Jasper County GaArchives Cemeteries.....Prospect United Methodist Church Cemetery - Complete Survey ************************************************ 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: Rose Lewis rosehl@bellsouth.net September 20, 2008 PROSPECT UNITED METHODIST CHURCH CEMETERY 84 BARNES MOUNTAIN ROAD MANSFIELD (JASPER COUNTY), GA. 30055 LOT # 1 (4 Graves) Julian L(afor). Kelly B. 1-31-1873 D. 2-15-1942 Information: Son of Erbin Herschel and Anna Robinson Kelly (lot # 38); father of Mary Elizabeth (Lizzie) Pritchard, Sparta, GA; grandfather of Doris Olivia Pritchard Rozier, Newborn, GA and Mary Joyce Pritchard Hammett, Barnesville, GA, Loyd Edward Pritchard, Panama City Beach, FL, and Ruby Lee Pritchard Berry (deceased) Mattie Clyde Gaston Kelly B. 11-11-1881 D. 1-23-1963 Information: Wife of Julian L. Kelly C(harles) H(erschel) Kelly B. 9-6-1898 D. 4-29-1915 Inscription: "Come ye blessed" "Death is eternal life, why should we weep" Information: Son of Julian and Clyde Gaston Kelly; brother of Mary Elizabeth (Lizzie) Pritchard, Sparta, GA Edith Gaston Kelly B. 1899 D. 5-30-1965 Information: Sister of Mattie Clyde Gaston Kelly; wife of Alva Ralph Kelly (lot # 38) (Note: Square rock marks corner of plot, not a grave) LOT # 2 (1 Grave) James Henry Ozburn B. 1886 D. 1923 Information: Brother of Robert Ozburn (lot # 49) and Tom Watson Ozburn (lot # 50) Corrie Redd Ozburn B. 1890 Inscription: "His wife" Information: Buried in Lawnwood Memorial Park, Covington, GA; they had three daughters LOT # 3 (1 Grave) Unknown LOT # 4 (4 Graves) H (enry) G(rady) Lewis B. 8-12-1825 D. 10-26-1909 Inscription: "Tis not the whole of life to live, nor all of death to die" Information: Grandfather of George Lewis (lot # 20); great grandfather of Emma George Lewis, Monticello, GA, Carolyn Goolsby Lewis, Robert Herschel Lewis, Covington, GA, and Julius Benjamin Lewis, Monticello, GA (and others) Mary Shaw Lewis B. 1-20-1835 D. 12-28-1924 Information: Wife of Henry Grady Lewis Infant Information: Daughter of Weymon and Pearl Lewis; granddaughter of Henry Grady and Mary Shaw Lewis; she was one year old at death. Robert Lewis Reed B. 9-14-1954 D. 4-14-2000 Information: Husband of Janice Goolsby Reed, great, great granddaughter of Henry Grady and Mary Shaw Lewis. LOT # 5 (5 Graves) Newton Cunard B. 1847 D. 1927 Inscription: "CO. A, 32 GA INF., C. S. A." Emma M. Cunard B. 1842 D. 1915 Information: Wife of Newton Cunard Odessa Cunard Ellington B. 1881 D.1921 Inscription: "Wife of C. R. Ellington" "Faithful to her trust even unto death". Information: Daughter of Newton and Emma Cunard; wife of C. R. Ellington, who is buried elsewhere. Estelle Cunard B. 1872 D. 1957 Information: Daughter of Newton Cunard Claudia E. Cunard D. 11-7-1874 D. 7-16-1957 Information: Daughter of Newton Cunard LOT # 6 (4 Graves) Infant Information: Child of Newt and Annelle Morse, John Franklin’s granddaughter; the Morses are buried in Lakeland, FL. Pauline Franklin B. 4-8-1866 D. 5-15-1948 Inscription: "Aunt" "Sweet is the slumber beneath the sod, while the pure spirit rests with God" Information: Daughter of John and Josephine Franklin; lived with sister Robatine Anderson in Covington Jno. (John) C(arter) Franklin B. 11-3-1829 D. 12-30-1886 Inscription: "Our Father" Information: The lot is enclosed in a wrought iron fence. John Franklin’s father is buried at Starrsville. His great granddaughter is Mrs. James (Mary Margaret) Benton, Mansfield, GA. J(osephine) (Frances) Franklin B. 1-14-1836 D. 11-30-1892 Inscription: "Our Mother" "At Rest" "Mother" "J.F." Information: Wife of John Carter Franklin; dates and first two inscriptions are on side of larger marker, headstone has initials and third inscription LOT # 7 (7Graves) Gladys M. Floyd B. 5-6-1920 D. 5-12-1920 Inscription: "Mother’s Baby" Information: Daughter of Radus and Bernice Newby; granddaughter of Alfred and Martha Floyd Alfred S. Floyd B. 1870 D. 1955 Martha A. Floyd B. 1874 D. 1942 Information: Wife of Alfred Floyd Sceleta Floyd B. 5-10-1910 D. 8-8-1978 Information; Daughter of Alfred and Martha Floyd Mary Ann Newby B. 4-7-1947 D. 4-8-1947 Information: Daughter of Radus and Bernice Newby; granddaughter of Alfred and Martha Floyd Radus Newby B. 8-8-1914 D. 2-4-1997 Inscription: "PVT U S ARMY WORLD WAR II" Information: Husband of Bernice Floyd Mary Bernice Floyd Newby B. 7-6-1915 D. 12-31-2000 Information: Wife of Radus Newby; daughter of Alfred and Martha Floyd LOT # 8 (1 Grave) Robert G. Smith B. 8-5-1930 D. 4-1-1993 Information: Husband of Margie Bates Smith, granddaughter of Alex and Nannie King (lot # 48); father of Lisa Smith Hipps Connor, Covington, GA. Margie B(ates) B. 7-6-1930 LOT # 9 (3 Graves) Alfred P(erry). Cook B. 6-24-1920 D. 10-21-1921 Information: Son of Grover and Elma Cook; died from diphtheria Grover C(leveland). Cook B. 1-20-1892 D. 12-11-1930 Information: Son of John Morris Cook (lot # 40); father of Laura Belle Cook Lindsey; Alfred Perry Cook, Alice Ophelia Cook Parker, Harold Eugene Cook, Jackson, GA, and Wilmer Arnold Cook; grandfather of Barbara Parker Bankston, Mansfield, GA, Robert Thomas Parker, Covington, GA, and Nancy Carole Parker, Mansfield, GA Elma M(oore). Cook B. 8-6-1898 D. 3-5-1983 Inscription: "Wife of Grover C. Cook" Information: Sister of Evelyn Moore Hodge LOT # 10 (5 Graves) Charley Terrell Rye B. 2-1-1922 D. 2-15-1922 Inscription: "Baby" "Budded on earth to bloom in Heaven" Warren A. Rye B. 8-12-1919 D. 10-16-1944 Inscription: "GEORGIA PVT 361 INF 91 DIV WORLD WAR II" Information: Son of Lawrence Rye Lawrence B. Rye B. 6-22-1881 D. 3-5-1951 Information: Had a blacksmith shop across from Joel Hodge’s home Claudia B. Rye B. 1-19-1889 D. 4-18-1953 Information: Wife of Lawrence Rye (Mary Jane) Rye Information: Mother of Lawrence Rye LOT # 11 (4 Graves) J. C. Aiken B. 10-16-1848 D. 5-2-1918 Inscription: "At Rest" Information: J. C. was called "Albert" Tinie (Thompson) Aiken B. 11-25-1850 D. 2-23-1933 Inscription: "Wife of J. C. Aiken" "At Rest" Althea Thompson Barnes B. 7-12-1848 D. 11-14-1921 Information: Sister of Tinie Aiken Thomas Homer Barnes B. 6-5-1843 D. 3-5-1922 Information: Father of Hugh Robert Barnes (lot # 19) LOT # 12 (5 Graves) R. Louis Kelly B. 12-18-1912 D. 5-31-1914 Inscription: "SON" Information: Son of C. B. Kelly Ida Jones Kelly B. 3-16-1875 D. 4-10-1952 Information: Wife of C. B. Kelly C. B. Kelly B. 1871 Information: Son of E. J. Kelly, called "B" E. J. Kelly B. 1818 Information: His remains were taken up from cemetery in J. B. Spears’ pasture and buried here by granddaughter, Vallee Kelly, who lived in Columbus. Kelly Information: Wife of E. J. Kelly LOT # 13 (2 Graves) J. Grady Cargile B. 4-19-1896 D. 12-26-1973 Information: Father of Jeanette Cargile Sumners, Jackson, Mississippi; Rebecca Cargile Frakes, Kentucky; Leonard Cargile, Jonesboro, GA; James Cargile (deceased); Joanne Cargile (deceased); Patricia Cargile Ferris, Atlanta, GA; Grady Cargile, Jr. Covington, GA; and Linda Cargile Watkins, Jackson, GA Ethel D(igby) Cargile B. 8-7-1900 D. 9-26-1976 Information: Wife of Grady Cargile LOT # 14 (2 Graves) W(ill) H. Thompson B. 8-31-1826 D. 11-17-1901 Inscription: "Asleep in Jesus, blessed sleep from which none ever woke to weep" "In loving memory of" Information: Known as "Judge Thompson"; father of Will, Kate, Charlie (married to Sally, Glover Jordan’s sister) Paulina Thompson B. (1826) D. 4-5-1904 Inscription: "Wife of W.H. Thompson" "Aged 78 years and 10 days" LOT # 15A (l Grave) Campbell Information: Daughter of Luke Campbell, around six years of age; believed to be the oldest grave in the cemetery, according to Cornelia Lewis’ grandfather, Erbin Hershcel Kelly LOT # 15B (Edwin Allen Family) LOT # 16 (2 Graves) George William (Will) Burney B. 4-10-1859 D. 12-29-1925 Information: His wife died in early 1900's and is buried elsewhere; children were Lucille Burney (taught school at Prospect), Hollis Burney, and William Doyle Burney. William Doyle Burney B. 8-31-1902 D 11-13-1925 Information: Died of tuberculosis LOT # 17 (2 Graves) William Berry Beckwith B. 1856 D. 1928 Information: Brother of S. L. Beckwith (lot # 27); father of Allie Claire Beckwith Crane, Wightman Samuel Beckwith and Hubert Berry Beckwith; grandfather of William Beckwith Crane, Winston Salem, NC; great grandfather of Michael A. Crane, Charlotte, NC and Kathy Crane Lauter, Marietta, GA Sarah Frances Jones Beckwith B. 1863 D. 1926 Information: Wife of William Beckwith; sister of Eugenia Jones Digby (lot # 18) and William C. Jones (lot # 18) LOT # 18 (5 Graves) Lawrence Digby B. 12-2-1851 D. 8-10-1926 Inscription: "We will meet again. He is not dead, but sleepeth." (Mary) Eugenia Jones Digby B. 9-9-1853 D. 6-29-1929 Inscription: "Wife of Lawrence Digby" "Gone, but not forgotten" Information: Sister of Sarah F. Jones Beckwith (lot # 17) and W. C. Jones Wm. (William) C(olensworth) Jones B. 4-2-1858 D. 6-7-1920 Information: Father of Eleanor Deden, Mary, David Cluie, Thomas Fred, William Clyde, Annie Jean (played organ at Prospect for a number of years), Emily Inez, Ralph Kelly, and Sara Martha; grandfather of Sarah Taylor Davis, Oxford, GA; brother of Sara Frances Jones Beckwith, (lot # 17), Eugenia Jones Digby (lot # 18), Carrie Jones Thornton (lot #22), Julia Spears, Elizer Thomas (Tommy) Angeline Ellis, and Emma David Brown. Mollie (Mary India) Kelly Jones B. 11-21-1864 D. 9-14-1948 Information: Wife of William C. Jones; born the day Sherman marched through Shady Dale Mary Jones B. 5-23-1900 D. 4-9-1984 Information: Daughter of William and Mollie Jones LOT # 19 (8 Graves) Albert Allen B. 12-25-1851 D. 6-17-1917 Inscription: "Our father has gone to a mansion of rest, To the glorious land by the Deity blest" Information: Father of Albert Loice D. Allen, Sr.; grandfather of Albert Loice D. Allen, Jr. Cora Alice Allen B. 4-21-1857 D. 4-6-1930 Inscription: "Our mother has gone to a mansion of rest, To the glorious land by the Deity blest" Information: Wife of Albert Allen Albert Loice D. Allen B. 2-17-1899 D. 2-16-1962 Information: Father of Loice Allen, Jr. (lot # 23) Emma Saye Allen B. 1-10-1899 D. 3-16-1979 Information: Wife of Albert Loice Allen Hugh Robert Barnes B. 8-13-1880 D. 11-21-1917 Information: Son of Homer and Althea Barnes (lot # 11) Corrie Allen Barnes B. 9-1-1879 D. 2-27-1932 Information: Wife of Hugh Robert Barnes; daughter of Albert and Cora Allen John Kyle Allen B. 11-6-1885 D. 3-1-1965 Information: Brother of Loice Allen, Sr. Ilene Ivey Allen B. 7-29-1890 D. 9-17-1970 Information: Wife of John Kyle Allen; no children LOT # 20 (2 Graves) George Lewis B. 10-10-1897 D. 9-6-1987 Information: Grandson of Henry Grady and Mary Shaw Lewis (lot # 4); son of Robert Woody and Lola Tedders Lewis (lot # 41); brother of Henry Grady Lewis (lot # 56); husband of Cornelia Kelly Lewis; father of Emma George Lewis Lewis, Carolyn Lewis Goolsby, Robert Herschel Lewis, and Julius Benjamin Lewis Cornelia K(elly) Lewis B. 8-2-1906 D. 5-10-2003 Information: Wife of George Lewis Vicki Marie Lewis B. 1-5-1960 D. 8-30-1962 Information: Daughter of Benny and Janis Lewis; granddaughter of George and Cornelia Lewis LOT # 21 (1 Grave) Joseph B. Goolsby B. 3-28-1910 D. 7-6-1973 Information: Husband of Carolyn Lewis Goolsby; father of JoAnn Goolsby Cummings and Janice Goolsby Reed Carolyn L(ewis) Goolsby B. 10-1-1927 LOT # 22 (3 Graves) John W. Thornton B. 12-1-1857 D. 6-26-1931 Information: Father of William F. Thornton (lot # 24); grandfather of John Harris Thornton, Sr., Monticello, GA Carrie (Carolina Clementine) Jones Thornton B. 1-20-1852 D. 7-8-1926 Inscription: "She was the sunshine of our home" Information: Wife of John W. Thornton; sister of W. C. Jones (lot # 18) Capers Eugenia Thornton B. 2-20-1884 D. 3-6-1977 Information: Daughter of John W. and Carrie Jones Thornton LOT # 23 (1 Grave) Note: Incorporated into lot # 19 Albert Loice Deleon Allen, Jr. B. 2-8-1932 D. 9-19-2002 Information: Grandson of Albert Allen (lot # 19); son of Albert Loice D. Allen, Sr. (lot # 19); husband of Linda Allen; father of Edwin Allen, Debra Allen Glaze, Kyle Allen, Lyle Allen, and Lynn Allen Inscription: Military marker: "Albert LD Allen, Jr., U. S. Air Force, Korea, Feb 8, 1932, Sep 19, 2002" "If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane, I’d walk right up to Heaven and bring you home again." LOT # 24 (3 Graves) William F(arris) Thornton B. 9-13-1885 D. 3-29-1947 Information: Son of John W. Thornton (lot # 22); father of John Harris Thornton, Sr., Monticello, GA; Sunday School superintendent for Prospect UMC for several years Eula E. Thornton B. 7-26-1886 D. 4-14-1964 Information: Wife of William F. Thornton Martha Benton Thornton B. 1-24-1916 D. 5-25-1917 Inscription: "Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Thornton" "Blessed are the early dead" LOT # 25 (Vacant) LOT #26 (5 Graves) George Curry B. 8-1821 D. 2-5-1908 Inscription: "A soldier of the Civil War" Charlie Curry B. 6-24-1881 D. 7-17-1882 Inscription: "Son of R. C. and M. A. Curry" "Sleep on sweet babe and take thy rest, God called thee home, He thought it best" Information: Oldest dated grave; Robert C. Curry B. 4-1824 D. 3-19-1897 Inscription: "Death may the bonds of life unloose, but can’t dissolve our love" Information: Brother of George Curry Mrs. M. A. Curry B. 2-21-1845 D. 5-5-1927 Information: Wife of Robert C. Curry Curry LOT # 27 (2 Graves) S(amuel) L. Beckwith B. 9-30-1858 D. 10-28-1887 Inscription: "Our Brother" "At Rest" Information: Brother of William Beckwith (lot # 17); died with pneumonia, according to his great nephew, Michael Crane Belinda Digby Beckwith B. 3-27-1837 D. 1906 Information: Mother of Samuel and William Beckwith LOT # 28 (2 Graves) Loucinda Digby Hodge B. 6-22-1843 D. 3-19-1930 Inscription: "Mother" Information: Sister of Belinda Digby (lot # 27); grandmother of Carroll Hodge; husband, Duke Hodge, is buried on Wild Road Duke Seals Hodge B. 6-14-1877 D. 3-11-1965Inscription: "Son" Information: Son of Loucinda Digby Hodge LOT # 29 (10 Graves) W(illiam ) C. Campbell B. 8-24-1849 D. 1-2-1914 Information: Uncle of Mrs. Robert (Lola) Lewis (lot # 41); an early trustee of Prospect UMC who lived on Barnes Mountain Rd. M. E(mmaline) Campbell B. 4-24-1850 D. 12-3-1925 Information: Wife of W. C. Campbell Elise D. Lowery B. 7-5-1911 D. 1-19-1978 Inscription: "Ma Elise, we love you" Information: Sister of George Dooley; daughter of Frank and Denie Dooley; mother of Evelyn Lowery Jackson, Monticello, GA. Wilburn Lowery B. 10-17-1912 D. 4-7-1997 Information: Husband of Elise D. Lowery Daniel C. Brooks, Jr. B. 7-15-1970 D. 7-16-1970 Information: Grandson of Elise Lowery (lot # 29) Boyce F. Dooley B. 12-4-1908 D. 3-17-1911 Inscription: "Budded on earth to bloom in Heaven" "Son of B. F. and D. B." Infant Information: Child of Denie B. Dooley; died together at childbirth Denie B. Dooley B. 11-30-1884 D. 11-15-1918 Inscription: "Rest Mother, rest in quiet sleep, while friends in sorrows over thee weep" Information: First wife of B. F. Dooley; sister of Eben Allen (lot # 34), Orbie Allen (lot # 32), Juie Allen (lot # 30), John Albert Allen (lot # 30, and Sam Allen (buried at New Rocky Creek Baptist Church Cemetery) B. F. "Frank" Dooley B. 2-7-1881 D. 4-27-1959 Information: Father of George Dooley (lot # 45), Elise Dooley Lowery (lot # 29), Grace Dooley Middlebrooks, and Jack Dooley Evie M(organ) Dooley B. 3-12-1879 D. 12-9-1960 Information: Second wife of B. F. Dooley LOT # 30 (8 Graves) John Albert Allen B. 1-27-1876 D. 8-1-1954 Information: Brother of Orbie (lot # 32), Eben (lot # 34), Juie (lot # 30), Denie B. Dooley (lot # 29, and Sam Allen (buried at New Rocky Creek Baptist Church Cemetery); father of Marie Allen Brittain; grandfather of Allan Brittain, Camilla Brittain Fore, Nancy Brittain Burton, and Dorothy Brittain Turner Essie Polk Allen B. 8-22-1888 D. 4-28-1968 Information: Wife of John Albert Allen Ralph Allen B. 9-12-1912 D. 1-6-1918 Information: Son of John Albert and Essie Polk Allen; died with pneumonia Nina Mae Allen B. 6-12-1907 D. 3-10-1988 Information: Daughter of John Albert and Essie Polk Allen James Shade Allen B. 7-5-1910 D. 1-31-1962 Inscription: "GEORGIA CPL 3845 QM TRUCK CO. WORLD WAR II" Information: Son of John Albert and Essie Polk Allen Juie H. Allen B. 4-19-1886 D. 8-14-1948 Inscription: "Husband" Information: Father of Herschel Allen, Atlanta, GA Lena R. Allen B. 2-5-1888 D. 2-11-1973 Inscription: "Wife" Information: Wife of Juie H. Allen Charles Ellis Allen B. 9-8-1916 D. 12-28-1982 Information: Son of Juie and Lena Allen LOT # 31 (Vacant) LOT # 32 (1 Grave) Orbie A. Allen B. 2-18-1874 D. 2-7-1961 Information: Family listed under John Albert Allen (lot # 30) LOT # 33 (5 Graves) Paul Goodman, Jr. B. 3-3-1919 D. 2-24-1925 Information: Son of Paul and Ethel Dooley Goodman who are buried in Macon Richard H. Goodman B. 3-29-1855 D. 6-27-1939 Information: Grandfather of Paul Goodman, Jr.; brother of Rebecca Goodman Smith Malissie A. Goodman B. 4-26-1860 D. 5-29-1920 Inscription: "Wife of R. H. Goodman" "She was a kind and affectionate wife, a fond mother, and a friend to all." Charles Eldredge Smith B. 10-12-1870 D. 2-6-1940 Information: Local Baptist preacher Rebecca Goodman Smith B. 8-13-1877 D. 7-4-1942 Information: Wife of Charles Eldredge Smith; sister of Richard H. Goodman LOT # 34 (5 Graves) T. W. Dooley B. 7-4-1847 D. 3-22-1919 Inscription: "They who knew him best will bless his name and keep his memory dear while life shall last" Information: Father of Frank Dooley (lot # 29) and Vera Kate Dooley Allen Sarah A. Dooley B. 7-10-1862 D. 4-7-1934 Inscription: "Wife of T. W. Dooley" "Faithful to her trust even unto death" Eben E. Allen B. 7-19-1889 D. 8-17-1966 Information: Father of Geraldine, Eugene, and George Keith; other family listed under John Albert Allen (lot # 30) Vera K. Allen B. 5-28-1895 D. 6-22-1986 Information: Wife of Eben Allen; sister of B. F. Dooley George Keith Allen B. 6-20-1917 D. 10-12-1918 Inscription: "How much light, how much joy was buried with our darling boy" Information: Son of Eben and Vera Allen LOT # 35 (14 Graves) A(dell) Digby Information: Wife of William Digby Infant Information: Child of Adell Digby; buried with mother H(arvey) Digby Information: Son of William and Adell Digby; died in automobile accident Archie Ray Digby B. 10-1-1937 D. 3-11-1947 Information: Son of Buddy Digby; died with measles Mr. Lewis Buddy Digby B. 12-22-1897 D. 9-8-1974 Information: Father of Archie Ray Digby; husband of Jamie Mae J. W(hit) Digby B. 8-9-1851 D. 10-3-1929 W(illiam) "Sweetie" Digby M(artha) S(cott) Wilson Information: Sister of Annie Digby A(nnie) Digby Information: Wife of J. Whit Digby L(izzie) J(effers) White Frankie Jeffers B. 2-7-1914 D. 5-3-1974 Information: Son of Scrap Jeffers; dates were on metal marker, which is now gone S(crap) J(effers) Leach Information: Wife of Robert (Buddy) W. Leach Robert (Buddy) W. Leach B. 10-4-1892 D. 11-4-1979 Inscription: "PVT U. S. ARMY, WORLD WAR I" Doyle Leach B. 1926 D. 1978 Inscription: "PVT U. S. ARMY, WORLD WAR II" Information: Son of Buddy and Scrap Leach LOT # 36 (5 Graves) R. Colvin Kitchens B. 4-18-1906 D. 4-2-1980 Inscription: "Dedicated to the memory of our son, Wentzelle, who lost his life in Korea" Information: Father of Virginia Kitchens Weems, Elizabeth Kitchens Harrison, Tom Kitchens, Rachel Kitchens Cunard, Kay Kitchens Herndon, and Ruben Wentzelle Kitchens Ruth K(elly) Kitchens B. 6-2-1906 Ruben W(entzelle) Kitchens B. 12-31-1928 D. 9-19-1950 Inscription: "GEORGIA, CPL 25 MP CO 25 INF DIV KOREA PH" William Champ Kelly B. 8-25-1882 D. 7-4-1979 Information: Son of Erbin Herschel Kelly (lot # 38); father of Champ Seals Kelly, Ruth Kelly Kitchens, Wesley Kelly, Vivian Kelly Bearden, Loucille Kelly Thornton, and Marie Kelly Fears Inis Cook Kelly B.12-28-1875 D.12-26-1951 Information: Wife of William Champ Kelly Champ Seals Kelly B. 10-31-1902 D. 9-19-1925 Information: Son of William Champ and Inis Cook Kelly LOT # 37 (7 Graves) Joel A. Hodge B. 10-24-1894 D. 9-30-1989 Inscription: "SFC US ARMY WORLD WAR I" Information: Son of Cincinatus Lee Hodge Allene J. Hodge B. 9-22-1905 D. 9-28-1998 Information: Wife of Joel A. Hodge Judith C(arolyn) Hodge B. 3-7-1942 D. 9-3-1999 Information: Daughter of Carroll and Evelyn Hodge Carroll L. Hodge B. 2-27-1912 Evelyn M(oore) Hodge B. 5-20-1911 Cincinatus Lee Hodge B. 5-25-1868 D. 7-14-1937 Information: Father of Carroll Hodge, Monticello, GA Lola Amanda McLendon Hodge B. 12-23-1869 D. 8-2-1956 Information: Wife of Cincinatus Lee Hodge; death date on marker is incorrect according to Carroll Hodge - should read 9-2-1956 Joe Brown Martin B. 7-12-1921 D. 2-20-1991 Inscription: "LTJG U. S. NAVY, WORLD WAR II" Information: Husband of Leila Saye Hodge Martin Leila S(aye) Hodge Martin B. 4-22-1924 W. J. Bryan Hodge B. 11-6-1899 D. 4-25-1929 Inscription: "Although he sleeps, his memory doth live. You are not dead to us, but as a bright star unseen" Information: Father of Leila Saye Hodge Martin LOT # 38 (7 Graves) John H(erschel) Kelly B. 1879 D. 1940 Inscription: "Father" Information: Son of Erbin Herschel Kelly; father of Leon Kelly (lot # 42), Cornelia Kelly Lewis, John Ben Kelly, and Ralph Kelly (lot # 43) Dotsy (Georgianna Cook) Kelly B. 1879 D. 1957 Inscription: "Mother" Information: Wife of John Herschel Kelly Alva Ralph Kelly B. 11-30-1895 D. 7-28-1955 Inscription: "GEORGIA PVT U. S. ARMY, WORLD WAR I" Information: Son of Erbin Herschel Kelly E(rbin) H(erschel) Kelly B. 9-9-1852 D. 1-14-1941 Inscription: "FATHER" Information: Father of John Herschel Kelly, William Champion Kelly (lot # 36), Julian Lafor Kelly (lot # 1), Lillian Maude Kelly Evans, Oscar Paul Kelly, Ossia Pearl Kelly, Aubit Nathan Kelly, Lamar Kelly, Sidney Kelly, and Alva Ralph Kelly Anna (Robinson) Kelly B. 4-28-1850 D. 2-20-1924 Inscription: "Wife of E. H. Kelly" "MOTHER" S(idney) Kelly Information: Son of Erbin Herschel Kelly; no children L(ottie) Kelly Information: Wife of Sidney Kelly LOT # 39 (6 Graves) W. H(omer) Parker B. 8-23-1880 D. 11-21-1931 Information: Father of Alva Parker and Eddie Maude Parker; mugged, robbed, and killed on a street in Atlanta M(aggie Layson) Parker B. (1886?) D.( 4-22-1937) Information: Wife of W. H. Parker; sister of John Layson (Dates and name were on temporary marker, which is now gone.) Marcus D. Layson B. 12-1-1861 D. 5-8-1928 Information: Father of Floyd Layson (lot # 40), Maggie Layson (Mrs. Homer Parker), and John Layson Sara Jane Layson B. 12-10-1861 D. 2-14-1947 Information: Wife of Marcus Layson John H. Layson B. 9-21-1887 D. 3-28-1973 Information: Father of Lanier Layson Minnie Mae Huff Layson B. 5-28-1892 D. 9-14-1939 Inscription: "Mother" "Wife of J. H. Layson" LOT # 40 (9 Graves) J. Dozier Layson B. 1907 D. 1922 Information: Son of Floyd Layson; died with pneumonia J. Floyd Layson B. 1880 D. 1946 Information: Son of Marcus D. Layson (lot # 39) Lillie C. Layson B. 1889 D. 1972 Information: Wife of Floyd Layson; daughter of John Morris Cook; sister of Grover C. Cook (lot # 9) Sara Layson Loyd B. 6-9-1918 D. 9-14-1994 Information: Daughter of Floyd Layson Elvin Harris Loyd, Sr. B. 7-1-1920 D. 4-30-1992 Inscription: "S SGT U S ARMY WORLD WAR II" Information: Husband of Sara Layson Loyd Raymond M. Layson B. 6-6-1920 D. 3-28-1988 Inscription: "Father" Information: Son of Floyd Layson Mary W. Layson B. 4-30-1926 Inscription: "Mother" Information: Wife of Raymond Layson John Morris Cook B. 2-28-1869 D. 10--6-1941 Information: Known as "Jack"; son of Benjamin Washington Cook; grandson of John Wesley Cook, local Methodist preacher in 1872-73; father of Lillie Cook Layson (lot # 40), Grover Cleveland Cook (lot # 9), Minnie Lee Cook Ozburn (lot # 49), Albert Grady Cook, Aubie Neal Cook, and John Paul Cook (lot # 57); grandfather of JoAnn Cook Fuller and Emily Cook Kelly; great grandfather of Barbara Parker Bankston Josephine W(omack). Cook B. 3-25-1862 D. 9-3-1926 Information: Wife of John Morris Cook (Billie Lumsden) Information: Flat marble marker with no engraving; lived with different families in the community since she had no family of her own LOT # 41 (6 Graves) G(eorge) W. Tedders B. D. 9-15-1922 Inscription: "PVT. 1 GA. INF. C. S. A." Information: Father of Lola Tedders Lewis; died in buggy accident on square of Monticello Robert W(oody) Lewis B. 1-13-1871 D. 6-12-1955 Information: Son of Henry Grady and Mary Shaw Lewis (lot #4); father of George Lewis (Lot #20), Henry Grady Lewis (lot # 56), Robbie Lewis Elliott, Ewell Lewis, Royce Lewis, Velma Lewis McCullough, Mabry Lewis, Lorene Lewis White, and Lois Lewis Bohannon Lola T(edders) Lewis B. 9-15-1872 D. 2-2-1956 Information: Wife of Robert Woody Lewis Robert Mabry Lewis B. 9-14-1906 D. 2-9-1980 Information: Son of Robert and Lola Lewis Sarah I(mogene) McCullough B. 9-16-1929 D. 12-10-1929 Inscription: "Infant daughter of Thomas O. & Velma Lewis McCullough" Information: Sister of Bobby McCullough and Leonard McCullough Stanley S(pirgeon) Lewis B.10-7-1947 D. 9-17-2000 Inscription: "More each day" Information: Grandson of George and Cornelia Lewis; great grandson of Robert W. and Lola T. Lewis; Son of Spirgeon and Emma George Lewis Lewis; husband of Judy Lewis LOT # 42 (3 Graves) D. Leon Kelly B. 10-13-1903 D. 3-7-1989 Information: Son of John Herschel Kelly (lot # 38); father of Martha Ann Kelly, Colin Kelly (Lot # 53), Wayne Kelly, Jacquelyn Kelly Birchfield, and Joyce Kelly Gibbs Vallie K(itchens) Kelly B. 1-23-1901 D. 7-26-1979 Information: Wife of Leon Kelly; sister of Colvin Kitchens (lot # 36) Martha Ann Kelly B. 10-1-1932 D. 6-14-1950 Information: Daughter of Leon and Vallie Kelly; died with pneumonia LOT # 43 (2 Graves) Ralph H(erschel) Kelly B. 9-12-1909 D. 9-25-1991 Information: Grandson of Erbin Herschel Kelly (lot # 38); son of John Herschel Kelly (lot # 38); brother of Leon Kelly (lot # 32); father of Sybil Kelly Cunard, High Point, NC Carmie R(iggins) Kelly B. 11-4-1917 D. 1-4-1973 Information: Wife of Ralph Kelly LOT # 44 (John Ben Kelly Family) LOT # 45 (2 Graves) George O. Dooley B. 8-11-1914 D. 6-6-1960 Information: Son of Frank Dooley (lot # 29); father of Harold Dooley, Tommy Dooley, Troy Dooley, Linda Dooley Wood, Wayne Dooley, and Terry Dooley; led Sunday afternoon singings at area churches, accompanied on the piano by his sister Grace Dooley Middlebrooks Dorothy B. Dooley B. 5-11-1920 D. 7-25-1993 Information: Wife of George Dooley; daughter of Homer and Maggie Boyd; sister of Olin Boyd and Wilson Boyd LOT # 46 (1Grave) Donna Faulkner Sanders B. 5-29-1972 D. 5-23-2002 Information: Daughter of Warren D. and Joyce Faulkner (lot # 51); mother of Wesley Ray Sanders; victim of homicide Inscription: "Our Angel" "Wesley’s Mom" LOT # 47 (2 Graves) Lucy H. Chaffin B. 6-5-1874 D. 2-18-1938 Information: Wife of Theodore Chaffin Theodore J. Chaffin B. 8-3-1870 D. 5-13-1932 Information: Father of Theo Chaffin, Macon, GA LOT # 48 (5 Graves) D(onna Sue) Harris B. 5-1962 D. 5-1962 Information: Granddaughter of James and Mary King Bates; daughter of Theron and Sarah Lois Harris, Macon, GA Bates Infant Information: Child of James and Mary King Bates Bates Twins Information: Children of James and Mary King Bates Alex Thompson King B. 2-26-1886 D. 1-25-1972 Information: Father of Sara King Johnson (lot # 52), Nesbit King, Herbert King, and Mary King Bates, Oxford, GA; led singing at Prospect UMC and New Rocky Creek Baptist Church Nannie Lex (White) King B. 2-16-1886 D. 7-4-1980 Information: Wife of Alex Thompson King LOT # 49 (4 Graves) Morris Phillips Ozburn B. 6-2--1915 D. 10-28-1934 Inscription: "He is not dead, but sleepeth" Information: Son of Robert and Minnie Ozburn; killed in an automobile accident Robert Donald Ozburn B. 1-14-1929 D. 7-23-1937 Inscription: "Gone to be an angel" Information: Son of Robert and Minnie Ozburn Robert L. Ozburn B. 3-2-1889 D. 5-2-1961 Information: Brother of James Henry Ozburn (lot # 2) and Tom Watson Ozburn (lot # 50); father of Morris Phillips Ozburn, Robert Donald Ozburn, Christine Ozburn Burkhalter, and Carlton (Pete) Ozburn, Monticello, GA Minnie C(ook) Ozburn B. 2-8-1894 D. 9-14-1961 Information: Wife of Robert Ozburn; daughter of John Morris and Josephine Cook (lot #40) LOT # 50 (3 Graves) Tom Watson Ozburn B. 1-1-1892 D. 12-9-1940 Information: Father of James Paul Ozburn; brother of Robert Ozburn (lot # 49) and James Henry Ozburn (lot # 2); wife is buried in Atlanta Vannie May Ozburn B. 1-24-1906 D. 3-29-1983 Inscription: "Precious Memories" Information: Wife of James Paul Ozburn James Paul Ozburn B. 10-29-1912 D. 3-16-1994 Inscription: "Precious Memories" Information: Son of Tom Watson Ozburn LOT # 51 (4 Graves) Warren D(onald) Faulkner B. 1-6-1932 D. 10-29-1978 Inscription: "AIC US Air FORCE KOREA" Information: Son of Mary Faulkner; killed in an automobile accident Joyce B(rannon). Faulkner B. 6-23-1938 D. 10-29-1978 Information: Wife of Warren Donald Faulkner; killed in an automobile accident with her husband in Coweta County, GA; their three minor children, Crystal, Donna, and Amy were taken into home of Billy Morris and Merry Hilsman Faulkner Wm. Mark Faulkner B. 2-23-1956 D. 3-5-1990 Inscription: "You are the wind beneath my wings" Information: Son of Warren Donald Faulkner Mary Erin Morris Faulkner B. 5-27-1910 D. 6-1-2000 Inscription: "Loving Mother and Grandmother" Information: Mother of Warren Donald Faulkner and Billy Morris Faulkner; grandmother of Wm. Mark Faulkner LOT # 52 (2 Graves) Dorsey H. Johnson B. 6-1-1914 D. 5-31-1991 Information: Father of Jerry Johnson and Leslie Johnson Sarah K(ing) Johnson B. 4-14-1911 D. 8-28-1992 Information: Daughter of Alex and Nannie King (lot # 48) LOT # 53 (l Grave) Colin Kelly B. 11-21-1934 D. 8-10-1996 Information: Son of Leon and Vallie Kelly (lot # 42) Emily Kelly B. 6-28-1938 LOT # 54 (6 Graves) Rosa Lee McClendon B. 9-27-1903 D. 3-5-1990 Information: Daughter of John and Rebecca McClendon John Henry McClendon B. 9-6-1867 D. 2-6-1935 Information: Brother of Lola McClendon Hodge (lot # 37) Rebecca Cunard McClendon B. 4-11-1877 D. 1-10-1948 Information: Wife of John Henry McClendon Robert Howard McClendon B. 11-14-1898 D. 4-5-1970 Information: Son of John Henry and Rebecca McClendon Alice Saye McClendon B. 11-23-1896 D. 12-20-1972 Information: Wife of Robert Howard McClendon; sister of Emma Saye Allen (lot # 19) Jack J. Mitchell B. 6-23-1919 Inscription: "Loving Husband" Emma Josephine "Jo" Mitchell B. 10-11-1922 D. 1-11-2003 Inscription: "My Precious Angel" J. Nesbit McClendon B. 5-1-1930 D. 12-7-1984 Inscription: "AB 3 U S NAVY, KOREA" Information: Son of Robert Howard and Alice McClendon LOT # 55 (4 Graves) Betty Ann (Jordan) Brown B. 7-26-1929 D. 3-29-1991 Information: Daughter of Lawrence and Ocie Jordan Annie Laurie Bates B. 4-19-1915 D. 9-15-1935 Inscription: "Doodle" Information: Daughter of Lawrence H. Jordan; wife of J. C. Bates; mother of Chalton Bates, Mansfield, GA; killed in a school bus accident Lawrence H. Jordan B. 1-14-1883 D. 8-12-1959 Inscription: "FATHER" Information: Father of Mrs. Felton (Ruth) Rogers, Milledgeville, GA Ocie C. Jordan B. 8-4-1884 D. 12-27-1978 Inscription: "MOTHER" Information: Wife of Lawrence H. Jordan LOT # 56 (4 Graves) Alton E(ugene) Lewis B. 11-6-1926 D. 7-21-1990 Inscription: "CPL U S Army Korea" "Gene Lewis" Information: Son of Henry Grady and Annie Maude Lewis Henry Grady Lewis B. 9-18-1892 D. 8-20-1961 Inscription: "GEORGIA PVT U S ARMY WORLD WAR I" Information: Son of Robert Woody and Lola Tedders Lewis (lot # 41); brother of George Lewis (lot # 20) and Mabry Lewis (lot # 41); father of Charles Lewis, Monticello, GA, Noel Lewis, Audrey Annette Lewis, Alton Eugene Lewis, and Martha Lewis Robinson, Mansfield, GA Annie Maude McCullough Lewis Morgan B. 10-3-1903 D. 5-13-1999 Information: First wife of Henry Grady Lewis Audrey Annette Lewis B. 8-26-1933 D. 10-22-1938 Inscription: "Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. H. G. Lewis" "Darling, we miss thee" LOT # 57 (1 Grave) John Paul Cook B. 1900 D. 1949 Information: Son of John Morris Cook (lot # 40); father of Paul Cook and JoAnn Cook Fuller Dessie H(ickman). Cook B. 1908 Information: Wife of John Paul Cook LOT #58 (Robert Lewis Family) LOT # 59 (Billy Pruett Family) LOT # 60 (David Williams Family) LOT # 61 (Hubert Cunard Family) STATISTICS RELATING TO PROSPECT UMC CEMETERY May 2003 Number of graves: 214 Number of unknown graves: 1 Number of infant graves: 12 Number of graves of children, ages 1-12: 13 Number of Civil War veterans: 3 Number of World War I veterans: 4 Number of World War II veterans: 6 Number of Korean War veterans: 4 Number of soldiers killed in combat: 2 Oldest dated grave: Charley Curry, 1882 (lot # 26) Oldest grave: Campbell (lot # 15) Stories of Those Buried at Prospect UMC Cemetery When I first began to compile information for this booklet, I never meant to limit it to just documentation of those who have been buried in our cemetery. Although that information is important for present and future generations, I felt it was almost as essential to include stories relating to those departed souls. I understood that they had once been vibrant people, important to their relatives and loved ones. I also recognized that the many graves contained stories that never would be told and secrets that never would be revealed. Content then to share what little I could, over the course of several years, I interviewed several descendants and friends of the deceased and received letters from other relatives. What follows is the result of my attempt to collect as many anecdotes as possible. A Walk Through the Cemetery With Cornelia Lewis On a beautiful sunny winter day in 1994, I walked through the cemetery with my mother-in-law, Cornelia Kelly Lewis, then 88 years old. I had my tape player along and recorded our conversation. Cornelia has been a member of Prospect since she was eight years old. I’ve never known anyone with such a remarkable memory for people, places, dates, and events. My plan was to glean information that she could share with me about different ones and include that in my documentation and collection of stories. Primarily Cornelia provided the information line in the documentation of markers in the previous section. I included this with the idea that it might help make connections and prove helpful to genealogical researchers. Please accept apologies for any errors. After I had painstakingly transcribed our conversation, I realized the treasure I had in those notes. They were too priceless not to share them just as they were. I asked her permission to let me pass them on to you, the reader. Go with us now as we carefully maneuver our way over uneven ground, sometimes pulling back grass or dirt that have hidden inscriptions. Picture, as I did then, the people she spoke of with surprising familiarity, sometimes with affection, and at other times, with disdain. Those thoughts, however, have been generously censored from this account. Cornelia: "This is Mr. Lawrence (Digby) and Miss Ginny (Eugenia Jones) (lot # 18). Miss Ginny was also a sister of Mr. Will Jones." Rose: "Who is Digby?" Cornelia: "Her husband, Mr. Lawrence Digby. I don’t think he was any kin to Mr. Whit Digby. I don’t remember. Oh, he died the 26th day of August. I remember them. Let’s see, which one of them rode an old white mule. One or the other of them did. They came every Sunday in a buggy to Sunday School. But I know they didn’t have no children. It doesn’t seem to me like they did. Miss Peggy and Will Hicks, but they are not buried here either. They are buried down yonder across from where Luther and Annie Lee (Smith) lived — just growed up like a wilderness. And that’s Cousin Will and Mollie (Jones) over there (lot # 18) and Mary their old maid daughter who just died a few years ago. He died in 1920. Let’s see, Mollie didn’t die until ‘48. Well, she lived a long time." Rose: "She was a Kelly. Was she related to you?" Cornelia: "She was a Kelly. Yes, distantly related. She was old man Digby Kelly’s sister. That’s their daughter Mary. Mary was the old maid. She was one I could get some information from. Now she’s gone." Rose: "This must be John W. Thornton" (lot # 22). Cornelia: "John Harris’ grandmother and grandfather. Let’s see. He died in ‘31. She was also a sister of Cousin Will, Miss Carrie. That’s Miss Capers, their old maid daughter, who stayed down there so long and Mr. Weyman and Miss Nettie (Ellis) went down there one morning. She had some old cows and she had let them run out. She was going all over every thing trying to keep up with them. They got her and carried her to Milledgeville and she died down there. She died when Rodney (Daffron) was here. She hasn’t been dead too long. I know we came over here that evening. The wind was cold as everything. I think it was Rodney. "That’s Mr. and Mrs. Judge Thompson (lot #14). I feel like they might have been the next ones buried here after that little child was buried here. I don’t know. I’m not sure. This is Mr. Will and them parents, no their grandparents. Mr. Charlie (Thompson), Mr. Will’s mama and daddy are buried in Westview because she was Mr. Glover Jordan’s sister. Right there (lot # 15) is where that little child’s grave is. That’s the one Grandpa said was the first one ever put there. I don’t know why but every time he’d come and stay two or three days, he would say, ‘Come on Cornelia, let’s me and you go over to the cemetery.’ We’d come over here after dinner and stay over here two hours." Rose: "Do you have any idea when she was buried?" Cornelia: "No, but, Honey, it had to have been a long time ago. Grandpa probably knew. I forgot whether he said or not. They were living up yonder in that old two-story house. That was the old Luke Campbell house. I think Grandpa said she was either six or seven years old. I don’t remember her name." Rose: That oldest one is next to the Thompsons." Cornelia: "If they would just dig down there, there were two rocks there, and why, I don’t know whether it was when they dug Doyle’s (Burney) grave or whose but they just piled the biggest mess there on that grave. Oh, I remember this one mighty well. Miss Tinie. We used to love to go to her house. Mr Albert and Miss Tinie Aiken (lot # 11), now she must have been Mr. Charlie Thompson’s sister because they lived over there in that old house, that other big old house, what they called the Dirby house at the last. She always had teacakes. Mama would tell us, she’d walk up there in the afternoons with us, and she’d say, ‘Now, ya’ll don’t ask Tinie for nothing.’ We wouldn’t be there too long before Miss Tinie would say, ‘Ya’ll want some teacakes?’ I remember them just as good. They didn’t have no kids. "And that’s Mr. Homer and Miss Althea Barnes right here (lot # 11). They got them on the wrong side. Someone said that. She died first in 1921. He died in 1922. Now there’s grass all over them things. "Now, that’s where the old sisters are buried (lot # 5) that Ruth (Kitchens) looked so much like Sunday (1994 Sesquicentennial Celebration) with that hat on. I said, ‘I didn’t make fun of you. You were just the very spirit of them.’ I thought they had come back to life. No, they were Cunards. That was their sister. Miss Dessa married Cliff Ellington. They never did marry. They came to Prospect just as regular. They were real skinny and they wore little old bitty black top hats like that, and I just got so tickled when I went in there and looked up at Ruth. "Oh, that’s Uncle Julian and them down there (lot # 1). And Mr. Bob’s mama is buried right there (lot # 4). No sign in the world of her grave. It just bothers me to death. "That’s C. H., Uncle Julian’s son that died at 16 years where that marker is. There is no marker over Uncle Julian. I think Ruth and John Ben put those rocks down there. "Now, that’s where Miss Estelle and Miss Claude are buried right back there (lot # 5). Someone made some homemade things to put over them. This is Mr. Newt and Miss Emma, that was their mama and daddy. I think they said Cliff Ellington done it. He turned around and married some other Cunard, I believe, after Miss Dessa died. They lived in Monticello a while. She was a real pretty woman. Right back here, they’ve got homemade markers. I don’t see but one. Oh, there’s the old slab, but I thought there were two. "This is Miss Claude here — died in 1957. Now, that’s a homemade something. They could do something like that and put over Mr. Bob’s mama. Well, they both died the same year, according to this, 1957. They were sisters, old maids. You know that corner up there where Alice Ann and Roger Bell used to live. Well, there was a two story white house there and it was a nice house. Now, that’s Henry Ozburn (lot # 2). Someone ought to do something about that lot. You know, they buried their mama up there in Porterdale somewhere. And Corrie is the one who buried him here, his mama. Those girls wouldn’t bring her down here. Someone said they got mad because they wouldn’t cut a road where they could come around here. I told Robert, ‘I guarantee you that there was a grave right down here (lot # 3) because we passed by it every day.’ Grandpa said he didn’t know who it was. It might have been the first one ever put here. It was a grown person’s grave." Rose: "You passed by it going where?" Cornelia: "Going to the toilet right out yonder from the schoolhouse. Boy, we’d tear out down through here. It was a great big one right out there. That’s where we had to go to the toilet out there where the Ryes are buried somewhere. I can’t believe they struck no grave when they went to dig Lisa Hipp’s daddy’s grave. A child’s grave, they said. "That lot is just there (lot # 2). If anyone needed a lot, they could cut it in two and go a long ways with it. Looks like if they were going to bury their mama up yonder they would have taken him up and carried him up there. They got her name on that marker. I don’t know if it’s that new cemetery on the highway or where they buried her. They all lived up at Porterdale. "Oh, how I wish I had the strength to go down that hill and go to that stream. That little three-room house sat right down there. That’s where Mary Jane and old lady Claude lived. That’s Edith Gaston (lot # 1). Clyde is buried right there. That’s her and Uncle Julian buried by C. H. Go down there, Rose, and see when C. H. died. I done forgot exactly. I know I was nearly dead with the chickenpox. That’s uncle Julian’s son. 1915. I thought that was about the time he was buried. "Now that little grave right there (lot # 4). Those rocks was still there. That was Miss Pearl’s little girl. She was a year old when she died. Of course, I don’t remember anything about it. Mrs. Lewis and them were always talking about it. It’s Mr. Weyman Lewis’ daughter and Miss Pearl. She was a year old. There was brick all around it. If you could get down there and scratch, you could find some of those bricks in a circle. There was just bricks in a little circle around the grave. It just bothers me that there’s no marker on Mrs. Lewis’ grave. They could take a block and take some black paint and put Mary Shaw Lewis on it. Mr. Weymon married Miss Pearl Allen, Mr. Sam Allen’s sister. "That’s the Franklin’s (lot # 6). I’m sure they were among the first that were buried here. Mr. Felix, his son, and what was his wife’s name. They came here to church all the time until they moved to Mansfield. They used to live up yonder in that house right above where that corner is. I can’t remember who lived there last. I think there’s an old maid sister in that grave. Pauline, I think was her name. Boy, this iron fence has been here many a day. It’s rusted, but it’s still as stout as ever. Look at that old marker. Wouldn’t that be pretty if it were cleaned? "Now there is Mr. Farris (Thornton) and Miss Eula’s grave right there (lot # 24). That’s Alfred Floyd and Miss Martha (lot # 7). That’s their daughter’s little baby, their grandchild. Bernice Newby, she’s in the nursing home now. That’s Sceleta over there, one of the sweetest girls there ever was. Now she was an old maid. She was their daughter. She worked down yonder with us at the sewing room. She was the sweetest old thing. She was kind of curious, but she was sweet. "That’s Bob Smith (lot # 8). He’s facing this way, you know. She wanted him facing towards their house. Lisa did. "This lot (# 9) was so pretty when it was fixed. A woman from Jackson bought that. We happened to ride up when Elma was over here with her, and she had them put this around here. She was Evelyn Hodges’ sister. I haven’t been here in a long time but it’s usually just as clean, but it’s not now. Have you got Warren and Mary Jane (lot # 10) on the list? Warren is their boy who got killed in the war." Rose: "We’ve got that unmarked grave on the list, ‘Mary Jane, mother of Lawrence B. Rye.’ Here is Claudia." Cornelia: "That’s Lawrence’s wife." Rose: "Warren isn’t on the list." Cornelia: "That’s old lady Claude. They lived right down there in that little old house one time. A three-room house with all those children and old lady Mary Jane was with them, too, I think. Warren was killed in 1944. The war was nearly closed then, wasn’t it? "Oh, that’s Gladys’ (Ozburn) and them grandma, Miss Lucindy (lot # 28). She was Mr. Whit Digby’s sister. Cincinatus Lee Hodge was Bryan Hodges’ daddy. As we were walking through the cemetery that day, four others joined us, also with tape player in hand. They were Sara and Frank Davis from Oxford and Sara’s second cousins, Michael Crane from Charlotte, NC and Kathy Crane from Smyrna. Sara is the granddaughter of Mollie Kelly and Will Jones (lot # 18), and Michael and Kathy are the great grandchildren of Sara and William Beckwith (lot # 17). The following is conversation among them and Cornelia. Michael: "William Beckwith was my great uncle." Cornelia: "I remember them just as well when I was a child and they used to come to Sunday School." Michael: "Do you remember Claire Beckwith? She was our grandmother." Cornelia: "Yes. I wrote to Elma Jones. I had a letter she wrote me when we remodeled the church in 1971. I still had that address." Michael: "She died, you know, three years ago." Cornelia: "I also sent Ralph (Jones) a letter." Sara: "Uncle Ralph is in the hospital, not doing well at all. He’s in the Intensive Care Unit at DeKalb Medical Center. I don’t think he’s about to die, but I don’t think he’s going to be well enough to go home. I think he will be confined." (Ralph Jones died the next week on November 18 and was buried at Oxford Historical Cemetery in Oxford, GA.) Cornelia: "I sent them both a letter. I thought Elma was old. She’s older than I am, and I’m 88 years old." Sara: "You and Ralph are the same age?" Cornelia: "Yes, I was thinking it was Ralph and me or my oldest brother, but he was between me and Leon, my oldest brother." Sara: "Are you related to us at all? Cornelia: "Yes, you see Cousin Mollie was a Kelly. My grandfather was a Kelly. We are distantly related when it comes down to me and you. You see we all went to school together here and he (Will Jones) was Sunday School superintendent here years and years. He preached us a sermon every Sunday. You see all these were his sisters, but I guess you know that. Sara Frances Beckwith and Mrs. Lawrence (Eugenia) Digby, that was his sister, and Mrs. Carrie Thornton. That’s Miss Capers. They used to have a time with her. They had to, you know she had some cows, and she stayed there until..." Sara: "I remember that now. It’s been a long time since I thought about it. They used to sit around on the front porch and laugh about Cousin Carrie and her cows." Cornelia: "You know Weyman and Nettie and several of them just had to round them up and finally rounded her up and carried her to the nursing home because she was not able to stay by herself." Sara: (After talking a while about a 1941 Kelly reunion) We have a pump organ in the living room that we bought in an antique store, but the way I got hooked on pump organs was coming down here when I was a little girl." Cornelia: "Oh, I would have given anything Sunday if that old organ could have been here." Sara: "I remember it. I remember going in there and just pumping away." Cornelia: "I can just hear it in my imagination right now." Michael: "Let me ask you what you remember about William and Sarah Frances Beckwith?" (lot # 17) Cornelia: "I can just see them right now in my imagination riding up here in that old buggy. They came to church here all the time, and I knew them well in my childhood." Michael: "Cornelia, do you know much about the Digbys?"(lot # 18) Cornelia: "Yes, there was one little old man, Old Mr. Whit. He was about this high and wore a little black hat. He sat on the third bench from the front. You had better not be sitting there. If you did, he’d sit down on you." Michael: "Samuel Beckwith died with pneumonia in 1887. He was 29 years old. His mother and William Beckwith’s mother, Belinda Digby, was buried right here (lot # 27). We know that from a family Bible. Loucinda Digby is her sister." (Belinda’s grave did not have a marker on it at the time.) Sara: "Sara Florence Beckwith changed her name to Sally Frances. The family records I have showed her as Sally Florence." Cornelia: "I remember her as Miss Sally Beckwith." Michael: "Belinda Digby’s sister married a James Lewis. We’ve got a picture of them." Cornelia: "Their grandfather is buried down there in a pasture (on Wild Road)." Michael: "William Berry Beckwith’s father, William Samuel Beckwith, is supposed to be buried in a pasture around here somewhere. Cornelia, wasn’t there a school house here?" Cornelia: "Right out there behind the Fellowship Hall. That’s where I learned about all I know. We used to go down that hill with a little bitty cup and get water out of the spring. I told Rose this evening I wished I had the strength to go down there." Michael: "Could you point out exactly where it was?" Cornelia: "If I had the strength to get down there, I know I could." Sara: "I remember at family reunions, we’d make a trail down through there — the children and the grownups — to go down there and get water." Kathy: "Did the school burn?" Cornelia: "Yes, it burned, and they built a real nice one out there where the Country Store is. It was a nice school building. After four or five years, lightning struck that one and burned it up, and then they built the one that is now the Country Store. It was nothing like the one that was burned." Michael: "Ya’ll changed the sign out there, didn’t you? It used to say ‘Built in 1875.’" Rose: "For a long time, we were under the impression that was when the church was founded. When we did our cookbook as a fund raiser for the Fellowship Hall, we looked at the deed in the courthouse and found that the deed says the land was given in 1844." Sara: "1875 must be about the time that Willie began to really work here because I can remember Uncle Ralph and Aunt Mary both telling me that those old pews that were in the church he helped make. That’s why we were so intent on getting one because we knew he helped make them. Uncle Ralph has always told me that his daddy was one of the pillars of the church. He was one of the first people he heard about having a family altar. Uncle Ralph was very proud of that fact." Cornelia and I were left alone to walk through the remaining sections of the cemetery. The following conversation contains additional tidbits of nostalgia and memories provoked by names on the gravestones. Cornelia: "I think we had gotten down there where all those Digby’s are buried (lot # 35) and no markers. (Markers have since been placed on all the unmarked graves.) Well, it’s no doubt that Mr. Lawrence Digby, the one that married Miss Jennie Jones, was kin to these Digbys some way. I wanted to tell them about Mr. Charlie Smith being buried out yonder and Cousin Will, how they used to fuss about the line up yonder where they lived. Everybody used to laugh about that. Old man Charlie would go to Rocky Creek and preach, and Cousin Will would come here to be superintendent of Sunday School, and they said they fussed all the week over that line. It wasn’t much wider than that lot there between them. One claimed more than the other one, and they quarreled over it as long as they lived. Mr. Charlie and Miss Becky are buried right out there (lot # 33). There’s Grandpa Erbin and Grandma (lot # 38). I wish you’d look at how black that marker is. That’s Paul Goodman and Ethel’s little boy right here (lot # 33). They both died in Macon. There’s Mr. Charlie Smith and Mrs. Smith. I don’t know why they’re buried over here. I don’t remember them ever coming to church here regular. Aunt Ine used to say, ‘There’s more Baptists over here than there are Methodists. They’re taking over the cemetery.’ Miss Becky Smith was a sister of Mr. Goodman." Rose: "Charlie Smith was a Baptist preacher?" Cornelia: "Yes, he preached at Rocky Creek every once in a while. I tell you they had some dillies over there back in those days. He preached there, and the two Baptist school teachers we had that were so mean to us all, they both preached over there. "That’s Eben Allen (lot # 34), Mr. Sam’s brother. Vera Allen was a Dooley. This is Mr. Albert and Miss Essie Allen up here (lot #30). That’s Marie Allen Britain’s mother and father. I wonder how she’s doing. That’s Mr. Orbie down there. These three were brothers. Mr. Sam (Allen) wanted to be buried over here so bad, but Allie Beck said all her folks were buried at Rocky Creek. He wanted to be buried over here I reckon because there were so many others of them buried here. Juie, he’s over here, too. That’s him right yonder. He’s Herschel Allen’s daddy. Ralph Allen is the one who died right out there in that house. He had pneumonia. I remember it just as good. He wasn’t but about nine years old, I think. I used to spend the night with Nina, and she would spend the night with me. Her grave is right over there somewhere. Me and her were the same age just about. "That’s Mr. Whit Digby’s grave right there (lot # 35). Buddy Digby is out there, and that little boy of his that died. He was in Benny’s class. When he died it liked to have worried Benny to death. He died with the measles. He wasn’t but about eight or nine years old. I bet Benny asked me a thousand questions. That’s where Sweetie and them are buried right there on that little rise. Adell died right down there in that little old house in the corner with toxic poisoning. The baby died, too. They buried them both in the same grave. Adell lived a day or two, but they kept that baby out. They buried Sweetie out there, too, and they’ve got a son who was killed in a car wreck buried right there on the hill. His name was Harvey. I think. I guess they never had anything to put any markers on the graves with. Down there is Scrap and old Buddy Leach and all them. There’s Mr. Whit and Martha Scott right in here. I guess that rock right there is pretending to be a marker. Adell was the first one that is buried here and then Harvey was buried. No sign of nothing here. That’s Lizzie Lea. She died real young. She married one of those White boys. Martha Scott is Annie’s sister. She never did marry. Miss Annie was Whit’s wife. Where is Little Archie Ray’s grave — the little boy? He’s the one who died with the measles. I didn’t know that they had a marker over old Buddy. It says ‘Mr. Lewis Buddy Digby.’ His name was Lewis. He died in 1974. I knew he hadn’t been dead too long. ‘Course, that’s been a while. This must be where Lizzie Lea is, I believe I feel rocks in here. They had rocks around her grave. I know they did. She was real young when she died. I forgot what was wrong with her. She was grown and married. I don’t see any sign of where those old boys are buried. There were two of them buried here. That Frankie is the one they said lived in that old car all the time. One of those boys was in the service, I know. Scrap was married twice. The first time she married Bryant Jeffers. "There’s Mabry’s grave (lot 41). All that money he died and left, and not a one of them will come over here and do anything. I’m coming over here if I have to walk. I’m going to buy me a little rake and do something to that lot. Mrs. Lewis didn’t even live a year after Mr. Lewis died. Mr. Tedders died in 1922. That old horse, Frank, killed him. The horse ran away with the buggy on the square in Monticello. Mr. Bob said it would never have happened if everyone had left him alone. He could have stopped him. But you see, people thought they were helping and everybody was running out of the stores trying to grab his bridle, and it just made him that much worse. Seemed to me like he was about 79 years old. I thought Emmie was born the next year after he got killed, but she was born in 1924. Grandma Kelly died in February before Emmie was born in August. We had potatoes up and corn and everything. It was cold that night after she died. It bit all of it, but it came back out. Grandpa Tedders was the sweetest old fellow. Annie Maude (Cornelia’s sister-in-law) and me both had cotton to chop. I never will forget him coming down to the house one evening and he said, ‘Cornelia, you know, Lola and them think Annie Maude is smarter than you are, but I want you to work hard and beat her chopping out your cotton.’ I beat her about a half a day. That about tickled him to death." Rose: "He just knew how to get extra work out of you!" Cornelia: "I never will forget that. He stayed down there half the time. He came down there every Sunday morning. "This is brother Charlie Smith (lot # 33). I was thinking one of his boys was buried here. He had two sons, Bernie and Fred. I remember being at his funeral, but there is certainly no sign of a grave here. I don’t think I am mistaken. It was their son, Bernie. I thought sure he was buried here. Maybe I was mistaken. It certainly does seem that I remember that, but it looks like there would have been a marker of some kind. "William Campbell (lot # 29)— there should be a special marker saying he was one of the first trustees of the church. Uncle William is what Mrs. Lewis called him. Oscar Campbell was his son. He and Mrs. Lewis were first cousins. He lived in Mansfield and used to go around buying cows all the time." This was how the afternoon went as just the sight of the names on all those ancient markers triggered so many memories. Those dead saints came to life as Cornelia relived the past, and I was reminded again of the hidden wonder we have in our older family members. Note Cornelia often expressed the desire to see a marker placed on her husband’s grandmother’s unmarked grave. In the summer of 1999, a campaign was begun to raise enough funds to place markers on all the unmarked graves in the cemetery. This was no small feat since 27 graves were without markers. Cornelia was the source of information as to who was buried where. Family members, who could be located, were notified of the plan; and, without exception, they provided funds for their ancestors’ markers. Many of them ordered larger markers that included full name and birth and death dates. Instead of being offended at the request, everyone expressed pleasure that the project was being done and gratified that they were prompted to take care of a long-neglected duty. Generous contributions from families and church members provided the funds necessary to cover the cost of the remaining markers. George and Cornelia Lewis In 1975 George and Cornelia Lewis were honored with a plaque and special service commemorating fifty years of service to Prospect Church. George had served as treasurer for thirty or more years. The children and grandchildren remember that he was the one who went early to open up the church and build the fires in the pot-bellied stove that sat in the center of the church for countless years. Cornelia also taught Sunday School for many years. (See page 40 for additions) Interview with Carroll Hodge On September 16, 1998, I visited with Carroll Hodge, whose grandmother, parents, two brothers, and since then a daughter are buried at Prospect Cemetery (lots # 28 and 37). I found him to be a wonderful storyteller, and I would like to share some of those stories with you. I first asked him about his brother Bryan Hodge, who was accidentally killed in an incident in Madison, Georgia, in April 1929. He was only 30 years old when the city police at City Hall caught him in crossfire while he was trying to break up an argument. He left a wife, Emma Saye Hodge, and a 5-year-old daughter, Leila Saye Hodge. Carroll was only 17 at the time of the accident so one can imagine the impact that made on his life. Carroll then spoke of his father, Lee Hodge (lot # 37). Although he was sick with asthma all his life, Lee had worked hard. He taught school for a period of time at Old Rocky Creek School. I asked him where that school was located and he referred to the old Picket place where Chalton Bates now lives on County Line Road. Evelyn, Carroll’s wife, pointed out that Mr. Lee, as he was known, had also served as Sunday School superintendent at New Rocky Creek Baptist Church. He worked at Ludie Kelly’s store in the Maxwell settlement from 1917-1919. He was paid $30 a month and was given a house in which to live. Carroll’s mother, Lola Hodge, worked in the fields. She was born in the house that sits on the hill across from Prospect Church. Their son Joel and his wife Allene lived there for many years. Carroll related the story of how there were plans when his mother was young (she was born in 1869) to put a railroad through the Eudora (also known as Prospect) community. Workers were dynamiting in front of the house; and, thinking the explosion was complete, the workers went back to the site too quickly. There were additional explosions and two people were killed and others were injured. Lola Hodge told the children that she could remember the sirens and all the help that came to the scene. Plans were changed and the railroad was relocated to go through Madison. The dynamiting might explain the deep banks that extend along the front of that property. Carroll’s brother Joel was 18 years older than Carroll. While working on his first job with Jasper County, a bridge fell in and Joel suffered a broken leg. He enlisted in the army sometime later. Carroll remembers the first time he rode a train was when the family went to welcome Joel home from the army. Joel then became a policeman for Monticello and retired in 1961. Carroll also related how Joel and Allene often trapped foxes and bobcats. The county paid two dollars each for fox ears and foxtails. Carroll’s grandmother Lucinda Digby Hodge is buried in lot # 28 alongside her son, Seals, who lived with her. She died in Atlanta where she had lived for a number of years. Carroll told how his grandparents traveled to Texas in a covered wagon and two years later returned to Georgia, again in a covered wagon. I had a delightful time listening to Carroll relate his school experiences at Prospect School. He described the building, which was located at the edge of churchyard beyond the playground and near the spring, as having two large classrooms on each side of a long room that also served as an auditorium. He started to school in 1919 at the age of seven. He walked a little over three miles to school every day. The school caught fire several times before it finally burned to the ground sometime around 1927. Carroll told how he and his buddies hid their cigarettes or tobacco (a sack of Dukes) under the stage in the auditorium. They lost a sack of tobacco in one of those fires, and Carroll said he never smoked after finishing school. He related some tales about several teachers. One teacher suffered the affliction of being cross-eyed, but it worked to her advantage because they could never tell at whom she was looking and she often caught them doing things they didn’t think she could see. He named a number of classmates whose names will be familiar to many readers: Mary, Sarah, and Nesbit King; Nina Chaffin; Theo Chaffin; Sally Kelly; Ola, Mary Lou and Ophelia Kitchens; John Neal and Mary Cunard; Mabry, Velma, and Loraine Lewis; and Ruth Allen. Carroll recalled Mabry getting a whipping that was so severe the family, including the older siblings, came to the school to complain. Evelyn also told about a teacher who taught his daughter and would put her on the stage and whip her until blood came through her blouse. Carroll remembered the fights after school. He said the boys never got far down the road on the way home before someone was fighting. He mentioned the little store located near the school (corner of Barnes Mtn. Rd. and Highway 11). Ora Aaron, who built Cornelia Lewis’ house that burned in1997, operated the store. They played ball in the open field off Highway 11. Evelyn related how the kids would jack up Mrs. Loucille Benton’s car and put it on blocks and then watch her go out to crank it causing the tires to spin. They were quick to say that she was always good-natured about it. Carroll admitted they were always doing things they shouldn’t do, such as turning over the outdoor toilets and "fishing" out the window for Mrs. Floyd Dorsey’s chickens. He said he and his buddy, Theo Chaffin, would put corn on a hook and string and hang it out the classroom window. One time a chicken, a wine dot hen, swallowed the corn, hook and all, and died. He and Theo had to pay Mrs. Dorsey forty cents apiece for the chicken. Theo Chaffin and Sally Kelly are the only other living classmates. Carroll was ninety this year. There was another story about a flying jenny, a stump with a board across the center anchored with an iron pin. The boys would spin it around with two people on the end of each board. One girl, whom Carroll named (I won’t!) but also called "High Stepper," begged to have a turn. Because of her practice of telling tales to the teacher, they gave her a good spin until she flew off into the grass. Carroll and Evelyn’s daughter, Judith, died the year after my interview with them. Judith and I were best friends in high school, and I spent many wonderful times in their home. Their daughter Marie and her husband Charles Lewis are faithful members of Prospect UMC. Carroll and Evelyn Hodge are a very special couple whom God has blessed with a long life. Footnote: I recently encountered J. A. and Norma Hodge in the cemetery and informed them of this undertaking. J. A. had an interesting anecdote that his dad, Joel Hodge, Sr. (lot # 37), often related. He would tell about how the teachers boarded with the students’ families for several months at a time. Since the students walked to school from their homes, oftentimes the teachers would do the same. On one occasion, the teacher was walking down the road studying his lesson plans for the day. Some of the boys ran ahead of him and placed a string across the road. Of course, the teacher fell flat on his face. The funny thing was that they did this three times in one morning, and the teacher fell each time. I bet that was an interesting day at school! Interview with Ruth Kitchens I sat on the porch with Ruth Kitchens on October 14, 1998, and listened to her stories about growing up on the farm. Her brother Champ Kelly (lot # 36) died with typhoid fever in 1925 at the age of 22. Ruth was expecting her first child at the time. Because of the destruction of the boll weevil, her father, Willie Kelly, had gone to Florida to work. Champ died while he was gone, but he was able to come home for the funeral. Ruth recalled what a lively, fun person her brother was. Her father returned to Coral Gables after the funeral and was there when a hurricane occurred and swept everything away. He literally ran for his life. He told the story that there were Indians in the area who had warned the people that a hurricane was coming and it happened on the exact date that they had predicted. When Willie returned home to stay, the family moved to Roy Kelly, Sr.’s place in order for Willie to oversee the farm. Later he was overseer for the E. F. Perry family. He also trapped foxes for the county. On his 92nd birthday, Willie was interviewed for an article that appeared in the August 25, 1974 edition of the Macon Telegraph and News. He was quoted as saying that he did not think things were as exciting as they were in the good old days, but he decided that he liked the 20th century best. His first memory was of a very sad time when his twin siblings were sick and died within a few days of each other. He recalled his mother coming into his room where he slept and holding him and crying. Another memory was of a smallpox epidemic. He is quoted as saying, "When anyone got sick, they were put in a house way off from other folks. Several times a day someone would go out and leave a plate of food. They wouldn’t come near ‘em or touch ‘em for fear of catching it." Willie also recalled the good times, mentioning the local store where everyone would meet and talk. He said the store was "sorta like a rustic country club." He showed the interviewer the preaching rock located on Highway 11 a few yards from the Newton County line. It came to be known as Dow’s pulpit and bears a bronze plaque that reveals the importance it played in the religious heritage of the area. The plaque states that in 1803 Lorenzo Dow of Connecticut, a pioneer evangelist, preached the first worship service in the county. Willie could remember hearing his parents talk about going there and how much the services meant to them. They said folks came from miles around for the preaching services. Willie died at the age of 97 (lot # 36). Ruth’s grandfather, Erbin Herschel Kelly, (lot # 38) lived with her and her husband Colvin Kitchens (lot #36) for nine years. Without benefit of any formal schooling, Erbin Kelly had served the community for many years as a cow and horse veterinarian. Ruth remembered cooking three meals a day, not only for her family, but also for the workers on the farm those nine years while she cared for her grandfather. He died in a nursing home in Vidalia, Georgia, the closest nursing home around in 1941. Ruth’s husband Colvin drove a school bus for 40 years for Jasper County. He also worked for Jack Edwards. One summer when school was not in session, Colvin drove a truck to New Orleans. While he was gone, Virginia, their oldest daughter, had an appendicitis attack. The doctor took her to Covington to operate on her and she came very close to dying since the appendix had ruptured. Someone was able to contact Colvin in New Orleans, and he returned home. Their son Wentzelle died in the Korean War in 1950 at the age of 21 (lot #36). His body was returned nine months later. Ruth recalled how an escort from the army accompanied his body home. He called Ruth a few years ago and came by to visit with her again. It was a sweet blessing to sit and hear Ruth, who is at this writing almost 96 years old, share her family stories. Julian and Clyde Kelly In a letter dated August 31, 1999, Doris Kelly Rozier, granddaughter of Julian and Mattie Clyde Kelly (lot # 1), wrote about a favorite family story. Soon after the marriage of Julian and Mattie, while sitting under the old chinaberry tree, Julian started carving something. "It soon became apparent it was a butter paddle. Julian then presented it to his bride!" Mattie used it the rest of her life and this story was told many times to their son C. H. and their daughter Mary Lizzie. It especially was related as the milk was being churned, the butter patted with the special paddle and then placed into molds. Doris wrote that some of the molds of butter were shared with neighbors and some were used on the table of the Julian Kelly household. The treasured butter paddle is still in the possession of their daughter Mary Elizabeth Kelly Pritchard, who is 101 years old. T. W. and Frank Dooley I met Jim Fazekas and his wife in the cemetery in 1997 when they were visiting family graves. I asked Jim if he would write down some family anecdotes for this publication. He responded promptly with a letter dated September 26, 1997. Jim lives in Alpine, Alabama and is the great grandson of T. W. and Sarah Dooley (lot # 34). He had conducted some research and discovered that T. W. was one of two local blacksmiths in Eudora in 1899 and sometime after 1909 was the Master of the Eudora Masonic Lodge No. 570. That lodge was located on Loice Allen’s property on Highway 11. Albert Allen ran the store downstairs and the Masons and Odd Fellows met upstairs. It was reported that a casket was stored there, and that kept most people from being too anxious to sneak a peak upstairs. Jim had talked to Cornelia Lewis, who told him that the Dooleys were all Baptists but were buried at Prospect Cemetery because it was too difficult to dig a grave at New Rocky Creek. She had told him how B. F. (Frank) Dooley (lot # 29), T. W. Dooley’s son, was a good singer and would come to Prospect to lead the singing on the Sundays when services were being held. His daughter, Grace, would come also to play the piano. The first all-night singing in the county was held at Prospect School. There was a young man who lived for a time with the Dooleys and was taken with them to his first singing. He later became a professional musician. Some readers will recognize the name of Wallace "Happy" Edwards. Happy Edwards recently died in Newton County. Warren A. Rye Warren A Rye is buried in lot #10. A member of the church ran across this information about his death in a book about World War 11. "In September and October 1944 the 91st Infantry Division, in their push to the Po Valley in Northern Italy, suffered 2731 casualties. Pvt. Warren A. Rye 361st Infantry 91st Division was killed October 16, 1944." He was 25 years old. W. C. Jones In a recorded conversation between Sara Taylor Davis and Cornelia Lewis on October 12, 1997, Sara shared many stories and memories of her grandfather, W. C. Jones (lot # 18). W. C. Jones, known as "Willie," was the only son in a family of six sisters. Willie’s father, David Colensworth Jones, served in the Confederate Army and was commissioned as Captain of the 905th District Georgia Militia in 1861. He was wounded at the Battle of Griswoldville, Georgia and died in the army hospital in Macon. His wife, Sara Ann Campbell Jones, accompanied by a black man, went in an oxcart to pick up his body. However, the commanding officer would not release his body. Sara’s husband had been a Mason and when Sara gave the Masonic distress signal, the officer was convinced she was who she claimed to be. They brought his body back in the freezing December weather and buried him at the old Jones Cemetery on the Alcovy River. It is located on Long Piney Road off Jackson Lake Rd. Willie was seven when his father died and he immediately began working the farm. The story is told that he plowed a mule at the age of nine. Willie was converted and joined Prospect Methodist Church at the age of 17. The next day he began to have family altars with his sisters. He vowed not to leave home before his sisters had married. Sara has possession of the wedding ring he gave his bride Mollie Kelly in 1885. Wondering how he could afford a ring for his bride, he found a gold band on a dusty road just before their wedding. Mollie wore it the rest of her life. Mollie was born on November 21, 1864, the day Sherman’s forces marched through Shady Dale. Her family hid her from the Yankee troops. Mollie’s grandfather, Berry Tolbert Digby, was sheriff of Jasper County in 1878-79. Sara also remembers hearing the story that Willie, as a young man, helped build the present church around 1875. Because she knew that he had helped build the wood slat pews, Sara purchased one when they were sold in 1984 and new upholstered pews were installed. Willie served as steward of Prospect Methodist Church for thirty years and as Sunday School Superintendent for many years. Willie sold his farm and moved to Oxford around 1920 in order for his nine children to attend school. Since he suffered badly from arthritis, he did not want Mollie to have the responsibility of the farm after he was gone. The family story was told that Willie did not have the money to send all his sons to college therefore he sent the oldest one with the promise from him that he would send another brother. Each of the boys graduated from either Emory or the State University. One son Cluie later moved to Texas and taught at Texas A. & M. The girls had the same opportunity, but chose not to go away to school. Some of the girls attended Emory Academy in Oxford. One of the girls, Annie Jean, taught school at Prospect and had her sister, Sara Taylor Davis’ mother, as a student. It was reported that she didn’t let her get away with anything at school because she was spoiled at home! There is a picture in the Jasper County History book of the students and teachers during this time. Annie Jean played the organ for many years in Prospect Church. Cornelia remembers going to their home and enjoying playing baseball and other games with another daughter Eleanor even though she was much older. A newspaper article printed at his death states that W. C. Jones "was the pillar of his church for many years…He was God’s faithful servant, ever present and useful in his church, home and community. He endeared his heart to all who knew him because of his goodness, kindness, and big-heartedness. He never lost an opportunity to testify, by life and word, to the fact of his salvation…few men have served their country and their God so well in so many different capacities for so many years." Mrs. J. W. Thornton Carolina Clementine (Carrie) Jones Thornton (lot # 22) was the sister of W. C. Jones (lot # 18) and wife of John W. Thornton (lot # 22). Carrie died July 8, 1926 at her home in Eudora. The Monticello News reported that she was a "devout member of Prospect (Methodist) Church." They said that her death "comes as a dark shadow to friends and relatives who loved her so dearly. She always had a smile and pleasant word for all, and possessing a bright, happy and cheerful disposition, she carried sunshine wherever she went." William Farris Thornton William Farris Thornton (lot # 24) was the son of John W. and Carrie Thornton. He became Sunday School Superintendent in 1926 when W. C. Jones resigned. Sara Davis remembers hearing how Mr. Thornton loved the children and brought them candy each Sunday and also visited in their homes, always bringing candy with him. Beckwiths Belinda Digby Beckwith’s grave (lot # 27) was unmarked until her grandson, William Beckwith Crane, was contacted in 1999. He helped provide a marker and the following information. Belinda was born in Jasper County in 1837. Her father was Berry Tolbert Digby, who was sheriff of Jasper County in 1878-79. She married William Samuel Beckwith in 1854 in Jasper County, Georgia. They had two sons, William Berry Beckwith and Samuel Lee Beckwith. William Samuel Beckwith died November 14, 1858 and was buried across the road from the Aaron homestead in Jasper County. William was two years old and Samuel was two months old at the time of their father’s death. Belinda married someone named Harris around 1870 and had three additional children. William Berry Beckwith married Sara Frances Jones (lot # 17). William Berry Beckwith was a cotton broker in Mansfield until the cotton market crashed, costing him his fortune. They had two sons, Wightman Samuel and Hubert Berry, and a daughter named Allie Claire. Bill Crane is the son of Allie Claire Beckwith and Samuel Leon Crane, Sr. He writes that although he does not remember his grandparents , he remembers that they were called Ma and Pa Beck. Pa Beck loved to tell the story of how Allie Claire met her husband. The Beckwiths lived in Mansfield in a large house that had porches on all four sides. The railroad track was behind the house and trains traveled through Mansfield twice a day delivering mail and goods. Samuel Crane worked for the railroad as a mail clerk. During the hot summer months, the doors to the mail car were often left open. One day during the summer of 1917, Allie Claire was sweeping the back porch as the train passed through Mansfield. She looked up and noticed the man standing in the door of the mail car and waved her broom at him. The same thing happened again the next day and the next. At his first opportunity during some time off, Samuel found out the young lady’s name and went visiting. Thus began their courtship. They were married on July 1, 1918. Bill Crane is the youngest of their five children. Bill says he always heard that for a couple of years the rear porch of the Beckwith home was the cleanest porch in the state of Georgia. William Samuel and Belinda Beckwith’s son, Samuel, never married. He is buried in the lot with his mother (lot # 27). The two young people who came with Sara Jones Davis to the cemetery in 1995 were William Berry and Sarah Jones Beckwith’s great grandchildren, Michael Alan Crane and Kathleen Claire Crane Lauter. They are the great great grandchildren of Belinda Digby Beckwith (Harris). Joe Brown Martin "Joe Brown Martin (lot # 37) was a wonderful uncle. Even if I sat and thought for hours on end, I could not dream up a person who could possibly replace or succeed him in any way. Having never known my grandfathers, I always considered Uncle Joe the closest thing to a grandfather I would ever know. In a time when heroes are difficult to see or find anywhere in the world, I agree with my cousins Jolinda and Sharon, who said, ‘He was our hero.’ To them, he was a great and loving dad; to me he was a great and loving uncle; and to my Aunt Leila, he was a great and loving husband. We need more ‘Uncle Joe’s’ in our world today." (Submitted by Lyle Allen) Emma Saye Allen "Emma Saye Allen (lot # 19) was a wonderful grandmother. She loved her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren very much. She was a wonderful Christian role model. All of us in the Allen and Martin families always felt deeply loved by her at all times. I cannot remember ‘Mama Allen’ ever getting upset with me or mad with me. All I remember are her comforting words, hugs and kisses over the years. One day we will get to see her again, but until then, we have wonderful memories to hold us over. We all miss her (and her fried chicken, mashed potatoes and chocolate pies) very much." (Submitted by Lyle Allen) Colin Kelly "Colin Kelly (lot # 53) was a wonderful role model for young people at Prospect United Methodist Church. I always remember his smiling and taking up the offering week after week. (Colin Kelly served as treasurer for twenty years.) I never heard him say anything unkind about others. When I think of Mr. Colin, I think of Thessalonians 4: 11,12: Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. He led a quiet life, he minded his own business, and he most definitely won my respect as a fellow church member, neighbor and friend. I will always have fond memories of Mr. Colin Kelly." (Submitted by Lyle Allen) J. Grady and Ethel Cargile Linda Cargile Watkins of Jackson, GA has warm memories of her parents J. Grady and Ethel Cargile (lot # 13) and her growing-up years at Prospect United Methodist Church. She recalls hearing the stories of her parents and older siblings riding to church on a wagon. Linda remembers attending homecoming festivities that included "dinner on the grounds" under the big oak tree that still stands near the cemetery. She said she could picture the long table on which the food was spread and the washtub filled with tea and a dipper for serving. She also remembers the big stove that sat in the center of the church and how everyone sat as close as they could on cold Sunday mornings. Another experience made an impact on Linda when she was seven years old. Wentzelle Kitchens (lot # 36), son of Colvin and Ruth Kitchens, died in the Korean War; and when his body was returned home, the funeral service was held at Prospect. Linda said she would never forget the twenty one-gun salute that was given for the young serviceman. John Morris Cook Grover Cleveland Cook Barbara Parker Bankston of Mansfield, GA is the great granddaughter of John Morris and Josephine Womack Cook (lot # 40). She writes that John was known as "Jack" and farmed in Jasper County. Jack was "named among several who sued the Central Georgia Power Company in 1912 for damages caused by the construction of Lloyd Shoals Dam and Jackson Lake and the subsequent flooding of impounded land and farms. The backed-up waters caused an increase in mosquitoes that in turn caused a malarial epidemic. Many people became sick and died." Barbara said she could not find the result of the lawsuit. Jack and Josephine Cook had several children, most of whom are buried at Prospect. Their daughter Lillie married J. Floyd Layson (lot # 40). Their son Grover Cleveland Cook married Elma Moore in 1917 (lot # 9). Grover and Elma Cook are Barbara’s grandparents. Grover and his wife purchased a home on Hodge Farm Road that was later owned by Robert and Irene Cunard. Just a few months after their marriage, Grover enlisted in the army and was stationed at Camp Wheeler in Macon, GA. He was discharged five months afterward due to having contracted tuberculosis. Instead of choosing a course of treatment in a sanitarium for a year, Grover wanted to be with his family. He and Elma had three children. Their names are listed in the information in lot # 9. He died in 1930 and his wife Elma married Augustus (Gus) Dozier Floyd in 1937. Gus is buried at New Rocky Creek Baptist Church Cemetery alongside his first wife. Gus’ brother Alfred S. Floyd and his wife are buried in lot # 7 at Prospect UMC cemetery. While attending New Rocky Creek Baptist Church with her husband Gus Floyd, Elma played the piano for many years. Sometime after his death, Elma moved to Jackson and later Jenkinsburg where she married William Miles Gallman in 1963. Barbara remembers that she had many hobbies including fishing, vegetable and flower gardening, sewing and reading. Barbara writes, "She served God and her church faithfully. She was a wonderful Sunday School teacher, having taught the adult class for many years until advancing age and memory loss forced her to resign." At her death in 1983, she was laid to rest alongside her first husband, Grover Cook. Barbara has two of her Bibles and loves to read her notes and marked Scripture verses. The other children of Jack and Josephine Cook are Minnie Lee Cook married to Robert L. Ozburn (lot # 49), Albert Grady Cook, Aubie Neal Cook married to Nellie Mae Hickman, and John Paul (Johnnie) Cook (lot # 57) married to Dessie Hickman. Aubie Cook is Emily Cook Kelly’s father and is buried at New Rocky Creek Baptist Church Cemetery. Ralph Herschel and Carmie Kelly "In 1938 or 1939 (I am not entirely sure of the year) my mother, Carmie Right Riggins(lot#43) was living in Russell Springs, Kentucky, a small town in the south Cumberland plateau. She had just completed high school and had been dating a young man there for several years. Since there were no local jobs available, she ventured to Cincinnati where two of her siblings and their families already lived. There she met, through mutual friends, a somewhat older, very handsome fellow from Georgia, Ralph Herschel Kelly, who was also looking for work. She very promptly forgot the young man she had left behind in Kentucky. Ralph and Carmie fell in love, were married in February 1940, and came back to Georgia to live later that year after our grandfather, John Herschel Kelly, passed away. Mama always said that people here were shocked when they met her and discovered her to be a ‘very ordinary girl’ (her words). Apparently Daddy had the reputation of having a way with the ladies, and people had expected Daddy to marry someone of movie star caliber. Of course, all of us who knew Mama know she was anything but ordinary! At any rate, they enjoyed 32 years together before Mama went to heaven in January of 1973, and I know Mama never regretted anything or anyone she had left behind in Kentucky. "Mama was such a gentle soul with the sweetest spirit I have ever known. She had an unbelievable capacity for loving unconditionally, and even though she was never strong physically, she loved to be productive and work hard. She taught me so much of what I know of Christ, just seeing Him in her, and I long for the day I see her again in heaven and can thank her for modeling Him so beautifully for me and for praying for me so faithfully. She lived and died with great grace, and still today she is my hero. "Daddy raised beef cattle and loved to hunt and fish. He took the greatest delight in training and working with his bird dogs. According to him, his dogs were among some of the best, and I know for sure they brought him great joy. He loved the outdoors and was walking for exercise before it was fashionable! He was indeed a handsome man even into his last years, and even though he loved nothing better than to be around the place in his overalls, he ‘cleaned up’ beautifully and looked like a Philadelphia lawyer when he tried. Daddy was an avid reader of the Atlanta newspapers and read every single word every day for years until they became too editorially liberal for him and he gave them up for good. He loved to argue politics, and since at that time Daddy was a Democrat and Mama was a Republican, election years were always interesting around our house! "I am so thankful that God in His providence led both my parents to Cincinnati in that long-ago time and that we had the opportunity to be a family in this community of friends and extended family." (Submitted by Sybil Kelly Cunard) John Herschel and Dotsy Kelly "My memories of our grandmother Georgia Cook Kelly (lot #38), who was always known as "Dotsy", are much like a patchwork quilt. She had wonderful things tucked away in her dresser drawers, and my favorite thing to do as a small child was to spend a day rummaging through them all. She called that meddling! Once, when I was about four, she cut my hair without Mom and Dad's consent. I suppose she thought I needed a haircut that day. She made toast by melting real butter in a black iron skillet and then turning the bread until it was golden brown. It was yummy! She made delicious pear pickles and pear relish and wonderful cookies called teacakes. She always wore black lace-up shoes with heels to church on Sunday. "Her great passion in life was her little dog, a white feist named Spitzi, but whom she always referred to as ‘Spitty’. To say he was a strong-willed fellow would be a gross understatement. I can see her now in my mind's eye tying him to a rope on her front porch. She made the rope of lengths of cloth tied together with one end attached to a nail on the wall of the house. Spitty would spend time sunning himself there, but on occasion he would manage to free himself and then the fight was on! Grandma would stand on her porch calling and calling him, and Spitty would continue going in the opposite direction as hard and as fast as he could go. Eventually, he would come home, but not before he had done all the exploring he wanted to do. She always said she wanted him put to sleep and placed at her feet when she was laid to rest. That never became an issue since Spitty was run over and killed by a car during her last illness. She was at Aunt Cornelia's during her illness and Spitty was with us. She never realized that he was gone, and we were all glad for that. Most of us grandchildren have some Spitty scars on our hands by which to remember him. He was fond of taking chunks from any and all of us. "Grandma was also deathly afraid of thunderstorms, even small ones. A clap of thunder or a bolt of lightning would really frighten her, and if the storm looked serious, Daddy would always go pick her up and bring her to our house to ride out the storm with us. "Our grandfather, John Herschel Kelly, passed away before I was born, and so I have no memories of him, I am sorry to say. The cousins, who had the joy of knowing him say that he was a wonderful, gentle man whom they all adored. Some also say that Uncle John Ben is a lot like him in many ways. Memories are so precious, and these are some of my favorites." (Submitted by Sybil Kelly Cunard) Alex Thompson and Nannie Lex White King Lisa Smith Conner is the great granddaughter of Alex and Nannie King (lot # 48). She says her strongest memory of her Pop King was helping him roll his cigarettes. He had a Prince Albert machine and he would let her lick the paper to glue them together. For many years he had a store in the yard of his home at the corner of Jackson Lake Road and New Rocky Creek Church Road. The house still stands today and has been recently renovated. Mama King spent her last years in a nursing home in Covington; and Lisa’s mom, Margie Smith, would bring her to her home every Sunday. Lisa recalls her coming to their home one time on Lisa’s birthday. Her mom started to make her a birthday cake and discovered her mixer was on the blink. She thought she couldn’t make a cake without it, but "Mama King shamed her into doing it by hand, saying they didn’t even have things like mixers when she used to bake cakes." Lisa also remembers the strawberry patch at her great grandparents’ house, picking the fresh strawberries, and Mama King washing them and making a strawberry roll. Robert G. Smith Lisa Smith Conner is Robert Smith’s (lot # 8) only child. She has loving memories of her dad, saying that he was the best grandpa ever to her children. He was disabled in an automobile accident when Lisa was in the first grade, and because of that he had time to spend with her and her children when they came along. Lisa says, "He was a kind man, always willing to help anyone in any way that he could and he loved Prospect Church." Albert Loice D. Allen, Jr. There would never be enough time to say all the good things my daddy (lot # 23) has done for others in his lifetime. His life touched everyone he met. He was always there with a smile on his face to offer help to anyone who needed it. I have never known any other man to be such a wonderful husband, father, papa, neighbor and friend. I can say that my daddy may not have always agreed with all I have said and done but he always continued to love our family and me with unconditional love no matter what. I thank our God every day that my children had such a wonderful grandfather to look up to. He labored long over the years but no matter how tired he might have been or even if he did not feel well, he still made time to keep watch over all of us. If only I could be one-tenth the person he was. On September 19th God gave him eternal rest. It is very hard but as I sat these last two days thinking about it all – God planned it all so well. My mother and father had celebrated their 44th anniversary several hours before the accident, which reaffirmed their love for each other. He was doing what he loved second best, to being with his family, out on his tractor with his cows and hay. And to die in front of his home would have been what he wanted. And now today we are burying my daddy on the fifth anniversary of my husband Kevin’s mother’s death. Truly God had the master plan for it all Daddy will continue to watch over us and he will lift us up when we think we can’t go on. Truly God is smiling in heaven today and saying ‘You good and faithful servant.’ "Thanks to all of you for all your love, support and prayers today and throughout the years. I am glad you could be here with us to honor this wonderful man – we dedicated this next song, "Daddy’s Hands" to Daddy from all of his children. Another song, "Friends" we dedicate to all of you from our daddy. May God bless you as he has blessed us all. Cherish those years." (Written by Debra Allen Glaze and read by her husband Kevin Glaze at Loice’s service on September 22, 2002) "He was a loving daddy, papa, husband, brother, uncle, friend, and neighbor to all. He was loved master to all his pets and animals. He was a lifetime member of Prospect Church and community. He was a lifetime friend to all he had ever met. He spent his life caring for family, friends and animals. He did for all, even when sometimes not even asked. A lot of times he did these things even unnoticed. He loved church barbecues and also doing them at home. Most of the time he cooked and gave it away to family and friends. He was a man who loved to give, even if he didn’t have it to give. He will be well missed and remembered. He was friend to us all. He was my daddy, whom I love and miss so very much. Sweet dreams, Daddy. I love you." (Submitted by Edwin Allen) "When I think of a hard worker, I always think of my dad. He worked hard to provide a good life for his wife and children – one girl and four boys. He loved his children deeply. If ever a man lived for his children, my dad did. Whatever he could do to make our lives more meaningful and more blessed, he would do it. He never saw our failures, only our successes. Our joys were his joys; our concerns his concerns; our sorrows were his sorrows. Just as I could have never dreamt of a better uncle than my Uncle Joe (Martin), I could have never dreamt of a better dad than my dad. My father was known by many names; Loice, Papa, Uncle Loice, Bud, Little Loice. My favorite name for him was simply, Daddy. "My Daddy did more for his children than provide the necessities and luxuries of life; he made sure his children were always in Sunday School and church weekly. Because of this, we all have a strong faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. All five of us are members of various churches today, serving in a variety of ministries. My dad was not God, but he did possess God-like qualities. He was always there for us; he loved us unconditionally; he guided us whenever we would let him; he taught us how to live simple and meaningful lives; he taught us to accept people and their imperfections; and he taught us that people, not possessions, are the most important things in life. There is no doubt in my mind that my dad possessed these God-like qualities because his Mom, Emma Saye Allen, possessed them, too. "My dad was taken away from us in the blink of an eye. He didn’t expect to die when he did; we didn’t expect him to die when he did. Getting through such a tragedy would be impossible if I did not know that my dad was a Christian, or if I were not a Christian. But thanks to God, we are both Christians, and one day I will get to see both my heavenly Father and earthly father, face to face. What a day of rejoicing that will be! "I know that my dad is in good company now. His cow pastures and hay fields are perfect. His cows, donkeys, goats, turkeys, guineas, chickens and dogs are perfect. Everything is getting the right amount of sunshine and rain. And, yes, he can ride his tractor wherever now and not worry about some careless or impatient driver crashing into him on a roadway. But most importantly, he is enjoying the company of his mom and dad, my uncle, and so many other great saints, i.e. Christians, who have gone on before him. "In May and in September of 2002, two wonderful and innocent residents of Eudora (Prospect) community in Jasper County (also both members of Prospect United Methodist Church) were killed prematurely. To lose two members in tragic deaths only five months apart is difficult not only on family members, but on church members and friends too. If anything is learned from these tragic deaths, it is that those of us who follow in the footsteps of loved ones should always walk closely with the Lord and love one another, each and every day. We truly never know what tomorrow may bring. And as these two individuals brought so much happiness and sunshine into the lives of others, may we seek to do likewise." (Submitted by Lyle Allen) George and Cornelia Kelly Lewis "Trying to put into words what my grandmother Cornelia Kelly Lewis (‘Big Mama’) and my grandfather George Lewis (‘Grandy’) (lot # 20) meant to me feels like an impossible task. I will give it my best as I try to write between the tears. My first memories are of their living in Mr. Emory Ozburn’s house on Highway 221, now known as Jackson Lake Road. This is right up the road from where Big Mama lived when she passed away. I was very young -- probably six or seven. Mama (Emma Lewis), Daddy (Spirgeon Lewis), Stanley (my brother, lot # 41) and I were there every weekend. Benny Lewis, my uncle, was my buddy; and Robert Lewis, my other uncle, was Stanley’s buddy. Benny and I loved to scare Stanley. One night Benny put a white sheet over me and put me on top of the chicken coop beside the bedroom window where Stanley was sleeping. I scratched on the window and Stanley looked out. He thought a chicken was trying to get him -- he was terrified of chickens! I thought Robert was going to kill both of us. He was very protective of Stanley. Grandy grew cotton when they lived there. Stanley and I used to pick cotton, probably a handful apiece; and Grandy would pay us a nickel each. We thought we were rich. Another memory that sticks out in my mind when they lived there was when Jo Ann Goolsby, daughter of Joe (lot # 21) and Carolyn Lewis Goolsby, was born. Big Mama was in the kitchen cooking and I was sitting in Grandy’s lap when Robert walked in and told us Carolyn had had a baby girl. Robert lived in Atlanta, but he came home every weekend. "From there they moved to Mr. John Layson’s (lot # 39) house. I don’t know the name of the road this house was on, but it was up the road from Colvin (lot # 36) and Ruth Kitchens. They didn’t live there long. I do remember when they lived there that Grandpa Bob, (lot # 41) Grandy’s father, passed away. Grandma Kelly, (lot # 38) Big Mama’s mother, also passed away while they were living there. Grandma Kelly laid in state in that house in the living room. That was very scary to me. "After Grandma Kelly passed away, Big Mama and Grandy moved into Grandma Kelly’s house. Stanley and I spent every summer with them. Big Mama worked in the sewing room in Monticello and we stayed with Grandy during the day. He would take us to Rocky Creek to play in the creek and he showed us how to make a dam in the water. Grandy would take us on walks and we would pick maypops (that’s what he called them). Then he taught us to make animals out of them with toothpicks. Grandy had a big garden and we would help him shell butter beans and crowder peas. He cooked lunch for us everyday and on Friday we would go to Monticello to have lunch with Big Mama. Big Mama worked very hard at the sewing room, but still came home and cooked supper for us. At night she would freeze the butter beans and peas that we had shelled that day. She and Grandy used to take us to the cannery where they would can soup. I loved Big Mama’s vegetable soup and Brunswick stew. They always took us to revival at Prospect Church and to Vacation Bible School. "My favorite childhood memories, if I had to pick, would be of holidays spent with them. Every Christmas Eve Mama, Daddy, Stanley and I would leave Atlanta and head for their house. It was such a joyous time. Grandy would get up on Christmas and start a fire in the heater before anyone else got up. There was no heat in any of the other rooms. We slept under about ten quilts. Later that day the family members who weren’t already there would arrive. Big Mama always prepared a feast at Christmas and every other holiday that came along. As the years progressed and the families grew, the celebrations became larger and larger. The tradition of going to Big Mama and Grandy’s for holidays will always hold a special place in my heart. "I moved to Pennsylvania in 1982, but every time I came home to Georgia I went to Big Mama and Grandy’s. I felt like that was where my home was. They always welcomed me with open arms and Big Mama would cook all of my favorite dishes. "Grandy passed away September 6, 1987. What a sad time that was. He loved his family and we all miss him very much. I remember he used to go to the church and build a fire in the heater long before church started. It was still cold in the church, but it was such a thoughtful thing for him to do. There weren’t many people coming to church back then, and we would all huddle around the heater while the preacher preached his sermon. "We have had a lot of happy times and a lot of sad times in our family since Grandy passed away. When their house burned down in 1997, I was amazed at how well Big Mama handled it. She always found something good in everything. She said her house burned because she would not have been able to survive another year with those old gas heaters in the old house. She was a wonderful mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother. I will never forget the way she held me in her arms at the hospital when my brother was dying. She just held me and let me cry and cry. I love her for always being there for me all of my life and cannot imagine my life without her. Thank you, Big Mama, for being my inspiration and my guiding light. God be with you until we meet again. I love you." (Submitted by Shirley Kerak) "The last few years of Big Mama’s life caused many to be amazed. She always seemed to bounce back and kept going and going, much like the Energizer bunny or a cat with nine lives. Actually what she was experiencing was the salvation of God. Placing Big Mama’s name in the last portion of Psalm 91 makes this evident: ‘Because Big Mama has set her love upon Me, therefore I will deliver her; I will set Big Mama on high because she has known My name. Big Mama shall call upon Me, and I will answer her; I will be with her in trouble; I will deliver Big Mama and honor her. With long life I will satisfy Big Mama and show her my salvation.’ "I believe that now Big Mama has experienced God’s ultimate salvation as she has been delivered from her flesh. For the Bible tells us that ‘…this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. "Truly Big Mama is now enjoying God’s victory – no more pills, no more falls, no more kidney infections or needles. Rather, now she can experience the presence of God, sing in Heaven’s choir and reunite with many loved ones that have gone on before. "Without a doubt Big Mama was one of a kind, a modern day saint, a true woman of God. Much could be said about Big Mama, but three things about her stand out. She loved her God, she loved her church, and she loved her family. "When you walked into Big Mama’s home, you could tell that she loved her God. Her house was filled with pictures, figurines and scriptures that testified of her faith. Her Bible was her most treasured possession. You could always count on finding a good devotional or other inspiring Christian literature in Big Mama’s house. "If you ever discussed a problem with Big Mama or brought up someone that was going through a particularly tough time, she would always encourage you to look to God, the Bible, or His church for the answer. She would usually get teary-eyed and let you know that she was praying and remind you that this was something she did every day. Big Mama knew the God she loved answers prayer. "It was also very evident that Big Mama loved her church. She was a faithful member here at Prospect for about eighty-eight years. She would often tell of childhood memories that were centered on Prospect. One summer at age eight, her school participated in a revival here at Prospect and she was gloriously saved. I believe since that day that Prospect became holy, sacred ground to Big Mama. "As a child, I would come to Big Mama’s during the summer and she would have us attend Vacation Bible School. If we came on the weekends, she saw to it that we attended Sunday School, whether we brought church clothes or not. Occasionally if we were staying with Big Mama and there were not special services going on at Prospect, she would bring us here to work. I remember cleaning hardwood floors, polishing pews and clearing weeds from the cemetery. "Big Mama would often have the pastor over for Sunday dinner. Only a few years ago she signed up to help in the nursery during VBS. Big Mama was an active member at Prospect and had a true love for her church. "Big Mama loved her family. Anyone who knew her could attest to this. If Big Mama knew you were coming and had not seen you in a while, you could expect a feast. Her meals usually consisted of two or three meats, four or five vegetables, at least two types of bread, two desserts, and her famous iced tea. Eating at Big Mama’s was always ‘all you can eat.’ "If you were fortunate enough to spend the night with her, she would be up before dawn getting breakfast on. I used to think that she woke the roosters. After the breakfast table was cleared, Big Mama would start lunch preparations. After lunch and a few glasses of tea sipped on the front porch while Big Mama caught up on what was going on in your life, she would begin planning dinner. Cooking to Big Mama was an expression of her love. "Big Mama’s love was also evident at Christmas. Though the family has multiplied and there are now dozens of us, we could always count on having a present under her tree. God seemed to take her limited resources and stretch them, enabling her to provide a gift for everyone. "Not only was Big Mama’s love evident to those of us still alive but she continued to have a deep love for many loved ones who have gone on before. Several of those are buried here at Prospect. If you were fortunate enough to get Big Mama out for a stroll through the cemetery, she would speak fondly and tell interesting stories about many laid to rest here. Yes, undoubtedly, Big Mama loved her family dearly. "I believe that when many of us get to Heaven that Big Mama will be just inside Heaven’s gates waiting to greet us with that familiar loving smile and open arms. I believe that she will be eager to take us on a personal tour to show us things and reacquaint us with other loved ones. I am looking forward to that tour and hope that we all do what is biblically required to ensure that we too, like Big Mama, make safe passage to Heaven’s shore. "May we follow Big Mama’s example and love God unashamedly, wholeheartedly, and without reserve. May we, like Big Mama, have a zeal for His work and serve Him, the church, and each other faithfully. May our love for one another be evident to all; and like Big Mama, may we ‘let our light so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven.’" (The eulogy presented by Phil Phillips, Cornelia’s great grandson.) A tribute to Big Mama I never knew why Mama gave Big Mama the name she did, But I do know it suited her well. No, she was not big - she took the small things in life and made them big. She had a small house, but always big enough for all those who visited. She had a small kitchen, but always big enough to cook big meals. She had a small table, but always covered it with big amounts of food. She had a small lap, but always big enough to hold her grandkids. She had a small sewing machine, but big amounts of clothes were sewn there. She had small Christmas trees, but always big amounts of gifts under those trees. She had small words, but words that made a big impact. She had small hands, but always big enough to work. She had small pets (well usually), but always a big love for them. She had small amounts of money, but provided in big ways. Most importantly, Big Mama had a big heart, full of love for her family and God. Yes, it took a special person, to take the small in life and turn it into big - our Big Mama! Thank you Big Mama, for making the small in our life BIG and for showing us how to be big people. (Submitted by Shelly Lankford, Cornelia’s great granddaughter) "To reduce my darling Aunt Cornelia to mere words is a tall order. - not to suggest that she was larger than life or anything, but she really was! There were so many parts of her personality, each one unique and each one strong. She was a woman of the New Millennium about fifty years before the New Millennium arrived. "Physically, she was very beautiful. One of my most prized possessions is a copy of a photograph of her, Uncle Leon, and my daddy as little children. She would have been three or perhaps four years old at the time, and she was wearing a beautiful little dress that our grandmother had no doubt made, along with a huge bow in her dark hair. Her face is that of an angel, and although there have been and are many beautiful children in the generations following her, I know of none more beautiful than Anna Cornelia Kelly on that day. "Aunt Cornelia was not only beautiful (and she was still beautiful on into her 90‘s), she was very, very wise. She had a faith that could move mountains, and I believe with all my heart that many of the blessings enjoyed by those of us privileged to be loved by her are the fruit of her prayer ministry. She had a strong faith that was almost childlike, and she accepted every event of her life as coming from the loving hand of God the Father, trusting him fully to work good out of the most awful of circumstances. She accepted those she loved exactly as they were, modeling so well the Lord’s unconditional love for us. She had a cute, infectious little giggle, and often she was giggling at herself when it came out. She was quite the historian, knowing more about the families of northern Jasper County than most anyone as evidenced by her commentary included in this book. Her ability to retain and catalog information in her mind throughout her life surely must reflect a high level of intelligence, but she had plenty of ‘horse sense’as well, instinctively knowing how to handle situations and people. She surely had the spiritual gift of exhortation, because she had no problem pointing out a weak area in a loved one’s life; but, at the same time, she went right on loving us all in spite of our failures. "Of course, no comments about Aunt Cornelia would be complete without mentioning her culinary skills. When everybody was coming for Sunday lunch, it was a veritable smorgasbord, and every dish was done to perfection. And if you wanted to offend her, try not eating as many servings as she expected! My children will often comment when I make a dish that she made (especially dressing) ‘Mom, this is good, but it’s not quite like Aunt Cornelia’s.’ She is a hard act to follow! "Aunt Cornelia pretty much fleshed out the Proverbs 31 woman for us, and I am so thankful that God in His providence allowed me to be part of her life. She was a precious blessing to me, and I am so thankful for the role she played in my life and in the life of my family. May God bless the memory of how she honored Him in her life, and may we all trust Him in the way that she did so that our entire family circle will be unbroken in eternity." (Submitted by Sybil Kelly Cunard) "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us; and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12: 1