Sunrise Cemetery

Maysville, Georgia

Order your copy of Sunrise Cemetery Records of Maysville, Georgia written and published by W. Todd Dorsey.  A great genealogical tool, this spiral bound booklet contains over 100 pages of information on full names, maiden names, parents and spouses.  Also included are obituaries for over 100 of the 800+ burials plus a map grid system to help identify where a person is buried in the cemetery.  Send $23 (postage included) to Todd Dorsey, 2035 Timothy Rd #B108, Athens, GA 30606.  Please allow 7-10 days delivery time.

Aptly named for its beautiful view atop the highest point in Maysville, Sunrise Cemetery is the resting place for many of the area's pioneer citizens, their descendants and many newcomers to Maysville.

The oldest dated burial in the cemetery is that of Sherman Jackson Sims, who died Jan. 16, 1863.  Sherman Sims contracted typhoid fever while in service in the Civil War and was sent home sick.  He died in Maysville and was buried on the edge of what was then the Sherman Sims estate, which covered a large portion of what was to become the town of Maysville.  It is presumed that the Sims family then allowed this hilltop to become the town burying ground.

The cemetery has been a popular spot for a number of Easter sunrise services and for weather watching during severe weather incidents.

Interesting facts about Sunrise Cemetery:

• Jackson "Uncle Jack" Moore is believed to be the only black individual buried in the cemetery as of 2005.  He was born in 1803 and died just short of his 100th birthday in 1903.  Moore reportedly came to Maysville as a slave with the Alsa Moore family.
• The only person known to have two grave markers in differing locations of the cemetery is Celia Elizabeth Anderson.  When her husband, Elisha Anderson, died, the family didn’t want to go through the expense of having her body (she having died much prior and no room next to her available) moved into the lower part of the cemetery where he was buried.  Thus, another marker was put up next to him.  She is actually buried at the first marker in the central part of the cemetery.

• One unmarked grave has to be that of a Mr. Parkerson.  According to the November 3, 1882, edition of The Jackson Herald, “Mr. Parkerson died last week from dropsy of the heart, after lingering several months.  His remains were interred in the cemetery at Maysville at 10 o’clock at night.”

• Although he has a marker in Sunrise Cemetery, Verdell Lewallen is buried at Solid Rock Baptist Church Cemetery.
• The marker for Dixie Valentine is for a pet.

The acreage of the cemetery has increased over the years with donations from local landowners such as the Cooley Estate and a Mr. Furr.  The most recent expansion, a memorial gardens section, was acquired in a land purchase by the City of Maysville.  Sunrise Cemetery is city-owned and city-maintained.  Lots are sold by the city clerk at Maysville City Hall.  In previous years, Miss Cora Simmons, Mrs. Foster Holland and John Holland provided countless hours of donated time to care, clean and beautify the cemetery.

• View related story: Minding Cemetery Hobby of 90-Year-Old

Page last updated 10/30/2009

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