09 October 2011

Christ Church Churchyard - Greenville SC

One of many CSA Iron Crosses at Christ Church

In downtown Greenville, South Carolina, you will find two fine old cemeteries within a few blocks of each other - Springwood and Christ Church. The churchyard of Christ Church Episcopal completely surrounds the church and occupies nearly the entire grounds. The first graves date to 1835 and are now underneath the current church building. The churchyard is the final resting place for many Confederate soldiers, as well as political figures from the Civil War era and later.

02 October 2011

Scribner Cemetery - Georgia

The Scribner Family cemetery is located on what is now park land in Georgia. According to state law, unless the cemetery has been declared abandoned, the family retains ownership of the individual graves. This is one of thousands of such family cemeteries in Georgia, standing as mute testament to the days when much of the population lived in rural farming areas and each family buried their dead on their own land.

The obelisk that dominates the small plot has four names inscribed on it. Daniel Scribner, MD, died in 1863 at the age of 41. A Civil War casualty? His wife Sarah died in 1883 at age 47. Their two sons, Arthur and Walter, each died before they were two. Sadly, vandalism and grave robbing are problems with plots like these in remote locations.