Forgotten Cemeteries....

I think every county has one or two if not a bunch like Fulton County does where  the weeds are overgrown, it rarely sees visitors and the stones get broken or sink in from either weather or idiots who think it's cool to destroy things. I used to do genealogy and would walk these cemeteries looking for graves of relatives of the past.  I'd even walk some of the old ones where I didn't have relatives just for the historical aspect of it.  The earliest Graves found in this county dates back to the late 1830's and early 1840's even though people came to Fulton County a decade or two before that.  I'm not including the Indians who lived here hard telling how long they were here up to 1818 when Fulton County became a county. Anyways over time people moved here, lived and farmed here and  eventually died while making a new generation. These people were either buried in Old family cemeteries on their property or old organized cemeteries near or in towns.  This county has quite alot of old Family Cemeteries scattered about. Some are lost in time and from farmers destroying them, some moved by the coal mines wanting to mine the land and some lost due to weather or vandals. 

The cemetery I visited today is on the edge of Canton and is in deplorable condition.  I have seen worse than this weed and tree wise but there is not alot of stones here anymore.  I find it sad and it's apparent some were destroyed by people.  Some sunk in the ground and some overgrown by brush and trees.  A little boy's grave from the 1850's remained and  readable but the stone was broken from the base of the stone and lying on the ground.  This was the one I felt really bad for. The child only lived 5 or 6 months and even though he didn't have a chance to live or develop a personality at one time he had parents and maybe brothers and sisters who grieved his loss which makes it heart breaking enough but the condition of his stone and the entire cemetery is even more.  I am surprised this town doesn't tend to the cemetery since it's just on the edge out by Walmart but it may technically not be part of Canton so who knows. One would think Fulton County or the township would tend to it.  Maybe this is something can bring attention to by writing or contacting the city or the township.  I'm not sure how that all works.  Even if they did do work and all for it the sad part is it's just one of so many in this county. Some there is no longer stones so unless you know your history and townships really well you will never know one was ever there.  I think I'll start walking these old cemeteries again not just for history but exercise and give so respect to the forgotten deceased. :)

Johnson Cemetery: ( This cemetery it's best to park at the bottom of the hill and walk the road is inaccessible for vehicles unless you want damage or stuck.  Other cemeteries are like this too. Just a friendly heads up on that. Also there could be scattered stones where the road once was in it sunk in to take in consideration).

This was the little boy I spoke of Levi Sutton and it appears he was born in May 1853 ( or 58 ?) and died September 30 of that year which ever year it may be.














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