Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume II, Part 53

Author: Knight, Lucian Lamar, 1868-1933
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga. : Byrd Printing Co.
Number of Pages: 1274

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Many of them had been arrested on the testimony of reputable witnesses in the neighboring towns, who had heard them boasting of what they had done.

Five of the twenty-two, Simon O'Gwin, Joe King, Bob Donaldson, Red- dick Powell and Ella Moore, were tried before Judge A. C. Pate, Tom Eason being the solicitor-general. They were convicted of murder, and all five of them dropped to death at the same moment in the court-house yard on the 20th of October, 1882. Seventeen of the others were found guilty, but recommended to mercy, and were sent to the penitentiary for life. Many of the witnesses of the deeds of this dark and bloody Sunday are still living at Eastman .*

DOOLY

Vienna. The original county-seat of Dooly was a little town on the Flint River called Berrien. It was selected, under an Act of 1823, by a board of five com- missioners, to wit: Blassingame Pollet, Wm. Hilliard, Thomas E. Ward, Thomas Cobb, and Littleberry Richard- son.1 In 1833, the name of the town was changed from Berrien to Drayton, due presumably to a protest felt in this section against some of the unpopular views of Judge Berrien, who held that a United States Senator was not to be governed, on every question, by the wishes of his constitutents.2 But the new county-site failed to give satisfaction. On December 23, 1839, an Act was ap- proved, appointing Wm. Smith, David Scarboro, Joel Dorsey, James Oliver, Thomas Cobb, and John Crumpler, to select a new site for public buildings. At the same time,

*Authority: Rev. Alex. W. Bealer, of Eastman, Ga.

1 Acts, 1823, p. 190.

2 Acts, 1833, p. 322.

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provision was made to compensate the owners of prop- erty in the town of Drayton.1 Meanwhile, another town, named for Judge Berrien, seems to have arisen; and, on December 11, 1841, an Act was approved providing that, when a sufficient quantity of land was donated at Berrien, the new county-site should be located at said place; but there is nothing in the records to show that a removal was ever made.2 Finally, however, in the late forties, the county-seat was changed to Vienna; and, on February 18, 1854, the new county-seat was incorporated as a town with the following commissioners: Chas. H. Everett, Seth Kellum, Lemuel M. Lasseter, John Brown and Ste- phen B. Stovall.3 With two railway connections, Vienna is today quite a thriving center of trade; notwithstand- ing its proximity to Cordele, a town whose growth has been phenomenal.

DOUGHERTY

Albany. In Volume I, of this work, will be found a brief outline sketch of Albany, to which it may be added that, under an Act approved December 27, 1833, the following pioneer residents were named town commis- sioners : Herman Mercer, Samuel Clayton, Mordecai Al- exander, Nelson Tift, and Jeptha C. Harris. In this same Act, Nelson Tift, Jeptha C. Harris, and Tomlinson Fort were given a permit for constructing a bridge across the Flint River at this point. When Dougherty County was formed in 1853, from Baker, the town of Albany became the new county-seat.

Dougherty's Dis- tinguished Residents.

1 Acts, 1839, p. 213.

2 Acts, 1841, p. 70.

8 Acts, 1854, p. 273.

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EARLY

Blakely. On December 15, 1818, Early County was cre- · ated by an Act of the Legislature, out of treaty lands acquired from the Creek Indians. However, it was not until 1825, that the county was completely or- ganized. It was originally one of the largest counties in the State, but portions of it were given to other counties to somewhat equalize them in size. The first settler near the town of Blakely was Wesley Sheffield, whose de- scendants in the country are still numerous. About the year 1821, Mr. Benjamin Collier donated four acres of land to be used for the site of public buildings, an offer which the commissioners accepted, calling the town Blakely, after Capt. Johnson Blakely, a distinguished naval officer in the war of 1812. The local historian who records this interesting fact adds that if Earlytown had been chosen as the name of the capital of Early County, it would have saved much ink, paper, time, and temper to postmasters and others.

Mr. Collier erected the first dwelling house in Blakely on what is today known as the old Fleming place, on South Main Street. Blakely, no doubt, began to make history at an early date, but the first notice taken of her by the historian was in 1829, when the town contained eight private dwellings, a school house, a court house, and a jail. The first Clerk of the Court was N. M. Mc- Bride, Esq. Judge Benjamin Hodges was an early Jus- tice of the Peace, and John Floyd was the first Sheriff. According to Deed Book, Vol. C., County Records, the earliest known settlers in Blakely were Benjamin Collier, Joel Perry, James T. Bush, F. Mercier, A. M. Watson, and Robert Grimsley. From 1821 to 1829 these names appear : J. H. Bush, A. D. Smith, Joseph Miller, Willis Dobbs, David D. Smith, John Floyd, Isaac Livingston, J. W. Mann, James W. Alexander, John B. Applewhite, Wmn. Phillips, and A. O. Daniels. About 1830 records are found of Peter Howard, A. M. Freeman, Miller Gar-

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rett Freeman, Aaron Goolsby, Anthony Hutchins, James Buchanan, John Hays, Joel Crawford, and others.

To visitors, an object of much interest in the neigh- borhood of Blakely, is an Indian mound, some three miles distant which is supposed to have been formerly a trad- ing post and rendezvous of the Indians. Blakely is today a progressive city, of 3,000 inhabitants. Many hand- some homes, public buildings, churches, and banks, testify to her growth in recent years. All the religious denom- inations have lately erected beautiful temples of worship. Last year the city completed an up-to-date school build- ing, at a cost of $25,000. The Club Women of Blakely are engaged in active work. There are two patriotic societies-the Blakely Chapter, U. D. C., and the Peter Early Chapter, D. A. R .; also a splendid Public Library Association, and a Woman's Civic Club. The local camp of Confederate Veterans is Camp Doster, named for Dr. B. R. Doster, a brave Early County soldier. The erec- tion of a granite boulder to mark the Jackson Trail is contemplated at an early date by the D. A. R. chapter .*

Flag-Pole and On the beautiful court house grounds, at

Monument. Blakely, there stands a landmark of unique historic interest : the old Confed- erate Flag Pole. It looks today just as it did in the six- ties when it floated the Stars and Bars, high above sur- rounding objects. This hallowed reminder was erected in the spring of 1861, and no other section of the South to- day is known to boast one of these emblems of liberty. It was manufactured from a huge pine tree, the stump of which stands a short distance south of Blakely. Dur- ing a cyclone several years ago, the flag-pole was broken off near the base, but by request of the President of the U. D. C., of Blakely, it was bound together with strong brass bands and iron clamps painted white and re-erected

*Authority: Mrs. Walter Thomas, Regent Peter Early Chapter, D. A. R., and first president Blakely Chapter, U. D. C.

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by the city electrician. The flag-pole towers nearly to the court house dome, commanding an outlook upon the hor- izon for miles in every direction-a cherished relic of the Civil War.

Close to the flag-pole stands the Confederate monu- ment, a handsome structure of solid granite, dedicated to the heroes of the Lost Cause, by the local U. D. C. chapter. The shaft rises 30 feet and is 18 feet wide at the base. It rests upon a green mound charmingly orna- mented with plants and flowers. The monument was un- veiled on April 26, 1909, at which time, Judge Arthur G. Powell, a native of Blakely, then Judge of the Court of Appeals delivered the oration. Lettered upon the mon- ument are the following inscriptions :

East Face: "Erected by Blakely Chapter, U. D. C. Lest We Forget." West Face: "A tribute to the noble Confederate soldiers who cheerfully offered their lives in defence of local and self-government. To those who fought and survived. " North Face : "1861-1865.'' Flags furled. South Race: Crossed Sabers .*

Recollections of "In court, Judge Early knew no parties, but main- Peter Early. tained his office with the sternest proprieties, and measured out justice with an even balance. There was a peculiarity about the corners of his mouth which I never saw in any other man's. His lips were always conpressed and firm. I never saw him smile. His countenance reflected more of sadness than of cheer, yet indicated the deepest reflection. Seated on the bench, he was erect and com- manding, with his arm usually folded aeross his breast, and one knee thrown over the other. He seldom altered this posture. He looked severe and haughty ; yet he was dignified without the least affectation. His mind was in perfect correspondenee with his body; it never hesitated or faltered, but comprehended instantly whatever was presentd to it. Having drawn his inferences with the sound judgment for which he was distinguished, he rarely saw cause to change his opinion. He possessed the highest degree

*Authority: Mrs. Walter Thomas, who unveiled the monument.

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of self-respect, and knew how to respect others. He met promptly and de- cided positively all points of law brought before him. There was nothing negative or vacillating in the character of Judge Early. In every respect, he was a model judge and a perfect specimen of man."*

ECHOLS

Statesville. Statesville, the county-seat of Echols, was incorporated on December 13, 1859, with the following commissioners : Jesse P. Prescott, John T. Al- len, R. W. McAlhaney, Benj. Statsvey, and James S. Carter.1

EFFINGHAM

Springfield. On February 7, 1799, an Act was passed by the Legislature at Louisville, appointing five commissioners, viz., David Hall, Joshua Loper, Samuel Ryals, Dodhelf Smith, and Druries Garrison, to lay out a tract of land for a county-site, and to superintend the erection of public buildings thereon. This was the be- ginning of the present town of Effingham. The town academy was chartered by an Act approved December 1, 1809, with Messrs. Thomas Polhill, Sr., John Kogker, Christian Treutlen, Wm. Bird, and George S. Newland, as trustees.2 Springfield was incorporated on December 31, 1838, with the following commissioners: John Charl- ton, J. W. Exley, S. Bourquine, J. M. Shellman, and W. W. Wilson.3 The town was re-incorporated in 1850.

Elberton. The county-seat of Effingham, from 1787 to 1796. was El- berton, a small town located near Indian Bluff, on the north side of the great Ogeechee River, and named for General Elbert.

*Dr. John G. Slappey, in a letter to Major Stephen F. Miller.

1 Acts, 1859, p. 200.

2 Clayton's Compendium, p. 518.

3 Acts, 1838, p. 130.

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Tuckasee-King. Under an Act of the Legislature of Georgia, dated February 26, 1784, this place was designated as the first county-seat of Effingham. It was located near the present line of Screven. The site, however, proved to be unsatisfactory, necessitating a change to Elberton.

The Salzburgers.

Pages 179-193.

ELBERT

Old Ruckersville : Whoever writes of old Ruckersville A Rural Community. -the Ruckersville of ante-bellum days-to write intelligently, must speak of a whole community! Not those alone who lived within the confines of a small incorporated village of some 200 souls, but of the many who resided along the banks of the Savannah River in the southeastern belt of Elbert County, Georgia. Socially, politically, and in · all matters of religion, they were one large fam- ily; and it may be doubted if there existed, any- where, just previous to the great Civil War, a people so hardy, so independent, or with such lofty ideals of right living. When it is pointed out that in their bus- iness activities they were almost wholly agricultural, the volume of their prosperity is truly amazing.

It was the fixed habit of these people to practice the Golden Rule. Obedience to the law of the land was rigid- ly enjoined; and a man's word was his bond. To take advantage of another was regarded as beneath good morals, to get into lawsuits was to a man's discredit, and while the annals of the village reveal that here lived the Preacher and the School Master, the Banker and the Doctor, the Merchant and the Tailor, the Wheelwright and the Surveyor, yet no lawyer ever had the hardihood to hang out his shingle in Ruckersville, and when Ruckers- ville furnished a member of the Legislature for the County, he went from the ranks of those employed in agriculture.

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Just here it may be noted, that, it was this same mem- ber of the Legislature who introduced and caused to be passed the first Homestead bill in the South, giving to the wife and children $50.00 worth of household and kit- chen furniture. Of politics there was a plenty-truly educative and of absorbing moment. It was not a ques- tion of which party was the most honest or economical, but a question of men's lives and fortunes. In Ruckers- ville the old line Whig had been supreme-Henry Clay was the idol to be worshipped; and when Toombs and Stephens thundered in the village grove beneath the giant oaks, dangerous and ominous was the new democ- racy to that people. "Tis true tis pity, and pity tis tis true"-that the Whig did not prevail !

How the Village Be- Many of the most familiar names in gan: Joseph Rucker. Middle Georgia may be traced back . to Virginia, and to that tide of in- migration which about 1786, began to flow southward from the Old Dominion, and, hence, it came to pass that Ruckersville, Virginia, and Ruckersville, Georgia, were both founded by members of the same family. When Peter Rucker, planter of St. Mark's Parish, Orange County, Virginia, died in 1742, he left a large off-spring. The Virginia village was named in honor of this family, and it fell to the lot of his great grandson, through Thom- as, and Cornelius, and John, to name a village in Georgia, Ruckersville! This great grandson was Joseph, the son of John Rucker, and Elizabeth Tinsley, born on January 12, 1788. In his young manhood, he was fortunate enough to win the affections of Margaret Houston Speer, daugh- ter of William Speer, who lived at Cherokee Falls, on the Savannah River. They were married in January, 1812, and settled on the head waters of Van's Creek. Early in life, Joseph evinced the strength of character, which marked him a leader among men. In later years

Joseph Rucker

Planter and Financier, Who Stamped His Impress Upon Ante Bellum Georgia.

(Reproduced from an old daguerreotype.)

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he often said that he owed everything to his mother to whom he was a devoted son.

In 1822, the village of Ruckersville was incorporated, but no boundaries were fixed, and from that day until this, the name has been applied not so much to a town as to a large neighborhood. In 1827 Sherwood's Gazateer described it as containing 10 houses, 6 stores and shops, an academy, and a house of worship for the Baptists. In 1849 it had 200 souls. This paragraph, quoted from a sketch of Joseph Rucker in the Cyclopedia of Georgia, will help us to form a picture of Ruckersville :*

"From our present standpoint there was little in the locality to commend it as a center of influence, or as the seat of a great estate. The land was young, roads were bad, markets there were none, and it was a four days. journey to Augusta, the nearest approach to a city. And yet, in that secluded locality, remote from marts and markets, Joseph Rucker not only created a fortune great for his day and generation, but displayed such wisdom and executive ability and manifested such high traits of character as marked him as an extraordinary man."

Plantation Manage- In this day of subdivided labor, it is ment on a Colos- difficult to appreciate the kind and va- sal Scale. riety of talent then required in the successful management and development of great landed estates at points distant from centers of trade and ac- cording to present standards, practically inaccessible for want of highways, railroads, and means of transporta- tion. The successful agriculturist in every stage of the country's history has needed the highest order of judg- ment and forethought, and has necessarily been a man of affairs. But the successful planter at the early ante-bellum period required in the Southern States at least, a combination of talent, which would

Vol. III, p. 222.

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GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS

now thoroughly equip the master minds who control the colossal enterprises of the Twentieth Century. For such a planter had not only to be an agriculturist, but a manufacturer and a financier; and, above all, he had to know how to manage, care for, and develop men. In all these departments Joseph Rucker was conspicuous. The cotton industry was in its infancy, but even in this he made a marvelous success. Stock of all kinds, horses, mules, cows, goats and sheep, were raised. The cotton was to be ginned, and the ginnery and the press were supplemented by the spinning of yarn and wool, and the weaving of cloth. There were blacksmiths, wheelwrights, and carpenters, besides saw-mills to make the lumber for the Quarters. This prince of planters had his own tan- yard, and tanners, his harness-makers and shoe-makers. Immense crops of wheat and corn were raised. Corn cribs abounded. There were also mills for converting grain into meal and flour. The management of these separate and various industries was not the most diffi- cult task. There were the slaves themselves, a large and heterogeneous body, a wholly irresponsible people, whose ancestors had only recently come from Africa. These had to be trained and taught, and how humanely and well this was done, by the old time planter, is shown by the conduct of these same slaves, when, during the war, discipline was necessarily relaxed and control partially suspended.

Joseph Rucker: A Joseph Rucker lived the typical life Pen Picture.

of the Southern planter. Self-cen- tered and independent, he lived at home. He had little to buy and al- ways something to sell, and his great crops of cotton were shipped in Petersburg boats down the Savannah to Au- gusta. The neighboring community was unusually pros- perous. The Harpers, the Martins, the Heards, the Whites, the Maddoxes, the Clarks, the Adamses, and a

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host of others, made a neighborhood ideal in its social and domestic charms. Joseph Rucker's home especially, was the scene of a wide and generous hospitality-a social center which made its impress upon its inmates, and the memory of which abides to the third and fourth generation. He was pre-eminently a good neighbor, coun- sellor, and friend, for he gave needed help at the right moment. Extremely dignified, grave and reticent, he was also open-handed and generous. In politics, a Whig, he was one of the chosen friends, counsellors, and ad- visers of the great leaders of the Party in that District so noted in State and National Politics. He never sought political preferment, though always taking an interest in the questions of profound importance which then agi- tated the South.

Living at a time when the country was experimenting with Bank laws, he organized, and, as President, man- aged, with phenomenal success, the Bank of Ruckersville, under circumstances which would now provoke a smile. We cannot think of a bank, a moneyed institution, with hardly a human habitation in sight, surrounded by or- iginal forests. This institution was operated in a small, unpretentious frame building. Its doors and shutters were studded with nails at close and regular intervals to guard against the burglars' axe. It had a safe without time lock, opened with a key carried by the President. The furniture was of the plainest, but it issued bills which passed current par throughout the State. It throve and prospered, and with the assistance of the wealthy planters in the neighborhood, became a strong financial institution, contributing to the development and prosperity of that part of the State. In his old age, Joseph Rucker was a man of striking appearance, ruddy cheeks, snow-white hair, clear blue eyes. Dressed in the prevailing style, black broadcloth coat, cutaway to the waist line at the front, beaver hat, turn down collar and stock, and gold fob, he might have posed for the portrait of the ante- bellum planter, one of those who made the old South.

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GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS

His son-in-law, the late Rev. James S. Lamar, of Augusta, in an unpublished manuscript, has left us the following graphic pen picture of Joseph Rucker :

"In manner and bearing Squire Rucker was simple and unpretentious, and by nature thoughtful, quiet and dignified. He enjoyed a good anec- dote or story. and possessed a rich store of personal reminiscence, from which he was fond of drawing for the entertainment of others. He told his stories well, and, of course, like all genuine reconteurs, he sometimes repeated himself. It was his custom to go to Elberton on the first Tuesday in every month, when the principal men of the county would assemble in a sort of general meeting together, to attend the sheriff sales, to trans- act business with each other, to laugh and talk and crack jokes, and espe- cially to save the country by discussing politics. Among the leading citi- zens of the town or county at that time were such influential men as Major Hester, Major Jones, Mr. Pverton Tate, Mr. Lofton, the Mattoxes, the Harpers and the Burches, Judge W. W. Thomas, and (during court week) Alexander H. Stephens, Robert Toombs and Judge William M. Reese. All of them were squire Rucker's friends.

"Squire Rucker's judgment was never known to fail him. Violently opposed to secession, when the final act came at Milledgeville, he said, pointing to one of his slaves: 'See that fellow. A year ago he was worth $1,500.00; today he isn't worth a silver thrip.' But he accepted the situation-helped to equip a company-took $30,000 of the first issue of Confederate bonds, at par. These bonds were lying in the old Bank of Athens, in the care of the late Albin Dearing, when the war was over; not a coupon had ever been clipped."

" The house was approached through a long avenue of cedars and box planted by Margaret, from which the place became known as Cedar Grove. The fine oll trees, the office, the flower garden, the kitchen garden, the well-house, the smoke-house, the kitchen, the buildings for house servants, and, not far off, the barns, the carraige houses, the quarters, presentd a typical picture of the life of the ante-bellum planter who lived at home, making on his own acres all that was needed for those dependent upon him. For there, as in so many other similar places throughout the State, the tannery, the blacksmith-shop, the corn-mill, the flour-mill, the cotton gin, the spinning wheels, the looms and the wheelwright were an essential part of the plantation. It was a hive of industry, and it is not surprising that in time a name should be given to the little center, nor is it strange that it should have been named after the village in Orange County, Vir- ginia, from which John Rucker had come in 1785.

"He was always called Squire Rucker. I well remember the first time I saw him. It was in the summer of 1856. He was dressed in the old- fashioned suit of broadcloth, a vest also of cloth, and a coat of the same material in the style called shad-belly-somewhat like the cutaways of the present day. He wore it unbattoned-a watch chain with a heavy seal

HOME OF JOSEPH RUCKER, AT OLD RUCKERSVILLE, GA.

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ELBERT

hanging from a fob, or watch, pocket. His neckeloth was then and always pure white. It was not a simple tic, but a sort of folded handkerchief, put on by laying the middle part against the throat, leading the ends back and crossing them, then bringing them to the throat to be tied together. The knot was plain. I am not sure that there was even a bow.

"He was polite, but very reserved. He seemed to be studying me. His conversation, so far as it was directed to me, was mainly questions- chiefly about men and women and things in Augusta-Mrs. Tubman, the Cummings, the Claytons, the Gardiners, and Mr. Metcalfe-then about cotton and business and prospects; but no human being could have told from any expression of his face what effect my answers had upon him, or what inference as to me he drew from them. Considering the time of the year and the purpose of my visit, I must say it was a little chilly. Presently supper came on-such a supper as only the Ruckers could get up-and the conversation took a somewhat wider range. The family were book people-Dickens was the rage then, and I had read Dickens and Thackery, and had dipped into Cousin and various philosophers; and at that period of my life I could talk-an art which I have unfortunately lost .. So that when the old gentleman found that I could hold my own with Elbert and others, and that all the family treated me with sincere respect and consideration, he seemed to thaw, little by little, concluding, I suppose, that I might turn out to be something in my way, if I was nothing in his." .

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Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume II, Part 53

Author: Knight, Lucian Lamar, 1868-1933 Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Atlanta, Ga. : Byrd Printing Co. Number of Pages: 1274

Author: Knight, Lucian Lamar, 1868-1933
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga. : Byrd Printing Co.
Number of Pages: 1274