Mt. Zion Cemetery

MARY M RISH
b: JULY 11, 1805
d: JULY 14, 1884
Tis the Lord who hath bereft us of the one he loved so well.

HENRY A RISH
b: Sept 6,1832
d: Sept 13, 1868
As he lived, so he died, A dutiful Son, affectionate Brother and a model Christian. Blessed are the dead which die in the LORD.

LEMUEL E RISH
b: April 14th 1834
d: July 22nd, 1872
As he lived, so he died, a devoted Husband, affectionate Father, true Christian. Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord.
[Veteran's marker, same person]
LEMUEL E RISH CORP CO I 51 REGT GA INF CONFEDERATE STATES ARMY
APR 14 1834
JULY 22 1872

There is an UNMARKED infant grave in the Rish family area which is probably the child Toady? Rish,
b May 1870 [Census]
died before Lemuel's estate was probated
s/o Lemuel E Rish & Mary Elizabeth Penelope Loftin .

AT REST [across top of stone]
JOHN EVANS
b: APR 15, 1844
APR 5, 1924, EVANS
Christ is my home.

AT REST [across top of stone]
MARY LOFTON-Wife of JOHN EVANS
b: AUG 12, 1852
d: SEPT 10, 1937
EVANS She is not dead but sleepeth

Note by the contributor Lindy Lee Hard, g-granddaughter of Lemuel E Rish & Mary Elizabeth Penelope Loftin & gg-granddaughter of Adam & Mary Rish: Adam Rish & wife Mary, these two sons Henry A Rish and Lemuel E Rish and their other children came to Georgia from Lexington Co, SC first settling in Coweta Co, GA and moving to Clay county in 1850's. Henry A Rish never married, served as 3rd Sergeant Co F 32nd Regt GA Inf and in 1866 was tax collector for Clay County. Mary Lofton, named above as wife of John Evans was Mary Elizabeth Penelope Loftin/Lofton d/o James West Loftin and grand d/o Richard Y Loftin (one of the original presbytery signing the Mt Zion church constitution) and was 1st married to Lemuel E Rish.

My Great-Grandfather was James Samuel Parker.
His headstone reads:
Rev. J. S. Parker
Born May 14, 1837
Died Aug 3, 1883
Age 45 yrs 2 mos 23 days
Quietly sleep, beloved one, Rest from thy Toil, Thy Labor is Done, Rest 'Till the Trump From the Opening Skies, Bid Thee from Dust to Glory Arise; Peaceably Sleep, Peaceably Sleep, 'Till That Morning, Peaceably Sleep.

Beside his grave is his wife:
Frances Cornelia Parker
Born Sept 23, 1840
Died May 13, 1925
Sleep On Dear Mother On the side of her monument is:
"Wife of Rev. James S. Parker"

There are two unmarked graves beside them. We do not know who they are.
submitted by: Charlene Montgomery Valdosta, GA

Emmaline Donahoo
b. Sept 30, 1826 prob in Early Co.
d. June 27, 1913 in Ft Gaines.
They were married June 19, 1851 in Early Co.
and had 5 children:
Clemantina
Henry Huston
Wilburn A
William
John Hilly.

Some of the family are buried in New Park Cemetery. My great great grandparents buried in Mt Zion Cemetery: [dates are according to census info]
Henry Elliott
b. abt 1804 in SC
d. before the 1880 census Clay Co, GA

Nancy Sarah Elliott
b. abt 1805 in GA
d. after 1880 in Clay Co, GA.
On the 1880 census for Clay Co, she was living with her daughter & son/law, Augustus Donahoo

Copied from THE HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY
with permission of the Library Board of Clay County.
Transcribed by Hugh T. Singleton

It probably should be noted also that as late as the early 1950's, the cemetery's northwest boundary contained a number of graves which were marked only by a large rock as headstone with a small rock as footstone. My best recollection is that there were at least a dozen of those graves; no trace of which exist today.

(An unmarked grave--Information furnished by Mrs. Hubert Sanders.)

CSA (Unmarked--Information furnished by Mrs. Hubert Sanders.)

(Grave unmarked - Information furnished by Mrs. Hubert Sanders.)

d. Oct. 19, 1912

Kinsey, Eddie
b:
d: Nov. 2002