I love walking through a cemetery, particularly an old cemetery. When I look at unmarked graves made from rocks or bricks, to huge monuments or small headstones, I love trying to imagine the life of the person buried there. Reading the epitaphs written on large and small headstones gives me a small glimpse into the life of that person. A few months ago I had the opportunity to visit Long Cane Baptist Church cemetery in West Point, GA. While walking through the cemetery with Robert Wright (Adventures into History) we discovered a row of very unique headstones. After comments made by readers and a little research, we found out that William Rufus "Rock" Johnson was the headstone carver. Since then, I have visited several cemeteries in Georgia and Alabama that contain Rock Jackson headstones. Please join me in discovering the unique artistry of "Rock" Jackson.
William "Rock " Jackson 1808-1892
William Rufus Jackson, affectionately known as "Rock" was born in Mecklenburg, VA in 1808 the son of Nathaniel and Millie Holmes Jackson. Nathaniel Jackson was a miller and builder of water powered mills. His expertise was in demand and the family moved frequently. Around 1818, the family settled on the Little River in Morgan County, GA near Madison. Nathaniel bought 300 acres and a mill that later became known as Jackson Mill. William possibly began to work in his father's mill and learn skills that he would use as an adult. In the 1820's the Jackson family moved into Greene County. In 1830 William married Martha Lucy Foster. The young family moved into Harris County in the 1830's and lived there until 1841. (In 1836 Jackson had purchased 177 acres in Chambers County, AL). In 1841 the family moved to Penton, AL and settled near Sandy Creek. The Lafayette Clipper, Lafayette AL, January 3, 1878
William began his career as a tombstone maker. He used a stone, "schist", mined in the area. The stone was green, gray or bluish in color. He was an innovative and skilled carver. He used up to forty saws in the production process. His unique lettering and carving of symbols on the headstones are distinct and unique. Jackson also owned and operated a grist mill, a cotton gin and a jug factory with a wool machine. He had quite a reputation as an inventor. He tried to invent a "horseless carriage" but was unsuccessful. He built a swinging bridge on his property, the first in the community, and his home had quite a few unusual innovations.
William and Martha joined the Macedonia Primitive Baptist Church in 1847. Martha passed away on April 23, 1849, leaving eight children, their youngest child Benjamin was only three months old. She was buried in the Macedonia cemetery. Jackson married Martha Lucy Foster on July 10, 1849. They had three children. Two of Jackson's sons lost their lives in the Civil War. Edwin enlisted in 1862 and died in a miliary hospital in Atlanta in October 1863 and was buried in the Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta. Burrell enlisted on April 18, 1862 and died one month later on May 28, 1862. He was buried in the Macedonia Primitive Baptist Church cemetery.
In 1865 Jackson became a Mason and Macedonia excluded him from membership, though he was restored before his death. His second wife, Lucy, died in 1883, she was also buried in the Macedonia cemetery.
He married Martha Davis on December 5, 1883. Theyhad no children. William Jackson died on August 22, 1892. He was buried in the Macedonia cemetery along with many of his family members and descendants.
References
"Morgan, Georgia, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4K-2WL9-7?view=explore : Feb 6, 2026), image 209 of 609; . Image Group Number: 007898909
Ancestry.com. Georgia, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1754-1850 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997.
The Mortuary Constructions of William Rufus Jackson: A Demographic and Spatial Analysis of Folk Art Tombstones in the East Alabama Area" by Monica Norton Cox
The Lafayette Clipper, Lafayette, AL, January 3, 1878, p. 1
- The Heritage of Chambers County, Alabama. Chambers County Heritage Book Committee, 1999.
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