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History of Dodge County
MRS. WILTON PHILIP COBB
1800
E272 Class
Book II 5 Cb
Copyright Nº
COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT.
HISTORY
of
DODGE COUNTY
MRS. WILTON PHILIP COBB.
Mrs. W. P. Cobb
M' RS. COBB was born and reared in Appling County, Georgia. She is the daughter of Prof. John J. Davis and Adeline Hall Davis. She attended the schools in Appling County. At an early age she entered the South Georgia College at McRae, later entering the Georgia State College for Women at Milledgeville.
Mrs. Cobb came of Confederate parentage, her father having seen service through all four years of the war. He left school at the call for volunteers and completed his education after the war.
Her mother was twice married, first to Captain Middleton Graham of the Confederate army, who was also a prominent attorney of Appling County. She was one of the foremost women in helping the Confederacy. She, with other women of the community, made the uniforms for one entire company of volunteers, the "Appling Grays." Her children by the above union were the late Judge Elisha D. Graham, for many years Judge of the Oconee Judicial Circuit, John W. Graham, and Mrs. Norah Graham Darling. After the death of Mr. Graham she was married to Prof. John J. Davis, one of the most prominent school teachers of that time. By this union her children were Mrs. Jennie Davis Sessoms and Mrs. Addie Davis Cobb. She was the daughter of Hon. Seaborn Hall and his wife, Crissie Quinn Hall. Mr. Hall was too old to enter the Con- federate service, but he sent his two sons to the front, one of whom was a lieutenant in the Fourth Georgia Cavalry. Mr. Hall had fought in the Indian wars. He represented Appling County in the Legisla- ture from 1835 to 1842. He was a delegate from Appling County to the Secession Convention in 1861, and served as a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1877 when the Constitution of the State of Georgia was adopted.
It was Mr. Hall who aided in the escape of General John C. Breck- enridge from the Federal authorities. After the surrender at Ap- pomattox, President Davis and Gen. Breckenridge were trying to make their way across Georgia to Alabama. After leaving Washing- ton, Ga., where the last cabinet meeting was held, President Davis and Gen. Breckenridge decided to travel in different directions. Gen. Breckenridge crossed the Altamaha River and came to the home of Mr. Hall, who took him into his home and kept him for about a week. Upon hearing of the capture of President Davis and that the Federals were in close pursuit of Gen. Breckenridge, Mr. Hall took him in his buggy across the country into Florida, where Gen.
iii
Breckenridge boarded a steamer and made his escape. The entire trip to Florida had to be made by riding at night and hiding out during the day. When they parted Gen. Breckenridge was so over- whelmed with gratitude to Mr. Hall, who refused to accept any remuneration for his hospitality, that he insisted that he accept his gold watch as a token of his friendship and esteem.
Mrs. Cobb was married on the 18th of July, 1900, to Wilton Philip Cobb of Villa Rica, Ga. They are the parents of one son. Wilton Elisha Cobb. Mr. Cobb is also of Confederate parentage, being the youngest son of Capt. John M. Cobb, of Company I, 56th Georgia Regiment.
Mrs. Cobb is an ardent daughter of the Confederacy. She joined the Chapter of U. D. C. at Jesup, Ga., and then upon organization of the Fanny Gordon Chapter at Eastman, she had her membership transferred. She was corresponding secretary two years. recording secretary two years, and was then elected president of the chapter, which position she held several years. During the World War she was an earnest worker in all war work, was treasurer of the Dodge County Chapter of the American Red Cross, and was also a faithful worker at the Red Cross work room. She was appointed by the United States Treasury Department to sell Thrift and War Savings Stamps, and was instrumental in carrying Dodge County over the top in the war savings drive.
Mrs. Cobb is also an enthusiastic member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, her great-grandfather, Lewis Hall of North Carolina, having been a lieutenant in the Revolutionary War. She was recording secretary of the Col. William Few Chapter for four years and has served as first vice-regent for a number of years.
iv
Cobb, Addie (Davis) " Mrs. Wilton Philip Cobb'
HISTORY
of
DODGE COUNTY
BY
MRS. WILTON PHILIP COBB
1932
- 292 . 115 C6
COPYRIGHT 1932 By
MRS. WILTON PHILIP COBE
FOOTE & DAVIES CO , ATLANTA
CCIA 60133
FER -21093
Dedication
To the Col. Wm. Few Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, from whom I received the inspiration to write history, and to those sturdy men and wo- men who braved the dangers and hardships of the wilderness to open up a new era of civilization, I respectfully dedicate this volume.
THE AUTHOR.
Preface
"Histories are as perfect as the historian is wise, and is gifted with an eye and a soul."-CARLYLE.
IT MAY seem presumptuous for one not endowed with any amount of wisdom to undertake the task of writing a history, but "fools dare where Angels fear to tread."
The writing of this history has been a labor of love, love for those who have lived and toiled and passed on, and love for those who are still carrying on for the upbuilding of this county and the nation.
It has not been an easy task to compile the mass of information herein contained, at times it seemed an almost hopeless one, but by perseverance and a tenacity that would not let go we have succeeded in giving the facts as nearly complete as we were able to obtain of the origin and development of the county of Dodge. While we confess that the book is not perfect, we would ask that you be charitable in your criticisms of same.
Our sincerest thanks are tendered Mrs. W. B. Daniel, for many years regent of the Col. Wm. Few Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, Mrs. Alice Harrell, historian of the D. A. R., Mrs. J. M. Arthur, Miss Ethel Willcox, Mrs. E. W. Bul- lock and Miss Helen Bishop for their valuable in- formation. Especially are we indebted to Mr. James H. McCranie, who is possessed of such a wonderful memory and an unlimited knowledge of Dodge County and her people. Without his valu- able assistance the histories of the pioneer families of the county could not have been written as com- pletely as they are herein presented. Our thanks also to Judge J. N. Talley of Macon for valuable information, and to all others who in any way as- sisted in this work.
MRS. W. P. COBB.
November 8, 1932.
viii
Contents
PAGE
Mrs. W. P. Cobb
iii
Dedication
vii
Preface viii
Act of 1929 Legislature
xi
Grand Jury Presentments. November Term, 1929
xIl
Grand Jury Presentments, May Term, 1931
xiii
Hernando DeSoto
1
Tomo-Chi-Chi
3
The Indians
4.
Head-Rights and Lottery Land Grants
6
Georgia Troops in the Revolutionary War
11
Indian Troubles
12
Treaties With the Indians and New Counties Created 15
18
Navigation on the Ocmulgee in Pioneer Days
22
Act Creating Dodge County
25 27
First Settlers in the New County
32
Agriculture in 1873
34
County Officers, 1871 to 1932
34
County School Superintendents and Boards of Education, 1879 to 1932. First Superior Court
39
Eastman
42
Mayors and Clerks of Eastman, 1872-1932
46
Early Marriages, 1871-1889
49
Wills, 1878-1901
68
Masonic Lodge
72
Bench and Bar of Dodge County
79
The Eastman Riot, 1882
88 90
The Eastman Schools
110
The County Schools
113
Towns in Dodge County
116
Confederate Veterans
125
Women of the Confederacy 130
A Confederate Mother
131
Living Confederate Veterans
134
Spanish-American War Veterans
136
World War Veterans
137
World War Activities 146
Daughters of the American Revolution 147
United Daughters of the Confederacy 153
The American Legion and Auxiliary 154
Woman's Christian Temperance Union 154
Physicians 158
Dentists 161
Veterinarians 161
Old Trails 162
Dodge County's Recreation Grounds 164
Churches in Dodge County 166
Some Pioneers and Their Descendants 199
Conclusion 257
ix
The Pioneers
The New County
41
The Dodge Lands and Litigations
Illustrations
PAGE
Mrs. Wilton Philip Cobb
ii
Dodge County Stockade
31
Dodge County Court House 37
Officers of Dodge County, 1932 38
Lee-Land Hotel
46
The Late Judge C. B. Murrell
48
Masonic Lodge Building, Eastman
79
Eastman's First Kindergarten
113
Dodge County School Bus 115
A Confederate Mother 133
G. C. Matthews 134
Mr. and Mrs. R. F. Burch, Sr. 135
J. B. Elkins 136
A Military Company 137
Mrs. John Roland
142
Mrs. W. B. Daniel
153
Marker Erected by U. D. C. in 1918
157
The Eastman Baptist Church
175
The Eastman Methodist Church
179
The Eastman Presbyterian Church
181
A Baptizing at Daniel's Mill Pond 190 Jeremiah Bowen 203
Jack Daniel 215
The Mausoleum of Mr. A. G. Williamson 254
Map of Dodge County 258
x
ACT OF 1929 LEGISLATURE. No. 36.
W HEREAS, the founding of the Colony of Georgia by General James Edward Oglethorpe occurred in 1733, and the two hun- dredth anniversary of that venturesome political and philanthropic event will occur in 1933 and should be marked in some way proper to its historical character, so as to perpetuate for our posterity and the records of the State and Nation the facts of the evolutions and progress of the commonwealth that became a constituent State of the federated republic of the United States and which was the fourth in order to ratify the Constitution of these United States; and
Whereas no provision has been made by the State Government to celebrate and memorialize the momentous establishment of the colony and subsequent sovereign State; and
Whereas there is not in existence today any comprehensive and contemporaneous history of the State; therefore be it
Resolved, by the General Assembly of Georgia, both Houses thereof concurring herein, that the judges of the superior courts of the State are hereby earnestly requested to give in charge to the grand jury of each county in their several circuits, at the next term of the court therein, the urgent request of this General Assembly that they will secure the consent of some competent person in their county to prepare between now and February 12, 1933, being Georgia Day, as nearly a complete history of the formation, development, and prog- ress of said county from its creation up to that date, together with accounts of such persons, families, and public events as have given character and fame to the county, the State, and the Nation. And that said county histories be deposited on Georgia Day in 1933 in the State's Department of Archives and History-there to be pre- served for the information of future citizens of the State and pros- pective biographers and historians.
And this action is recommended to the judges, grand juries, and the people of all the counties of the State, for early procedure, be- cause delay will leave action in this behalf too short a time for the necessary research and accumulation of data to make the county histories as full and accurate as they should be for full historic value.
Resolved further, that the Governor of the State is respectfully requested to transmit an officially certified copy of these resolutions to each of the judges of the superior courts of the State.
Approved August 23, 1929.
xi
GRAND JURY PRESENTMENTS, NOVEMBER TERM, 1929 OF DODGE SUPERIOR COURT.
WE, THE grand jury chosen and sworn to serve at the November term of Dodge Superior Court, beg to submit the following general presentments :
We have appointed Mrs. W. P. Cobb as county historian for Dodge County, etc.
JOHN A. HARRELL, Foreman,
Y. M. PHILLIPS,
O. V. LASHLEY,
F. T. PARKERSON, JR.,
G. W. McCRANIE,
JOHN R. GIDDENS,
C. B. HORSFORD,
M. WYNNE,
W. W. BOND,
J. W. K. CLARK,
W. M. WHIGHAM,
JACK ROZAR,
L. L. HARGROVE,
J. C. LANDERS,
Ross MULLIS,
R. C. KELLEY,
J. R. SMITH,
R. T. RAGAN,
AXOM PHILLIPS,
S. C. HARRISON,
C. R. NICHOLSON, W. C. RYALS,
J. B. ELKINS, Bailiff.
xii
GRAND JURY PRESENTMENTS, MAY TERM OF SUPERIOR COURT, 1931.
WE FURTHER recommend, that whereas the General Assembly of the State of Georgia at their session in 1929 passed a resolution that each county in the State appoint a historian to write a history of their respective counties to commemorate the two hundredth anni- versary of the State of Georgia which occurs on February 12, 1933; and
Whereas the Grand Jury of Dodge County at the November term, 1929, of Dodge Superior Court recommended and appointed Mrs. W. P. Cobb as official historian to write said history of Dodge County, and
Whereas Mrs. Cobb has appeared before this body and reported that said history is about completed and ready for publication and requests that this body recommend that the county have same pub- lished,
We therefore recommend that the county have same published as soon as same is ready for the press.
JOHN B. CLARK, Foreman,
W. L. PARKERSON, JR.,
JOHN A. HARRELL,
B. T. BURCH,
H. H. PEACOCK,
W. T. RYALS,
W. H. KELLEY,
G. W. BATEMAN,
C. L. PERSONS,
Ross MULLIS,
J. B. WILLCOX,
R. C. CRAFTON,
W. R. GIDDENS,
R. B. WEEKS,
W. C. REAVES,
A. L. THOMAS,
J. C. ROGERS,
J. C. LEWIS,
P. M. BURCH,
W. H. MELVIN,
C. R. NICHOLSON,
CHAS. MCCARTHEY,
W. P. COBB, Secretary.
R. T. RAGAN,
J. H. PITTS,
J. B. JONES,
xiii
History of Dodge County HERNANDO DE SOTO.
G ENERAL OGLETHORPE was not the first white man to set foot on Georgia soil. Nearly two hundred years before his coming, in 1540, Hernando DeSoto, a Spaniard, accompanied by a band of six hundred Spaniards, marched through Georgia in quest of gold and other treasures which they thought were to be found in this new country. They also expected to claim the land for Spain. So far as can be ascertained, these were the first white men who came to Georgia.
Lucien L. Knight in his Georgia's Memorials and Legends, de- scribes DeSoto as follows:
"Hernando DeSoto, at the time of this expedition to America, was perhaps the foremost man of his age at the Court of Spain. As a lieutenant-general under the renowned Pizarro, he bore a conspicuous part in the conquest of Peru and returned home flushed with distinction and enriched with the spoils of the Incas. But life at the Spanish Court grew tame to one whose breast was aglow with the spirit of adventure; and, envious of the greater fame of his old chief- tain, he sought and obtained from the Spanish Crown permission to explore an indefinite region of the New World, then known by the name of Florida. It will doubtless be remembered that the ill-fated Ponce de Leon, in search of his fabled fountain of youth, some years before, had bestowed this name upon what he took to be an island of vast magnitude and of untold wealth.
"Dazzled by the prospect of enlarging the boundaries of his empire, the King readily granted this coveted boon. It was agreed that certain royalties accru- ing from the treasures obtained on the expedition, whether taken from graves and temples or discovered in mines, were to revert to the Crown; and in order that he might the more readily command a convenient base of operations for the hazardous enterprise, DeSoto was commissioned Governor of the Island of Cuba. It was not a difficult task to obtain followers. The age was one of romance. Tales of fabulous wealth had fired the imagination, of the Spaniard. DeSoto was himself sanguine of success; and though the conquest of Peru had netted him 180,000 crowns of gold, he expected to fill still vaster treasuries on this new voyage to the West.
"Six hundred men, picked with discrimination from the chivalry of Spain, were obtained for the expedition. Twelve priests, eight clergymen of inferior rank, and four monks accompanied the party, showing that, in the feverish thirst for conquest, the conversion of the aborigines was not forgotten. More- over, men of letters, to perpetuate the events of the march and acquaint pos- terity with the details of an affair so momentous, were found eager to accom- pany the adventurous knights."
2
HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY
On May the 30th, 1539, DeSoto and his band landed at Tampa Bay on the coast of west Florida. After staying there for awhile they claimed the land of the State of Florida in the name of Charles the Fifth, and planting the flag of Spain, began their journey north- ward. They came to Tallahassee, which the Spaniards had named Anhayca, where they wintered. In the spring of 1540 they left Anhayca and crossed the Ochlockonee River. Within forty-eight hours after crossing this river they came to an Indian village called Capachiqui. The Indians were frightened and fled at their ap- proach. Their next stop was at an Indian village called Toalli, and it is thought to be at a point south of the Ocmulgee River in Irwin County. After remaining here for three days they came to Achese, a village located on the Ocmulgee in the neighborhood of what is now Abbeville. Here the Indians were again afraid of the Spaniards and fled when they approached. But they found the chief to be friendly and he informed DeSoto that further on there reigned a powerful king whose country was called Ocute. To assist him in finding the place a guide was furnished. On the first day of April DeSoto resumed his march, skirting the edge of a river whose shores were found to be thickly inhabited. On the fourth day they reached the town of Altamaca, and on the tenth day they entered Ocute, the principal town of which was probably somewhere in the neighbor- hood of the present city of Dublin. On approaching the town they were met by two thousand Indians, bearing as a present from the chief an abundance of wild game, including partridges and turkeys.
It is not unlikely that DeSoto and his band passed through this section en route from Abbeville (Achese) to Dublin (Ocute) . Indeed it is very probable that they traveled the "Chicken Road" which leads from Hartford on the Ocmulgee River to Dublin on the Oconee. This road traverses the northern section of Dodge County, passing through Empire, and tradition says it bears its name from a band of Chic-a-saw Indians who traveled it in going from the Oconee River to the Ocmulgee. Be that as it may, they were com- pelled to have come somewhere within this section on their march across the country.
After remaining in Ocute two days the band departed and reached Patofa. Going on by what is now the city of Augusta, they reached north Georgia, it is thought the Nacoochee Valley. They traveled
3
TOMO-CHI-CHI
through Franklin, Murray and Gordon Counties, and came to Chiaha (Rome, Ga.). On July 1, 1540, after spending nearly a month at Chiaha, they departed for the far west, reaching the distant slopes of the Rocky Mountains. But the gold and great riches for which DeSoto and his band braved the forests proved an illusive phantom, for DeSoto, worn from the hardships of his wanderings, died, and was buried secretly at night in the waters of the Mississippi. Very few of the band ever again reached Spain. On September the 10th, 1543, a pathetic remnant reached Panuca, in Mexico, after suffering untold hardships.
It is recorded that this band of Spaniards robbed the Indians of their valuables, even desecrating the graves and temples, stealing costly ornaments, and appropriated supplies of every kind.
TOMO-CHI-CHI.
WHEN GENERAL JAMES EDWARD OGLETHORPE founded and estab- lished the Colony of Georgia on February 12, 1733, near Savannah, one of his first acts was to make friends with Tomo-Chi-Chi, the great and much beloved chief of a detached tribe of Creek Indians. Oglethorpe foresaw that the only way in which they could live among the Indians was to make friends with them in so far as was possible. As the Indians were great traders Oglethorpe further de- cided to enter into trade relations with them, and on May the 18th, 1734, the following schedule was arranged with them through Tomo- Chi-Chi: five buckskins for one white blanket, ten buckskins for a gun, five buckskins for a pistol, one buckskin for two measures of powder, one buckskin for sixty bullets, two buckskins for one white shirt, two buckskins for a hoe, two buckskins for an axe, etc.
Tomo-Chi-Chi was above the average Indian in intelligence, and though a savage, he was both a warrior and a statesman. He dwelt apart from his kinsmen, but it is said that he was greatly venerated throughout the forest for his Indian wisdom, and he possessed a powerful influence over the native tribes. He proved to be one of the most zealous friends of the Georgia Colony. With his keen foresight he fully appreciated the advantages to be derived from contact with the white man, and he was anxious for his people to be uplifted.
HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY
Tradition says that Tomo-Chi-Chi was ninety years of age when Oglethorpe landed upon the bluff at Savannah. He was about one hundred years of age when he died. According to his last wish that he be buried among the whites, his remains were taken to Savannah and interred in what is now Court House Square, with impressive ceremonies. Six of the most prominent men of Savannah acted as pall-bearers, Oglethorpe himself being one of them. Minute guns were fired from the battery as his body was lowered to its last resting place, and every respect was paid to the aged chief. His death occurred on October 15, 1739. A rough boulder of granite has been placed on the spot of his burial by the Georgia Society of Colonial Dames of America, and on a circular plate of copper is the following inscription :
"In memory of Tomo-Chi-Chi, Mico of the Yamacraws, the com- panion of Oglethorpe, and the friend and ally of the Colony of Georgia. This stone has been here placed by the Georgia Society of Colonial Dames of America-1739-1899."
THE INDIANS.
PRIOR TO 1802 this section of Georgia was owned by the Creek Indians. It is estimated that at this time there were around twenty thousand of them in Georgia and eastern Alabama.
There were three tribes of Indians in Georgia, each different and distinct types. They were the Creeks, the Cherokees and the Semi- noles.
The Cherokee Indians occupied the northern part of Georgia and the southern part of Tennessee. The Creeks occupied the center and southeastern part of the State, extending to Savannah on the east and to Alabama on the west. The Seminoles lived in the southern part of Georgia and in Florida. The different tribes have been de- scribed as follows:
The Creek men were tall, erect and robust; their eyes were small and very black; their complexions were of a reddish brown color; their hair long, coarse and brown. The Creek women were short of stature, had well-formed faces and large black eyes.
The Cherokee men were similar in appearance to the Creek men, but the women were of an entirely different type from the Creek
5
THE INDIANS
women, in that they were tall, slender and erect, and of a delicate frame; their countenances were cheerful and friendly, and they moved with grace and dignity.
The Seminoles were of a copper color, and they were over six feet tall. They were a more savage tribe of Indian than either of the other two tribes.
The Indians had their own peculiar mode of living. They had their villages, which were generally near a river. It is estimated that the Creek Indians, which were the most powerful of all the tribes, had twenty or thirty towns located on the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and several on the Oconee River. Their villages were built of logs and boards. In the center of a village they would erect some sapling poles over which they would place a cover. In cold weather a fire would be built in the center of it and here every one was welcome to come. Their little huts were circled round this building.
The Indians had their own religious beliefs. They believed in the "Great Spirit," and also that after death their spirits returned to their "happy hunting grounds." They had some sort of religious ceremony.
The rivers through this section of the State were named by the Indians. The Chattahoochee, the Ocmulgee, Oconee, Ohoopee, Ogee- chee, Altamaha and the Allapaha Rivers.
The Indians were generally peaceful, but treacherous, and when they would nurse a grievance against the whites they would go on the warpath and kill entire families. For that reason the white people had to build forts for the protection of the women and chil- dren whenever there was an uprising. These forts were built with pine poles stood upon the ends around two or three acre tracts of land; they were braced inside with poles and made as strong as possible. Inside the fort grounds were built small houses or rooms for the women and children.
The Indians had trading posts, and Hartford, just across the river from Hawkinsville, was an Indian trading post of very great im- portance on what was then the frontier. The river at this point formed the boundary line, separating the territory of the whites from the domain of the Indians.
6
HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY
HEAD-RIGHTS AND LOTTERY LAND GRANTS OF GEORGIA.
Written by the Hon. Philip Cook, late Secretary of State. THERE ARE TWO characters of land in this State; one known as Head- Rights, and the other as Lottery Lands.
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