Barfield-Hodges Cemetery

In early 2003 I was searching for the burial place of my 2nd Great Grandfather, General Lafayette Barfield (b. 10 Jan 1856, d. 8 Feb 1895). (General is his first name, not his rank.) He was only 39 when he died, and his wife, Pharaba Currin Wilson, remarried to a Walter S. Hively and lived in Florida with her daughter Pearl until her death 9 Nov 1938. I knew that their daughter Pearl was born in Hahira, GA on 26 Jun 1892, so I called the Hahira City Hall and they looked through a book of cemetery listings to see if they could find Lafayette, and they did. He was listed as G.L. Barfield, buried at the "Barfield-Hodges" Cemetery on the West side of a Frontage Road on I-75, 1.2 miles South from Frank's Creek Road, midway between Hahira and Valdosta. Also buried there was a "Bethany B. wife of Fredrick Barfield" who was Lafayette's mother. Frederick is very likely buried next to her, though I am not sure of that.

Armed with this information, I set out to try to find this cemetery during a trip from New York to Florida in April 2003. (It is during this same trip that I located several of my ancestors in Georgia and collected photos from the Fender Cemetery, the Old Union Cemetery, the Pleasant Cemetery, and the Sunset Hill Cemetery, in South Georgia.) Barfield-Hodges was the last one on my list that day, and it was after 5 PM when I set out for it, having spent the whole day running around other cemeteries looking for the surname Sirmans, Taylor, etc. The first obstacle was that, from Hahira, I would have to cross the bridge over I-75 on Frank's Creek Road to access the Frontage Road leading to the cemetery. But the bridge was literally gone, and Frank's Creek Road around the bridge was barricaded. There are no exit ramps to Frank's Creek Road from I-75 on either side. And I had no map or instructions to show me how to access Frank's Creek Road from the opposite side of the highway. Since Hahira City Hall had closed after 5, I had to play it by ear. I crossed the next bridge I could find, which was exit 29 on I-75. I turned South on Morven Rd., then turned left on Shiloh Rd. I then found somebody out walking and asked them instructions, and they told me how to get there. I just had to continue down Shiloh to the fire house, and turn left on Frank's Creek Road. I did so, and followed it all the way back to I-75 on the West side, to the barricaded bridge. The Frontage Road was right there. I turned right on that and followed it down 1.2 miles. But there was no cemetery to be seen.

The first .75 miles of the Frontage Road are a few houses, and after that is a tall radio antenna with a beacon on top, then a billboard, a locked metal gate onto some empty property, and then a swamp, and then a virgin pine forest, and finally at the dead-end of the road 2 miles down, was just thick woods. I drove slowly up and down the street and could not see any cemetery, or any sign of tombstones. Unfortunately it was getting dark and we were tired, so we drove to Valdosta and spent the night.

The next morning, after taking a look at the Sunset Hill Cemetery in Valdosta where Robert Essie Barfield (Lafayette's son) was buried with his wife (and their infant quintuplets!), I visited the Lowndes County Historical Society and confirmed the location of the Barfield-Hodges Cemetery. They had 2 maps clearly marking its location. I had been right there, at that location, but I told them I was certain I didn't see anything. I was supposed to continue driving down into Florida this morning, but I was determined to find the cemetery first. I may not ever be back to this region. So I returned to the Frontage Road in question, drove 1.2 miles down, got out of the car, and spent about an hour searching that virgin pine forest along the road. The trees were thick. I couldn't find anything.

Finally I gave up and drove to the Hahira City Hall to discuss it with them. They gave me some phone numbers to various people who lived on land near the location of the cemetery. They also gave me the number of the man who recorded its location in the mid-80's in a book that everyone was accessing. I called him right from the office. He was 85 and didn't get out much anymore, but he said he was sure of the location of that cemetery, and that you could see it from the highway for years. He said there was a woman who owned property the cemetery was located on, and gave me her name. But we couldn't find her phone number because it was unlisted. Unfortunately, I was already behind schedule, and had to drive on.

Since I doubted I would be back, I figured later I could contact a local to find it for me and snap a few pictures.

During my family reunion in St. Petersburg Florida, a gathering which included even second cousins, I passed out my information about the "missing" cemetery. Some cousins would also be driving back up by that area. I would not be, as I had plans to drive up I-95 which is far to the East, and would probably never again have a convenient chance to go up I-75. But one of my cousins, Bill, would be passing right by that area on his way home, and he offered to take on the task of finding the cemetery.

About a week later I had gone home via a different route, and finally had time to make some phone calls. I called one of the land-owners near the location of the "missing" cemetery, and they actually had the phone number to the woman who owned the land the cemetery rested on. So I called her, and she not only knew about the cemetery, but knew who I was. Apparently Bill had already found her (I hadn't spoken with him yet, since the reunion), and she had taken him out to it.

As it turns out, the cemetery is NOT 1.2 miles down the Frontage Road from Frank's Creek Road. It's more like about 1 mile or so, a bit closer to the radio antenna. Actually, it's just to the right of the locked metal gate into the empty property, and behind a large billboard sign. I had parked my car right there at that gate and got out and stood there, and didn't see anything. The reason is because the area is completely grown over with trees and large bushes, hiding the tombstones. Bill ventured into the woods there, only a stone's throw away from the road, and found it.

My hope is to 1) see if Valdosta can send people out to clear out the trees and overgrowth; and 2) find out if it's possible to have G.L. Barfield and his parents disinterred to a modern cemetery, such as the Sunset Hill Cemetery in Valdosta, GA, or the Royal Palm Cemetery in St. Petersburg, FL (where Lafayette's wife and daughter are buried). If this project ever happens, I'll post the information here.

Here is a list of other names inscribed on tombstones in the Barfield-Hodges Cemetery:

Lewis W. Barfield, Frederick Barfield, Suard Burk Barfield, Infant son of S. B. & Eliza Barfield, Mamie Barfield, Estelle Barfield, Martha Dampier, Samuel Dampier, W. G. Hodges, Daniel G. Hodges, D. G. Hodges, and Eli Hodges.

I do not have tombstone photos of these names. Most of the tombstones could not be found, even if you were standing right next to them. I think some may have topped and are buried by thick bushes and maybe even buried in the earth.

This list is based on a reference at the Hahira and Valdosta City Halls. Very likely Frederick Barfield = William Frederick Barfield, Bethany's husband but I don't think there's any evidence of his gravestone there. Lewis, Suard, the unnamed infant son, Mamie, and Estelle are all children of Sampson Brewer Barfield and Elizabeth "Lizzie" (or "Eliza") Davis Lawson; Sampson being another son of William Frederick Barfield and Bethania "Bethany" Brewer. Other children of theirs include Willie F., Susan Caroline, Charles Lee, Zeno H., Hum Mason, Rosa Jewel, Eddy Sampson and Christelle, but I don't know where those other children are buried.

Photos by William Deane. You may download and use any tombstone photograph at this site as you wish.

The Barfield-Hodges Cemetery, as seen from the Frontage Road (a dead-end street) behind the billboard sign. I hadn't searched this section when I was there, so I didn't find it myself. My cousin Bill found it, with the help of the land-owner.

Opposite angle of the Barfield-Hodges Cemetery behind the billboard sign. It's completely obscured.

The cemetery is located mid-way between exits 22 and 29 on I-75, on the frontage road, not far South of a tall radio antenna on the West side of the highway, as you can see from this picture.

This is what you see as you step into the woods. The place is infested with mosquitoes and, at a certain time of year, snakes.

Bill's wife standing in the Barfield-Hodges Cemetery.

My 2nd Great Grandfather
General Lafayette Barfield
Son of William Frederick Barfield & Bethinia "Bethany" Brewer
Husband of Pharaba Currin Wilson
b. 10 Jan 1856, d. 8 Feb 1895

G. Lafayette Barfield and Pharaba Currin Wilson had the following children: Robert Essie (who is buried at the Sunset Hill Cemetery), Navy, Sarah, Frederick "Bud", Margaret "Maggie", Gordon, Maude, Eugene, and Pearl Estelle (who is buried at the Royal Palm Cemetery).

The brick "wall" you see behind it is actually the remains of the raised burial covering. Per Bill: "It is not uncommon in the South (maybe all over) to find some graves marked with a (approximately) three or four by six or seven foot brick and mortar cover (or simple concrete) which may rise six to twelve inches above the ground. These are usually constructed in a rounded fashion with the highest area along the centerline of the grave. I suspect the rounded construction is to provide easy run-off for water thus giving the structure more longevity in the weather. In this case there is quite a bit of deterioration and the "covering" may have started off its life "flat" rather than rounded. The difference for us is inconsequential. But I would say that it is unusual to find both a "cover" as well as a tombstone (as this site has). A cover like this one would normally have an embedded marble stone in the structure rather than a detached one. My conclusion is that either the cover or the stone was added later. I suspect the cover is the later item and the deterioration is simply an example of the difference between the longevity of brick and mortar and of marble. All this is a guess, of course."

G.L. Barfield's Brick Burial Cover

My 3rd Great Grandmother
Bethinia "Bethany" Brewer
Wife of William Frederick Barfield (m. 3 Aug 1833)
b. 4 Oct 1817, d. 10 Oct 1889

William Frederick Barfield and Bethinia Brewer had the following children: William D., Marian E. "Mary", John F., Sarah J., Joseph Franklin, Martha Carline "Carrie", Frances Emeline, Susan Epsey, Columbus R., Sampson Brewer, Temperance B. "Tempy", General Lafayette (who is buried here), Bethany Isabell "Belle", and Gilley.

If anyone happens to know who the parents of William Frederick Barfield or Bethinia "Bethany" Brewer are, or where they are buried, please contact me.

Barfield-Hodges Cemetery

City of Valosta, Near Town of Hahira, County of Lowndes, Georgia