Old Rico Cemetery is a mystery. Very little is really known about its history and origins. About a year ago, a chance encounter set me on a path to unravel some of its mysteries in order to solve another mystery. Where lies John Cash?
One evening in late July of 2019 I received a call from Kenny Smith at Smith's Grocery. He said there was a man and woman there who had been to Piney Woods Church Cemetery looking for a grave, and they couldn't find it. He asked if I would come to the store and try and help them. I put on my local historian hat and drove the half-mile to the store ready to share any information I might have. The lady, Jo, and her husband, who live in Florida, were passing through Atlanta and had decided to visit the old Piney Woods Church Cemetery (PWCC) to find and visit the grave of John Cash, Jo’s 4th-great-grandfather. I was at a total loss. I had never heard of John Cash or his son, James Cash, who Jo said was also buried there. I’m not an expert on the history of that cemetery, but I probably know as much or more than anyone else still breathing. |
To keep your attention, I will cut directly to the interesting part. When you hear the name John Cash, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Bingo, Johnny Cash. The John Cash whom Jo was looking for would be the 3rd-great-grandfather of Johnny Cash — and Jo was Johnny Cash’s niece. I was instantly intrigued by the possibility that Johnny Cash’s ancestor could be buried in Rico.
Again, Jo said that John Cash, who died in 1836, and his son, James, who died in 1868, were supposedly buried in PWCC. This information had to come from Cash family lore. The earliest and best listing of readable tombstones in PWCC dates to 1941 and was done by Franklin Garrett, the Atlanta historian. It does not include the names of any Cashes. Jo related other information about John, including that he was a Revolutionary War soldier who had received two land grants in Georgia, the first in Elbert County and then another in Henry County.
Jo gave me her contact info and a family listing tracing John Cash’s lineage down to Johnny Cash and herself. Like I said, I was extremely intrigued by the possibility of Johnny Cash having an ancestral connection to Rico. This chance encounter started me down the aforementioned path of unraveling mysteries and solving puzzles to find an answer to the question, “Where lies John Cash?”
Now that I have hopefully captured your interest, unfortunately from here on this story will be very convoluted and disjointed, because that’s the way the path progressed.
As I said, I had never heard of any Cash buried in PWCC. But I did have a foggy memory of hearing or seeing the name Cash in some context to the local area. I knew someone had previously asked me about the name Cash, but I couldn’t remember any details at all. I began my search with my best history source, an 1864 Confederate map of the area that includes the names of many of the property owners at that time. I quickly found a connection. The map shows a Cash farm located on the current Cochran Mill Road, on the west side just north of Cochran Mill Park.
I then started looking through cemetery data. I began with the web site Find a Grave. Sure enough, when I entered “John Cash” and his death date, it said he was buried in PWCC. The same result was given for his son, James Cash. Again, this information had to have been recorded by a Cash family member because no corroborating cemetery data exists for PWCC.
Over the next month, I was able to assemble considerable information, most of it concerning James Cash, with the most significant being that he was almost certainly not buried in PWCC. After finding where the Cash farm was located, I searched online tombstone listings for cemeteries in Chatt Hills. This data was readily available because when we became the City of Chattahoochee Hills, civic spirit was high and we formed a Historical Society. One accomplishment of this group was to document all cemeteries (church, family, and community) in the City. Even though civic sprit and the Historical Society are no more, the website, chatthillshistory.com, is still faithfully maintained by Laurie Searle.
As I said, James Cash is not buried in PWCC. In reviewing cemetery data, I found that James Cash, his wife Mary, and a daughter Sarah are listed as being buried in Old Rico Cemetery (ORC). This listing was also generated in 1941 by Franklin Garrett. This date is important since in later years ORC became neglected and vandalized. I will address the status of ORC later, but for now I will continue on with what I have found concerning John and James Cash.
Most of the following information was found by Laurie Searle from the Old Campbell County Historical Society (OCCHS) data and Lila Rhyne from Friendship Baptist Church and Hattaway family data. James Cash bought his 202-acre farm in February of 1836. James had several children, but so far only three of them have a pertinent connection to Chatt Hills and this narrative. Daughter Mary Ann Cash (5-25-1825 to 3-1-1899) married David Hattaway in December 1856. She is buried in Friendship Cemetery next to David. Her monument reads “Mary Ann Cash.” Daughter Martha Cash Garrett (1-29-1827 to 1-14-1899) is also buried at Friendship. Her husband was Lemuel Garrett. I will speak more on Martha and Lemuel later. Their story is an interesting path which branched off from the one I’m following for John Cash. And as mentioned above, daughter Sarah is listed as being buried in ORC. Also, John Cash was living in Henry County at the time of his death (August 1836, I believe).
By the end of August, from all the information I had uncovered, I began to theorize that John Cash could very well be buried in PWCC. When John died, it seemed quite plausible that his son James could have brought the body here for burial. And in 1836, where were people buried? I could think of only two choices. One would be to bury the deceased on your own land in a family cemetery. The second would be in a church cemetery. In 1836 which churches existed? Campbellton Baptist and Methodist churches had definitely been formed. Probably New Hope Methodist. Maybe Liberty Hill Methodist. And probably Piney Woods Baptist. I don’t know exactly when Piney Woods formed, but I have always heard that it was in the early 1830s. Following roads existing at that time, Piney Woods would probably be a little over four miles from James’s farm, not significantly greater than the distance to the other possible church locations. Also, the fact that no marked headstone could be found for John Cash is not relevant. I checked the cemetery listings for all cemeteries in Chatt Hills, and I only found about ten marked graves before 1850. The only troubling problem with my theory was this: “Why was James Cash buried in ORC if his father had been buried in PWCC?”
Concerning the history of Piney Woods Baptist Church, I will relate what little I know. As previously stated, I’ve always heard that the church was formed in the early 1830s. It was log constructed and located on the highest point of land within about a two-mile radius. I’ve heard the church theology described as “hard nut” Baptist, whatever that means. By 1852 the congregation’s religious leanings had transformed into “Missionary” Baptist. In that year the members formed Providence Baptist Church. The new church was located about one mile south of the old one, at the intersection of what is now Campbellton-Redwine Road and Rico Road. The new location was more centered in the area known as Piney Woods. PWCC was still used, with the last marked interment occurring in 1895.
It is not known exactly when Rico Cemetery, located next to Providence, came into existence. In Helen Selman’s history of Rico, “We Wanted to Be Called Green Eyes,” she records: “In 1852 the new church, now called Providence, was built on land deeded by Mrs. Buran. In later years Mr. Jewett Shannon deeded a total of one acre of land to be used as a community cemetery.” The first marked burials in this new cemetery began in the early 1890s. The important thing to remember is that it was a “community cemetery.” Interments were not limited to members of Providence. I must also add that I do not know if church membership was a criteria for being buried in church cemeteries during this time period.
The concept of a community cemetery in a rural community is rare. To my knowledge even the town of Campbellton, the original county seat of Campbell County, did not have a town cemetery. I know of only one other possible example anywhere around here and that possible example is Old Rico Cemetery.
I lean to the belief that ORC was a community cemetery for several reasons. I have never heard of a church located in this area. There are many people buried here, maybe forty to fifty, most simply marked with rocks at the head and foot of the grave. And the people we know to be buried here do not have any obvious family connections. Again referencing my 1864 map, the family names of people buried here span an area from four miles east (the Cashes), three miles north (possible location of Langleys), three miles west (the Griffiths) and two miles west (Bursons). The Cash and Griffith lands were outside the expected area comprising Piney Woods, so the criteria for being buried here is unknown.
So now, let's continue the discussion of Old Rico Cemetery. Since its early history is unknown, and conclusions rely more on assumptions and theories than facts, I will discuss its later history, post 1941, when Franklin Garrett recorded grave information. Unfortunately, Garrett’s survey is pretty much all we now have when researching this cemetery. In later years the cemetery was vandalized, tombstones stolen and swallowed by trees, brush, vines, and weeds. It was so overgrown that few people knew it was there, even though it was right on the edge of Rico Road.
But it now is in the process of being reclaimed. For several reasons, not the least being my great grandparents, William Langley and his wife Finity Kitchens, are buried there, I have begun an effort to restore the cemetery. And after many years, some of the stolen tombstones were found, my great grandmother’s being one of them. The Johnny Cash connection was another reason I undertook the project.
The stolen tombstones are an interesting side story. The land comprising ORC is currently privately owned. It consists of two parcels, each owned by different parties. The current owner of the house located behind part of the cemetery did some landscape renovations a few years ago, and part of the renovation involved removing a small sidewalk. The contractor doing the work found the stones under the concrete walkway.
The house was moved to its current location in about 1970. It was relocated there from the Atlanta airport area when the airport was expanded during that time period. It can logically be presumed that the builder of the walkway stole the tombstones from the cemetery to save some time and money in preparing the base for the concrete.
I have been told who the thief was by a couple of people, but nothing can be proven. And since the person accused is now as dead as the people whose tombstones were stolen, nothing would be gained by naming him. But I know a lot more. It’s an interesting story, but I only tell it verbally where I can do justice to the nuances surrounding the man and the deed.
As part of my restoration effort I plan on cleaning the recovered tombstones and resetting them somewhere and somehow in the cemetery. It is impossible to determine their original locations.
At this point, I need to branch out and discuss some of the history of the Rico community. Originally this area was known as Piney Woods. The name Rico, which the area is known by now, appears to be the result of a bureaucratic anomaly. Again, I will quote from Helen Selman's history of Rico:
"According to Mr. Henry Barnes, Jim McMillan probably built the house where he and Mrs. Barnes now live. It is thought that he built the store which later became the Masonic Lodge and is now the Rico Civic Center. The store became the community gathering place and was referred to as "Green Eyes" because of the color of the windows in the setting sun. In 1889 the owners of the store applied for a post office in the name of "Green Eyes." However, the Postal authorities wrote back that there was already one Green Eyes post office in Georgia. The postal authorities substituted the name Rico for Green Eyes, and the community has been known as Rico ever since."
The store building Helen refers to, now commonly called “the Scout Hut,” is at the current intersection of Rico Road and Upper Wooten Road, less than 100 yards from Old Rico Cemetery.
So the name “Rico” has absolutely no relevance to the area before 1889. If you could bring the people buried in ORC back to life, look at them and say “Rico,” they would look at you as if you had said “television.” But people continued to refer to the area as Piney Woods for many years. Old habits die hard.
How did “Old Rico” become the name by which we know this cemetery? Before 1889, and probably for many years after, it must surely have been described by another name. And what is the significance of “Old” Rico? I have two possible theories. As I have previously related, Piney Woods Baptist Church moved and became Providence in 1852. The community cemetery next to it was donated “in later years.” We do not know exactly when it began. The earliest marked interments date from the early 1890s. If it was after 1889, the “new” cemetery could have been called “Rico” from the beginning. If it was before 1889, it too probably had a different original name. Whatever. The key point is it was the “new” cemetery. Over time the “old” cemetery may have come to be called Old Rico Cemetery.
Another theory is that “old Rico” is more related to geographic location. My father always referred to that area as “Old Rico.” He was born in 1903, so he lived through the period during which people were becoming comfortable calling their home “Rico” instead of “Piney Woods.” The area around McMillan’s store was the original “Rico,” the post office, “Old Rico.”
The reason I’ve rambled on about the history and names of Piney Woods, Rico, and Old Rico, is that it sets the stage for an essential piece of information I stumbled across several months ago. Sir Winston Churchill has a wonderful quote that describes my discovery perfectly: “Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.”
I was looking at the web page for ORC and happened to read the introductory page instead of just proceeding to the tombstone list. I know I had read it before, probably several times, but this time my mind was receptive to what it said. Years ago, when information was being compiled for the cemetery database, Laurie Searle interviewed Dorothy Stephens. Dorothy and her husband, T. E., lived in a house just a couple hundred yards from ORC. She said that when her father and his family moved here in 1941, the cemetery (ORC) was called Piney Woods Cemetery. This was the piece of the puzzle needed for me to discern a picture.
John and James Cash are both listed on Find a Grave as being buried in PWCC. But we know at least part of this is wrong. James is definitely buried in ORC. The 1941 grave enumeration lists him as being buried in a box tomb with his “name on end.” The information on Find a Grave must have been entered by a Cash family member from handed-down family lore. No corroborating data is known to exist documenting interments in PWCC prior to 1941, where the Cash name is not mentioned. Also, an inconsistency I had trouble with from the beginning is that if James buried his father in PWCC, why were he and other family members then buried in ORC when they died?
I believe that Cash family lore probably placed the final resting place of John Cash in Piney Woods Cemetery, located in Campbell County, Georgia, west of Palmetto near the Chattahoochee River, or some variation of that. At some time, with the advent of online databases, some family member began looking for a Piney Woods Cemetery in the general area stated. The only match they would find is Piney Woods Church Cemetery. If I were doing this search, at that point I believe I would declare success and confidently state that John and James Cash were both buried in PWCC, and the name passed down through generations was finally nailed to a physical location.
There was now only one additional piece of corroborating information I wanted to find: the thoughts and remembrances of a Cash family member, unpolluted by possible exposure to “facts” found on the Internet. Ever since I first spoke with Jo at Smith’s Store and began my journey down the path to find John Cash’s final resting place, periodically I would encounter someone whose response to hearing my story would be, “I think I remember hearing that Johnny Cash had an ancestor buried somewhere in Rico.” During the past year I have had several of these encounters, and with people who during their life have met and shared experiences with decedents of John Cash. I will go down this path later just for fun.
A few months ago, from one of these encounters, I thought I had located a possible source, but I have been unable to speak with him. Then I again stumbled over the missing information and realized I should have found it sooner.
One Saturday around the middle of July 2020, I went to ORC with the intent of raking some of the accumulated leaves from some of the box tombs. It was hot. I lasted about fifteen minutes. I went back a few days later and just walked around, thinking about what I should do next. And there it was. Lying on the ground at the head of a box tomb was a marble marker. It was about twelve inches wide, about sixteen inches long, broken at the bottom end, lying flat on the ground and still embedded in the leaves and mulch around it. And it bore the name James Cash. My previous leaf raking had uncovered it.
Finding James Cash’s tomb was the next best thing to finding John Cash. There wasn’t a marked grave for John in 1941, and I have no real expectation one will be found in 2020. As I have previously stated, being buried in 1836, having a marked gravestone would be a rare exception. But now I can make some more specific assumptions. Corresponding to what I believe to be normal interment progression down a family line, one would expect John to be buried to the right of James. Unfortunately, there are no visible rocks marking a grave on James’s right. If rocks are found after removing the accumulated leaves and mulch, that would be a significant find. The two box tombs to the left of James should be his wife, Mary, and daughter, Sarah. Soon I will return and rake leaves from around those graves. Maybe I can find the markers for Mary and Sarah. They were there in 1941. Maybe I’ll get lucky again.
After finding James’s marker I immediately phoned Jo. I hadn’t spoken with her in almost a year. I went through a condensed version of much of the findings I have related here and presented my theory on possible confusion between Piney Woods Cemetery and Piney Woods Church Cemetery. She checked her notes, and sure enough they specified Piney Woods Cemetery as the final resting place for John Cash. The last piece of the puzzle had been found.
So the path to the resting place of John Cash has come to an incomplete end. But it is as complete as possible absent any new discoveries. Hopefully I followed the correct path and arrived at the correct location, Old Rico Cemetery. With the passage of so much time, nothing can be a certainty. But my larger task still remains unfinished. There’s much left to do in restoring ORC. My ultimate goal is to remove the leaves and debris which have accumulated over the years. Maybe I’ll make some interesting discoveries. Maybe some more hidden markers. Maybe some stones with crudely chiseled names or initials. Who knows? If I am lucky enough to find a rock with the chiseled initials J. C., then the mystery will have been solved and I can say, “Here lies John Cash.”
At this point I guess I should be finished. But there are still two side paths I would like to talk about. And finally, I will delve into a venomous, sarcastic, rant and rave session describing a situation which happened about a month before my fateful, chance encounter with Jo. A situation which if allowed to proceed unchecked would have probably precluded my chance encounter in the first place.
The first side path almost rates being a “Twilight Zone” episode. I’ve lived in Rico my whole life, and I had never heard any stories or rumors about a Johnny Cash connection to the area. But during my year of research I kept running across people who had. I also ran across a couple of people who had life experiences with other members of the Cash family.
Most of the people I ran across who had heard something about a Johnny Cash/Rico connection didn’t remember where they had heard it or any details at all. Except one. He remembered where he had heard the connection. It was probably forty years ago when he was playing rec baseball. Another kid on the team was a Cash, and he related the connection. This was exactly what I had hoped to find: a person who knew the family story before any possibility of corruption from online material. I gave the person I talked to my phone information and email, and he was able to relay it, but I have not heard back. Even though my conversation with Jo gave me the information I needed, I would still like to interview another knowledgeable Cash family member and possibly discover other interesting stories.
Another very interesting connection came from a friend of mine here in Rico. He was career military, Marines and Navy, and in the later 1980s he served on board the USS El Paso. The captain of the ship was Roy Cash, a nephew of Johnny Cash. Also, Roy’s daughter was Kellye Cash, Miss America for 1987. He related that once on the ship's return to port, Johnny and Kellye flew out to the ship on a helicopter and spent the night. The sailors had the opportunity to have their picture made with Kellye. He still has the photo, which he showed me. His most striking remembrance of Johnny Cash was his physical persona. Wherever he was, he commanded the room just by his presence. My friend related some other stories about the ship and Captain Cash which were really funny, stories that can only be fully appreciated by others who have been in the military. He highly respected Captain Cash and described his time on the El Paso as one of his best duty assignments.
These encounters, with people who had heard something about the Cash connection to Rico and with people who shared their Cash family experiences, helped to keep me going with my research. I’m not much of a fisherman. I can’t even remember the last time I went fishing. I don’t have the patience for it. If I don’t at least get a nibble within fifteen minutes, I’m ready to go. These encounters were the nibbles I required to keep plugging away with the search.
The last side path to relate involves the Martha Cash/Lemuel Garrett connection previously mentioned. When I first talked with Jo after she had visited Piney Woods Church Cemetery, she remarked about the Garretts buried there. Jo was descended from the Cashes on her mother’s side. On her father’s side she is descended from Garretts. I commented that she should research her Garrett line since many descendents of Rico’s first settlers continued moving West as new frontiers opened up. Many kept moving west to Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas (where Jo’s parents were from).
As previously stated, when I found James Cash’s marker in Old Rico, I immediately called Jo to tell of my success. We talked for a long time, and she said she had traced her father’s Garrett lineage. And yes, she is also related to Isaac Garrett who is buried in Piney Woods Church Cemetery and for whom Garrett’s Ferry Road is named, and consequently to Lemuel Garrett, Isaac Garrett’s son who married Martha Cash. Small world isn’t it? So, James Cash, buried in ORC, is Jo’s 4th-great-uncle and his daughter, Martha, is her 1st cousin 4-times removed on the Cash side. Lemuel Garrett is her 3rd cousin 4-times removed on the Garrett side. Hopefully I got the connections correct, but it’s the lineage that counts. Jo said it best when she wrote me, “I think the most interesting thing about this is that Lemuel (a Garrett) married Martha (a Cash) long before my parents married (my Mom is a Cash and my Dad is a Garrett).”
Lemuel Garrett died in the War Between the States. He was a Confederate soldier captured by the North, and died a prisoner of war in Savannah, where he is buried. As previously stated, his wife, Martha Cash Garrett, is buried by her sister, Mary Cash Hattaway, in Friendship Baptist Church Cemetery.
So across time and distance, Rico to Arkansas, Jo is doubly connected to Rico. Amazing! And all of these links were connected through a chance encounter at Smith’s Grocery in July, 2019.
And that path to unexpected genealogical connections is a perfect lead-in to my final story, my venomous rant and rave. This entire preceding story derived from a chance encounter that probably would never have occurred if another situation had proceeded unchecked.
PWCC is at the current end of Kite Road. Just past the cemetery is a gate which prevents access to the old roadway that continues on to the river and the old site of Isaac Garrett’s ferry. The gate has been there for at least sixty years after one person acquired all the land past it. Kite Road is a public road all the way to PWCC, and no individual owns the cemetery itself. It is maintained on Fulton County tax rolls as simply “cemetery.” This means that anyone who wishes to visit PWCC, for family or fun, is free to do so. That would have changed if the plans of certain people and interests had proceeded unchecked.
As described, all of the land past the gate is still owned by one individual. That individual’s land also extends back down one side of Kite Road about 250 yards. It is controlled through lease by a hunting club. Other land, on the other side of the road, is owned by a member of the hunt club, again to a point about 250 yards from the current gate.
One afternoon, about a month or two before I met Jo, I was sitting in Smith’s Store as usual, and a person came in who had just driven down Kite Road to the gate. He said that someone had drilled holes on each side of the road, back about 250 yards from the gate, like they were about to put up a new gate across the road. I immediately drove down that way, and sure enough, there were two new holes drilled on each side of the road. I think at that point I drove to my City Councilperson’s house to voice my displeasure. To close a public road requires a vote of the Council, and I knew that hadn’t happened because I attend almost all of the meetings. It appeared someone was trying to pull a fast one behind the citizens’ backs.
Later that evening I was at Smith’s Store (yes, I spend a lot of time at the store), and a couple of members of the hunt club came in, one being the person in charge. I asked them about the holes and I was told, yes, they were going to move the gate from its current location back to where the holes were drilled. I said no, you are not, and if you do, you’ll just have to take it down. Diplomacy is not one of my strong suits.
I was told that “City Hall” said they could, and that “the Mayor” said they could. Interesting, since no one at “City Hall” has the authority to close a public road. The City Council has to vote to close a public road. This policy was pretty much set seven years ago when the same hunt club wanted to move a gate on the dirt part of Upper Wooten Road.
To accommodate people desiring to visit PWCC, the hunt club proposed placing a phone number on the gate. Anyone desiring access could call the number and someone would come and allow them access. I’m sure that would work real well. Most people would probably just turn around and leave.
What we had was a powerful group who knew full well that the Council would never vote to approve the road closure. They figured it would be easier to get forgiveness than approval. If the gate was already in place maybe the Council would be more amenable to allowing it to remain. City Hall staff were more than willing to politically please the powerful than protect the rights of the peasants.
And again, I think I know more than I’m writing. When something just doesn't make sense, rest assured there's probably an unstated ulterior motive. Such is the case here. As with the stolen tombstones, ask me sometime. Verbally is also the best way to present this story.
At this point I think I will stop whipping this dead horse. Suffice it to say that PWCC is still open to the public, and barring a serious shift of the Council, will remain so.
And now after my vicious, negative assessment of City politics, I will close this story on a positive note. My chance encounter with Jo was the first rock to begin rolling downhill, resulting in an avalanche of information and interest. While clearing ORC, many people stopped by to see what was going on. Most were as intrigued by the Johnny Cash connection as I was. I’ve met a lot of people I otherwise would probably have never met, people I’ve really enjoyed meeting and talking with. I still have a lot of work to do on the cemetery. Who knows where the path will finally end?
J. Kenyon Langley
September 2020
Again, Jo said that John Cash, who died in 1836, and his son, James, who died in 1868, were supposedly buried in PWCC. This information had to come from Cash family lore. The earliest and best listing of readable tombstones in PWCC dates to 1941 and was done by Franklin Garrett, the Atlanta historian. It does not include the names of any Cashes. Jo related other information about John, including that he was a Revolutionary War soldier who had received two land grants in Georgia, the first in Elbert County and then another in Henry County.
Jo gave me her contact info and a family listing tracing John Cash’s lineage down to Johnny Cash and herself. Like I said, I was extremely intrigued by the possibility of Johnny Cash having an ancestral connection to Rico. This chance encounter started me down the aforementioned path of unraveling mysteries and solving puzzles to find an answer to the question, “Where lies John Cash?”
Now that I have hopefully captured your interest, unfortunately from here on this story will be very convoluted and disjointed, because that’s the way the path progressed.
As I said, I had never heard of any Cash buried in PWCC. But I did have a foggy memory of hearing or seeing the name Cash in some context to the local area. I knew someone had previously asked me about the name Cash, but I couldn’t remember any details at all. I began my search with my best history source, an 1864 Confederate map of the area that includes the names of many of the property owners at that time. I quickly found a connection. The map shows a Cash farm located on the current Cochran Mill Road, on the west side just north of Cochran Mill Park.
I then started looking through cemetery data. I began with the web site Find a Grave. Sure enough, when I entered “John Cash” and his death date, it said he was buried in PWCC. The same result was given for his son, James Cash. Again, this information had to have been recorded by a Cash family member because no corroborating cemetery data exists for PWCC.
Over the next month, I was able to assemble considerable information, most of it concerning James Cash, with the most significant being that he was almost certainly not buried in PWCC. After finding where the Cash farm was located, I searched online tombstone listings for cemeteries in Chatt Hills. This data was readily available because when we became the City of Chattahoochee Hills, civic spirit was high and we formed a Historical Society. One accomplishment of this group was to document all cemeteries (church, family, and community) in the City. Even though civic sprit and the Historical Society are no more, the website, chatthillshistory.com, is still faithfully maintained by Laurie Searle.
As I said, James Cash is not buried in PWCC. In reviewing cemetery data, I found that James Cash, his wife Mary, and a daughter Sarah are listed as being buried in Old Rico Cemetery (ORC). This listing was also generated in 1941 by Franklin Garrett. This date is important since in later years ORC became neglected and vandalized. I will address the status of ORC later, but for now I will continue on with what I have found concerning John and James Cash.
Most of the following information was found by Laurie Searle from the Old Campbell County Historical Society (OCCHS) data and Lila Rhyne from Friendship Baptist Church and Hattaway family data. James Cash bought his 202-acre farm in February of 1836. James had several children, but so far only three of them have a pertinent connection to Chatt Hills and this narrative. Daughter Mary Ann Cash (5-25-1825 to 3-1-1899) married David Hattaway in December 1856. She is buried in Friendship Cemetery next to David. Her monument reads “Mary Ann Cash.” Daughter Martha Cash Garrett (1-29-1827 to 1-14-1899) is also buried at Friendship. Her husband was Lemuel Garrett. I will speak more on Martha and Lemuel later. Their story is an interesting path which branched off from the one I’m following for John Cash. And as mentioned above, daughter Sarah is listed as being buried in ORC. Also, John Cash was living in Henry County at the time of his death (August 1836, I believe).
By the end of August, from all the information I had uncovered, I began to theorize that John Cash could very well be buried in PWCC. When John died, it seemed quite plausible that his son James could have brought the body here for burial. And in 1836, where were people buried? I could think of only two choices. One would be to bury the deceased on your own land in a family cemetery. The second would be in a church cemetery. In 1836 which churches existed? Campbellton Baptist and Methodist churches had definitely been formed. Probably New Hope Methodist. Maybe Liberty Hill Methodist. And probably Piney Woods Baptist. I don’t know exactly when Piney Woods formed, but I have always heard that it was in the early 1830s. Following roads existing at that time, Piney Woods would probably be a little over four miles from James’s farm, not significantly greater than the distance to the other possible church locations. Also, the fact that no marked headstone could be found for John Cash is not relevant. I checked the cemetery listings for all cemeteries in Chatt Hills, and I only found about ten marked graves before 1850. The only troubling problem with my theory was this: “Why was James Cash buried in ORC if his father had been buried in PWCC?”
Concerning the history of Piney Woods Baptist Church, I will relate what little I know. As previously stated, I’ve always heard that the church was formed in the early 1830s. It was log constructed and located on the highest point of land within about a two-mile radius. I’ve heard the church theology described as “hard nut” Baptist, whatever that means. By 1852 the congregation’s religious leanings had transformed into “Missionary” Baptist. In that year the members formed Providence Baptist Church. The new church was located about one mile south of the old one, at the intersection of what is now Campbellton-Redwine Road and Rico Road. The new location was more centered in the area known as Piney Woods. PWCC was still used, with the last marked interment occurring in 1895.
It is not known exactly when Rico Cemetery, located next to Providence, came into existence. In Helen Selman’s history of Rico, “We Wanted to Be Called Green Eyes,” she records: “In 1852 the new church, now called Providence, was built on land deeded by Mrs. Buran. In later years Mr. Jewett Shannon deeded a total of one acre of land to be used as a community cemetery.” The first marked burials in this new cemetery began in the early 1890s. The important thing to remember is that it was a “community cemetery.” Interments were not limited to members of Providence. I must also add that I do not know if church membership was a criteria for being buried in church cemeteries during this time period.
The concept of a community cemetery in a rural community is rare. To my knowledge even the town of Campbellton, the original county seat of Campbell County, did not have a town cemetery. I know of only one other possible example anywhere around here and that possible example is Old Rico Cemetery.
I lean to the belief that ORC was a community cemetery for several reasons. I have never heard of a church located in this area. There are many people buried here, maybe forty to fifty, most simply marked with rocks at the head and foot of the grave. And the people we know to be buried here do not have any obvious family connections. Again referencing my 1864 map, the family names of people buried here span an area from four miles east (the Cashes), three miles north (possible location of Langleys), three miles west (the Griffiths) and two miles west (Bursons). The Cash and Griffith lands were outside the expected area comprising Piney Woods, so the criteria for being buried here is unknown.
So now, let's continue the discussion of Old Rico Cemetery. Since its early history is unknown, and conclusions rely more on assumptions and theories than facts, I will discuss its later history, post 1941, when Franklin Garrett recorded grave information. Unfortunately, Garrett’s survey is pretty much all we now have when researching this cemetery. In later years the cemetery was vandalized, tombstones stolen and swallowed by trees, brush, vines, and weeds. It was so overgrown that few people knew it was there, even though it was right on the edge of Rico Road.
But it now is in the process of being reclaimed. For several reasons, not the least being my great grandparents, William Langley and his wife Finity Kitchens, are buried there, I have begun an effort to restore the cemetery. And after many years, some of the stolen tombstones were found, my great grandmother’s being one of them. The Johnny Cash connection was another reason I undertook the project.
The stolen tombstones are an interesting side story. The land comprising ORC is currently privately owned. It consists of two parcels, each owned by different parties. The current owner of the house located behind part of the cemetery did some landscape renovations a few years ago, and part of the renovation involved removing a small sidewalk. The contractor doing the work found the stones under the concrete walkway.
The house was moved to its current location in about 1970. It was relocated there from the Atlanta airport area when the airport was expanded during that time period. It can logically be presumed that the builder of the walkway stole the tombstones from the cemetery to save some time and money in preparing the base for the concrete.
I have been told who the thief was by a couple of people, but nothing can be proven. And since the person accused is now as dead as the people whose tombstones were stolen, nothing would be gained by naming him. But I know a lot more. It’s an interesting story, but I only tell it verbally where I can do justice to the nuances surrounding the man and the deed.
As part of my restoration effort I plan on cleaning the recovered tombstones and resetting them somewhere and somehow in the cemetery. It is impossible to determine their original locations.
At this point, I need to branch out and discuss some of the history of the Rico community. Originally this area was known as Piney Woods. The name Rico, which the area is known by now, appears to be the result of a bureaucratic anomaly. Again, I will quote from Helen Selman's history of Rico:
"According to Mr. Henry Barnes, Jim McMillan probably built the house where he and Mrs. Barnes now live. It is thought that he built the store which later became the Masonic Lodge and is now the Rico Civic Center. The store became the community gathering place and was referred to as "Green Eyes" because of the color of the windows in the setting sun. In 1889 the owners of the store applied for a post office in the name of "Green Eyes." However, the Postal authorities wrote back that there was already one Green Eyes post office in Georgia. The postal authorities substituted the name Rico for Green Eyes, and the community has been known as Rico ever since."
The store building Helen refers to, now commonly called “the Scout Hut,” is at the current intersection of Rico Road and Upper Wooten Road, less than 100 yards from Old Rico Cemetery.
So the name “Rico” has absolutely no relevance to the area before 1889. If you could bring the people buried in ORC back to life, look at them and say “Rico,” they would look at you as if you had said “television.” But people continued to refer to the area as Piney Woods for many years. Old habits die hard.
How did “Old Rico” become the name by which we know this cemetery? Before 1889, and probably for many years after, it must surely have been described by another name. And what is the significance of “Old” Rico? I have two possible theories. As I have previously related, Piney Woods Baptist Church moved and became Providence in 1852. The community cemetery next to it was donated “in later years.” We do not know exactly when it began. The earliest marked interments date from the early 1890s. If it was after 1889, the “new” cemetery could have been called “Rico” from the beginning. If it was before 1889, it too probably had a different original name. Whatever. The key point is it was the “new” cemetery. Over time the “old” cemetery may have come to be called Old Rico Cemetery.
Another theory is that “old Rico” is more related to geographic location. My father always referred to that area as “Old Rico.” He was born in 1903, so he lived through the period during which people were becoming comfortable calling their home “Rico” instead of “Piney Woods.” The area around McMillan’s store was the original “Rico,” the post office, “Old Rico.”
The reason I’ve rambled on about the history and names of Piney Woods, Rico, and Old Rico, is that it sets the stage for an essential piece of information I stumbled across several months ago. Sir Winston Churchill has a wonderful quote that describes my discovery perfectly: “Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.”
I was looking at the web page for ORC and happened to read the introductory page instead of just proceeding to the tombstone list. I know I had read it before, probably several times, but this time my mind was receptive to what it said. Years ago, when information was being compiled for the cemetery database, Laurie Searle interviewed Dorothy Stephens. Dorothy and her husband, T. E., lived in a house just a couple hundred yards from ORC. She said that when her father and his family moved here in 1941, the cemetery (ORC) was called Piney Woods Cemetery. This was the piece of the puzzle needed for me to discern a picture.
John and James Cash are both listed on Find a Grave as being buried in PWCC. But we know at least part of this is wrong. James is definitely buried in ORC. The 1941 grave enumeration lists him as being buried in a box tomb with his “name on end.” The information on Find a Grave must have been entered by a Cash family member from handed-down family lore. No corroborating data is known to exist documenting interments in PWCC prior to 1941, where the Cash name is not mentioned. Also, an inconsistency I had trouble with from the beginning is that if James buried his father in PWCC, why were he and other family members then buried in ORC when they died?
I believe that Cash family lore probably placed the final resting place of John Cash in Piney Woods Cemetery, located in Campbell County, Georgia, west of Palmetto near the Chattahoochee River, or some variation of that. At some time, with the advent of online databases, some family member began looking for a Piney Woods Cemetery in the general area stated. The only match they would find is Piney Woods Church Cemetery. If I were doing this search, at that point I believe I would declare success and confidently state that John and James Cash were both buried in PWCC, and the name passed down through generations was finally nailed to a physical location.
There was now only one additional piece of corroborating information I wanted to find: the thoughts and remembrances of a Cash family member, unpolluted by possible exposure to “facts” found on the Internet. Ever since I first spoke with Jo at Smith’s Store and began my journey down the path to find John Cash’s final resting place, periodically I would encounter someone whose response to hearing my story would be, “I think I remember hearing that Johnny Cash had an ancestor buried somewhere in Rico.” During the past year I have had several of these encounters, and with people who during their life have met and shared experiences with decedents of John Cash. I will go down this path later just for fun.
A few months ago, from one of these encounters, I thought I had located a possible source, but I have been unable to speak with him. Then I again stumbled over the missing information and realized I should have found it sooner.
One Saturday around the middle of July 2020, I went to ORC with the intent of raking some of the accumulated leaves from some of the box tombs. It was hot. I lasted about fifteen minutes. I went back a few days later and just walked around, thinking about what I should do next. And there it was. Lying on the ground at the head of a box tomb was a marble marker. It was about twelve inches wide, about sixteen inches long, broken at the bottom end, lying flat on the ground and still embedded in the leaves and mulch around it. And it bore the name James Cash. My previous leaf raking had uncovered it.
Finding James Cash’s tomb was the next best thing to finding John Cash. There wasn’t a marked grave for John in 1941, and I have no real expectation one will be found in 2020. As I have previously stated, being buried in 1836, having a marked gravestone would be a rare exception. But now I can make some more specific assumptions. Corresponding to what I believe to be normal interment progression down a family line, one would expect John to be buried to the right of James. Unfortunately, there are no visible rocks marking a grave on James’s right. If rocks are found after removing the accumulated leaves and mulch, that would be a significant find. The two box tombs to the left of James should be his wife, Mary, and daughter, Sarah. Soon I will return and rake leaves from around those graves. Maybe I can find the markers for Mary and Sarah. They were there in 1941. Maybe I’ll get lucky again.
After finding James’s marker I immediately phoned Jo. I hadn’t spoken with her in almost a year. I went through a condensed version of much of the findings I have related here and presented my theory on possible confusion between Piney Woods Cemetery and Piney Woods Church Cemetery. She checked her notes, and sure enough they specified Piney Woods Cemetery as the final resting place for John Cash. The last piece of the puzzle had been found.
So the path to the resting place of John Cash has come to an incomplete end. But it is as complete as possible absent any new discoveries. Hopefully I followed the correct path and arrived at the correct location, Old Rico Cemetery. With the passage of so much time, nothing can be a certainty. But my larger task still remains unfinished. There’s much left to do in restoring ORC. My ultimate goal is to remove the leaves and debris which have accumulated over the years. Maybe I’ll make some interesting discoveries. Maybe some more hidden markers. Maybe some stones with crudely chiseled names or initials. Who knows? If I am lucky enough to find a rock with the chiseled initials J. C., then the mystery will have been solved and I can say, “Here lies John Cash.”
At this point I guess I should be finished. But there are still two side paths I would like to talk about. And finally, I will delve into a venomous, sarcastic, rant and rave session describing a situation which happened about a month before my fateful, chance encounter with Jo. A situation which if allowed to proceed unchecked would have probably precluded my chance encounter in the first place.
The first side path almost rates being a “Twilight Zone” episode. I’ve lived in Rico my whole life, and I had never heard any stories or rumors about a Johnny Cash connection to the area. But during my year of research I kept running across people who had. I also ran across a couple of people who had life experiences with other members of the Cash family.
Most of the people I ran across who had heard something about a Johnny Cash/Rico connection didn’t remember where they had heard it or any details at all. Except one. He remembered where he had heard the connection. It was probably forty years ago when he was playing rec baseball. Another kid on the team was a Cash, and he related the connection. This was exactly what I had hoped to find: a person who knew the family story before any possibility of corruption from online material. I gave the person I talked to my phone information and email, and he was able to relay it, but I have not heard back. Even though my conversation with Jo gave me the information I needed, I would still like to interview another knowledgeable Cash family member and possibly discover other interesting stories.
Another very interesting connection came from a friend of mine here in Rico. He was career military, Marines and Navy, and in the later 1980s he served on board the USS El Paso. The captain of the ship was Roy Cash, a nephew of Johnny Cash. Also, Roy’s daughter was Kellye Cash, Miss America for 1987. He related that once on the ship's return to port, Johnny and Kellye flew out to the ship on a helicopter and spent the night. The sailors had the opportunity to have their picture made with Kellye. He still has the photo, which he showed me. His most striking remembrance of Johnny Cash was his physical persona. Wherever he was, he commanded the room just by his presence. My friend related some other stories about the ship and Captain Cash which were really funny, stories that can only be fully appreciated by others who have been in the military. He highly respected Captain Cash and described his time on the El Paso as one of his best duty assignments.
These encounters, with people who had heard something about the Cash connection to Rico and with people who shared their Cash family experiences, helped to keep me going with my research. I’m not much of a fisherman. I can’t even remember the last time I went fishing. I don’t have the patience for it. If I don’t at least get a nibble within fifteen minutes, I’m ready to go. These encounters were the nibbles I required to keep plugging away with the search.
The last side path to relate involves the Martha Cash/Lemuel Garrett connection previously mentioned. When I first talked with Jo after she had visited Piney Woods Church Cemetery, she remarked about the Garretts buried there. Jo was descended from the Cashes on her mother’s side. On her father’s side she is descended from Garretts. I commented that she should research her Garrett line since many descendents of Rico’s first settlers continued moving West as new frontiers opened up. Many kept moving west to Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas (where Jo’s parents were from).
As previously stated, when I found James Cash’s marker in Old Rico, I immediately called Jo to tell of my success. We talked for a long time, and she said she had traced her father’s Garrett lineage. And yes, she is also related to Isaac Garrett who is buried in Piney Woods Church Cemetery and for whom Garrett’s Ferry Road is named, and consequently to Lemuel Garrett, Isaac Garrett’s son who married Martha Cash. Small world isn’t it? So, James Cash, buried in ORC, is Jo’s 4th-great-uncle and his daughter, Martha, is her 1st cousin 4-times removed on the Cash side. Lemuel Garrett is her 3rd cousin 4-times removed on the Garrett side. Hopefully I got the connections correct, but it’s the lineage that counts. Jo said it best when she wrote me, “I think the most interesting thing about this is that Lemuel (a Garrett) married Martha (a Cash) long before my parents married (my Mom is a Cash and my Dad is a Garrett).”
Lemuel Garrett died in the War Between the States. He was a Confederate soldier captured by the North, and died a prisoner of war in Savannah, where he is buried. As previously stated, his wife, Martha Cash Garrett, is buried by her sister, Mary Cash Hattaway, in Friendship Baptist Church Cemetery.
So across time and distance, Rico to Arkansas, Jo is doubly connected to Rico. Amazing! And all of these links were connected through a chance encounter at Smith’s Grocery in July, 2019.
And that path to unexpected genealogical connections is a perfect lead-in to my final story, my venomous rant and rave. This entire preceding story derived from a chance encounter that probably would never have occurred if another situation had proceeded unchecked.
PWCC is at the current end of Kite Road. Just past the cemetery is a gate which prevents access to the old roadway that continues on to the river and the old site of Isaac Garrett’s ferry. The gate has been there for at least sixty years after one person acquired all the land past it. Kite Road is a public road all the way to PWCC, and no individual owns the cemetery itself. It is maintained on Fulton County tax rolls as simply “cemetery.” This means that anyone who wishes to visit PWCC, for family or fun, is free to do so. That would have changed if the plans of certain people and interests had proceeded unchecked.
As described, all of the land past the gate is still owned by one individual. That individual’s land also extends back down one side of Kite Road about 250 yards. It is controlled through lease by a hunting club. Other land, on the other side of the road, is owned by a member of the hunt club, again to a point about 250 yards from the current gate.
One afternoon, about a month or two before I met Jo, I was sitting in Smith’s Store as usual, and a person came in who had just driven down Kite Road to the gate. He said that someone had drilled holes on each side of the road, back about 250 yards from the gate, like they were about to put up a new gate across the road. I immediately drove down that way, and sure enough, there were two new holes drilled on each side of the road. I think at that point I drove to my City Councilperson’s house to voice my displeasure. To close a public road requires a vote of the Council, and I knew that hadn’t happened because I attend almost all of the meetings. It appeared someone was trying to pull a fast one behind the citizens’ backs.
Later that evening I was at Smith’s Store (yes, I spend a lot of time at the store), and a couple of members of the hunt club came in, one being the person in charge. I asked them about the holes and I was told, yes, they were going to move the gate from its current location back to where the holes were drilled. I said no, you are not, and if you do, you’ll just have to take it down. Diplomacy is not one of my strong suits.
I was told that “City Hall” said they could, and that “the Mayor” said they could. Interesting, since no one at “City Hall” has the authority to close a public road. The City Council has to vote to close a public road. This policy was pretty much set seven years ago when the same hunt club wanted to move a gate on the dirt part of Upper Wooten Road.
To accommodate people desiring to visit PWCC, the hunt club proposed placing a phone number on the gate. Anyone desiring access could call the number and someone would come and allow them access. I’m sure that would work real well. Most people would probably just turn around and leave.
What we had was a powerful group who knew full well that the Council would never vote to approve the road closure. They figured it would be easier to get forgiveness than approval. If the gate was already in place maybe the Council would be more amenable to allowing it to remain. City Hall staff were more than willing to politically please the powerful than protect the rights of the peasants.
And again, I think I know more than I’m writing. When something just doesn't make sense, rest assured there's probably an unstated ulterior motive. Such is the case here. As with the stolen tombstones, ask me sometime. Verbally is also the best way to present this story.
At this point I think I will stop whipping this dead horse. Suffice it to say that PWCC is still open to the public, and barring a serious shift of the Council, will remain so.
And now after my vicious, negative assessment of City politics, I will close this story on a positive note. My chance encounter with Jo was the first rock to begin rolling downhill, resulting in an avalanche of information and interest. While clearing ORC, many people stopped by to see what was going on. Most were as intrigued by the Johnny Cash connection as I was. I’ve met a lot of people I otherwise would probably have never met, people I’ve really enjoyed meeting and talking with. I still have a lot of work to do on the cemetery. Who knows where the path will finally end?
J. Kenyon Langley
September 2020