HUGH W

HUGH W. BARROW

124 MANOR WAY

CARROLLTON, GEORGIA 30117

770-830-7763

April 16, 2007

THOMAS TRAMMELL

For many years, I have tried to locate the burial sites of a number of my ancestors including those of my two great-great-great grandfathers, Revolutionary War soldiers Moses Barrow and Thomas Trammell. As far as I know, none of the family historians knew exactly the location of their graves. We believe that Moses Barrow was buried in Washington County, GA on his plantation along Keg Creek near Deep Step and that Thomas Trammell was buried in the section of Upson County, GA that in early times was a part of Pike County. We will continue our efforts to find Moses’ grave site. Recently, we have discovered valuable information that Thomas Trammell was buried in the Antioch Methodist Church Cemetery in what is now Upson County, GA.

A new publication placed in Carrollton’s Neva Lomason Library Special Collection Section by the Carrollton Chapter of The Sons of the American Revolution list by Georgia counties the Revolutionary War soldiers who made Georgia their permanent home and died there. A copy of the title page of this book is attached which gives all the authors and credits due.

The book lists Moses Barrow as living in Washington County but does not give any information on his burial site. To our amazement, it lists the burial site of Thomas Trammell as being in the Antioch Methodist Church Cemetery near Thomaston on Highway 19 north of the city. It lists this in Walker County, GA but we know that it is in Upson, formerly Pike, County. Copies of these listings are included with this paper.

I visited the Church several times and talked with Reverend Barnes the pastor and two of the Trustees of the Church. One of the Trustees turned out to be an old friend of mine, who was the Superintendent of Continuous Dyeing at Thomaston Mills, Mr. Eldo “Pee Wee” Ellerby. They were most cooperative and wanted to help me in any was they could. There are no church records that go back anywhere near 1823 the year that Thomas Trammell died. They assisted me in selecting a “used lot” in the old section of the Church cemetery. The lot most likely has been used previously but there are no signs of previous burials there today. They agreed for me to place a memorial marker to Thomas Trammell on the selected lot. (This is now a Trammell lot and if any Trammell ever desires to use it they are welcomed and have my permission.)

I then made an application to the Veteran’s Administration for a Revolutionary War grave marker for veteran Thomas Trammell. It is a difficult procedure to obtain a Revolutionary War marker and all the information I had on Thomas’s service and his wife, Mary Turner Trammell pension application, had to be verified. The application was approved and we were awarded a beautiful white marble marker. The Christian marker is engraved with his name, unit he served with and his birth and death dates.

The Church people and I agreed that because we did not know the exact location of the grave site that we should add to the marker, “IN MEMORY OF”. These words were added to the top face side of the monument and on the back side I had added, “ALSO SERVED IN BRANDON’S REG.” and several of the battles in which he fought including, “KINGS MT., COWPENS, MUDLICK BRIDGE AND NINETY SIX.

On April 7, 2007, my wife Bonnie, our son Lew, our daughter Ann Barrow Harris and our grandson James “Jamie” Barrow and I placed the marker in the old section of the Antioch United Methodist Church Cemetery. The cemetery is located on U. S. Highway 19 just north of the Thomaston, GA city limits. A number of pictures of the group placing the marker and of the marker are included in this write-up. I wanted the family to do the work and be proud of themselves placing the marker to their ancestor instead of having a professional company do it.

Sometimes this fall, The Sons of the American Revolution plan to dedicated the monument. It will be a big program with members in Revolutionary War uniforms and color guard and firing squad. When I know more about the exact date I will let you know and I hope that many of Thomas Trammell’s family will attend and honor him the way he deserves to be.

I believe that now all of my Trammell ancestor’s graves are well marked. In November, 1999, my family placed markers on the graves sites of my great, great grandfather and grandmother, Farr Harris Trammell and Sarah Haygood Trammell in the Fredonia Methodist Church Cemetery in Chambers County, AL near Five Points. Before these markers were placed the graves were marked by native flat stones. Pictures of the grave before and after placing the markers are included. My son Lew and grandsons “Jamie” and “Billy” and I placed the marker and Bonnie helped too and took the pictures.

Thomas Trammell’s wife Mary Turner is buried in theTrammell lot at Emory Chapel Methodist Church Cemetery in Chambers County, AL near Lafayette. The abandoned Church burned several years ago and the cemetery had been vandalized. We had the Trammell markers repaired but unfortunately the cemetery is neglected. Farr Harris was the son of Thomas and Mary. My great grandparents, Appling Daniel Trammell, MD and Margaret Elizabeth Stillwell Trammell are also buried in their well marked lot in the Fredonia Methodist Church Cemetery. The parents of my mother, Virginia Mae Trammell Barrow, are buried in a nice well marked lot in the Five Points, AL Cemetery. Virginia and husband Hugh Witt Barrow are buried in the Bowdon City Cemetery in Bowdon, GA.

Finding the burial site and honoring my ancestor, Revolutionary War soldier Thomas Trammell with a memorial marker is a great honor to me and one of which I am very proud. I hope that we can let as many as possible of the great number of descendents of Thomas Trammell know of this discovery.