I drove by the Whitley Cemetery on my way to and from work for several years. The cemetery is located on Warm Springs Road near County Line Road in Columbus, GA. When I started trying to find the grave sites for the soldiers in the unit with my great great grandfather Marcus Ely, I never thought to look in this cemetery for soldiers or Ely family members. There are over 100 graves in the cemetery, many of them unmarked. One of the most useful websites for genealogists is Find a Grave. As I was looking for Ely gravesites, Whitley Cemetery (also called The Old Russell Cemetery) popped up. I found entries for Jane Ely, Bartow Ely, Carrie Greer and Mary Newsome Ely Odom. As I've started research on other family lines I found connections from both my paternal and maternal lines!
The first family members I found were those related to my Ely/Eley family.
Jane Russell Ely
Jane Russell, the daughter of William Robison Russell and Mary Martin Russell, was born in Greene County, GA in 1822. It's very possible the Russell and Eley family moved from Greene County into Muscogee County around the same time. Osborn became the guardian of their son Charles Russell in 1851, at the death of James Russell. Both families lived near the Flat Rock area in Columbus and attended Bethel Baptist Church. Osborn married Adjaline Birdsong in Oglethorpe County, Georgia February 8, 1828. Osborn, Seaborn and Wellborn Eley moved into Muscogee County in the 1830's. Adjaline died in Randolph County, GA where Osborn had a plantation, on November 12, 1843. Osborn married Jane Russell in Muscogee County, GA on August 18, 1844. They had eight children. The Russell family continued their alliance with the Ely family during the Civil War. Marcus, James, George and Judson (Osborn's sons with Adjaline) enlisted in the Russell Guards, (Company H, 54th GA Regiment) a company formed by Charles Russell, Jane's brother. Osborn died in 1869 and Jane continued to run the family plantation until her death in 1889 at age 67. The Columbus Enquirer Sun reported that Jane died of dropsy of the heart (modern term would be congestive heart failure) and paralysis. At the time of her death Jane had lost three daughters and two sons. {Columbus, GA Enquirer-Sun 30 April 1889, p. 3.}
Osborn and Jane Russell Ely's children:
1) George Wilborn Ely (1846-1917)
m. Catherine Stephenson
2) Charles Carroll Ely (1848-1849)
3) Lucy Ely (1850- before 1881)
4) Robert Ely (1852- )
5) Ida Ely (1854-1879)
m. James A. Cherry
6) Frances "Fannie Ely (1856-1880)
m. Wilson A. Wiliams
7) Jesse Osborn Ely (1858-1925)
m. 1) Mary L. Timmons 2) Ella Palmer
8) Bartow Ely (1862-1881)
Bartow Ely
Bartow Ely, youngest child of Osborn and Jane Ely, was born in 1852 and died at the age of 19 on November 17, 1881. All three daughters of the Ely's had preceded Bartow in death. Bartow died of typhoid fever after being very ill for three weeks.
[Columbus Enquirer-Sun 18 NOV 1881, p.4]
Caroline "Carrie" Greer
Caroline Greer, the daughter of William and Mary Russell and sister of Jane Russell Ely is also buried in the Whitley Cemetery. Carrie Greer was married several times: 1)Rolin W. Smith (1842) 2)George W. Howard (1846)
3) William H. Greer (1868). "News was received in the city Sunday afternoon of the death of
Mrs. Carrie GREER, at Ellerslie Sunday morning, after a long illness caused by
a stroke of paralysis sustained about three years ago, which it is supposed was
brought on from a fall a few months before. The deceased was 56 years of age
and was for many years a member of Bethel Baptist church, and was greatly
beloved for her many Christian traits of character, always ready to assist and
minister to her friends in sickness or other troubles." {Columbus (GA) Enquirer-Sun, 30 NOV 1909, p.5}
Mary Newsome Ely Odom
Mary Newsome married 1) Wellborn Ely (my third great grandfather Osborn Ely's brother). Three Ely brother's (Seaborn, Wellborn and Osborn) along with their families moved into the Columbus are in the early 1830's. Mary and Wellborn were married in Greene County, GA on June 3,1829. Wellborn died in Columbus on July 30,1842. The couple had four children. Osborn Ely became the guardian of their son Robert Newsome Ely. Robert later became the attorney general of Georgia. Mary married 2) John Odom on December 22, 1844. Mary died August 7, 1868.
Charles Iverson Storey Family
Charles Iverson Storey was my maternal grandmother's uncle. He was born in Harris County, GA on November 17, 1897. He married 1) Annie Lena Whitley before 1927. Anna died November 4, 1832. Charles married 2) Annie Grace Railey (before 1936). Annie Lena Whitley was born on January 15, 1900, the daughter of James and Addie Gilson Whitley. Charles' second wife, Annie Grace Railey was the daughter of Lon and Carrie Jordan Railey.
Charles and Annie Lena Whitley's children:
1) James Storey 1920-1987
2) Charles Storey 1922-2006
3) Henry Storey 1924-2000
4) Daniel Storey 1927-1927
5) David Storey 1927-1927
Charles and Annie Grace Railey's child:
1) Gloria Ann Storey 1936-1937
David and Daniel Storey are buried In Whitley Cemetery.
Oscar William Bowden
Oscar William Bowden was the son of William Oscar Bowden and Mary Ann "Annie" Waller Bowden. Oscar William Bowden was the brother of my maternal great grandmother Eddie Bowden Reese. Oscar was born on August 14, 1888 and died July 14, 1889.
Somehow my mother's relatives (Storey and Bowden) and my father's relatives (Ely) ended up in this small cemetery though none of the families are related. Just another intertwined connection in my family!
References
Muscogee County, GA, Administration bonds and letters 1838-1849 Vol A, p.73
Columbus (GA) Enquirer-Sun, 30 Nov 1909, p. 5
Columbus, GA Enquirer-Sun 30 April 1889, p. 3.
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