Honoring the Past and Preserving Memories

By Linda McMillian

Alpharetta, Johns Creek — This year one local Church was inspired to remember Juneteenth in a way that honors past African-American citizens.

Sheryl K. Ellsworth of the Johns Creek Ward (congregation) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was asked to serve as project leader for the event and she began designing an activity that would bring together both young and old and contribute to the community in a meaningful way.

She consulted with the Roswell Historical Society and heard back from Charles Grogan, a prominent family historian in our area. He suggested an event involving the cleaning and restoration of a historically black cemetery in Alpharetta- Pineview.

According to documentation at Pineview Cemetery, in the 1950s local farmer Leroy A. Teasley began allowing members of the Bailey-Johnson community and other African-American groups to be buried in a dedicated portion of his farm. Subsequently, Pineview Cemetery became the final resting place for more than 160 African-American citizens.

On Saturday June 24th over 100 members of the Johns Creek Ward (congregation) came together to clean and restore the graves of many of those who had lived in local neighborhoods. After a written request and permission to clean the headstones and landscaping, the group of young and old set about honoring the memories of those buried there. The Alpharetta and Old Milton County Historical Society provided important instructions on how to safely clean the headstones.

One of the organizers of the event, Philip Duncan, Johns Creek Ward (congregation) noted, "When I started researching the people who were buried in the cemetery I got a glimpse of the good people that they were... The earliest burial was for Nathan Mitchell who was born in 1881. The souls buried there were not enslaved. They were born in some of the generations after emancipation.

"I read about a young man and a decorated soldier who died in Vietnam. I saw photos of several other men and women who had served in the military, including a WAC in World War II. One family has a long line of Deacons in the Southern Baptist Church. I read some of the Census records which showed that many of them were "domestics" or farm laborers...
These are real people who lived and served God and it was an honor to improve their eternal resting place."

This particular activity also reflects the emphasis the Church places on the eternal nature of families and the continuity of ancestry."When our hearts turn to our ancestors, something changes inside us. We feel part of something greater than ourselves" according to Russell M. Nelson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.