Endangered Past
The past is something we need to preserve. There are many family cemeteries in danger of being destroyed either by developers not knowing or caring they are there. There are also the ones that get left behind and not cared for over the years only to disappear over time. Mother nature always has a way of reclaiming the past.
This is a subject near and dear to me. There is just such a family cemetery many of us are trying to fix up and preserve for future generations.
Purgason Family Cemetery
We Need Your Help
If you would like to help restore the Purgason Family Cemetery or can help in any way, please feel free to contact or
Please feel free to contact us if you are researching your family history and think you may be related to the Purgason family.
Want to be listed on the family page or contribute something? Please and I would be glad to add you.
Want to be listed as doing research on.......
Echo From The Past
In our busy world of today we rarely stop long enough to think how it use to be. It is my hope that you will stop long enough to read and enjoy all the past presented here on this site.
Featured Cemetery
Many of you that read this site are not related to the Purgasons who are buried in the family cemetery just outside of Franklin, Georgia, but hopefully you can help with our efforts. At present the Purgason Cemetery is in bad shape. It has taken years to find relatives of the people laid to rest here. Thanks to the internet I have been able to find others doing research on their family history and link up with relatives who did not know about the cemetery. We want to fix it up and preserve it for future generations to be proud of their roots.
Right now the Purgason Cemetery has been fenced off so no one can have direct access to it. There is a gate a good distance walk that you can come through, but it is VERY hard for an elderly or disabled relative to walk the distance. I contacted the land owner at present - Mr. David E. Sandlin on September 24, 2007 or so and had a pleasant conversation with him. The land that the Purgason Cemetery is on (plat No.49 composed of 190 acres) has been made into a hunting preserve. Rather than fence the cemetery off separate from the preserve so relatives could have direct access to it, he chose to cut off access with a fence and no trespassing signs! The Purgason Cemetery is not visible right now from the road. You pretty much have to know it is there. The cemetery has been surveyed by the Heard County Historical Society and published in Lynda Eller's book Heard County, Georgia Cemeteries C 1977.
Photos of the past: Then and now
Just like they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words!" Here are some pictures of the Purgason Family Cemetery made somewhere around 1979 - 1980. Then there were many more graves visible than today. Hopefully with help from others we can restore it fairly closely to the way it looked when our ancestors were laid to rest.
Click on the picture to see other photos.
THE PURGASON FAMILY CEMETERY: How To Get There
The Purgason Cemetery is located just south of Franklin, Georgia in Heard County, on Hwy 27,
just past Purgason Rd. Elevation - 718 ft., Lat. 33.209 N , Lon. 85.022 W
WHO IS STILL THERE: Headstones still remaining ?
Here are some of the graves that were visible in the cemetery around 1980.
- John Purgason born March 17, 1820 and died December 2, 1890
- R B Purgason (Rufus Broome Purgason) born January 8, 1844 and died May 30, 1910
- Sarah F. (wife of R B Purgason) born June 7, 1845 and died December 12, 1905
- Mary Lou (Purgason) Wilson born June 21, 1877 and died May 9, 1909
- Jimmie Lou Harris only date Jan. 3, 1903 (modern gravestone)
- There are many graves of slaves and others buried there only marked with field stones
- It is thought that a Native American burial ground is located here also
- Jammy son of A B & Parrie Purgason born Jan. 13, 1892 died July 16, 1892