Cheesy Grits: What Became of George Ralston of Savannah?

After having located Valeria and the two children in New York City, we wondered for a long time what happened to her husband, George Ralston, who remained in Savannah when Valeria moved north. He was in the 1910 federal census, but not in the 1920 census. Savannah city directories showed him residing at 625 E. Broad until 1914, but not thereafter.

As it turned out, Jane took a trip to Savannah in 2009 with one of her friends whose son was a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design. On a whim, I suggested that she take an excursion out to one of Savannah's largest cemeteries, Laurel Grove, to see if there was any record of his having been buried there.

Laurel Grove Cemetery was established around 1850 on the grounds of a former plantation, just on the outskirts of Savannah's historic district. Originally for whites only, the City of Savannah set aside 15 acres as a burying ground for slaves and Free Persons of Color. In 1859, the City set aside 15 more acres and Laurel Grove was divided into Laurel Grove North (white only) and Laurel Grove South (people of color only). 

Entrance to Laurel Grove North
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Entrance to Laurel Grove south
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Jane and her travelling companion found the headquarters building for Laurel Grove and there they met the congenial Mr. James Flowers, Cemetery Services Coordinator for Savannah's Department of Cemeteries. He was more than happy to help her look for the name of her great-grandfather, George Ralston. Mr. Flowers found George's name in the computerized index of burials, which directed him to a proper and august old ledger book, and there great-grandfather George was, in the florid hand of the scribe of Laurel Grove South:

George Ralston's name in the Laurel Grove South burial ledger.
His name is seventh from the top, along with his age, 50.
Photo by his great-granddaughter, Jane Godfrey.

The death register for the City of Savannah confirmed it: George Ralston, age 50, of 625 E. Broad, died August 23, 1916, of carcinoma of the stomach as reported by the coroner. Jane reported that Mr. Flowers was deeply regretful that he could not direct her to the exact spot where great-grandfather George was buried, as the spot is not marked.

But we had found as much of him as it seems likely we will find. The question of his ancestry may never be answered. The death register notes only that he was born in "Georgia", and there is no indication that there is any other kind of death certificate to provide us with any further clues about his parentage. May he rest in peace.


Post scriptum: Laurel Grove North and South should not be confused with the Bonaventure Cemetery, with its famous statue called "Bird Girl," a picture of which made the unforgettable cover of John Berendt's wonderful tale of Savannah, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Bonaventure Cemetery is southeast of historic Savannah, while the Laurel Grove cemeteries are southwest and considerably closer in. "Bird Girl" herself has been removed to Savannah's Telfair Museum.