Notable Residents

1.) J.W. Davis Woodmen of the World Marker: Having been a member of the fraternal insurance organization Woodmen of the World, J.W. Davis received the stylized tree trunk headstone associated with the fraternity’s legacy.

2.) Confederate Soldiers: Two sections of Linwood, on both the southeast and southwest corner, are dedicated to the many men who died in Columbus hospitals during the War Between the States.

3.) Louis Haiman: Originally from the Polish province of Posen, this Jewish tinsmith forged swords for the Confederacy during the war, and agricultural apparatus afterward.

4.) Tabitha Lamar: Tabitha was the wife of Mirabeau Lamar, the man who not only founded the Columbus Enquirer, but also served as the second President of the Texan Republic, following the term of Sam Houston.

5.) Dr. Francis Orray Ticknor: A full-time physician and part-time poet, Ticknor wrote the Civil War poem “Little Giffen.”

6.) Dr. Edwin L. deGraffinreid: A physician and city Commissioner, deGraffinreid played an instrumental role in the early planning of Columbus, even choosing the river bluff on which the town was placed.

7.) Thomas Gilbert: Both a printer and a newspaper editor for The Sun, Gilbert is responsible for the first history of Columbus.

8.) Fishburne Lot: This lot presents a fine example of the intricate cast-iron fences erected to enclose family plots.

9.) William H. Young: During the mid-1800s, Young was one of Columbus’ most prominent businessmen, responsible for starting the Eagle and Phenix Mills.

10.) Dr. John S. Pemberton: A pharmacist who was wounded in the last land battle of the Civil War here in Columbus, Pemberton would go on to concoct the secret formula to Coca-Cola.

11.) Chappell Family Lot: The Chappell’s were a family filled with civic pride, with A.H. Chappell serving as congressman in the 1840’s, L.H. Chappell a six-term mayor, and Miss Loretto Columbus’ most beloved librarian.

12.) H. Augusta Howard: As the woman who founded Georgia’s Women Suffrage Association, Howard’s headstone is emblazoned with the word “Martyr.”

13.) Lizzie Rutherford Ellis: Lizzie was the leader of a local group of ladies who established the observance of Confederate Memorial Day, a practice that spread throughout the South in which every April 26th the graves of fallen Confederate soldiers were decorated.

14.) John Winter: An antebellum industrialist, former mayor, and staunch Unionist, Winter fled his homeland in 1861 but requested that his body be brought back to Columbus for burial.

15.) Margaret Traylor: This woman’s grave bears the image of an obelisk and willow tree in a single icon, a symbol believed to have traveled to Charleston, SC from Germany before finding its way to Linwood in 1849.

16.) Jones-Benning Lot: This family plot is occupied by Seaborn Jones, a lawyer in the early days of Columbus and the builder of the St. Elmo mansion, and his son-in-law Henry L. Benning, himself a lawyer as well as the Confederate general from which Fort Benning took its name.

17.) Garrard Lot: Memorialized by one of the tallest obelisks in Linwood Cemetery, L.F. Garrard at one time served as Speaker of Georgia House of Representatives and was responsible for developing the Weracoba neighborhood around Lakebottom Park.

18.) James Warner: A naval engineer who oversaw the Confederate Navy Yard in which the ironclad C.S.S. Muscogee was constructed, Warner was accidently killed in a row between locals and black federal troops during Reconstruction.

19.) W.C. Bradley: One of the most prominent names in Columbus, Bradley was a jack-of-all-trades: an industrialist, a wholesale merchant, and an investor who served as Chairman of the Board for Coca-Cola for over twenty years.

20.) Johnnie Pearl Patrick Johnson: The mother of Hollywood screenwriter Nunnally Johnson, Johnnie was a driving force in Columbus’ educational development, founding the local PTA organization and becoming the first woman to serve on the school board. In honor of her achievements her name was given to Johnson School.

21.) Noble Leslie DeVotie: A Baptist minister and newspaper editor, DeVotie was the main contributing founder of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, the first national fraternity to be established in the Deep South.

22.) Brig. General Paul J. Semmes: A local businessman and one time president of the Coweta Falls Textile Mill, Semmes answered the call of duty but fell on the field of battle at Gettysburg.

23.) Tom Huston: Both an inventor and artistic photographer, Huston was the creative force behind Tom’s Peanuts.

24.) Georgia Mustian: One of the most elaborate headstones in Linwood Cemetery, this memorial to a twenty-five year old married woman features a sleeping child overlooked by a dove beneath an arch of rose blossoms.

25.) Francis Joseph Springer: A local grocer who took his savings and invested it in the construction of the theater that would bear his name, the Springer Opera House.