine Section of Rose Hill Cemetery near his first wife. Fred's second wife Rebecca was buried there as well, after her death on 14 April 1932.

Go here for a transcription of Fred's Last Will and Testament.

The Care of a City's Burying-Ground is a Pretty Fair Gauge of the Community's Civilization

Macon Telegraph
4 April 1919
(Viewed online at GenealogyBank.)

"JUST 'TWIXT US
By BRIDGES SMITH

Going back to the greatly needed beautification and upkeep of Rose Hill cemetery, in which all Macon is interested, here is a communication to The Telegraph written in 1903 by the late Hugh V. Washington, not only a lover of the beautiful but pre-eminently a public-spirited citizen:

"The long, mild fall has made Rose Hill more than usually beautiful this season. Every rose bush is covered with beautiful blossoms -- red, white, yellow and pink -- and more perfect than spring blossoms. The forest trees also present a wide variety of colors and tints, and many have been the admiring visitors of late. Said a citizen after a stroll through the cemetery Sunday:

"Rose Hill is growing more beautiful all the time, more people visit it than ever, and some attention is being given lots by the lot-owners, and the sexton, and its general condition is better than for many years. But many lots show neglect because it is not required for the authorities to keep the lots in order. Every lot should be cared for out of the cemetery fund by the sexton, and this uniformity would make Rose Hill the most beautiful cemetery in America, as Henry Ward Beecher declared it was."

Some years ago the Southern railroad agreed to pay the city $2,000 annually for the privilege of going through the cemetery, and it is only right and fair that this money should be applied to the care of the cemetery. It is only a question of time before this will be done, and the sooner the better. The care of a city's burying-ground is a pretty fair gauge of the community's civilization."

Mr. Washington's article, written sixteen years ago, applies with equal force to the present condition of Rose Hill, plus the ravages of the elements on the roadways and walks, and the continued neglect on the part of lot-owners." [end transcription]

Hugh V. Washington, the writer of the 1903 communication to The Telegraph, is buried in the Central Avenue district of Rose Hill.

The Marriage and Death of Charles McKay

Macon Telegraph
5 May 1893

"MARRIED AT EARLY MORN.
Dr. Charles McKay and Miss Leila Raiford Made One.
Yesterday morning at the residence of the bride's aunt, Mrs. James Boone, on Second street, Dr. Charles McKay and Miss Leila raiford were united in marriage, Rev. W. B. Jennings performing the ceremony.

The marriage was a very quiet one, only a few relatives and intimate friends of the contracting parties being present. Immediately after the ceremony Mr. and Mrs. McKay left on a bridal tour to Charleston where they will spend a week or ten days. Upon their return they will be at home to their friends on Oak between Second and Third streets.

Dr. McKay is a popular young gentleman with a large circle of friends and holds a responsible position with H. J. Lamar and Sons, in his bride he has secured a wife that will be an honor to him through life. As Miss Raiford, she was admired for her beautiful character and disposition.

The bride and groom received many handsome presents from their many friends who wish for them bon voyage through life."

Seven years later, almost to the day (8 May 1900), this appeared in the same newspaper:

"DR. M'KAY DIES.
He Passed Away This Morning After a Lingering Illness.
Dr. Charles S. McKay, for a number of years one of the sanitary inspectors of the city, died at his residence on Oak street this morning at 1 o'clock after a lingering illness of several months.

Dr. McKay came South from Michigan several years ago at the instance of the late Henry J. Lamar, who formed a friendship for him while visiting the famous springs of that state. On his arrival in Macon he took a position in the drug store of Lamar & Sons, but his health requiring out-door exercise, he applied and was elected a sanitary inspector some six years ago, and was noted as one of the most efficient ever in the employ of the city.

He was a prominent member of the Knights of Pythias, Red Men and Odd Fellows, holding in each responsible and important offices.

He leaves a wife, who was formerly Miss Leila Raiford. Notice of funeral will appear tomorrow."

After a funeral at his home on Oak Street, Charles S. McKay was laid to rest in the Eglantine Square section of Rose Hill Cemetery. His wife, who never remarried, was laid nearby more than thirty years later.

Way Back Yonder When the Population of Rose Hill was Not so Great as Now

Macon Telegraph
31 March 1919
(Viewed online at GenealogyBank.)

JUST 'TWIXT US
By BRIDGES SMITH

MADE mention the other day of the need of good roads in Rose Hill cemetery, and how it is necessary to pave the walks and driveways to keep them in passable condition, and which could not be done with the present limited means at the disposal of those in charge of the cemetery, and the rains causing an erosion that is constantly requiring attention.

Can tell you one thing, and if you will only think about it yourself you will agree, that unless more funds are provided from some source other than the sale of lots -- Macon being so healthy that the proceeds from this source are small -- some of these days you can take a walk over Rose Hill and then go over the old cemetery at the foot of Poplar street, and it will be a fifty-fifty proposition which is the most unkempt, the most neglected.

Here it is in April, the month in the year when thousands will go over Rose Hill, some as visitors to what should and can be the most beautiful spot in Macon, some to lay a flower on the tomb or grave of a loved one and many to honor the graves of the soldier dead on Memorial Day. Naturally beautiful, especially at this season, how much more attractive and inviting it would be if the roadways and walks were smooth and clean.

And if the lots of unknown owners, with no one to care for them, and of those whose owners are known but who seem to have forgotten them, were cleared off and cleaned only this one time in the year, how much dearer Rose Hill would be to the living. But the inadequate force of hands cannot look after the roadways, washed as they are by every rain, and do the necessary work of interments. What a saving there would be if the roads and walks were paved. The rains would be welcome then, because they would keep them as clean as brooms or sweepers.

The suggestion was made that the $2,000 paid every year by the Southern railway to the city for the privilege of desecrating that hallowed spot by running its trains through Rose Hill be applied to the upkeep. While this fund might not go far, it would go far enough, in the opinion of many, to paving the roads.

Way back yonder when the population of Rose Hill was not so great as now, and of course fewer lots to keep up, and labor was cheap, the place was kept so beautiful and attractive that on Sunday afternoons that was the one spot in Macon to visit. It was where every stranger wanted to go, for the fame of beautiful Rose Hill extended far. Every Macon man or woman felt a distinct pride in it.

We now speak in sorrow of the neglected condition of the old cemetery at the foot of Poplar street, of the sunken graves, the tumbled down monuments, of the weeds and briars growing over the graves, and of the dastardly deeds of the sacrilegious; but unless something is done toward paving the roadways and walks and prevent their being washed away, and lot-owners aroused to a sense of duty, those that come after us will tell the same story of the once beautiful Rose Hill.

Love of Human Beings & Macon was the Propelling Force in His Life

This is the final part of the 1919 interview of then 71-year-old Bridges Smith (1848-1930) entitled "BRIDGES SMITH, AFTER FIFTY YEARS OF NEWSPAPER WORK, INTERVIEWED FOR FIRST TIME BY GIRL REPORTER." Upon his death, Mr. Smith was laid to rest in Rose Hill Cemetery...

Opera Destroyed in Wreck
The names of two of the songs composed by the Judge in his youthful days are "Sweet Face in the Window" and "Greeny Brown Eyes." The title of his opera that was, but which was destroyed in a wreck, was "Dollie, or the Wedding __[?]__." The music was written by Arthur Wood.

The opera was staged in Macon by local talent, Luther Williams, J. W. Nesbit, Miss Rebecca Isaac, now Mrs. Julius Mack, and Miss Annie Massenberg, who afterwards married Capt. E. V. White, lieutenant commander of the "Merrimac," the ship which had the famous battle with the "Monitor" at Hampton Roads, were members of the cast.

Judge Smith was secretary of the first baseball club organized in Macon. The club began its existence, so the records say, in 1876. John Boifeuillet is the only man living now wha was on the team then.

Running on through the little dark green book, the Judge came across an account of a velocipede tournament, promoted by him in 1880...

So Bridges Smith's life has been one of activity. From the time when he was a young man walking his beat with a brisk, energetic step until now, when he walks every morning from his Juvenile Court to The Telegraph with a rather slow step, leaning on his walking cane, and with his broad shoulders bent slightly over, he has worked diligently, always with a constructive end in view. Love of human beings and of Macon has been the propelling force in his life.

As he expressed his love for his city, kindly eyes beamed with happiness, because he realized that he had served it with the best of his ability. He said: "I have been with The Telegraph for fifty years, writing a saying good words for Macon."

...Stay tuned for future postings with more writings by Bridges Smith about Rose Hill Cemetery...

Bridges Smith & the Macon Amateur Minstrels

This is part nine of the 1919 interview of then 71-year-old Bridges Smith (1848-1930) entitled "BRIDGES SMITH, AFTER FIFTY YEARS OF NEWSPAPER WORK, INTERVIEWED FOR FIRST TIME BY GIRL REPORTER." Upon his death, Mr. Smith was laid to rest in Rose Hill Cemetery...

Author of Opera and Songs
Besides being a reporter, fifty years of his life and mayor a good part of it, Bridges Smith has been a manager of a theatrical company, secretary of a baseball club, a promoter of a tournament, a composer of a number of songs and one opera, and an actor and singer in odd moments.

The theatrical company of which he was manager was the "Macon Amateur Minstrels," organized in 1877. He not only acted as manager of the company, but wrote the speeches of the actors and songs of the singers.

While talking about this old company the Judge went over to one of the shelves stacked high with books and picked out a little green scrapbook, all musty with age.

The front and back of the little old book had severed relations with each other.

As he opened it caressingly he said, "I think a lot of this little scrapbook."

Among the clippings pasted in it were several programs given by the minstrels in the days of the seventies. Judge Smith appeared on the programs as "Bones." On one occasion, according to the program, yellow and faded now, "Bones" sang a ditty entitled, "Run Home, Levy."

At the reporter's exclamation, "I didn't know you could sing," Judge Smith smilingly said, "I never knew it either. You wouldn't suspect me of it, just to look at me, would you?"

Banks Winter, author of "White Wings," sang at the same performances at which the Judge rendered "Run Home, Levy." The title of Mr. Banks' hit was "When the Birds Have Gone to Sleep." Mr. Winter is now living in Detroit.

...Next up - the finale.

In Momentary Dread of Being Torn to Pieces By the Dog

This is part eight of the 1919 interview of then 71-year-old Bridges Smith (1848-1930) entitled "BRIDGES SMITH, AFTER FIFTY YEARS OF NEWSPAPER WORK, INTERVIEWED FOR FIRST TIME BY GIRL REPORTER." Upon his death, Mr. Smith was laid to rest in Rose Hill Cemetery...

Locked Up for Half a Day
The oddest experience that this old-time reporter ever had was being locked up in jail for a half a day, though he admitted that he had had a good many other odd ones in his time.

"Probably being in jail for half a day and yet out of it was the queerest thing that ever happened to me," he declared. "It was when the six condemned riot prisoners from Eastman were confined in the old jail for safe keeping. One Sunday, just after dinner, I visited the jail as was my custom and went upstairs to talk to the prisoners, and while so engaged the sheriff of Dodge county came to the jail to see about taking them to Eastman. Bill Foster was the jailer, and forgetting about my being upstairs he took the Dodge sheriff out for a walk over town."

"Bill had one of the most ferocious bulldogs you ever saw, and when he went out that way the dog took his position in the jail doorway and no prisoner would dare to escape through that door. When I was ready to leave I started down the stairway to find that awful bulldog on guard. I stopped about three steps down, for I heard the dog's warning growl. By degrees I eased myself to a sitting position, and there I sat, afraid to call Bill, and, in fact, afraid to make the slightest move."

"Now and then the dog would look upward and give a low growl. I could hear the people passing along the street, but couldn't see them for the high fence around the jail. I knew there was no one about the jail yard and that I had to stay a prisoner there until Bill returned. Night was coming on, and there I was, unable to make my rounds for news. When darkness came the jailer's wife happened to come around and at first sight of her I called out gently to take the dog away. This she did, considering my predicament the best sort of a joke. But it was far from a joke to me. It was one of the most horrible afternoons of my life, being in momentary dread of being torn to pieces by the dog."

...Next up -- Author of Opera and Songs.

Seized Every Opportunity to Write the Human Things of Life

This is part seven of the 1919 interview of then 71-year-old Bridges Smith (1848-1930) entitled "BRIDGES SMITH, AFTER FIFTY YEARS OF NEWSPAPER WORK, INTERVIEWED FOR FIRST TIME BY GIRL REPORTER." Upon his death, Mr. Smith was laid to rest in Rose Hill Cemetery...

Recalls Great Human Interest Story
Of the experiences of the long-ago there are two that etched themselves on his brain never to be forgotten. One is the story of a train wreck on the Southern, which produced a human interest story, so dear to a reporter's heart.

"I heard there was a very serious wreck on the Southern and rushed down to the old Southern station to find out about it," he said, again leaning forward in his chair and tapping on the desk. "The baggage master, whom I knew well, told me it was pretty bad and that the wrecking train, ambulances and doctors had already gone. I waited around some time and the train came in, bringing the casualties. I don't remember whether there were any killed or not, but I do remember that two little negro boys had both of there legs cut off at the trunks of their bodies.

"The little darkies had been wrapped up in blankets and brought to Macon for medical attention. When they were first taken off the train they were laid on the platform of the station until they could be taken to the hospital. Unconscious of their casualty, neither knowing that their legs had been cut off, the two laying out there under the stars began to sing, "In the Sweet Bye and Bye," and other melodies loved by the negro race. When they finished singing they talked, one saying that his toe itched and the other declaring that his leg hurt.

"I stood there listening to them talking and singing realizing that I had a great human interest story," the Judge said. "I have always seized every opportunity to write the human things of life, and that is why I believe I have succeeded in my writings as well as I have. I write in my column the little human things that most people overlook."

...Next up -- Bridges Smith was Locked Up for Half a Day.

Walked His Feet Off on the Streets

This is part six of the 1919 interview of then 71-year-old Bridges Smith (1848-1930) entitled "BRIDGES SMITH, AFTER FIFTY YEARS OF NEWSPAPER WORK, INTERVIEWED FOR FIRST TIME BY GIRL REPORTER." Upon his death, Mr. Smith was laid to rest in Rose Hill Cemetery...

Conditions Change in Interim
"One night in 1907 I turned the city over into the hands of Judge Miller before a large number of citizens who had gathered to see him installed as mayor," the mayor-reporter said. "After the installation services were over I walked down to The Telegraph and took the same seat I had left nineteen years before when I went into politics. When I left the paper I was the only reporter and there was no city editor. When I returned that night there were five young fellows acting as reporters and a city editor. Nineteen years before the type had been set up by hand and when I returned it was set up by machinery."

"Instead of reporters handing in the copy in long hand they were writing it on typewriters. I realized at once that if I was going to keep up with those young fellows I must learn to write on the typewriter. Mr. Pendleton, who was then at the head of the paper, bought me a machine and soon I was grinding out copy with the best of them. Ever since I have done practically all of my writing on the typewriter," he said, waving his hand towards his machine by his desk where some copy for "Just 'Twixt Us" lays half completed.

Frank Mangum was one of those five young reporters he had to compete with on his return to the paper. He has never lost track, he said, of Mangum, but the other four have passed entirely out of his life.

Bridges Smith did not remain a reporter for long, but soon became city editor of the paper, which position he held for a number of years. It is not of these later years that he loves to talk though. He enjoys recalling most those days when he nearly "walked his feet off on the streets" and wrote practically every thing that went in the paper.

...Next Up -- Bridges Smith Recalls Great Human Interest Story.

Emptied One Tankard of Beer After Another

This is part five of the 1919 interview of then 71-year-old Bridges Smith (1848-1930) entitled "BRIDGES SMITH, AFTER FIFTY YEARS OF NEWSPAPER WORK, INTERVIEWED FOR FIRST TIME BY GIRL REPORTER." Upon his death, Mr. Smith was laid to rest in Rose Hill Cemetery...

Got Malaria at Wet Hanging
Bridges Smith was away from his beat twenty-six days during that first decade. He never took a Sunday, a Thanksgiving, a Christmas, a Fourth of July, or any other holiday off in those years. Of the twenty-six days he was absent, sixteen of them were because of illness and the other ten he accounted for.

In explaining the cause of his illness the Judge said, "One day I went to Eastman to a hanging of six rioters. It was a big story, for as you know six men are not often hung at one time. The rioters had been held in the Bibb County jail for safekeeping until the day of the hanging, when they were carried to Eastman guarded by the Volunteers. It poured down rain and as I had on a cap the rain ran down my back in streams. Coming home on the train I couldn't write a line because the Volunteers were on board and there was considerable excitement. When I reached the office, H. C. Hanson, who was then business manager of the paper, told me to sit down and write my story that he would feed me.

"The story had to be written in long hand, as typewriters were not used then. As I wrote I emptied one tankard of beer after another, Mr. Hanson filling it up as fast as I could drain it. There is no telling how many tankards I drank before I finished that night. The next day I woke up sick. The water falling down my back all day gave me malaria and I had to go to Indian Springs for two weeks."

"The other ten days I missed," he began and stopped for several minutes before continuing. "Oh, well, just between us I got married and went to Florida on my honeymoon," he bashfully asserted.

In December, 1788 [should be 1888?], Mr. Smith was elected clerk. Later he ran for mayor and was elected. He served as Mayor until 1907, when he retired, Judge A. L. Miller taking over the reins of the city's government.

...Next Up -- Conditions Change in Interim.

Walked Under the Stars Bareheaded

This is part four of the 1919 interview of then 71-year-old Bridges Smith (1848-1930) entitled "BRIDGES SMITH, AFTER FIFTY YEARS OF NEWSPAPER WORK, INTERVIEWED FOR FIRST TIME BY GIRL REPORTER." Upon his death, Mr. Smith was laid to rest in Rose Hill Cemetery...

Never Wrote a Better Story
Judge Smith reveled in the shock Senator Tillman received when he saw the story for, as he said, he knew he was only amazed and not hurt. He never wrote one thing about him that could have harmed him, he declared. This was the rule he followed during his newspaper life.

"I never hurt anyone intentionally in my writings," he earnestly said. "If I ever injured anybody's feelings I don't know it. I was always especially careful not to hurt a mother. The father did not make so much difference, but I used every precaution to keep from injuring a mother. Every night when I went home from the office, between 1 and 2 o'clock in the morning, I would remove my hat and walk under the stars bareheaded and go over everything I had written that day. I recalled everything I had said in each story and if there was anything in them that would injure unnecessarily a human being I would go back and smoothe that story over. On several occasions I had reached my gate before I thought of a hurt a certain story might do, but I went back to the office anyway and changed them."

The actors and actresses interviewed by this veteran reporter are legion. Edwin Forrest and Edwin Booth stand out in his memory clearer than any of the rest.

Broke in During Civil War

It was during the civil war that Bridges Smith first broke into print. He was not a regular reporter in those days, but a contributing reporter, being engaged during the war in making ammunition for the Confederate army. His contributions were printed in the "Daily Citizen," a little pioneer newspaper published in the exact place where the Telegraph is today. During that time newspapers had few facilities and were published under difficulties.

These years as a contributing reporter are not included when the Judge says that he has been in the newspaper game for half a century. During that half century he has been connected directly or indirectly with the Telegraph.

In 1778 [maybe should read '1878'] he came to the Telegraph as a local reporter and for ten years he filled that position of writing all the news that "broke" in and around Macon. It was the business of the one reporter to attend all weddings in town, funerals, shows, entertainments, and everything else that "turned up."

"In those days there was no such thing as a city editor," he declared with a reminiscent look on his face. "The one reporter was known as the local editor. I was that lone reporter and local editor for ten years. During those years I ran my life on a set schedule, leaving home at 9 o'clock in the morning and working until after midnight every night."

...Next up -- Bridges Smith Got Malaria at Wet Hanging.

The One with the Large, Heavy-Set Man in a Big Straw Hat and Linen Duster

This is part three of the 1919 interview of then 71-year-old Bridges Smith (1848-1930) entitled "BRIDGES SMITH, AFTER FIFTY YEARS OF NEWSPAPER WORK, INTERVIEWED FOR FIRST TIME BY GIRL REPORTER." Upon his death, Mr. Smith was laid to rest in Rose Hill Cemetery...

Can't Recall a Single Rebuff
President McKinley, according to Mr. Smith, was "just as nice as he could be." He treated him cordially and answered all the questions asked him. For one to be so cordial though, was not odd, as everybody treated Bridges Smith respectfully during his entire newspaper career.

"I can't recall a single rebuff I ever received," he declared. "Now, I might have got some, but if I did they were so slight I have forgotten them."

Of all the interviews Bridges Smith ever got he remembers with the greatest pleasure the one with the late Ben Tillman, Senator from South Carolina, who was not conscious of the fact that he had been interviewed until he read the story in the Telegraph the "morning after."

"I saw Tillman at the old station and talked to him for quite a while, but he did not know I was a reporter," Judge Smith said with a smile. "The way it happened was like this: Every morning I left home at 9 o'clock and always went to the station the first jump out of the box. I knew all the trainmasters and officials and they gave me some good stories. One morning I saw in the waiting room a large, heavy-set man in a big straw hat and linen duster. He looked like a big countryman, but I could feel that there was something about him different from other men. Though I did not recognize him as being Tillman, I knew he was a man of some importance. He asked me a question and we talked on the big topics of the day. In the course of the conversation I found out who he was. I have often imagined his amazement when he saw the next morning's paper and read his side of the conversation. I bet he spent some time trying to figure out when he had talked to a reporter."

...Next -- Bridges Smith Never Wrote a Better Story.

Presidents, Senators, Governors, Preachers, Actors, Clowns & Undertakers

This is part two of the 1919 interview of then 71-year-old Bridges Smith (1848-1930) entitled "BRIDGES SMITH, AFTER FIFTY YEARS OF NEWSPAPER WORK, INTERVIEWED FOR FIRST TIME BY GIRL REPORTER." Upon his death, Mr. Smith was laid to rest in Rose Hill Cemetery...

"By WILLIE A. SNOW
After fifty years of newspaper writing, jammed full of interviews with Presidents, Senators, Governors, preachers, actors, clowns and undertakers, Bridges Smith, now editor of the column, "Just 'Twixt Us" on The Telegraph and judge of the Juvenile Court, recalled only a few of the distinguished persons who have passed his way when he was interviewed yesterday for the first time during his life about his own experiences in chasing news.

Sitting in his office crowded with books, the majority of them enormous scrap books bulging with newspaper clippings on every subject from Fort Hawkins to the Georgia State Fair, he received the question, "Who are some of the great men you have interviewed?" with a wrinkling of the brow and a thoughtful expression. He leaned forward in his swivel chair and tapped with his fingers on the desk for several minutes.

To interview "greater lights" was all in a week's work with Bridges Smith when he began handing in copy in the seventies' so he did not bother cluttering up his brain remembering the names of them. After administering two dozen taps on the desk he leaned back and with a little resigned wave of the hand said: "Why, yes, I interviewed up to twenty years ago every man of note who visited Macon since '78, but I can't remember all of them just off-hand like this."

Asked About Jeff Davis' Health.

After a few more minutes of wrinkled brow he continued: "I interviewed President Wilson when he came to Macon, also Jefferson Davis on one of his visits here. Mr. Davis made several trips to Macon, but when I talked to him it was in '85, when he came here to attend the reunion. It was, I remember, on the balcony of the old union station just before he made a speech. I don't know what I asked him, but I suppose I inquired about his health."

As the smile which ventured forth on the face of his hearer at the thought of interviewing so famous a personage on the condition of his health, Judge Smith said: "You must remember interviewing was not an art in those days like it is today. I interviewed all important visitors, but it was not the big part of my work."

"When William McKinley came here, I interviewed him on some current topic of the day. In honor of his visit, an arch made of cotton bales was built over Poplar street. While here, he also made a speech which I covered."

...Next up -- Bridges Smith Can't Recall a Single Rebuff.

The First of Many About Bridges Smith

Bridges Smith
(1848-1930)

Beneath this simple, nondescript gravestone rest the mortal remains of Bridges Smith. He worked in the Confederate States Arsenal at Macon, GA during the Civil War, and he was a newspaper man. He was mayor of the city of Macon, and he was a clerk for the City Council. He was also a juvenile court judge. One might think the tombstone memorializing him would be much more ornate. Without doing the research, most would probably walk right by his grave in the Eglantine Square section of Rose Hill Cemetery without giving it a second look or thought.

Bridges Smith was born in North Carolina to James H. and Mary L. Smith. James, a painter, brought his family to Macon, GA in the year 1858.

Bridges, as Mayor of the City, and his second wife Katrina (she was also laid to rest in Rose Hill) were living at 855 Second Street in Macon during the year 1900. This would be his address for the remainder of his life. By 1920, Bridges was married to a third wife (her names was Margaret) and was a juvenile court judge. Margaret, too, was buried in Rose Hill upon her death in 1928.

In 1919, Bridges Smith was interviewed for an article in the Macon Telegraph. I will post excerpts from that article over the next several days. Here it begins with Bridges writing the opening himself, answering the question of how he likes being interviewed.

Macon Telegraph
10 October 1919

"BRIDGES SMITH, AFTER FIFTY YEARS OF NEWSPAPER WORK, INTERVIEWED FOR FIRST TIME BY GIRL REPORTER.

Recalls Inquiring About Jefferson Davis' Health and Quizzing Ben Tillman Unawares.

Never Wrote a Line That Would Hurt a Human Being -- Is Author of Poems and Opera.

BY BRIDGES SMITH -
How do I like being interviewed? Oh, well, so far as that's concerned, I'm used to it. Time was, when I was worth it and knew lots, to be interviewed was a part of my daily duties; and there was also a time when interviewing others was my daily task. But this thing of being interviewed by a pretty girl reporter is something else, something new.

Just a plain man reporter simply holds you up, and whether you know or think anything you must stand and deliver. You've just simply got to know something, and if you don't know it he'll know it for you and sometimes better than you do. You spend an hour, more or less, in mortal dread, fearing he'll ask about something you wouldn't have him know for worlds; then after he is gone you spend another miserable hour fearing he'll ball up what you did tell him.

Now, being interviewed by a pretty girl -- well, that's another thing. You get interested in her, her methods being so gentle, and you forget about being afraid of letting cats out of bags by telling state secrets. She has such a sweet winning way of drawing you out, and, like the goose you are, you would tell her the secrets of your very soul were she to ask for them. You find yourself talking unguardedly, saying things that after she is gone, leaving the fragrance of her smile to linger long with you, you wished you had put in better shape.

After she is gone you seem to wake up as if from a dream and wondering what the dream was about. And some how you feel all the better for her lending her presence. It was like sunshine let into a sick room, and her leaving as though the shades were pulled down and the sunlight shut out. And now I'm wondering what she'll say in print. Though why should I care? A man who can't trust his words to a pretty girl reporter deserves the worst she can write about him."