The amazing history of Smyrna begins in 1785, when Reverends John Newton and John Simpson of the South Carolina Presbytery began holding services in nearby homes at the request of Sir John Williston Talbot (1735-1798), who had come to Georgia to attend to the 50,000 acres granted him by King George III. The first church, built on this site in 1793, was a log structure and the Reverend John Springer, the first Presbyterian minister ordained in Georgia, was the first pastor and he remained here until 1801. Membership had declined to such a small number by 1820 that the Presbyterians transferred the building to the Methodists and moved to the Washington Presbyterian Church. Beginning in the 1840s, the Methodists and Presbyterians held joint camp meetings on the grounds, which went on for many years. The old log church served Smyrna Methodist until a frame structure replaced it in 1860. The present structure dates to 1911.
Historic Smyrna Cemetery
The land for this burying ground, and by extension the churchyard, were given by Sir John Talbot in 1788, and it is one of the most historic in the region. I’m sharing some of the highlights here, focusing on the early gravestones.
This enclosure of Georgia granite is the burial place of several members of the Talbot family and other early members of the congregation. Because it’s the burial place of Governor Matthew Talbot, I’m identifying it as the Talbot Enclosure, but many families, including Jones, Charlton, Martin, and Colley, are also present.
Matthew Talbot, the son of Sir John Talbot and the namesake of Talbotton and Talbot County, served as the 30th governor of Georgia, albeit for only two weeks [24 October 1819-5 November 1819]. After moving to Georgia from Virginia, he served as a clerk of the Superior Court in Elbert County [1790-1791] and represented Wilkes County in the Georgia General Assembly. He later moved to Oglethorpe County and represented them in the state Constitutional Conventions of 1795 and 1798. He served in the Georgia Senate in 1799, 1801-1803, and from 1808 until 1822. While serving a President of the Senate, he became the interim Governor of Georgia upon the death of Governor William Rabun in 1819. He ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1823, losing after a battle in the legislature that lasted three days before a selection could be made. This resulted in the legislature changing the system of electing governors by election by popular vote. In 1827 he once again was a gubernatorial candidate, but passed away before the election.
James Creswell Talbot, who, according to his headstone, stood well as a Preacher, served the Smyrna congregation before his death.
Mary was the daughter of Reverend James C. Talbot and Sarah A. Talbot.
Thomas Henry Jones was the son of Col. William Jones, a veteran of the War of 1812. No birth or death dates for Col. Jones have been located as of this writing.
I like the inscription on this early physician’s headstone: The law of truth was in his mouth and iniquity was not found in his lips. He walked with men in peace and equity.
The headstone of Frances Charlton is a nice early Victorian example featuring weeping willow trees. It is signed by its maker, Glendinning of Augusta. It notes of Charlton: Lived a consistent member of the Methodist Church nearly half a century.
Owens Colley was the infant son of John Owens & Sarah E. Colley.
Gannaway Martin served in General Elijah Clarke’s Regiment of Georgia Troops during the Revolutionary War.
This is another view of the Talbot Enclosure from the back side.
This is the corner of the enclosure at a point where it joins another smaller enclosure.
Behind the Talbot Enclosure is an equally old and historic section of the cemetery. I’m calling it the Barnett Family Plot, for the number of Barnetts interred here.
William W. Barnett was a son of John Barnett, Jr., an Irish immigrant who was one of the earliest settlers of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. His sister, Mary, is believed to have been the first white child born in Mecklenburg County. Along with his father and his brother, William served in the Revolutionary War in the Snow Campaign and the Battle of Hanging Rock.
Jean Jack, a native of Pennsylvania, was the wife of William M. Barnett of Wilkes County.
Charity was the daughter of William W. & Jean Barnett. Her headstone is one of the earliest in the cemetery.
Elizabeth was the first wife of Samuel Jack Barnett (21 January 1775-14 January 1843). His second wife, Elizabeth Wingfield Willis Bennett (30 March 1791-11 June 1856), is buried nearby.
The three memorials that follow were just aesthetically interesting to me.
The simple mausoleum of G. W. Florence features a ventilation pipe on its roof. This is likely due to the belief held by some Victorians that people were often buried alive and this would provide air to the “not-yet-departed”. Florence himself has proven a mystery, as I can’t locate anything about his life. Even his birthdate is missing from this memorial.
Augustus Stovall Tatom was the son of Wiley G. Tatom (1847-1916) & Georgia M. Tatom (1847-1930). The broken Corinthian column on the headstone is symbolic of a life cut short in the parlance of Victorian funerary art.
Cornelia Elizabeth Cooper Meriwether was the wife of Thomas Molloy Meriwether (1821-1899). The ferns and tropical plants featured on her headstone may have a Victorian meaning, but I think they’re more representative of the Arts & Crafts aesthetic that was popular at the time.
