O'
GREAT SPIRIT
Gathering at Dublin, Montgomery County,
Alabama
May 2007
Relatives of all ages, exchanging stories and genealogy
data.
Aware that cars cannot handle the old dirt road behind the church
we loaded up into trucks and suvs for our journey deep into the woods to locate
our old family burial grounds. My elders knew exactly where to lead
us.
Charles McClain the son of Elizabeth Broadway married Lorena in
1908 and he is buried in Dublin Church of Christ Cemetery in Montgomery County,
near Troy, near Warrior Hill Baptist Church. His death certificate has
many errors. His date of birth was 1886 and appears to have been inverted to
1868
Your author is his great granddaughter, Lorena
at the gathering of the families in Dublin at Hills Chapel Church,
before venturing into the thick woods behind it.
Stepping and raking with extreme caution in a burial ground behind
the church which is surrounded by old rusted barbed wire, finding some small
remains of a few tombstones
Only water and brushes are used to carefully clean the tombstones
dating back to the Civil War Soldiers of our families.
From the front parking lot of the church we can
see the public cemetery across the street where many of the descendants have
been buried for the past one hundred years.
John Hill was a witness on this document where Nancy Jane filed for
a widows pension and was obviously the Uncle to the deceased Peter E Bozeman who
was also buried next to R. L. Hill.
Home made tombstones with a penciled inscription., cleaned very
carefully by me
Peter's daughter in law is buried very close to him, Alice Lorena
Stephens
Ironically many years before we came, someone apparently could not
find Peter's grave and thoughtfully bought a new tombstone for
him.
Cousin Dora told me there are many more tombstones to uncover, at
least 50 were seen here several years ago. Apparently Peter's mother was
Martha Hill, sister of John Hill and they all came from Darlington South
Carolina in the 1820s, from fathers who had served in the American
Revolution.
Obviously John Hill started this private family cemetery, then
built the church and giving them land across the highway for public
burials. This family burial ground may hold many other members of the Hill
family and their spouses and children.
On this date in May 2007 Alabama was suffering severe drought and
several acres of beautiful woodlands had burned up very close to the
church.
Nearby would have been the old plantations of Nathaniel Dillard,
Peter Bozeman, Abner Broadway, John Stephens, Benjamin Stephens, Clopton Gibson,
Mr. Money,
and many other old settlers who ventured down the historical
Federal Road through the Creek Nation and down Meriweather Trail into this
beautiful quiet wilderness.
A few old farms still exist with cattle skulls on their fence posts
and tombstones in their yards, but for the most part, there are not many homes
in the area until one drives a coulple of miles further down the road into
Ramer. Ramer is where the train station once existed, and has the small
town library and another cemetery where some of our relatives
rest.
One of those descendants wrote an article for the newspaper in 1906
Much appreciation to Elizabeth, and Jimmy Ray for
assisting with the organization, cleaning, photos and their labor of
love.
.
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