History of the County Line Zion A.M.E. Church (African American), Bullock, Alabama http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/bullock/church/zionhist.txt ==================================================================== USGENWEB PROJECT NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store this file permanently for free access. File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Dara Tolbert ================================================================================ May 2003 My name is Dara Tolbert. I have been researching my family tree for as long as I can remember. My research has led me through the lines of the Tolbert, Hicks, Henry, Pruett, Long, Robinson and many more families. On Sunday, May 12, 2002 as part of a commitment I made to Frazine Taylor of the Alabama Department of Archives & History I documented County Line Cemetery. The reason it was on my list in the first place is because over the years I've come to know that some of my ancestors attended the church and were ultimately buried in the churchyard cemetery. My concern when I visit the Alabama Archives is that our black families are not as represented as the other families. As I reviewed what was available on those other families I found that someone simply made a decision to commit to producing material that could be placed on the shelves. In coming to this conclusion I decided to put my money where my mouth was. Ms. Taylor provided me with the proper paperwork and process. All I needed to do was "do it". So here it is, my contribution to making sure our families are represented on those shelves. Please note that the cemetery documentation was completed on Sunday, May 12, 2002. As individuals continue to meet the LORD the content of the cemetery will change. This represents what I saw on that date. The cemetery listing can be found at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/bullock/cemetery/zion.txt County Line Cemetery is located near Union Springs in Bullock County, Alabama just off County Road 66. It is adjacent to County Line Church and is currently under the leadership of A. R. Cannon. Union Springs was known as the Field Trial Capitol of the World in its heyday. The surrounding communities existed from farming. Some areas were great producers of cotton, peaches and pecans. It is still basically a rural area with residents who can trace their heritage into slavery. History When I spoke with Ezra Ivey Hatcher, a member of County Line A. M. E. Zion Church and church historian she talked of information that had been passed down to her by Brother John Austin. Back in 1875 the original name was Black Chapel and it was located in Macon County between the Seaborn Railroad and the Bullock County Line Railroad approximately one and one half miles from Armstrong. The lines ran through Montgomery and Russell Counties. The church was not a church the way we think of them today but a bush arbor where early families such as the Austins and Sneeds met to worship. This area was considered the church and therefore as family members died they were laid to rest in the immediate area. There were no formal funerals as we know them today, no limousines and no fancy head stones. Family members found their resting place amongst the bushes where they once worshipped. Since that time the railroad stopped running, houses have been torn down and the church eventually moved. The land where families once met to worship and where graves were placed was planted over with pine trees. Today, it is hardly recognizable. According to the church historian, Milt Edwards, a white land owner gave the church part of his land in Bullock County to build a church and a school. In 1952 under the leadership of Rev. S. J. Thomas the church moved to its present location. A wooden church and school structure were built. In 1975, under the leadership of Rev. E. D. Marshall the wooden structure was replaced with today's block structure. Eventually the rural schools were abandoned and children were bused to larger schools. The church school was eventually torn down. On today's site one will see the block church structure and the second cemetery. Visual Observations The church and cemetery are tucked away from the main county road by a long gravel driveway that takes the driver into an environment enclosed by trees and shrubs. One can easily hear the intermittent traffic as it travels by at high speed. The dirt and gravel driveway lead directly to the corner of the church where the sign welcomes you to the church property. To the left the dirt and gravel expand to create a parking area. Just pass this area is the graveyard. Observations / Thoughts There were flowers in various stages of decay. Some fresher than others. An example is the recent burial of Nagene Codio, one of my relatives on the Tolbert side. As I moved from grave to grave I was overwhelmed by the history beneath my feet. The name most recurring was Austin. This was very interesting to me because I'd heard we Tolberts were related to the Austin family. Each head stone held a mystery just waiting to be uncovered. For instance, I found the head stone and grave of Lela Mae Austin Jones. She married Henry Jones, first cousin to my paternal grandfather. They created the line that would marry into various parts of my family. Other grave stones were of my great uncles, great aunts and distant cousins. Documentation I started at what I perceived to be the top of the cemetery and called it row #1. It had two graves, one unmarked and one Susie Hill. My definition of an unmarked grave is one of a concrete slab, large or small. They are counted as grave sites because this is the form of marker that was utilized in the past. Often family members of the time were unable to afford the more formal headstone. The concrete slab had to do. Additionally, there are sites that I designate "No grave markings. May be an unused site." There are also instances where I found an arrangement of fresh flowers in an unmarked area. My contention is that someone in the area recognizes that site as the burial site of one of their loved ones. The fact that no concrete slab or burial head stone cannot be the only deciding factors, we have to take in all the available evidence. Additionally, it was brought to my attention that some early family members were laid to rest without benefit of the concrete slab or grave marker because it was not something they could afford. Grave Sites Upon first glance the observer sees a multitude of gravesites in a variety of conditions. Some have head stones and others do not. The old style of using a concrete slab to mark the gravesite is employed here. Some are adult size and others appear to be sized for infants. Closer examination shows that there are some graves visibly older than others. Erosion has taken place. Some of the concrete slabs have shifted and are partially buried in the earth. Others are cracked or have simply been worn away over time by the elements. There are some graves around the edge of the cemetery that have been over grown by shrubbery and trees. One has to crouch down to read the headstones or to count the number of concrete slabs that have been hidden. There appears to have been an effort to create some order in the arrangement of the gravesites. Some of this is randomly disrupted because of trees and shrubbery. All in all I documented 135 gravesites in thirteen partial rows. Some were concrete slabs. Others were graves with head stones; and some were more recent and had the signage of the funeral home with the deceased's information typed or hand written. There were also some areas I suspect were unmarked grave sites because of their flower arrangements. Each site represented the last earthly remains of someone's loved ones. Names that are reoccurring in this cemetery are Austin, Cotton, O'Neal, Tolbert and Tatum. Submitted by Dara Tolbert on Saturday, May 17, 2003 to The Alabama Tombstone Project in conjunction with the documentation of County Line A.M.E. Zion Church Cemetery (dated May 12, 2002).