USA > Georgia > Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume I > Part 67
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77
921
SCHLEY
ly, some of them Pentecostal in spiritual power. Genera- tion after generation has here worshipped God in the beautiful shade of the forest trees. The stately taber- nacle at Smyrna is the outgrowth of volunteer contribu- tions, and the atmosphere of the old camp ground is frag- rant with saintly names like Hollingsworth and Stewart and Rogers and other pious souls of the early days who here met in the wilderness on each Sabbath afternoon to sing and to pray .*
Original Settlers. Some of the most representative of the pioneer citizens of Rockdale, several of whom are still in life, may be enumerated as follows : David M. Parker, Henry Holcombe, Judge M. M. Bentley. Squire T. H. Bryans, Squire D. T. White, Dr. J. A. Stew- art, Rev. John L. Stewart, Rev. Joel Stansell, Capt. War- ren Maddox, Rev. Stephen Mayfield, Henry P. Almand. Ham. Almand, John H. Almand, Judge A. C. McCalla, Dr C. H. Turner, Dr. J. A. Stewart, Colonel W. L. Peek. Judge George W. Gleaton, Dr. Henry Quigg, S. D. Night and James Hollingsworth.
SCHLEY
Created by Legislative Act, December 22, 1857, from parts of three counties: Macon, Marion, and Sumter, all originally Lee. Named for Governor William Schley, a noted Chief Executive of Georgia and a jurist of distinction. . Ellaville, the county-seat.
William Schley was a native of the historic old town of Frederick, Md., where he was born December, 10, 1786. Coming to Georgia, he received his education in the academies at Louisville and Augusta, and settled in the last named place for the practice of law. He became
* These facts were furnished by Colonel John R. Maddox, of Decatur, Ga., formerly a resident of Conyers.
922
GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS
judge of the Superior Court of the Middle Circuit, a mem- ber of the General Assembly of Georgia, a member of Congress, and from 1835 to 1839 Governor of Georgia. While occupying the office of Chief-Executive, he urgent- ly recommended the construction of the Western and Atlantic Railroad and before relinquishing the helm of affairs he signed the bill putting the proposed legislation into effect. Governor Schley in 1826 published a "Digest of the English Statutes of Force in Georgia." He was profoundly versed in the principles of the legal profession and was a man of clear foresight, of tireless industry, and of pre-eminent patriotism. He died in Augusta, Ga., November 20, 1858, at the age of seventy-two, and was buried at Richmond Hill, his country seat, near the Louis- ville road, some six miles from Augusta, where his grave is substantially marked. The late Admiral Winfield S. Schley, of the American Navy, who won the celebrated victory over the Spanish fleet at Santiago, in 1898, was a kinsman of Governor Schley and a native of the same town in Maryland.
Original Settlers. See Macon, Marion, and Sumter, from which counties Schley was formed.
To the list of early settlers may be added: 11. 1. French and W. A. Black who represented Schley in the secession Convention at Milledgeville; Henry Stewart, Joel Rees, G. W. Marshall, William Devane, Frank M. Devane, James N. Taylor, and others. Wm. Stewart, a patriot of '76, is buried at Ellaville.
923
SCREVEN
SCREVEN
Created by Legislative Act, December 14, 1793, from Burke and Effing. ham Counties. Named for General James Screven, of the Revolution. Sylvania, the county-seat, so called from the Arcadian beauty of the woods in which the town was built. Jacksonboro, the original seat of government. named for Governor James Jackson, is today one of the lost towns of Georgia.
Gen. Screven Honored by the U. S. Government.
Volume II.
The Battle of Briar Creek.
On March 3, 1779, at Briar Creek, in this county, there was fought a noted battle, the issue of which was disastrous to the Revolutionary patriots, some of the most distinguished of whom were made prisoners of war. The Americans, in this engagement, were commanded by General Ashe, of North Carolina ; the British by Lieuten- ant-Colonel Campbell. In a letter dated Purisburg, March 7, 1779, General Lincoln thus details the particu- lars of the battle :
"After the enemy left Augusta, General Ashe, who was stationed on the opposite side of the river, was of- dered to cross and take post at or near Briar Creek lower bridge, as thereby he would cover the upper part of the country, and as this was considered one of the strongest posts therein, his left being secured by a deep swamp on the Savannah, River, his front by the creek, which at this point was unfordable and, about sixty vards wide ; besides. he had a party of 200 horse to cover his right rear. Boats were provided for the troops to recross the Savannah in case the enemy should move against them in force, and the baggage was sent over in order that they might not be encumbered therewith, in case they should be obliged to retire into the country. But, notwithstanding, on the 3rd of March, 1779, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the enemy fell in his rear, his horse at that time being over Briar Creek, and began the attack so suddenly that the General
924
GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS
had not time to form the whole of his troops, which amounted to about 1,200, exclusive of the horse; those which were formed soon gave way, though many officers exerted themselves to prevent it, excepting a few under General Elbert, and one or two regiments of North Caro- lina militia. Some, he informs me, fled without firing; they took to the swamp and escaped, either by swimming the river or being brought across in a boat. General Ashe supposes his loss to have been about 150 or 200. Prison- ers taken, General Elbert, Georgia troops; Lieutenant- Colonel McIntosh, in the Continental service; Major Douglass, Aide-de-Camp; Captains Hicks. Nash, Cuthbert, Scott, Pendleton, Corbet, Sprowl and Dalay; 160 non- commissioned officers and privates."
Michael Doherty was a soldier of the Revolution. He enlisted in one of the Delaware Regiments, was at the battles of Brandywine, Stony Point, Cowpens and Cam- den, was several times wounded and taken prisoner, and was an Irishman, full of the wit and courage character- istic of his countrymen. His adventures were most thrill- ing. It is not known when he settled in Screven.
William McCall, a Colonel in the Revolution, after- wards a Baptist minister, died in Sereven. The McCalls of Quitman, Ga., are among his descendants.
Frank Jones, a native of Wales, was an early settler of Sereven. Four of his sons bore arms in the struggle for independence : Frank, James, John and Philip.
Richard Herrington, a Revolutionary patriot, came to Georgia in 1790 from North Carolina and settled in Sereven. He sprang from the sturdy Scotch-Irish stock, whose defiance of British oppression has made the hills of North Carolina forever historic.
Rev. Peyton L. Wade was an early pioneer minister of the gospel in Screven. He was also a thrifty planter. At Wade's church, the inventor of the once famous Cooper plows, George W. Cooper, lies buried.
925
SCREVEN
Jacksonboro : The At the beginning of the last century, Passing of an Old there was not to be found within the Town. borders of Georgia a thriftier center of population than Jacksonboro. It was named for the old Governor who exposed the Yazoo fraud and was settled by the best class of people in the State. It was made the county-seat of Sereven county, a dis- tinction which for forty-eight years it continued to enjoy without interruption. Yet the lights have long since been extinguished in the town of Jacksonboro-its market- places have been deserted for more than three score years -its very name has been forgotten except by the anti- quarian who delves into the historic past. The trade of the town began to decline some time in the forties; and after the removal of the public buildings to Sylvania it . soon fell into ruins. Whether the reverses of the town were due to malarial conditions, to an unfortunate choice of site, or to adverse discriminations, cannot at this time be determined. It was made the county seat of Screven county on February 15, 1799. Twenty four years later, an act of incorporation was passed by the Legislature, at which time the Court House was designated as the center of the town. The corporate limits were to extend a half mile in every direction. Says Colonel Jones:1 "The business of the county was, for some forty years or more, mainly transacted at this place. Here, too, for some time. resided Mr. John Abbott, whose work on the Lepidopter- ous Insects of Georgia is still prized by the students of Natural History. Upon removal of the public buildings to Sylvania in 1847 this place was robbed of all impor- tance. It was speedily abandoned; and now a few sherds of common pottery scattered over the surface of the ground are all that is left to remind the visitor that the tide of life was once here." The distinguished scientist to whom Colonel Jones above refers was an Englishman. His work is entitled : "The Natural History of the Rarer Lepidopterous Insects of Georgia." It was edited by Sir
1 Dead Towns of Georgia, pp. 239-240, Savannah, 1878.
926
GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS
J. E. Smith and published in London, in 1797, with one hundred and four colored plates.2
Historic Traditions : A Tragedy of the Swamp. Volume II.
Recollection of Ed- ward J. Black.
Volume II.
Original Settlers. The first comers into Sereven, accord- ing to White, were: J. H. Rutherford, James Boyd, John Bonnell, Henry Bryan, William Rush- ing, Benjamin Greene, William Shepard, Robert Warren, Joseph Tanner, John Fletcher, John Nevil, Anthony Bornell, Bird Lanier, Matthew Coleton, William Pearce, Daniel Blackburn, John Jeffers, William Rauls and M. Greene.
Several instances of longevity are recorded among the early settlers of Screven, but the alleged ages of these people tax the credulity of the present day, which is some- what given to higher criticism. Michael Doherty is said to have been 140. The age of Mrs. L. Thrower is given as 137. Mr. Herrington was over 90 at the time of his death, and Mrs. Jane Black was 100.
SPALDING
Created by Legislative Act, December 20, 1851, from Pike and Henry Counties. Named for Hon. Thomas Spalding, of St. Simon's Island, a wealthy planter of the old regime and a member of Congress. Griffin, the county-seat, named for General L. L. Griffin, an officer in the State militia
2 Knight's Biographical Dictionary of Southern Authors, Vol. XV of the Library of Southern Literature, p. 1, Atlanta, 1910.
927
SPALDING
and the first President of the Monroe Railroad, afterwards merged into the Central. Gen. Griffin was one of the earliest of Georgia's industrial captains to foresee the possibilities of steam applied to locomotion.
Thomas Spalding was one of the first planters of Georgia to introduce the culture of cotton-today the chief agricultural product of the Southern States. He also encouraged the introduction of sugar cane. He was born at Frederica, on St. Simon's Island, on March 26, 1774 and died at the residence of his son, near Darien, January 4, 1851. He was for years a factor in Georgia politics. Before reaching the age of twenty-five, he was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1798, of which body he lived to be the last survivor. He served in the State Legislature, at different times, and also repre- sented Georgia in the Ninth Congress. His gifts as a writer were of high order as his "Life of Oglethorpe" well attests. He operated several hundreds slaves on his extensive sea-island and river bottom plantations, but was an ideal master and friend. His last appearance in public life was as chairman of a convention which met at Milledgeville in 1850 when the famous compromise measures of 1850 were under heated discussion and seces- sion became the slogan of the extreme advocates of State Rights. He made an address on this occasion which was characterized by such fervor that it did not leave him with strength sufficient to reach home, and he died at the residence of his son, near Darien, in his seventy-seventh year.
Alexander Latta, a soldier of the War of 1812, attach- ed to the 4th Georgia militia, died in Spalding. His last resting place, near the town of Griffin, has been marked by the Daughters of the American Revolution. The grave is covered by a horizontal slab of marble resting upon a brick foundation, in addition to which there is also a marble headstone, on which the following brief record appears :
Alex. Letta. 4th Ga. Mil. War 1812.
928
GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS
Griffin Erects the In the town of Griffin, the first First Confederate Monument. monument erected in Georgia to commemorate the heroism of the Confederate dead was unveiled on April 26, 1869. Colonel James S. Boynton, a gallant veteran, who afterwards became Governor of the State, delivered the address of the occasion. The membership of the pioneer organization to whose labor of love the erection of this historic shaft was due included the follow- ing patriotic women of Griffin : Mrs. Isaac Winship, Mrs. L. R. Brewer, Mrs. W. R. Hanleither, Mrs. J. N. Bell, Mrs. T. J. Collier, Mrs. Charles F. Newton, Mrs. William Mick- leberry, Mrs. J. M. Daniel, Mrs. Wooten, Miss Lizzie Wooten, Mrs. Green, Mrs. A. M. Nelmes, Mrs. A. D. Alex- ander, and others. Entertainments of various kinds ·were given by the ladies, each of whom in addition made per- sonal sacrifices for the cause, laboring night and day to complete the task at a time when money was scarce in this section and when the people were oppressed by hard times. In the little cemetery at Griffin-to which the name Stonewall has most appropriately been given- several hundred Confederate soldiers lie buried. The greater number of these either perished in the numerous engagements which occurred in the neighborhood of Griffin during the last year of the war, or died in the local hospitals. Mrs. Isaac Winship was the first president of the Griffin Memorial Association; and she was suc- ceeded in turn by the four ladies whose names head the foregoing list, each of whom was chosen in the order named. In 1898, the organization was merged into the James S. Boynton Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, with Mrs. Governor James S. Boynton at the helm, an office which she has continued to hold. Four years ago the chapter decided upon the erection of another monument to the heroes of the Lost Cause; and, on October 11, 1909, it was duly unveiled, Dr. C. O. Jones of Atlanta, delivering the address. The handsome shaft was erected at a cost of $3,000; and to Mrs. W. J. Kin-
929
SPALDING
caid, chairman of the committee to raise this fund, the credit in large measure belongs.
Original Settlers. According to White, the original set- tlers of Spalding were: John G. Hill, A. A. Gaulding, John B. Reid, William Cline, General E. P. Daniel, Curtis Lewis, Miles G. Dobbins, William S. Herronton, James A. Beeks, Absalom Gray, A. M. Nall. Thomas D. Johnson, James S. Jones, A. W. Humphreys, Hugh G. Johnson, David Johnson, Dr. John R. Clark, Joseph P. Manly, James Butler. Ishmael Dunn, William Ellis, Garlington Leak. Burrell Orr, Simeon Spear, John H. Akins, Robert Walker, Garry Grice, Dr. James S. Long, William R. Phillips, and William Dismuke. In 1857 came Gilman .J. Drake.
Spalding's Noted Besides the noted jurist and Chief- Residents. Executive of the State, Governor James S. Boynton. the list of distin- guished residents of Griffin ineludes five former members of Congress : John W. Jones, David J. Bailey, Erasmus W. Beck, James C. Freeman, and John D. Stewart. Colo- nel Bailey married a daughter of the famous Seaton Grantland, of Milledgeville, the Henry Watterson of his day in Georgia. Judge Stewart was both a minister of the gospel and a jurist. General John McIntosh Kell, one of the great naval heroes of Confederate days, spent the last years of his life at Sunnyside. He was second to Ad- miral Semmes in command of the famous Confederate cruiser, the Alabama, and participated in the great duel at sea which occurred between the Alabama and the Kearsarge in the British Channel. He was also a kins- man of Thomas Spalding, for whom the county of Spald- ing was named. Judge John I. Hall, a distinguished jurist at one time assistant U. S. Attorney-General, was long a
930
GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS
resident of Griffin. Judge Robert T. Daniel, one of the most eloquent men of the State; Hon. J. J. Flynt, a for- mer President of the Senate; Captain W. J. Kincaid, one of Georgia's foremost industrial leaders; and other rep- resentative Georgians live here. Two of the most suc- cessful business men of Atlanta began life in Griffin : Mr. L. H. Beck and Capt. James W. English.
STEPHENS
Created by Legislative Act, August 18, 1905, from Habersham and Franklin Counties. Named for the Great Commoner, Alexander H. Stephens, Congressman, Governor, Vice-President of the Confederate States, orator, and man of letters. Toccoa, the county-seat, named for the famous falls, some two miles distant. According to a generally accepted tradition, the term signifies "the beautiful."
Pen-Pictures of Mr.
Stephens.
Volume II.
Toccoa Falls. Toccoa Falls, one of the most beautiful cas- cades in the State is the chief scenic attrac- tion of the county of Stephens. It is located two miles from the county-seat and is reached by a good country road. The far-famed beauty of this enchanted spot has made it an object of interest to sight-seers, ever since this fair mountain region of the State was first rescued from the Cherokees. According to some authorities Toccoa means "the Beautiful"; but translated by Mooney it signifies "Catawba Place," a term implying the former presence here of the Catawba Indians. The land in the immediate neighborhood of Toccoa Falls was acquired by purchase from the Cherokees in 1789 and was owned at one time by the Waffords.
Dr. Jeff Davis, one of the most zealous leaders of the movement to create the new county of Stephens, a result
931
STEWART
which was not obtained without Herculean labor, is the owner of a golden trophy of the hard fight made by him. The inscription on it reads :
"Pen used by Governor Joseph M. Terrell to sign a bill creating Stephens County, August 12, 1905."
Original Settlers. See Habersham and Franklin from which counties Stephens was formed.
Among the leading residents of Stephens at the time the new county was organized were: Dr. Jeff Davis, Judge J. B. Jones, J. B. Simmons, D. J. Simpson, E. P. Simpson, Dr. E. L. Ayers, Dr. F. C. Davis, W. A. Bailey, Judge B. P. Brown, Jr., W. A. Stowe, W. H. Stephens, C. T. Hosea, J. E. Tabor, Prof. J. I. Allman, Hon. J. D. Prather, L. A. Edwards, W. C. Edwards, H. T. Moseley, Claud Bond, Edward Schaeffer, D. S. Womack, W. M. Kilgo, J. C. Andrews, W. F. Austin, E. C. Teasley, N. L. Garland, W. F. Smith, J. D. Isbell, M. B. Collier, N. R. C. Rainey, Dr. John H. Edge, Dr. H. M. Freeman, T. R. Yow, W. R. Bruce, T. A. Capps, Dr. R. J. Reid and Dr. J. H. Terrell.
STEWART
Created by Legislative Act, December 23, 1830, from Randolph County, originally Lee. Named for General Daniel Stewart, of the Revolution. Lumpkin, the county-seat, named for Gov. Wilson Lumpkin, a noted Chief- Executive, Congressman, and United States Senator.
Brigadier-General Daniel Stewart, an illustrious soldier and patriot, was born in what was then the Parish of St. John, on October 20, 1761, and was a scion of the famous Midway settlement. The outbreak of the Revolu- tion found him a lad of fifteen, but he promptly shoul-
932
GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS
dered his mnsket in the cause of the Colonies. It is said that while standing guard on a cold night at St. Mary's, Ga., Colonel John Baker, in making his rounds, was at- tracted by the slender youth, and, taking off his own coat wrapped it around the young sentinel. At a later period, when placed on a prison ship at Charleston, he managed to escape, during a storm, through one of the port holes; but in his break for liberty he sustained surious injuries. He served chiefly under the two famous South Caro- linians, whose exploits have been embalmed in song and legend-Sumter and Marion. On returning home, he found that his plantation, near Riceboro, had been occu- pied by the British commander, Colonel Prevost, and his attention was attracted by an inscription on the walls of his sitting room which read as follows "This house was the home of a nest of rebels." General Stewart could not have been prouder of an oil painting by one of the Italian masters. The historic old residence stood until the Civil War period when it was destroyed by the Fed- erals. During the second war with England, this sturdy patriot again took the field, at which time the rank of Bragider-General was bestowed upon him as a mark of special favor; and in the struggle which ensued he added fresh leaves to his laurels. General Stewart died at mis home in Liberty County, Ga., May 27, 1829 and was laid to rest in the Midway burial ground, among the graves of his ancestors. He was the great-grandfather of ex- President Roosevelt. The former's daughter Martha married first U. S. Senator John Elliott and afterwards Major James S. Bulloch, and from the latter marriage sprang Mr. Roosevelt's mother.
Roanoke, a small village in Stewart County, situated on the Chattahoochee River, was burned by the Indians on Sunday morning, May 15, 1836. It was gallantly de- fended, but the Indians were three hundred strong and the feeble little garrison was soon overpowered. At the
933
STEWART
first fire, nine whites and three blacks were killed, in ad- dition to a number wounded. It seems that the resi- dents of the village were taken entirely by surprise. The burning grew out of an affair which occurred two days previous when a party of Creeks, some thirty in number attacked the village, but met with repulse. They are sup- posed to have been the same Indians who fired upon the little steamship Georgia, killing every one on board.
The Battle of Shep- The battle of Shepherd's Planta- herd's Plantation. tion occurred in this county, on a plantation owned by a Dr. Shep- herd, on June 9, 1836. Major Jernigan, with a small detachment of men, not exceeding thirty in number, went to the assistance of Captain Garmany. Eight of the lat- ter's men were killed, and he himself severely wounded. The Stewart County soldiers who fell in this engagement were: David Delk, a lawyer; Jared Irwin, clerk of the Inferior Court; Capt. Robert Billups, and a young man named Hunter.
Win. Lewis, a sergeant in the Revolutionary ranks, was granted a Federal pension while a resident of Stew- art in 1839.
Original Settlers. The first comers into Stewart, as given by White, were: N. Clifton, M. Gres- ham, W. H. Dismukes, R. J. Snelling, S. Luckey, James Greer, J. Talbot, L. Bryan, Captain Ball, James E. Gachet, H. W. Jernigan and F. D. Wimberly.
934
GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS
To the foregoing list of early settlers may be added : Dr. Thomas W. Battle, Breen B. Battle, Green B. Ball, James Fitzgerald, William Carter, Nelson Clements, Solomon Harrell, Dr. Bright Miller, Capt. W. J. Mabry, B. F. Barge, John W. Barge, James Fort, Slade Dixon, Thomas Dixon, Tomlinson T. Fort, Anthony Crumbley, Henry Griffis, James Ray, Richard J. Snelling, Richard F. Watts, Benjamin C. Williford, James P. Lowe, the Harrisons, the Clarks, the Boyntons, the Goodes, the Rawsons, and other influential pioneer families.
Stewart's Distin- Brigadier-General Clement A. Evans guished Residents. was a native of Stewart. In the last conflict of arms at Appomattox, Gen- eral Evans led the famous division of General John B. Gordon, while the latter commanded one of the great wings of Lee's army; and for some time after the surrender had actually taken place, General Evans in a distant part of the field was still keeping the tattered Confederate flag afloat. In 1908, he succeeded General Stephen D. Lee in command of the United Con- federate Veterans. General Evans was a strong minor- ity candidate for Governor of Georgia, in 1894, but re- tired from the race, when the tide of public sentiment seemed to favor Governor Atkinson. He was not only a brave soldier but a stainless gentleman and a faithful minister of the gospel, in the Southern Methodist com- munion, though the last years of his life were not spent in the itinerant ranks. An effective public speaker, Gen- eral Evans was the chosen orator on two historic occas- ions; the unveiling of the Gordon statue in Atlanta and the unveiling of the Davis monument, in Richmond, Va. Judge Allen Fort, a noted jurist, for several years a mem- ber of the Railroad Commission; and Captain W. H. Harrison, a gallant Confederate soldier, long private secretary to the Governor, was born in the little town of Lumpkin. Here, too, were reared two noted brothers of
935
SUMTER
the Bench, Judge John T. Clarke and Judge Marshall J. Clarke; and here for many years lived Major Sidney Root, Colonel Samuel W. Goode, the Boyntons, the Raw- sons, and other men of note who later became pioneer builders of the Gate City of the South.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.