Butts County GaArchives News.....Old Bethel Cemetery December 1908 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Don Bankston http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00024.html#0005864 May 19, 2011, 7:45 pm Butts County Progress December 1908 Old Bethel Cemetery Old Bethel, the mother of churches, oh, how sacred the name and how charming the memory clustering around its past by the descendants of the first settlers of this fair section of God’s domain. Old Bethel, older than Butts County. Before the smoke from the wigwam of the Red man had spread itself upon the skies, or the war whoop had ceased to echo form the forest clad hills and unsettled plains of our soil, when Jackson was a part of his happy hunting ground, Old Bethel was the only accessible place of worship in this section where the white families could hear the gospel preached once a month and mingle their voices in praise, singing “How Firm a Foundation”. “How sweet the name of Jesus Sounds”, and “When I can Read My Titles Clear.” When we hear the name Old Bethel pronounced we see the noble forms of many sleeping there pass before our dimming vision. They are men and women, who fought the vices of an untamed and ferocious wild and unorganized society, laying the foundation for our present state of high moral and christen civilization, with no hope of immediate reward, but with an unselfish struggle for their prosperity, whom they could see down the vista of time, reaping their reward. In gratitude and loving memory of the moral and Christians soldiers whose sleeping forms are waiting for the resurrection, in the cemetery hard by the magic name many efforts have been made to enclose the beds of clay spotting the face of terrafirma. It is remembered that church composed of many wealthy___________, all having cemeteries that have sprung up all over the ___________ and that the members of old Bethel has decreased and has only a few, the major ones of whom are not free hold________not seem remarkable efforts to substantially___________grave yard has proven____________. This year a committed composed of Messrs. H. M. ________,Chairman, Taylor Buttrill, T. P. Atkinson, and _____Moore and J. L. Barnes, _________ose personnel spell _____________was organized. Their ______ment was their first act and was to appoint Mr. G. _____and Mrs. Leila Burford as collectors of an impo_________. They solicit contributions from people generally, them________ for the money was wanted permanently and substan______ lose Old Bethel Cemetery _____at their money would _______ided in a case a suffiential ___________s not raised to complete the work. The citizens _____amounts ranging from forty-five cents to twenty dollars. After many days of work and gratuitous work, not being discouraged by some that could have known that su _______thy cause in such noble _____not fail, this determined and patient lady, both _______have loved ones resting there receiving the plandi________community. The many moral heroes and heroes whose name never appears in history’s page who have____and fearlessly overcome __________sentiment in a battle organization as was played by daring ones in mortal combat and whose names are chronicled. Mr. J. Matt McMichael hung heavy wire to hewn stone posts, deeply set in the ground around Old Bethel Cemetery last week, and has been paid in full by the committee. Because the preservation of the homes if the helpless by the unselfish work of those who have not yet joined the great majority, is the highest mark of Christian civilization of a physical nature and because all patriotic, country-loving, God-worshipping people appreciate novel deeds and because I fell all honor is due to those whose well directed efforts have culminated so happily and successfully and because every contributor of his mite, however small, has placed his name on an honor roll, I have written. Respectfully, N. J. Harmon Butts County Progress Week of December 11, 1908 Additional Comments: Portions of this newspaper article has a crease in the paper and words in this crease are hidden, thus creating all the blanks which I could not fill in the words. N. J. Harmon, writer of this article is Newton Joseph Harmon, May 27, 1854 - March 4, 1909. Wife was Leila Bankston, born January 21, 1861 - March 3, 1950. Leila Bankston was the daughter of James Riley Bankston, born April 10, 1821 – December 23, 1898 and his wife Elizabeth A. Phillips, born June 24, 1824 - September 9, 1899. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/butts/newspapers/oldbethe3056nw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/ File size: 4.9 Kb