• About Me
  • Cemeteries I Have Visited
  • Have questions?
  • Photos

Adventures in Cemetery Hopping

~ A blog by Traci Rylands

Adventures in Cemetery Hopping

Monthly Archives: November 2015

Free At Last: Visiting Atlanta’s South-View Cemetery (Postscript)

06 Friday Nov 2015

Posted by adventuresincemeteryhopping in General

≈ 6 Comments

Over the past weeks, I’ve highlighted a variety of people buried at South-View Cemetery. Civil rights pioneers, a famous Vaudeville sister act, a Tuskegee airman, outspoken clergymen and many more.

But there’s another side to South-View that is impossible to escape. The graves of ordinary men and women who did not have towering monuments and illustrious pasts. Some whose graves are not even marked. When you wander over to the older section of the cemetery that is not within the perpetual care area, you’ll find a more untamed, rugged beauty.

Non-perpetual care section is a designation I often see at old cemeteries. Years ago, the concept of putting aside funds for the upkeep and maintenance of graves did not exist as it does now.

Non-perpetual care is a designation I often see at old cemeteries. Years ago, the concept of putting aside funds for the permanent upkeep and maintenance of graves did not exist. As a result, they are sometimes in need of repair or restoration but the funds don’t exist to do it.

While John and I meandered around, I took pictures of whatever caught my eye. This rather crude inlay of the letter “H” for the Hardin family’s plot was one of them.

I know nothing about the Hardin family but this inlay initial at the entrance looked special.

I know nothing about the Hardin family but this inlay initial at the entrance looked unique.

I saw a number of markers with the words “Mother at Rest” on them, which I found particularly touching.

This one is a bit worn and not easy to read.

This one is a bit worn and not easy to read but the spirit behind the words is still there. There was no name on it.

The wood motif in this plot was rather unusal as the border was entirely made of stone made to look like logs. There was nothing to indicate the name of the person buried here. But it is beautiful nonetheless.

I’ve seen wood-style markers before. But the motif used in this plot was unusual in that the entire border is entirely made of stone made to look like logs. There was nothing to indicate the name of the person buried here.

On the far east side of the cemetery, the landscape is less manicured but it remains a peaceful sanctuary of reflection.

There are a number of enormous old trees like this one on the grounds of South-View.

There are a number of enormous old trees like this one on the grounds of South-View.

An old bench awaits visitors to pause and sit beneath the towering trees.

A solitary bench awaits visitors to pause and sit beneath the towering trees.

These are more of the temporary markers that became the only indication of a grave since permanent ones were never purchased.

These are temporary markers that became the only indication of a grave since permanent ones were never purchased. They were created by African-American funeral homes.

I noticed a few monuments standing alone in large stretches of grass nearby. These were plots purchased by black churches as part of burial societies decades ago. The one below was erected by the Daughters of Israel of the Reed (misspelled as Reid on the stone) Street Baptist Church, organized in 1867.

SVReidStreetBaptist African-Americans were not allowed to be buried with whites before the Civil War and long into the years after it. Though some freed slaves preferred to remain on the plantation or settle in the countryside, many relocated to urban areas and established communities. They needed somewhere to bury their dead in an inexpensive way.

I could find no specific information about Atlanta’s black burial societies. But in Charleston after the Civil War, whites encouraged freed blacks to form benevolent societies so they might collect dues and purchase land for cemeteries. About nine of these have been identified but there were likely more. Such societies also existed in Northeastern Jewish communities and a few still exist today.

Arranging burial was only one part of some of these societies. They sometimes paid for the education of orphaned children, found work and supported families, provided financial support to the sick and dying, and offered widows an annuity or modest monthly stipend to help with living expenses.

Ellen Shaw's grave is the only one marked in the plot established by the Daughters of Israel. It's unknown how many are actually buried there.

Ellen Shaw’s grave is the only one marked in the plot established by the Daughters of Israel. It’s unknown how many people are actually buried there.

Reed Street Baptist Church (misspelled as Reid Street on the monument) is now Paradise Baptist Church. Dinah Watts Pace, a former slave, began a Sunday School for poor and orphaned children in the Summerhill area of Atlanta. She also opened a children’s home later. The original Sunday School was the core of what would later become Reed Street Baptist Church.

The only marked grave in the Daughters of Israel’s plot is that of Ellen Shaw, who was born in 1837 and died in 1899 at the age of 64 years. According to census records, by 1870 she was widowed and working as a domestic servant with her daughter, Tempy, who was also a servant. Ellen is listed as a laundress in the 1877 Atlanta City Directory. It’s likely that she or her daughter was a member of Reed Street Baptist Church.

Big Bethel AME Church’s neon “Jesus Saves” sign became a well-known landmark when the church was rebuilt after a fire in 1920.

Another burial society monument I found was for the Independent Daughters and Sons of Bethel Society, Inc., formerly the Independent Daughters of Bethel Society, Inc. This society was affiliated with the Big Bethel AME Church.

Founded in 1847, Big Bethel is the oldest African-American congregation in the Atlanta area. The church is still active today and its “Jesus Saves” sign has been a city landmark since 1922 when the church was rebuilt after a fire.

The Independent Daughters of Bethel, Inc. has an incorporation date of 1909, according to my research.

The Independent Daughters of Bethel, Inc. has an incorporation date of 1909, which is the only information I could find about it.

Big Bethel AME Church was a church home of the Independent Daughters of Bethel, Inc.

Big Bethel AME Church was the church home of the Independent Daughters of Bethel, Inc.

The last burial society monument I found was for two different groups. The first was the Sisters of Love Society, organized in 1875, and the Rising Stars Society of the Wheat Street Baptist Church, organized in 1879. Perhaps the Sisters of Love Society was also part of this church since the two share one marker. I could find absolutely no information on either group and there were no grave markers within these plots.

SVWheatStreetMonument

SVRisingStarsSocietySVSistersofLoveWheat Street Baptist, on the other hand, has a long and much-documented history. Established in 1869, parishioners from Friendship Baptist Church who wanted to attend a church closer to their homes organized into a mission known as Mt. Pleasant Baptist, with Rev. Andrew Jackson as their pastor. Their first place of worship was Jackson’s yard on Howell Street. After a fire in 1917, they moved into its current building on Auburn Avenue in the 1920s. It is still active today.

Wheat Street Baptist Church is located on Auburn Avenue near the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site.

Wheat Street Baptist Church is located on Auburn Avenue near the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site.

There are a few other graves that I paused at for their unique appeal. This one was definitely worth a second look.

Andrew Mozley and his family are a mystery to me but their monument is a work of art.

Andrew Mozley and his family are a mystery to me but their monument is a work of art.

I could find nothing about Andrew Mozley or his family. But the cross erected in their honor is lovely to look at. It’s also an interesting collection of Christian cemetery symbols.

In ancient times, the anchor was regarded as a symbol of safety. It was later adopted by Christians as a symbol of hope and steadfastness. Doves are a symbol for love and peace, as well as the Holy Spirit. A Lily of the Valley signifies innocence, humility and renewal.

Not very far from the Mozley monument is this one for Richard Kelsey. I could not locate him in any census records but his name appears several times in the Atlanta City Directory.

In the 1870s, he worked as a gardener for Alfred H. Colquitt, a lawyer and Civil War major general before becoming the 49th Governor of Georgia. Colquitt was elected U.S. Senator after that. In later years, Kelsey worked as a driver and a laborer.

SVKelsey1

Richard Kelsey worked as a gardener at one point in his life so it’s not surprising there’s a calla lily on his monument.

SVKelsey2The calla lily represents marriage and fidelity. But I can find no record of Richard Kelsey being married so that may not be the case in this example.

This last marker has no names at all but rested alone in a large plot. One was a wife, the other her daughter. Their identities are lost to time but this one last memento of them remains.

SVMotherandDaughterI hope you’ve enjoyed this journey through South-View Cemetery. It’s a hidden gem in Atlanta so if you ever have the chance to go there, don’t put it off like I did. You won’t regret it.

 

Recent Posts

  • Oklahoma Road Trip 2019: The Sooner the Better at Fort Sill’s Beef Creek Apache Cemetery, Part II
  • Oklahoma Road Trip 2019: The Sooner the Better at Fort Sill’s Beef Creek Apache Cemetery, Part I
  • Oklahoma Road Trip 2019: The Sooner the Better at the Fort Sill Post Cemetery, Part II
  • Oklahoma Road Trip 2019: The Sooner the Better at the Fort Sill Post Cemetery, Part I
  • Looking Back: 10 Years of Adventures in Cemetery Hopping

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013

Categories

  • General

Blogroll

  • A Grave Interest
  • Beneath Thy Feet
  • Cemetery Photography by Chantal Larochelle
  • Confessions of a Funeral Director (Caleb Wilde)
  • Find a Grave
  • Hunting and Gathering (cool photography site)
  • Southern Graves
  • The Cemetery Club
  • The Graveyard Detective
  • The Rambling Muser

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Adventures in Cemetery Hopping
    • Join 374 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Adventures in Cemetery Hopping
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...