Family Photographs from
Lamar County, Georgia

These photographs have been generously contributed by the descendants of earlier Lamar County, Georgia, citizens.  Lamar County was created in 1920 from portions of the counties of Pike and Monroe; therefore, some of these settlers may have lived in one of these other counties during their lifetimes.

Gwen Cosby Moore's great grandfather was Thomas Jefferson Berry (right).  He owned T. J. Berry & Co. in Barnesville from the early 1900's until he retired and turned it over to his son Mark Ray Berry in the early 1940's. These photographs of him and his wife, Mary Etta Thomas, were taken circa 1892.

Thomas Jefferson Berry, born in 1865 near Pleasant Hill, Butts County, Georgia, to William R. Berry and Ann Rebecca Lemon. As an adult he started a general store in Patilla, Monroe County in what is now the Northeast corner of Lamar County. In the early 1900's he started T. J. Berry & Co in Barnesville. The store was in the Stafford Building on the corner of Thomaston and Market Street and catered mainly to the needs of the farmers of the area. He was a successful merchant which afforded him the ability to purchase farmland and houses in Pike, Monroe, and what would become Lamar Counties.  Many of his descendants live on those lands today.  He was an influential member of the community and joined with the group who worked for the formation of Lamar County. He also work to have the area's streets paved.  In 1892 he married Mary Etta Thomas who was born in 1871 in Monroe County to Nathan Thomas and Elizabeth Hardaway.  Tom and Etta had seven children, six girls and one boy.  Education was very important to the family and all of the children graduated from Gordon Academy and went on to higher education. Tom died in 1946 and Etta followed in 1948. They are both buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Barnesville.

Please contribute scanned photos of your Lamar County ancestors, their homes & businesses, cemetery plots, etc.  Be sure to include your name and a short description.    E-mail your photos to the County Coordinator.  If scanning is a problem, and you prefer to mail copies of photos, please contact me for my mailing address.