Southern Graves

Manly W. Peacock, son of Albert, was born on 6 March 1877. Two of his brothers were Jefferson D. Peacock , mentioned previously in this space, and Zebulon Vance Peacock, a former mayor of Cochran in Bleckley County, Georgia. Upon his death in November 1903, Manly was buried in a family lot at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Cochran. 📰 Framing the Tragedy: Yellow Journalism in 1903 Manly's death "caused much excitement" in cities and towns across the state. The sensationalized reports are perfect examples of the journalistic style prevalent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Often called "yellow journalism," this style prioritized sensationalism, drama, and circulation over strict factual accuracy, leading to the kind of contradictions and unverified claims you will see in these articles. Macon Telegraph (Georgia) Sunday, 8 November 1903 - pg. 1 " DUEL TO DEATH IN DODGE COUNTY MANLY PEACOCK INSTANTLY KILLED BY H. G. EVERETT, AFTER THE LATTER WAS PERH...

Decades before penicillin was widely available to the public, Cherry White had an accident with a fork. It cost her her life. Newspapers all across Georgia and neighboring states carried the story: Stuck Fork in Hand and Died: Miss Cherry White Loses Life from Peculiar Accident Death from Poisoning is Fate of Girl Student Wounded By a Fork, Young Girl Dies Cherry Ann White was born in Georgia on New Year's Eve in 1889, just a couple of weeks after the gold-domed State Capitol building in Atlanta was completed. She was the first daughter born to Coley B. and Elizabeth A. "Lizzie" White, and named after her paternal grandmother, Cherry Ann Coley. Also in 1889, the Georgia General Assembly established the Georgia Normal and Industrial College. Located in Milledgeville, just over 60 miles from where Cherry's family resided in Cochran, its mission was to educate and train young white women to become teachers and to provide industrial education in areas such as sewing, cook...

The World War I veteran was shot in his left side with a pistol. Thomas Glover "Tom" Padgett was born on 10 July 1888 in Twiggs County, Georgia, to William B. and Annie Davis Padgett. He was inducted into the United States Army at Jeffersonville, Georgia, on 26 June 1918. Tom served overseas from 24 August 1918 to 2 April 1919. It was noted on his World War I service card that Tom was "slightly" wounded about 1 November 1918, and was honorably discharged on demobilization, 24 April 1919. Years later, by 1935, Tom had a room in a boarding house on West Franklin Street in Gastonia, Gaston County, North Carolina. Gastonia was once one of the nation's largest textile-manufacturing hubs. Though no occupation was listed for Tom in the 1940 census, he was surrounded by neighbors working in cotton mills. In February 1943, Tom was shot and killed in his room at the boarding house. While his death certificate officially records the date as February 16th, contemporary news...

Born just months after the Civil War ended, Thomas B. Pace Jr. lived through Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, and the upheavals of early 20th-century America. His death in 1931 came at the dawn of the Great Depression, a time when the values inscribed on his gravestone—charity, compassion, faith—were desperately needed. Thomas, and two of his siblings highlighted here, were laid to rest in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Cochran, Bleckley County, Georgia. Thomas Pace Jr.'s Life of Civic Virtue Thomas B. Pace Jr. Son of Thomas B. Pace and Catherine, His Wife Born Sept 30, 1865 Died Sept 18, 1931 Here is to the remains of our brother, Thomas B. Pace, who at all times and places gave his strength to the weak; his substance to the poor, his sympathy to the suffering, and his heart to God. This epitaph, presumably composed by his surviving siblings, reflects a life dedicated to civic virtues, especially in the tumultuous era in which Thomas lived. An obituary ran in the Athens Banner-Herald ...

An urn-topped obelisk in Cedar Hill Cemetery at Cochran, Bleckley County, Georgia, serves as a single monument to Charles Mullis and his three wives -- each getting their own panel, collectively making up the four sides of the base. Charles Mullis was born on 7 November 1813 in North Carolina. By 1837, he was residing in Pulaski County, Georgia, where he married his first wife, Cynthia Miller (1820-1857), on 1 November.  Charles next married Julia P. about 1860. She was about 29 years his junior, being born in Georgia on 30 August 1842. Julia died on 14 October 1882, and Charles married for the final time the next year. He united with Sarah E., who was born on 3 February 1840. This time, the wife outlived the husband. Charles Mullis died on 9 September 1887 in Cochran, as was reported in the Macon Weekly Telegraph  (Georgia). Death of a Wealthy Citizen COCHRAN, September 10. -- Mr. Charles Mullis, of this place, aged 77, died yesterday afternoon of erysipelas and senile decay....

Homicide at Cochran, Georgia! William Thomas McVay was born on 24 August 1835. He married Martha Ella Linder in Laurens County, Georgia, on 4 November 1858. In 1862, W. T. enlisted in the Confederate Army as a private. He was promoted through the ranks, culminating in the position of 1st Lieutenant of Company F, 14th Georgia Infantry. During the decade of Reconstruction, William transitioned from a Confederate officer to a prominent merchant in the newly established community of Cochran, Georgia. Officially incorporated in 1869, the town was built around a stop on the Macon and Brunswick Railroad. Merchants like McVay were crucial to the town's early economy, linking local cotton and agricultural products to the wider regional markets. Being a successful merchant in a small, post-war Southern town (not to mention his veteran status) likely meant William was an individual of considerable influence and standing in the local community and surrounding counties. A snippet from an articl...

Behind the Greene County courthouse in Greensboro, Georgia, stands an old rock jail. It was built in 1807 and remained in use until about 1895. From the historical marker beside it: "Built of granite about two feet thick, it is two stories in height and has a trap door in the floor of the upper story where condemned prisoners were hanged. An iron bar supported the trap door. When the signal was given, the hangman pulled the lever that controlled the bar and the culprit was launched into eternity." I recently read a 2019 story by Tyler Wilkins in the Lake Oconee News  (Georgia) about the old gaol , and was surprised to learn only one documented execution took place there. Here's how the Atlanta Weekly Constitution  covered it on 4 November 1873: Quick PSA : Since most newspapers of the time were white-owned and reflected racist views, they were biased. So please question and treat with great caution the papers' descriptions of the alleged crimes, victims, and perp...