Butts County GaArchives Photo place.....O'Neal Cemetery-Butts County, Georgia 1980s
************************************************
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:
Larry Knowles knonga@bellsouth.net August 27, 2004, 3:10 am

Source: Larry C. Knowles, Conyers, Georgia
Photo can be seen at:
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/butts/photos/nph141onealcem.jpg
Image file size: 106.4 Kb

THE O'NEAL CEMETERY-(photo, mid 1980s)

The O'Neal family cemetery is perhaps one of the oldest in Butts Co. It is 
located in the northeastern corner of landlot #249/1D. Family patriarch, 
Zachariah O'Neal(spelled O'Nail in early records)purchased this lot on February 
13, 1822, when it was still part of Henry Co. The stone vaults pictured here 
are the only promenient monuments. Any inscriptions-if any-have long since 
faded. However, in visits prior to this photo(when leaves were sparse)there 
were clearly twelve or more additional graves. According to the late Walter O. 
Knowles, who married Zach's great granddaughter-Elsie O'Neal, her father "Mr. 
Pink"(Pinkney)O'Neal often visited the family cemetery; the grave of a half 
brother who died in the Civil War. Since there was only one early O'Neal family 
in northern Butts Co., I have speculated that the Sarah O'Neal named as a 
charter member of Sardis Baptist Church in 1823, was probably Zacharah's wife. 
I have further surmised, that she was the Sarah "O'Nail" who died December 9, 
1832[as noted  in the Allen & Peletiah Gray family bible-copy in the Georgia 
Archives]. Peletiah-"Pelly Gray"-was Zachariah's daughter. Pelly and her 
siblings birthdays were listed together in the bible: Aaron O'Nail-April 19, 183
(1803); Rachel O'Nail-February 8, 186(1806); Mary O'Nail-June 23, 188(1808); 
Edward O'Nail-October 25, 1810; Evelina O'Nail-June 25, 1818; and "Pelatier?" 
O'Nail-January 25, 1815. Sarah O'Nail's death was listed separately. I believe 
she is likely buried beneath the larger enclosure shown. Obviously, the smaller 
is an O'Neal child. Zachariah O'Neal remarried in 1840(Parmelia Taylor)and 
supposedly died in South Georgia. See separate page-or pages-from the Gray 
Family Bible]

The cemetery is on private, gated land. Permission is required for access. It 
is located east of Fincherville Rd, 3/10ths of a mile along Hasty Rd.(formerly 
Findley Rd.)-along a drive to the right. The site is 1/10th mile along this 
drive(to the left)just before entering a large clearing-"the big field" as it 
was known in the 1920s & 30s when my great grandfather, Oscar B. Knowles, 
planted cotton there. The gentleman picture here-my father, Bernard F. Knowles, 
late of Conyers, GA, picked cotton there. He often recalled(unfondly)swallowing 
a large grasshopper while singing, trying in vain, to harmonize with polished 
Black sharecroppers, and hired field hands!



File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/butts/photos/nph141onealcem.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/gafiles/

File size: 3.2 Kb