Vanishing Georgia

For a well written view of growing up in Georgia in the 40's and 50's see the article 'An Old Fashioned Boyhood", Slingshots and Pocketknives, by Travis H. McDaniel. The article appears in the Winter edition of the magazine, Georgia Backroads. Visit their website at, www.georgiabackroads.com. There are old pictures included with the article.
Phil H. Herrington

CALF'S FOOT JELLY

OK, here it is...the recipe for Calf's Foot Jelly, as I promised.  This yummy dish was mentioned in the CSA Hospital Records that are on the shelves at the Coweta County Genealogical Society in Grantville, GA!  I read that it was once thought to be a restorative for invalids.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner; don't forget to add these delicious ingredients to your shopping list!!

CALF'S FOOT JELLY

4 calves' feet 3 qts. water Whites of 2 eggs 1/2 lb. powdered sugar 2 lemons Clean the feet thoroughly and boil them slowly until the three quarts of water are reduced to one. Strain and set away until cold. Remove the grease and place the jelly in a saucepan, being careful to avoid the settlings. Add the sugar, lemon juice and whites of eggs; let all boil together for a few minutes. Pour into bowls or glasses and set away to cool. This is much more nourishing than the commercial gelatin.

Rhonda Kempson Ray
Georgia Cousins Connect

GRANTVILLE REUNION PLANNING IN PROGRESS - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Today I met with two other comittee members from the Coweta County Genealogical Society (CCGS) to start organizing our ideas for a "Grantville Reunion".  We plan to do a reunion event each year for a different community in the county.  A "Madras Reunion" was held in May 2009 and was a huge success.  People even came from other states to attend the event, hoping to run into childhood classmates and acquaintances.  They brought old yearbooks, scrapbooks, photographs, etc. to share with their family and friends.  We are constantly being asked about hosting another "Madras Reunion"!

The Grantville Reunion is being planned for Saturday, May 21, 2011 in the City of Grantville, GA.  If you have Grantville connections or would be interested in volunteering we would like to hear from you!  Please contact CCGS at info@ccgsinc.org or visit the website at http://www.ccgsinc.org/  

The society's blog is http://ccgsnewga.blogspot.com/

Rhonda Kempson Ray
Georgia Cousins Connect
Member/Volunteer Coweta County Genealogical Society

CSA MEDICAL RECORDS FROM NEWNAN, GA HOSPITALS DURING THE CIVIL WAR

Coweta County Genealogical Society volunteers are busy transcribing CSA Medical Records that are in the possession of the society.  There are approximately 1,000 hard to read pages that are filled with the names of soldiers and hospital personnel, names that would be very important to researchers near and far. 

There are 5-6 binders which, in most cases, contain the names of patients, their rank, regiment, company, type of injury or illness, and the date of death or discharge.  The records are broken down by Hospital.  I have just finished extracting the names from the Buckner Hospital, Book 1. 

WOW!  This is going to be a valuable tool to many researchers once completed.  Imagine the excitement of finding your relative's name among these records, and knowing that he was in a hospital in Newnan, GA during the Civil War.  Imagine him being served a side dish of Calf's Foot Jelly during his hospital stay!  YES, there is a reference to this tasty dish in these records.  Maybe I'll be brave enough to post a recipe for Calf's Foot Jelly in the near future, but don't count on me to give it a taste-test. Uh... don't count on me to even cook it!!

I'm hoping we can entice you to come on down to Grantville, GA and visit the Coweta County Genealogy Society.  We have a huge collection of genealogical and historical information from Georgia to California!  If you have a little bit of spare time we'll enlist your help in preserving our history for future generations.  Please visit the Coweta County Genealogical Society's website at www.ccgsinc.org

Please support your local genealogical society!

Rhonda Kempson Ray

Old State prison Cemetery, Milledgeville, Georgia

“Old State Prison Cemetery”, Milledgeville, Georgia

On a recent business trip to the Milledgeville, Georgia area I decided to do a little family history research. One of my family contacts having the unfortunate circumstance of being descended from an ancestor who was convicted, along with his wife, of murder in 1934. My contact had very little information about his paternal ancestry but he was able to supply me with enough information that I could find the people for whom he was searching. After an intense search of historical Georgia newspapers and other records I was able to pinpoint the names and location of the family members for whom he was searching. My search had led me to the Georgia State Penitentiary in Milledgeville, Georgia.

Therefore, armed with the information which I had previously located I decided to look for the cemetery in which his paternal grandfather was interred. His grandfather and grandmother having been sentenced to death and to life imprisonment respectively had been housed at the, Georgia State Penitentiary located at Milledgeville, Georgia. This prison is also commonly referred to as the “Old State Prison”.

While I had previously located death records for these two people I had not located their burial sites. My contacts grandfather was executed on February 11, 1935 at the prison. Since no one came to claim his remains, after his death by electrocution, he was interred in the prison cemetery. His grandmother was later moved, when the prison closed and was relocated to Reidsville, in Tattnall County, Georgia. She died there on August 28, 1942, at the age of 47. Her final resting place has not been located as of this date.

The Old State Prison, as it came to be called, operated from 1911 to 1937. The cemetery is located in a wooded area, under a power line right-of-way, off of Meeks Road. The graves are marked with a metal marker, similar to a car tag, containing the grave number only.

Note: The above information concerning the prison and prison cemetery is from the website, www.friendsofcems.org/Baldwin. When visiting their website click on the Cemeteries by name button, select I thru Q then click on Prison. This will take you to the Georgia State Penitentiary at Milledgeville page. Here you will find information about the prison, directions to the prison cemetery, and a list of names of the people who are buried there.

The significance of this site should not be lost on the researcher or family historian. As such we are constantly seeking to identify, locate and define the lives of our ancestors.  For those who have relatives who died at this prison, this cemetery list is an invaluable aid to their search. They will at least have the knowledge of knowing where their relatives are buried.
Phil H. Herrington


Follow Up:
On a return visit to the cemetery site, which had been located on an earlier visit, it was very discouraging to find that the cemetery has all but disappeared. The two photos below say all that needs to be said. 

Phil H. Herrington

GENEALOGICAL SOCIETIES

Organizations which are "dedicated to the research, recording, and the preservation of historical and genealogical records."
We are a proud member, volunteer, and supporter of the COWETA COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY. Visit them at, www.ccgsinc.org.
Please support your local society!
Phil H. Herrington