About "Gone But Not Forgotten: Montgomery County Alabama Cemeteries"
Montgomery County, Alabama celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2016. As such, county government offices and departments participated in various efforts and projects throughout the year to celebrate the county bicenntennial. In early 2016 Suzanne Horton, head of Reference Services at the Montgomery, Alabama City-County Public Library, reached out to Montgomery County Archivist Dallas Hanbury about cooperating on a project as a way to participate in the bicenntennial. This digital exhibit on Montgomery County cemeteries and the people buried in them in represents that partnership's outcome.
Horton and Hanbury selected cemeteries as their project's subject for several reasons, including the availability of sources to construct an exhibit, cemeteries' importance in Montgomery County life and history, and because cemeteries offer a direct, tangible link to the past. Cemeteries provide a living history for those who have loved ones buried in them, as well as for genealogists, historians, and the overall community.
Although all of Montgomery County's cemeteries have historical value, time constraints demanded this exhibit employ a tight focus. As such, although Montgomery County likely contains hundreds of cemeteries, Horton and Hanbury focused on two. The same rationale was applied when deciding which individuals to spotlight. Within the exhibit's narrow range, an effort was made to reference a wide cross section of the many individuals who lived and died in Montgomery County.
This exhibit is meant to act as a conversation starter about Montgomery County's history. We hope you enjoy it and trust it inspires further interest in the county and its past.