About the Author
William Akins Thomas, Jr.
After graduating from Ole Miss in 1987 and then the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in 1991, Dr. Thomas completed a career in the U.S. Air Force as an Internal Medicine Physician, Flight Surgeon, and Commander. He lives in Augusta, Georgia with his wife, Paula Haley Thomas. This is his second novel.
Sandra Green, Bruce Roberts, Jan & Steve Eller, Jerry Taylor
PAST AND PRESENT by Jerry Taylor
The Towns County Herald
Hiawassee, Georgia
25 November 2020
Used with permission
The crudely hand-carved stone in remote secluded Old Smyrna Cemetery on Charlie’s Creek reads, “SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF J. B. GODARD WAS BORN SEPT. 18 AD 1818. DEPARTED THIS LIFE BY BEING MURDERED JAN. 17 AD 1887.” For one-hundred and thirty-three years, the stone has stood as a silent sentinel of Godard’s grave. In all that time, no descendant has been to visit his final resting place. That was until Saturday November 21, when members of the Towns County Historical Society escorted his third great grandson to the old cemetery.
Mr. Godard was among Towns County’s earliest settlers and made his living as a lawyer and proprietor of a tippling house in Hiawassee before being brutally murdered on the Charlie’s Creek Road by Tilmon C. Justice in 1887. The established motive for the murder was that Mr. Godard had reported Mr. Justice to the authorities for illicit distilling. Mr. Justice was convicted of the murder at the September term of Towns County Superior Court and was sentenced by Judge C. J. Wellborn to be hanged on November 18, 1887.
Earlier this year, Dr. William Thomas of Augusta, Georgia found the memorial of his great-great-great grandfather, James B. Godard on findagrave.com. Keenly interested in his family history, and wanting to find out as much as possible about his connection with Towns County, Dr. Thomas contacted Sandra Green, president of the Towns County Historical Society who put him in touch with County Historian Jerry Taylor and Steve Eller who mounted an effort to clean and restore Old Smyrna Cemetery.
Soon, Jerry Taylor organized a local effort to take Dr. Thomas to visit his ancestor’s final resting place, which took place on November 21, 2020. It was a bone-rattling ride on Charlie’s Creek Road to reach the destination. Following the cemetery visit and before returning to Hiawassee, the group explored the highland area by visiting the Old Smyrna Church site on Flat Branch, Charlie’s Creek, Tallulah River, Tate City, and Persimmon.
Towns County Historical Society Members who took part in the trip and tour of the area were Sandra Green, president; Jerry Taylor, vice-president and County Historian; Steve and Jan Eller, Smyrna Cemetery project leaders, Jesse Cook, former game warden who is familiar with the area; and Bruce Roberts who has logged many steps in the high country and is familiar with the territory and flora of the area.
As a side note, Steve Eller’s interest in Old Smyrna Cemetery comes from the fact that it is also the final resting place of his ancestor Hardy Washington Eller (1843-1908) who served on the jury that convicted Tilmon C. Justice in the murder of James B. Godard. Another interesting connection is that Sandra Green is a direct descendant of the namesake of Charlie’s Creek, Charles B. “Charlie” Rogers, whose gun was used by Tilmon C. Justice to murder James B. Godard.
November 21, 2020 was an awesome day when the past connected with the present.