Savannah Ga. Bonaventure Cemetery
John Mullryne establishes Bonaventure plantation
The history of Bonaventure begins with the saga of two early and prominent colonial families, the Mullrynes and the Tattnalls. In 1771 John Mullryne, and his son-in-law, Josiah Tattnall, owned approximately 9,920 acres of Georgia land, including 600 acres just three miles from Savannah on St. Augustine Creek. This site became the family plantation, named Bonaventure, French for “good fortune.”
Mullryne, who also built the third Tybee Lighthouse in 1773, established a small family plot on the grounds, which eventually formed the nucleus of the present-day Bonaventure Cemetery. The first identified adult to be buried here was Harriet Fenwick Tattnall, interred in 1802.
Evergreen Cemetery was purchased by the City of Savannah in 1907 and became Bonaventure Cemetery. In 1982, it was placed under the supervision of the city’s Department of Cemeteries. In 2001, thanks in part to the efforts of BHS volunteers, the Cemetery was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Today the cemetery is still active, containing nearly 100 acres.
Read MoreThe history of Bonaventure begins with the saga of two early and prominent colonial families, the Mullrynes and the Tattnalls. In 1771 John Mullryne, and his son-in-law, Josiah Tattnall, owned approximately 9,920 acres of Georgia land, including 600 acres just three miles from Savannah on St. Augustine Creek. This site became the family plantation, named Bonaventure, French for “good fortune.”
Mullryne, who also built the third Tybee Lighthouse in 1773, established a small family plot on the grounds, which eventually formed the nucleus of the present-day Bonaventure Cemetery. The first identified adult to be buried here was Harriet Fenwick Tattnall, interred in 1802.
Evergreen Cemetery was purchased by the City of Savannah in 1907 and became Bonaventure Cemetery. In 1982, it was placed under the supervision of the city’s Department of Cemeteries. In 2001, thanks in part to the efforts of BHS volunteers, the Cemetery was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Today the cemetery is still active, containing nearly 100 acres.
