John Edens Cemetery

(3 miles east)

Among the earliest burials in this family cemetery on John Edens' land are believed to be the victims of the Edens-Madden massacre, which occurred near here in October 1838. The victims included John Edens' second wife, whose name is unknown; his daughters Caledonia, 3, and Emily, 16; grandsons Robert and Seldon Madden, ages 7 and 4; Sarah (Hall) Murchison; Mary Madden, the 3-year-old daughter of Robert and Nancy Madden; and Mary Murchison Sadler. More than 30 people reportedly were buried here, including James Madden (d. 1843), first sheriff of Houston County. The four marked graves remaining at the dawn of the 21st century are those of John Edens (1783-1857); his grandson, Isaac R. Earl; and great-grandsons James Franklin and Henry Lee Earl. (2000).