Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume II, Part 59

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

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Rev. Billington M. Sanders, Prin- cipal and President.

Rev. Otis Smith.

Rev. John L. Dagg, D. D.

Rev. Nathaniel M. Crawford, D.D.

Rev. H. H. Tucker, D.D. Kev. Archibald J. Battle, D.D.

Rev. G. A. Nunnally, D.D.

Pinckney D. Pollock, LL.D. Rev. S. Y. Jameson, D.D.

Some of these executive heads have been amongst the most eminent theologians and educators of the South.

Dr. Patrick H. Mell, afterwards Chancellor of the University of Georgia; Dr. Shaler G. Hillyer, Professor William G. Woodfin and others, also taught for a while at Mercer. Perhaps the most distinguished laymen who have occupied chairs in the Institution were Professor S. P. Sanford and Professor J. E. Willet. The former headed the department of mathematics. The latter taught the natural sciences. Both were identified with the Institution for something like fifty years and both were men of broad scholarship. The text-books on math- ematics compiled by Professor Sanford are still exten- sively used. Though Penfield has not felt the awakening touch of Prospero's wand since the removal of Mercer University to Macon, it possesses an excellent high

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school. The people of this historic little town do not put the emphasis of life upon material things. With a population of less than one thousand inhabitants, the old village of Penfield may create no ripple in the great world of commerce. But who can measure the influence which it still exerts upon thought and character? The pulsating waves of intellectual and moral energy put in motion fifty years ago have not ceased; and, be the fu- ture of the town what it may, the memories of Penfield are immortal.

The Methodist Says Dr. George F. Smith :

Schism of 1844 : "Before Bishop Andrew went to the West, he How it Originated. had made an engagement to marry Mrs. Leonora Greenwood, of Greensboro, Ga. The condition of his family, and his long absences from home, made this a necessary act; so, without undue haste, and, with great discretion, he had selected a second companion. She was very attractive in person, beautiful in manners, gentle in spirit, and deeply though undemonstratively pious. After the marriage he conveyed to his wife, in due form of law, all the rights in her property which the fact of marriage had given him as her husband. When Mrs. An- drews died, in 1854, the law re-invested him with rights in this same prop- erty, but he promptly dispossessed himself the second time, and turned it all over to her children. Bishop Andrews did not expect trouble from this marriage, and there were good reasons why he did not; for he himself had been a slaveholder for several years prior to this, in the very same way that he was now-through his wife.

"Dr. Olin, who was highly esteemed at the North and even in New England, had owned slaves and, having sold them, had the proceeds of the sales still in his possession. The General Conference appointed slave- holders, such men as Dr. Capers, to positions of distinction and trust ; and only eight years before had strongly condemned the societies of Abolition- ism; and many of the extreme men of New England had actually left the Church' and formed another connection. Neither the spirit nor the letter of the law of the Church had been broken. On what ground. then, could he suppose that his marriage with an elegant and pious lady, who happened t) own a few slaves, would call forth a tempest of such violence as to destroy the unity of the Church ?

" The fact is, he did not dream of such a result. Nor was he aware of any excitement on the subject until he reached Baltimore in April, when

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on his way to the General Conference in New York in May. Here he learned of the intense excitement caused by the news that one of the Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church owned slaves, and received the first intima- tion that it would be a matter for investigation. He possessed a woman's delicacy of feeling, and to have his private affairs discussed by the General Conference was abhorent to his very soul. He resolved to resign, and so expressed himself, both in Baltimore and in New York. This resolution, however, he did not execute, for the reason that the Southern delegates demurred in formal resolutions and urged him not to do so, on the ground that it would inflict an incurable wound on the whole South, and inevitably lead to division.

"Resignation now became almost an impossibility; and when it was intimated that he had broken faith and must either resign or be deposed, then resignation was entirely out of the question. The issue had to come. The mass of the Northern preachers were opposed to slavery, but they were not abolitionists. They found themselves hard put to defend then- selves; and when it was known that a Bishop was a slaveholder they felt that they were in a sad predicament. Accordingly, Alfred Griffith and John Davis, two members of the Baltimore Conference, were put forward to lead the attack. They introduced a resolution declaring, among other things, that Bishop Andrew was nominated by the slave-holding States in the Con- ference because he was not a slaveholder; and that, having become one,* 'Therefore be it Resolved, That James O. Andrew be affectionately re- quested to resign.'

"This precipitated the issue. The discussion was Christian in spirit and courteous in language, to which, however, there were some exceptions. To ask him to resign was so painful to many who did not wish a slave- holder in office that Mr. Finley, of Ohio, introduced his famous substitute, declaring that it was the sense of the General Conference that he desist from the exercise of the office of Bishop so long as the impediment re- mained. Mr. Finley was Bishop Andrew's personal friend and offered the substitute, believing it to be less offensive to the Southern delegates than the original resolution. But it was really more offensive, because, since it could not consistently remove the impediment, it amounted to permanent dleposition. No man in the Conference was more strongly attached to Bishop Andrews, perhaps, than Dr. Olin. The night before he was to speak he visited the Bishop and told him the course he intended to take, and why he would take it. He would advocate the substitute; for if it were not passed New England would withdraw, and there would be division and disintegration everywhere in the North. But, if it were passed, the South would depart, and there would be union and peace throughout her borders.

*Several years previous an old lady of Augusta bequeathed to Bishop Andrew a mulatto girl in trust until she was nineteen, when, with her con- sent, she was to be deported to Liberia. But the girl refused to go or to accept freedom.

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"The debate continued for several days. Among the Southern delegates who participated in the discussion were Dr. Winans, of Mississippi, Dr. Pierce and Judge Longstreet, of Georgia, and Dr. William Capers, of South Carolina. Others took part, but these were the giants. On the opposite side were also arrayed men of strong intellect, including Dr. Olin. Strong efforts were made to stay the, tide, but all in vain. On the first of June the vote was taken on the substitute of Mr. Finley, and 111 were for, while only 69 were against it. This was virtual deposition. Grieved, but not surprised, Bishop Andrews left for his home in Geor- gia. One man from the North, who was a tower of strength, stood by him shoulder to shoulder in all this conflict. It was Joshua Soule, the senior Bishop of the Church. Born and reared in Maine, living in Ohio, never a slave-holder, nor a pro-slavery man, with every interest to bind him to the section in which he lived, he yet came to the South, because he believed the South was right.

"Before the General Conference adjourned the question of division was virtually settled; and with great ananimity the Annual Conference at the South appointed deelgates to meet in convention at Louisville the following May. The South did not really desire division, but after the course of the General Conference it was evident that separate organization was the only way of preserving Methodism in this section-the only way of holding the Master to the Church and of carrying the Gospel to the slave. It was division or death. At the appointed time the convention met. Bishop An- drew, Soule, and Morris were all there; action was unanimous; and a call was issued to elect delegates to a General Conference to meet in Petersburg, Va., the following May. No doctrine was changed, no policy altered, no usages, rites, or customs modified; and after this convention the Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church resolved to withdraw from the South and leave the whole territory to the new organization. Thus the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, came into existence; and the General Conference at Petersburg did but little more than adjust itself to the changed condition of affairs, elect an agent for its publishing interests, editors for its papers, and two additional Bishops, Robert Paine and William Capers."*

*Condensed from Dr. George G. Smith's Life of James Osgood Andrew.

Gov. Early's Body On an eminence overlooking the Oco- to be Removed. nee River, in the upper part of Greene County, near Skull Shoals, the remains of Governor Peter Early have rested since 1817; but there is now a movement under way to remove the ashes of this illustrious Georgian to the cemetery at Greensboro, where several of his kindred lie entombed.

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Originally the burial-ground formed a part of the old Early estate, one of the largest in Georgia. Today it occupies a corner of Mr. M. L. Bond's horse and cow lot; and, though enclosed by a wall, it is no longer a fit place for this great man's sepulchre. His widow, who afterwards married the famous Dr. Adiel Sherwood, sleeps beside him, together with an infant daughter; but the reader is referred to Volume I of this work for ad- ditional particulars in regard to the Early burial-ground. As a rule, it is best to let the ashes of the dead lie un- disturbed. But until the body of Gov. Early is removed Georgia will owe an unfulfilled debt not only to the mem- ory of an honored former chief-magistrate but to her own self respect. In the cemetery at Greensboro the old Gov- ernor's grave will not be an unvisited spot; and, what is more, it will always be guarded with sacred care and tenderness.

Joel Early : His Joel Early-the old Governor's fa- Views on Slavery. ther-was probably the first man in the United States to advocate a re- turn of the negro race to Africa; and, notwithstanding the fact that he owned a great many slaves, he offered not only to release them from servitude, but to defray the expense of sending them back to Liberia. Early's Manor, before its destruction by fire, was perhaps the finest old country seat north of Savannah. Here, on his fertile acres, Joel Early lived the life of an English gentleman, surrounded by everything which could minister to his ease or contribute to his enjoyment. But he was an ec- centric old man, full of queer whimsicalities. Eleazer Early, one of his sons, prepared and published the first map of Georgia .*

*Authority: Judge George Hillyer, of Atlanta.

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GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS

Benjamin Weaver: One of the many soldiers of seventy- A Revolutionary six, who acquired land in Greene Patriot. County, Ga., was Benjamin Weaver. Enlisting as a youthful private in a North Carolina Regiment, he was an active participant in numerous engagements and carved a record for gal- lantry on the field of battle, which is today proudly cher- ished by his descendants. He married Elizabeth Daniel, a cultured lady, with distinguished connections in both Virginia and North Carolina. The late United States Senator John W. Daniel, of the former State, came of the same virile stock. Two sons were born to the Wea- vers, whose names respectively were: William Wiley Daniel Weaver, and Travis Archibald Daniel Weaver. The former remained in Greene, while the latter settled in Upson. Though not among the original settlers of Greene, the Weavers were prominent in the county for more than a hundred years. After the death of Judge William Weaver, in 1905, the old home was broken up. Among the many descendants of Benjamin Weaver, not a few of whom have been men of marked prominence, may be mentioned : Judge Howard E. W. Palmer, of Atlanta; Dr. J. C. Weaver, of the medical staff of the Federal Prison in Atlanta ; Dr. Olin Weaver and Hudson Weaver, of Macon; Mrs. M. M. Burks, of the English Department of Wesleyan Female College, at Macon; Dr. W. W. Stew- art, of Columbus; Stewart Ticknor, a grandson of the author of "Little Giffen;" Dr. J. A. Weaver, and W. T. Weaver, of Buena Vista; Rev. Rembert G. Smith, of Emory College, Oxford; Dr. Carrie Weaver Smith, of the Virginia K. Johnson Home, Dallas, Tex .; G. A. Weaver, Jr., president of the Thomaston Branch of the Central of Georgia; G. A. Weaver, Sr., president of the Weaver Merchandise Company, of Thomaston, Ga., and Prof. W. T. Weaver, for years a distinguished educator in the common schools of this State .*

*Information kindly furnished by Mrs. Kate Weaver Dallas, of Thomas- ville, Ga.

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GWINNETT

Lawrenceville. Lawrenceville, the county-seat of Gwin- nett County, was incorporated by an Act approved December 15, 1821, with the following town commissioners : James Wardlaw, Hugh B. Grenwood, James McClure, John Geddes, Sr., and Paschal Brooks .* It was chosen as the site for public buildings when the county was first organized in 1818, and named in honor of the gallant naval officer, Captain James Lawrence, of the "Chesapeake," whose last words as he fell mortally wounded were: "Don't give up the ship!" The county itself was named for one of the signers of the Declara- tion of Independence, Button Gwinnett. Two flourishing institutions of the town in pioneer days were: the Law- renceville Academy, founded in 1825, and the Lawrence- ville Female Institute, chartered in 1837. On the court- house square in Lawrenceville stands a monument in honor of two Lawrenceville boys, who perished in the massacre at Fort Goliad, in 1836, Capt. James E. Winn, and Sergeant Anthony Bates, of the Texas Volunteers. It also commemorates the heroic death of eight Gwinnett County men, who were killed in the Creek Indian War of 1836. Major Charles H. Smith, better known as "Bill Arp," was born near Lawrenceville. This has also been the home of the famous Hutchins family, each genera- tion of which has produced strong leaders; the home of the Simmons family, of which the distinguished Wm. E. Simmons, is a member; the home of the Peeples family, represented by the late Hon. Tyler M. Peeples. Here, too, at one time, resided Gen. Gilbert J. Wright, Col. L. P. Thomas, and Dr. James F. Alexander.

Buford. One of the most enterprising communities in this section of Georgia is the town of Buford, famed throughout the country for its splendid tanneries. The town was incorporated by an Act ap- proved August 24, 1872, at which time Messrs. Adam Pool, A. C. Harris,

*Acts, 1821, p. 37.

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John F. Espey, W. R. Chamblee, J. R. Stringer and J. A. Pattillo were designated to serve as commissioners, pending an election to be held on the first day of January, 1873. The corporate limits were fixed at one-half a mile in every direction from the depot of the Atlanta and Richmond Air Line, now a part of the Southern Railway system .* In 1891 intoxi- cants were prohibited. With a rapidly increasing population, Buford began to dream of larger possibilities; and on December 23, 1896, to meet the demands of growth, a new charter was granted by the Legis- lature conferring upon the "City of Buford" a municipal form of gov- ernment, with greatly enlarged powers.

HABERSHAM

Clarkesville. On November 26, 1823, an Act was approved by Gov. Troup, making Clarkesville the per- manent county-seat of the new county of Habersham, created out of lands then recently acquired from the Cherokee Indians. The following commissioners were named in the Act: Wm. Hamilton, Jehu Sterrett, John Bryant, Miles Davis, and H. A. Hill .* The present city charter was granted in 1900. Clarkesville was named for the illustrious General John Clarke, a soldier of the Rev- olution, an Indian fighter, and a Governor, twice honored with a seat in the executive chair. On account of its high altitude, in a beautiful mountainous region of the State, Clarkesville soon became a favorite resort for wealthy families of the coast, a large number coming from Savannah. Here lived Hon. Richard W. Haber- sham, and Hon. George W. Owens, both members of Con- gress ; and Col. Garnett McMillan, a brilliant lawyer who defeated Ben Hill for Congress, but died soon after the election. It has also been the home of many noted fam- ilies like the Erwins, the Woffords, the Wests, and others. The Clarkesville Academy was chartered on December 24. 1836, with the following trustees: George D. Phillips,

*Acts, 1823, p. 176.

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HALL

George W. Owens, Richard W. Habersham, and John B. Matthews .*

Aleck's Mountain. In the neighborhood of Clarkesville there looms a peak of the Blue Ridge, locally known as Aleck 's Mountain, on which to this day may be seen the remains of an old forti- fication, supposed to date back to the visit of DeSoto to North Georgia in 1540. According to our foremost antiquarian, Colonel Charles C. Jones, Jr., Xualla, one of the Indian towns at which the Spanish adventurer stopped in his quest for gold, was located in Nacoochee Valley; and, on this as- sumption,' his march from the Savannah River westward toward what is now the city of Rome, lay directly across Aleck's Mountain, in the present county of Habersham. But aside from the ancient ruins to be found on this peak there are numerous relies in this part of the State which point to an occupancy in prehistoric times by civilized white men; if not by Spaniards, at least by Europeans.

Pioneer Senators and. Representatives.

Some of the leading men of the county in pioneer days may be obtained from a list of Habersham's early State Senators and Repre- sentatives, beginning with the creation of the county, in 1819, and coming on down to the outbreak of the Civil War. This list includes the following State Senators : Benjamin Cleveland, James Blair, William B. Wofford, William H. Steelman, Stephen Smith, John Trammell, John R. Stanford, Thomas Kimsey and George D. Phillips. During this same period the Rep- resentatives were: William B. Wofford, James Blair, Benjamin Chastain, Benjamin Cleveland, William H. Steelman, Absalom Holcomb, Kinchen Carr, Jesse Sanford, Thomas M. Kimsey, Elihu S. Barclay and Joseph Underwood .*

HALL

Gainesville. On April 21, 1821, an Act was approved by Gov. John Clark, chartering the town of Gainesville, selected as the county-site for the new coun- ty of Hall. In this same Act, the following pioneer citi- zens were named as commissioners : Stephen Reed, John

*Acts, 1836, p. 16.

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GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS

Stringer, John Finch, Jesse Clayton, and Eli Suther- land.1 As was the custom of the State, whenever a new county was organized, an academy for the proper in- struction of the young was invariably provided; and, on Christmas Day, 1821, an Act was approved, chartering the old Hall County Academy, with the following trus- tees, to wit: Stephen Reed, David H. McClesky, William Cobb, John McConnell, Sr., and Bartimeus Reynolds.2 In 1832, the town was re-incorporated, with Messrs. James W. Jones, James Law, Miner W. Brown, Larkin Cleveland, and John W. McAfee, as commissioners.3 The town was not named for Gen. Edmond Gaines, as some have supposed, but for an old pioneer family resi- dent in this locality when the county-site was first chosen.

Gainesville, on account of its high altitude, has al- ways enjoyed a splendid health record, and has been a favorite resort for summer tourists and for invalids seeking the magic balsam. As the seat of Brenau College and Conservatory of Music, it is also widely known throughout educational circles. The city of Gainesville is located on the line of the Southern Railway, 53 miles above Atlanta; and of late years its growth has been substantial and rapid. Some of Georgia's most distin- guished sons have been residents of this fine old town, including Dr. Richard Banks, for whom a county was named; Gen. James Longstreet, renowned as Lee's Old War Horse; Gov. Allen D. Candler, Judge John B. Estes, and a host of others. It is also the home of the present Congressman from this district Hon. Thomas M. Bell. Though never a resident of the town, Gov. James M. Smith is here buried beside his last wife. Two of the daughters of President Woodrow Wilson were born in Gainesville, where an aunt was then living, Mrs. Brown. The monumental features of the town include a handsome Confederate shaft, on the town square, and a memorial

* Acts, 1821, p. 6.

2 Acts, 1821, p. 123.

3 Acts, 1832, p. 201.

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HALL

fountain, near the post-office building, in honor of the late Col. C. C. Saunders, a much beloved citizen.

State Rights : The Hanging of George Tassel. During the administration of Governor George R. Gilmer, there occurred near Gainesville an incident which set at defiance the power of the United States Government, and which in an acute issue between State and Federal authorities, gave the victory to the State of Georgia. This was the execution of a Cherokee Indian named George Tassel. This was told by Professor J. Harris Chappell. The story runs thus :* In December, 1828, the Georgia Legislature passed a bill enacting that the Cherokee country should be put under the juris- diction of the laws of Georgia. : The Act was passed on the ground that, as the Cherokee country was part and parcel of the State of Georgia, it should be governed by the laws of Georgia; but the real object was to move the Cherokees from the State. In order to give them plenty of time, the Aet was not to go into effect until June 1, 1830. The Cherokees felt deeply outraged, and they determined at the first opportunity to test the validity of this Act before the Supreme Court of the United States.

An opportunity soon occurred. In the summer of 1830, a half-breed Cherokee by the name of George Tassel committed a murder in the Chero- kee country. He was arraigned before the Superior Court, then sitting in Hall County, and was duly tried, found guilty and sentenced to be hanged. His attorneys appealed the case to the United States Supreme Court, asking that the verdict be set aside, on the ground that the Act of the Legislature giving the State of Georgia jurisdiction over the Cherokee country was a violation of the Federal Constitution, and was therefore null and void. The case of George Tassel versus the State of Georgia was duly entered on the Supreme Court docket.

Governor Gilmer was officially notified of the action, and was iu- structed to appear before the court for Georgia, as defendant in the case. But the Governor replied with spirit that the United States Supreme Court laeked jurisdiction in the case, and that the State of Georgia would scorn to compromise itself by appearing before that tribunal as defendant, under these circumstances. It was a foregone conclusion that the case would be decided against Georgia. To prevent this he resorted to the extraordinary measure of dispatching a special messenger to the sheriff of Hall County, with instructions to hang George Tassel immediately, before the case could be reached on the Supreme Court docket. The sheriff obeyed the order promptly, so poor George Tassel was hanged while his case was pend- ing in the Federal Supreme Court. Thus ended the case, an end which, we must admit, was brought about by a rather high-handed measure ou the part of the State. Georgia's action was severely criticised in the halls of

*Georgia History Stories, p. 294.

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GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS

Congress; it was furiously condemned by the Cherokees themselves, and it was violently censured by a large part of the people of the North. But these protests were without effect upon Georgia. The Cherokees struck no blow from the shoulder out, but they were determined at the first op- portunity to appeal again to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Unveiling of the On June 3, 1913, the grave of Ex-

Candler Monument. Governor Allen D. Candler, in Alta Vista Cemetery, at Gainesville, was most impressively marked by a handsome shaft of marble, the funds for which were contributed by the members of Governor Candler's official household. These included the various appointees commissioned by the lamented former chief-magistrate during his term of office as Gov- ernor. The Candler lot is in the center of the burial- ground. Near the Governor, sleeps his distinguished fa- ther, Capt. Daniel G. Candler; while, in the immediate neighborhood, repose Gen. Longstreet, Dr. Richard Banks, Gov. James Milton Smith, and a host of noted Georgians. Overhead a blue sky beamed upon the vast concourse of people gathered at the grave of Gov. Cand- ler. The official of the city of Gainesville, the Candler Horse Guards, the Daughters of the Confederacy, and distinguished visitors from a distance participated in the program of exercises. When the hour arrived for the unveiling, Col. S. C. Dunlap introduced Pension Com- missioner, Hon. J. W. Lindsey, marshal of the day, who, after a short address, called upon Rev. Luke Johnson to make the opening prayer. Judge Lindsey then intro- duced Hon. Hamilton MeWhorter, of Athens, who form- ally presented the monument to Gov. Candler's family, to the city of Gainesville, and to the State of Georgia. Speeches of acceptance were then made as follows: by Judge John S. Candler, on behalf of the family; by Mayor P. E. B. Robertson, on behalf of the city; and by Compiler of Records, Lucian Lamar Knight, Esq., on be- half of the State, the last-named speaker representing Governor Joseph M. Brown, who was unavoidably ab-

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Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume II, Part 59

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