Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume I, Part 24

Author: Knight, Lucian Lamar, 1868-1933
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga. : Byrd Printing Co.
Number of Pages: 1148

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1 Authority: Dr. J. B. Peacock, President First National Bank of Cochran.

Recollections of Judge Bleckley. Judge Joseph R. Lamar, of the Supreme Court of the United States, thus portrays Judge Bleck- ley2: "Jurist, philosopher, mathematician, poet; a colossal and unique figure; mature in youth; in old age youthful; a born judge, his first public utterance was a plea for the creation of the court of which he was to be an illustrious Chief Justice. The Constitutional Amend- ment providing for a Supreme Court had been duly ratified in 1836 but the determined hostility of those who opposed its organization had prevailed and, for several sessions, the General Assembly met and adjurned with- out passing the act necessary to make the amendment effective. Living in the remote mountains of Rabun was a frail and sickly lad of thirteen, older than his years and with the judicial instinct so strongly developed that he recognized the subtle principle which made the failure to act a positive wrong; and the pen, which was des- tined to illustrate the pages of Georgia's judicial history, began its work with an article in the newspaper of an adjoining county, in which the boy joined issue with the General Assembly, and, passing all questions of expedi- ency, maintained the proposition that the authority to create was in effect, a command to organize and that, through non-action, the Legislature was guilty of an

2 Joseph R. Lamar, in Men of Mark in Georgia, Vol. IV, pp. 80-88, At- lanta, Ga., 1908.

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active violation of the Constitution of the State. This was not precosity but maturity of thought.

"His mental attainments fitted him for either a literary or a scientific calling but the legal environments of his mountain home naturally impelled him towards the Bar, and, at an age when most of his companions were struggling with the multiplication table, this boy, when only eleven, began the study of law. It is doubt- ful if there is to be found in the biographies of lawyers or judges a parallel case, where one so young began, of his own accord, a study so abstruse and uninteresting to the youthful mind. Books were few. His knowledge was all self-acquired. He constantly attended courts, and J. W. H. Underwood, Esq., having expressed the opinion that he would make a lawyer, loaned him Black- stone's Commentaries. Judge Bleckley never forgot this act of kindness, and, many years afterwards, on the occasion of memorial exercises in the Supreme Court in honor of Judge Underwood, the Chief Justice referred to it; he also exhibited the two volumes, which, early in life, he had purchased. With a genius for law perhaps never excelled, he was yet the hardest worker, the most laborious student. He literally burned the mid- night oil. He wrote and revised; revised and re-wrote, and again he revised; and of course he wrote great opinions. To her greatest favorites nature gives not talents alone, but yokes genius with a passion for work, from which come those products of the brain which endure.

Anecdotes of Judge Bleckley.

Volume II.

Cochran. Cochran, the county seat of Bleckley, was known in the early days as Dykesboro, so-called after a wealthy land owner of this locality, Mr. B. B. Dykes, who owned the site on which the town was afterwards built.

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Deeds to property in the city of Cochran traced to B. B. Dykes are unquestionably good. The oldest inhabitants of Dykesboro were: Austin Lanfair John J. Green, Dug- gan McPhail and P. T. McGriff. One of the early magistrates of the town, F. B. Green, became famous in the early days for performing marriage cere- monies. Judge P. T. McGriff, the present Ordinary of Pulaski County, built the first store in the town of Coch- ran. Originally the Macon and Brunswick Railway ran to a point six miles north of the town and when the line was extended to Cochran, Judge McGriff was made the agent at this point. At the same time the name of the town was changed from Dykesboro to Cochran in honor of Judge Arthur E. Cochran, the president of the line. During the war the terminus at Cochran was abandoned; where- upon Judge McGriff removed his office to Coley's station about five miles north of the town. In 1872, he relin- quished the post of agent to become Ordinary of Pulaski County, an office which he has continuously filled for more than forty years. In unbroken tenure of service he probably ranks first among present day office holders in Georgia and boasts a record seldom if ever equalled in this history of the State. The earliest settlers in Coch- ran located here to engage in the turpentine industry and they included: P. L. Peacock, J. E. O'Berry, C. D. Woodward and A. T. Wiggs. Among the pioneer phy- sicians was Dr. T. D. Walker, who served the town as mayor .*

On January 1, 1913, the first election of county offi- cers for the new county of Bleckley resulted as follows: Ordinary, Judge W. M. Wynn; clerk, Joel T. Deese; tax receiver, James Holland; treasurer, J. R. Taylor; surveyor, W. H. Berryhill; coroner, Morgan Barrs; sheriff, J. A. Floyd; and county school commissioner, C.

* Authority: Col. L. A. Whipple, of Hawkinsville, Ga.

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A. Willis. Hon. Leo H. Browning was chosen the first representative of the county in the State Legislature.

Original Settlers. See Pulaski from which county Bleck- ley was formed.

To the pioneer list may be added the following names: Dr. J. B. Peacock, J. P. Peacock, J. C. Dunham, J. H. Mullis, Jr., J. A. Walker, T. D. Walker, J. B. Thomp- son, A. J. Thompson, B. J. Wynn, W. M. Wynn, T. L. Bailey and J. J. Taylor .* These men laid the foundations of the present wide awake and progressive city of Coel- ran, one of the most enterprising communities in the middle belt.

BROOKS

Created by Legislative Act, December 11, 1858, from Thomas and Lowndes Counties. Named for Hon. Preston S. Brooks, of South Carolina, a noted ante bellum statesman. Quitman, the county-seat, named for Gen- eral John A. Quitman, of Mississippi, a gallant officer of the Mexican War, and a vigorous champion of State Rights.

The Tomb of Quitman was the home of the distin-

Judge Turner. guished jurist and statesman-Judge Henry G. Turner. For sixteen years he illustrated Georgia in the national House of Representa- tives; and on the Supreme Bench of the State-adorned with the ermine of Georgia's highest court-he closed his useful career, at the age of sixty-six. He was not only a man of pre-eminent ability, but of unblemished character, of proven courage, and of lofty patriotism- the lodestar of whose life was duty. Judge Turner is buried at West End, the beautiful local cemetery at

* These names were furnished by Mr. J. J. Taylor, President of the Cochran Banking Company.

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Quitman, and the last resting place of this beloved Geor- gian is marked by a substantial monument of granite, inscribed as follows:

Henry Gray Turner. Born, March 20, 1839. Died June 9, 1904.

Here also lived JJudge J. O. Morton, who at the time of his death was the oldest bank president in the United States. He died on July 16, 1911, at the age of ninety- two. He was one of the organizers of the first bank established in the county and on the day prior to his death was present at a meeting of the board of directors of the pioneer institution. When he returned to his home, on this last evening of his life, he dismissed the driver telling him that he would probably not need him again. With characteristic attention to matters of detail, he made every necessary arrangement in advance for the final hour of his departure, even to setting aside a designated sum for his funeral expenses; and so the Death Angel found this old knight of finance booted and spurred-ready to mount his black charger for the Holy Land.

Judge W. B. Bennet, an honored pioneer citizen of Brooks, is survived by numerous descendants some of whom have long been prominent in the professional cir- cles of South Georgia. These include: Judge Joseph W. Bennet, of Brunswick; S. S. Bennet, Esq., of Quit- man, and S. S. Bennet, Esq., of Camilla.

Judge J. G. McCall, a prominent factor in the business, social and religious life of Quitman, has been a resident of Brooks since birth. To the list of representative men who have given character to the town of Quitman and galvanized this entire section of Georgia may be added :

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the Oglesbys, J. W. and Z. W .; men of large railway, in- dustrial and commercial interests, S. S. Rountree, J. W. Spain, H. W. Stubbs, R. C. MeIntosh, Sr., Dr. W. T. Gaulden, Dr. E. A. Jelks, O. K. Jelks, Fuller Groover, S. M. Turner, J. H. Malloy, D. G. Malloy and Dr. Wallace Mathews. Three native sons of Brooks, Messrs. Charles E. Groover, H. D. Stevens and B. A. Denmark, left the county to become prominent and wealthy citizens of Savannah. *

Original Settlers. John and James McMullen, brothers, were among the earliest pioneers to enter the pine solitudes of this section of Georgia, but they were soon followed by the Groovers, James, Abner and Daniel. These pioneer settlers reared large families and cleared for cultivation extensive tracts of land, some of which are still owned by well-to-do descendants. Thomas I. Denmark, a soldier in the Creek Indian Wars, settled in 1835 in what was then the eastern part of Thomas. He was the father of E. P. S. Denmark, of Val- dosta, and of the late Brantley A. Denmark, of Savan- nah. John William Spain, James Edward Young and James Morton, kinsmen, came to this locality from Bul- loch between 1835 and 1840, settling where the county seat, Quitman, today stands. They were prominent in the up- building of Brooks and amassed large wealth. The descendants of these men are among the financial leaders of the county and are prominent likewise in social and religious circles. Francis S. McCall located near the present town of Quitman in 1845 and became the founder of a large and influential family of this name in Brooks. Rev. Charles G. Gaulden was a pioneer Baptist minister and a prosperous planter of this section. His father Jonathan Ganlden is said to have settled in what was then Lowndes as early as 1833. Andrew T. Rountree, a soldier in the Creek Indian Wars, attracted to this part

*Authority: Mrs. Jeff Davis, of Quitman, Regent local chapter D. A. R.

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of Georgia during his military campaign, located here some time after the close of hostilities. Abner Hunter was another pioneer citizen whose descendants have been active in the development of Brooks .* The list also includes Thomas Hardee, Wm. Lane, Randolph Avera, T. J. Christian and Wm. Campbell.

BRYAN

Created by Legislative Act, December 19, 1793, from Liberty and Effing. ham Counties. Named for the illustrious Jonathan Bryan, one of the earliest of Georgia's Revolutionary patriots. Clyde, the county-seat, named for Sir Colin Campbell, Lord Clyde, a noted field marshal of Scotland.

Though a native of South Carolina, Jonathan Bryan was an actor in the earliest drama of events in the Colony of Georgia. He accompanied Oglethorpe from Beaufort to Savannah, and aided the great philan- thropist and soldier in founding the new town upon the bluffs. He became a member of the King's Council; but despite his close relations to the Crown he was one of the first of the patriots to protest against the oppressive measures of Parliament. Included among the heirlooms of the Brayan family in Georgia, there is still preserved an old silver piece of priceless value inscribed to the sturdy patriot for espousing the liberties of the people of Georgia at the sacrifice of high official position. Though past the patriarchal limit of years at the time of the Revolutionary outbreak, Mr. Bryan participated in the defence of Georgia soil; and upon the fall of Savannah was captured, sent to New York, and im- prisoned on Long Island. The circumstances of the old man's arrest are too dramatic to be omitted. Three nights after the reduction of Savannah, a party of armed men were secretly dispatched from the Phoenix, a man-

*Authority: Mrs. Jeff Davis, of Quitman, Regent local chapter D. A. R., and Mrs. W. T. Hardee, Historian.

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of-war lying in the harbor, with instructions to take the old man a prisoner. He was supposed to have sought refuge on his plantation across the Savannah River; and moving stealthily up Union Creek, under the cover of darkness, the arresting officers found him at the place indicated, and, with his son James, put him on board one of the prison ships. In vain his daughter, Mrs. Morel, sued for the release of her aged father. She even begged on her knees, so it is said. But the British commander, Sir Hyde Parker, was obdurate. The old man had been too great an offender against the British Crown. Consequently he was sent North. However, an exchange was effected in the course of time; and return- ing to Savannah, he survived the Revolution, witnessed the adoption of the Federal Constitution, and died at Brampton, his home place near Savannah, March 9, 1788 -Georgia's Pylean-Nestor of Independence.

Hardwick : One of the Lost Towns of Georgia. Volume TI.

Belfast: The Home of James Maxwell. Volume II.

Fort Argyle. On the west side of the Great Ogeechee River, at the narrow passage above Canouchee Creek, stood Fort Argyle, one of the very earliest of Georgia's Colonial strongholds. It was built in 1733, under the direction of Oglethorpe, to protect the settlement at Savannah against an inland invasion by the Spaniards from St. Augustine. There is no deserip- tion of the fort extant; but it probably consisted of extensive earthen ramparts surrounding an interior structure of tabby, not unlike the one at Frederica, on St. Simon's Island. Ten families were settled in the

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immediate neighborhood of the fort, or fertile river bottom plantations. It was the plan of Oglethorpe to develop a town at this point; but as soon as the garrison was withdrawn eight of the families removed. The others soon followed, and ere long there was not a sign of industry left.

Indian Antiquities. Quite a number of ancient mounds are still to be seen on the banks of the Ogeechee River, in this county, showing that the region was one of the favorite burial places of the natives. Excavations have been made at times, and, besides disclosing a lot of human bones, have brought to light some very ornamental urns, the workmanship of which is in every way superior .* But there is nothing to connect these tumuli with the . aboriginal race called the Mound-Builders. They belong to a period more recent.

Bryan's Noted Samuel Stiles, a native of Bermuda, Residents. settled upon a plantation in Bryan about the year 1769. When the Revolution began, he at once took sides with the Americans and ar- ranged a trade whereby quantities of powder were secretly obtained from the magazine at Bermuda. The British government offered large sums for the unknown offender, but without success. At the siege of Savannah a horse was shot from under him. Count D'Estaing sought his assistance in taking some of the West India Islands, but he declined for patriotic reasons to embark upon such an expedition. He married Catherine Clay, a daughter of Joseph Clay, of Savannah. Hon. William H. Stiles, a Congressman from Georgia, was his son. John Wereat, an early Governor of Georgia, spent the last days of his life in Bryan; and here United States Senator Augustus O. Bacon was born.

*White's Historical Collections of Georgia, p. 279, New York, 1856.

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BULLOCH

Created by Legislative Act, February 8, 1796, from treaty lands acquired from the Creek Indians in 1790. Named for the noted patriot of the Revo- lution, Hon. Archibald Bulloch, of Savannah. Statesboro, the county-seat. Bulloch, when first organized in 1796, included parts of the following coun- ties: Emanuel, Jenkins, Johnson and Toombs.

Archibald Bulloch was one of the most distinguished of Georgia's Revolutionary patriots. His name was was signed to the famous card which appeared in the Georgia Gazette, of July 14, 1774, calling the Sons of Liberty together for the first time in Savannah to pro- test against the oppressions of England. He was chosen to preside over the Provincial Congress which, on July 4, 1775, severed the tie of allegiance to England and placed Georgia in patriotic league and covenant with the rest of the Colonies. He was elected to the Continental Con- gress in Philadelphia by this same body and in the fall of the year attended an adjourned session, in which he took an active part. When the Provincial Congress again met, on January 20, 1776, he was made President and Commander-in-Chief of Georgia, by virtue of which election he became officially the head of the new com- monwealth; and though again elected to the Continental Congress he was prevented by duties at home from repairing to Philadelphia. For this reason his name was not affixed to the immortal scroll of freedom.

Nevertheless it devolved upon Mr. Bulloch to pro- claim the Declaration of Independence to the people of Georgia. The famous document, accompanied by a letter from John Hancock, was brought to him by a courier, who made the journey from Philadelphia to Savannah on horseback. Due to this somewhat slow method of travel it was not until August 10, 1776 that the news was re- ceived in Georgia, but instantly there followed one of the most dramatic of scenes. The old patriot assembled the Provincial Congress and read the document aloud to the official Representatives of Georgia, who listened in breathless attention. He next convened the populace in

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the public square of the town, at which time the docu- ment was again read, amid the shouts of the multitude and the thunder of cannon. At a banquet which was spread under the trees a number of toasts were offered to the success of the patriotic cause, while in the evening the town was illuminated with bon-fires and King George the Third, with impressive ceremonies, was committed in effigy to the dust.

But the sturdy old patriot did not live to witness the success of the great struggle in the opening drama of which he bore so conspicuous a part. On February 22, 1777-barely six months later-he died suddenly at his home in Savannah and was laid to rest in an old family vault in the Colonial burial-ground. He was a Democrat of the most pronounced type. In 1776, Colonel McIntosh, who commanded the Provincial troops in Savannah, in accordance with previous customs, caused a sentinel to be posted at the door of his residence. But it savored too much of the Royal Court, and he protested with this remark : "I act for a free people in whom I have the most entire confidence, and I wish to avoid on all occasions the appearance of ostentation." Mr. Bullock was born in Charleston, S. C., in 1730. On reaching mature years he removed to Savannah to practice law and here married Miss Mary DeVeaux, the daughter of an eminent jurist. She bore him four children. Among the descendants of Mr. Bulloch is Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, the twenty-sixth President of the United States. The latter's mother was Martha Bulloch.

Bulloch in the During the Revolution, this section of the Revolution. State, much to the terror of the inhabi- tants, was one of the favorite resorts of Daniel McGirth, the celebrated Tory. But William Cone came to the rescue. Says a writer : "When the notorious Tory, McGirth, with his followers, was terrorizing this part of the State, it was learned that one Cargile har-

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bored the Tories and gave them information about the Whigs. Cargile was advised that it meant death if he was again found in company with McGirth. Not long after, when William Cone was hunting deer on the Ogeechee, he saw them together in the woods. He shot Cargile but McGirth escaped. The next day when friends went to bury the dead man, it was found that the wolves had almost devoured his carcass."

"At another time the Tories fell on an unsuspecting settlement, stole the horses of the settlers, and carried away everything possible. Headed by Captain Cone, the settlers pursued them. Finding after a shower of rain that they were close on their heels they sent forward one of their number to reconnoiter. The approach of this man became known to the Tories, one of whom, start- ing out to make investigation, was killed by the scout, who was concealed behind a log. This was the signal for' an attack, whereupon the patriots rushed forward, drove the Tories into the Ohoopee River, and recovered the stolen goods. It is said that this raid ended the power of the Tories in this neighborhood."

The Cones: A Dis- In the county of Bulloch originated tinguished Georgia Family. one of the most noted families of the State. Captain William Cone, a native of North Carolina, settled in this section of Georgia before the outbreak of the Revolution and was an officer whose name is linked with many brave exploits against the Tories. He was living in Bulloch when the county was organized, became foreman of the first grand jury, and took an active part in public affairs. His grandson, General Peter Cone, served continuously in the Legislature of Georgia for thirty years and was the most dominant figure in the county until the time of his death. At the outbreak of the Civil War he was Major-General of the State militia.

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William Cone, Jr., another grandson, became a captain in the War of 1812, after which he settled in Florida, went to the Legislature, and fought against the Semi- noles. Some of his descendants in Florida have been men of note. Judge Wm. B. Cone, of Dooly and Judge Francis H. Cone, of Greene, belonged to this same family connection.

Anecdote of When General Peter Cone was in the General Cone. Senate of Georgia, one of the candidates for door-keeper approached him, canvass- ing his support. "Have you ever kept a door?" inquired the General. "No," he answered. "Have you ever seen a door kept?" "No," came the reply. "Have you ever read a treatise on doorkeeping?" "No," he responded for the third time." "Well." finally returned the General, "since you have never taken a preparatory course to learn the mysterious art, you are unfit for the place. So get the proper books, apply yourself honestly and diligently to the subject for twelve months, and then you can have my vote next year."

Original Settlers. Among the original settlers of Bulloch, according to White, were the follow- ing: William Cook, Benjamin Cook, Barnard Michael, John Everitt, Jehu Everitt, Andrew E. Wells, George Threadcraft, Charles McCall, Alexander Stewart M. Burkhalter, A. Mckenzie, Daniel Lot, Arthur Lot Wil- liam Mezell, Lewis Lanier, Clement Lanier, Daniel Hen- drix, N. Sweat, Mr. Oliff, Mr. Shorter, John Groover, William Row, the Hodges, the Cones, the Hagans, etc.

On May 16, 1797, Wm. Stevens presiding, the first session of the Superior Court was held at the home of

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Stephen Mills and the following Grand Jurors were empanelled : William Cone, foreman; John M. Buck- halter, James Jackson, John Fletcher, Samuel Peacock, James Webb, Jacob Hoofman, George McCall, A. Hagan, Isaac Carter, John Rawles, M. Pridgeon, M. Carter, James Bird, M. Driggers, Francis Wells, R. Abritton, Jehu Everitt, and N. Sweat. The following members of the bar were present: D. B. Mitchell, Esq., Attorney General of the State; Jeremiah Cuyler, and William B. Bulloch, attorneys at law.

To the foregoing list there are several additions to be made. William Brannen settled in Bulloch soon after the Revolution and became a planter of large means. His descendants in the county are numerous and influen- tial. David Beasley was another early comer. He held nearly every office in the gift of the county and was long a power in politics. Dr. John W. Johnson was a pioneer physician who served in both Legislative branches. Stephen Kennedy was an original settler who lived to be 100 years of age. His son, Dr. Daniel Kennedy, was a veteran of both Seminole and Civil Wars and a State legislator. Another early settler was Redden Denmark.

BURKE

Created by the State Constitution of 1777 from the Parish of St. George. Named in honor of the great orator and statesman, Edmund Burke, who espoused the cause of America in the English Parliament. Waynesboro, the county-seat, named for General Anthony Wayne, who took part in the military operations in Georgia during the last year of the Revolution. When organized in 1777, Burke included parts of two other counties, Jefferson and Jenkins.

Historical There is an abundance of evidence to prove

Traditions. that DeSoto's band in search of gold, in 1540, passed through what is now the county of Burke, en route to an ancient Indian village called by the Spanish historians, Cutafa-chiqui. Most

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of the investigators, including Bartram, Pickett, Gallatin, Buckingham Smith, Jones and others identify this village as the site afterwards occupied by Silver Bluff, the resi- dence for many years of George Galphin, the famous Indian trader. It was on the South Carolina side of the Savannah River, some twenty-five miles below Augusta, and signs of an ancient civilization are still numerous in this immediate neighborhood. The supposition is that the town was an old capital of the Uchees, a tribe of Indians afterwards either dispossessed or absorbed by the Creeks.

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Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume I, Part 24

Author: Knight, Lucian Lamar, 1868-1933 Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Atlanta, Ga. : Byrd Printing Co. Number of Pages: 1148

Author: Knight, Lucian Lamar, 1868-1933
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga. : Byrd Printing Co.
Number of Pages: 1148