Founder of Cottage Cemetery
Oswell Eve (1754-1829). Born in Philadelphia, Oswell took up his father’s trade as a captain of trading vessels. He married Aphra Ann (Pritchard) Eve (1765-1821) in Charleston. Together they had fifteen children, several who were contributors to the development of Augusta. Her sister was Catherine (Pritchard) FitzSimons. The Eves moved their family to Edgefield, South Carolina, and then to Augusta. He was a ruling founding elder of Augusta’s First Presbyterian Church. He was esteemed for his courteous manner, his pure example, his incorruptible integrity, and zeal for public good. Located south of Augusta, he built The Cottage Place as a summer home for the Eve family. In 1800, the cemetery was established not far from the house.
Some of Oswell and Aphra’s children and their spouses
Mary Elizabeth Eve (1788-1855) married John Carmichael (1774-1847). Born in Ireland, John established himself as a businessman in Augusta. He became a wealthy merchant, a leader in the community, and served on the original board of directors of Augusta’s first bank.
Catherine (Eve) Watkins (1787-1869) married Robert Campbell (1787-1873). She was the widow of Dr. Anderson Watkins. Upon Robert’s death, The Augusta Chronicle called him “our venerable fellow-citizen” who was “highly esteemed and respected, but loathed ostentation.” He was vice president of the Liberation Colonization Society and an abolitionist. He was a successful businessman and supported several nephews through medical school.
Martha Henrietta Eve (1792-1833) married Gilbert Longstreet (1783-1851). Gilbert was the son of William and Hannah (FitzRandolph) Longstreet, brother of Augustus Baldwin Longstreet, and uncle to Confederate General James Longstreet. After Martha Henrietta’s death Gilbert migrated to Texas where he participated in the Texas Revolution. He is recognized as a Son of the Republic of Texas. While buried in Texas, a memorial stone was placed in the cemetery for him.
Emmaline Oswell (Eve) Smith (1798-1882). She wrote an account of her life, “Our Family History.” It provides a glimpse into her world during the 19th century and gives detailed information about her family members. She married William H. Smith (1794-1844).
Maria FitzSimons Eve (1797-1833) married John Bones (1792-1870), an Irish immigrant. Following Maria’s death he married his first cousin, Mary Brown (1810-1865), daughter of Reverend James and Elizabeth (Adams) Brown, while visiting relatives in Ireland. All three are buried in Cottage Cemetery. John was a successful businessman, city leader, and played a major role in the development of railroads in Augusta.
Dr. Paul FitzSimons Eve (1799-1877). He was an internationally known physician and surgeon. A memorial marker to Dr. Eve stands on Greene Street in downtown Augusta. He was elected president of the American Medical Association in 1857. He first married Sarah Louise Twiggs (1815-1851). Their remains were later moved to Magnolia Cemetery by his second wife, Sarah Ann Duncan (1823-1897).
Other descendants of Oswell and Aphra Ann
William S. Carmichael (1846-1914). He was the grandson of John and Mary Elizabeth (Eve) Carmichael. While a cadet at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) he fought in the historic Battle New Market during the Civil War. Local VMI alumni worked for at least two years to uncover William’s gravestone in the vandalized and neglected Cottage Cemetery. This effort by VMI prompted a group of cousins to come together to form AHCC.
Emma Eve (Longstreet) Sibley (1826-1898). Her parents were Gilbert and Henrietta (Eve) Longstreet. She married Josiah Sibley (1808-1888). He owned Sibley Mill which operated in Augusta for 124 years. Today it is a National Historic Landmark. Emma was born at The Cottage Place.
Josephine (Sibley) Couper (1867-1957). She was a daughter of Josiah Sibley and Emma (Eve) Longstreet. She went by Jo and became a widely acclaimed southern artist. Her work is known internationally and is part of the collection at the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Georgia. She married Butler King Couper (1851-1913).
Relatives of General James Longstreet. In Cottage Cemetery there are twenty-one relatives of General Longstreet, including nine first cousins. It is through the Longstreet line that kinship can be claimed to the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Hussein Obama.
Oswell’s brother and his family
Dr. Joseph Eve (1760-1835). He was a scientist, inventor, and poet. He was Oswell Eve’s brother. In his twenties he invented a machine to separate seed from cotton. Many scientific and literary accomplishments are associated with his life. Among his friends were Benjamin Franklin and Dr. Benjamin Rush. He married Hannah Singletary (1772-1843).
Dr. Joseph Adams Eve (1805-1886). He was the son of Joseph and Hannah (Singletary) Eve. He and Milton Anthony co-founded the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) in 1832.
Dr. Edward Armstrong Eve (1807-1877). He was the son of Joseph and Hannah (Singletary) Eve. He was an outstanding physician and one of five members of the first graduating class of MCG in 1833. He married Sarah Jane Raiford (1818-1897).
Maria Louisa Eve (1842-1900). She was the daughter of Edward and Sarah Eve. She published many poems. In 1866 she was awarded a prize of $100 for an article written expressing gratitude for northern aid during an epidemic of yellow fever in the south.
“Beauty” …. To me the deepest pathos dwells
Maria Louisa Eve
Where beauty wears its’ smile supreme.
It tantalizes like a dream
But never unto mortal man
It’s secret tells.
Relatives of Dr. Henry F. Campbell. After graduating from MCG in 1842 he became a faculty member. He co-founded the Jackson Street Hospital and Surgical Infirmary in Augusta. Dr. Campbell served as President of AMA in 1885. His parents, James Colgan Campbell and Mary Roma Eve, grandparents, Joseph and Hannah (Singletary) Eve, and uncle, Robert Campbell, are buried in Cottage Cemetery.
Aphra’s sister and her family
Christopher Cashel FitzSimons (1762-1825). Born in Ireland, he married Catherine Pritchard (1772-1841), sister of Aphra Ann (Pritchard) Eve. He was a successful planter and merchant. He owned Silver Bluff Plantation and Old Town Plantation. Their daughter, Catherine, was the wife of South Carolina Governor James Henry Hammond. Another daughter, Ann, married Colonel Wade Hampton, Jr., and Goodale House (later Goodale Inn) was given as her dowry. Ann and Wade’s son was South Carolina Governor Wade Hampton III.
Owen Paul FitzSimons (1826-1909). His grandparents were Christopher and Catherine (Pritchard) FitzSimons. He married Mary Elizabeth Baynard (1828-1889). Following graduation from the University of Virginia, he became an Episcopal clergyman, serving churches in Alabama. He served as captain and chaplain in the 1st Alabama Infantry Regiment during the Spanish American War. Later he attained the rank of major in the Alabama National Guard.
Augusta's Historic Cottage Cemetery 