The white marble angel in Olive Grove Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery marking the grave of Joseph James Spooner (19 July 1848-31 March 1929) and his first wife, Mary Jane Lane Spooner (2 March 1850-2 December 1914), is one of the finest examples of Victorian funerary art in rural Georgia. Mr. Spooner’s parents’ memorials in Union Primitive Baptist (aka Primitive Union Cemetery) in Miller County are also landmarks of statuary. [I’ll be sharing photos of them soon].

My presumption is that the angel was placed in 1914, after Mary Spooner’s death, to signify Mr. Spooner’s profound sadness over her loss. The monument is life-sized and makes quite the statement.