Upton Cemetery Inscriptions Coffee County, GA African American Upton Cemetery Biography (Earliest legible gravestone is dated 4/11/1865) Written By: Kia Hall 7/23/1999 "Our history is shrouded in mystery, denigration....agony, missing years block our path. Each generation passes with ‘secrets’, stories, tales of bliss and woe. Yes, honor the oral tradition, but remember the written word, it’s a key to informations’ store. Honor our pioneers, the ancestors who’ve gone before, through and for them we exist.....A Legacy of Survival." Upton Cemetery is located in Coffee county,GA and fronts Highway 32 traveling from Douglas to Ocilla. It is situated on farmland once owned by Mrs. John Slater. Access is gained via a driveway shared with a veterinarians’ office. Oral history has it, an Ashley, first name not remembered, donated the land for the Colored Cemetery. Clerk of court records from the 1800s indicate the land was owned by the Ashleys. The cemetery was also associated with the Freewill Baptist Church prior to its’ relocation to Douglas. From deeds and written documentation discovered to date, this is my deduction of the cemeterys’ origin. The initial cemetery, I think, was the slave burial ground for the plantation. (Ashley?) Upton Plantation and Farm Company are listed as leased properties in 1926 deeds. In 1939, the Upton Cemetery Association was founded, trustees appointed and minutes kept. Although pages are missing or torn, this book of minutes describes meetings held from 1939 to forty-six. The associations goals were (1) Purchase of the property (2) Collection of burial fees (3) Maintenance. A 1943 deed verifies the property was purchased. June 7,1945 minutes indicate the deed(s) were turned over to the treasurer, Tommie Curtis. Various minutes mention monies banked but the bank is not named. If a registry or map of burials exists, to date, I have not seen or been informed of it. I have compiled and alphabetized an "Upton Cemetery Registry" of those gravestones which were legible and included those without grave markers or illegible as "Unknown." NOTE: The cemetery and many graves are in dire need of repair. This biography and registry are ‘works in progress’ and data maybe added or edited. Special THANKS to: Mrs. Essie Mae Shaw & Mrs. Jarrell Litman African American Upton Cemetery Registry (Earliest legible gravestone is dated 4/11/1865) Bargary?,Annie E 2/?/1883 - 1/?/1988 Barn?,Thomas 10/6/1881 - 3/9/1928 Buchanan,Alma V 4/8/1929 - 12/22/1990 Buford,Jimmie Jr 9/23/1928 - 4/29/1943 Brown,Annie Died 11/17/1907 - Age 65 Brown,Ida N 1882 - 1960 Brown,Leroy? 1924 - 1958 Carnegie,Ruth 8/15/1908 - 7/7/1992 Chestnut,Joseph H 6/28/1928 - 2/14/1982 Chestnut,Raford 12/4/1874 - 9/25/1973 Clull?,William 12/12/1909 - 11/1/1992 Cohen,Esther R 4/13/1956 - 9/21/1985 Covington,Thomas B 1914 - 1977 Crave,Vidla A 1/31/1900 - 5/31/`980 Curtis,Andrew 10/22/1904 - 4/10/1986 Curtis,Arthur 2/13/1901 - 4/19/1976 Curtis,Elizabeth 9/19/1912 - Age 84 Curtis,John Henry 9/12/1917 - 7/19/1976 Curtis,Ira 7/21/1914 - 11/18/1976 Curtis,Lena Mae 8/21/1936 - 7/23/1972 Curtis,Melvin 3/12/1912 - 2/4/1975 Curtis,Oliver 7/2/1931 - 8/15/1978 Curtis,Regina D 4/7/1981 Curtis,Sylvester 4/4/1899 - 3/5/1975 Curtis,Tommy 12/18/1907 - ? Curtis,Vera 12/22/1900 - 11/10/1987 Curton,Elizabeth 1806 - 1956 Davis,Gertrude 4/3/1882 - 3/28/1962 Davis,Mary 6/11/1882 - 5/22/1963 Edmondson,Calvin 1895 - 1979 Edmondson,Granville 2/28/1929 Edmondson,Ralph W 5/16/1924 - 8/12/1966 Edwards,Cherry 12/26/1895 - 3/26/1946 Fate,Charlie 5/19/1907 - 10/29/1909 Fate,Hattie 9/16/1909 - 9/16/1909 Fennel?,Sam Fennel?,John Graves,Agnes Hodges 1886 - 1962 Graves,Benjamin 6/2/1908 - 6/23/1986 Graves,Eleanor 1909 - 1936 Graves,Hamilton 1/30/1909 - 9/8/1986 Graves,James 5/22/?? - 7/17/?? Graves,Zealon 1903 - 1955 Gray,Richard 8/30/1901 - 1/19/1980 Harrison,Adam 6/8/1890 - 10/5/1948 Harris,Victoria 1887 - 1932 Hixon,Emmit 3/6/1884 - 9/1/1967 Hixon,Luanar 10/25/1880 - 4/11/1865 Jackson,Della 12/11/1905 - 4/8/1980 Jackson,F 7/19/1888 - 10/10/1987 Jackson,Louise B 10/8/1917 - 5/24/1995 Jackson,Peter 4/1/1911 - 10/28/1975 Johnson,Ellen 4/17/1886 - 11/5/1971 Kearney,A B 1849 - 12/25/1925 Kearney,Mander 1862 - 9/30/1916 Kittle,Willie 7/6/1932 - 4/171980 Lettia 7/23/1943 - 6/23/1944 Louder,James I jr 4/13/1933 - 6/13/1981 Louder,Tom 1814 - 1959 Lott,Dempsey 4/7/1921 - 8/13/1992 Lott,Hazel 9/27/1927 - 3/7/1995 Love,Alice J 5/28/1901 - 8/13/1977 Love,Johnny 2/21/1886 - 12/23/1980 Love,Hattie 5/11/1911 - 10/10/1978 Love,Susie Irene 5/14/1902 - 12/29/1961 Love,William 10/20/1900 - 7/25/1962 Mcoray,Vinnia M 8/10/1833 - 8/8/1886 Mcrae,John W 10/7/1921 - 1/5/1991 Moore,Dora 9/10/1807 - 11/2/1941 Mosby,Dorothy G 1921 - 1975 Nixon,Clara 7/24/1899 - 8/23/1964 Pope,James 3/1/1892 - 3/2/1966 Pope,Julius 6/20/1912 - 12/23/1948 Pope,Lucie Reed,John A Died 10/8/1981 Richardson,Ellam 12/21/1939 Richardson,Luedlla? 12/3/1907 - 10/22/1971 Richardson,Lillie Bell 12/24/1908 - 11/22/1977 Richardson,Robert L 12/26/1903 - 12/21/1959 Richardson,Robert B jr 4/12/1928 - 1/22/1982 Richardson,Sheila T 1/17/1972 - 4/23/1994 Sam Age 28 Senessba? 6/16/1904 - 5/8/1920 Shaw,Annie 3/3/1863 - 12/11/1916 Shaw,Alzada 2/14/1914 - 4/29/1977 Shaw,Al 7/25/1938 - 3/11/1987 Shaw,Fred 3/17/1830 - 9/22/1916 Shaw,Henry 1/25/1909 - 1/13/1991 Shaw,James 5/6/1936 - 1/20/1994 Smith,Eliza 4/21/1894 - 5/17/1970 Watts,Eddie 1/11/1911 - 4/16/1985 Watts,Estella C 2/27/1920 - 7/1/1974 Wilso?,Samuel 10/13/1918 - 5/8/1945 Wright,Willie L 12/9/1892 - 12/1/1990 Unlnown ?/15/1909 - 1/29/1933 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown There are numerous Unknowns. ==================================================================== USGENWEB 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. This file was contributed by: Kia Hall beaver5ll@worldnet.att.net ====================================================================