Chamblee54

This content was published October 31, 2015. … Nancy Creek Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery had a cemetery cleanup Halloween morning. A group of people gathered to listen to Albert Martin talking about the history of the area. The main goal was to clear out two areas with unknown graves. An estimated 800 people are buried in NCPBCC, with “only 150” marked.
NCPBCC is on Eighth Street, on the Chamblee-Brookhaven border. The road does a ninety degree turn, and becomes New Peachtree Road. In the pre-Marta era, Eighth Street went to Peachtree Road. It came out behind the Pure Oil Station. I remember when the RR crossing did not have a light, or a crossbar. It was marked by a yellow sign that said Railroad Crossing.
The first part of the morning was a talk about area history. The land was originally owned by the Creek nation. During the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812, there was a division in the Creek nation. Some supported the British, while some supported the rebelling colonies. Soon white settlers moved into the area, after treaties with the Creeks granted land to the settlers. In 1826, the Nancy Creek Primitive Baptist Church was founded. The Prospect Church, further down Peachtree Road, was the other church in the area. Prospect is now LIVE FIT ATL. Nancy Creek was believed to be named for Nancy Evins, an early settler. It may have been Nancy’s Creek at one time.
NCPBCC has a Revolutionary War veteran.William Reeve (1756-1842), a Lieutenant in the Virginia militia, is buried by his wife Nutty Reeve. … There is at least one veteran of the War Between the States. Charles H. Goodwin was part of the Goodwin family that settled in this area. Pvt. Godwin’s marker says: “Pvt CO K 38 REGT GA INF CSA June 2, 1845 – AUG 4 1862” Albert Martin says that Pvt. Godwin is probably rolling in his grave over the American Flags marking his final resting place. Pvt. Godwin was wounded in battle, brought home, where he died.
The talk about history went on, and I did not remember all of it. At one point, I mentioned a pet cemetery behind the Peachtree Animal Hospital. The man who knew cemetery history, Albert Martin, did not know about this pet cemetery. I also remembered a handful of graves, on a hill behind the Pure Oil Station. Some of these had the Masonic symbol on them.
The main objective of the cleanup was to clear out leaves from two areas. When the Marta lines came through, their archeologists put metal markers where graves were known to be. Many of these unmarked graves have artificial flowers. No one knows who put these artificial flowers in the cemetery. Cleaning volunteers were cautioned not to move any stones, or grave markers. Leaves were piled onto tarpolins, and carried out for pickup by Chamblee sanitation. These leaves were heavier than expected, and provided a lively workout for those who carried them out. A tarp, full of leaves, being carried out by two people, resembled the sight of carrying a body. Perhaps this is what happens to people whose families fall behind on maintenance payments.
Some neighbors, whose back yards go up against the cemetery, wondered how accurate the surveyors were when the boundaries were established. There were iron markers in the far back part of the cemetery, up against the fence. It is possible that some are outside the established area. I questioned the wisdom of doing a cemetery cleanup on Halloween. There were no apparent incidents, and the cleanup volunteers worked without interference from the dead.
2026 Update: I went walking in the cemetery recently, and saw that some Goodwin family graves were not being maintained. After making this discovery, I wrote The Solomon Goodwin House, a history of the oldest house in Dekalb county.
As of yesterday, the vines were cleared off Emily Goodwin’s monument. Most of the other Goodwin graves were poorly maintained. This includes Harris Goodwin, who moved to Georgia in the early 1830. He was one of the first white residents in what became Brookhaven. Two of his sons, Gustin E Goodwin and Charles Harris Goodwin, died in the War Between the States.
Historic Brookhaven cemetery holds DeKalb history was written November 17, 2015. … “There are several members of the pioneer Goodwin family buried at the Nancy Creek Cemetery. Solomon Goodwin was originally buried at the cemetery, but his grave was moved to the Goodwin home place in 1966 to make way for the Marta rail line. A few years ago the descendants of the Goodwin family decided to return Solomon and other Goodwin family members to Nancy Creek Cemetery.”
“Confederate soldier Charles Goodwin is buried among the Goodwin family. His marker tells us that he was in Company K of the 38th Regiment of the Georgia Infantry and that he died August 4, 1862 when he was only 16. … Mr. Albert Martin was also on hand at the Ashford Park community workday to relate some Goodwin family history. Mr. Martin is the great, great grandson of Harris Goodwin, who built the first Goodwin log cabin along Peachtree Road in the 1830s.”
Pictures today are by Chamblee54. The social media picture is Albert Lynn Martin, Jr, April 22, 1928 – November 19, 2020. Mr. Martin is quoted in The Solomon Goodwin House.
©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah