Tag Archives: Georgia Cemeteries

Lena Baker, The Only Woman to Die in Georgia’s Electric Chair

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Lena Baker Mugshot, Georgia State Prison, Reidsville, 2-23-1945. Public Domain. No Known Restrictions. Via Wikipedia.

The mugshot above is a haunting reminder of the failures and atrocities of the Jim Crow government that dominated Georgia well into the 1960s. Made at the Georgia State Prison in Reidsville just ten days before Lena Baker became the only woman to be executed in Georgia’s electric chair, it instills a sense of fear and sadness. This was, ultimately, a legal lynching.

Lena Baker was born near Cuthbert in 1900 to a family of sharecroppers and followed the typical employment pattern of black women of her time, working as a maid for little pay for middle class white families in order to support her three children. She was later forced into a sexual relationship with an elderly white employer, Ernest B. Knight. It was well-known and frowned upon throughout the county. When Knight realized that Ms. Baker was determined to end the relationship he locked her in his gristmill, as he had done many times before. When she tried to escape, they “tussled” over his pistol which fired and killed him. She immediately turned herself in and claimed the shooting was in self-defense. She also admitted that she drank alcohol with him, but also, not by choice. Not surprisingly, the all-male, all-white jury in the ensuing sham trial found Ms. Baker guilty of capital murder and sentenced her to death. This is likely due to the fact that the family of Ernest Knight was embarrassed by the breach of social order the case represented, even though Knight’s proclivities were already well known. It was a neat way, on the part of a white family, to put this sorry episode to rest at the expense of a woman’s life. She was executed at Reidsville on 5 March 1945 and buried at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church near Cuthbert. Her last words were: “What I done, I did in self-defense or I would have been killed myself. Where I was, I could not overcome it…I am ready to meet my God.”

That this was a tragic, if typical, miscarriage of justice was confirmed when she was granted a pardon by the state in 2005, thanks to the advocacy of Ms. Baker’s grand-nephew, Roosevelt Curry. Sadly, though, at least one member of the parole board, Garland Hunt, said the board didn’t see the pardon as striking a blow against racial injustice or righting a historical wrong. He just thought it was a good thing for the family.

Lena Baker (8 June 1900-5 March 1945), Mt. Vernon Baptist Church Cemetery

Church members placed a headstone on her unmarked grave in 1998 and family members pay tribute every year on Mother’s Day.

Piney Grove Missionary Baptist Church, Randolph County

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Kuanita Evette Murphy states in her book, The History of the Piney Grove Missionary Baptist Church: From the Brush Arbor to the Sanctuary, that the congregation dates all the way back to 1834 and began as a brush arbor church. From the era of enslavement to the present day, Piney Grove has been a spiritual resource for its members and is among the oldest black congregations in present-day Randolph County.

There’s a large historic cemetery beside the church. The following memorials are presented randomly, for their vernacular importance.

Nellie Fillingame (Birthdate unknown-17 January 1938)

The roots of this tree look like they’re going to topple this nice old vernacular headstone.

The next two two memorials, by renowned sculptor Eldren Bailey, were purchased through the Haugabrooks Funeral Home in Atlanta.

Elijah Stergis (Birthday unknown-16 September 1916)

Elijah Sturgis (spelled Stergis on the memorial) was lynched simply for being related to a fugitive and being in the path of a rabid mob. I believe these stories must be told.

On 18 September 1916, Sturgis’s cousin Peter Hudson shot and killed Randolph County Sheriff William Samuel Taylor, who was serving a warrant for Hudson’s arrest. Hudson escaped the scene and went into hiding in the nearby woods and swamps. A lynch mob formed and while tracking Hudson, encountered Elijah Sturgis, apparently killing him for no reason. Hudson was located on 20 September 1916 and shot on the spot. His lifeless body was dragged around the town square in Cuthbert before being hoisted onto an improvised gallows. It was later taken down and burned on the outskirts of town.

Roy Stergis (Birthdate unknown-died 1945)

It’s in a beautifully secluded location, far back in the woods down hilly roads of orange-red clay. This area of northwestern Randolph County is known locally as the Upper Corner. This historic congregation is still very active.

Athen Hill Baptist Church, Stewart County

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Athen Hill Baptist Church is located on the highway that goes to Omaha from Lumpkin. Its in an isolated setting on the side of a large hill, with a small cemetery beside it.

Sgt. William Devorce, US Army World War II (1924-1999)

The church appears to have been abandoned for quite a few years and I can’t locate any history.

Sardis Methodist Church, 1855, Stewart County

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Sardis Church Cemetery

Located in rural Stewart County, Sardis Methodist Church was established in the 1840s. According to Mr. Joe Barge, who gave us a fascinating tour of the property, the church building dates to circa 1855. It was built by Joseph Sessions (1794-1856) and his nephew, Benjamin Franklin Barge (1810-1873).

Joe Barge

The Barge family has been a part of the congregation since its inception and much of the farm and timberland around the church has been in the family during that time. The area is known as Trotman, though appears on maps, incorrectly, as Troutman. If I recall correctly, Mr. Barge said that seven generations of his family are buried in the cemetery.

Church interior. The pews were divided down the middle. Men sat on one side and women on the other, in the early days of the church.

The church had fallen into serious disrepair by the 1970s. Restoration was the only option members felt was viable and the work was completed by 1982. One gets a sense of the pride that members have in their church, from the well maintained cemetery and churchyard to the interior. I believe the congregation meets just once a month now, but they’re still active and take excellent care of this special place.

The altar and light fixtures aren’t original, but fit within the historical context.

Country churches like Sardis are becoming much less common these days, as families disperse from rural areas, but they’re still among the great rural landmarks of Georgia. It’s inspiring to see congregations embracing and preserving their history, and Sardis does as good a job as any I’ve seen in my travels.

The vernacular Greek Revival exterior is largely unchanged from its circa 1855 appearance, with the exception of the added steeple, which wouldn’t have been an element of the original.

Coker Grave House, Stewart County

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John & Mrs. Coker’s Baby, 1900 – Red Hill Christian Church Cemetery

I never get tired of finding grave houses. Though they’ve been around nearly as long as human history itself, in one form or another, most of the examples I’ve found in Georgia have a decidedly Victorian appearance, like this one in Stewart County’s historic Red Hill Christian Church Cemetery. Elements of the grave house have probably been restored or replaced, as is often the case with these curious monuments.

The simple ledger stone that marks this burial reads: John & Mrs. Coker’s Baby – 1900. Presumably, the child died in infancy. Mr. Coker’s obituary in the Stewart-Webster Journal, 25 March 1943, notes that John Martin Coker (1866-1943) had lived in or near Richland most of his life, and was well known as a miller.. He was in charge of the Usher mill near Lumpkin for a long period and for many years operated the Richland gin. He had been a member of the Christian Church for more than fifty years. Mrs. Coker was Fannie Coker, but that is about all I’ve learned about her.

Victoria Nephew, Long County

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Victorian Scott Nephew (4 May 1913-3 April 2019)

I regret that I never got to meet Mrs. Sarah Victoria Scott Nephew (Vicky to her friends and loved ones), the longest-lived person in Long County. As someone who was raised around older people and had a great-grandmother and great-uncle who both lived over 100 years, I always loved their stories and wisdom. Centenarians have always fascinated me.

Mrs. Nephew’s great-grandmother Sarah was born enslaved in 1840 in South Carolina. She was subject to repeated assaults by her enslaver and bore him five children. She eventually married Benjamin Scott, and she named one of the children born of her enslaver Marcus Scott, Sr. His son, Marcus “Big Bubba” Scott, Jr., (1890-1977) was the father of Victoria. Her mother was Maggie Williams Scott. The Scotts moved from Spartanburg to Burke County in 1895, and to Liberty County in 1908. They owned and operated a turpentine and timber farm in the Broad Level community, in what is now Long County. Maggie died in 1926 and Bubba married Lena Rountree (1906-1972), of Savannah. I got the impression that Victoria was not very fond of Lena. Big Bubba was a member of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church and served as its clerk. He was ordained to the ministry in 1949 and was an assistant pastor at Mt. Zion Baptist Church.

Victoria attended school, through sixth grade, in Sandfly, and told Margie Love, in a 2017 interview, that her teacher at the Sandfly School, Professor Read, and her great-grandfather, were slaves together. She said through their attending the white children on the plantation, they “picked up a little education there.” [Please follow the link above, and read all of Margie’s wonderful interview. There are some great stories there.]

As a young woman, Victoria was sent to Ossabaw Island to babysit for a Mr. Strouffer, the English gardener of the Torrey Family, who owned the island. While there she married her first husband, Sandy Jackson, whose mother was from Ossabaw and father was from Liberty County. Sandy died during World War II, when a tree fell on him while cutting timber for war ships. They had no children.

Around 1947, Vicky married John Nephew, a Darien native. They lived in the Broad Level community, with John working in turpentine, and were regular members of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church. They had four children. John died in a car crash in 1968.

She told Margie Love that she had been dipping Navy Snuff for about 90 years and that she didn’t take store-bought medicine, preferring local medicinal plants, especially life everlasting (Hylotelephium telephium). There must be something to it, as Mrs. Nephew lived a long and rich life, passing away just a month before her 106th birthday.

Civil Rights Pioneer Horace Clinton Boyd

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Macedonia Cemetery, Broad Level community, Long County

The Rev. Dr. Horace Clinton Boyd (1926-2016) was born in Long County, the son of Ernest Franklin Boyd and Eula Wright Boyd. His father was a Deacon at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church. After service in World War II, Horace attended Morehouse College and earned a doctorate degree in Divinity. He began preaching at Schofield Barracks in Oahu, in 1946, but went on to pastor numerous congregations, including: Mill Creek Missionary Baptist Church of Ellabell; Baconton Missionary Baptist Church of Allenhurst; St. John Missionary Baptist Church of Waycross; St. John Missionary Baptist Church of Douglas; Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist of Ocilla; and Mother Easter Baptist Church of Moultrie. His longest association, however, was with Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Albany. He began preaching there in 1959 and actively served for 57 years, until his death at age 89 in 2016.

He was a seminal figure in the burgeoning Albany Movement, a significant Georgia branch of the larger national movement. At the time, he was the first in Albany to open his doors to outside activists, and is considered the spiritual father of the Albany Movement for his welcoming stance. Shiloh hosted mass meetings throughout the 1960s, working closely with Old Mt. Zion Baptist Church, across the street. Rev. Martin Luther King drew crowds of over 1500 to the two congregations when he spoke to their members in 1961, at the invitation of Rev. Boyd.

He received many honors for this work during his lifetime and was also involved in leadership in the Albany Ministerial Brotherhood, the General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia, the Albany Seminary Extension, and the Hopewell Missionary Baptist Association. He also served on the board of Dougherty County Family and Children Services for 27 years.

Reverend Dr. Horace Clinton Boyd. Public domain photograph via Findagrave.

His daughter Dolores Boyd McCrary writes: Rev. Boyd was married to Mrs. Barbara M. Riles Boyd for 60 years, ten months before her death in 2010. Mrs. Boyd was an educator in the Albany Dougherty County School System for over 30 years. She worked and walked diligently beside her husband supporting him as a faithful, stalwart, loving, and dutiful wife. Her numerous contributions to their marriage, spiritual endeavors and community helped make the path less rough than it might have been without her. She was what some call the First Lady at the churches he pastored and much beloved. Together they raised their two children to adulthood.

Dr. David Lane Kendall, Pioneer Georgia Physician

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Driving into Yatesville, this headstone caught my attention, but I figured it would be like others I’ve found throughout the countryside: a small family plot long forgotten by the passage of time. And though that was true to some extent, what I learned about the man who was buried here was quite fascinating. It turns out that this was the cemetery of Bellwood Hall, a plantation owned by one of Georgia’s early country doctors, David Lane Kendall, Sr. (1790-1850).

Dr. Kendall was born in Washington County in 1790 and moved to Upson County in 1830 where he and his second wife, Louisa Rogers Steele Kendall (1804-1881), built Bellwood, a grand plantation house complete with formal gardens. The property was likely maintained by enslaved men and women. It was destroyed by fire sometime in the late 1800s, but thanks to the foresight of Dr. Kendall’s daughter, Louisa “Loula” Winifred Kendall Rogers (1838-1931) , much of its history survives in special collections at Emory University.

Fergerson Cemetery, 1907, Guyton

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Fergerson Cemetery was established in 1907. Annie, Minnie, and Alice Fergerson gave the land to the city of Guyton to be used as a “colored” cemetery. There are nearly 500 marked graves. As is the case in many historic African-American cemeteries, there are many unmarked or poorly marked graves, but working with Lucy Powell, Pearl Boynes, Robert Hunter and Michael Garvin of the Fergerson Cemetery Committee, volunteer JoAnn Clarke has helped to document many of them.

Many handmade headstones can be found throughout the cemetery and these are important historical resources. I’ve documented a few random examples. I’ve attempted to edit them to make them more readable. Some turned out better than others.

Maria Dobson (1843-17 April 1934)

Maria Dobson was born in South Carolina, likely enslaved.

Willie Dobson (1878-1903)

Willie Dobson was the son of Maria Dobson (1848-1934).

Annabell McCloud (24 March 1878-4 February 1924)

Jimmie C. Griffin (5 September 1890-28 September 1940)

Jimmie C. Griffin was a Mason, indicated by the symbol on his memorial. He was the son of Will Griffin, a native of North Carolina, and Katie Dobson of Guyton. His wife was Amy Griffin.

James Macon (18 January 1881-1 May 1946)

James Macon’s memorial notes that he was a Mason and a deacon of his church.

Annie Eliza Bryant Cross (27 September 1860-23 September 1941)

This memorial appears to have been made by the same craftsman as James Macon’s, in the previous photograph. Though it’s difficult to see, there’s a star at the top. Her mother’s maiden name was Caroline Kent and considering her birthdate, Annie was likely born enslaved.

Beatrice Massey (5 June 1916-20 January 1939)

This marker has design elements in common with the previous two.

Rena Cuthbert (18 August 1889-24 April 1943)

Mrs. Cuthbert’s memorial features a star. This is a common motif in cemeteries, but is more often found in African-American cemeteries.

Claudie Cuthbert (?-18 October 1945)

Claudie Cuthbert was the husband of Rena Cuthbert. He was a deacon of his church and a Mason. This stone features a flower engraving, that’s difficult to see in the photograph.

James Ishmal Sheffield (1862-21 December 1929)

Mr. Sheffield was born to Abraham and Rosa Sheffield, both natives of Bulloch County. Considering the dates, they were probably all enslaved.

Ben Curry (17 December 1853-22 March 1905)

Mr. Curry was likely born into slavery and hopefully his memorial will be raised out of the ground so he won’t be forgotten. Thankfully, volunteers are working to restore all of these endangered markers.

Elgrie Hayes (9 April 1858-13 January 19170

Mr. Hayes was likely born enslaved, as well. Knowing these people’s names and when they lived is something that needs to be documented all over the state. Sadly, many are lost to time, so the surviving records, i.e. burial sites, must be remembered.

Samuel “Pop” Smalls, Sr. (1919-25 September 1997)

In contrast to the many vernacular memorials in Fergerson Cemetery is the crypt of Samuel Smalls, Sr., known as Pop Smalls. He was one of the most prominent members of Effingham County’s African-American community and served on the Guyton City Council. A World War II Navy veteran, he was the owner of Small’s Funeral Home and was involved in numerous social and civic organizations.

Forsyth City Cemetery, Circa 1823

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Victorian obelisks at sunrise

The Forsyth City Cemetery, also known as Oakland, is thought to have been first associated with the Forsyth Methodist Church, who built a church and adjacent burying ground in 1828. The church is long gone but the cemetery has expanded greatly. It’s a bit curious, though, that the earliest known burial dates to 1827. All that is known of the decedent, Elizabeth Griffin Beal, (1808-1827), is that she was the wife of Robert Beal and daughter of William and Rachel Griffin. A typical young wife and sadly, a typical early death. Nothing extraordinary in those facts. But the fact that her memorial predates the church cemetery suggests that the property may have been used as early as the founding of Forsyth in 1823.

This burial ground is one of those great repositories of local history, with a wide range of funerary memorials and markings and, when compared to some of our other cemeteries, is quite easy to navigate, by car and by foot. It has a Confederate section and and African-American section. I only photographed a few memorials and markers and they’re presented here in no particular order.

The mausoleum of the family of Isaac Whiting Ensign (1820-1907) is one of the architectural highlights of the cemetery. Ensign was a native of Connecticut.

This is a small portion of the Confederate section. The nearby Methodist church served as a hospital during the Civil War and many casualties of the Atlanta Campaign were brought here for care and/or burial. Of the nearly 300 burials in this section, a large number are unknown.

Many of the unknown Confederate markers were honored with American flags, which is wrong on many levels, not the least of which being that when they died they were not Americans. I presume it was done purposefully since there are many but I don’t understand the reasoning. I’m sure someone will attempt to explain at some point. The Confederate flag may not belong in many places, but on the grave of an unknown Confederate soldier is certainly one of the places it would be expected to be found.

The modern memorial for Only Patience Outlaw Anderson (1777-1864) was placed by Anderson descendants in 2017, and made by the Barnesville Marble Company. Her name got my attention first. Only Patience Outlaw. But I learned that she was a refugee in Civil War-era Forsyth who died while here. The marker notes that she was the matriarch of early East Tennessee family, Daughter of Col. Alexander Outlaw & Penelope Smith Outlaw. Widow of Hon Joseph Inslee Anderson, Bvt. Major Revolutionary War, U. S. Territorial Judge, U. S. Senator Tennessee, 1st Comptroller U. S. Treasury. He was the namesake of Andersonville and Anderson County, Tennessee.

This is the Oliver Morse (1802-1868) family enclosure, at least he was the oldest decedent I found. Low fences made of local stone are found mostly in cemeteries north of the Fall Line, though many have collapsed and intact examples are increasingly uncommon. They are usually associated with locally prominent families.

The Pye family enclosure may be my favorite in the Forsyth City Cemetery, for its presence of these old brick crypts, some of which are in very poor condition. The earliest readable memorial here dates to 1852, and I’m sure these brick crypts are much older.