John (Johnny) Colbaugh

The Chattanooga Times; Chattanooga, TN; 20 Dec 1979; pg A19

John COLBAUGH, 53, of Jonesboro, GA
Died Tuesday at a Jonesboro hospital
Survivors: mother Mrs Edith Lucile COLBAUGH; 4 sisters Mrs Doris DEMOUS, Mrs Ruby Lee JONES, Mrs. Jerry VALLIJO, and Mrs. Katheryne Naomi YOUNG; 3 brothers Earl, Luther and Ralph COLBAUGH
Arrangements by Lane Funeral Home, Inc

This is my uncle Johnny. He had tuberculosis when he passed. I heard stories he was just sitting at a table and fell over. My only ghost story involved him. Johnny was a prankster and laughed a lot. On the day he passed we were living in Euharlee. I woke up and found him lying at the foot of my bed. I thought this was nothing strange as he may have staggered in and laid down. I got up and told my parents who were watching television in the other room. I told them about Johnny and they told me he had passed. I went back to the room and he was gone. I remember the ladies that he worked with at a laundry clothes cleaning company. When the had a get together at the hospital they wept for him severely.

Mazeppa, Georgia

When you look at old maps of Milton County you may come across a small village called Mazeppa. To picture Mazeppa you have to know about Milton County. Milton County was created on December 18, 1857 from parts of northeastern Cobb, southeastern Cherokee, and southwestern Forsyth counties. The county was named for John Milton, Secretary of State of Georgia from 1777 to 1799. In 1931, when Milton was merged with Fulton County to save it from bankruptcy during the Great Depression.

What was Mazeppa named for? How can we learn more about this community. Looking at the Georgia Gazetteer we find.

So its earliest beginnings was as a post office for locals to drop off mail. In many stories Mazeppa is mentioned in plays and in theatrics. Mazeppa is a narrative poem written by the English romantic poet Lord Byron in 1819. Here is a poem by a local who elaborated a poem.

I did find one mention of a young man who entered into an agricultural contest using new techniques.

And another sad story from the Rock Island Argus that seemed sensationalized. Seems a brother surprised another an he cracked his skull.

Yet another story involved a farmhand upset ab0ut his circumstances.

Mazeppa like most of North Fulton County had a lot of Indian activity as many tribes made their homes along the Upper Chattahoochee. Relics and artifacts were probably bountiful in farms where they turned over fresh earth to discover treasures beneath. Here is an example.

1. Dillman, Caroline Matheny (2003). “Milton County”. New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
2. Georgia County Maps
3. Georgia State Gazetteer and Business Directory 1881-1882
4. Sunny South, Mar. 21, 1891 — page 7
5. Southern World, Nov. 1, 1882 — page 9
6. Rock Island daily Argus., September 24, 1887, Image 2
7. Banner-Watchman, Jul. 29, 1884 — page 1
8. Pipes and Smoking Customs of the American Aborigines, Based on Material in the U.S. National Museum Joseph D. McGuire, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1899 – Indians of North America – 295 pages

Cassville Monument in need of Resroration.

This is the Cassville Monument located in the Cassville Cemetery off Shinall Gaines Road in Cassville, Georgia. The historic marker was made in 1878 by the Ladies Memorial Association at a cost of around $900 dollars. It is made of brick with 4 marble tablets around the side.   Its size is about 450′ high with the base 20′ with inscriptions that impressed me as I am sure they will impress you, “Is it death to fall for Freedom’s cause?” and another,  “It is better to have fought and lost, than not to have fought at all”  or “Rest in peace our own Southern Braves, you loved liberty more than life.” Another inscription found of the base states “Dedicated to the memory of our Southern heroes, by the Ladies Memorial Association of Cassville, Georgia A. D. 1878.

As you can see the monument has seen better days. Teenagers have taken shots at the back of the monument with a rifle. Much like the Big Chicken in Marietta it seems to have a skin condition. The monument is not solid marble but rather brick with the marble plaques. Vandals generally target the flag on the pole to the left. Several graves throughout the cemetery has also been damaged including that of Warren Akin Confederate Congressman. other groups have taken concern like Bartow Ancestors and Dan Wade whom I give credit for the photos above. The Georgia Building Authority maintains the 300 or so unknown soldiers graves. They used to put flags on the graves until last year. I assume political correctness will play a part in this. I have contacted Rhino Hide a local company for a quote but they did not want attempt the job. The GBA has taken down the information and pictures sent and we may get a response soon with some follow up.

Some time back an avid  Bartow County Historian got a quote for the marker restoration and the price was around $27,000. I would hop the price would be cheaper. The Kingston marker looks a lot better and I need to investigate the costs there. With the combined efforts of several we may restore the monument to its former self for years to come. I was hoping a space age solution might be out there for the monument to last a century or more. one can only hope.

Reference : https://docs.google.com/document/d/15OOyqfXvzNdCqmEfP-cckMXB0UwaLXpsb0rAwhP_zWw/edit?pli=1

Cartersville Centennial Edition (1972) Cassville Cemetery: one of best-known landmarks By LAMAR WEAVER

Pictures by Dan Wade Bartow Ancestors