Georgia, U.S., Catholic Diocese of Savannah Cemetery Records, 1853-1975

This collection contains various cemetery records from the Diocese of Savannah, located in southern Georgia.

Background Information

The Catholic Cemetery in Savannah opened on August 2, 1853 by Savannah’s first bishop, Rt. Rev. Francis X. Gartland. He purchased eight and one third acres from the Rhinehart Plantation for the sum of $833.00. The property was described as being on the corner of the Thunderbolt and Causton Bluff Roads. After it opened, remains were exhumed from Colonial Park Cemetery and reburied in what is now called the Old Section. Many stones and markers were also transferred around this time. Additional tracts of land were purchased and donated, enlarging the cemetery’s size. These became known as Dogwood, Palmetto and Magnolia. The last addition was the Holy Cross portion in the rear of Hillcrest Abby East Cemetery, purchased by Most Rev. Gerald P. O’Hara in 1934.

The responsibility of management changed throughout the Catholic Cemetery’s long history. Originally, it was managed by the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah and known as the “Cathedral Cemetery”. It served as the encampment area for some General Sherman's troops after the surrender of Savanah on November 23, 1864. Sherman ordered fortifications to be built, a project that removed cemetery fences, leaving it open to vandalism and theft. During this time, many graves were desecrated. After the Civil War, the Federal government at the urging of Savannah’s Bishop, Rt. Rev. Augustine Verot, restored the cemetery. It is unclear whether the Cathedral or the Diocese resumed management of the cemetery. In the 1960s, Hill Crest, an adjoining cemetery, took over management and burial responsibilities. Both sale and burial records from this time are inconsistent and sometimes incomplete. Eventually cemetery management was returned to the Diocese of Savannah, first as the responsibility of the Finance Department, then the responsibility of a separate “Cemetery Office.”

About the Records

Information available on each record varies, but may include:

• The name of the deceased or owner of the cemetery plot
• The death date, if deceased
• The burial date, if deceased
• The age and marital status of the deceased
• The name of the spouse of the deceased
• The name of the attending priest or reverend of the deceased
• The specifics of the burial site or plot purchased, including the cemetery division, lot, and section

Updates:
4 Aug 2020: Added 10,635 new records and 5,832 new images from additional cemetery and funeral registers.