VALDOSTA, GA (WALB) -
By Jade Bulecza - bio | email
VALDOSTA, GA (WALB) – A Valdosta cemetery that's been around more than 150 years old now has a web site with information about thousands of marked and unmarked graves.
You can trace your ancestors or find out about some famous people buried there.
Graves of ancestors and loved ones across the 66-acre Sunset Hill Cemetery can be pulled up through a new web site.
"The website will actually bring up that location on a GIS-based map so you could physically see where that person should be located," said Emily Foster, Historic Preservation Planner.
I decided to put the web site to the test to find my great grandmother. I typed in 'Brooks' for her last name scrolled down to find Della.
Each listing on the web site, shows photos of the grave markers if they have them. It also gives the exact place in the cemetery so you can find them.
"I get quite a few calls from across the country looking for someone wanted to know if someone's buried here because genealogy is big right now," said Steve Priest.
He says many people think Doc Holliday is buried here. "He's buried out in Colorado in an unmarked grave."
But some of Holliday's family member's were laid to rest here including his mom. Priest says in the last couple of months he's got a lot of calls on a Sarah Palin that's buried here.
"The historic society did some research to see if in fact she was related to Sarah Palin, and she's not," said Priest.
The cemetery was established in 1861. Valdosta mayors are buried here, so are coaches, community leaders, and service men.
"Henry S. Morgan is believed to be the first academy graduate from Valdosta and he was killed in the Spanish-American War," said Priest.
Whether you're tracing your roots or just want to find out some history, this new web site makes it easier to find information on the 25,000 graves out there.
©2010 WALB News. All rights reserved.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 Worldnow and WALB, a Raycom Media Station. 
