USA > Georgia > Greene County > History of Greene County, Georgia, 1786-1886 > Part 28
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Long before the telephone was invented, neighbors used Conch shells to convey messages to each other. A code was worked out whereby each blast had a definite meaning. T. B. Rice had one used by the Thomas Stocks family in Greensboro.
Richard Henry Wilde, the poet-lawyer who lived in Geor- gia at Augusta put one over on Judge Peter Early and was admitted to the bar in Greensboro before he was of legal age. The records show where he was admitted.
W. M. Tryon graduated from Mercer University at Pen- field Greene County and went to Texas as a Missionary. Later he and Dr. R. E. B. Baylor organized Baylor University at Independence, Texas which was later moved to Waco and is now one of the leading Universities of the South.
Governor R. B. Hubbard of Texas graduated from Mer- cer University at Penfield, Greene Co. in 1851 and served two terms as Governor of the Lone Star State, later he was U. S. Minister to Japan.
The town of Stone Mountain bore the name of New Gibralter in 1850 and Georgia's first State Fair was held there.
Thomas Stocks of Greensboro and Gen. Cocke of Tenn. met at Nickajack in May 1818 to run the dividing line be- tween Georgia and Tennessee. Stocks was the Boundary Com- missioner of Georgia and James Camak was the Surveyor and
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mathematician. Camak was one of the founders of the Georgia railroad and Camak, Ga. was named for him.
Georgia's first Agricultural Club was organized at Pen- field in the 1830's and out of it grew Georgia's Department of Agriculture. Thomas Stocks was its President and the father of the Department of Agriculture. It's first Commissioner was Thomas P. Janes from Greene Co. The Beach Island Club got its inspiration from Penfield and organized and for 85 years has met each month except when the War Between the States made it impossible.
Georgia's first chain store operator and perhaps the first in the South was George Galphin the pre-Revolution Indian trader. He operated stores throughout what is now, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. He operated on a credit basis and the Creeks and Cherokees in order to discharge their debts ceded him land. Wilkes County was created out of this land in 1777. The American Revolution prevented Galphin from cashing in on the sale of these lands, and he died while litigation was pending, however his heirs received $300,000.
Fish and game played an important part in the life of the early settlers and almost every stream was lined with fish traps. The two important fisheries in Greene Co. were the Yazoo and the Methodist fisheries. Both were incorporated and each had twelve share-holders, and one for each month in the year. That meant that each share holder was responsi- ble for looking after the traps and dividing the fish, and the by-laws provided if the traps were damaged by freshets or otherwise, that the member on duty should notify all sharehold- ers to send helpers to repair the damage and if anyone failed to send help he was to forfeit his fishing privileges for one year.
Many of the descendants of Major Oliver Porter of Greene Co. Ga. have special dials made for their watches, instead of numerals they spell out the words Oliver Porter. Thus they keep green the memory of their worthy ancestor.
Many of the stories in A. B. Longstreet's "Georgia Scenes" were written while he was in Greensboro and some of the characters were people here that he knew.
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Churches were very strict in the early days of Greene County and the records show where men were tried and exclud- ed from membership which was at that time carried the same social standing as an ex-convict. Some of the records that the charges were brought for chicken fighting on Sunday, betting on horse races, false measures in grain and cider, taking roast- ing ears from a neighbors field, profane language before ladies, retaining a plow that a neighbor had loaned him, that he had put dirty cotton in the center of the bale with good cotton on the outside, and for immorality. Often these "brothers," would come to a called conference and confess their sins and ask for- giveness and would be restored to the privileges of membership. ship.
Samuel Whatley, a Revolutionary soldier whose father and Uncle were killed by Indians at Cherokee corner, in Geor- gia, was twice captured by Indians and Tories, twice hanged and twice shot but he managed to live to a ripe old age and his grave has a Federal marker.
In the 1790's tobacco was legal tender in Georgia and it was a capital offense for any warehouse owner or employee to change the weight, name, markings or any description on the hogshead or other container. The penalty prescribed by law for such conduct was, "To be hanged by the neck until dead and denied the benefit of clergy."
The minutes of Bethesda Church in Greene County, Ga. show where as late as 1817, the Greene County Militia was asked to furnish four armed guards to guard the church grounds at every service from lurking Indians.
It is believed by many that Grier's Almanac had its origin in Greene County at Greensboro. In 1800 an uncle of Robert Grier (author of the Almanac) taught school in Greene Coun- ty in the old Union Academy and his nephew, Robert Grier was one of his pupils studying higher mathematics and astronomy. At the age of twenty-one Robert fell heir to an almanac and calculations started by that uncle, Andrew Burns. Robert con- tinued astronomical calculations from a huge rock ten miles east of Crawfordsville, near Raytown. He married his first
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cousin Elizabeth Grier of Greene Co. and became an extensive planter and published his almanac.
Robert Grier died in Butts County and is buried there. The Griers were Presbyterians and were members of the Beth- any Church. On Dec. 7, 1773 Robert's father came from Penn- sylvania with a wife, four sons and two daughters and settled on 450 acres of land below Beaver Dam. This was near the line between Greene and Warren Counties. Like many of the Scotch-Irish of Georgia, they came from Pennsylvania to a milder climate and to rich cheap lands. No doubt that Benja- min Franklin's Almanac inspired the Grier boy to create a simi- liar publication which made its bow in Culloden, Ga. Its im- portance in the home was only second to that of the Bible. No advertising was used in the first issues.
The J. W. Burke Co. of Macon, Ga. became the publishers and later the owners of this Grier's Almanac, they did not own the calculations which it is said that Robert Grier had made for 100 years ahead. These belonged to Otis Ashmore of Sa- vannah and from them the J. W. Burke Co. had to buy the calculations for each year. About 1865, J. H. Zelin, a Macon druggist, began buying space in Grier's Almanac to advertise Simmon's Liver Regulator and Darby's Prophylactic Fluid. (of Culloden, Ga.) Zelin and Simmons had friction over the formu- la and copyright and this was in the courts. Lamar, Rankin and Lamar, wholesale druggists of Macon and Atlanta used the Almanac as an advertising medium and bought thousands of the almanacs from Burke Co. to distrubute to their customers. At this time (1941) the almanac belongs to John B. Daniel, Inc. in Atlanta.
It was on Feb. 3, 1786 that an act of the Georgia Legis- lature which was meeting in Augusta created Greene County. This land was to be taken from the large County of Washing- ton which had been created two years before.
The original boundaries started at Rock Landing, on the Oconee River, five miles below Milledgeville and following 45 degree line to the Shoals of the Ogeechee, thence up the Ogeechee via of Union Point, to the Cherokee Corner; thence
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westward via Watkinsville to the High Shoals of the Appala- chee River; thence down the Appalachee and Oconee to the starting point.
The first Superior court was held in Greene County in January in 1790 by Judge George Walton, signer of the De- claration of Independence. He and Judge Henry Osburn con- stituted the Supreme Court of Ga. and met here to formulate rules and regulations for the procedure of all courts of Ga.
Greene County was in the Northern Circuit until the Ocmulgee was formed on Dec. 7, 1807 and Peter Early was the first Judge. Prior to 1877 all Judges were of the Superior courts of Ga. were appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. It was 1897 that this right was conferred on the people.
Bethany Presbyterian Church was the first organized in Greene County in 1786 and Siloam, a nonsectarian church was built on cemetery hill. In 1821 the Presbyterians outnumbered all other denominations in Greene Co. About 1799 the Metho- dists organized their first church that stood where Col. and Mrs. Joseph G. Faust's residence now stands. Bethesda Bap- tist, was once Whatley's Mill church and was organized in 1785 and was in Wilkes Co. until 1802. The present building was erected in 1818. Churches now extinct are : Scull Shoals, Beaver Dam, Ridge Grove, Oakland, Burks Chapel, Salem, Richland, Friendship and others.
Union Point has three or four nice churches, Baptist, Meth- odist, and Presbyterian, and so has White Plains, Siloam and Greshamville built in later years.
In the early part of 1800 a gold mine was operated at Union Point toward Daniel's Spring and was known as the Mitchell Hill Gold Mine.
Greensboro was once the home of Bishop Geo. F. Pierce and Bishop James O. Andrew.
Greene County was the home of one J. Edgar Thompson, chief engineer of the Georgia railroad, the founder of St. Phillips church in Atlanta, and later the President of the Pennsylvania railroad.
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Tradition says that of Georgia's first three millionaires, two lived in Greene County, Dr. Thos. Poullain and Absolom Janes.
Greene County was a refuge of those who fled from the yellow fever epidemic in Augusta, Savannah and Charleston. In their provender they brought the hated nut grass, which farmers cannot get rid of.
The home of U. S. Senator Thomas W. Cobb and Wil- liam C. Dawson is still standing in Greensboro.
The first Bermuda grass grown here was brought from Bermuda Islands for use as hay for the fine race horses of P. Lorillard.
Morgan Co. and Jones Co. was formed out of a part of Baldwin Co. in 1807. Baldwin Co. was created in 1802 and in- cluded a vast territory south and west of the Oconee river. Many Greene Co. people moved over into Morgan Co. some were already there before the county was created. There were also in Baldwin some white families before it was created. For some reason the Indians seemed to tolerate their presence while the land was still occupied by them before any treaties had been made.
First Courthouse and Jail
The first courthouse, jail and gallows occupied the block immediately in front of the present jail. There is no record to show that there was ever held there a term of Superior Court. The second courthouse a more substantial building was built where the first one stood. This courthouse and jail were burn- ed by the pal of a runaway Negro who was confined in the jail in 1805 and the burning was published in the Augusta Chronicle.
The third courthouse and old rock jail were built in 1806-7 and the courthouse stood where the present courthouse stands. Probably some of the records of courts were lost as well as damaged by fire.
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The fourth and present courthouse was built about 1848 a most imposing three storied structure. A picture of this build- ing and the story will be found later. In the minute book of July 1806 page 187 we find that the Clerk was engaged to have a man erect stocks in the public square, and later the receipt for $2.50 to Resdon Walston was paid for building the stocks.
GREENSBORO 1786-1860
Soon after Greensboro was surveyed and laid out as a town, in May 1786, a few families bought lots and began erecting log huts in which to make their homes until they could build more comfortable houses. They realized the danger of Indians raids and one of the first things they did was to build a log Fort surrounded by upright posts set deep into the ground, and sharpened at the top so that the Indians could not climb over.
From the best information obtainable, tradition handed down from generation to generation, this fort stood about where the new City Auditorium now stands. The fort and enclosure was large enough to hold the population and a company of soldiers.
No doubt, the citizens were drilled to flee to the fort when- ever an alarm was sounded, and if tradition can be relied upon, the fort proved a haven of safety on more than one occasion.
The following description of Greensboro appeared in the Greensboro Gazette of Dec. 14, 1859 :
"We are glad to note that our city is beginning to look up a little-that the spirit of improvement has taken hold upon some of our citizens, and that soon, some of those old weather- beaten, wooden houses, which occupy such conspicuous places on Main Street, in the business part of our city, and which seem to be almost ready to tumble down under their own weight, will be removed and brick buildings erected in their stead."
"The first and greatest improvement of which we are proud to speak, is that completed by our worthy townsman, Jas. W. Wingfield, Esq." (the building now owned by Mr. Charles Poulos ) .
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"We have also, learned that the Messers Davis and J. F. Zimmerman, were going to put up brick buildings where their old store-houses now stand (meaning what is now known as the "Big Store", the store where Mrs. Hunter's drug store is, and the building now occupied by the Georgia Power Company ).
All three of the last named buildings were erected in 1860. Also, the two buildings occupied by Moore's Pharmacy and the Bank of Greensboro.
The building known as the "Brown Building" was owned and occupied by Wakefield, Murry & Co., and is probably, the oldest brick building on Main street. This firm did the leading business in Greensboro of that day, made a fortune and return- ed to their native home in Saratoga, N. Y.
Originally, this was a three-story building; and, in 1860, we find the following advertisement:
"A. F. Durst, Photographer, Ambrotypist, etc", Studio occupies the upper floor of the Wakefield building."
The old "Norton Building," opposite the Courthouse, is the only "old timer" left. It now belongs to Carey and Crans- ton Williams, and they are making plans for a new home for The Greensboro Herald-Journal.
Note: Greensboro ranks sixth in points of age among the cities and towns in Georgia, that are now in existence, and her seniors are as follows: Savannah, Brunswick, St. Marys, Augusta and Washington, and the latter was just three years old when Greensboro came into existence.
DAVID LOVE AND LOVE'S SPRING
Most Greensboro citizens have heard of Love's Spring all of their lives, but few of them know how the name originated or that they drink its sparkling water every day. This spring contributes a very important part of our city water supply. David Love bought one of the land lots that constituted the Richland Academy Survey; and his purchase included about
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100 acres of land in the suburbs of Greensboro. The Love land lays east of Walnut street, and is bounded on the south by Broad street and included a beautiful spring that now constitu- tes a part of the City of Greensboro's water supply, and was bought by the writer some years ago for that purpose.
For the past fifty years, the Love home has been known as the Mitchell lot. This old home was built about, the year 1810, and it was to this home that David Love carried his bride, Elizabeth King when they were married on April 7, 1810, therefore, this house is one of the oldest landmarks in Greensboro. However, this was not the David Love whom many people think the Spring was named for, but was his son.
We are indebted to the Hon. W. H. Sparks, author of "Memories of Fifty Years" for the romantic story of Col. David Love who was among that small group of brave souls who settled in the Bethany neighborhood in 1784, while this territory belonged to Washington County. W. H. Sparks was a grandson of Col. David Love, and lived with his grand- mother near old Bethany Church after the death of Col. Love of whom Sparks wrote as follows :
"Col. David Love was born and reared in North Carolina, and when his father married the second time, and as is frequent- ly the case, there was no harmony between step-mother and step-son. Their jarrings soon ripened into open war. To avoid expulsion from the parental roof he "bundled and went".
Nor did he rest until, in the heart of the Cherokee nation of Indians, he found a home with Dragon Canoe, then the principal warrior of the nation, who resided in a valley amid the mountains, and which is now Habershan County (Ga.). With this chief, who at that time was young, he remained for some four years, pursuing the chase for pleasure and profit. Thus accumulating a large quantity of peltries, he carried them on packhorses to Charleston, and thence went with them to Europe. After disposing of his furs, which proved profitable, he wandered on foot about Europe for some eighteen months, and then, returning to London, he embarked for America. Dur- ing all this time he had not heard from his family. Arriving
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at Charleston he made his way back to the neighborhood of his birth. He was ferried across the Pedee river by a buxom lass, who captured his heart. Finding his father dead, he gathered up the little patrimony left him by his father's will, should he ever return to claim it; he then returned to the neighborhood of his sweetheart of the ferry; and, being a fine looking man of six feet three inches, with great blue eyes, round and liquid; and, Othello-like, telling well the story of his adventures, he very soon beguiled the maiden's heart, and they were made one. About this time came off the battles of Concord and Lexington. inaugurating the Revolution."
It was not, however, until after the Declaration of Inde- pendence, that he threw aside the plough and shouldered the musket for American Independence. With his neighbors Love was a favorite; he was very fleet in a foot-race, and had re- markable strength; but, above all, was sagacious and strong of will. Such qualities, always appreciated by a rude people, and at that particular juncture brought their possessor prominently for- ward, and he was chosen Captain of a company composed al- most to a man of his personal friends and acquaintances. Uniting himself with the regiment of Colonel Lynch, just then organ- ized, and which was ordered to join the North Carolina line, they marched at once to join General Gates, then commanding the South. After Gates' defeat, Love served under General Fran- cis Marion, (The Swamp Fox) and was promoted to Colonel, and became a terror to the Torries."
Of his grandmother Love, with whom Sparks went to live just twenty days after his grandfather's death, Sparks wrote: "She was a little, fussy, Irish woman, a Presbyterian in religion, and a strict observer of all the duties imposed upon her sect, especially in keeping the holy Sabbath day. All her children were grown up, married, and, in the language of the time, "gone away." It was a favorite pastime with my grandmother, when the morning's work was done, to uncover her flax-wheel, seat herself, and call me to sit by her, and, in my childish man- ner, read to her from the "Life of General Francis Marion." by Mason L. Weems, the graphic account of the General's ex- ploits, by the venerable parson. There was not a story in the
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book that she did not know, almost as a party concerned, and she would ply her work of flax-spinning while she gave me close and intense attention."
Thus did W. H. Sparks acquire an intimate knowledge of his grandfather from his "fussy little Irish" grandmother who never could relish the fact that her grandson was named "Billy Crafford." It was the glory of her life that she had seen General Washington, and every detail of his face and figure was told to the boy who read to her while her nimble fingers spun flax that she wove into linen cloth to make him trousers, which she often split with a paddle as she laid him across her lap and obeyed the injunction, "spare the rod and spoil the child."
This story of the early life of David Love, also reveals the fact that, there were white settlers dwelling among the Cherokee Indians, in north-east Georgia long years before Governor James Wright's Land Court began functioning.
And what a galaxy of notable men formed the bench and bar when W. H. Sparks practiced law in the courts of Greene, Baldwin, Putnam, Morgan, Oglethorpe, Wilkes and other counties in middle Georgia !! Augustus B. Longstreet, L. Q. C. Lamar Sr., Thomas W. Cobb, William C. Dawson, Yelver- ton P. King, Robert M. Williamson, Alexander H. Stephens, Robert Tooms, William H. Crawford and countless other legal lights that have never been excelled in the history of Georgia. Then too, among his associates were; Jonas Fauche, Thomas Stocks, Thomas W. Grimes, Jesse Mercer, Dr. Francis Cum- mings, Dr. Francis Goulding, Dr. I. S. K. Axon, the Beemans, the Weavers, Bishop George F. Pierce and James O. And- rew, the Cunninghams, Mark A. Cooper, Mirabeau B. Lamar and countless other men who graced society and wrote chapters in Georgia's history that future generations will not be ashamed to admit were Georgians.
Another thing that has made Love's Spring so long re- membered, was the duel fought there between Jonas Fauche and his unremembered opponent. The duel was an out-growth of the Yazoo Fraud; and while Fauche killed his opponent, he
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himself was wounded in the arm. It was fought according to the code "el-duelo," and Dr. James F. Foster was the attending physician. He did his best to save the dying duelist, and dress- ed the arm of Major Jonas Fauche who had posted a runner to watch the duel and inform his wife as to the outcome. The story of the duel was told by Dr. Foster and other eye witness- es, and has been handed down by word-of-mouth, but no written or printed record is known to exist.
When "Booze" was cheap
In the month of May 1858, it became necessary for a cer- tain wholesale house to sue certain Greene County merchants for an unpaid account; and in order to file suit, the account had to be itemized and become a part of the Court record. The outstanding items of this account consisted of Ten (10) barrels of whiskey containing 40 or more gallons each; and the price ranged from fifty to eightly-five cents per gallon. One basket of Champagne $12.00 was sandwiched between 50 lbs. of candy and a box of raisins. This was in December, and was evidently intended for the Christmas trade.
This firm operated two "Dogeries" in different parts of the county under somewhat different names; but both hand- led "Firewater" along with "Moe" Snuff and Aquilla cigars; the cigars cost $5.00 per thousand. "Moe" snuff was the kind the men used to "sniff-up their noses;" and, from the quantity of Lemor Syrup that appeared on the bill, I would judge that many of their customers did not take "thern" straight, I mean their liquor.
Who is so unwise as to want to see a "Grog-Shop" at every cross-road as it was in 1858? Yet, we have men in our legislative halls that would vote for that very thing. (1941)
GREENSBORO AS I KNEW IT.
Back in the pre-automobile, days Greensboro had as many fillings-stations as it has now. But they were altogether differ- ent as to the fluids they handled. Now when you drive up, ask for ethyl or plain, but back in those days you would ask
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for corn, rye, bourbon, gin or plain beer. And the question of how many miles to the gallon, was never asked.
The "tanks" varied in those days just as they do now, but milage did not count for much. The thing that counted then was, how long would a "filling" stimulate ?
Back in those days most of the stores had wooden sheds in front to protect customers from the sun and rain. While the "filling-stations" went the other business houses one-better, by having a wooden bench both against the front of the building, and along the outer edge of the side-walk. These benches were usually adorned (?) with those who had been "filled", and who were awaiting an invitation from some belated friends to "take-another".
These side-walk decorations of "full, half-full", and near emptys, constituted a menace to ladies and girls who had to come to town to do their shopping, as each business-block had its "filling-station". And in order to eliminate the necessity of the lady-customers having to pass through these lanes of thirsty souls, the merchants arragned a zig-zag course by placing boards, crossings the muddy streets so as to dodge these places.
Back in those days, Greensboro had a peculiar way of celebrating Easter. The day following Easter was called Easter- Monday, which was always a holiday. All business houses clos- ed and the day was devoted to picnics, hunting-parties etc. Flat- rock and Bowden's pond were the favorite picnic grounds. Car- riages, buggies and two-horse wagons were the means of trans- portation. And fortunate was the young man who could get the only new side-bar buggy the livery-stable afforded, to carry his girl to Flat-rock.
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