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WARD'S HISTORY
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1800
WARREN P. WARD
Ward's History of Coffee County
War, Warren G
A story dealing with the past and present of Coffee County. Beginning with the early settlers about the year 1800,-discussing the Creek Indians and the Pioneers. Leading up to the creation of Coffee County in 1854 -Old families, old schools and churches, showing the conditions dur- ing the Civil War and ending up with the spirit of progress, which is evident in better schools, and a more intelli- gent civilization. Showing that Coffee County, in South Georgia, is God's Country and a good place to live in the vear 1930.
F292 .C63 Ws
COPYRIGHT, 1930 BY WARREN P. WARD
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Copy
PRESS OF FOOTE & DAVIES CO., ATLANTA
Dedication
This book is dedicated to the memory of :
The Creek Indians: who occupied this territory and preserved it till the coming of the early settlers;
To the Pioneers: who cut the first logs and built the first houses, who split the first rails and fenced the first fields ;
To the Old School Teachers: who wore cotton breeches and taught our children how to read and write in log huts ;
To the Old Preachers: who preached the old time Gospel and sang the old time songs;
And to everyone, who has in any way helped to make Coffee County a good place in which to live.
The Author.
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Contents
Page
Dedication
III
Preface .
XIII
An Ideal Wedding
144
Atkinson County Creation
13
Automobiles
244
Banking Business .
233
Big Court, October Term
Big Four
Billy Bow-Legs
248
Boy Scout Movement
239
Bright Leaf Tobacco
241 201
Carding Machine
185
Catching Fish
190
Coffee County, 1930
293
Coffee County In War
135
Coffee County Officers, 1854 .
343
Confederate Soldiers Who Went to War from Coffee County 331
Constitution and the Flag
147
Cotton Picking Time In Georgia 246 24
Creek Indians
Doctors .
245
Doctors and Medicine
93
Douglas Cemetery 277
Douglas, Dunk 90
Douglas, the Capital City of Coffee County 297
Early History of Coffee County 20 Early Steamboat Navigation on the Ocmulgee 255
Education 320
118 230 34
Boll Weevil
Camp Meetings
Contents
Old Families in Coffee County-Cont 'd. Page
Newbern
41
Paulk 52
Sapp
71
Tanner 66
43
Ward and Hargraves
55
Wilcox
Old Graveyards 125
Lone Hill 125
Mount Zion
126
New Hope
126
Sand Hill .
125
Old School Houses
116
Kirkland School
117
Old Time Singers
121
Ordinary 166
84
Public Health Work
237
Public Schools .
280
Railroads in Coffee County
148
Brisbane Railroad
148
Douglas and McDonald Railroad
150
Georgia and Florida Railroad .
150
Railsplitters
181
Regulators
141
Resolution of General Assembly
1
Resolution of Grand Jury
3
Sand Hill Church .
153
Saw Mills and Lumber
171
Scab Timber
316 ·
VIII
Pioneers of Coffee County
53
Vickers
Contents
Page
Snakes in Coffee County .
186
South Georgia State College
288
Spivey, Erwin .
87
Stills and Mills
. 179
Storms
. 250
Stormy Night on Seventeen-Mile Creek
. 197
Strange Phenomenon . .
254
Study in Human Hands . 318
Teachers in Coffee County Public Schools
284
Teachers in Douglas Public Schools
. 287
The Pine Tree .
174
Towns in Coffee County
. 302
Broxton
303
Nicholls
306
West Green
308
Tribute to Monroe Wilcox
98
Tribute to the Women of the South
133
Trees
. 208
Turpentine Industry
311
Two Boys from Clinch
168
Ward, Old Man Billy .
95
Ward, Priscilla (Jones) and Her Ward Boys 72
War Times and Hard Times . 127
Wheat and Flour Mill
184
Where Uncle Jim Lives
157
Wilcox, Capt. Jefferson
88
Wild Turkeys .
192
Women of the South
134
World War Veterans .
333 ·
.
Ambrose
302
.
.
.
TX
Illustrations
Page
Warren P. Ward . Frontispiece J. H. Peterson, M. D. Dickerson, Warren P. Ward 3
Senators
6
Riley Wright
12
Judges Superior Court
16
Senators
22
Jim Boy, a Creek Indian
24 27
Billy Bow-Legs
34
Representatives
46
Representatives
58 86
Erwin Spivey
87
Jeff Wilcox
88
Dunk Douglas .
90
Dr. Staff Davis
93
Billy Ward
95
Dr. Calvin Parker
100
Superior Court Clerks
124
Spinning Wheel
129
James K. Hilliard
. 136
Abraham Hargraves and Wife
. 140
Parker, William
155
J. M. Freeman .
157
M. D. Dickerson-W. C. Lankford
168
The Pine Tree
1.74 Ordinaries
182
Stormy Night on Seventeen-Mile Creek 197
Rev. Green Taylor 201
Sheriffs
214
.
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Daddy Ward's Mill
Solicitors Superior Court
Illustrations
Page
Big Four-Dan Gaskin, R. S. Smith, Dan Newbern, Elias Lott 230
J. M. Ashley 233
Archie Bagwell
239
Tanner, Melvin
280
Douglas Public Schools . 287
South Georgia State College 288
Georgia Normal Business College
291
Courthouse, Douglas, Georgia 297
Broxton High School . 303
Nicholls Public School 306
William Gaskin 324
Map of Coffee County, Georgia . 329
Arthur Lott
259
Major John M. Spence
259
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Preface
I have been selected by the grand jury of Coffee County, to prepare a complete history of the county and its people, covering the formation, development and progress of the county from its creation in 1854 to the present date, 1930. The result of my labor is now before you.
No country is greater than its people. I have tried to give a history of many of the old families who have helped to make Coffee County what it is. No book could contain the names of all the worthy people of Coffee County ; consequently I have been compelled to omit the names of many families. I regret this, but have done the best that I could with the space at my disposal.
Inasmuch as the Creek Indians occupied this terri- tory before the Pioneers came, I have given much space to the story of the Indians. I note with pleasure that the Indians destroyed nothing while they lived here, and when we came we found plenty of game, birds, and fish. The country was in a primitive condition when the Indians left it, and they gave us but little trouble while they were here.
I am giving you a special write-up of Billy Bow- Legs, celebrated Indian chief, who was the most talked- about Indian in South Georgia. I am proud to be able
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to give you his picture. It is the first time his history has been printed.
I am giving you biographies, stories and incidents tending to illustrate the social and economical life of our people.
I have spent much time and have done a lot of work in giving you the early history of Coffee County, cover- ing old schools, old churches and old methods of life. To those of you who read this history, you will now be able to see what wonderful progress has been made in Coffee County within recent years.
WARREN P. WARD, Historian for Coffee County.
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WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY
A Resolution of General Assembly
WHEREAS, the founding of the colony of Georgia by General James Oglethorpe occurred in 1733 and the two hundredth anniversary of that venturesome, politi- cal and philanthropic event will occur in 1933 and should be marked in some way proper to its historic character, so as to perpetuate for our posterity and the records of the State and Nation the facts of the evolution and progress of the commonwealth that be- came a constituent State of the Federated republic of the United States; and
WHEREAS, no provision has been made by the State Government to celebrate and memorialize the mo- mentous establishment of the colony and subsequent sovereign State, and
WHEREAS, there is not in existence today a com- prehensive 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 herein, the urgent consent of some competent person in their county to prepare between now and February 12th, 1933, being Georgia Day, as nearly a complete history of the formation, development and progress 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
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WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY
1933 in the State's Department of Archives and His- tory, there to be preserved for the information of future citizens of the State and prospective biogra- phers 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 because 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.
W. CECIL NEILL, RICHARD B. RUSSELL, JR., President of Senate. Speaker of House.
D. F. McCLATCHEY, Secretary of Senate.
E. B. MOORE, Clerk of House.
Approved : L. G. HARDMAN, Governor. This 23rd day of August, 1929.
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WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY
Resolution of Grand Jury of Coffee County
The grand jury, as a whole, following up the fine sentiment developed by the last General Assembly of this State in designating the year 1933 for celebrating the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the Colony, now the Commonwealth of Georgia, and the same being transmitted to this body in the able charge of its esteemed Judge M. D. Dickerson, does hereby
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1. J. H. PETERSON, Chairman County Commissioners
2. M. D. DICKERSON, Judge Superior Court
3. WARREN P. WARD, Ordinary Coffee County
designate and recommend that His Honor, Judge M. D. Dickerson, Ordinary W. P. Ward and Chairman of County Commissioners J. H. Peterson be authorized to appoint and fix compensation of a competent person, to gather, compile and write a complete history of Coffee County and its establishment in 1854 up to the present date, and that such complete history be de-
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WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY
livered to the keeper of Archives and History for the State of Georgia as a permanent record constituting our County's part in the glowing history of the Em- pire State.
Having completed our investigation,
Respectfully submitted,
W. T. Cottingham, Foreman. T. A. Mitchell, Clerk.
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WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY
Georgia Laws Creating Coffee County Coffee County Boundaries Defined
SECTION I. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Georgia in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the au- thority of the same, That from and immediately after the passage of this act, a new county shall be made out from the counties of Clinch, Ware, Telfair and Irwin, to be included within the following bounds, viz: Beginning at the corners of lots numbers One Hundred and Fifty-six and One Hundred and Sixty-seven in the Tenth District of formerly Irwin, now Clinch County, running from thence due east, along the original line, to the district line dividing the Tenth District of formerly Irwin, now Clinch, and the Seventh District of formerly Appling, now Clinch County, to the corner of lots number One Hundred and Sixty-one and One Hundred and Sixty-two in the Seventh Dis- trict, thence due east along the original line, to the line dividing Clinch and Ware, thence up said line to Red Bluff Creek, thence along said creek to the Satilla River, thence down said river to the dividing line of the Seventh and Eighth districts of formerly Appling, now Ware County, thence due north along the district line dividing said districts, and the districts number five and six in originally Appling, now Ware County, thence along the line dividing the counties of Appling and Telfair to the Ocmulgee River, thence up said river to Coffee's Road, thence taking the road to the Lowndes County line, thence due east to the Alapaha River to the place of beginning.
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WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY
Districts, Etc.
SEC. II. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the new county described by the first section of this act shall be known by the name of Coffee County, and be attached to the Southern Judi-
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SENATORS FROM COFFEE COUNTY.
1. E. L. GRANTHAM, 1923-1929.
2. J. M. WILcox, 1882-1883-1884-1885.
3. S. F. MEMORY, 1925-1926.
4. WILLIAM A. McDONALD, 1882-1883.
5. GEORGE W. DEEN, 1907-1908.
6. CAPT. J. W. BOYD, 1890-1891.
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WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY
cial District, to the first Congressional District, and to the Second Brigade of the Sixth Division, Georgia Militia.
County Officers, How and Where Elected, Militia Districts
SEC. III. And be it further enacted by the au- thority aforesaid, That the persons included within the said new county, entitled to vote for representatives of the General Assembly, shall, on the first Monday in April next, proceed to elect five Justices of the Inferior Court, a clerk of the Superior Court, a clerk of the Inferior Court, a sheriff, coroner, a tax collec- tor, a receiver of tax returns, a county surveyor, and an ordinary for said county ; the election for said offi- cers shall be held at the house of Daniel Lott, and shall be conducted in manner as is now prescribed by law, and the Governor, on the same being certified to him, shall commission such persons as returned to him as elected at such elections, to hold their respective offices for and during the terms prescribed by law, and that the Justices of the Inferior Court, after they shall have received their commissions, shall proceed to lay out and divide said new county into Militia Districts, and advertise for the election of the requisite number of Justices of the Peace, said Governor, on being duly certified of the election of such Justices of the Peace, shall commission them according to law.
County Site and Buildings
SEC. IV. And be it further enacted by the au- thority aforesaid, That the Justices of the Inferior
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WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY
Court of said county shall have full power and au- thority to select and locate a site for the public build- ings in said county, and the said Justices, or a majority of them, are hereby authorized to purchase a tract or lot of land for the location of the county site, lay off the same into lots, and sell the same at public sale for the benefit of said county, or make such other arrangements or contracts in relation to the location of the county site and public buildings as they may deem most advantageous to the public good.
Precincts
SEC. V. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the elections of the county generally, and by the precincts, for all elections, shall be estab- lished at the place of holding Justices' Courts in the several districts in said county, and votes received at them accordingly.
Justices and Bailiffs
SEC. VI. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That all Justices of the Peace and bailiffs, within the limits of said new county, shall hold their commissions and exercise the duties of their several offices within the said limits of the aforesaid county, until their successors shall have been elected and com- missioned.
Processes and How Executed, Publication
SEC. VII. And be it further enacted by the author- ity aforesaid, That all mesne process, executions, and
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WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY
other final process in the hands of the Sheriffs, Coro- ners, and Constables, of the counties of which the new county may be formed, and which properly belong to said new county, and which have been levied, or in part executed, and such proceedings therein not finally dis- posed of at the time of passing this act, shall be de- livered over to the corresponding officers of said new county, and such officers are hereby authorized and required to proceed with the same, and in the same . manner as if such process had been originally in their hands: Provided, That in all cases publication of the time and places of sale, and proceedings of the like character, in the new county, shall be made for the time now prescribed by law, and all such process which properly belongs to the counties out of which said county may be formed, which may be in the hands of the officers of said new county, shall in like manner be delivered over to the officers of said county, to be executed by them in the manner herein prescribed.
Courts
SEC. VIII. And be it further enacted by the au- thority aforesaid, That the Superior Court for said county shall be held on Friday after the time of holding Appling County courts.
Extra Tax
SEC. IX. And be it further enacted by the author- ity aforesaid, That the Justices of the Inferior Court of Coffee County be authorized to levy an extra tax, not exceeding fifty per cent upon the general tax, for the purpose of erecting public buildings in said county.
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WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY
SEC. X. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That all laws and parts of laws militating against the provisions of this act, be and the same are hereby repealed.
Approved, February 9, 1854.
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WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY
Creation of Jeff Davis County
New County from Appling and Coffee named "Jeff Davis" and Attached to Brunswick Circuit and Eleventh Congressional District
An Act to lay off and organize a new county out of portions of Appling and Coffee Counties, and for other purposes in connection therewith.
SECTION I. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Georgia, and it is hereby enacted by authority of the same, That from and after the first day of January, 1906, a new county shall be, and the same is, hereby laid off and organized from portions of the counties of Appling and Coffee.
SEC. II. Be it further enacted, That said new county shall be named and called "Jeff Davis," and it shall be attached to the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, to the Eleventh Congressional District.
Territory
SEC. III. Be it further enacted, That the said County of "Jeff Davis" shall be included within the following boundaries: Beginning at a point on the Altamaha River which bounds the present counties of Appling and Tattnall, being at the northeast corner of land lot No. 695; thence running the land line south to the southeast corner of land lot No. 443; thence due west the land line to the southwest corner of land lot No. 448; thence again due south the land line to the southeast corner of land lot No. 272; thence again due west the land line to the southwest corner of land lot No. 271; thence due south the land line to the north-
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WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY
east corner land lot No. 222; thence due east the land line to the northeast corner of land lot No. 224; thence again due south the land line to the southeast corner of land lot No. 122; thence again due west the land line to Coffee County line dividing Appling and Coffee counties at the southwest corner of land lot No. 116; thence beginning at the southeast corner of land lot No. 116 in Coffee County and running west the land line to the southwest corner of land lot No. 129; thence running north the land line to the Ocmulgee River, which now forms the present boundary line between the counties of Coffee and Telfair, all being in the first district of Coffee County ; thence along the Ocmul- gee and the Altamaha Rivers to the point of beginning.
RILEY WRIGHT Clerk Superior Court 1873-1875-1877
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WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY
Creation of Atkinson County Boundaries of New County. Name of County and Site Districts and Circuits.
An act to propose to the qualified electors of this State an amendment to Paragraph 2, Section I, Article II, of the Constitution of the State of Georgia, as amended by the ratification by the qualified electors of this State of the acts approved July 19, 1904, July 31, 1906, July 30, and August 14, 1912, July 7, 17, 27 and August 11, 1914, and for other purposes.
SECTION I. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Georgia, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That the following amendment is hereby proposed to paragraph 2, section I, article II, of the Constitution of the State of Georgia, as amended by the ratification by the electors of said State of the acts approved July 19, 1904, July 31, 1906, July 30 and August 14, 1912, July 7, 17, 27 and August 11, 1914, to- wit: By adding to said paragraph the following
language : "Provided, however, That, in addition to the counties not provided for by this Constitution, there shall be a new county laid out and created from territory embraced in Coffee and Clinch Counties with- in the following boundary lines: Beginning at the point where the southern boundary line of lot of land No. 334, in the Fifth Land District of Coffee County, intersects the middle of the run of Willacoo- chee Creek, then to follow said land line directly east to the southeast corner of lot of land No. 15, in the Sixth Land District of Coffee County to the southwest corner of said lot of land; thence along the land line
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WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY
directly east to where it intersects the middle of the run of the Satilla River; thence, in a southeasterly direction along the run of the said Satilla River to where the same intersects the northern boundary of lot of land No. 250, in the Sixth (6) Land District, thence directly east along said line to where it inter- sects the Ware County line ; thence in a southerly direc- tion along the Ware County line to the southeast corner of lot of land No. 234, in the Seventh Land Dis- trict of Clinch County ; thence directly westward along the land line of said lot of land No. 234 on the south, to where it intersects the middle of the run of Alapaha River; thence in a northerly direction along the middle of the run of the Alapaha River to the mouth of Willa- coochee Creek; thence along the middle of the run of Willacoochee Creek to point of beginning. That said new county shall be known as "Atkinson County, " and the "City of Pearson" shall be the county seat there- of. That said "Atkinson County" shall be attached to the Eleventh Congressional District, the Waycross Judicial Circuit and the Fifth Senatorial District.
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WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY
Land Districts of Coffee County
These land districts were surveyed, platted and mapped by various surveyors under the authority of the State of Georgia. It is worthy of note that the Sixth Land District of Coffee County, Georgia, is the largest land district in the county. It was surveyed by Reuben Neel. It was begun the 23rd day of July, 1819. The chain bearers were Riley King and Enoch Johns.
The boundary of the Fourth Land District of Coffee County is as follows: Beginning at the southwest corner of the lot of land number 30 in the Fourth Dis- trict : South along the land lot line to the southwest corner of lot of land 20. West across 41. South to lots 41-42. West to lot of land 46 and south along south side 72 to the land district line and lot 72. East along the land district line to the southeast corner of lot 15. North along the land district line to the Oc- mulgee River. West of said river to the beginning.
First land district of Coffee County is as follows : Beginning at the northwest corner of 322 of the First District and on the Ocmulgee River. South along said land district line to the southwest corner of lot of land Number 1. Thence in an easterly direction to the southeast of lot of land 23. North along the original land line beginning at the county line of Appling to the northeast corner of lot of land 115 and being the corner of Jeff Davis County, then following Jeff Davis west and north back to the river.
Fifth District of Coffee County, Georgia, being as follows: To the northeast corner of lot of land Num- ber 23. South along the land lot line to the south- east corner of 345. The same being the boundary of
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WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY
Coffee County, thence west along the boundary line of Coffee and Atkinson Counties, to the Irwin County line. Northeast direction to lot of land 18. Easterly direction to the northeast lot of land 23 to the point of beginning.
Sixth Land District of Coffee County, Georgia, is as
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JUDGES SUPERIOR COURT
1. R. G. DICKERSON, first Judge of Alapaha Circuit.
2. J. I. SUMMERALL, 1915-1924.
4. FRANCIS WILLIS DART (the youngest judge in Georgia at the time of his service.)
3. J. W. QUINCEY, 1914-1915. 5. CALVIN A. WARD, Judge In- ferior Court.
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WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY
follows: The northwest of land lot Number 1 and running south along the land lot line to the southwest corner of Number 15. East along the south line of 15 to the southeast corner of said lot. South along the west line of 31 to the southwest corner of 31. East along the land lot line to the Satilla River, being about or between 200-201, down the Satilla River in a south- easterly direction to the south line of 249. East along the Coffee County and Atkinson land line to the south- east corner of lot of land 525, same being the corner of Ware County. North along the land lot line 507. West along the land lot to the point of beginning.
Beginning at the northwest of lot of land 510 of the Fifth District of Coffee County, Georgia, thence east across 510. South on the east side of 510. East to line 502. South along the east line of 502 and south down to the southeast corner of 496. South line 496 going west 496-517 to the land district line of the Sixth District down north along the land district line to the northwest corner of 510.
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