Graceland Grave Guardians

I spoke with our granite company yesterday to get quotes for our preservati0n project! It's going to be a long and tiring process but we are one step closer to making sure all of those mill workers are memorialized!
Graceland Grave Guardians

Samuel Perry and Nancy Andrews were not any different than many early textile workers. Both were born in North Carolina. After their marriage in 1913, they eventually moved to Greenville. In 1917, America entered the Great War. Samuel registered in June of the same year. There is no record that Samuel was called into service.
Dunean was the newest mill, going into production in 1912. The family eventually moved with their two small children, Lillie Bell Andrews and Rosie Mae Andrews to the Dunean Mill Village.
In August of 1918, Nancy became pregnant with twins. In April 1919, she gave birth to twin boys, Daniel and Donald Andrews. Only five months after the birth, both boys lost their lives to pneumonia, typically the cause of death as a result of the influenza that took so many lives from 1918 through 1919. The family moved on shortly after to Spartanburg, Poe Mill, and eventually back to North Carolina. Between 1920 and 1932, they would have five more children. Charles Grady Andrews, Geneva Geraldine Andrews, Effie Azalee Andrews, Ollie Belle Andrews, and Alvin Leonard Andrews.
The twins are buried in Graceland in unmarked graves. The only way to identify their resting place is two stones buried beneath the ground with the numbers 122 and 123 etched in each stone.
If there are any descendants of this family, please get in touch with us at [email protected]

NEXT MEETUP

Our next mill cemetery meeting is 9:00 Saturday morning, June 22, at Graceland Cemetery on White Horse Road.
The goal of this meetup is to create a map/grid layout of each of the 3 mill grave sections (Judson, Brandon, and Dunean). Each of these sections has 4 rows.
We will work in teams. You will be given a clipboard with pen and paper, along with instructions. We will record the data on each stone and its location.
To beat the heat, we’ll start at 9 The task should be completed in about an hour. WYFF4 says the weather will be partly cloudy, with a low chance of rain; hopefully that won’t change.

When you enter Graceland, follow the road around to the right to the back of the cemetery. The mill section is by itself, in its own section, at the back of the cemetery.

So far, confirmed attendance will be: Teresa, Greg, Robin, Andrew, Sabrina, and Debbie.
We need a head count. Please RSVP if you plan to be with us.

The cemetery is placing this sign in the area. Please let us know if you want to help, or if you want to learn more, we can meet you up there for a tour of the area.

I also need people to research the individuals on the list. Any information that we can put in a folder is helpful. You will need access to Family Search, FInd-A-Grave, and Ancestry at the very least.

Please let me know with this post if you would like to join me in walking the cemetery, taking pictures of the headstones and making notes. I would like to do this in one day. Please let me know days and times you are available. Thank you!

Graceland Cemetery in Greenville, South Carolina, has existed since the early 1900s. It has several unmarked graves.
In a recent revelation, the staggering number of 965 unmarked graves was brought to light. These graves, a poignant testament to the early textile workers, are scattered across the final resting places of those who toiled at three prominent mills: Brandon, Judson, and Dunean Mills.
This is a place for volunteers to research and collaborate on the people buried in Graceland, resulting in the placement of a memorial in their honor.

https://youtu.be/l2owY_dJqBA?feature=shared
Thank you to Taylor and WSPA for this coverage

Local historian finds close to 1,000 unmarked mill graves in Greenville Local historian finds close to 1,000 unmarked mill graves in Greenville