Sacred Paths
The Sons and Daughters of Hardy and Mary Bearden Shelton
Each path reflects an intertwined legacy—carried across place, family, and time.
Select a path to explore.
Pleas Lewis Shelton, Son of Aaron Hardy and Fannie Key Shelton, ca. Late 1910s/Early 1920s - Rome, Georgia Source: Family of Aaron Hardy and Fannie Key Shelton - Pleas is buried at Possum Trot
Sacred Paths
Each generation carries forward a story—shaped by place, memory, and movement across time.
From the lives of Hardy and Mary Bearden Shelton emerged a lineage of sons and daughters whose journeys reflect resilience, labor, and vision in the years following emancipation. Though their paths were not identical, they remain deeply connected—intertwined through shared beginnings and lasting ties across generations.
Some remained closely connected to Rome and the surrounding communities. Others forged paths beyond, establishing families and building lives across Georgia and throughout the country. But none of them forgot the ties to Rome and to the land called now known as Possum Trot. Together, their journeys reflect a broader story of movement, connection, and legacy carried forward.
Select a lineage to explore.
Laura Shelton Rowland Franklin Powell
Where roots remained, yet branches stretched outward— toward river cities, northern roads, and distant western horizons.
Frances “Fannie” Shelton Cathey
From a southern city of growth, her path extended west into wide open lands and north to a great city by the water, carrying her legacy forward.
Mary Shelton Powell
From where her story began, her desendants’ journey moved through quiet southern ground, followed the river into a neighboring city, then north to a great center of industry, and onward to a city where countless paths converge.
Rhoda “Rhody” Shelton Drew
Her path remained close to where it began, rooted in early home and promise, before the journey could fully unfold.
Joel Lee G. Shelton
From southern ground, his path stretched west into new territory where he stood set apart, then returned before moving onward to a southern city of work and renewal, as his legacy continued north and east into cities of industry and influence.
Judy Shelton
Her story was held near its beginning, rooted in the rhythms of home and land before the path could unfold further.
Lucy Shelton Spruce
Her story rests in sacred ground where it began, while her legacy moved south along the river, then north through cities of steel and motion and east toward the nation’s center, extending across the surrounding lands beyond.
Aaron Hardy Shelton
Anchored where his story rests, his legacy moved toward a southern city of rising promise and north into a great city of industry and motion.
Henri Shelton
Before her path could unfold, her story was held close to where it began, resting in the quiet ground of early years.
Lula Shelton Cathey James
After an early turning, her journey followed the river into a neighboring city, then north into industry, while remaining tied to nearby southern ground.
William S. “Will” Shelton
His path remained close to the land, shaped by labor and held in place before the journey could extend beyond.
Matilda Shelton Spruce
In the early unfolding of her days, her story remained close to where it began, held in place before it could stretch beyond.