We found the Persons Family Cemetery in July 2011, with the help of Grady, a local volunteer for THE THOMASTON-UPSON CO. ARCHIVES
(click on the Archive for their blog and information)
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| Grady on the left and my husband Danny on the right! June 2015 |
We have returned 3 times to clean up the cemetery and look for graves and grave stones that have been documented to be in this cemetery.
The cemetery sits up on a bluff off of Yatesville Hwy. County Rd. 74 at
the Upson & Monroe Co. line.
the Upson & Monroe Co. line.
Since 2011, we have noticed that the cemetery wall is eroding and falling down the bluff to the road on the front side and it continues to have extensive damage by the county to the back wall when clearing the easement.
FRONT ENTRANCE TO CEMETERY
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| Front entrance as found July 2011 |
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| Front entrance after clean up April 2012 and right corner of wall, facing the road. |
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| Front entrance after clean up June 2015. The right side has fallen down the embankment. |
FRONT RIGHT WALL & CORNER
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| Front right corner, facing the road, after the April 2012 clean up. |
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| Front right corner, facing the road, June 2015. |
When standing in the middle of the cemetery, this right corner wall that faces the road appears the same. With huge trucks rumbling down the road and all the rain we get; the embankment is eroding out from under the front of the stone wall.
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| June 2015 |
It's almost impossible to enter through the front entrance of the stone wall. There is little ground left and you have to use a small tree to hang onto, to swing yourself through the door. The right stone wall of the entrance is splitting and the entire right side from the front entrance down,
is sliding down the hill.
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| June 2015 |
THE BACK STONE WALL
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| Back of stone wall on the easement. July 2011 |
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| Back stone wall along the easement, before the clean up. July 2011 |
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| Back stone wall along the easement, before the clean up. July 2011 |
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| Back stone wall. June 2015 |
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| The back stone wall of the cemetery and the easement. June 2015 |
WHO IS BURIED IN THE
PERSONS CEMETERY?
Lovett Persons had the 20' x 30' cemetery built with a stone wall for his father Jones Persons after he died in 1850, being the first person buried in this location. It sits on the corner edge of the Persons' 300 acres about 100 yards from the family house (shown below) that Jones built in 1840 and remained in the Persons family until Malinda Lyon Persons died in 1908.
To this date, Jones' home is lived in and well maintained.
To this date, Jones' home is lived in and well maintained.
#1. Jones Persons (1760-1850) fought with Col. Elijah Clarke's Regiment during the American Revolution and received two land grants in Georgia for his services. Jones was the first person to be buried here - that I know of!
I have NOT been able to find his stone.
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| James Persons (1855-1856) |
#2. We found the grave stone for James Persons (1855-1856),
baby of Lovett and Malinda Persons.
#3. Jones' wife Diana Neal Persons (1775-1859) would have been the next person to be buried here since her husband was the first to be buried here and her youngest son Lovett was the executor of her estate.
baby of Lovett and Malinda Persons.
#3. Jones' wife Diana Neal Persons (1775-1859) would have been the next person to be buried here since her husband was the first to be buried here and her youngest son Lovett was the executor of her estate.
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| Lovett Persons (1814-1862) |
#4. Lovett Persons (1814-1862) died early of an illness that lingered for two months. We found the top of his grave stone in the cemetery under several inches of soil.
#5. Lovett's older brother William Pinkney Persons (1797-1874) lived next door to Lovett. The two had many land dealings and according to an enumeration of the cemetery in the late 60s, there was part of a pink head stone still in the cemetery at that time. He went by his middle name of "Pinky" on a document I found. His grave has not been found anywhere else.
#6. Pinky's wife, Nancy B. Freeman Persons (1804-1877) would have been buried with her husband and her grave has not been found elsewhere.
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| Malinda Adaline Lyon Persons (1825-1908) |
#7. Lovett's wife, Malinda Adaline Lyon Persons (1825-1908) head stone is located in the cemetery and is in fairly good condition.
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| Head stones found in Persons Cemetery. 2013 |
I feel that these are the "Persons" that are buried at this location.
There may be other children, but this number of people would have filled up the cemetery by the time Malinda Persons passed in 1908.
There may be other children, but this number of people would have filled up the cemetery by the time Malinda Persons passed in 1908.
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If you or anyone you know, should have information about Pinkney or Nancy's burial
or earlier photos of this cemetery,
If you or anyone you know, should have information about Pinkney or Nancy's burial
or earlier photos of this cemetery,
please contact me and let me know.
Due to the cemetery wall falling/sliding down the hill to the road and the destruction of the back wall by the upkeep of the easement, I am checking into the possibility of moving this cemetery a mile down the road, to the New Hope Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery in Yatesville.
Jones and Malinda were among the original founders of the church as well as Malinda's parents,
James and Rachel Harrell Lyon
and siblings are buried at the New Hope PB Church Cemetery.
The Lyon's are also buried in a stone and mortared wall like the Persons and probably built by the same people.
Due to the cemetery wall falling/sliding down the hill to the road and the destruction of the back wall by the upkeep of the easement, I am checking into the possibility of moving this cemetery a mile down the road, to the New Hope Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery in Yatesville.
Jones and Malinda were among the original founders of the church as well as Malinda's parents,
James and Rachel Harrell Lyon
and siblings are buried at the New Hope PB Church Cemetery.
The Lyon's are also buried in a stone and mortared wall like the Persons and probably built by the same people.
suzzz45(at)yahoo(dot)com
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