Payne Cemetery

Dec 3rd the Faded Footprints met on Cannon road and toured the Old Leatherwood Community just off Hwy 184 in Toccoa. The group cleaned the Payne cemetery and visited the old house sites of Thomas Thomason, Memm Payne, Westmoreland, and Simmons. Other families in the old community include Bell, Farmer, Brady, Aderhold/Aderholt, hooper, Westmoreland, Ayers, Andrews, Wilbanks, Kelly, and Whitfield. Thomas Thomason farmed and settled the area, and the Thomason family ran the post office and general store. His store was in the center of the community. Several cemeteries in the Leatherwood community are Simmons, Simmons-Meeler, Mason, Brady, Payne, and Unknown. Besides the Leatherwood post office and general store, the Jim brady store, steam engine, saw mill and the cannon school was located here. The school was also used as a voting house for elections. Much information about family history and the old community was given to the volunteers during the tour.