Near Eastman in Dodge County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Orphans Cemetery

Photographed by David Seibert, January 29, 2006

1. Orphan's Cemetery Marker

Inscription. Albert G. Williamson, a Dodge County entrepreneur, donated land for a burial place in Orphans community following the death of a neighbor’s child, George P.A. Barnes, in 1887. The community was named in honor of the six orphaned Williamson brothers who moved here in 1873-74 from North Carolina. The earliest burials were children of the Thomas, Weldy, and Lashley families. Other common names in the original acre are Hardy, Manley, Steele, Stuckey, and Williamson. The statuary above their mausoleum depicts A.G. and Martha Buchan Williamson and their nephew, Jay Gould.

Erected 1999 by the Georgia Historic Society, Orphans Cemetery Association, and Dodge Historical Society. (Marker Number 45-2.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. In addition, it is included in the Georgia Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1887.

Location. 32° 12.474′ N, 83° 12.966′ W. Marker is near Eastman, Georgia, in Dodge County. It can be reached from the intersection of Firetower Road and Orphans Cemetery Road at Firetower Road. Firetower Road may also be named Harp Road. Marker is in the cemetery at this intersection. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Eastman GA 31023, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Coastal Plain. It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Blackshear Road (approx. 1.9 miles away); The Eastman-Bishop-Bullock House (approx. 2.2 miles away); Jefferson Davis (approx. 2.2 miles away); Dodge County (approx. 2.4 miles away); Dodge County Confederate Monument (approx. 2.4 miles away); Old Eastman School (approx. 2.7 miles away); Stuckey's (approx. 3.2 miles away); Jefferson Davis Campsite (approx. 7.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Eastman.

Regarding Orphans Cemetery. A prominent memorial in this cemetery is a stone routunda atop a crypt sheltering a statues of Albert and Martha Williamson, seated, with their young nephew, Jay Gould, standing behind them.

Additional commentary.
1. Jay Gould Williamson is not the Jay Gould
The nephew Jay Gould, standing with the Williamsons in the statue in Photo No. 3, should not be confused with Jason “Jay” Gould, the financier and railroad developer of the late 1800s.

— Submitted December 17, 2010.

Small Marker in Orphans Cemetery, with marker visible in distance image. Click for full size.

Photographed by David Seibert, January 29, 2006

2. Small Marker in Orphans Cemetery, with marker visible in distance

“Orphans Cemetery is sacred to the honor of the Christian Faith and the memory of those interred herein. — 1909 Orphans Cemetery Association. Trustees L.C. Smith, L.R.G. Williamson & L.N. Pinnell.”

Williamson Graves image. Click for full size.

Photographed by David Seibert, January 23, 2006

3. Williamson Graves

With statues of A. G. Williamson, Martha Williamson, and their nephew, Jay Gould Williamson

Credits. This page was last revised on November 16, 2019. It was originally submitted on June 21, 2008, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 3,074 times since then and 49 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 21, 2008, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.