John Gissendanner was born in 1830 in South Carolina, a slave, possibly of Daniel Jacob Gissendanner. John and Martha Gissendanner were the parents of 15 children. John was emancipated in 1866. He named land that he had bought Johntown. .

This work contains complete as well as incomplete records of forty-seven cemeteries in Greene County, Alabama. In the past, some of these cemeteries were located in several surrounding counties which were once Greene County. Also, five of these cemeteries are located across the state line in Mississippi. Mrs. Mary Marshall, a well-known local historian and genealogist, compiled this information in a spiral notebook through years of searching these discarded and nearly inaccessible cemeteries. Along with the data, she added her personal knowledge about the families buried in these cemeteries; names of siblings, wives, children of the deceased, relationships of survivors and etc. Therefore, all of her personal comments and detailed instructions are included as they could be invaluable to the researcher in these communities. Cemeteries included are: Belmont, Bethsalem, Beulah, Bigbee, Boligee City, Colvin, Clinton, Concord, Eatman, Ellis, Eutaw, Forkland, Garden, Gays, Greensboro, Gordon or Collins, Harrison, Horton, Havana, Hebron, Lower Pickensville, Lyon, Mildred Jones, Mobley, Mt. Hebron City, Nance, New Hope, New Prospect, Norwood, Old Bethany, Old Erie, Odd Fellows, Old Hollowsquare, Old Mitchell, Otterson, Pippen, Pleasant Hill (also known by other names), Rice, Sawyersville, Shady Grove, Stancel, Steel, Unnamed, Upper Pickensville, Vienns, West Greene, Bardsdale-Cannon, Biensville, Brownlee, Giles, and Turner.