Georgia, Columbus, Linwood and Porterdale Colored Cemeteries, Interment Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
Interment records for the Linwood and Porterdale cemeteries in Columbus, Georgia for years 1866-2000. The Porterdale Colored Cemetery is believed to have been planned around an existing slave cemetery from the city's earliest times, ca. 1820. Porterdale, also known as Old Portdale, O.P., or West Porterdale is a historically black cemetery dating back to the early 1800s. East Porterdale appears to have been used beginning in 1946 and is also historically black. The microfilm of the original records is housed at the Georgia Department of Archives in Atlanta, Georgia.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:


 * Name
 * Age
 * Sex
 * Date of internment
 * Cause of death


 * Native of
 * Cemetery location
 * Lot Number
 * Remarks

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the event

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
Whenever possible, view the original records to verify the information and to find additional information that might not be reported. These pieces of information can lead you to additional records and family members.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add the new information to your records
 * Use the birth date listed on the cemetery record to search for birth records
 * Search for the actual death certificate
 * The name of the undertaker or mortuary could lead you to funeral records which often include the names and residences of other family members
 * Search for an obituary in a local newspaper

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by record.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Georgia.
 * Cemeteries
 * Sexton Records
 * Georgia Guided Research
 * Georgia Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Georgia Research, 1880-Present

Family History Library Holdings

 * Columbus, Georgia, Linwood and Porterdale colored cemeteries, 1866-2000
 * Columbus, Georgia, Porterdale Colored Cemetery, 1897-2000

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.