County looks for loved ones for unclaimed cremains

Evey Wilson Wetherbee|August 10, 2022

Evey Wilson Wetherbee and Grant Blankenship

Big rooms are lined with shelves of cardboard boxes with notes in black sharpie about what they contain. There are Macon-Bibb county records dating back to the 1800s and there are also two skinny shelves in the back that hold the remains of 166 people. The county is asking for their loved ones to claim them.

Some of the boxes of cremains have been in the Archives and Records Center for 18 years. Kittie Cosper, the archives and records specialist, diligently cataloged the boxes of ashes. The oldest cremains are from 1985 for Annie Tolbert. Entry #113 reads, “Quinn, Mildred, 2018 (foot only).”

An image of the box containing Mildred Quinn’s foot in the Archives and Records Center in downtown Macon, Ga. (Image by Evey Wilson Wetherbee)

Anyone who wants to file a claim for a specific box of ashes will be able to do so until Sept. 19 After the 19th, the ashes will be scattered during a memorial ceremony at the new scatter garden at the historic Rose Hill Cemetery.

Parks and Beautification Director Michael Glisson created the scatter garden as a direct response to the coroner’s need to find a place for the unclaimed cremains, but in the future, anyone will be able to use the space.

“The whole spiritual idea is that you will live on through the trees and flowers,” Glisson says.

The scatter garden is located in the historic Rose Hill Cemetery. (Image by Evey Wilson Wetherbee)

Glisson used ground penetrating radar to find a location at Rose Hill Cemetery that didn’t have unmarked burials and they found an open spot at the front of the cemetery.

“It’s kind of fitting that it’s right up here by the main gate, they’ll get a lot of exposure,” he says.

“We have babies. We have adults. We have a whole range of people from all sorts of cities and towns who just happen to end up here, and this was their final place,” Clerk of County Commission Janice Ross says.

Ross felt that it was time to give the ashes an appropriate place to rest.

She says to do so, the county has to follow the proper protocols in order to release the ashes at Rose Hill. The county also has to advertise the names in the paper for four consecutive Fridays. After just two weeks, a few people have already reached out to claim their loved ones.

It is free to file a claim for a specific box of ashes and Sr. Assistant County Attorney Michael McNeill can answer any questions. The state of Georgia does not require a specific relationship to claim the ashes but if two people claim the ashes, Ross said the court will decide.

All claims are due Sept. 19. This article outlines how to file a claim and to who to direct questions. 

The identities of the cremains are listed below.

  1. Adams, Samuel, 10/12/2004
  2. Allen, Willie, 2014
  3. Allison, William, 2018
  4. Aultman, Donnie, 12/6/2016
  5. Banks, Jimmy, 2015
  6. Barker, Alonzo, 9/18/2016
  7. Barrett, Marcia, 2018
  8. Barrow, Fleda Patricia, 2016
  9. Bell, Henry, 1/4/2017
  10. Bell, Marva Jean, 2014
  11. Bennett, Henry Tyrone, 2016
  12. Briscoe, Rodney, 10/21/2016
  13. Brown, Andrew, 4/25/2015
  14. Brown, Marslyah, Infant, 11/9/2016
  15. Brown, Richard, 2017
  16. Bruno, Baby Boy, 3/13/2012
  17. Bryant, Teresa Lynn
  18. Bullington, Imogene, 2009
  19. Burgess, Thomas, 2017
  20. Bush, Johanna, 2018
  21. Bush, Thomas, 7/13/2013
  22. Butler, Wilbur, 10/13/2016
  23. Caldwell, Curtis, 5/23/2017
  24. Campos, Kimida, 4/30/2013
  25. Carter, Charles, 5/15/2017
  26. Chatfield, Rose Marie, 10/17/2015
  27. Cheely, Robert, 8/19/2016
  28. Clark, Odelia, 6/16/2012
  29. Colbert, Eschol, 1/17/2017
  30. Coleman, Russell, 2/4/2015
  31. Coley, Joyce, 2005
  32. Colton, James, 6/4/2015
  33. Copeland, Calvin, 9/25/2014
  34. Craig, Maxie, 7/25/2014
  35. Cross, Willie, 9/28/2015
  36. Curry, Carl, 7/22/2014
  37. Dale, James, 2017
  38. Danials, David, 2018
  39. Daniels, Ronnie, 2013
  40. Davis, Betty, 11/19/2005
  41. Davis, Harold, 4/23/2015
  42. Dixon, Tommy, 2017
  43. Dominick, Jimmy, 2015
  44. Dowd, Ronald, 2017
  45. Dunlap, Lorraine, 8/9/2005
  46. Earley, Harry, 12/22/2006
  47. Eason, Albert, 2016
  48. Eaton, Charles, 2/2/2015
  49. Edwards, Thomas, 7/27/2015
  50. Elliott, Jessie, 4/22/2015
  51. Elrod, Vernon, 2/18/2016
  52. Etheridge, Baby Boy, 1/9/2017
  53. Evans, William, 2018
  54. Farrar, Bobbie, 7/24/2014
  55. Faust, James, 2016
  56. Fisher, Baby Boy, 3/3/2012
  57. Fleming, A.D., 12/26/2017
  58. Fortner, Miles, 2017
  59. Foster, Roy
  60. Gainey, Susan Smith
  61. Galipean, Myrna, 2008
  62. Galipean, Roger, 2012
  63. Garcia, Luis, 2017
  64. Gartrell, Johnny, 9/29/2013
  65. Gates, Alton, 2016
  66. Gibbs, Anthony, 1/12/2017
  67. Giles, Charles, 2016
  68. Giles, L Mordy, 2014
  69. Gleen, Jimmy Lee
  70. Glover, James
  71. Godfrey, Harold, 9/24/2014
  72. Golden, Fenton, 2016
  73. Goss, Judith Ann, 2015
  74. Green, Elizabeth, 2015
  75. Gulley, George, 2/20/2004
  76. Hancock, James, 2015
  77. Hargrove, Baby Girl, 2017
  78. Harris, William Keith, 5/25/2005
  79. Hartkoph, Johanna, 2018
  80. Henderson, James Leroy, 7/24/2015
  81. Henry, Donald, 1992
  82. Hicks, Mary, 2010
  83. Holbrook, Garland, 11/27/2017
  84. Holt, Larry Stafford, 2006
  85. Hons, Eleanor, 11/16/2015
  86. Horne, Thomas, 2017
  87. Howell, James, 2016
  88. Huhgley, Elijah, 2014
  89. Jackson, Baby Boy, 4/11/2016
  90. Jenkins, Kenny, 2017
  91. Johnson, Russell, 2014
  92. Jones, Virginia,2007
  93. Jones, Waymon III, 5/16/2013
  94. Kelley, John Jefferson, 2007
  95. Kent, Ruth, 2014
  96. Law, Thurza, 2005
  97. Leslie, Cora Ann, 2014
  98. Lewis, Patricia, 2017
  99. Lundberg, Peter, 2016
  100. Mays, Annie Mae, 2015
  101. McFarland, Maxie, 2013
  102. McKnight, Ross, 11/26/2005
  103. Michaels, James, 2017
  104. Mitchell, James, 2015
  105. Moody, Mark, 2015
  106. Morgan, Kathleen, 12/18/2016
  107. Morrell, Dorothy
  108. Oliver, Alphronia, 1/14/2014
  109. Pauldo, Eli
  110. Pentecost, Johnny
  111. Pomianowshi, Donna, 2015
  112. Proffitt, Larry, 2001
  113. Quinn, Mildred, 2018 (foot only)
  114. Richards, Hattie
  115. Ross, Bobby, 2014
  116. Ross, Gussie, 2013
  117. Rozier, Leo, 2/14/2014
  118. Rushin, Bertha, 7/9/2005
  119. Scheick, Thomas, 2017
  120. Scholz, Paul, 2014
  121. Simpson, James, 2010
  122. Sims, Mary, 2015
  123. Sims, Vernon, 2016
  124. Singleton, James, 2015
  125. Smith, Bessie, 2018
  126. Smith, Jimmy
  127. Smith, Willie, 2017
  128. Stafford, Baby Girl, 4/22/2015
  129. Stanley, James, 11/30/2017
  130. Stephens, Baby Boy, 12/1/2010
  131. Stevens, Jaylen Baby Boy, 9/24/2012
  132. Stubbs, Sharon
  133. Swint, James, 2017
  134. Taylor, James, cremated 1/16/2017
  135. Taylor, James, cremated 10/23/2017
  136. Taylor, Melton
  137. Tharpe, Baby Boy, 1/16/2013
  138. Tharpe, Hamcel, 2014
  139. Tharpe, John William
  140. Thibault, William
  141. Thomas, Della, 10/21/2005
  142. Thomas, Joseph, 2013
  143. Thrasher, Peggy, 7/17/2013
  144. Tolbert, Annie, 12/24/1985
  145. Trotman, Maude, 10/8/1991
  146. Tucker, Norman, 2013
  147. Unknown
  148. Unknown
  149. Unknown
  150. Unknown
  151. Walker, Herbert, 1/18/2017 (2 boxes)
  152. Walters, Julianne, 2016
  153. Ward, Eva Mae
  154. Warner, Barbara Jean
  155. Watts, Curtis
  156. Whimberly, Elisha, baby boy, 2018 (2 envelopes)
  157. White, Leon, 2018
  158. Whitfield, Carlton
  159. Whittlesey, Mark, 2018
  160. Wiggins, Virginia, 5/22/2014
  161. Williams, Authur Lee, 2018 (2 boxes)
  162. Williams, Charles, 2017
  163. Williams, Gerald
  164. Williams, Robert, 2015
  165. Williams, Timothy. 8/9/2014
  166. Wise, George