Imagine scurrying off to war at 11 years of age and only allowed in because you cheated your own last name and looked 14? And leaving your childhood behind forever for the adventure most men even feared? You had no concept of a telephone or electricity let alone the world at large! Or war! But how the memory of all, including shaking the hands of both General Robert E. Lee and General Beauregard must have been some of his fondest as he grew old. Just something about Little Drummer Boys we’d garner to say. And that is what Whitemarsh H. MacFeeley would become for a South Carolina unit long before he was buried in Savannah at 67 years of age in 1920. But the road to discovering when exactly he was born or died or whether he himself really knew his own actual age has been part of the research fun! We hope you enjoy this video!
Tag Archives: Bonaventure Historical Society
GivingTuesday For The Bonaventure Historical Society
Although I’ve reservations about some of the controllers and operation tactics of PayPal & Facebook, one has to give credit where its due and there’s no denying how both came together along with the obvious support of the cemetery’s loyal fans to help The Bonaventure Historical Society. When I saw that Facebook and PayPal would be matching funds donated for the first 7 million dollars raised, naturally I sprang into action and launched Gracie’s #GivingTuesday Fundraiser and made the first donation just to see what might happen. Well I couldn’t have been more pleased obviously when I saw us make the $500 goal and then exceeded it by another $245.00. I am unsure if we fell into the “match” areas or not but at minimum, $745.00 wasn’t half bad for a day out with the dead. And in such a small city like Savannah where it lacks overall population, a broad youthful one at that, and then city laws and those budget constraints, every bit extra helps. For some time now, I’ve been adding a donation button to many of my Facebook posts as its an easy thing to add asking for contributions to The Bonaventure Historical Society and also reminds me to donate when I’ve got the spare change! The sad epilogue for me though was learning that the Director, Lee Maltenfort had passed away unexpectedly in August of 2018. As I was visiting my family in Illinois, I received the news rather late and was bummed to think I could not share the good news with him. But in my own way #GivingTuesday, Dec 3, 2018 dedicated to Lee, who was so passionate for Bonaventure like no other really and he will be sorely missed. Like Bonaventure Cemetery itself, Lee Maltenfort was one of a kind and irreplaceable. I’ll write about him soon and Rest In Peace Mr. Maltenfort. We’ll carry on the good work. Please consider making a donation in his name or joining at www.bonaventurehistorical.org
From Left, Greeter Stacy Doty (RIP), Lee Maltenfort (RIP) and Lee’s lovely widow, Judy.