Moses Harshaw, Died and Gone to Hell

In early times in Georgia, family research shows our in-laws had an in-law that was an outlaw, sort of.  He was considered the meanest man in Georgia at the time.  Because of sickness or age, if he owned a slave if the person was not productive, in other words, a liability, he would simply end the poor slave’s life  I won’t go into how.  Not only was a plantation owner, but also a lawyer.  He was probably his own number one client.

Our ancestors John and Polly Edwards had nine children.  Two of their children married children of William Robert and Martha “Patsy” Montgomery England.  Harriet married Daniel England and William Johnson Hunter married Margaret “Peggy” England.  Their aunt, sister to William Richard England married Moses Harshaw.

The legend or story goes  that when Moses died Nancy had put on his tombstone:  DIED AND GONE TO HELL.

I looked for that grave in cemeteries near their home in the Sautee Valley, and had no luck.  Several year ago we visit their house, which was then Stovalls Bread and Breakfast and talked to the owner.  He said he looked for the grave too and had no luck finding it.

I think I probably put  on my blog Chicken-fat about the same information and asking anybody who has seen that grave drop me a line.

Well, somebody dropped me a line.

Moses is buried at the old Cemetery in Habersham County, interesting, in an unmarked grave.  The person sent me a census of the cemetery, and I thought I would share it.  It is very pleasant reading  who is buried there.   Whoever wrote it gave those dead people an identity, so I am putting it here:

Old Clarkesville Cemetery

This information was submitted by Denise Murphy.  Thanks Denise!

Habersham County, Georgia, Genealogical Records

Part Twelve

Who’s Who in the Old Cemetery

By Mrs. J. T. Pittard

This valuable record of some of the graves in the Old Cemetery at Clarksville, Habersham County, Georgia, was written on or prior to October 27, 1927, and gives interesting information on many of the early prominent families of Habersham County, Georgia, and more especially of Clarkesville, its county seat.  This history was taken from a copy kindly loaned me by Mrs. Walter B. Hill, of Clarkesville, Georgia.

Copied 1971, Herbert B. Kimzey, Cornelia, Georgia

Who’s Who in the Old Cemetery

By Mrs. J. T. Pittard

October 27, 1927

Entering the cemetery from what was the front when the old Methodist Church stood in the center, the first graves are those bearing the name of Dobbins.

The graves of Phillip Martin, a neat box tomb, is in this section.  He was a lawyer in Clarkesville’s early days.  Next of brick and covered with cement is a peculiar looking structure beneath which rest a Mr. Durbec and his little child.  Mr. Durbec came to Clarkesville about 1890 with his young wife and her brother, Will Mayardi.

North of these is a neat iron-railed lot in which sleep members of the Nichols family.  Andrew J. Nichols was for many years a prominent merchant of Clarkesville and owned large mining interests in Habersham County.  He and his wife, Elizabeth, who rests beside him, lived in the house now occupied by the Advertiser.  Their son, William Nichols, is buried in the same lot, also their daughter Mrs. Martha Houston, her husband and little daughter Marie.  Another daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Nichols, Mrs. Mary P. Griggs is buried just outside the enclosure.

Near the Nichols lot is the last resting place of the Stanford family.  Their daughter, Clara, sleeps near them and their grandson, Harry, the little son of Colonel and Mrs. E. G. Barclay (Miss Helen Stanford).  Just outside is the grave of Mrs. Stanford’s brother, Major William Wyatt Charlton.  Next to them is the Byrd lot and many are the inhabitants thereof.  Mr. and Mrs. Byrd, James Byrd, dear Miss Sue, who sewed and trimmed hats for us, Mr. Lircilius Ryles with his wife, Mary Byrd, Judge C. H. Sutton, his wife, Eliza Byrd, Mrs. Christopher Addison and his wife Sara Byrd.  Also E. C. Howes and his wife, Florence Addison, J. Henry Addison and his wife Ella Fleeman and infant are buried in this lot.

Note: Judge Cicero H. Sutton was born in Habersham County and his long life of nearly 4 score years was spent here.  Admitted to the bar at the early age of 18, he was at the same time admitted to practice before the Supreme Court.  This was in 1840 and for 61 years he practiced his profession here.  He was Habersham County’s first Ordinary and held at various times the offices of Judge of the Inferior Court, and of the County Court, holding the latter 4 successions.

I can not let pass the opportunity of paying tribute to the memory of my beloved teacher, “Miss Florence” (Addison), gentle, firm, loving, kind, unselfish, sympathetic.  Mr. Henry Addison was for many years Clerk of the Superior Court of superintendent of the Methodist Sunday School.

Over to the right is an iron railing to the side of which are attached two marble slabs bearing the several names of Jarvin Van Buren and Eliza K. Van Buren.  (Mr. Van Buren was a cousin of President Martin Van Buren and came here from New York to take care of the Iron Works.)

Near this lot is that of James W. West and his wife, Delilah, (Mr. West had a store on the corner now occupied by Church’s filling station and he built and lived in the house occupied by Dr. J. B. Jackson.)

Mr. A. J. Heard and his little son, C. B. are buried near the center of the cemetery.  (Mr. Heard was the superintendent of the Shoal Woolen Mills.)

Mr. and Mrs. S. H. J. Alley sleep near with the other members of the Alley family.  (They lived on the rise of the Hill just west of the Episcopal Church.)

Mr. and Mrs. Fuller sleep in unmarked graves somewhere in this vicinity and near them is the grave of their grandson, Charley Fuller, who was drowned at the Shoals Mill at a Sunday School picnic.  Mrs. Fuller kept a boarding house and raised silk worms.

Mr. and Mrs. Fuller’s son, Captain W. H. Fuller, was the Engineering who drove the locomotive Texas in the famous chase after the General which had been captured by Andrews’ raiders.

A small slab bears the name of Robert A. Chitwood.  Mr. Chitwood lived with his mother in a little cottage back of the Mt. View Hotel and kept a little store close by.  The mother’s grave is unmarked. 

Mr. and Mrs. Lambert are buried here and their daughters’.  Two sons, John and Charles, died in Athens.

Mr. Bob Lambert’s family and his sister Miss Katsey also rest in the old cemetery.

Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell Parker are buried here.  They lived on the lot afterwards occupied by the Spenser House.  Mr. Parker had a store on the same lot.

A weather-beaten and time worn stone with the inscription almost obliterated, marks the grave of Calvin J. Hanks, one of Clarkesville’s first lawyers.  W. D. Grant’s, his wife, Samantha, with several of their children and grandchildren occupy a neatly marked space.  He was a blacksmith.

John Redd, his wife and daughter, Miss Josephine are buried near the Grants.

In the far right hand corner is a desolated and forsaken lot whose once beautiful monuments have been destroyed by vandal hands.  Here sleep together the members of the Hackett family, once so prominent in our section.  They lived on the Toccoa Road, several miles from town and their home was ever a center of hospitality.  Just below the Hackett enclosure is an unpretentious slab bearing the name of Garnett McMillan, beside him his infant daughter Julia Wales.

Coming down the other side we reach the grave of Mr. and Mrs. Gailey.  Their old home was down to make room for that of J. W. West.  Mr. Gailey was a carpenter by trade having his stop next to his house and in his time he made most of the coffins in which the citizens of Clarkesville were buried.  Often as a child I watch him with a feeling of awe as he joined the pieces, covering with good black cloth on the outside and putting in the near white lining.  Their daughter, Mrs. E. J. Christy, is buried by them.  She was a fine pianist besides having a very beautiful voice.

Near here in a lot enclosed by an aged stone wall rest a family whose name I do not even know but I remember to have heard that the lady who occupied the extreme right hand side, A Mrs. Carter, I believe, ran away and married.  Her family never knew what became of her until years later one of them came across her tome here.

Mr. and Mrs. George J. Kollock have an infant buried in his section and a little child of Mr. and Mrs. Jessie W. Siler Moore is buried here.

Near the street side are the graves of Alexander Erwin (a merchant and postmaster) and his wife, Catherine Miler Wales, their son Joseph Bryan Erwin and Frank Sevier, the son of Captain William Stanhope Erwin and his wife, Ruth Sevier Clark.  Martha Gatewood, the young wife of Colonel Samuel A. Wales, sleeps near him.

In this same section one sees three low flat slabs bearing the inscriptions “Willie”, “my wife”, “Maggie”.  These are Dr. Jas. Patton Phillips’ first wife, Jane Stuart, and two of their children.  The boy was killed by falling from the mill race as Farm Hill.

Dr. Phillips with his second wife, Fannie Greene, of Milledgeville, daughter of Dr. Greene who was long superintendent of the asylum there, sleep on a bluff overlooking the Soque River at Farm Hill and here are also buried several of their children and grandchildren, and Charley, his first wife’s son.  But Dr. Phillips’ father Dr. George Duval Phillips rests in the old cemetery and beside him his wife, Elizabeth Patton and under a box tomb next to them is Mrs. Phillips brother, General B. F. Patton.  They were all North Carolinians.

Next is the area where sleep Mr. and Mrs. Griggs, their daughter Miss Allie, and their son, Erin Griggs, who was for a long time Clerk of Superior Court.

Matthew Rhodes, a Revolutionary soldier, is buried here and another Revolutionary War Soldier, Mr. McCroskey, who was the grandfather of Mrs. Caroline Hunt.

Now here are the Haddocks, William Haddock born in County Antrim Ireland, married Colonel McMillan’s sister, also born in County Antrim, and they were married there.  He came to this country to manage Colonel McMillan’s plantation, Annadale.  Their daughter Jane married Junius A. Griggs.

Colonel Robert McMillan, his wife Ruth Ann Banks of Elbert County, their one daughter Emma, their sons Robert Emmett, James Curran, George William, Henry and Charles Bank occupy a square near the entrance.

Camillus Wyley, aged 17 and his grandfather General Wyley sleep side by side.  Camillus was killed in the Civil War.  He was a brother of Mrs. Florence Wyley O’Callaghan.  Her husband, Dennis J. O’Callaghan, kept a store in a large two story house which stood on the corners occupied by the present courthouse.

Richard W. Habersham rests here with his little daughter, Kate. 

Rev. Mr. Hawthron, a Scotchman and Presbyterian preacher, was drowned in Hawthron’s pool at Tallulah gorge in 1837.  If my memory serves me rightly he had no relatives in this country, so he was brought here for burial and Clarkesville citizens marked his grave.

Moses Horshaw and his wife, parents of Mrs. James McMillan are buried here, with their two sons.

The lower end of the cemetery was set aside for the colored people.  Aunt Ary Stanford who after the war became Mrs. Areana Turning Greenlee is buried here with her husband, Uncle Joe.

The End