This was such an amazing old family cemetery. I was really in awe. I’ve never seen one quite like it, that elaborate. All of the children’s graves were so sad though. I’m glad we got it documented. My flashlight: bit.ly/2ZkatOt
Sidestep Adventures thank you for taking your time to share this forgotten cemetery! It’s so sad to see forgotten cemeteries that are often for families. It’s important to pass responsibly along to our younger generations.
I noticed that the last two Biggers family members were buried there in 1900. If there were any remaining descendants, they probably left the area, and the family cemetery was abandoned to nature's whims. I hope that the local government there will provide a Confederate Flag Marker for the Confederate States war veteran that is buried here.
I've only just found your channel and subbed. I love cemeteries and the older the better. Thank you so much for posting. Loved the compassion you showed when reading the stones and speaking of these people.
When we see representation of the living in their resting place in death, always drives our finite life home. Think of all the fallen who have no graves or markings or proper burials over the ages of man on this planet. 100 years from now 99.99% of the 7.5 Billion people alive today will ALL be dead, fathom that.
I have been to this cemetery back in the 1980's with my mother and a Biggers cousin. The Joseph Biggers who died in 1849 is my great-great-great-grandfather and his wife was Elizabeth Countryman, my great-great-great-grandmother One of the graves there you were trying to make out the name was Ptolemus or Ptolemas Biggers. He was their son. The JJW and CE Biggers listed on graves of the little girls were James Joseph Walton Biggers and wife Caroline Esterdes Williams - my great-great-grandparents. They themselves are buried in Linwood Cemetery in Columbus, GA. I know who the other people are, the ones buried there. I am so glad you filmed this cemetery and walked us through it.
You should tell the cousin about this video, if you haven't already. The Biggers must been wealthy back then cause all the fancy looking graves stones and the making of the grave houses for the kids. Not to to say must had some good friends for help to lift all those big rocks for the roof that the kids or in. Great video. The Biggers family should know about this have you tried to put this anywhere else? I am really surprised as big as the grave site is and expensive as it looked to make and what they did in honor of the kids, Iam now wondering if the Biggers must not have documented it for the future of the family for they can keep up with it. They must have been very important back in the day cause of the big head stones etc... they were known, they couldn't have been a no name family and poor.
The saddest art of graveyards like this is that no one is alive that loved them. People actually die twice. Once when you die and then when no one remembers you.
@Raymond Krzywda exactly....to be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord....to all that believed....never forgotten....and they lived ones hopefully are there too...
The most chilling thing that I ever encountered at a cemetery was when I was wandering through a huge cemetery and came across the tombstone of a child. I have found all small children's grave sites somewhat upsetting, but this one really got my attention. The stone read : "Infant Son of (I do not remember the name), Born, November 7, 1949. Died, November 7, 1949. R.I.P. You are not forgotten". The reason it struck me so hard was the fact that I was born on Nov. 7, 1949. Being the kind of person that always has pen and paper on them, I sat down beside the stone and wrote a poem to this poor child that never had a chance at life as I wondered, was he truly not forgotten? After all, his parents are probably like mine...long gone Infant Child (6/14/2007) He never knew his mother, he never knew his dad. He never knew the brothers or the sisters he may have had He never saw the sunrise, or felt a morning chill. He never saw a full moon, and he never will He never heard a whispering wind blow softly through the trees. He never felt a gentle touch of a summer breeze. He never got to run and play as most children do. The laughter and the tears of youth, he missed all of that too. He never got to go to school. Life's lessons were not learned. He never knew of want or need. His keep was never earned. He never knew of love or loss, he never felt a kiss. He never felt a lover's touch, or knew of wedded bliss. He never knew what's right or wrong. He never knew of hate. He never knew or war or peace. He never knew his fate. He never even had a name, just called an infant child. That is what the records say, where such things are filed. He never had a chance at life for in a Book on High, Just moments after he gained life, he would have to die. "Gone but not forgotten" is written on his stone, While he lies within his box, once again alone. But who does remember him, it was so long ago. Just what happened on that day, no one will really know. Should any shed a tear for him? Should any one be sad? For how could he miss all those things, the things he never had. According to the Holy Word, in a Bible he never learned, A place in Heaven will be his, for that place was earned. So Rest in Peace, oh infant child. In Heaven you still live. And these words I give to you, for it's all I have to give. Our special day does bind us, as I stand here where you lie, And wonder why that I lived on, while you were meant to die.
This touched my heart. Before my mom had me she was going to have another child but after she birthed them they died only 20 minutes after. If I remember correctly, she was born on December 19th 2006 and they were going to name her Penelope but she didn’t make it and it’s quite sad.
@Reb. That is a beautiful poem/ story of so many of the infants that were never even given a name I have often wondered why some gave these lovely tombstones but no name I would think there is a story about not giving them. Name when they pass on the same day as birth, but I have never heard a story or wives tale to explain it
You could do a light acid wash and bring back most of the detail without eroding what remains on these stones. A very minimal erosion process to clean. I have actually done some work like this.
Indeed. If only to train people in the correct ways in proper and respectful accomplishment of these tasks, it must be done. So much potential to rehabilitate this and to be of use for professionals, even gardeners.
I was thinking the same thing! It just hurts to see how neglected this old cemetery is. I know there is a good chance that this family, the "Biggers" has possibly died out but even so it would be such a sweet gesture to have it restored and put to rights. I'd also love to see the video of the whole process.
Please don't stop visiting these abandoned and forgotten cemeteries. I'm proud of what you do Sir. God bless you... Just saying or reading their name is rebirthing them.
@Wade Haden - Master Jedi Engineer Goth Its the whole thing where if you remember someone, they're not completely dead. Him saying the names gives them new life.
Wade Haden - Master Jedi Engineer Goth man STFU you try to make someone sound stupid and you come up with some other bullshit of reincarnation that’s not proven. 😂🤦♂️
when I was a teen I used to horseback ride past an abandoned cemetery from the late 1800's. Many of the stones had been pushed over or broken and it was overgrown with blackberry brambles and weeds. On the edge of the cemetery was a small pillar with the name Elizabeth Sarah on it, the last name had eroded some and I wasn't able to make it out; however, I was able to work out that when she died she would've been around the same age I was at the time. So I made a point of every time I rode past where she lay sleeping, I would stop, clear out any weeds that had grown on her grave and put fresh wildflowers I would collect on it. I did this for an entire year, every weekend during school months and every other day over the summer. I even began packing a lunch I would then have while sitting and talking to Elizabeth. I talked to her about boys, books, my horses, fashion, school...things she too might have been interested in during her life. The Winter that year was very harsh and kept me from going to visit Elizabeth. Eventually the Spring came and once the weather was good enough to go for long trail rides, I saddled up my horse, packed a lunch and began gathering flowers for Elizabeth. It was no longer a sad feeling of her life, dying tragic at such a young age, but more of a celebration that 100 odd years later someone still knew her name, spoke it aloud and thought of her fondly. I was actually excited to visit her. Elizabeth had become my friend. As I arrived at the area where the little, overgrown cemetery was I felt my heart sink and tears in my eyes. I was heartbroken to find it had all been flattened, all the headstones removed and contractors planning to build on the site. I cried for her ,as for me that day Elizabeth had died twice.
We have an 1800's cemetery in our front yard. It came with the land when we bought it to build our house. Its a joint family cemetery that hadn't been touched in over 100 years. My husband and I have cleaned it up and started researching who the people were and its been super interesting. One of my friends lovingly calls them my adopted family. So nice to see people going in and being respectful in old forgotten cemeteries.
Good for you, if you buy land that has a private cemetery on it, I think it's your duty to look after it. If I knew someone who owned land with a cemetery on it and did not take care of it, that would lower my opinion of that person, unless they were disabled.
I've always had a fascination of tombstones and cemeteries. In my city, there was a long forgotten black cemetery. This was in 1999. Lots of WWI and WWII headstones with names and ranks stacked away in a dilapidated stone and wood shed. The oldest, unremarkable tombstone I found was 1840. Most were stone ground markers the size of bricks; the names worn away. My brother-in-law and I attempted to remove trees, plants, vines, etc. from the overgrown cemetery as much as we could. The local newspaper heard about what we tried to do and soon several volunteers and landscape companies were involved. In less than two months the place looked like an actual cemetery. Historians took on the tasks of documentation and discovered the graves of blacks who were prominent in their own communities. It's still receives ground service by a company who'd helped in the initial cleanup. My brother-in-law died two years afterward, but he'd seen the finished result of what he started. It looks better every time I drive by it.
That's FANTASTIC. And it's always better to NOT expect some government to take care of things like this as I've seen so many people suggest. that just never works out. Private citizens always do a better job of it.
Take heed stranger as you walk by , as you are now so once was I ,as i am now you shall be , so prepare to meet in eternity . Saw that years ago in a super old cemetery .
@@joycemetheny8338 that quote touched me because I swear I have this feeling everytime I visit the cemetery. Its definitely a quote to remember. God bless you, I pray he continues to send blessings your way.
There was an influenza epidemic in the late 1850's, a Yellow Fever outbreak in 1850, 1852 and 1855, Cholera in 1851. So sad to see the family that lost all those beautiful children. And very sad to see the state of the cemetery as a whole. As always, when their names are spoken they are NOT forgotten. Bless you for bringing their names forward once more.
About 10 years ago I was trying to research my family tree. It turns out that infant mortality was huge and wide spread back then. I found out that my dad (RIP 1975) had an older brother that died as an infant. My mom (RIP 2018) didn't know that information and was shocked when I told her. She was quite certain my dad never knew.
For some reason, parents never spoke of a younger family member that died. My mother had a stillborn daughter she only just recently mentioned after 50 years. :(
I remember researching my Great Great Grandfather ,his farm and where he was buried ....when i entered the cemetery where I found his Stone ...I remember the chill and then the warmth of finding someone from my family that died in 1885 at 103 years of age ...it made me a fuller person to have this memory and discovery ... I like your programme
I found my 5x great grandfather who left Switzerland and came to America and fought in the revolution. That was neat. And his son my 4x great grandfather was buried in front.
I’ve always had this weird obsession with reading tombstones because to me it’s like reading the story of someone’s life and as I keep moving through the stones I learn more and more I find it fascinating now others might find this wrong and creepy and that’s ok but words ingraved in those stones have have meaning it’s beautiful it’s history that’s be forgotten only to be remembered again.
Brooklyn Rocks I’m the same. I go round all the old village churchyards in England. I made a video of one in the village of Sarrett. A branch of the Stevens family emigrated to Brooklyn NY in 1830s, by 1843 they died. It’s called A Churchyard Walk, Sarrett. by English Country Life.
I'm the same with old, unremodeled houses. Detroit has many coming for sale daily. You wonder who lived there, what were their Joy's and tragedies? I often imagine the houses saying, "They're gone."
Stop and think for a moment as you view this precious little cemetery ~ Think of all the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandparents, etc who attended these funerals and burials. They once stood right there also, dropping tears on that very ground. Grieving hearts. Standing there where these guys are now in this video. It happened. So sad. 😔
P. J. Biggers served 16 April 1862 - 27 June 1864. Wounded at Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. Present at the surrender by General Johnston in Greenesboro, NC: 26 April 1865. He died after an operation in August 1900.
Dan White Oh my! He fought through most of the war! My Step-father's great-great-great-grandfather was also with Johnston at the surrender. He still has the discharge letter. He lives in Crossville.
The children’s graves that were in a line made of stones reminded of a house with multiple roofs. It put them all inside a house together. This may nor have been their intention but it just seemed so thoughtful.
According to the 1860 Census, The Biggers were wealthy Farmers (with slaves). in 2021 USD, he held more than $1.5M in Real Estate. Thanks for sharing these graves!
I came across a cemetery here in SD. I had to stop and look as it in the middle of nowhere yet someone is still caring for it. Lots of children also in there from the late 1800. The last person buried there was in 1950’s. God Bless whoever is caring for it.
Thanks to this video, over 1 million people can indirectly remember that there was a Petolemus and Matilda Biggers; a husband and wife whose life was beset with tragedy, but are now at eternal rest with each other and their children. We may never know them, and we have only hints as to what their lives were like but, for now, they aren't entirely forgotten.
I clean old headstones in my spare time. To be able to make a vets stone shine bright after 100yrs is a wonderful feeling💖I live up in the mountains of Northern California. We have some really really old amazing cemeteries. I always ask permission before I start. I look for children and vets and if they have family with them then I clean them 2. I subscribed🤓ty for sharing
At least once a year I go to my family cemetery to clean the head stones we got family who served in the revolution all the to now buried and it's right here in Plover Wisconsin
@Mark Lanton If they knew it, they had the greatest anti bacterial on earth!! Called Colloidal Silver, Bacteria cannot adapt as it isn't a poison!! I understand it has an enzyme that gives bacteria it's breath and in the presents of silver it shuts down Kills virus too!!!
The death dates coincide with yellow fever outbreaks on the east coast. Here in Norfolk VA area, there are many yellow fever dedicated cemeteries and mass graves.
I looked it up, and it looks like TYPHUS was the most likely culprit. -The typhus epidemic of 1847 was an outbreak of epidemic typhus caused by a massive Irish emigration in 1847, during the Great Famine, aboard crowded and disease-ridden "coffin ships".
When you visit your family cemetary on memorial day. Pick out a forgotton grave. Clean it up place flowers. Tell your kids to visit place flowers connects us to the past
"Sleep on sweet babe" after the row of the first 6 sweet Angels really got me, I couldn't hold back my tears. I lost 2 of my own sweet babes and no pain has been or ever will be as devastating. Amazing video guys. Thank you for taking the time too read as many stones as possible. 💔
There's no pain worse than losing a child, no matter how old they are. It leaves a hole that can never be filled. My condolences on the loss of your precious children.
I love visiting old cemeteries too. Sometimes I bring a brush to clear the debris from the headstones. I found my ancestors from the Revolutionary War, and I just had to place flowers on their graves. 🙏🏼💐
I didn’t know until a few years ago that I had an ancestor that fought in the Revolution in New York. I’d love to know more but I live halfway across the country.
I love to walk through old cemeteries. My brother thinks I'm nuts, but I find them very comforting. After all we're all going to end up in one someday.
I am another nut ! I actually find cemeteries quite peaceful. I hope that many years after my death, someone (another cemetery nut ) will stand over my grave and read my name....
I am another nut ! I actually find cemeteries quite peaceful. I hope that many years after my death, someone (another cemetery nut ) will stand over my grave and read my name....
I am from Brazil, I live in a very small and old city, and here we have a very old cemetery with very old graves, I already explored this cemetery to the fullest, some graves are from people born in 1700's, the most amazing thing is that the cemetery tells the story of all the families of the city. this place is used intil nowdays.
@@mariahrfordays1988 for sure! Here the tombs are very artistic and aesthetic, and many of them have stories, such as the grave of the seven deaths (or o túmulo das sete mortes) in which wife Maria and her six children, the oldest daughter Alva, 13, Joanna, 11, Orlando, 9, 7-year-old Anezia, 4-year-old Esther and 1-year-old Victório were murdered by the farm employee while the family's father was out of the house, this brutal crime was motivated by the employee's passion for Maria. that was 97 years ago but people still visit this family's grave looking for miracles, putting candles, flowers and toys. It's a very sad story. When I can I will show you!!! (sorry if something is spelled wrong, I'm still learning)
As an amateur genealogist I have to say this is one of the coolest channels out there my friend. Please make sure you forward anything you find to your local historical society, especially any slave cemeteries you find. I recently discovered an old graveyard near my childhood home that ended up being lost ancestors I never knew about. Don’t stop uncovering and documenting our history !! Great job !!
This was the first time I have stumbled across one of your videos. Thank you for your respectful documentation of these old burial grounds. You are doing a wonderful thing.
That stone carving on "mother" was fantastic! When you think there was no do-overs in that medium, "Oops, made a mistake. Hand me another stone, please!" My sister used to do charcoal gravestone rubbings in cemeteries in New England. One of the saddest was the stone of the local stonecutter. It simply said, "No one is left to cut for me." It implied that he had cut his own tombstone.
Not only do we now have modern medicine, but things we take for granted, bathrooms, running water, heat and transportation! Life back then must have been a challenge! Great video!! 👍😁
Yes, I have read that about half of all children died before reaching 18, and each time a woman gave birth she had a 10% of dying. I read a lot of history and it always strikes me how a man would bury 3 or 4 wives in the 1800's.
a vistation of hardship does a soul some good. Americans may be overdue. Today I have learned the President has been exposed and his firstborn to a plague. Years from now what effect will this make? And here I am in a virtual cemetary , in discussion w/ strangers.
Trish Harmon I agree with you Trish. I hope someone is that compassionate 100 years from now to my gravesite. I’m 63... but then my soul won’t be there... it is my sinful bones laying there. My soul will be with my Lord and Savior... Hallelujah!
This is just proof of how insignificant we are. Once gone and totally forgotten. Live each day man like it's your last. People will only mourn for so long...depressing I know but true. Thanks for sharing
Lionel Hunt, you are SO right! No one cares about me right now. That's why I want NO service or recognition whatsoever. I have come to realize that I am only as good as the favors that I provide..
@@beedee778 life is but a flash in the pan. We don't get to come back for an encore. Help others wherever you can because I truly believe that someone bigger than ourselves is watching who does care;) All the best!
This one has many documented graves. Ptolemus Biggers owned 27 slaves. He is father of the dead children with rock stacks and had 14 children. His father, Joseph Biggers, was original settler who came from Ireland though is wife, Elizabeth, was from South Carolina but descended from Germans. One son, P. J. Biggers, of 46th reg was wounded at Battle of Kennesaw but fought till end of war. Francis M. Biggers died during War (fighting?) and a year later his wife died leaving seven orphans. Lorenzo Biggers had fifteen slaves and fought in Indian Wars.
I wonder if that section of unmarked graves in the left hand corner of the cemetery could have been slaves graves. I’m kinda thinking so, as all of the other graves were marked so well, and those were only marked with single field stones. Some plantation owners did burying slaves in their family cemeteries.
With the crazy amount of respect you showed to this cemetery and its inhabitants, I subbed. I just found your channel, but it's always impressive to see people have decency and respect.
You can do "rubbings" in order to preserve the writings on the monuments and then store them with the historical society. We used to do a lot of this, but can't remember just how this was done.
@@23Josilee in order to do any rubbings you need chalk and onion skin paper. Back in the 70's, I worked in a perpetual care cemetery in Augusta, Ga. I buried many official citizens here in this cemertary.
@@davidskeensr169 Bless you. Yes, My Dad had a monument company since I was a small child...he did lots of rubbings, and I had a brother and son who went around to old cemeteries and did a lot of rubbings. But I never did and couldn't remember exactly what they used. Thanks for the lovely reminder !
I am the caretaker of our family plot. My Dad, Mom, Brother and eight more Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles. I get so much joy from arranging seasonal silk flower arrangements for Christmas, Spring and Fall. I always take my garden tools, gloves, and tool box for the cleanup. My next project will be to clean the headstones. There's one family plot near ours with many children. The time frame on the headstones were during Spanish Flu epidemic. They all have a story to tell 🙏😪🙏
Lily. In Indiana, it's up to the township trustee to maintain the pioneer cemeteries. Also, if there's a Revolutionary War soldier buried in the cemetery, the DAR will help.
Amazing...I found a cemetary as a child where seven children from one family died within 3 weeks of each other of diphtheria. .the cemetary is now being carved form..thankyou for great video..
Gents, thank you so much for sharing this moving tribute to a family long gone, but now remembered and brought back to life due to your efforts. It's heartwarming to learn of surviving relatives who can connect the Biggers family of the past with the that of the present. This was very well done and quite interesting - thank you.
I am so glad to know that there are others who enjoy walking through old graveyards, like I do. Everyone I tell about my love of old cemeteries always looks at me sideways, like I’m nuts. Really enjoyed this video!
I’ve always loved walking around cemeteries ~ old and recent ~ so much history on one headstone. Everyone has a story and to just read their names out loud, to me, brings them back to life, if just for a second. They all have worth, and at the very least, were loved enough to have a plot and headstone. @DeniseLaughter, as you, I too get funny looks and/or know people view it strange that I enjoy cemeteries. Perhaps because I grew up going to the cemetery as my mom died when I was only 8 yrs old, shaped my view ~ to me, going to the cemetery is the same as visiting living family members 💜✨
I love walking thro cemetery my self .I like to see the old tombstone and wonder how they died .there some cemetery i like to go that some of my ansters was buried .if u ever want to find graves .go to www.find a grave .com
I love old cemeteries. When we were kids, we used to ride our bikes to Cold Springs Cemetery, in Lockport, NY. Its still active, so is well kept up. We used to park our bikes, and sit under the trees, to watch the birds, and see who saw the most kinds of birds. We used to talk to the caretakers, who told us where the springs used to be, back in the late 1700's, when this area was on the way to Fort Niagara, and British troops would stop for water. One told us, that he hated woodchucks, because people were always tripping in their holes-he was afraid someone would break a leg and sue the cemetery. I still love going through here. Many of the old trees are marked, as to what kind they are. Many old graves, many people moved to this area, who fought in the Revolutionary War. Many Erie Canal workers buried here, too. Its so pretty, like a park! In the summer, the city historical society has volunteers dressed up as the more interesting "inhabitants," and they talk about thier lives, and Lockport during their lives. Its a lot of fun, and very informative.
I enjoy it too. Especially when something is troubling me and I can't shake it off, going there helps me put my thoughts together. I realize that as long as there's life in us, there's hope to any problem we will ever face..
I explore old graves in Ontario Canada. Many from the 1820s and onward many were Irish, Scottish, Welsh and British immigrants and occasionally finding some Americans who were buried in that era in Canada. I would assume many of the American graves were Quakers who came to Canada around the mid 19th century. It's really sad to see how many children and newborns who died back then... Really enjoy your videos. Greetings from Canada.
So tragic! I thought when I lost my son and husband. In ten years was bad. I always say, no matter how bad you think you have it, someone else has it worse!
Damn, I felt so bad for that couple who lost all those children. All the children's graves are sad but an entire row of dead kids from the same family is really tragic.
Absolutely amazing, precious souls forgotten by time. Beautiful history of an entire family asleep in death on this gorgeous hill! A pleasure to see, thanks for sharing.
Kind Thanks to you both Robert and Daniel for bringing the lives of this family to light. Their times contained all the highs and lows just as our do now. The loss of so many children and their Love for them is proved on the stones. All our times are short, a brief shadow in the grass as is said. It’s so important to live our lives in Love and in every moment. Love, Light, Joy of Spirit and Thanks for Honoring those who have gone before us! DaveyJO in Pennsylvania
It is amazing to try and picture that back in those days the hearse would have been a horse drawn wagon and wagons had to haul those stones up to gravesite as well. So sad to think of the little ones. Thanks Robert and Daniel .
Such a nice video, I love wandering around in old cemeteries I especially have a soft spot for any infant graves I see, I lost an infant son myself several years ago and I just couldn't imagine what this family went through losing so many of their children, yes they want to be remembered.
@@tiffanyb634 Findagrave.com may have it but it can still be abandoned. I know of more than one site like this graveyard that is listed and yet abandoned. It takes volunteers like these fellows to document them for future family researchers as well as the public. This would be a gold mine if I were related.
This has to be the coolest cemetery you've been to. Amazing. I couldn't imagine burying 1 child let alone 7,so sad,but awesome graves. Thank you for showing ❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️
Without even knowing these people who died so very long ago I can't help but cry for all the children that this couple lost. Most didn't even get to a full year. They lost and kept loosing their children. Gentlemen please keep doing what you're doing to bring these stories of past lives to our attention, also thank you for walking amongst their resting place with respect. Thank you and may God bless you both.
PJ Biggers appears to have been wounded in a battle (not specified) and sent to the hospital in Columbus, GA. He enlisted April 16, 1862 and was surrendered by Gen Johnston on 26 April 1865. That’s from his Library of Congress Roll Card. Pretty fascinating history!
This TRULY is an Amazing Family Cemetery Robert...Thank You SO much for sharing this with us. Its wonderful that you are documenting these Old Forgotten Cemeteries...honouring the People from the past. I'm really enjoying your Channel> Take care...
Thank you so much Robert and Daniel for putting together this amazing video, what a fantastic piece of history this is. It’s so chilling to read names and dates and to see all the detail put into this cemetery, there is so much history to discover. I would love to visit this amazing beautiful and chilling place even though your video did give me the feeling almost being there in person.
One of the last cemeteries I videoed on my channel was on a hill like that and it had some revolutionary graves in it. The willow tree means tears, mourning, and immortality. It was put on stones because it is also mentioned in the bible several times. I use to check a book out at the library all the time when I was 10 or 11 about tombstone symbolism. Apparently, the Biggers had a huge impact on the area down there from doctors to shopkeepers to salon owners, and I think some elected officials too. I did a newspaper search and even found they had a street named after them in the 1800's. PJ Biggers is mentioned in an article I found. Oh, and another little tidbit I just found are the letters on that stone. They are actually: H. T. W. S. S. T. K. S. which is masonic and means: HIRAM, TYRIAN, WIDOW'S SON, SENDETH TO KING SOLOMON. It is the mark of a grand master mason.
I am a Freemason. A Grand Master is the leader of all Freemasons in a state for one year. Another reason to pass a cemetery levy to maintain this historical burial site.
Thank you for claarifying the meaning of the letters on that headstone. My Grandfather was a Mason. He died in 1976. Because we lived 8hours away, we didn't get to see him and my step grandmother very often. For reasons that I will never know, at his funeral I was seated far enough back that I didn't get to see what the group of men around my Grandad's casket were doing, but I do remember that he was buried with his white apron. Also, my grandfather had 2 rings with the Masonic symbol on them, one red, the other blue. At a family reunion, a cousin told me that our grandfather had been a Grand Master Mason.
Thank you so much for documenting this cemetery. Wish there was a way for the Biggers family to be able to have it back to care for. Such a blessing the way the owner cared for it while he could.
Graves always make me sad and want to cry, to me it doesn't matter if it was an elder, child or baby. It's just sad. Especially if there forgotten. I swear one day when I'm older I will TRY to find as many cemeteries as I can, and give every grave I find a rose and pay as much respect I can to them, it will never matter if it was a stranger or an ancestor, I will give my most respect to each one I come across. ❤
If I lived near there I would try my best to clean the graves up. Just some strong guys and we could reset the stones respectfully. It is the least a person could do. Forget the people who tell you that you can't. God's plan for us was to take care of the earth and each other. We are quick to demolish things that have character and are beautiful. That is not progress it is just sad.
Yes, I think if one goes cemetery hunting, one should take garden tools; rake, broom, clippers, etc. Someone took care of this cemetery; planted Day Lilies and a Yuk plant, besides the ivy.
@@modesto885 Dysentery, tuberculosis, whooping cough, pneumonia, measels, mumps smallpox. Most rampant around that time. Most of these illnesses were caught easily if living in close proximity to others. So even a well fed educated child could die easily. They didnt know then also about isolation in keepinng disease away.
You may be able to read it better by putting a piece of paper over the stone then using the side of a pencil or crayon to color over and get the impressions.
@@michaeludeze8470 True. Those anti vaxxers are serious idiots who have no scope of reality pre vaccinations. They think good health is a given by fairys or trolls. I would love to let these idiots ACTUALLY live in a state of being like they advocate. Lets see how long they last and want to stay that way.
Here is the author of that poem. Brewer's: Though Lost to Sight, to Memory Dear A writer in Harper's Magazine tells us that the author of this line was Ruthven Jenkyns, and that the poem, which consists of two stanzas each of eight lines, begins each stanza with “Sweetheart, good-bye,” and ends with the line, “Though lost to sight, to memory dear.” The poem was published in the Greenwich Magazine for Marines in 1701 or 1702. Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
Thanks Kindly, I really enjoyed it and do the same thing myself. It a shame that such a beautiful place as this and so many others have been destroyed or vandalized. These are our ancestors who lead the way for us. I always feel sad for those parents losing children. It has to be one of the most awful things for a parent to lose so many or any children. Thank You as well for honoring these people and keeping their memories alive. DaveyJO in Pa.
You did an awesome job showing us this amazing place. I love that you actually honor the people buried there by reading their names. It's very sad how many babies and small children died back then. Life must have been precarious in those days. I love the fence around the cemetery. My grandparents had a similar one but when they passed on, someone took the fence and sold it. I hope this one stays where it belongs. Thanks again. This has been my favorite cemetery tour so far!
When no one is left to place flowers & tend the graves, they make think they look like lost & forgotten souls ! It's lovely work you do to read their epitaphs and it's remembering them ! Bless you
This was beautiful! This was like a dream. Thank you so much!! The headstones were so detailed. That gives us some history to go by. This was great that you stopped and read some! The setting was incredibly breathtaking! 🇨🇦❤️
As a teen I found an old graveyard in the North end of the county where I live. It was pretty much run down, but not quite as bad as this one. I returned alone with saws, pruning sheers, a rake and other yard tools. My goal was to clean this small graveyard up; a project I wanted to do alone. About an hour into my labors, two deputies pulled up and started accusing me of vandalising the graveyard, even though there was evidence to the contrary as to what I was doing there. I was told to leave immediately or be arrested. I guess it is true that no good deed goes unpunished.
Steve Flanigan God knows what was in your heart. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad for trying to do a good deed. Thank you for being such a sweet person. The world could use a few million more just like you!❤️
About 30 years ago in N.J. the Boy Scouts cleaned a very old cemetery for to earn their badges. It has been cleaned from time to time since then. No problems up in N.J.
As a genealogist, I love mysteries, old houses, and cemeteries. Your video was so interesting, I had to look the family up. Ptolemus Biggers and Matilda Coleman had 14 children. P.J. Biggers, their son who fought in the Civil War, was named Perenda Jefferson. It doesn't look as if he ever married. It would be so wonderful if the cemetery could be cleaned up and all the monuments put back in place. Is their house nearby?
Hello from Ohio. This is such an interesting cemetery. It's so very sad how that family lost so many babies! I was thinking you need to bring a wisk broom and clippers with you to clear the gravestones. Keep up the good work. God bless.
Life was hard then. Medicine was primitive at best...Penicillin didn't even start being used for another 90 years after all those Biggers babies died in the 1850s. If You got sick or injured, survival was a matter of luck. I think the "M.E. Church is probably Methodist Episcopal" .... Church. I love old cemeteries.
Thank you, I really am enjoying you going through the old cemeteries..I love hearing about some of the histories of the deceased.. I can’t get around well, so I’m glad I discovered your channel..
This was such an amazing old family cemetery. I was really in awe. I’ve never seen one quite like it, that elaborate. All of the children’s graves were so sad though. I’m glad we got it documented.
My flashlight: bit.ly/2ZkatOt
Sidestep Adventures thank you for taking your time to share this forgotten cemetery! It’s so sad to see forgotten cemeteries that are often for families. It’s important to pass responsibly along to our younger generations.
I noticed that the last two Biggers family members were buried there in 1900. If there were any remaining descendants, they probably left the area, and the family cemetery was abandoned to nature's whims. I hope that the local government there will provide a Confederate Flag Marker for the Confederate States war veteran that is buried here.
I've only just found your channel and subbed. I love cemeteries and the older the better. Thank you so much for posting. Loved the compassion you showed when reading the stones and speaking of these people.
@Larry Ressler the war is over, let them rest in peace
When we see representation of the living in their resting place in death, always drives our finite life home. Think of all the fallen who have no graves or markings or proper burials over the ages of man on this planet. 100 years from now 99.99% of the 7.5 Billion people alive today will ALL be dead, fathom that.
I have been to this cemetery back in the 1980's with my mother and a Biggers cousin. The Joseph Biggers who died in 1849 is my great-great-great-grandfather and his wife was Elizabeth Countryman, my great-great-great-grandmother One of the graves there you were trying to make out the name was Ptolemus or Ptolemas Biggers. He was their son. The JJW and CE Biggers listed on graves of the little girls were James Joseph Walton Biggers and wife Caroline Esterdes Williams - my great-great-grandparents. They themselves are buried in Linwood Cemetery in Columbus, GA. I know who the other people are, the ones buried there. I am so glad you filmed this cemetery and walked us through it.
I'd love to walk through that cemetery with you. A lot of history is there. My parents had 11 children. My mom buried 6 of them before she died at 99.
So glad that you know it and gave the additional information!!! That was Great!!!!
Illuminati confirmed
But seriously it’s petolamus not ptolemus
You should tell the cousin about this video, if you haven't already. The Biggers must been wealthy back then cause all the fancy looking graves stones and the making of the grave houses for the kids. Not to to say must had some good friends for help to lift all those big rocks for the roof that the kids or in. Great video. The Biggers family should know about this have you tried to put this anywhere else? I am really surprised as big as the grave site is and expensive as it looked to make and what they did in honor of the kids, Iam now wondering if the Biggers must not have documented it for the future of the family for they can keep up with it. They must have been very important back in the day cause of the big head stones etc... they were known, they couldn't have been a no name family and poor.
The saddest art of graveyards like this is that no one is alive that loved them. People actually die twice. Once when you die and then when no one remembers you.
So very true😢
Nope just once.
Dust to dust, Earth to Earth, she claims that witch belongs to her.
icicicles
*which
@Raymond Krzywda exactly....to be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord....to all that believed....never forgotten....and they lived ones hopefully are there too...
The most chilling thing that I ever encountered at a cemetery was when I was wandering through a huge cemetery and came across the tombstone of a child. I have found all small children's grave sites somewhat upsetting, but this one really got my attention. The stone read : "Infant Son of (I do not remember the name), Born, November 7, 1949. Died, November 7, 1949. R.I.P. You are not forgotten". The reason it struck me so hard was the fact that I was born on Nov. 7, 1949. Being the kind of person that always has pen and paper on them, I sat down beside the stone and wrote a poem to this poor child that never had a chance at life as I wondered, was he truly not forgotten? After all, his parents are probably like mine...long gone
Infant Child (6/14/2007)
He never knew his mother, he never knew his dad. He never knew the brothers or the sisters he may have had
He never saw the sunrise, or felt a morning chill. He never saw a full moon, and he never will
He never heard a whispering wind blow softly through the trees. He never felt a gentle touch of a summer breeze.
He never got to run and play as most children do. The laughter and the tears of youth, he missed all of that too.
He never got to go to school. Life's lessons were not learned. He never knew of want or need. His keep was never earned.
He never knew of love or loss, he never felt a kiss. He never felt a lover's touch, or knew of wedded bliss.
He never knew what's right or wrong. He never knew of hate. He never knew or war or peace. He never knew his fate.
He never even had a name, just called an infant child. That is what the records say, where such things are filed.
He never had a chance at life for in a Book on High, Just moments after he gained life, he would have to die.
"Gone but not forgotten" is written on his stone, While he lies within his box, once again alone.
But who does remember him, it was so long ago. Just what happened on that day, no one will really know.
Should any shed a tear for him? Should any one be sad? For how could he miss all those things, the things he never had.
According to the Holy Word, in a Bible he never learned, A place in Heaven will be his, for that place was earned.
So Rest in Peace, oh infant child. In Heaven you still live. And these words I give to you, for it's all I have to give.
Our special day does bind us, as I stand here where you lie, And wonder why that I lived on, while you were meant to die.
oh my god, that is an incredible poem. Thank you so much for letting me read your work
You have a gift there.
This touched my heart. Before my mom had me she was going to have another child but after she birthed them they died only 20 minutes after. If I remember correctly, she was born on December 19th 2006 and they were going to name her Penelope but she didn’t make it and it’s quite sad.
Fun fact: you wrote that poem for that child only 6 days before I was born
@Reb. That is a beautiful poem/ story of so many of the infants that were never even given a name I have often wondered why some gave these lovely tombstones but no name I would think there is a story about not giving them. Name when they pass on the same day as birth, but I have never heard a story or wives tale to explain it
It would be so extremely satisfactory to see this cemetery be cleaned up.
You could do a light acid wash and bring back most of the detail without eroding what remains on these stones. A very minimal erosion process to clean. I have actually done some work like this.
This is in Georgia. And due to the climate and high humidity it causes an acceleration of decay.
Indeed. If only to train people in the correct ways in proper and respectful accomplishment of these tasks, it must be done.
So much potential to rehabilitate this and to be of use for professionals, even gardeners.
@@BrianCarnevaleB26I would recommend D/2 biological solution
I was thinking the same thing! It just hurts to see how neglected this old cemetery is. I know there is a good chance that this family, the "Biggers" has possibly died out but even so it would be such a sweet gesture to have it restored and put to rights. I'd also love to see the video of the whole process.
Please don't stop visiting these abandoned and forgotten cemeteries. I'm proud of what you do Sir. God bless you... Just saying or reading their name is rebirthing them.
@Wade Haden - Master Jedi Engineer Goth Its the whole thing where if you remember someone, they're not completely dead. Him saying the names gives them new life.
Are they meant to be forgotten?
Wade Haden - Master Jedi Engineer Goth man STFU you try to make someone sound stupid and you come up with some other bullshit of reincarnation that’s not proven. 😂🤦♂️
@@ER_666_ god wasnt proven either, let people live you sour patch kid. That's why it's called BELIEF and not FACT.
@@deannarose7000 i thought hillary clinton was an ass clown , but you take the cake buddy
when I was a teen I used to horseback ride past an abandoned cemetery from the late 1800's. Many of the stones had been pushed over or broken and it was overgrown with blackberry brambles and weeds. On the edge of the cemetery was a small pillar with the name Elizabeth Sarah on it, the last name had eroded some and I wasn't able to make it out; however, I was able to work out that when she died she would've been around the same age I was at the time. So I made a point of every time I rode past where she lay sleeping, I would stop, clear out any weeds that had grown on her grave and put fresh wildflowers I would collect on it. I did this for an entire year, every weekend during school months and every other day over the summer. I even began packing a lunch I would then have while sitting and talking to Elizabeth. I talked to her about boys, books, my horses, fashion, school...things she too might have been interested in during her life.
The Winter that year was very harsh and kept me from going to visit Elizabeth.
Eventually the Spring came and once the weather was good enough to go for long trail rides, I saddled up my horse, packed a lunch and began gathering flowers for Elizabeth.
It was no longer a sad feeling of her life, dying tragic at such a young age, but more of a celebration that 100 odd years later someone still knew her name, spoke it aloud and thought of her fondly. I was actually excited to visit her. Elizabeth had become my friend.
As I arrived at the area where the little, overgrown cemetery was I felt my heart sink and tears in my eyes. I was heartbroken to find it had all been flattened, all the headstones removed and contractors planning to build on the site.
I cried for her ,as for me that day Elizabeth had died twice.
Dianna I’m so sorry. That’s terrible.
Damn this hit
Plot twist..elizabeth is a bully bitch who would bully you if you both lived at the same timeline
Dianna that’s so sad. You are such a wonderful woman to respect her this way.
@@luckyme100178 THAT was mean and unnecessary. YOU sound like a bully.
We have an 1800's cemetery in our front yard. It came with the land when we bought it to build our house. Its a joint family cemetery that hadn't been touched in over 100 years. My husband and I have cleaned it up and started researching who the people were and its been super interesting. One of my friends lovingly calls them my adopted family. So nice to see people going in and being respectful in old forgotten cemeteries.
That's awesome! I love old cemeteries, full of love and history. Enjoy your "adopted family" I'm so jealous 👍🇬🇧👍
Very interesting and cool!
Very interesting. There are many family plots on people's properties around here in East Tennessee. Have you tried locating any of the descendants?
Glad you cleaned it up.:)
Good for you, if you buy land that has a private cemetery on it, I think it's your duty to look after it. If I knew someone who owned land with a cemetery on it and did not take care of it, that would lower my opinion of that person, unless they were disabled.
I've always had a fascination of tombstones and cemeteries. In my city, there was a long forgotten black cemetery. This was in 1999. Lots of WWI and WWII headstones with names and ranks stacked away in a dilapidated stone and wood shed. The oldest, unremarkable tombstone I found was 1840. Most were stone ground markers the size of bricks; the names worn away. My brother-in-law and I attempted to remove trees, plants, vines, etc. from the overgrown cemetery as much as we could. The local newspaper heard about what we tried to do and soon several volunteers and landscape companies were involved. In less than two months the place looked like an actual cemetery. Historians took on the tasks of documentation and discovered the graves of blacks who were prominent in their own communities. It's still receives ground service by a company who'd helped in the initial cleanup. My brother-in-law died two years afterward, but he'd seen the finished result of what he started. It looks better every time I drive by it.
That is the nature of Love. Thank you for doing that! 💗
Thank you. This gives me reassurance in the goodness of people.
Wow! How inspirational
omg same their so cool I recently got into them
That's FANTASTIC. And it's always better to NOT expect some government to take care of things like this as I've seen so many people suggest. that just never works out. Private citizens always do a better job of it.
Take heed stranger as you walk by , as you are now so once was I ,as i am now you shall be , so prepare to meet in eternity . Saw that years ago in a super old cemetery .
Never heard this one but love it. Very deep. ❤
Very deep, thanks for sharing.
@@gamissyjames9719 At sixty six , I'm getting to where I cant remember crap , but I still remember that word for word.
@@joycemetheny8338 that quote touched me because I swear I have this feeling everytime I visit the cemetery. Its definitely a quote to remember. God bless you, I pray he continues to send blessings your way.
@@gamissyjames9719 Why thank you , I'm glad I shared it then and may our dear Lord heap his grace all over you and yours.
That poor mother. All those children gone before she. The pain in her life is unfathomable. Blessing.
This is what life without vaccinations is
Truly sad
Oh yes, that poor mother who birthed all of those children and then watch them die. So tragic.
@@HM2SGT or incestation?
@@HM2SGT all my family who took the covid vaccine are nearly gone. Hmmmm what a coincidence?
There was an influenza epidemic in the late 1850's, a Yellow Fever outbreak in 1850, 1852 and 1855, Cholera in 1851. So sad to see the family that lost all those beautiful children. And very sad to see the state of the cemetery as a whole. As always, when their names are spoken they are NOT forgotten. Bless you for bringing their names forward once more.
About 10 years ago I was trying to research my family tree. It turns out that infant mortality was huge and wide spread back then. I found out that my dad (RIP 1975) had an older brother that died as an infant. My mom (RIP 2018) didn't know that information and was shocked when I told her. She was quite certain my dad never knew.
For some reason, parents never spoke of a younger family member that died. My mother had a stillborn daughter she only just recently mentioned after 50 years. :(
- Amen.
@Lowkee Kin agreed but only if they died in the state of sanctifying grace.
@Lowkee Kin Oh dear, I've got relatives I never want to see again.
I remember researching my Great Great Grandfather ,his farm and where he was buried ....when i entered the cemetery where I found his Stone ...I remember the chill and then the warmth of finding someone from my family that died in 1885 at 103 years of age ...it made me a fuller person to have this memory and discovery ... I like your programme
I found my 5x great grandfather who left Switzerland and came to America and fought in the revolution. That was neat. And his son my 4x great grandfather was buried in front.
@@zombiemom6701your 5x great grandfather fought in the American Revolutionary War?!
I’ve always had this weird obsession with reading tombstones because to me it’s like reading the story of someone’s life and as I keep moving through the stones I learn more and more I find it fascinating now others might find this wrong and creepy and that’s ok but words ingraved in those stones have have meaning it’s beautiful it’s history that’s be forgotten only to be remembered again.
Yes, they were folks like us.
Brooklyn Rocks I’m the same. I go round all the old village churchyards in England. I made a video of one in the village of Sarrett. A branch of the Stevens family emigrated to Brooklyn NY in 1830s, by 1843 they died. It’s called A Churchyard Walk, Sarrett. by English Country Life.
You are so right about that Brooklyn.
They're there to be read. Nothing unusual about it.
I'm the same with old, unremodeled houses. Detroit has many coming for sale daily. You wonder who lived there, what were their Joy's and tragedies? I often imagine the houses saying, "They're gone."
The stone with the carved ivy is one of the prettiest stones I’ve ever seen. What craftsmanship.
I love the one with the willow tree.
They should have brought a small hand broom with them to brush away the leaves.
One day I'll be just like you and I can't explore because I'm 9 years old and I have a sister a but...I want to explore the world 🤗🤗🤗
That's a great goal! 🙋♀️
Go for it!
*WHOLESOME 100*
I'm 9 to great goal !
Then that is what I shall wish for you.
Stop and think for a moment as you view this precious little cemetery ~ Think of all the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandparents, etc who attended these funerals and burials. They once stood right there also, dropping tears on that very ground. Grieving hearts. Standing there where these guys are now in this video. It happened. So sad. 😔
P. J. Biggers served 16 April 1862 - 27 June 1864. Wounded at Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. Present at the surrender by General Johnston in Greenesboro, NC: 26 April 1865. He died after an operation in August 1900.
Which unit did he serve in, please?
@@Briselance It said on his tombstone, Company C 46 in the C.S.A.
Dan White Oh my! He fought through most of the war! My Step-father's great-great-great-grandfather was also with Johnston at the surrender. He still has the discharge letter. He lives in Crossville.
The children’s graves that were in a line made of stones reminded of a house with multiple roofs. It put them all inside a house together. This may nor have been their intention but it just seemed so thoughtful.
Tina Steer, I think you are right!! What a beautiful thought!!
You're right. That's what I was thinking as I watched this. So terribly sad though. I hope they're all together frolicking in heaven.
Tina Steer that was my thought too, all under the same roof .
At home, together, as they should be
This couple lost so many children... it really breaks my heart.
According to the 1860 Census, The Biggers were wealthy Farmers (with slaves). in 2021 USD, he held more than $1.5M in Real Estate. Thanks for sharing these graves!
I came across a cemetery here in SD. I had to stop and look as it in the middle of nowhere yet someone is still caring for it.
Lots of children also in there from the late 1800.
The last person buried there was in 1950’s.
God Bless whoever is caring for it.
@Kompa Tevez / SD would be South Dakota.
I'm a genealogist and I discovered that the Biggers family did have 4 children that survived into adulthood.
John Daker I love genealogy too! I’m so grateful my family Elders were so diligent in our family genealogy on both sides.
How did all of his children die?! I’m very curious
@@isabelmcc8357 it was almost always disease. So many deaths so close together definitely points to that.
John Daker ah thank you so much I’m glad I know now better to know than not to know
They were the first born also. The later of the 11 children born passed very young.
God Bless you two gentlemen, I liked it when you gently wiped the leaves away from the stones. Kudos to both of you.
The flashlights were very helpful. In the future a whisk broom would also come in handy.
God did not bless the family who lost all their kids, so this bless you blabla are just empty platitudes.
yikes! i saw alot of poison ivy!!!! 😳
i'd take a broom & gloves!
Blessings come in many forms.
Thanks to this video, over 1 million people can indirectly remember that there was a Petolemus and Matilda Biggers; a husband and wife whose life was beset with tragedy, but are now at eternal rest with each other and their children. We may never know them, and we have only hints as to what their lives were like but, for now, they aren't entirely forgotten.
I clean old headstones in my spare time. To be able to make a vets stone shine bright after 100yrs is a wonderful feeling💖I live up in the mountains of Northern California. We have some really really old amazing cemeteries. I always ask permission before I start. I look for children and vets and if they have family with them then I clean them 2. I subscribed🤓ty for sharing
At least once a year I go to my family cemetery to clean the head stones we got family who served in the revolution all the to now buried and it's right here in Plover Wisconsin
What type of cleaner do you use? I want to start doing this, but afraid of using the wrong cleaner and ruining the stone
@@ashleyilich6011 I mostly use dawn it works great it also helps if you let it soak into the dirt and moss before you start scrubbing
You are so very sweet and kind to remember them.
Use a solution called D2 It's the only stuff that should be used
All those lost children, the heartache must have been awful.
Think it still is...to those that watch this video!!!!
Yes I was thinking that too 😞
Amish Graveyards have as many children in them as Adults.
@Mark Lanton If they knew it, they had the greatest anti bacterial on earth!! Called Colloidal Silver, Bacteria cannot adapt as it isn't a poison!! I understand it has an enzyme that gives bacteria it's breath and in the presents of silver it shuts down Kills virus too!!!
Duane Williams is that how movies got those “silver bullet kills werewolves ideas” ? Interesting... nobody used it to kill said bacteria
The death dates coincide with yellow fever outbreaks on the east coast. Here in Norfolk VA area, there are many yellow fever dedicated cemeteries and mass graves.
I honestly loved kesrning about yellow fever....but still, reading this sent chills throughout every cm of my body
I looked it up, and it looks like TYPHUS was the most likely culprit. -The typhus epidemic of 1847 was an outbreak of epidemic typhus caused by a massive Irish emigration in 1847, during the Great Famine, aboard crowded and disease-ridden "coffin ships".
U are rite gust look at the western the middleman with Chuck conors. They lived in north fork va. And they were fighting that fever
Sorry the riffle man Chuck conors
You may not see this, but I want to say thank you for sharing this beautiful place with us. Your respect is very touching.
When you visit your family cemetary on memorial day. Pick out a forgotton grave. Clean it up place flowers. Tell your kids to visit place flowers connects us to the past
“What you are, I once was. What I am, you will become.”
Slappy McKracken XT
Slappy McKracken “As you are now so once was I, as I am now so you shall be..prepare for death and follow me.”
not exactly a phrase you find being advertised at disney parks....
ryan barker Lol, 😉
"i like children, they are tasty"
"Sleep on sweet babe" after the row of the first 6 sweet Angels really got me, I couldn't hold back my tears. I lost 2 of my own sweet babes and no pain has been or ever will be as devastating. Amazing video guys. Thank you for taking the time too read as many stones as possible. 💔
Dear Laura, I am so sorry for the loss of your babies.
@@lorraine9242 Thank you Lori
@Carol Angel Thank you Carol
My heart goes out to you dearest Laura! So very sorry about your babies 😢😢😢 you will see them again. 💕💖💜💓💝💞💟❣️
There's no pain worse than losing a child, no matter how old they are. It leaves a hole that can never be filled. My condolences on the loss of your precious children.
I love visiting old cemeteries too. Sometimes I bring a brush to clear the debris from the headstones. I found my ancestors from the Revolutionary War, and I just had to place flowers on their graves. 🙏🏼💐
I didn’t know until a few years ago that I had an ancestor that fought in the Revolution in New York. I’d love to know more but I live halfway across the country.
I love to walk through old cemeteries. My brother thinks I'm nuts, but I find them very comforting. After all we're all going to end up in one someday.
If you're nuts, so am I! There is no place more peaceful. 🌿🌱🌿
I must be nuts too!
Another nut here! ❤️
I am another nut ! I actually find cemeteries quite peaceful. I hope that many years after my death, someone (another cemetery nut ) will stand over my grave and read my name....
I am another nut ! I actually find cemeteries quite peaceful. I hope that many years after my death, someone (another cemetery nut ) will stand over my grave and read my name....
I am from Brazil, I live in a very small and old city, and here we have a very old cemetery with very old graves, I already explored this cemetery to the fullest, some graves are from people born in 1700's, the most amazing thing is that the cemetery tells the story of all the families of the city. this place is used intil nowdays.
Helena Parducci you need to share this place. Love from California, United states of America
@@mariahrfordays1988 for sure! Here the tombs are very artistic and aesthetic, and many of them have stories, such as the grave of the seven deaths (or o túmulo das sete mortes) in which wife Maria and her six children, the oldest daughter Alva, 13, Joanna, 11, Orlando, 9, 7-year-old Anezia, 4-year-old Esther and 1-year-old Victório were murdered by the farm employee while the family's father was out of the house, this brutal crime was motivated by the employee's passion for Maria. that was 97 years ago but people still visit this family's grave looking for miracles, putting candles, flowers and toys. It's a very sad story. When I can I will show you!!! (sorry if something is spelled wrong, I'm still learning)
Da onde você é HP ? Muito interessante encontrar uma brasileira aqui rs
Qual é sua cidade?
As an amateur genealogist I have to say this is one of the coolest channels out there my friend. Please make sure you forward anything you find to your local historical society, especially any slave cemeteries you find. I recently discovered an old graveyard near my childhood home that ended up being lost ancestors I never knew about. Don’t stop uncovering and documenting our history !! Great job !!
This was the first time I have stumbled across one of your videos. Thank you for your respectful documentation of these old burial grounds. You are doing a wonderful thing.
That stone carving on "mother" was fantastic! When you think there was no do-overs in that medium, "Oops, made a mistake. Hand me another stone, please!"
My sister used to do charcoal gravestone rubbings in cemeteries in New England. One of the saddest was the stone of the local stonecutter. It simply said, "No one is left to cut for me." It implied that he had cut his own tombstone.
It breaks my heart for the poor babies who passed way to soon!! 😥😥😥😥😥😥
I love going through old grave yards and reading the dates and inscriptions on the headstones
Not only do we now have modern medicine, but things we take for granted, bathrooms, running water, heat and transportation! Life back then must have been a challenge! Great video!! 👍😁
Yes, I have read that about half of all children died before reaching 18, and each time a woman gave birth she had a 10% of dying. I read a lot of history and it always strikes me how a man would bury 3 or 4 wives in the 1800's.
They had all of those things 🤷♂️
a vistation of hardship does a soul some good. Americans may be overdue. Today I have learned the President has been exposed and his firstborn to a plague. Years from now what effect will this make? And here I am in a virtual cemetary , in discussion w/ strangers.
the time you give each grave and the respect you show is wonderful.
Absolutely Love you level of Compassion both for the dead and the preservation of history. Thank you
Trish Harmon I agree with you Trish. I hope someone is that compassionate 100 years from now to my gravesite. I’m 63... but then my soul won’t be there... it is my sinful bones laying there. My soul will be with my Lord and Savior... Hallelujah!
@@jaynebrown693 Amen!
Hi Trish love from Scotland.
It is mighty nice of you gentleman to recognize the people who were buried in this cemetery. Also thanks for the awesome video that you have posted...
This is just proof of how insignificant we are. Once gone and totally forgotten. Live each day man like it's your last. People will only mourn for so long...depressing I know but true. Thanks for sharing
Lionel Hunt, you are SO right! No one cares about me right now. That's why I want NO service or recognition whatsoever. I have come to realize that I am only as good as the favors that I provide..
@@beedee778 life is but a flash in the pan. We don't get to come back for an encore. Help others wherever you can because I truly believe that someone bigger than ourselves is watching who does care;) All the best!
@@beedee778
That's so sad Bee Girl
We are the common people and not celebrities...after 5 or 6 th generation, no one will remember us other than our names
This one has many documented graves. Ptolemus Biggers owned 27 slaves. He is father of the dead children with rock stacks and had 14 children. His father, Joseph Biggers, was original settler who came from Ireland though is wife, Elizabeth, was from South Carolina but descended from Germans. One son, P. J. Biggers, of 46th reg was wounded at Battle of Kennesaw but fought till end of war. Francis M. Biggers died during War (fighting?) and a year later his wife died leaving seven orphans. Lorenzo Biggers had fifteen slaves and fought in Indian Wars.
Charles Copeland wow! Thanks for the history of some of the family!!!!! I’ve heard of the biggers here in Columbus
I wonder if that section of unmarked graves in the left hand corner of the cemetery could have been slaves graves. I’m kinda thinking so, as all of the other graves were marked so well, and those were only marked with single field stones. Some plantation owners did burying slaves in their family cemeteries.
Thank you for the awesome history. It really filled in some gaps.
Thank you that's really cool. I wondered about the family.
Very interesting thank you
With the crazy amount of respect you showed to this cemetery and its inhabitants, I subbed. I just found your channel, but it's always impressive to see people have decency and respect.
Goth you have so right there i just wrote about it and notice that two humble young men did a Nice video with respect .
It's such a shame to see so many beautiful gravestones and cemetery so forgotten and neglected. 😪
And so many unusual names.
The Georgia Historical Society needs to protect and rehabilitate this piece of History.
You can do "rubbings" in order to preserve the writings on the monuments and then store them with the historical society. We used to do a lot of this, but can't remember just how this was done.
@@23Josilee in order to do any rubbings you need chalk and onion skin paper. Back in the 70's, I worked in a perpetual care cemetery in Augusta, Ga. I buried many official citizens here in this cemertary.
@@davidskeensr169 Bless you. Yes, My Dad had a monument company since I was a small child...he did lots of rubbings, and I had a brother and son who went around to old cemeteries and did a lot of rubbings. But I never did and couldn't remember exactly what they used. Thanks for the lovely reminder !
No only this one but countless others.
All the money they had to pay for graves like this and in the end it just crumbles and the people are forgotten. That's a life lesson right there.
Money means nothing in the big picture.
@@alb12345672 nope.... doesn't look like it.
@@orianna9200 I don't have any idea why you're writing Bible scriptures.
@@orianna9200 No it doesn't actually. But hey you do you.
The cost only involved the material, because the “labor” was “free” until 1863.
This made me feel incredibly sad for all of those forgotten. Just speaking their names hopefully gave them some peace. God bless.
I am the caretaker of our family plot. My Dad, Mom, Brother and eight more Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles. I get so much joy from arranging seasonal silk flower arrangements for Christmas, Spring and Fall. I always take my garden tools, gloves, and tool box for the cleanup. My next project will be to clean the headstones. There's one family plot near ours with many children. The time frame on the headstones were during Spanish Flu epidemic. They all have a story to tell 🙏😪🙏
The community should gather to help clean the cemetery 🙏🏼
Lily. In Indiana, it's up to the township trustee to maintain the pioneer cemeteries. Also, if there's a Revolutionary War soldier buried in the cemetery, the DAR will help.
Amazing...I found a cemetary as a child where seven children from one family died within 3 weeks of each other of diphtheria. .the cemetary is now being carved form..thankyou for great video..
Incredibly heart rendering. 😢
How heartbreaking for the family to lose so many children. So glad they’re being remembered through you.
Gents, thank you so much for sharing this moving tribute to a family long gone, but now remembered and brought back to life due to your efforts. It's heartwarming to learn of surviving relatives who can connect the Biggers family of the past with the that of the present. This was very well done and quite interesting - thank you.
Part of me feels the need to restore them. The other part of me likes it is the natural cycle of things.
Exactly
I think the inhabitants of the Grave Yard felt that it would always be maintained
Fanny Buster that is probably true. The sad reality is that cemeteries tend to die a death of their own after a few generations forget.
I am so glad to know that there are others who enjoy walking through old graveyards, like I do. Everyone I tell about my love of old cemeteries always looks at me sideways, like I’m nuts. Really enjoyed this video!
I have always loved going to cemeteries. Even newer ones.
I’ve always loved walking around cemeteries ~ old and recent ~ so much history on one headstone. Everyone has a story and to just read their names out loud, to me, brings them back to life, if just for a second. They all have worth, and at the very least, were loved enough to have a plot and headstone.
@DeniseLaughter, as you, I too get funny looks and/or know people view it strange that I enjoy cemeteries. Perhaps because I grew up going to the cemetery as my mom died when I was only 8 yrs old, shaped my view ~ to me, going to the cemetery is the same as visiting living family members 💜✨
I love walking thro cemetery my self .I like to see the old tombstone and wonder how they died .there some cemetery i like to go that some of my ansters was buried .if u ever want to find graves .go to www.find a grave .com
I love old cemeteries. When we were kids, we used to ride our bikes to Cold Springs Cemetery, in Lockport, NY. Its still active, so is well kept up. We used to park our bikes, and sit under the trees, to watch the birds, and see who saw the most kinds of birds. We used to talk to the caretakers, who told us where the springs used to be, back in the late 1700's, when this area was on the way to Fort Niagara, and British troops would stop for water. One told us, that he hated woodchucks, because people were always tripping in their holes-he was afraid someone would break a leg and sue the cemetery. I still love going through here. Many of the old trees are marked, as to what kind they are. Many old graves, many people moved to this area, who fought in the Revolutionary War. Many Erie Canal workers buried here, too. Its so pretty, like a park! In the summer, the city historical society has volunteers dressed up as the more interesting "inhabitants," and they talk about thier lives, and Lockport during their lives. Its a lot of fun, and very informative.
I enjoy it too. Especially when something is troubling me and I can't shake it off, going there helps me put my thoughts together. I realize that as long as there's life in us, there's hope to any problem we will ever face..
So sad, all the children. I am glad we all got a chance to reflect and remember them today. Thank you!
I explore old graves in Ontario Canada. Many from the 1820s and onward many were Irish, Scottish, Welsh and British immigrants and occasionally finding some Americans who were buried in that era in Canada. I would assume many of the American graves were Quakers who came to Canada around the mid 19th century. It's really sad to see how many children and newborns who died back then... Really enjoy your videos. Greetings from Canada.
So tragic! I thought when I lost my son and husband. In ten years was bad. I always say, no matter how bad you think you have it, someone else has it worse!
I'm so sorry.
Im soo sorry for your loss 🙏🙏
I'm sorry for your loss, that is one terrible big oowiee!!!!!
Damn, I felt so bad for that couple who lost all those children. All the children's graves are sad but an entire row of dead kids from the same family is really tragic.
Just imagine the welcome they got in heaven!
Absolutely amazing, precious souls forgotten by time. Beautiful history of an entire family asleep in death on this gorgeous hill! A pleasure to see, thanks for sharing.
I honestly wonder if there's any living descendants and if they even know about this place
Yes. If you read some of the above comments, you will two see two of them do know about it. And one actually visited it with another cousin.
Kind Thanks to you both Robert and Daniel for bringing the lives of this family to light. Their times contained all the highs and lows just as our do now. The loss of so many children and their Love for them is proved on the stones. All our times are short, a brief shadow in the grass as is said. It’s so important to live our lives in Love and in every moment. Love, Light, Joy of Spirit and Thanks for Honoring those who have gone before us! DaveyJO in Pennsylvania
It is amazing to try and picture that back in those days the hearse would have been a horse drawn wagon and wagons had to haul those stones up to gravesite as well. So sad to think of the little ones. Thanks Robert and Daniel .
Thank you for showing this cemetery. It would be great if these could be restored.
So kind of you two, to clean the headstones, and with respect, let us know who were laid to rest.
Such a nice video, I love wandering around in old cemeteries I especially have a soft spot for any infant graves I see, I lost an infant son myself several years ago and I just couldn't imagine what this family went through losing so many of their children, yes they want to be remembered.
I googled some of the names and found census info for some of the Biggers Family. Sad about age stealing away the beautiful stones.
@@tiffanyb634 Findagrave.com may have it but it can still be abandoned. I know of more than one site like this graveyard that is listed and yet abandoned. It takes volunteers like these fellows to document them for future family researchers as well as the public. This would be a gold mine if I were related.
why was it abandoned did the whole family die out
A lot of families moved to Texas after the Civil War. They moved in groups too. Family friends moved together in groups.
@@1975CEES pretty much.
This has to be the coolest cemetery you've been to. Amazing. I couldn't imagine burying 1 child let alone 7,so sad,but awesome graves. Thank you for showing ❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️
May they rest in peace. Bless their souls. Beautiful headstones.
Without even knowing these people who died so very long ago I can't help but cry for all the children that this couple lost. Most didn't even get to a full year. They lost and kept loosing their children. Gentlemen please keep doing what you're doing to bring these stories of past lives to our attention, also thank you for walking amongst their resting place with respect. Thank you and may God bless you both.
PJ Biggers appears to have been wounded in a battle (not specified) and sent to the hospital in Columbus, GA. He enlisted April 16, 1862 and was surrendered by Gen Johnston on 26 April 1865. That’s from his Library of Congress Roll Card. Pretty fascinating history!
This TRULY is an Amazing Family Cemetery Robert...Thank You SO much for sharing this with us. Its wonderful that you are documenting these Old Forgotten Cemeteries...honouring the People from the past. I'm really enjoying your Channel> Take care...
This is by far one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking cemeteries we have seen yet. What a find! Thank you thank you thank you!!
Thank you so much Robert and Daniel for putting together this amazing video, what a fantastic piece of history this is. It’s so chilling to read names and dates and to see all the detail put into this cemetery, there is so much history to discover. I would love to visit this amazing beautiful and chilling place even though your video did give me the feeling almost being there in person.
One of the last cemeteries I videoed on my channel was on a hill like that and it had some revolutionary graves in it.
The willow tree means tears, mourning, and immortality. It was put on stones because it is also mentioned in the bible several times. I use to check a book out at the library all the time when I was 10 or 11 about tombstone symbolism.
Apparently, the Biggers had a huge impact on the area down there from doctors to shopkeepers to salon owners, and I think some elected officials too. I did a newspaper search and even found they had a street named after them in the 1800's. PJ Biggers is mentioned in an article I found.
Oh, and another little tidbit I just found are the letters on that stone. They are actually: H. T. W. S. S. T. K. S. which is masonic and means: HIRAM, TYRIAN, WIDOW'S SON,
SENDETH TO KING SOLOMON.
It is the mark of a grand master mason.
Thanks for the accurate information on the mason symbolism, that's where my instincts were taking the meaning to be.🖒
Good research. The Biggers had to be a prominent family in the area. I too thought the lettering had to be Masonic.
Thank for the info.
I am a Freemason. A Grand Master is the leader of all Freemasons in a state for one year. Another reason to pass a cemetery levy to maintain this historical burial site.
@ Spirit Walker, thank you so much for all that info. Most interesting indeed.💖
Thank you for claarifying the meaning of the letters on that headstone. My Grandfather was a Mason. He died in 1976. Because we lived 8hours away, we didn't get to see him and my step grandmother very often. For reasons that I will never know, at his funeral I was seated far enough back that I didn't get to see what the group of men around my Grandad's casket were doing, but I do remember that he was buried with his white apron. Also, my grandfather had 2 rings with the Masonic symbol on them, one red, the other blue. At a family reunion, a cousin told me that our grandfather had been a Grand Master Mason.
Thank you so much for documenting this cemetery. Wish there was a way for the Biggers family to be able to have it back to care for. Such a blessing the way the owner cared for it while he could.
Hard lives to survive back then. Good job bringing their memory back, if only for a moment in time.
Graves always make me sad and want to cry, to me it doesn't matter if it was an elder, child or baby. It's just sad. Especially if there forgotten. I swear one day when I'm older I will TRY to find as many cemeteries as I can, and give every grave I find a rose and pay as much respect I can to them, it will never matter if it was a stranger or an ancestor, I will give my most respect to each one I come across. ❤
If I lived near there I would try my best to clean the graves up. Just some strong guys and we could reset the stones respectfully. It is the least a person could do. Forget the people who tell you that you can't. God's plan for us was to take care of the earth and each other. We are quick to demolish things that have character and are beautiful. That is not progress it is just sad.
You seem like a very respectful person. Isn't there a glue that is strong enough to bond them together?
Yes, I think if one goes cemetery hunting, one should take garden tools; rake, broom, clippers, etc. Someone took care of this cemetery; planted Day Lilies and a Yuk plant, besides the ivy.
The Biggers family tree is on Ancestry so there are descendants still around. Petomus and Matilda had six children and all died young.
Why did they all die so close in time?
@@modesto885 Someone from that area needs to do some research ie death certificates and newspapers.
@@modesto885 Dysentery, tuberculosis, whooping cough, pneumonia, measels, mumps smallpox. Most rampant around that time. Most of these illnesses were caught easily if living in close proximity to others. So even a well fed educated child could die easily. They didnt know then also about isolation in keepinng disease away.
You may be able to read it better by putting a piece of paper over the stone then using the side of a pencil or crayon to color over and get the impressions.
@@sheilastanaland Good idea. I shall do that in my local cemetery.
I could not imagine the heartache of burying that many of my children. We take for granted the advances in medicine.
Sadly, we have anti-vaxxers who pose the greatest threat to World Health
@@michaeludeze8470 True. Those anti vaxxers are serious idiots who have no scope of reality pre vaccinations. They think good health is a given by fairys or trolls.
I would love to let these idiots ACTUALLY live in a state of being like they advocate. Lets see how long they last and want to stay that way.
@@michaeludeze8470 LMAO! Hysterical!
@@yoyo762 Calm down princess; you'll live longer!
@@yoyo762 😒😒😒
Thank you for bringing us along with you. And the time along with care that you showed to them.
Here is the author of that poem.
Brewer's: Though Lost to Sight, to Memory Dear
A writer in Harper's Magazine tells us that the author of this line was Ruthven Jenkyns, and that the poem, which consists of two stanzas each of eight lines, begins each stanza with “Sweetheart, good-bye,” and ends with the line, “Though lost to sight, to memory dear.” The poem was published in the Greenwich Magazine for Marines in 1701 or 1702.
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
Thanks Kindly, I really enjoyed it and do the same thing myself. It a shame that such a beautiful place as this and so many others have been destroyed or vandalized. These are our ancestors who lead the way for us. I always feel sad for those parents losing children. It has to be one of the most awful things for a parent to lose so many or any children. Thank You as well for honoring these people and keeping their memories alive. DaveyJO in Pa.
I like this video no jump scare no sound effects. And I like the guy with blue t-shirt. I mean I like the writing on his shirt 😁 Y'ALL NEED JESUS
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing place. What an absolutely stunning place that should be taken care of. 👍👍👍👍
You did an awesome job showing us this amazing place. I love that you actually honor the people buried there by reading their names. It's very sad how many babies and small children died back then. Life must have been precarious in those days. I love the fence around the cemetery. My grandparents had a similar one but when they passed on, someone took the fence and sold it. I hope this one stays where it belongs. Thanks again. This has been my favorite cemetery tour so far!
My guess would be yellow fever, or small pox. I can't imagine dealing with the deaths of all my babies.
That's heartbreaking. Great post guys.
When no one is left to place flowers & tend the graves, they make think they look like lost & forgotten souls ! It's lovely work you do to read their epitaphs and it's remembering them ! Bless you
This was beautiful! This was like a dream. Thank you so much!! The headstones were so detailed. That gives us some history to go by. This was great that you stopped and read some! The setting was incredibly breathtaking! 🇨🇦❤️
A parent never thinks they will out live their children, sad to see the neglect.Thank you for the video.
these are so beautiful. I would love to come and restore all of these markers and clean up all the debris. So touching. Thank you for sharing.
As a teen I found an old graveyard in the North end of the county where I live. It was pretty much run down, but not quite as bad as this one. I returned alone with saws, pruning sheers, a rake and other yard tools. My goal was to clean this small graveyard up; a project I wanted to do alone. About an hour into my labors, two deputies pulled up and started accusing me of vandalising the graveyard, even though there was evidence to the contrary as to what I was doing there. I was told to leave immediately or be arrested. I guess it is true that no good deed goes unpunished.
I'm sorry about that! He was an idiot!!! Thank you for what you did for the Grave yard!! Don't be afraid to go back!!!!
Steve Flanigan God knows what was in your heart. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad for trying to do a good deed. Thank you for being such a sweet person. The world could use a few million more just like you!❤️
What the hell...
About 30 years ago in N.J. the Boy Scouts cleaned a very old cemetery for to earn their badges. It has been cleaned from time to time since then. No problems up in N.J.
@Gossip Heart "Are you white?' What does that have to do with it?
As a genealogist, I love mysteries, old houses, and cemeteries. Your video was so interesting, I had to look the family up. Ptolemus Biggers and Matilda Coleman had 14 children. P.J. Biggers, their son who fought in the Civil War, was named Perenda Jefferson. It doesn't look as if he ever married. It would be so wonderful if the cemetery could be cleaned up and all the monuments put back in place. Is their house nearby?
Wonder if it's on Find A Grave. Or should be?
Hello from Ohio. This is such an interesting cemetery. It's so very sad how that family lost so many babies! I was thinking you need to bring a wisk broom and clippers with you to clear the gravestones. Keep up the good work. God bless.
Life was hard then. Medicine was primitive at best...Penicillin didn't even start being used for another 90 years after all those Biggers babies died in the 1850s. If You got sick or injured, survival was a matter of luck. I think the "M.E. Church is probably Methodist Episcopal" .... Church. I love old cemeteries.
The white man invented penicillin. Is that racist of me to say that?
@John Smith Yeah, sure he did from his mud hut.
I became a vampire when I was sixteen, that is why I always look sixteen. Off course life was much harder for a sixteen year old back then.
You're correct. M.E. was the white only branch of the church. A.M.E obviously was the black church.
@@fritzcolburn Yes, A.M.E. stands for African Methodist Episcopal church.
Thank you, I really am enjoying you going through the old cemeteries..I love hearing about some of the histories of the deceased.. I can’t get around well, so I’m glad I discovered your channel..
I loved your video of the cemetery. Thanks for your searching and posting.