mtaggart |
| Inside the Tallapoosa Primitive Church Carrollton, Georgia |
I could imagine them sitting there. Grandparents, parents and children–side by side, gathered together to sing and to worship.
Peering in the windows of the Tallapoosa Primitive Baptist Church in Carrollton, Georgia, I felt that all over warm feeling of knowing that the Lee, Brock and Ganus families had once been there.
My people, the people I’ve worked so hard to get to know on paper had worshipped in that church, walked those grounds, wept at the graves of their departed family members. It truly was hallowed ground.
Walking through the cemetery, reading the names on the headstones of great aunts and uncles, I felt a new kind of connection to them. Samuel and Rebecca (Ganus) Lee, Rebecca’s sister, Marta Elizabeth Brock, and many others were laid to rest there. Seeing the many graves of ancestors, all in such close proximity underscored what I have always been taught, that the southerners stayed close to their family. Unlike today, where children, parents and grandparents often live many miles apart, years ago, many families chose to stay close as a means of help and support to each other. Certainly, this tendency was evident here.
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| Tallapoosa Primitive Church and Cemetery Carrollton, Georgia |
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| Rebecca (Ganus) Lee daughter of James Ganus and Elizabeth McCluskey wife of Samuel Solomon Lee |
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| Martha (Ganus) Brock daughter of James Ganus and Elizabeth McCluskey wife of William C. Brock |
And although I didn’t grow up living close to them, and didn’t personally know their descendants, the need to be close is still there. But that closeness has come about in a different way. It has come as I’ve researched my ancestors, discovered and written their stories, and finally as I have visited and paid my respects to their final resting places.
What a wonderful visit!
I like Coverstone Cemetery in Shenandoah, VA for the very reasons you describe here. I always feel like I KNOW the people there even though they died long before I ever knew their names.
I am a member of Tallapoosa Primitive Baptist Church, as well as a descendant of Samuel Solomon and Rebecca Lee. They were my 3rd great grandparents. We would love to have you visit our church. We meet every Sunday at 10:30, and the worship service is the same as it was when Samuel Solomon and Rebecca attended. In addition, I have some pictures and stories that were passed down to me from my grandmother if you are interested.