PROCTOR CEMETERY, Wales Road, LIMESTONE COUNTY ALABAMA
Mapping the Location

Cemetery overviews: 0545/0551/0554

On former Proctor land of Dr. J. W. Proctor from 1867 until the doctor's death in 1877; then his wife, and then his son James Bedford Proctor. James Bedford Proctor moved to Meigs, Georgia in 1906, but deeds show he still owned the land in 1912.

PROCTOR FAMILY CEMETERY (4 Graves) near Athens, Alabama

Entering the cemetery gate of the iron fence from the north side. (adjacent to the brooding operation)

Grave #1 on left:
Dr. J.(James) W. PROCTOR   0546
BORN Dec 5, 1833 - DIED Apr 12, 1877, Age 43 years.
Born in Washington, Wilkes Co., GA.
Married E. M. J. Darden May 14, 1856

Grave #2 on left:
M. J. PROCTOR, WIFE OF DR. W. J. PROCTOR  0548/0549
(Born ca Dec 16, 1837)- DIED Apr 8, 1907
Age 69 years 3 months and 23 days
Nee:Mary J. Darden Proctor was born in Monticello, Jasper Co., GA. December 15. 1837.

Grave #1 on right:
My Son
E. E. PROCTOR  0550
(Born ca Mar 4, 1869) - DIED Jan 15, 1890
Age 20 years 10 Months and 11 days
Edward Earnest Proctor was born in Limestone Co. Ala. March 2, 1869, He was not married.

Grave #2 on right
M. L. P. W. - Stone with initials found - known to be:
Mary/"Mattie" Lou Proctor Williams, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Proctor  (this not found in 2014)0552/0553
Born in Buena Vista, Marion Co., Ga. Dec 28, 1858 - Died Nov 9, 1879, Age 20 years, 11 months.
Married H. B. Williams, Mar 8, 1879.

Cemetery is terribly overgrown in the summer, such that I missed the initialed stone of Mary Lou Proctor Williams.

This Cemetery presentation is based on the photography of C. Wayne Austin, 25 Jun 2014. Uploaded here by the same on 18 Dec 2014. It was also presented in the book Tombstone Inscriptions of Limestone County Alabama by Linda H. Smith surveyed 3 Sep 1991 (she did not visit the cemetery) on page 412, but the information was largely from a listing given to me by Mr. Goode the property owner who takes an interest in this cemetery on his property to see that the history is preserved. He presented to me copies of the below documents which I converted to text.

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Some obituaries for the Proctor family in Limestone & Meigs & other places in Georgia.

Dr. James W. Proctor (Rion Proctor of Meigs Georgia's Grandfather.)

Dr J.W. Proctor was born Dec 5, 1833 in Taliaferro Co. Ga.. In 1858 he joined the M.E. Church South, of which he was ever afterward a faithful member. In 1868 he removed to Limestone Co. Alabama where he died April 12, 1877. As a physician and Christian gentleman, he was highly esteemed by all who knew him. He had a large practice to which he devoted much time. Regardless of his own rapidly failing health, and contrary to the protests of his friends, his great heart's sympathy for suffering humanity supported by an iron will led him as a ministering angel to the homes of sorrow. The wintry nights were never too cold and dark for him to answer the summons of the poorest cottager. as well as the call of the great. At times, during his illness which lasted about six months, he suffered most excruciatingly, but never forgot his sick poor, but often expressed a wish to be able to visit them. In his death the community has lost one of the most useful men. In church a faithful steward, his wife lost a devoted husband, and his children a loving father. Lost! No; but heaven shines with brighter luster to lure us on to meet him in the home of the blest. Many hearts sympathize with his bereaved family

John? R. Sharpe (newspaper unknown, maybe Athens Alabama about 1877.)
 

James Bedford Proctor (Rion's Father) Died Thursday, at his home in Meigs Ga.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=proctor&GSiman=1&GScid=37251&GRid=88622072& (URL to grave record)

Yesterday afternoon at about three o'clock at his residence in Meigs, Mr. James Bedford Proctor passed away after an illness of about three months. Funeral services were held Saturday at the home in Meigs with the Rev. Johnson officiating.
Interment will be at Sunset Cemetery in Meigs and the following are pallbearers: Leo Wilkes, J.R. Hambleton, J.L. Pilcher, C.A. Ralford, Tom Tipton, Dr. John A. Hartsfield. Mr. Proctor was born in Washington County Georgia July 17th 1866. He resided in Athens Alabama for a short time before coming to
Meigs where he lived for forty years devoting his time to farming and land development in a remarkably successful way. He has been a citizen of unusual usefulness and value to the community, serving on the school board, on the City Council and as a steward in the Methodist Church with which he was affiliated. He was an honorable wholesome and popular citizen of that community and was well known throughout the county.
He is survived by his wife, who was the former Mary Cooksey to whom he married in 1898.
There are the following children Mrs. C.H. Redfern, Thomasville, Mrs. C.H. Stewart, Milford Fla. J.B. Proctor Jr., Georgetown, SC. Edward W. Proctor of Meigs. There are four grandchildren. There has the sympathy of many friends throughout this section. Funeral arrangements are being handled by C, B. Braswell of Pelham.

Jams Bellinger Proctor (Rion's brother)

Friends here are grieved and saddened to learn of the death of Jams Bellinger Proctor, who passed away Tuesday,  January 10th, at his home in Bainbridge following a year's illness. He was 45 years old, born in May of 1905, in Limestone Co. Alabama, the son of Mrs. J. B. Proctor and the late Mr. J.B. Proctor of Meigs. He was a member of the First Methodist Church and the B.P.O.E. Order of Bainbridge, and an employ of the Seaboard Air Line Railway for more then twenty years, and before that was employed by the Georgia Northern Railroad. Funeral Services were conducted Thursday morning at ten thirty o'clock in Bainbridge, from the chapel of E.W. Cox and Sons, with the Rev. A. L. Sellers, Olin C. Cooper and Lewis Wright officiating. Interment followed in the Meigs Sunset Cemetery. Besides his mother, the deceased is survived by his wife Mrs. Lenora Mauldin Proctor. One daughter, Miss Gloria Proctor, student at G.S.W.C. Valdosta, Georgia. Two brothers, Rion Proctor and Edward W. Proctor of Columbia SC. Two sisters, Mrs. Katie Redfern of Thomasville and Mrs C.H. Stewart, of Milton Florida.

Edward Wells Proctor (Rion's half Brother)

Edward Wells Proctor, 72 of 6825 North Trenholm Road. Retired manufacturer's agent, died Friday at his residence.
A native of Alabama he was a son of James B. Proctor and Margaret Wells Proctor. He was a member of the Washington Street Methodist Church; an army veteran of World War I, and a member of American Legion Post 6.
Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Lucille Sloan Proctor; stepmother Mrs. J.B. Proctor of Meigs Ga; two half-sisters Mrs. C. H. Redfern of Thomasville Ga., and Mrs. C.H. Stewart of Milton Fla., a half brother Rion Proctor of Meigs; and an aunt Miss Ruth Wells of Birmingham Ala.
Funeral will be conducted at 4 p.m. Sunday at the graveside in Elmwood Cemetery, by the Rev. C. Legrande Moody, Jr., and the Rev. Sam Harmon.
Pallbearers will be Norman N. Scott, Jr., Claude O. Gillion, Jr., Cecil H. Redfern, Edgar H. Kleckley, H.W. Kingman, Jr., E.W. Martin, Jr., Joseph B. Rhame, and L.E. Atwater III.

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The following is the text of a letter to the Goode Family who owned the former Proctor property in 1992. The Goode's aided the Proctor family in seeing their ancestral homesite and the graves of their deceased family. Rion Proctor, a grandson of Dr. J.W. Proctor,  mentioned in the relationship of the above obituaries was searching for the old family graveyard. Rion is now (2014) deceased & interred in the Meigs Sunset Cemetery, Meigs, Thomas County Ga, but maybe Earlene the writer of the letter survives if the postings on Findagrave.com are correct.

                                                                    August 13, 1992
P. O. Box 332
Meigs, GA 31765-0332

Dear Terry,

Thank you for your time and help in locating the Proctor Family Cemetery. It was a moving experience for us.

You helped Rion achieve his goal of finding his grandparents' grave. Your nephew and Mrs. McCormick were friendly and helpful, too.

Your mother is very attractive. She and her clients gave such good directions to the courthouse that we had no trouble
finding it. We found deed records at the probate judge's office which we copied. In the archives room of the courthouse
annex, where records prior to 1900 are kept, we found more than we had time to read and copy. We copied census
records for 1870 and 1880, Dr. Proctor's will, and newspaper items of deaths. The one about Dr. Proctor's death said he
was to be buried near where he lived by the Masonic fraternity. Could that have been the building used as a confederate hospital where he practiced?

When we left the annex the timing was about right for us to have gone to your house to see your father, but Rion was too tired. He in 85 years old.
I am 66, and disappointed that we didn't get to meet and talk with Mr. Goode. Maybe the information I am enclosing will tell him part of what he
wants to know. I am, also, sending some pictures I thought you might like to have. Those of the graves are pretty good,  but not clear enough to read
much on the tombstones. I will be glad to send you prints of them if you would like. I am sending information on the graves.

You mentioned that you would like to clean up the cemetery. Evidently Rion and I were so enraptured with the experience we were having we didn't
think to hire you on the spot. We have talked it over and would like for you to do it for us at your convenience. If you will accept the job, we will gladly
send you a check for the expense and your time. Just keep a record of what you spend, the number of man-hours, and the cost per hour.
We would like it cleared and the fence and gate restored. You can write or call collect to give us your answer. Our telephone  number is (912) 683-3168.

I apologize for the delay in writing to thank you, but twenty minutes after we returned from visiting our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren
in Nashville for the weekend Rion's sister called from Milton, Florida. She and her son in Pensacola, his wife, and son were coming on Friday and stay until
Saturday. That was Rion's nephew who wanted to go to Athens and see the cemetery when we did. He brought the genealogy records he has. We think we
found out whose tombstone Heather found that had only initials on it. I am sending you copies of some of the information he and I have that may answer
some of the questions your family may have about the Proctors who once owned your farm. May your dream of someday owning all the former Proctor
acres come true.
Please forgive me if I am burdening you with things in which you have no interest.

Please tell your family, Matthew, and Trey "Hello" for us. You folks, Mrs. McCormick, and everyone we encountered in Athens were very friendly, helpful,
and cooperative. We treasure the experience.
Good luck in college and getting a job! We look forward to hearing from you.
 

Sincerely

Earlene and Rion Proctor (of South Carolina & Meigs Ga.)