USA > Georgia > Chatham County > Savannah > A history of Savannah and South Georgia, Volume I > Part 14
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"In the first stations of the Province he eondueted himself with ability, honor and integrity, which gained him the love and esteem of his fellow eitizens; nor was he less distinguished in private life by a eonseientious diseharge of the social duties as a tender and affectionate parent, a sincere and warm friend, and a kind and indulgent master. Mr. Habersham was married by the Rev. Mr. Whitefield to Mary Bolton, at Bethesda, on the 26th of December, 1740, by whom he had ten ehil- Iren, three of whom, sons, survived him, and were zealous in the cause of Ameriean liberty."
This story of him is well authenticated: That he was requested by the Rev. Mr. Bolzius, as the best person for that purpose, to prepare a paper on the condition of the province, and that Mr. Habersham, in reply, wrote a letter which so completely eovered the subjeet on which the inquirer wished to be informed, that the letter, which the writer specially desired should be kept from the public, was made known to the Trustees who, contrary to Mr. Habersham's belief that with them it would bring harm to himself, were so pleased with it that it was really the cause of his appointment to the place of assistant in the place of Mr. Samuel Mareer, who had not used the office to the advantage of the trust.
FRANKLIN AND OGLETHORPE ON THE ORPHIAN HOME
Had Whitefield listened to Benjamin Franklin the home at Bethesda would not have been founded, but Philadelphia would have received that honor. In his autobiography Franklin wrote on this point: "I did not disapprove of the design, but as Georgia was then destitute of materials and workmen, and it was proposed to send them from Phila- Vol. 1-7
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delphia at a great expense, I thought it would have been better to have built the home at Philadelphia and brought the children to it. This I advised, but he was resolute in his first project, rejected my counsel, and I therefore refused to contribute. I happened soon after to attend one of his sermons, in the course of which I perceived that he intended to finish with a collection, and I silently resolved that he should get nothing out of me. I had in my pocket a handful of copper money, three or four silver dollars, and five pistoles in gold. As he proceeded I began to soften and coneluded to give the coppers. Another stroke of his oratory made me ashamed of that, and determined ine to give the silver ; and he finished so admirably that I emptied my pocket into the collector's dish, gold and all."
The correspondence of Oglethorpe shows the first mention by him of Whitefield in a letter written from Charleston, April 2, 1740, to the Trustees, enclosing an "answer," as he calls it, "to Mr. Jones' representa- tion relating to the orphans." Mr. Thomas Jones had been appointed to succeed Causton, and he must have made some complaint about the orphan house. As the letter is interesting, it is here given in full : "As for Milledge's brother and sister I think your representation is very just, that the taking them away to the Orphan House will break up a family which is in a likely way of living comfortably. Mr. Whitefield's design is for the good of ye people and the Glory of God and I dare say when he considers this, he will be very well satisfied with the Boy . and Girls returning to their brother John Milledge. since they can assist him, and you may allow them upon my account the provisions they used to have upon the Orphan account. Upon this head I am to acquaint you that I have inspected the Grant relating to the Orphan House. Mr. Seward said that the Trustees had granted the Orphans to Mr. Whitefield, but I showed him that it could not be in the sense he at first seemed to understand it. It is most certain that Orphans are human creatures & neither Cattel nor any other kind of Chattels, therefore cannot be granted, but the Trust have granted the care of the help- less Orphans to Mr. Whitefield & have given him 500d Acres of Land and a power of collecting Charities as a consideration for main- taining all the Orphans who are in necessity in this Province, and thereby the Trustees think themselves discharged from maintaining of any, but at the same time the Trustees have not given as I see any power to Mr. Whitefield to receive the effects of the Orphans much less to take by force any Orphans who can maintain themselves, or whom any other substantial person will maintain. The Trustees in this act accord- ing to the Law of England in case Orphans are left destitnte they be- come the charge upon the Parish and the Parish may put them out to be taken care of, but if any person will maintain them so that they are not chargeable to the Parish. then the Parish doth not meddle with them, and since the taking away of the Court of Wards and Liveries the Guardianship of Orphans is in their next Relation, or themselves at a certain age can ehuse their Guardians and the Judges, Chancellor, Magis- trates &ea., have the same inspection over the effects and persons of the Orphans as they have over those of his Majesty's other subjects, and the effects and persons of Orphans are as much under the protection
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of the Laws as those of any other of His Majesty's Subjects. I send a copy of this Paragraph to Colonel Stephens and think it would be right in you and him to give an account to the Trustees of this matter and of all other things relating to the Orphan House."
[Indorsed]
"Copy of General Oglethorpe's Answer to Mr. Jones's Representa- tion relating to the Orphans inclosed in the General's letter to the Trustees dated 2 April, 1740."
The letter above is inserted in the journal of Mr. Win. Stephens, under date March 5, 1740, with this comment: "In pursuance of his Exeellency's opinion this signified Mr. Milledge was advised to wait on Mr. Whitefield and desire that he should permit his younger brother and sister to go home to him, that they might be helpful to one another. But upon his so doing this day, he told me that Mr. Whitefield gave him for answer his brother and sister were at their proper home al- ready, and he knew no other home they had to go to, desiring him to give his service to the General, and tell him so."
HARRIS & HABERSHAM, MERCHANTS
Mr. James Habersham began life in the colony as the sehoolmaster at Bethesda, Whitefield's orphan home, and when he formed the part- nership with Mr. Harris that was not the first mercantile establishment in Georgia, though the statement that such was the case has been re- peatedly made. One writer * states that "By them was the first ship chartered for a Georgia cargo. This was in 1749, and the articles ex- ported consisted chiefly of pitch, tar, staves, riee and deer skins." which statement follows one that "To the house of Harris & Habersham is Georgia indebted for the establishment of her earliest commercial rela- tions not only with Philadelphia, New York and Boston, but also with London. They were the first merehants here engaged in exporting and importing." For some years the trustees used what were called "sola bills" which were really the eurrency of the colony. When issued they were turned over to the agents of the province who paid them out in commereial transactions. They were to be redeemed in England, and were considered as secure as the notes of the Bank of England, and when redeemed they were canceled by two of the trustees and one mem- ber of the common couneil. This is the form used :
"Georgia Bill of Exchange, payable in England-A. No. - Westminster,
, 17 --. Thirty days after sight hereof, we the Trustees for Establish- ing the Colony of Georgia in America, promise to pay this our sola bill of exchange to -, or the order of any two of them, the sum of - pounds sterling, at our office in Westminster, to answer the like value received in Georgia on the issue hereof, as verified by indorsement hereon, sign'd by the said two who shall issue this bill. £
"Sealed by order of the Common Council of the said Trustees for Establishing the Colony of Georgia in America.
"HARMON VERELST, Accountant."
* C. C. Jones, History of Georgia, Vol. I, p. 430.
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" [Indorsed.]
"Georgia. , 17 -. This bill was then issued to
for value received. Therefore please to pay the contents to him or order .-
[one of the parties named in the bill] 66 , 17 --.
"[Two of the parties named in the bill. ]"
PIONEERS, BUT NOT THE FIRST
Recognizing the real serviees of a most valuable eharaeter done by the influential firm of Harris & Habersham from the time it was established in the year 1749 and continued through descendants of the junior men- ber of that house until a very recent date, and not with any intention of calling into question the firm belief of the writer just quoted, and others. in the truth of their averment this writer feels compelled not only te question their statement that the house named was the first mereantile establishment in Georgia. but to produce evidenee to show that sueh statement is wrong. As early as 1737 business transactions of a most important character and involving large amounts of money were carried on in the town of Savannah by which sola bills for sums which were far from being insignificant were paid to the house of Minis and Salomons, and these transactions show that firm to have been, commercially speak- ing, of a high standard of honor, integrity and importance to the prov- ince. Thus, in the common council meeting of April 27, 1737, it was resolved "That until the two thousand pounds granted by Parliament in this session shall be received, four hundred and thirty-three pounds out of the unappropriated money be paid into the hands of Mr. Oglethorpe to pay the following of the above mentioned Sola Bills which Mr. Caus- ton, as per advice, has paid away as received by Mr. Oglethorpe: To Messrs. Minis and Salomons from A No. 50 to 715 at one pound each dated January 27. 1736 .. £215.0.0." May 11, 1737: "Read a cer- tified aecount from Mr. Causton to Messrs. Minis and Salamons dated December 29, 1736, before their Sola Bills were received, amounting to two hundred and eighteen pounds, seven shillings and five penee sterling." It is useless to multiply examples of such trans- actions here, but a number of them appear in the minutes of the eouneil, in one of which it is stated that the bill of that firm was for "provisions from New York," and in another that the sum due was "for provisions and necessaries." In 1740, the firm name was changed to Abraham Minis & Company. On the 6th of March, 1738, William Stephens, secretary to the trust, entered in his journal the fact that " A sloop arrived with provisions from New York eonsigned to Mr. Minis;" and on the 23d of Deeember, the same year, "Two sloops which lately eame from New York with provisions Tingley and - Tucker, masters, for the behoof of Messrs. Minis and Provost, both freeholders, finding no pros- pect upon their stopping at Tybee to dispose of their eargoes, sailed thence for St. Simons."
Again, on the 3rd of March, 1740, Stephens says: "Mr. Minis going south this morning to dispose of the provisions which arrived lately in a sloop there, Capt. Tingley. from New York, which goods were eonsigned to Minis, I wrote letters by him to the General, in answer to those I re-
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ceived by Capt. McIntosh and Mr. Whitefield ;" and, on the 18th of July, "Capt. Tingley arrived this morning from the South, where he had been to dispose of the cargo * * * and with him came Mr. Abraham Minis
* *
* whom the cargo was consigned to."
These records seem to have been neglected in any search which may have been made heretofore for faets showing the commercial interests of the province before 1749. It is certain that Mr. James Habersham never stated that his firm was the first of the kind in Georgia, but he did make a statement, some time after its founding, in reference to the bulk of business it transacted which is of sufficient interest to deserve a place here :
"My present thoughts (he wrote) are that the Colony never had a better appearance of thriving than now. There have been more vessels loaded here within these ten months than have been since the Colony was settled. Our exportations for a year past are an evident proof that if proper labonring hands * could have been had years before, this Colony before now would have demonstrated its utility to the Mother Country and the West India Islands. Two days ago a large ship arrived here, addressed to my partner and myself, which is the fifth sea vessel which has been here to load within a year; more, I may affirm, than has ever been loaded in this Colony before since its first settlement, with real produce."
IN DEFENSE OF THE COLONY
With his appointment as general and commander-in-chief Oglethorpe began to place the colony in the best condition possible for its defence, went to Charleston in March, 1738, to notify the governor of South Caro- lina of his appointment and to make sure of the co-operation of the people there, when his commission was read to the assembly on the 3d of April and regulations in reference to his military authority were agreed on. He returned to Savannah on the 11th of April, remained there until the 18th, when he proceeded to Frederiea, where he could observe every movement on the part of the Spaniards to the southward and learn what were their plans for the future. There he remained until July, when, learning of the activity of the enemy in certain respeets, he deter- mined to attend an assembly of Indian chiefs at Coweta Town, to counter- act any proposed action of those people in accepting service as allies of Spain. This conference with the Indians was well-timed, as immediately after its conclusion war was declared between England and Spain.
SECURING THE FRIENDSHIP OF THE CREEKS
The purpose of the meeting with those chiefs was unfolded to the trustees in a letter written by Oglethorpe to Mr. Verelst, then accountant, which was read at a meeting of the board held on the 23d of August, containing "an account that he had received frequent and confirmed ad- viees that the Spaniards were striving to win the Indians, and partieu-
* Meaning negro slaves.
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larly the Creek Nation, to differ with the English which made it necessary for him to go to the General Assembly of the Indian Nation at the Coweta Town, in order to hinder the Spaniards from corrupting and raising sedition among them ; and setting forth that he was obliged to buy horses and presents to carry up to this meeting of the Indians where the Choc- taws and Chickasaws are to send their deputies." All that Oglethorpe had to say in a direct way to the trustees on this point was contained in a letter to them, from Savannah, dated July 16th, closing with the state- ment : "The French and Spaniards have used their utmost endeavors to raise disturbances amongst our Indians, and the not deciding clearly in the Act relating to them has given such insolence to the Carolina traders that the Indians have declared if I do not come up to them they will take arms and do themselves justice ; and have ordered a General As- sembly of all the Nations to meet me. I set out this night." His efforts in this assembly were eminently successful, and, from Augusta, on the 5th of September, he wrote to Mr. Verelst a letter in which he said "I hope the Trustees will accept of this as a letter to them," and made this report : "I am just arrived at this place from the assembled estates of the Creek Nation. They have very fully declared their rights to and possession of all the land as far as the river Saint John's and their con- cession of the Sea Coast, Islands, and other lands to the Trustees, of which they have made a regular Aet. If I had not gone up, the troubles between them and the Carolina traders, fomented by our two neighboring Nations, would probably have occasioned their beginning a war which, I believe, might have been the result of this general meeting; but, as their complaints were reasonable, I gave them satisfaction in all of them, and everything is entirely settled in peace. It is impossible to describe the joy they expressed at my arrival." A further statement is briefly made to the trustees in a letter from Savannah, on the 5th of October, in these words: "I've been obliged to make large presents to the Indians who are now thoroughly engaged to us."
THE DEATH OF TOMO-CHI-CHI
It is evident from records written at the time that the health of the good old man, Tomo-chi-chi, had been failing for a long time before death came to his lowly home at Yamacraw and bore his spirit away. We have two very interesting accounts of his demise, both of which are here recorded .. The first is from the journal of Mr. William Stephens, the secretary at Savannah, dated October 4, 5 and 6, 1739: "So little inter- mission was found these few days from attending the General's com- mands which rather multiplied than abated through the ineessant appli- cation that the most undesired thing which happened abroad and I thought worth noting was the death of old Mico Thomo Chichi, said to be upwards of ninety years of age ; and, as the General always esteemed him a friend of the Colony. and therefore showed him particular marks of his esteem when living, so he distinguished him at his death, ordering his corpse to be brought down, and it was buried in the center of one of the principal square, the General being pleased to make himself one of his pall-bearers, with five others, among whom he laid command on me to be
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one, and the other four were military officers. At the depositing of the corpse seven minute guns were fired, and above forty men in arms (as many as eould instantly be found) gave three vollies over the grave which the General says he intends to dignify with some obelisk, or the like, over it, as an ornament to the town, and a memorial to the Indians how great regard the English would pay to all their nations who main- tain true friendship with us.'
In passing, let it be observed here that a most remarkable fact con- nected with the death of one who had done so much for the welfare of the Colonists and who undoubtedly had the esteem and friendship of the General is that the General, honoring the illustrious dead, as stated in the account just given and in the one to follow, did not, so far as is known, even mention the death of Tomo-chi-chi in any communication which he sent to the Trustees, or to any person of his aequaintanee in England, or elsewhere. The other account of the Indian chief's death and burial, is from the Gentleman's Magazine, Vol. X, p. 129, as follows :
"Savannah in Georgia, Oet. 10, 1739.
"King Toma-chi-chi died on the 5th, at his own town, 4 miles from hence, of a lingering illness, being aged abont 97. He was sensible to the last minutes, and when he was persuaded his death was near he showed the greatest magnanimity and sedateness, and exhorted his People never to forget the favours he had received from the King when in England. but to persevere in their Friendship with the English. He expressed the greatest Tenderness for Gen. Oglethorpe. and seemed to have no Cou- cern at dying but its being at a Time when his life might be useful against the Spaniards. He desired his Body might be buried amongst the Eng- lish in the Town of Savannah, since it was he that had prevailed with the Creek Indians to give the Land, and had assisted in the founding of the Town. The Corpse was brought down by Water. The General, attended by the Magistrates and People of the Town, met it upon the Water's Edge. The Corpse was carried into Pereival Square. The pall was supported by the General. Col. Stephens, Col. Montaigut, Mr. Carteret. Mr. Lemon, and Mr. Maxwell. It was followed by the Indians and Mag- istrates and People of the Town. There was the Respect paid of firing Minute Guns from the Battery all the time during the Burial, and Funeral-firing with small Arms by the Militia, who were under arms. The General has ordered a Pyramid of Stone, which is dng in this Neigh- bourhood, to be ereeted over the Grave, which being in the Centre of the Town, will be a great Ornament to it, as well as testimony of Grati- tude.
"Tomo-chi-ehi was a Creek Indian, and in his youth a great War- riour. He had an exeellent Judgment and a very ready Wit, which showed itself in his Answers on all Occasions. He was very generous. giving away all the rich presents he received, remaining himself in a wilful Poverty, being more pleased in giving to others, than possessing himself; and he was very mild and good natured."
A monument has been reared to the memory of Tomo-chi-chi in Wright Square (originally Percival Square) and it is supposed to be on the spot where he was buried; but from the foregoing it is clearly
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seen that the grave was dug in the center of the square, and this state- ment is corroborated by the drawing of the town by De Brahm, attached to his "History of the Province of Georgia," called by him "Plan of the City of Savannah and Fortifications." This plan was drawn about the year 1752, and it is very probable that the grave was at that time marked and known as such.
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CIIAPTER XII LAST OF OGLETHORPE ADMINISTRATION
FINAL REPULSE OF THE SPANIARDS-GEORGIA DIVIDED INTO TWO COUN- TIES-FIRST MEETING OF SAVANNAH COUNTY BOARD-OGLETHORPE'S LAST OFFICIAL APPEARANCE-CHANGES IN LAND TENURES-WILLIAM STEPHENS, COLONIAL PRESIDENT-BEAULIEU (BEWILE) FOUNDED BY STEPHENS-THE CREEK-BOSOMWORTH IMBROGLIO-RENEWED FRIEND- SHIP ALMOST SEVERED-FINANCIAL SETTLEMENT OF TROUBLE-OGLE- THORPE'S LAST DAYS IN GEORGIA.
An account of the engagements between Oglethorpe's forecs and the Spaniards and his final defeat of those people does not come within the seope of this work, and so we will say little more of that matter here. Finding the trouble from that source at an end, and feeling that the colony was safe from attack by outsiders, and that everything was se- cure, he departed for England.
FINAL REPULSE OF THE SPANIARDS
Concerning this ending of the constant wateh which had to be kept against the enemy until his last repulse, we will only quote from one of Whitefield's letters: "The deliverance of Georgia from the Spaniards, one of my friends writes me, is such as eannot be parallelled but by some instances out of the Old Testament. I find that the Spaniards had cast lots and determined to give no quarter. They intended to have attacked Carolina, but. wanting water, they put into Georgia, and so would take that colony on their way. But the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. Providence ruleth all things. They were wonderfully repelled and sent away before our ships were seen."
Peace reigning within the borders of Georgia, and her affairs all in a prosperous condition, Oglethorpe left for England in the fall of 1743, the exact date of his departure being nowhere recorded; but we know that he appeared at a meeting of the trustees in London on the 5th day of December.
GEORGIA DIVIDED INTO TWO COUNTIES
More than two years before that time, namely, in the early part of 1741, an important change was made in the government of the colony.
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In the common couneil, on March 15th, it was resolved "that the Prov- ince of Georgia be divided into two counties ealled the County of Sa- vannah and the County of Frederica, and that the district of the County of Savannah do include all settlements upon the Savannah River and both banks of the Ogeechee River, and so much further southward of the Ogeechee as shall be appointed when a proper map of the county shall be sent to the Trustees," and "that the jurisdiction of each county be under a President and four Assistants; that William Stephens be appointed President of the County of Savannah ; that Henry Parker, Thomas Jones. John Fallowfield. and Samuel Mereer be the four Assistants for the County of Savannah: and that General Oglethorpe be desired to reeom- mend to the Trustees as soon as possible a proper person to be President for the County of Frederiea & that the three magistrates of the town of Frederiea be three of the Assistants for the County of Frederica and that General Oglethorpe be desired to recommend a proper person for the fourth Assistant.'
This action was followed. at the meeting of the same body, on the 20th of April following, with a resolution that "a deed be prepared eon- stituting William Stephens. Esq .. President, and Henry Parker, Thomas Jones, John Fallowfield and Samuel Mercer the four Assistants for the County of Savannah, and that the seal of the corporation be affixed to the deed in presence of the Trustees, and that the Secretary do counter- sign the same. Read instructions to the said President and four As- sistants. Read further instructions to the President."
FIRST MEETING OF SAVANNAH COUNTY BOARD
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