A couple of weekends ago, I spent some more time wandering around Sunset Hill Cemetery in Valdosta, Georgia, looking for more relatives. This time, I “dragged” my sister Helen along (I don’t think she minded, though). After posting the photographs of my maternal great grandfather John Taylor (J.T.) Roberts and who I think are his brothers and father, I realized that I didn’t know where any of J.T.’s brothers, sisters, or his parents are buried. (Here’s my post about J.T.’s grave) One of my favorite things to do is to wander the cemetery. I know you genealogists, family historians, graveyard rabbits, and just-plain-interested-in-cemeteries kind of folks understand. Below are a few of the photographs that I took of some of the graves of my Roberts clan in Sunset Hill.
These are the graves of my maternal 2nd great grandparents William Roberts (1828-1903) and Margaret DeVane (1826-1882), parents of John Taylor Roberts (my maternal great grandfather). They’re buried in Section A204, Block 22, Lot 2, Sunset Hill Cemetery, Valdosta, Georgia. The left side of the marker reads: “William Roberts, Aug. 27, 1828, July 24, 1903.” The right side reads: “Margaret, wife of Wm. Roberts, Sept. 29, 1826, Aug. 18, 1893, None know thee but to love thee.”
The grave of William and Margaret’s eldest daughter Priscilla Ann Roberts is on the same lot. Her grave is on the right and her husband Edwin Perry Davis is buried on the left. Their grave marker in the middle reads: “Edwin P. Davis, Apr 20, 1840, Dec 7, 1898, His Wife, Ann P. Davis, May 9, 1847, Oct 10, 1920.”
Also on the same lot as William and Margaret is their second oldest son (my great grandfather J.T. Roberts was their oldest son) William Patrick Roberts. His headstone reads: “William P. Roberts, May 3, 1855, Oct 22, 1922.” I don’t know if William was married. There is no wife buried next to him, and I haven’t researched his marital status.
The grave of William and Margaret’s third son Benjamin Hill Roberts is on the left and his wife Helen (Tommie) Harrell is on the right (Section B218, Block 2). Their gravestones read: “Benjamin Hill Roberts, Oct. 7, 1858, June 20, 1936,” and “Tommie, Wife of, B. H. Roberts, Dec. 29, 1873, May 25, 1906.”
William and Margaret’s youngest son was Francis DeVane Roberts. He is buried in Section C201, Block 6 with his wife Lillian Irene Jones and their eldest daughter. His headstone reads: “Frank Roberts 1860-1915.” His wife’s: “Lillie Jones Roberts 1870-1942.” Their daughter’s: “Lily Belle Roberts 1890-1989.”
The two youngest children of William and Margaret were Martha (Mattie) Leona Roberts and Margaret Beulah Roberts. They were married to the same man, but not at the same time, of course (click on Mattie’s name for my previous post). They are buried with their husband Colquitt Strickland between them in Section C313, Block 13 in Sunset Hill.
This is the grave of Martha (Mattie) Leona Roberts. The back of her headstone reads: “Mattie Leona, Wife of, C. Strickland, Jany. 17, 1864, Aug. 10, 1900.” I didn’t transcribe the saying engraved at the bottom of the back side.
This is the grave of Margaret Beulah Roberts. It reads: “Beulah Roberts Strickland, May 12, 1867, Apr 23, 1946.”
William and Margaret’s second child, Rebecca Jane Roberts, died shortly after her birth in 1849. She’s probably buried in Berrien County, Georgia, where they were living at the time, which was actually once part of Lowndes County. Their third daughter, Elizabeth Roberts (1853-1936), may also be buried in Berrien County or in what is now Cook County. She and her husband James Taylor Giddens were living in Berrien County as of the 1900 U.S. census, and by the 1910 census, she’s listed as a widow in Sparks, Berrien County, Georgia.[1,2] In the 1920 census, the county for Sparks is listed as Cook instead of Berrien.[3] Cook County was formed from Berrien County in 1918, so apparently this included Sparks.[4] **
Next, the Youngs in Sunset Hill.
Catherine
**Update: My first cousin Charlie found Elizabeth Roberts and James Taylor Giddens listed on findagrave.com in Sparks (click on their names to go to their memorials). I could have sworn I checked this website, as it’s one of my “go to” places, but apparently I didn’t! Thank goodness for cousins who check behind me!
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[1] Ancestry.com. 1900 U.S. census, for James and Elizabeth Giddens, Militia District 1487, Berrien Georgia, Page 13B.
[2] Ancestry.com. 1910 U.S. census for Elizabeth Giddens, Sparks, Berrien, Georgia, Page 12A.
[3] Ancestry.com. 1920 U.S. census for Elizabeth Giddens, Sparks, Berrien, Georgia, Page 12A.
[4] “Cook County” in New Georgia Encyclopedia. ttp://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2316
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