This is a copy of the letter I am faxing to Judge Reynolds...Betty Mt Zion and Mr. D. E. Stewart, The Preacher. GEORGE S. REYNOLDS, III Judicial Assistant is Sherry McHan Phone 850 627-7780 (Gadsden) Fax # 850 627-5323 (Gadsden) Dear Judge Reynolds, This letter is about Mt Zion Cemetery. My name is Betty James Smith, from 1997 to 2001, I started and maintained the web pages for Liberty, Gadsden and Jackson County Florida. We (volunteers and I) have worked very hard to get as much information on the Internet for these and other counties. One of the many projects we work on is the cemeteries. We go out and write down the information from headstones to preserve that information for future generations by placing that information on the Internet. This information then becomes free to access by all at their Public Libraries via the Internet. After many years the old headstones sometimes deteriorate and all the information might not be readable. Yet these old headstones mark the place our ancestors are buried. I would not like to see any type of monument removed from a cemetery unless a new monument is installed. Sometimes people put up wooden monuments that rot and decay. These also should not be taken down unless new ones are installed in the place of the old wooden monuments. Many of the cemeteries in the panhandle have been destroyed by greedy people who want to reclaim the land to build or farm on the land. This has happened many times, we go looking for the old cemeteries and find a field or a housing development where the old cemetery once was located. I feel anyone who damages a headstone should be made to replace said headstones out of his/her own pocket and write a letter of apology that has to be put in all area newspapers. Sincerely, Betty James Smith March 30, 2002 To View a web page for Cemeteries. http://www.rootsweb.com/~fljackso/cemetery.htm Cemeteries that have been destroyed or vandalize. If you can add to this list please e-mail [email protected] 1. Rocky Creek - African - American - County may have paved over part of this cemetery. Then a mobile home has been put beside of it and part of the yard is the old cemetery. Now a wood lot is being put on top of the rest of it. This Cemetery has at lest one headstone. Last name of POOSER, first name unknown, female. (Check Pooser Cemetery below) 2. Hawley's Cemetery - White - Hawley Cemetery is not under water. But was destroyed. I talked with an elderly Sneads resident who saw the cemetery. It was a family cemetery with an old iron fence around it. It was located on high ground where Seminole Lodge is today. Before Seminole Lodge area was built the area was bulldozed and stuff pushed down to the lower land. When the boat area was dredged that's how the headstones were found. The Hawley Cemetery probably has buildings over it now. The Hawley's at one time owned sections 23 and 24 land. Today the State prison Dairy Farm and Seminole Lodge is on this land. There is a Hawley Street in Sneads today named after the old ones. Wayne N Carpenter 3. Compass Lake - African - American , all headstones stolen. (This happened in Polk Co Fl and years later a house was torn down and the blocks under the house turned out to be headstones.) 4. Greensboro - White, Dr Goddard was buried there and had a big beautiful marble headstone, the owner bulldozed it away. 5. Miles Family Cemetery - White - all heastones were bulldozed in 1940's. Graves were later moved to Springhill. Judge Robert McCrary wrote letter to Phillip Farris telling him to the fence Miles Cemetery, which was on his property and Phillip Farris was credited with destroying the headstones. 6. Crutchfield Cemetery - White - all headstones were cleared and a field is there now. One headstone has been recently put by the road CSA headstone. 7. The Byrd (Bird) Cemetery - White - on River Road north of Sneads was destroyed during the late 1970s. The cemetery was bulldozed and what remains of the iron fence that surrounded it can now be seen under a pile of rocks. 8. Shores Mill Cemetery - White - Section 7 Township 3 North Range 11 West, located in the South West Quadrant of Jackson County. This is cemetery #175 from the WPA survey. Directions from WPA: From the Atlanta and St Andrews Bay Depot in the town of Round Lake, go north on US 231 for one mile, turn right (northeast) on dirt road and go 1 5/10 miles to cemetery which lies 40 feet on right (east) of road. This cemetery is apparently gone; the location is now planted pines. The cemetery was in existence during the 1940s. 9. Scurlock Cemetery - White - all headstones bulldozed. 10. Cook and Beauchamp Family Cemetery - White - plowed under - not headstones found. 11. Simpson Cemetery - White - Not found today.