USA > Georgia > Greene County > History of Greene County, Georgia, 1786-1886 > Part 25
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The Greensboro Herald Fri. May 22, 1885
JONAS FAUCHE was one of the earliest settlers of Greene. He was a Frenchman by birth, and a man of undaunted bravery, urbane conduct, and loved by the people. He fought with the United States forces in the war of 1812, and gained renown on the field of battle by reason of his courage and unflinching devotion to duty. In the war of 1836, a company of soldiers from Greene county was formed under the leadership of Captain, afterwards Senator William C. Dawson and named in his honor "The Fauche Volunteers." The characteristics of Mr. Fauche were integrity, courage, and a high sense of honor. On one occasion he fought a duel at Love's Spring, where Captain Mit- chell's pond now is (1885), and killed his man (Burnsides). As his opponent fell, he rushed to his side and burst into a torrent of tears. Afterwards he would visit his grave and kneeling would weep over the sod .- Spoken to on the subject he proudly repelled the insinuation that his conscience smote him for killing the man, and answering with a grand look he said, "I killed him, it is true. I do not weep that I did wrong, for I did none. I weep that so brave a man, and so noble an opponent was forced to die. That is all. I can weep over an enemy who was brave and noble." Older citizens of Greensboro still remembers him and his elegant courtly style and classic conduct and language; and tell many anecdotes connected with him. Married first, Polly Daniel, 1793, second, Mary Baker. (No children by either)
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Top left-Thomas Stocks. Top right-Rev. Billington Sanders, Pres. of Old Mercer. Lower left-Mrs. Billington Sanders "Old Miss". Lower right- Rev. Jesse Mercer (See personages) .
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REV. JESSE MERCER AND HIS WIFE SABRINA SHIVERS.
According to Governor James Wright's original Land Court papers, which were found in the Archives of Greene County, Ga., Silas Mercer and a relative named James Mercer, appeared at the office of the Land Court that convened at Wrightsborough on December 4, 1773, and did then and there make application to purchase and settle on lands that had been "Ceded" by the Indians at the Augusta Treaty in May, 1773.
Silas Mercer told the Land Court officials that he came from North Carolina, and that he had a wife and one son and one daughter from 2 to 4 years old, and 3 indentured children. He selected 100 acres of land on Little Spring Branch about one-half mile below his father's land, at a place called "Ye Indian Ladder." He made a down payment of ten pounds, 11 shillings and 4 pence, and the warrent read, "for immediate settlement."
Presumably, Jesse Mercer was the four year old son men- tioned in the application for land.
The other Mercer to buy land on the same day was named James Mercer, and he, too, was from North Carolina, had a wife, 2 sons and 5 daughters, from 13 years to 3 months old. James 'entry appeared first and Silas appeared immediate- ly following. If James was the father of Silas, he must have been married twice and reared a second family.
The South Fork of Little River is mentioned, and as Silas Mercer is buried at Ficklen, Ga .- between Sharon and Washington, Ga., this must have been where Silas Mercer originally settled; it is only a few miles from Phillips Mill Church and not very far from Bethesda where both Silas and Jesse Mercer's home was on the north prong of Little River, where the second Miriam died.
History records where Silas Mercer baptized his son Jesse in a barrel at Phillips Mill Church and, as Jesse Mer- cer was received into the membership of Bethesda Church, by letter, in May 1807, he probably came from Phillips Mill.
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Silas Mercer was the first pastor of Bethesda Baptist Church and continued as pastor up to the time of his death. Abram Marshall succeeded Silas Mercer and James Heflin suc- ceeded Marshall. Jesse Mercer was the fourth pastor.
As to the date when Jesse Mercer's pastorate at Bethesda began, the old minute book does not show. Bethesda's first minute book was lost many, many years ago. Minute Book No. 2. begins on August 16, 1817. Mr. Mercer was pastor at that time.
Bethesda Church granted a letter to Jesse Mercer and his wife, Sabrina Mercer, in January 1818. In that year they moved to Powellton, Ga. However, Mr. Mercer continued to serve as pastor for a number of years.
The second Miriam died four years before Rev. & Mrs. Mercer moved to Powellton. The first Miriam was born about the close of the year 1798 and died nine months later; the sec- ond Miriam was born about five years later.
The following epitome tells something of Rev. Jesse Mer- cer's life :
Born in Halifax County, North Carolina, December 16, 1769; came to Georgia, with his parents at the age of 4 years, about Dec. 4, 1773, together with one sister, 2 years of age, and 3 other children that his father, Silas Mercer had inden- tured their names and ages were not recorded, but they were, in all probability, given the name of MERCER;
Baptized - "dipped" in a barrel by his father on July 7, 1787.
Married Sabrina Shivers in Janutry, 1788, when he was 19 years of age ;
Ordained to preach, at Phillips Mill Church while in his 20th year ;
Sold his little farm and he and his wife moved into a little house on Fishing Creek, Wilkes County, where he studied under Rev. John Springer, a Presbyterian minister, who con- ducted a school in that neighborhood. While studying under
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Rev. Springer he served Sardis Church, previously known as Hutton's Fork, his first pastorate. He served Sardis Church until sometime in 1817. In that year he resigned and succeeded his father as pastor at Phillips' Mill. His membership was at Phillips Mill from 1807 to 1817, in which year he received a letter of dismission and joined Bethesda Baptist Church, then in Greene County. His residence, at that time, was also in Greene County, at a place on Little River, known as Mercer Spring .He and his wife, Sabrina, got letters of dismission from Bethesda in 1818 and are said to have moved to Powellton; and lived there until the latter part of 1825;
He became pastor of the Eatonton Church in January, 1820, and continued through the year 1826;
In the year 1826, he was a delegate to the General Bap- tist Convention, and his wife, Sabrina, accompanied him. While on their return from the Convention, his wife was taken ill while passing through the upper part of South Carolina, and died at Andersonville, Pendleton district, South Carolina, on September 23, 1826, and was buried there.
He moved to Wilkes County about the close of the year 1826 or early in 1827.
In December, 1827, a Baptist Church was constituted in the town of Washington, and Mr. Mercer became it pastor. He continued to serve the Washington Church up to the time of his death. He preached his last sermon just a few days be- fore leaving for Indian Springs, where he died on September 6, 1841. His remains were placed in a wagon and started for Washington for burial. Embalming was unknown and travel was slow; the body reached Madison after night and rested in the home of David Butler, his friend and executor of his will. The next morning the journey was resumed and reached Greens- boro late in the afternoon; the body had begun to decompose and it was decided to carry it to Penfield and bury it on the grounds of the University that bore his name, and to which he had given his fortune. His body was buried in the Church- yard near where the Mercer Chapel now stands, and remained there until sometime after 1848. In that year The Georgia
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Baptist Convention set apart a burial ground for the Penfield community, and Mr. Mercer's remains were removed and re- interred on the highest spot in the cemetery. This greatly dis- pleased the Washington Church as they wanted Mr. Mercer's remains buried by the side of his last wife who had been buried in the Church yard. This feeling of resentment still exists, to some extent, after a period of one hundred years. As an evi- dence of that fact, some years after Mr. Mercer's death, a fund of $260.00 was created for the purpose of adequately marking Mr. Mercer's grave. On account of the row that continued as to where Mr. Mercer's body should remain, the fund was never used for the purpose for which it was created ,and has long been accounted for at every meeting of the Georgia Association as "The Mercer Fund." An effort was made to get the Georgia Association to apply this fund for the purpose for which it was created, but the Executive Committee rejected the appeal and Mr. Mercer's grave was adequately marked with funds from other sources.
The Widely Scattered Graves of Jesse Mercer's Family
The first Miriam died and was buried in Virginia, in 1799; The second Miriam died and was buried in Greene County, Ga. in 1814; Sabrina Shivers, Mercer's first wife, died and was buried in Andersonville, South Carolina, Sep- tember 23, 1826; His second wife, Mrs. Nancy Simons, died and was buried in Washington, Georgia, in May, 1841; Mr. Mercer died at Indian Springs, Butts County, Ga. on September 6, 1841, and was buried in Penfield, Greene County, Georgia.
Moving the Remains of the Mercer Family
After having lain in his first grave for some eight or ten years, the remains of Rev. Jesse Mercer were transferred to the Penfield Cemetery, about one-fourth mile from where he was originally buried. This became his permanent resting place.
His wife, Sabrina, still rests in her grave here in Anderson- ville, South Carolina.
The first Miriam still rests where she was buried in Vir- ginia.
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Mr. Mercer's second wife, Nancy Simons Mercer, lies in her original grave in the Washington Baptist Churchyard.
The second Miriam, after having been in her grave more than one hundred years, was transferred to another grave, here is the story :
While Rev. R. L. Robinson was pastor of Bethesda Church, he heard of the lonely grave of the second Miriam Mercer and, together with some of his members, located the grave, dug up her remains placed her dust in a box, that is, all that could be found, and reintered them in the Bethesda Church- yard. This was about the year 1925.
After the Penfield Cemetery became endowed with a $35,000, foundation for its perpetual upkeep, and had been made a beauty-spot surrounded by a granite wall with other improvements, Bethesda Baptist Church, in conference voted to authorize T. B. Rice to remove the remains of Miriam Mercer, 2nd, from Bethesda Churchyard to the Penfield Cemetery and place them by the side of her distinguished fath- er. So, on November 5, 1943, I, the said T. B. Rice, together with Mr. and Mrs. Felix Boswell, of Greensboro, Ga. did go to the home of Mr. Bill Hester, Clerk and deacon of Bethesda Baptist Church, and from there we went to the Bethesda Ceme- tery and removed the contents of the grave of Miriam Mercer No. 2, and together with the headstone that marked the grave and transferred them to the Penfield Cemetery and placed them by the side of Jesse Mercer's grave.
Authorities consulted; History of the Baptist Denomina- tion in Georgia, compiled for the Christian Index, original minutes of Bethesda Baptist Church, and the original papers of Governor James Wright's Land Court, appointed by him, to dispose of Indian lands Ceded under the Augusta Treaty in May, 1773. Surmises and deductions by the writer.
Some Legends Concerning Jesse Mercer
It is a well known fact that Rev. Jesse Mercer and Gover- nor John Clark were life-long, and bitter enemies. They were about the same age, both came from North Carolina, while
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mere boys, with their parents, lived in the same county, Wilkes. Jesse was religiously inclined while John Clark was a veritable devil. He married the writer's great-great aunt, and his antics have been handed down through the family. John Clark, to- gether with Hugh McCall, Georgia's first Historian, were in- dicted for riot in Greene County, in the year 1793. While at- tending Court, they got drunk, raised a row on the court- grounds and precipitated a riot. His father-in-law, Col. Mica- jah Williamson, owned a Tavern in the town of Washington, Ga. and knows as the George Washington Tavern. Over the door of the Tavern was a picture of General George Washing- ton, for whom the town of Washington was named.
On one occasion, while John Clark was "in his cups", he proceeded to shoot up General Washington's picture. When he sobered up he did have the manhood to have the damage repaired; but many other drunken brawls are to his credit, or discredit. So much for John Clark's reputation.
Sabrina Shivers and her younger sister, were left orphans at an early age; they were reared by a Mr. Weaver who lived near Phillips Mill. Jesse Mercer fell in love with Sabrina and married her. Several years later Sabrina's sister developed in- to a beautiful girl and she caught the eyes of John Clark; the family, knowing of Clark's reputation, forbade his paying her court. However, the girl seemed to fall for the reprobate, and met him on the sly. One cold afternoon while the family was away, John Clark rode up on his horse, took the girl up behind him and went in search of a preacher to perform their mar- riage ceremony. They rode far into the night and finally reach- ed the home of a friend of John Clark. The weather had turn- ed bitter cold, snow and sleet had covered the ground, and the girl was almost frozen. The lady of the house took her in, got her warm and put her to bed. She developed pneumonia and died.
This event caused Jesse Mercer and his wife to hate John Clark to their dying day.
This experience seems to have caused Clark to reform, for a while; in any event, about the year 1791, he married the
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oldest daughter, said to have been a beautiful girl, of Col. Micajah Williamson. Col. Williamson had five or six beautiful daughters who married prominent men; one of whom was the grandmother of Justice L. Q. C. Lamar, another married Dun- can G. Campbell, she was the mother of Justice John A. Camp- bell of the U. S. Supreme Court. A grandson of Col. William- som was a Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Texas. None of these had any use for John Clark.
The Clark-Troup feud kept the state of Georgia in a poli- tical uproar for many years; and it was a Greene County man, Thomas Stocks, who cast the vote that broke the tie and elect- ed George M. Troup Governor of Georgia. This sounded the death knell of the Clark party.
Jesse Mercer was present in the old Capitol, at Mill- edgeville, when Stocks cast the vote. He forgot his dignity as a minister and shouted;
"Thank God, John Clark and the devil are dead."
Bedlam broke loose in the old Capitol and a wild scene followed.
(This is graphically described in William H. Sparks, "Memories of Fifty Years, published by the Burke Co. in 1870).
ANOTHER CLARK-MERCER LEGEND
The following legend has been handed down through the Greene County Weaver family. W. W. D. Weaver was one of the early settlers of Greene County; he married a sister of Leonora Mounger-Greenwood who became the wife of Bishop J. O. Andrew, whose slaves caused Bishop Andrew to be un- frocked and thereby, brought about the split in the M. E. Church in the year 1844.
The Mounger girls were daughters of Edwin Mounger who married a daughter of General Elijah Clark, therefore, grand-daughter of the old Revolutionary General, and nieces of John Clark.
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Here is the story as related to me by the Weaver family :
During John Clark's first term as Governor of Georgia, Jesse Mercer was pastor of Bethesda Baptist Church; Gover- nor Clark's home was in Milledgeville but he owned property in Wilkes County and often visited there. The road from Mill- edgeville to Washington passed by Bethesda Church. When he reached the church on one occasion, he observed a large gather- ing of men standing around the church, and as was his custom, he and his companions alighted and mingled with the crowd. When the preaching hour arrived Governor Clark decided to attend the service.
Mr. Mercer had arrived early and had taken his seat in the old high, boxed-in pulpit, presumably, to study his sermon, but he soon went to sleep and did not see the Governor when he entered.
When time arrived for the services to begin the old preacher was snoring, loud; one of his deacons went up to the pulpit and tapped the brother on his shoulder and told him the congregation was waiting. Mr. Mercer arose, wiped his eyes, adjusted his glass- es and looked over the congregation. He spied John Clark and his cohorts, anger was shown in his face, and he began turning the pages of his Bible; finally he said, "Brotheren; I will have to change the theme I had selected for today and choose another text." He then proceeded to read Proverbs 29;3.
"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice, but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn."
Then the preacher proceeded to do a "Louie Newton," while the Governor squirmed in his seat.
In Memory of Jesse Mercer at Penfield
"Inscribed to the memory of JESSE MERCER by the Trustees of the University which bears his name and of which he was a munificent Benefactor. This eminent man was born in Halifax County, N. C. Dec. 16, 1789 and departed this life in Butts County Sept. 6, 1841 in the 72nd year of his age. He was ordained a minister of the gospel at Phillips Mill, Ga. Nov. 7, 1789. He was Moderator of the Georgia Baptist As- sociation 23 years; President of the Baptist Convention of the State of Georgia 19 years, President of the Board of Foreign Missions 11 years and a Minister of the everlasting gospel 52 years.
His manners were simple; his mind was original, discrimi- nating and profound. His piety was enlightened and fervent, exhibiting great love for the truth and zeal for the glory of God. He was wise in counsel, firm in purpose, and energetic in action. He was mighty in Scriptures; and as a minister of the
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Gospel, instructive, laborious and successful. Though greatly honored and wielding an extraordinary influence, he was modest and humble. While he was the friend of all benevolent objects, he fostered this University with special solicitude, and bequeath- ed to it the principal part of his large estate."
DR. THOMAS N. POULLAIN
Dr. Thomas N. Poullian b. 1793 and d. 2-27-1889 when 97 years old. He married Harriett Byron Wray who died in 1872 and they had nine children. They were : Antoine, Felix, Phillip, Thomas, William, Junius, Walter, Mrs. J. G. McHenry of Madison, Mrs. Celeste P. Moore of Augusta. Two of his grandaughters now living (1940) are Mrs. James B. Park and Mrs. Henry T. Lewis. He married second Mildred San- ford.
Dr. Thos. N. Poullain owned property at Scull Shoals on the Oconee River about twelve miles from Greensboro. He and his associates built a dam across the river and a cotton factory which made yarns and cloth in 1834. The mill pro- spered and was burned in 1848, but Poullain rebuilt a second and larger mill which also prospered. Most of the cotton he used were grown by his 278 slaves and thousands of acres of land and those of his wife's brother the Wray's of Wraywood who owned 143 slaves and grew much cotton. The Wrays' had a beautiful home and large plantations.
Dr. Poullain built a large and beautiful home in Greens- boro with 22 rooms and a basement of six rooms with a large two-story brick kitchen in the back. (1833) The furniture, china and silver were imported from France and England and this was the show place of the county. This home burned in 1905.
The Scull Shoals Factory was sometimes called the Fon- tenoy Mills as that was the name of the home of the former owner of this property, that of Joel Early.
During the war of the 1860's the mill made the first heavy cotton bagging and continued to operate, but after Sher- man's march through Georgia and the slaves were freed and all
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of the cotton Poullain had shipped had been seized on the high seas by the Federal government he lost his wealth, and the debts piled up and he died almost penniless. There is no re- cord of Dr. Poullain of having practiced medicine or to have been in politics. He owned in addition to Greene Co. property, two plantations in Floyd County which he willed to Junius and William Poullain. It is said that two of Georgia's first three millionaires were Dr. Poullain and Absolom Janes.
OLIVER PORTER
About 1740 John Porter and Mary Anthony married in Belfast, Ireland. In 1750 they left with children William and Florence landed at Philadelphia and went to Prince Edward Co. Va. The six other children born in America were: John, Na- thaniel, Oliver, Frank, May and Sarah .
Oliver, the youngest born in Va. in 1763 and was only 17 yrs. of age when he witnessed the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. He married Margaret Watson and settled on Fish- ing Creek in Greene Co. in 1787.
Oliver Porter was four times Presidential elector of Ga. he was always active in social, educational and religious affairs. He contributed the brick church, Bethesda in 1818. His great grandson, James H. Porter of Macon, Ga. was also a bene- factor in his will and life to Wesleyan and Mercer University.
Oliver was a representative of Greene Co. in Louisville and Milledgeville for 21 years. He with George M. Troup and Augustine Beall were chosen to lay off the town of Mil- ledgeville. Oliver died at his home in Greene Co. 1838 in his 76th year. Margaret died a year before he did and the family is buried in a substantial enclosure near his old home.
Their children were: Douglas Watson, John Watson, James Madison, Ann Porter, Margaret Porter, Catherine, all who married and left descendants. A grandson, Oliver Porter Jr. was the founder of Porterdale and the mills near Coving- ton, Ga.
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DR. THOMAS GRESHAM JANES
Dr. Thomas G. Janes, an eminent physican of Greene Co. was born July 11, 1794 and died Sept. 14, 1843. He represent- ed Greene Co. in the legislature in 1827-28, 34-35 and was Senator in 1836-37-38. He was one of the first Trustees of Mercer University. He was the son of William Janes, IV Born Dec. 9, 1771 near Petersburg, Va. and died July 9, 1827 in Greene Co. He was a planter and merchant and married to Selah Gresham. He was the grandson of an architect in Richmond, Va. who married Miss Reams in 1770.
The Janes family is of French-Norman origin. Guido de Janes was a follower of Henry II of England in 1154. Grand- son Geoffrey Janes made three pilgrimages to the Holy Land during the Crusades. William Janes, first American ancestor came from Essex, England to New Haven Conn. Died 1690.
Dr. Thos. G. Janes married Malinda West in 1821, in 1828 married her sister Emily West, married third Elizabeth Sanford.
JUDGE EUGENIUS NISBET AND OTHERS
Judge Eugenius Nisbet was a member of the Supreme Court of Georgia and represented Georgia in Congress and wrote the Ordinance of Secession.
Bishop James O. Andrew, the martyr-bishop of Metho- dism lived for a short time in Greensboro and it was here he married the widow Greenwood from whom he acquired slave property which rent Methodism asunder in 1844.
Yelverton P. King was a distinguished legislator and was at one time Charge d'Affairs in one of the South American countries.
John L. Dagg and Nathaniel M. Crawford were eminent Baptist theologians.
Billington M. Sanders was the first President of Mercer lived at Penfield. Other educators who lived there at this per- iod were: Shaler G. Hillyer, Shelton P. Sanford, J. E. Willet and Patrick H. Mell.
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Dr. Adiel Sherwood while serving the Greensboro Bap- tist church in 1829 published his famous Gazeteer.
Archibald Henry Scott, an eminent educator taught school at Greensboro and Bishop Pierce was one of his pupils. Scott's son, Dr. William H. Scott was a scholar and a man of letters.
Judge John C. Hart was born at Union Point and was Attorney-General of Georgia.
Albert Foster was a jurist of note and his brother, Na- thaniel G. Foster, a member of Congress and a Baptist minister.
Four counties of Georgia have been named for residents of Greene County, viz; Early, Cobb, Dawson, and Haralson.
Francis H. Cone was an eminent lawyer whose personal encounter with Alexander Stephens on the steps of the old At- lanta Hotel in 1844 was one of the most dramatic episodes of ante-bellum politics.
REVEREND DOCTOR FRANCIS CUMMINGS
(White's Statistics, Page 292; Miller's Bench and Bar, page 304; Sherwood's Gazetteer, pages 155 and 156; and others)
Dr. Cummings was the master of a high-class, select school at Bethany and Greensboro. Senator William C. Daw- son, Judge Eugenius Nesbit, Colonel Y. P. King and General H. A. Harrelson, all natives of Greene, were among his stu- dents.
Dr. Cummings published a pamphlet on Presbyterianism in 1820 and another on Salvation of Infants in 1828; and other matters of interest came from his pen.
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