In April 2009, the City of Valdosta was awarded a Georgia Historic Preservation Fund grant by the Historic Preservation Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, to produce a Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-enabled web site to be used by family members, historians, genealogists, and anyone interested in learning about the generations of Valdostans laid to rest at the city-owned Sunset Hill Cemetery.You can search for people by name, and it will show you birth date, death date, lot number, and pan to the correct location on a map. Quite a difference from when aunt Jane and I used to have to try to guess when the caretaker would be in to look up who was buried where, or just stomp around until we found the marker.
What’s Sunset Hill, you may wonder? About Sunset Hill Cemetery:
Established in 1861, the year following the city’s incorporation, Sunset Hill Cemetery is Valdosta’s oldest publicly-owned cemetery. Charles Ogden Force (1823-1892), former postmaster and progressive citizen, donated thirty acres to the City for use as community burial grounds. Simply called the “City Cemetery” or “our cemetery” then, the property donated by Mr. Force was ideally situated one mile northwest of Valdosta’s downtown. Prior to its use as a cemetery, the old Savannah-Troupville stagecoach road is said to have passed through this area of Valdosta.
To me, it’s where my parents are buried, and his parents, and his parents, as well as various relatives. I own a lot there.
-jsq
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