Another fascinating find in the woods of Georgia... thanks to Dan and Brent for going out there. Don’t forget to check out Brent’s new channel: ua-cam.com/channels/ol1v_PcNWF-5LGuKk0q0eA.html PayPal Tip Jar: www.paypal.me/rwrightphotography Mail: Sidestep Adventures PO BOX 206 Waverly Hall, Georgia 31831 Subscribe to the new Vlog: ua-cam.com/channels/56vh2L-M0czmoTRLhSMaxg.html Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/SidestepAdventures My flashlights: olight.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=282
Likely were, there were a fair amount of Irish and Scottish that migrated to the area of N Carolina, Tennessee, (Appalachian Range, aka Great Smokey Mountains E TN, KY) and from there to Alabama, and Georgia. Love the Scotts, I'm Irish American and had a G-Uncle that was born in Scotland, he married my G-Aunt, a gorgeous lady, inside and out. She was a Lynch, my G-Grandfather Lynch X 6 founded Lynchburg, VA, 1760's. On the other side I'm just 3rd generation. Great share, would love to visit Scotland, may when I g9 to Ireland (an extended stay, and may ... stay.) Best Regards, Mary Beth Tennessee, USA 🍀
The cemetery was probably there due to the beauty of the spot. Who ever built the rock wall, knew what they were doing, stacking those rocks is a science. Amazing how straight, and even the wall is, with the use of smaller rock used as shimming to keep it straight, and strong. Not only is this a science, but an art. Good to see Brent, and Dan the man, hope Dan finds more on this. Thank you Robert, for another historical site.
Having traveled to Scotland and Ireland, my guess is that it was either a Scot or an Irishman who built that wall.---Other wondrous examples are at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. There were centuries of unique wall construction there.
Aloha SSA! I was always entertained by the old land descriptions working as a Title Researcher in N. California, we used Microfiche(Pre- Computer days), A "Chain" is 66 ft/22 yds an acre is the area of 10 square chains. There are 80 chains in a mile. I love these historical treasures hidden in the forest! Great video!😊
There were three different systems to measure land we had to learn in school. Principal meridians and baselines, metes and bounds but what was the other one? Louisiana is an odd ball being we had to learn codified and common law but there’s another system that is seldomly used but you may run across it. My old brain forgets🤦♀️ Edit: found it. Measurement of Varas. Found in Mexican land grants ie Texas or other territories held by Mexico. Less common and precise.
You brought back memories of being the "young one" who still had good sight. When my mother and grandmother went to the library, I was assigned to prowl through the Microfiche for long-lost relatives. I'm grateful for the experience. Even at a young age, I learned to appreciate what those folks went through so long ago, and to be proud I was part of such a family.
My 7X Great-Grandfather's Occupation was Chain Carrier after the Revolutionary War in New England. That must have been incredibly difficult in those old forests, establishing state lines.
Vinca vine and mutant daffodils. Vinca is perfect in reducing soil erosion. Dan is amazing in his knowledge and research, and his accent a sound that's engaging. A museum should snap him up and put him on display! Thank you for this latest adventure.
What a pretty area for a cemetery. That rock wall is beautiful and built with love and care. Dan was right when he said the place was very special to someone. Hopefully you can discover the family name of this cemetery. It’s really sad, if you can’t. Another wonderful video. Thanks!
The chain is a unit of length equal to 66 feet. It is subdivided into 100 links or 4 rods. There are 10 chains in a furlong, and 80 chains in one statute mile.
I enjoy these types of adventures. The gentleman narrating the land surrounding the rocked wall cemetery is a southern flavored narration that is wonderful.
Your gonna have to bring Daniel along more often. He’s got so much knowledge n history about the land n cemeteries. I’m not from Georgia but I sure do love hearing about the history of it. This is definitely interesting. I hope you’ll have a part 2 on this. Would love to know who was the first to be buried there. Your so correct about the rock walls. It definitely took real craftsmanship to make them n yes a straight line they were. ♥️♥️😊👍👍👍
I love the way they described property lines back then. "Yeah bout five miles down that away a bit. You hit the cedar tree and it cuts west till you hit the stump from the tree that came down during that tornado a few years back". Lol I love it.
Wow loved listening to Dan. I love hearing people who like myself love to research. He is a joy to listen to. If that hill faces the rising Sun or setting sun but more so morning sunrise that's your answer why it's there. Most of the older cemeteries that I know of in Alabama are in hillside facing sunrise. Really loved this.
Great episode! Yesterday the timber rattlesnake episode popped up, and like a train wreck, you have to watch it. It is ever present in my mind as you guys trapse through those leaves! Not sure how you would see them in the fallen leaves.
This jumped up on my feed today ( 4/02/24). As did another of Brian Mallard's. The first deed that Dan was reading was from 1831/32. During the time of the Indian removal from the South. I was wondering if buying or selling the land had anything to do with that. Great video. Thank you for sharing.
@@teramariepruitt1303 I'm thinking of going to Georgia State next year, I would do it as a tribute to my late father. The landscapes look absolutely wonderful. And that the Original settlers Native Indians. My father loves all this history so I'm planning on going over and film as much as I can 🤞
@@gaynor3976 He's got a cracking voice 🗣️ very interesting having the likes of him on board makes it more interesting to watch. And usually comes up with answers 🤞
This was absolutely gorgeous. (Even loved the sound of the dogs barking!) I can only imagine how pretty it was when all the cedars were still there. Hopefully one day who is buried there will be known.
Kind of shocks me,some of the places they put cemeteries but then again probably looked totally different 200 years ago. Some big heavy rocks there would have taken 4 men and a kid to lift. Thanks for video Robert.
Thanks to Robert for reminding me about this bit of family history. My mother is still alive and pushing 90, and we had quite a good talk about it. My 7X great-grandfather was listed as Chain Carrier shortly after the Revolutionary War. He worked for a man he had served with in the War. This was a tumultuous time, with people claiming property through the Department of War, and others trying to establish state lines. I can only imagine the difficulty of negotiating those primitive virgin woods that still stood at that time. Proud of the contributions of so many to create this Nation. Did you know George Washington was an avid surveyor?
I so completely enjoy all the history that you dig up, all of this amazing information about lives so long ago. I could never get tired of hearing old stories. I use to hear them from my grandmother who was born raised and lived all of her life in Tennessee
Thanks to the gentleman who is researching the history of this old cemetery. It will be great if he finds out who the family was and maybe the county would put up a marker and maybe fix the wall that is crumbling. I really appreciate you sharing this with us. Have a Blessed day.
Markers are nice but it does call to attention. Family cemetaries fall prey to vandals too often. What is even better is that it be made known someone is watching over the care of these precious places. Graves should always be respected! Recent generations have lost respect for too long. They see an abandoned house as an invite to party and write graffiti on the old walls once loved by those past. It's a shame on our society. I respect very much the dedication of these dear men that see a need to bring this forward!
@@karenwright9123 Post 10, if you are not familiar with his website on UA-cam, visits old structures & railroad tunnels in New England(his usual site in unclogging culverts & drains) & comments about all the graffiti that has disfigured the structures, even the stone & rocks. He thinks it a shame on us as well.
@@karenwright9123 those drug addict Millenials. The old school dopers didn't bust stuff up and trash the place very often at all because I can rem the old bums of the 70s they were neat and tried to be polite. almost NEVER did they throw litter around because back then you would go to jail and not get out for a week or two.
@@BrianCarnevaleB26 in the mid 80s, a dear friend lived on a family owned lake that their ancestors homesteaded in the late 1800s. There were 4 related family members living on adjoining lots. There was a beautiful pioneer cemetery close to the main road into the property filled with family members and others.. One day a great sadness came upon cemetery. one night, a group of kids from the local high school celebrated graduation by consuming beer and spray painting and toppling many old gravestones.. These were not millennials. This type of disrespect and wanton destruction happens with various generation's and is a sad reflection of our society.
@@wilmer4258 My cousins cleaned up the site of my great grandparents' graves and were preparing to put up a fence around them and other family members. When they went back with fencing and an arch with the family name, someone had stolen my great grandfather's gravestone. It was a 3-4' tall obelisk, so not lightweight. It has never been found.
Absolutely love these videos ! Thank you Robert, Dan and Brent. There's just something about old cemeteries I find fascinating. When I hear the names and dates, I can imagine these people and how they lived back then. Brandon had an interesting cemetery video today, too, so I'm doubly blessed. I like the outfits Dan wears, and listening to his voice is always a pleasure with that Southern accent. He certainly is a true Southern gentleman.
I found Taliaferro (generally pronounced like "Tolliver" in the Wilkes Co., GA area) Wells in Wilkes Co., GA for the 1830 census, but was in Harris Co., GA by 30 Dec 1840 (see Columbus Enquirer newspapers digitized on the Digital Library of Georgia website), when he was the executor of the estate of Elias J. Prather, "late of Wilkes Co., GA". His widow Eliza E Wells & Anderson T Prather, administrators of Taliaferro Wells's estate, advertised a house & lot belonging to the estate for sale in the 24 Nov 1841 issue of the Columbus Enquirer. The Harris Co. GA Will Book 1-2, p 396 on Ancestry shows that A.T. Prather, Moses Jones & Benjamin Stripling posted a guardianship bond to the Harris Co. GA Inferior Court justices in the some of $8,000 for the management of the property of Thomas P., Andrew G., Elias J., & Sarah C. Wells, orphans of Taliaferro Wells, on 12 Jan 1846. This may indicate that Eliza, their mother, was now deceased.
A chain was invented by Edmund Gunter,1581-1626,was a clergyman and mathematician Welsh/English,he was also involved in the introduction of the slide rule. So interesting to note ,the chain was mandatory to laying out townships in America. The unit was also used in the 19th century in mapping the United States along railroad routes. The chain is still used in agriculture here and in Canada. Measuring wheels with a circumference of 0.1 chain [diameter = 2.1 feet] For a rectangular tract,multiplying the number of turns of a chain wheel for each of two adjacent sides and dividing by 1000 gives the area in acres. Land deeds in Ky also are laid out by tree stumps,rocks and such natural landmarks,so surveying from these when they may be gone now becomes a task. The research is all quite interesting. There are family cemetaries dotting our county surrounded by rock walls, 292 have been located so far from Powell's valley to Boonesboro .Amongst them many of my ancestors, many Scotch/Irish and Welsh. Always interesting and educational going along on your adventures. Georgia looks quite familiar to our landscape,the rolling hills,cedars and rocky terrain,I think maybe it looked like home to many of our forefathers,what do you say. Love from Ky.
Karen, my 7X great-grandfather was a Revolutionary War vet. After the war, his occupation was Chain Carrier. He worked for a man he served with, and wound up marrying his daughter. We know a lot about him because my mother is a life-long genealogist (almost 90 y.o.) I can only imagine what it took to survey those old forests to create new states and property lines.
ROBERT another great video interesting a lot of HISTORY in Georgia woods and all your friends knows about Georgia HISTORY a lot Thanks for all this videos your CHANNEL it's better than HISTORY CHANNEL....
I believe that Dan can find out about the Cemetary and I hope that you and Dan will do another video on this Cemetary and tell the history it is very interesting to me and I enjoy this type of history of old cemetaries
My wife and I just bought this property in 2022 and we just finished building our dream home in March of this year. I didn't know it was a graveside until I was walking around with a guy from the forestry service. I thought it was an old log cabin, but he showed me that it was an old grave site. It is a very impressive wall. I will try to look up some history of the place. Any information you have would be greatly appreciated. Come see us.
"Ironwood" -- a very generic term describing a number of super dense wood that sinks like a rock in water. The most common variety in Georgia is one called Hophornbeam. Not as common as pine, oak, hickory, etc. but still not rare. It is native to North America among others. Look forward to any additional info Daniel might find about who is buried there.
A few years ago, my family visited the Great Smokey Mountains in TN. While there, we went on a guided nature walk & our Forest Ranger told us that some people who visit in the Fall or Winter especially, may think they are the first to plant their foot steps there, but if you come back in the Spring, Daffodils will most likely be blooming. Which will mean someone's home place was nearby, but long gone.
Hi Sidestep Adventures! I really enjoy your videos! I am currently working on clearing out over two hundred years worth of overgrowth in a cemetery that is about one acre of land in Historic Ellicott City, Md. There are lots of field stones in the cemetery, and your videos have been helping me learn to be able to identify unmarked graves. Fun fact, if you don't already know: the flower you show at 3:23 in this video is a periwinkle, which historians have come to know are a good indicator of gravesites. It was particularly popular through the 1800s as a groundcover in small cemeteries, because it makes a pretty, low-maintenance alternative to grass.
Sunday we went to my wife's family cemetery in West Central Arkansas, I was amazed at how old some of the graves were, many in the 1850's some may have been much earlier. I saw some stone markers that were etched with some writing but not legable. I know that this area was settled by Native American that was forced out of Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. My wife's family had a lot of Choctaw's, and my family was mostly Cherokees. This family cemetary is well maintained, but many, many, unmarked headstones.
Excellent adventure, thank you for all you're doing to bring attention to long forgotten resting places. And thanks Dan you are gifted in your oratory of past cultural and territory history.
an iron wood bush would be a whole lot of ironwood trees together… That wood is so hard and very difficult to saw or even hammer a nail into, doesn’t burn very well either
What another great adventure, you are always finding some wonderful old cemeteries, we so look forward to each one you and your friends do. It would be nice if the cities you find them in would come out and get them cleaned up and really preserve the history of the people that were here before us.
Thanks Robert Dan and Brent enjoyed so much. If you find out who’s buried here I’m sure you’ll do another episode can’t wait who doesn’t love a mystery 😊
Lovely place for a home and a cemetery. Thank you for the video. (With all the rocks in the ground hopefully whoever built the wall didn't have to go far to get them)
Wondering if the "Wells" family were free African Americans. I heard somewhere that purple vinca vine was planted in African American cemeteries. This area looks covered in purple vinca vine especially outside of the rock enclosed area.
It's amazing to me that the family would go to such trouble to build that difficult and beautiful wall, and but no effort into making headstones for the graves. Several of those large stones in the wall would make a good primitive headstone.😊🐝❤
What a peaceful place and out of the way for a old cemetery. Enjoyed the history. Hope you guys go back after you find out the names of those resting there.
I love your videos! You give so much respect to the land, the graves, and the history. The skill it took to build that wall is absolutely impressive. They were likely masons (builders) and did a very fine job. It's gone thru decades of rough weather and still stands strong. Interesting that no gravestones were able to be seen. Leading to more questions...?❓?❓?❓? This one's got my wheels turning with the who-what-where-when-why questions. Such a fantastic find!
American Hornbeam, Ironwood or Musclewood / Carpinus caroliniana Family: Birch / Betulaceae Characteristics: American Hornbeam is a deciduous tree with medium texture and a slow to medium growth rate. It is usually single-stemmed with a spreading to rounded form. It may occur as a multistemmed, bushy tree. An unusual feature is the smooth, hard branches and trunk, which acquire a muscle-like rippled (Ironwood) appearance with age.
Hi, sad there are no names 😢. The rock wall reminds me of the slave walls in Tennessee. They are absolutely beautiful. Theses walls were built when the the land was being cleared. Very interesting. Lovely 😍
The little purple flower you focused on is a vinca. Vinca is a vine that grows outward instead of upward. It made a ground cover that kept the graves from being overgrown with tall weeds. Back in the 1800's people often planted those in cemeteries or family plots to mark the location of the burial. In those days they called them "cemetery flowers."
Ppl just have no cooth cutting down all the cedar trees 😓. Beautiful place.....love how everything is full and brown then you get to rock barrier and it's all green 💚. Seems strange with all the work building it but not having any kind of tombstones. Thanks y'all for the adventure.....safe travels 💗. Hope y'all had a blessed RESURRECTION Day 🤴💜🕊️
My money is on Dan. If anyone can find out who is buried there, it's him. So cool that you have a friends like that. Interesting question that Brent asked. I've wondered how folks figured out where their final resting place would be. Daffodils are one of my favorites along with Iris'!!! Thanks for taking us on the trek with you. I was having withdrawls from the sound of crunching leaves!
I would imagine that originally they had a much less substantial fence (probably wood) around the graves. As more graves were added, the fence expanded with the size. Eventually I imagine that they decided that the cemetery was reaching its maximum size and they built that stone wall at that time - allowing for additional space for the known remaining family members. (As odd as it sounds, "Taliaferro" is pronounced "Toliver")
I have great grandparents that are buried in those kinds of cemeteries. We know of one in Lithonia, Georgia and still clear that one out whenever one of us is over that way. We also know who is in the unmarked graves there. But there are others we haven’t been able to find. A great grandfather in Morgan County said to be buried in a family cemetery out in the woods like that. I haven’t had a chance to walk the land to see if it can be found. I would love to know. There are many of these family cemeteries out like this as you well know. I love your videos and am waiting for you to stumble across some of my people. Lol So interesting.
Hey guys, great video! FYI, a "chain" is a surveying term used to describe a distance of 66 feet. It typically involves a compass direction included with number of "chains" to find a specific point where the boundary would then change to another direction. Chains can be measured formally with surveying tools, or informally which involves a person simply knowing how many paces they walk per chain (1 "pace" = 2 footsteps), and doing the math to calculate how many paces to walk to meet a certain distance. This method is still used to this day, I did this for many years cruising timber with no GPS, just using a map, compass, and counting paces. Anyway, excellent video, as always! Keep up the good work!
I'm surprised there are no documented records kept regarding examples like this ,surely there must have been Parish Councils keeping records of every single thing that happened throughout the State , lets face it , Parish Councils never let a single thing slip through their fingers ,especially when it came to Births , Marriages and Deaths . Thanks for all the work and efforts you lads are putting in by the way .
Since this was a privately owned family cemetery parish councils probably did not have records. Also records may have been lost or destroyed during the war.
@@kimberleyannedemong5621 This is where the Church plays an important part in the Community , here in England whenever we had skirmishes over the Centuries the Church would take everything , and i mean everything and tuck it away until peace was restored .
I hope you share with us on video when you find out who is buried in this Cemetery. I am very interested in knowing also especially since I heard the history on this land. Thank-you for sharing this with us. It’s so sad these people have been forgotten and I wish someone would erect a family name or something for them once the name is found.
It's no surprise the walls are so skillfully built. Weren't the early immigrants from England, Scotland and Wales? Plenty of rocks in those countries and dry stone walls were commonly constructed for field boundaries. With such abundant material to hand, adding some lime mortar to those stones and building anything from houses to barns to sheds was easy enough. Tenant farmers would have spent winters working on dry stone walls, hedges and ditches, and those skills came over with them. Looking at these cemeteries you have in GA, I've often wondered if the walls began life as burial cairns. As you observed, digging a grave deep enough to keep animals away would be a monumental task for early settlers, and they likely had fairly primitive tools back then. Much easier to inter a body in a cairn than bury it. Have any of those cemeteries ever been excavated by archeologists, perhaps to make way for new development?
Ironwood is a tough understory tree with beautiful birch-like leaves, grayish-brown flaky bark, fine-textured drooping branches, and attractive hop-like fruits. Ironwood is considered one of Illinois' toughest native hardwoods and is not only ornamental but resistant to many disease and insect problems.
It is entirely possible that tree was misidentified, it does belong to the birch family...and River Birch was traded by the Native nations down the eastern coast and toward the south.
It is so interesting to see how they measured and identified lots back then. My neighbor used to build those rock walls and it is a skill long lost. What an interesting piece of history. Happy Easter🐣🐇 Pretty area.Keep Safe ❤Keep Well ❤
What a fascinating cemetery. I'm thinking of the time taken to build this. Obviously one person was in charge, someone why knew about stone placement. First the rocks had to be collected. When people had time, they would come out to continue the work. I'm guessing the fields were used for cattle. A surveyor's chain is 66 feet long with 100 links. Possibly the Wills family built this cemetery. A blacksmith would have strong arms, so he was probably a key placer of the stones. Thanks for the history. Maybe the deep indention was caused by a wooden coffin that later disintegrated. This is a cemetery that catches the imagination. Thank you.
I do genealogy up here in the island province of Newfoundland, Canada. A chain is a unit of measurement of length. I've looked up a lot of units of measurement since moving here as back in early days there were so many different measures of items. They measured fish for example in Quintals as opposed to pounds or tons or kilograms and in researching some early deeds I do recall seeing as opposed to feet or yards or meters distance measured in Chains and Links. 17th century British surveyor unit of measure. One Chain =66 feet or 22 yards....or 20 meters One Furlong + 10 Chains (8 Furlongs = 1 mile) A Rod, or Perch or Pole = 51/2 Yards A Link =7.92 inches
The Logging Company workers would have been under orders to Harvest the Trees. Once they realized there was a Cemetery there, they might have been the ones to place the Cedar Branches. Out of what respect they could show... being on the Job.
Another fascinating find in the woods of Georgia... thanks to Dan and Brent for going out there. Don’t forget to check out Brent’s new channel: ua-cam.com/channels/ol1v_PcNWF-5LGuKk0q0eA.html
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I would love to know what he used to find that information about the land transfers.
All the walls in Scotland are built this way. They are used to fence in field for sheep, and garden entrances. Wondering if the were Scottish.
Likely were, there were a fair amount of Irish and Scottish that migrated to the area of N Carolina, Tennessee, (Appalachian Range, aka Great Smokey Mountains E TN, KY) and from there to Alabama, and Georgia.
Love the Scotts, I'm Irish American and had a G-Uncle that was born in Scotland, he married my G-Aunt, a gorgeous lady, inside and out. She was a Lynch, my G-Grandfather Lynch X 6 founded Lynchburg, VA, 1760's. On the other side I'm just 3rd generation.
Great share, would love to visit Scotland, may when I g9 to Ireland (an extended stay, and may ... stay.)
Best Regards,
Mary Beth
Tennessee, USA 🍀
Thank you both very much for this God bless all of you 🙏❤️
The cemetery was probably there due to the beauty of the spot. Who ever built the rock wall, knew what they were doing, stacking those rocks is a science. Amazing how straight, and even the wall is, with the use of smaller rock used as shimming to keep it straight, and strong. Not only is this a science, but an art. Good to see Brent, and Dan the man, hope Dan finds more on this. Thank you Robert, for another historical site.
Having traveled to Scotland and Ireland, my guess is that it was either a Scot or an Irishman who built that wall.---Other wondrous examples are at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. There were centuries of unique wall construction there.
Aloha SSA! I was always entertained by the old land descriptions working as a Title Researcher in N. California, we used Microfiche(Pre- Computer days), A "Chain" is 66 ft/22 yds an acre is the area of 10 square chains. There are 80 chains in a mile. I love these historical treasures hidden in the forest! Great video!😊
@ Erin gemini Thank you, it's details like that, which make me crazy to know. Mystery solved. LOL
Thank you for that information. Very cool. Joyce from Connecticut 🙋♀️
There were three different systems to measure land we had to learn in school. Principal meridians and baselines, metes and bounds but what was the other one? Louisiana is an odd ball being we had to learn codified and common law but there’s another system that is seldomly used but you may run across it. My old brain forgets🤦♀️
Edit: found it. Measurement of Varas. Found in Mexican land grants ie Texas or other territories held by Mexico. Less common and precise.
You brought back memories of being the "young one" who still had good sight. When my mother and grandmother went to the library, I was assigned to prowl through the Microfiche for long-lost relatives. I'm grateful for the experience. Even at a young age, I learned to appreciate what those folks went through so long ago, and to be proud I was part of such a family.
My 7X Great-Grandfather's Occupation was Chain Carrier after the Revolutionary War in New England. That must have been incredibly difficult in those old forests, establishing state lines.
Georgia full of mysteries and memories
Vinca vine and mutant daffodils. Vinca is perfect in reducing soil erosion.
Dan is amazing in his knowledge and research, and his accent a sound that's engaging. A museum should snap him up and put him on display! Thank you for this latest adventure.
My grandmama called vinca “cemetery vine”. Never knew it as vinca til I grew up.
What a pretty area for a cemetery. That rock wall is beautiful and built with love and care. Dan was right when he said the place was very special to someone. Hopefully you can discover the family name of this cemetery. It’s really sad, if you can’t.
Another wonderful video. Thanks!
Great video and Great history 👏. God-bless you all and keep safe 🙏
Thank you for sharing this great location😊🌷🌼
The chain is a unit of length equal to 66 feet. It is subdivided into 100 links or 4 rods. There are 10 chains in a furlong, and 80 chains in one statute mile.
I enjoy these types of adventures. The gentleman narrating the land surrounding the rocked wall cemetery is a southern flavored narration that is wonderful.
Your gonna have to bring Daniel along more often. He’s got so much knowledge n history about the land n cemeteries.
I’m not from Georgia but I sure do love hearing about the history of it. This is definitely interesting. I hope you’ll have a part 2 on this. Would love to know who was the first to be buried there. Your so correct about the rock walls. It definitely took real craftsmanship to make them n yes a straight line they were.
♥️♥️😊👍👍👍
The beautiful wall is breathtaking, the time, effort and love that went into it is amazing! Thank you fellas. We remember them today.
Absolutely beautiful land. The rock wall is amazing. Lots of history in thar dem woods 🤠 lol Loved the video 👍 thanks
Wish I was there with you guys. I would love to clean up those old graves in honour of the dead. May they rest in peace.
I know, me too!
I love the way they described property lines back then. "Yeah bout five miles down that away a bit. You hit the cedar tree and it cuts west till you hit the stump from the tree that came down during that tornado a few years back". Lol I love it.
This is how people still talk in the country in Wisconsin! My mother daily!
Wow loved listening to Dan. I love hearing people who like myself love to research. He is a joy to listen to. If that hill faces the rising Sun or setting sun but more so morning sunrise that's your answer why it's there. Most of the older cemeteries that I know of in Alabama are in hillside facing sunrise. Really loved this.
These historic cemeteries are so interesting.
Great episode! Yesterday the timber rattlesnake episode popped up, and like a train wreck, you have to watch it. It is ever present in my mind as you guys trapse through those leaves! Not sure how you would see them in the fallen leaves.
Dan did some great research with the deeds!
This jumped up on my feed today ( 4/02/24). As did another of Brian Mallard's.
The first deed that Dan was reading was from 1831/32. During the time of the Indian removal from the South. I was wondering if buying or selling the land had anything to do with that. Great video. Thank you for sharing.
.Wow interesting place, how much history is contained in a place like that. GREETINGS to my friend.
What a beautiful place. I would be so excited if I were there.👍😊
I totally agree about the landscape. Gorgeous. That's wild - it is just green there. That was a very well built wall. Good craftsmanship.
It'll be interesting to know what that gentleman found out about the cemetery. I'm in the UK but find it all really fascinating xx
It reminds me of Yorkshire how the walls were built I'm from England. And Robert and the other two, they're interesting to listen to.
Yes I love hearing him talk and hes so interesting and passionate about the graves
Funny, because...I'm always watching programs about UK lol...
@@teramariepruitt1303 I'm thinking of going to Georgia State next year, I would do it as a tribute to my late father. The landscapes look absolutely wonderful. And that the Original settlers Native Indians. My father loves all this history so I'm planning on going over and film as much as I can 🤞
@@gaynor3976 He's got a cracking voice 🗣️ very interesting having the likes of him on board makes it more interesting to watch. And usually comes up with answers 🤞
Beautiful Property out there! Very interesting hearing about it. Thanks Gentlemen 👋
Great find and the small amount you have found out about this place is amazing i hope you find more and share later Great Vidoe Thankyou
This was absolutely gorgeous. (Even loved the sound of the dogs barking!) I can only imagine how pretty it was when all the cedars were still there. Hopefully one day who is buried there will be known.
So interesting. The unmarked graves always make me sad. So many souls whose names are lost to the mists of time.
Sad yes, they are not known to us, but are known to the lord for sure!!!
Kind of shocks me,some of the places they put cemeteries but then again probably looked totally different 200 years ago. Some big heavy rocks there would have taken 4 men and a kid to lift. Thanks for video Robert.
A mystery yet to be solved.
Thanks gentlemen, great to watch.
Always enjoy the history. Great to listen to Daniel.
Thanks for sharing your adventures. It has been therapeutic for me.
Thanks to Robert for reminding me about this bit of family history. My mother is still alive and pushing 90, and we had quite a good talk about it. My 7X great-grandfather was listed as Chain Carrier shortly after the Revolutionary War. He worked for a man he had served with in the War. This was a tumultuous time, with people claiming property through the Department of War, and others trying to establish state lines. I can only imagine the difficulty of negotiating those primitive virgin woods that still stood at that time. Proud of the contributions of so many to create this Nation. Did you know George Washington was an avid surveyor?
I so completely enjoy all the history that you dig up, all of this amazing information about lives so long ago. I could never get tired of hearing old stories. I use to hear them from my grandmother who was born raised and lived all of her life in Tennessee
Thanks to the gentleman who is researching the history of this old cemetery. It will be great if he finds out who the family was and maybe the county would put up a marker and maybe fix the wall that is crumbling. I really appreciate you sharing this with us. Have a Blessed day.
Markers are nice but it does call to attention. Family cemetaries fall prey to vandals too often. What is even better is that it be made known someone is watching over the care of these precious places. Graves should always be respected! Recent generations have lost respect for too long. They see an abandoned house as an invite to party and write graffiti on the old walls once loved by those past. It's a shame on our society. I respect very much the dedication of these dear men that see a need to bring this forward!
@@karenwright9123 Post 10, if you are not familiar with his website on UA-cam, visits old structures & railroad tunnels in New England(his usual site in unclogging culverts & drains) & comments about all the graffiti that has disfigured the structures, even the stone & rocks. He thinks it a shame on us as well.
@@karenwright9123 those drug addict Millenials. The old school dopers didn't bust stuff up and trash the place very often at all because I can rem the old bums of the 70s they were neat and tried to be polite. almost NEVER did they throw litter around because back then you would go to jail and not get out for a week or two.
@@BrianCarnevaleB26 in the mid 80s, a dear friend lived on a family owned lake that their ancestors homesteaded in the late 1800s. There were 4 related family members living on adjoining lots. There was a beautiful pioneer cemetery close to the main road into the property filled with family members and others.. One day a great sadness came upon cemetery. one night, a group of kids from the local high school celebrated graduation by consuming beer and spray painting and toppling many old gravestones.. These were not millennials. This type of disrespect and wanton destruction happens with various generation's and is a sad reflection of our society.
@@wilmer4258 My cousins cleaned up the site of my great grandparents' graves and were preparing to put up a fence around them and other family members. When they went back with fencing and an arch with the family name, someone had stolen my great grandfather's gravestone. It was a 3-4' tall obelisk, so not lightweight. It has never been found.
Absolutely love these videos ! Thank you Robert, Dan and Brent. There's just something about old cemeteries I find fascinating. When I hear the names and dates, I can imagine these people and how they lived back then. Brandon had an interesting cemetery video today, too, so I'm doubly blessed. I like the outfits Dan wears, and listening to his voice is always a pleasure with that Southern accent. He certainly is a true Southern gentleman.
Robert, so glad you have 2 channels.... I can enjoy your video's twice as much❗❗💗
Love the sound of the whispering wind.
I found Taliaferro (generally pronounced like "Tolliver" in the Wilkes Co., GA area) Wells in Wilkes Co., GA for the 1830 census, but was in Harris Co., GA by 30 Dec 1840 (see Columbus Enquirer newspapers digitized on the Digital Library of Georgia website), when he was the executor of the estate of Elias J. Prather, "late of Wilkes Co., GA". His widow Eliza E Wells & Anderson T Prather, administrators of Taliaferro Wells's estate, advertised a house & lot belonging to the estate for sale in the 24 Nov 1841 issue of the Columbus Enquirer.
The Harris Co. GA Will Book 1-2, p 396 on Ancestry shows that A.T. Prather, Moses Jones & Benjamin Stripling posted a guardianship bond to the Harris Co. GA Inferior Court justices in the some of $8,000 for the management of the property of Thomas P., Andrew G., Elias J., & Sarah C. Wells, orphans of Taliaferro Wells, on 12 Jan 1846. This may indicate that Eliza, their mother, was now deceased.
Related to confederate general?
I like your new sidekicks very much, great video Robert
A chain was invented by Edmund Gunter,1581-1626,was a clergyman and mathematician Welsh/English,he was also involved in the introduction of the slide rule. So interesting to note ,the chain was mandatory to laying out townships in America. The unit was also used in the 19th century in mapping the United States along railroad routes. The chain is still used in agriculture here and in Canada. Measuring wheels with a circumference of 0.1 chain [diameter = 2.1 feet] For a rectangular tract,multiplying the number of turns of a chain wheel for each of two adjacent sides and dividing by 1000 gives the area in acres. Land deeds in Ky also are laid out by tree stumps,rocks and such natural landmarks,so surveying from these when they may be gone now becomes a task. The research is all quite interesting. There are family cemetaries dotting our county surrounded by rock walls, 292 have been located so far from Powell's valley to Boonesboro .Amongst them many of my ancestors, many Scotch/Irish and Welsh. Always interesting and educational going along on your adventures. Georgia looks quite familiar to our landscape,the rolling hills,cedars and rocky terrain,I think maybe it looked like home to many of our forefathers,what do you say. Love from Ky.
Karen, my 7X great-grandfather was a Revolutionary War vet. After the war, his occupation was Chain Carrier. He worked for a man he served with, and wound up marrying his daughter. We know a lot about him because my mother is a life-long genealogist (almost 90 y.o.) I can only imagine what it took to survey those old forests to create new states and property lines.
ROBERT another great video interesting a lot of HISTORY in Georgia woods and all your friends knows about Georgia HISTORY a lot
Thanks for all this videos your CHANNEL it's better than HISTORY CHANNEL....
I believe that Dan can find out about the Cemetary and I hope that you and Dan will do another video on this Cemetary and tell the history it is very interesting to me and I enjoy this type of history of old cemetaries
Another amazing video. Love from Australia. Stay safe. Love you all. Xxx
My wife and I just bought this property in 2022 and we just finished building our dream home in March of this year. I didn't know it was a graveside until I was walking around with a guy from the forestry service. I thought it was an old log cabin, but he showed me that it was an old grave site. It is a very impressive wall. I will try to look up some history of the place. Any information you have would be greatly appreciated. Come see us.
Two of my favorite things.. Rocks and old cemeteries..
thank you so much for your video
"Ironwood" -- a very generic term describing a number of super dense wood that sinks like a rock in water. The most common variety in Georgia is one called Hophornbeam. Not as common as pine, oak, hickory, etc. but still not rare. It is native to North America among others. Look forward to any additional info Daniel might find about who is buried there.
Isn't ironwood what is used to make gavels? I think I learned that on a trip to the Caribbean one year!
Thanks, I looked it up too! I don't think I ever gave the term much thought before this video.
What a fantastic video, and an equally fantastic explanation of local history!
A few years ago, my family visited the Great Smokey Mountains in TN. While there, we went on a guided nature walk & our Forest Ranger told us that some people who visit in the Fall or Winter especially, may think they are the first to plant their foot steps there, but if you come back in the Spring, Daffodils will most likely be blooming. Which will mean someone's home place was nearby, but long gone.
Fascinating! Thank you all.
Hi Sidestep Adventures! I really enjoy your videos! I am currently working on clearing out over two hundred years worth of overgrowth in a cemetery that is about one acre of land in Historic Ellicott City, Md. There are lots of field stones in the cemetery, and your videos have been helping me learn to be able to identify unmarked graves. Fun fact, if you don't already know: the flower you show at 3:23 in this video is a periwinkle, which historians have come to know are a good indicator of gravesites. It was particularly popular through the 1800s as a groundcover in small cemeteries, because it makes a pretty, low-maintenance alternative to grass.
Sunday we went to my wife's family cemetery in West Central Arkansas, I was amazed at how old some of the graves were, many in the 1850's some may have been much earlier. I saw some stone markers that were etched with some writing but not legable. I know that this area was settled by Native American that was forced out of Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. My wife's family had a lot of Choctaw's, and my family was mostly Cherokees. This family cemetary is well maintained, but many, many, unmarked headstones.
Wow so much history! Love this research. Keep em coming
Excellent adventure, thank you for all you're doing to bring attention to long forgotten resting places. And thanks Dan you are gifted in your oratory of past cultural and territory history.
an iron wood bush would be a whole lot of ironwood trees together… That wood is so hard and very difficult to saw or even hammer a nail into, doesn’t burn very well either
Fantastic... thank you. What an adventure...
Always liked the Guitar Music and back ground Guitar music Sad but Nice
Great Job Robert Keep it up y'all Great ..
What another great adventure, you are always finding some wonderful old cemeteries, we so look forward to each one you and your friends do. It would be nice if the cities you find them in would come out and get them cleaned up and really preserve the history of the people that were here before us.
Thanks Robert Dan and Brent enjoyed so much. If you find out who’s buried here I’m sure you’ll do another episode can’t wait who doesn’t love a mystery 😊
wow you all sniff out old cemeteries better than a hound can find rabbit holes! Keep them coming thanks!
16:21 Chain is an old survey measure. It equals 66 feet.
Thank you Robert for this great video i love the old historry and old Woods i love all that i see big love to you and friends
This is absolutely amazing!! I want to know more....
That rock wall is amazing.
Lovely place for a home and a cemetery. Thank you for the video. (With all the rocks in the ground hopefully whoever built the wall didn't have to go far to get them)
Hi guys, this was one fascinating video, thank you for sharing, much love. xx 💖
Wondering if the "Wells" family were free African Americans. I heard somewhere that purple vinca vine was planted in African American cemeteries. This area looks covered in purple vinca vine especially outside of the rock enclosed area.
The periwinkles are especially lovely
It's amazing to me that the family would go to such trouble to build that difficult and beautiful wall, and but no effort into making headstones for the graves. Several of those large stones in the wall would make a good primitive headstone.😊🐝❤
What a peaceful place and out of the way for a old cemetery. Enjoyed the history. Hope you guys go back after you find out the names of those resting there.
i find your videos relaxing and a vibe
Someone cared a great deal about the folks buried there. Great video.
I love your videos! You give so much respect to the land, the graves, and the history.
The skill it took to build that wall is absolutely impressive. They were likely masons (builders) and did a very fine job. It's gone thru decades of rough weather and still stands strong.
Interesting that no gravestones were able to be seen. Leading to more questions...?❓?❓?❓?
This one's got my wheels turning with the who-what-where-when-why questions. Such a fantastic find!
American Hornbeam, Ironwood or Musclewood / Carpinus caroliniana
Family: Birch / Betulaceae
Characteristics:
American Hornbeam is a deciduous tree with medium texture and a slow to medium growth rate. It is usually single-stemmed with a spreading to rounded form. It may occur as a multistemmed, bushy tree. An unusual feature is the smooth, hard branches and trunk, which acquire a muscle-like rippled (Ironwood) appearance with age.
What a beautiful wall!! Very interesting...
Another awesome video, beautiful land and the history of the land
Hi, sad there are no names 😢. The rock wall reminds me of the slave walls in Tennessee. They are absolutely beautiful. Theses walls were built when the the land was being cleared. Very interesting. Lovely 😍
The little purple flower you focused on is a vinca. Vinca is a vine that grows outward instead of upward. It made a ground cover that kept the graves from being overgrown with tall weeds. Back in the 1800's people often planted those in cemeteries or family plots to mark the location of the burial. In those days they called them "cemetery flowers."
Aloha, the wall is so beautiful! Don't know how they managed to get some of the big stones in place. Amazing! Hope the info can be found. Aloha nou!
Ppl just have no cooth cutting down all the cedar trees 😓. Beautiful place.....love how everything is full and brown then you get to rock barrier and it's all green 💚. Seems strange with all the work building it but not having any kind of tombstones. Thanks y'all for the adventure.....safe travels 💗. Hope y'all had a blessed RESURRECTION Day 🤴💜🕊️
My money is on Dan. If anyone can find out who is buried there, it's him. So cool that you have a friends like that. Interesting question that Brent asked. I've wondered how folks figured out where their final resting place would be. Daffodils are one of my favorites along with Iris'!!! Thanks for taking us on the trek with you. I was having withdrawls from the sound of crunching leaves!
Very interesting. Keep us informed, who is buried there.
I would imagine that originally they had a much less substantial fence (probably wood) around the graves. As more graves were added, the fence expanded with the size. Eventually I imagine that they decided that the cemetery was reaching its maximum size and they built that stone wall at that time - allowing for additional space for the known remaining family members. (As odd as it sounds, "Taliaferro" is pronounced "Toliver")
I have great grandparents that are buried in those kinds of cemeteries. We know of one in Lithonia, Georgia and still clear that one out whenever one of us is over that way. We also know who is in the unmarked graves there. But there are others we haven’t been able to find. A great grandfather in Morgan County said to be buried in a family cemetery out in the woods like that. I haven’t had a chance to walk the land to see if it can be found. I would love to know. There are many of these family cemeteries out like this as you well know. I love your videos and am waiting for you to stumble across some of my people. Lol So interesting.
I love this video big love from croatia
The skill of building these walls probably came from what we know today as the UK. Look at all the rock walls they have.
Somehow there's a feeling of reverence about this place, even not knowing "who" is buried there.
Another great video..thank you! 👍
Hey guys, great video! FYI, a "chain" is a surveying term used to describe a distance of 66 feet. It typically involves a compass direction included with number of "chains" to find a specific point where the boundary would then change to another direction. Chains can be measured formally with surveying tools, or informally which involves a person simply knowing how many paces they walk per chain (1 "pace" = 2 footsteps), and doing the math to calculate how many paces to walk to meet a certain distance. This method is still used to this day, I did this for many years cruising timber with no GPS, just using a map, compass, and counting paces. Anyway, excellent video, as always! Keep up the good work!
I'm surprised there are no documented records kept regarding examples like this ,surely there must have been Parish Councils keeping records of every single thing that happened throughout the State , lets face it , Parish Councils never let a single thing slip through their fingers ,especially when it came to Births , Marriages and Deaths . Thanks for all the work and efforts you lads are putting in by the way .
Since this was a privately owned family cemetery parish councils probably did not have records. Also records may have been lost or destroyed during the war.
@@kimberleyannedemong5621 This is where the Church plays an important part in the Community , here in England whenever we had skirmishes over the Centuries the Church would take everything , and i mean everything and tuck it away until peace was restored .
I hope you share with us on video when you find out who is buried in this Cemetery. I am very interested in knowing also especially since I heard the history on this land. Thank-you for sharing this with us. It’s so sad these people have been forgotten and I wish someone would erect a family name or something for them once the name is found.
It's no surprise the walls are so skillfully built. Weren't the early immigrants from England, Scotland and Wales? Plenty of rocks in those countries and dry stone walls were commonly constructed for field boundaries. With such abundant material to hand, adding some lime mortar to those stones and building anything from houses to barns to sheds was easy enough. Tenant farmers would have spent winters working on dry stone walls, hedges and ditches, and those skills came over with them. Looking at these cemeteries you have in GA, I've often wondered if the walls began life as burial cairns. As you observed, digging a grave deep enough to keep animals away would be a monumental task for early settlers, and they likely had fairly primitive tools back then. Much easier to inter a body in a cairn than bury it. Have any of those cemeteries ever been excavated by archeologists, perhaps to make way for new development?
Ironwood is a tough understory tree with beautiful birch-like leaves, grayish-brown flaky bark, fine-textured drooping branches, and attractive hop-like fruits. Ironwood is considered one of Illinois' toughest native hardwoods and is not only ornamental but resistant to many disease and insect problems.
It is entirely possible that tree was misidentified, it does belong to the birch family...and River Birch was traded by the Native nations down the eastern coast and toward the south.
It is so interesting to see how they measured and identified lots back then. My neighbor used to build those rock walls and it is a skill long lost. What an interesting piece of history. Happy Easter🐣🐇 Pretty area.Keep Safe ❤Keep Well ❤
What a fascinating cemetery. I'm thinking of the time taken to build this. Obviously one person was in charge, someone why knew about stone placement. First the rocks had to be collected. When people had time, they would come out to continue the work. I'm guessing the fields were used for cattle. A surveyor's chain is 66 feet long with 100 links. Possibly the Wills family built this cemetery. A blacksmith would have strong arms, so he was probably a key placer of the stones. Thanks for the history. Maybe the deep indention was caused by a wooden coffin that later disintegrated. This is a cemetery that catches the imagination. Thank you.
I do genealogy up here in the island province of Newfoundland, Canada. A chain is a unit of measurement of length. I've looked up a lot of units of measurement since moving here as back in early days there were so many different measures of items. They measured fish for example in Quintals as opposed to pounds or tons or kilograms and in researching some early deeds I do recall seeing as opposed to feet or yards or meters distance measured in Chains and Links.
17th century British surveyor unit of measure.
One Chain =66 feet or 22 yards....or 20 meters
One Furlong + 10 Chains (8 Furlongs = 1 mile)
A Rod, or Perch or Pole = 51/2 Yards
A Link =7.92 inches
The Logging Company workers would have been under orders to Harvest the Trees. Once they realized there was a Cemetery there, they might have been the ones to place the Cedar Branches. Out of what respect they could show... being on the Job.