While it was raining today I was thumbing through "The Survey of Irwin County, GA Cemeteries" book and the name Thomas Mims (1849-1865) caught my eye. He appeared in the Whitley Cemetery. Now I've lived in Irwin Co. all my life and my house (where I've lived all my married life - 34 yrs.) is located less than 1/4 mile from this cemetery. My father-in-law and brother-in-law are buried there but I never knew a Mims was buried there. I think I found him in the 1860 Irwin Co. census: #74 Lucinda Mims 30 F Domestic * Thos Weekly Mims 12 M* (could this be him????) Martha Mims 7 F Eliza Mims 5 F Nancy Mims 3 F My grandmother was Julia MIMS Luke (1888-1971) and her father was Frank Peyton MIMS (1853-1906). Both lived in Irwin Co. during the last of their lives but moved here from Sumter Co., GA, sometime after 1890. I've never known why they moved to Irwin Co. Did they have kin here already? Could this Thomas MIMS be kin? This I may never truly know. My husband has received two letters from the Whitley Cemetery commitee that listed all the names of the ones buried there - but neither one had this Thomas MIMS listed. I first thought it was just a misprint in the county book (it's full of misprints). So after the rain let up my husband and I rode down to the Whitley Cem. I had to see for myself that a MIMS was there. Also because I have walked all over that cemetery and never once saw that name. My curiousity was about to kill me. Sure enough, it was there but ofcourse it was hard to read. This is what I could make out: Thomas Mimes (yes it had an "e" in it) born 1849 and died 1865 If you think this Thomas MIMS is your kin and would like a picture of his grave, please send me your snail-mail address. Mary Clyde Wright