USA > Georgia > Statistics of the state of Georgia : including an account of its natural, civil, and ecclesiastical history ; together with a particular description of each county, notices of the manners and customs of its aboriginal tribes, and a correct map of the state > Part 26
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MINERAL SPRINGS .- The Sulphur Spring, six miles N. of Gainesville, on the road leading from Gainesville to Clarkes- ville, has been known to the public for several years. The water pours from an excavation made in the rock, at the rate of one gallon in three minutes. The waters are strongly im- pregnated with sulphur and magnesia. These springs have been found to relieve obstinate cases of liver diseases, female derangement, &c. They are the property of Mr. L. A. Mc Afee, a gentleman eminently qualified to take charge of a watering establishment. If good accommodations, fine water, beautiful scenery, are recommendations of any place, then the Sulphur Springs of Hall county may be put down as among the most delightful spots in Georgia.
The Limestone Spring, about two miles from Gainesville, is much frequented.
COUNTY TOWN .- Gainesville is the seat of justice for this county, delightfully situated, with a climate equal to that of Italy. It has a fine brick court-house, built at an expense of eight thousand dollars, jail, &c. Distant from Milledgeville 111 miles ; 22 from Jefferson ; 40 to Athens ; 30 to Law- renceville ; 30 to Clarkesville ; 45 to Carnesville. Gainesville is quite a handsome town. The citizens pay much attention to their grounds. Is is a place of considerable resort for per- sons from the low country.
About thirty thousand dollars worth of goods are sold in Gainesville per annum. Population 400.
INDIAN MOUND .- Opposite to Winn's ferry is a mound 50 yards wide.
NAME .- In a work entitled "Sketches of North Carolina," by Rev. Wm. Henry Foote, it is stated :
" When it was necessary for the American forces to march
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HALL COUNTY.
into the Cherokee country in Georgia to quell the Indians, a company was raised in Iredell for that expedition, and Rev. James Hall went with his friends as chaplain to the army. During the expedition, which lasted two months, the chaplain offered public prayers very regularly morning and evening, but had but one opportunity of preaching. On that occasion he took his stand under a large shady tree; the army, consist- ing of about 4000 men, was drawn up around him; and the sol- diers, in honour of the first gospel sermon preached in the In- dian territories, named the adjacent country after the chaplain, Hall county, of which Gainesville is the seat of justice."
This is a mistake. The county was named after Dr. Ly- man Hall, a steady and inflexible patriot of the revolution. He was born in Connecticut, in 1731, and graduated at Yale College, 1747. After his collegiate course he studied medicine, and removed to Dorchester in South Carolina, and came to Georgia, accompanied by several persons, to whom a grant of 31,950 acres of land was made, in what was then known as St. John's Parish, south of the Ogeechee river. The people of this parish were early and decided advocates of the cause of liberty, and before any general measures had been adopted by the colony, had sent a delegate to the Continental Congress. That delegate was Lyman Hall. Upon taking his seat in the Congress at Philadelphia, in 1775, a difficulty arose as to whe- ther the parish of St. John's should be considered as repre-
senting the colony of Georgia. Mr. Hall stated his wish merely to hear and assist in the debates, as he only repre- sented a part of Georgia, and to vote only when the sentiments of Congress were not taken by colonies. Soon after this Geor- gia, by her provincial assembly, determined to join the other colonies, and Lyman Hall, in conjunction with others, was selected to represent the whole province. Owing to several causes, only three members from Georgia were present in the Congress at the signing of the declaration. Mr. Hall was one of these, and his name stands among those noble men who proclaimed the Independence of America. Mr. Hall was compelled to remove his family to the north when the British took possession of Georgia, and his property was confiscated. He returned to Georgia in 1782, and in the succeeding year
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HANCOCK COUNTY.
was elected Governor of that State. He afterwards removed to Burke county, where he died, in the 67th year of his age. He was six feet high-manners easy and polite.
The following is the inscription upon the slab which covers the remains of this patriot :
Beneath this Stone rest the Remains of the Hon. LYMAN HALL, Esq., formerly Governor of this State, who departed this life the 19th of Oct., 1790, in the 67th Year of his Age. In the Cause of America, he was uniformly a Patriot. In the incumbent duties of a Husband and a Father, he acquitted himself with affection and Tenderness- But Reader, above all, know from this Inscription that he left this probationary Scene as a True Christian and an Honest Man.
" To these so mourn'd in Death, so lov'd in Life, The childless Parent and the widow'd wife, With tears inscribe this monumental Stone That holds his Ashes and expects her own."
HANCOCK.
BOUNDARIES, EXTENT .- This county has Greene and Talia- fero on the N., Warren on the E., Washington and a part of Baldwin on the S., and Putnam on the W. It was laid out of parts of Washington and Greene, in 1793. In 1807 a portion of it was added to Baldwin, and in 1825 a portion to Taliafero. Its medium length is 22 miles ; breadth, 20 miles ; 440 square miles.
RIVERS, CREEKS .- The north fork of the Ogeechee river separates the county from Warren, and the Oconee from Put- nam. The other streams are Little Ogeechee river, Shoulder
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HANCOCK COUNTY.
Bone, Powell's, Beaver Dam, Fort, Town, Buffalo, Dry Fork, Sandy Run, Fulsom's, and Island creeks.
POPULATION, TAXES, REPRESENTATION .- In 1840, the popu- lation was 9,659; in 1845, 10,049. Amount of State tax returned for 1848, $4,468 45. Sends one representative to the Legislature.
POST OFFICES .- Sparta, Devereaux's Store, Long's Bridge, Mount Zion, Powelton, Rock Mills, Shoals of Ogeechee.
TOWNS .- Sparta is the seat of justice, distant 24 miles N. E. of Milledgeville, 14 S. W. Powelton, 22 W. Warrenton, 28 E. Eatonton. It has the usual county buildings, a Presby- terian, Methodist and Baptist church, male and female acade- mies, stores, &c. Population 700. This place is proverbial for the intelligence of its inhabitants. It was made the seat of justice in 1797.
Powelton, in the N. E. part of the county. Population 150. Two churches and an academy.
Mount Zion, 7 miles from Sparta. Population 200. Three churches. Settled in 1811.
EARLY SETTLERS .- William Rabun, formerly Governor of Georgia, Gen. Henry Mitchell, Bolling Hall, Charles Aber- crombie, Gen. David Adams, and Henry Graybill.
FACE OF THE COUNTRY, NATURE OF THE SOIL. - The county is on the dividing ridge between the primitive and secondary, or rather tertiary formations. The northern por- tion is very hilly, with a red aluminous soil. The southern portion is flat pine woods, with silicious soil. The best lands are on Shoulder Bone and its waters.
PRODUCTIONS, AVERAGE PRODUCT PER ACRE. - The pro- ductions are cotton, corn, wheat, oats, peas, rye, barley, and ground nuts in small quantities. Cotton averages 550 pounds per acre ; corn 12 bushels ; and wheat from 5 to 6 bushels.
VALUE OF LAND, COTTON, MARKETS .- The value of land ranges from $1 to $20 per acre. Sales are usually $2 50 to $3. From the best estimates that could be made, there were made in the county in 1848, 12,000 bags of cotton. Savannah and Augusta are the markets.
CLIMATE, DISEASES, LONGEVITY .- The climate is mild but changeable. The thermometer in Sparta has been known to
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HANCOCK COUNTY.
fall thirty degrees in one night. Snow is unusual, not occur- ring more than once in three years. Rheumatisms, catarrhal fevers, are the most common winter diseases. Bilious and intermittent fevers occur in the summer and autumn. The cases of longevity which have come to our knowledge are, Dr. Timothy W. Rossitta, died in 1845, aged 92; was a sur- geon in the navy during the American Revolution, and resided in this county 45 years. Gen. Henry Mitchell, a soldier of '76, wounded whilst bearing the colours of liberty, died at 79. Mrs. Tabitha Marchman, 91.
PAUPERS, POOR SCHOOL FUND, &C .-
Number of paupers supported by the county, 21 Whole amount paid for ditto, $453
Poor School fund from the county, , State, . 108-$555
$447
Number of poor children in the county, 228 138 of whom are taught at the public charge.
Deaf and dumb persons, 8
Lunatics, 5
EDUCATION, LITERATURE, NEWSPAPERS .- From the earli- est settlement of this county, the citizens have been particu- larly distinguished for their great attention to the subject of education. At this time there are four academies, besides twenty common schools in the county. Rev. Mr. Beman, near Mount Zion, has a select school. The merits of this gentleman as an instructer are well known. The schools at Sparta and Powelton have done much for the cause of female education. Several newspapers have been published in Han- cock. Farmers' Gazette was published in Sparta from 1803 to 1806. The Missionary, by the Rev. Mr. Gildersleve, com- menced at Mount Zion about 1819 or 20 ; afterwards published in Sparta, then in Charleston, and has since been incorporated with the Watchman and Observer, in Richmond, Virginia. The Hancock Advertiser, by J. P. Norton, was published at Mount Zion and at Sparta, about 1834.
ROCKS, MINERALS .- Granite in abundance.
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HANCOCK COUNTY.
Quartz Amethystine,
On the plantations of Dr. Whitten and Mr. Al- fred Barksdale.
Agate of beautiful varieties,
Red Jasper, at
Mr. Presly Harper's.
Fine white Chalcedony, at
Capt. Hardwiche's.
Prase, on
Buffalo creek. Shoulder Bone creek.
Beautiful green Chalcedony, on Buffalo creek.
Lydian Stone,
Mr. Hunt's.
Brown Jasper, Ditto.
Nodular Argillaceous Iron,
Various places.
Brown Hematite, Ditto.
Sulphuret of Iron, associated with Quartz, Rev. Mr. Battle's.
Ditto in small cubic crystals of Gneiss, on Buffalo creek.
Plumbago, in small quantities,
Sarsnett's Mills. W. A. Greene's.
Hornblend,
Ditto.
Granular Epidote,
Dr. Whitten's.
Schorl,
Near Sparta.
Asbestos, .
Shoulder Bone creek.
Brown Opal,
Rock Mills.
Galena,
Mr. Foster's.
Steatite,
Bog Iron Ore, .
Various places. Ditto.
Carbonate of Lime, in small quantities.
Green Mica,
Kaolin, abundant in .
Mr. Greene's. Lower part of the county.
Zircon, a rare mineral, . .
Rev. Jesse Battle's.
Native Gold,
Near Sparta.
Ditto in deposit, Rev. Jesse Battle's.
For the above list of minerals we feel much pleasure in acknowledging our obligations to Dr. Pendleton, of Sparta, a gentleman of rare attainments in science.
SHELLS .- Shoulder Bone and Buffalo creeks afford fine
Carnelians, on
Ditto.
Felspar,
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HANCOCK COUNTY.
specimens of the muscle. The Unio Hoptonensis, complana- tus, radiatus, Anodonta gibbosa, and Alasmadonta, inhabit the above-named waters. Dr. Terrel, several years ago, found a pearl of considerable size and beautiful lustre, in one of the muscles of Fort creek, and Dr. Pendleton has recently found several in Buffalo creek.
MILLS .-- Corn-mills, 5; corn and wheat mills, 10; saw- mills, 13.
RELIGIOUS SECTS .- Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyteri- ans. In the county are nine Methodist, nine Baptist, two Presbyterian, and one Protestant Methodist church.
ROADS AND BRIDGES .- Roads and bridges are very good.
CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE .- Of the people of this county it can be said that they have a high sense of religious and mor- al obligations. In science and literature, many of the citizens of this county have distinguished themselves. Love for Geor- gia, and for her institutions, is a prevalent feeling. The planters take a deep interest in the affairs of government. Excellent private libraries are numerous, and reviews and newspapers are liberally patronised. The compiler of this work here takes occasion to say, that from no section of the State has he received more important aid, than from the citi- zens of Hancock. To Tuttle H. Audas, Esq., Clerk of the Superior Court, a gentleman well acquainted with the history of his county, our thanks are due for valuable information. Han- cock is proud to own as her son Col. William G. Bonner, who has gained the applause of every true Georgian for his splendid map of the State.
DISTINGUISHED MEN .-- Hancock has furnished her share of distinguished men. Hon. Dixon H. Lewis was born in Han- cock. Gov. McDonald was brought up in this county. Hon. W. T. Colquitt, A. H. Chappell, Hopkins Halsey, M. A. Coop- er, Gen. S. A. Bailey, Lieutenant Governor Horton, and Col. J. W. Fannin, both of Texas, were either born or raised in Hancock.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES .- Shoulder Bone creek is cele- brated as being the place where a treaty was made with the Creek Indians in 1786. It was signed by eight Commission- ers on the part of the State, and 59 head men of the Creeks.
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IIANCOCK COUNTY.
For the faithful performance of this treaty, the Indians agreed to leave in the hands of the Commissioners five of their people, namely : Chuuocklie Mico, of the Cowetas; Cuchas, of the Cussetas; Emathlocks, second man of the Broken Arrow ; and Enautaleche, nephew to the head man of the Swaglos.
MOUNDS .- We are indebted to a gentleman of Hancock for the following account of some remarkable mounds in this county :
" The principal mound is located in a second bottom, some 400 feet north of the centre prong of Shoulder Bone creek, a tributary of the Oconee, and some 12 or 15 miles from its mouth. I should suppose the base of the mound 20 feet above the level of the creek. The mound, a few years ago, was 37 feet high, and covered at least 5,800 square yards of surface, and in its form semi-oval, or the segment of a circle of some- thing like 2,000 feet. Around this, though not equidistant from the mound, are the remains of a ditch or entrenchment, containing about four acres, nearly square, and one side was more or less picketed, or zigzag in its course. I should sup- pose this excavation was some 10 or 12 feet wide, and how deep I cannot tell, as it was all in cultivation and filling up when I first saw it. In the line nearest to the mound, some 40 feet east, was a very large excavation not yet filled up. Whether that was made to get earth to make the mound, or a reservoir for water, is conjectural. Near the mound, in the enclosure, is a smaller excavation, some 60 feet in diameter, from which a very large amount of human bones have been exhumed, both before and since I took possession of the land, and human bones have been ploughed up and washed up in other places of the enclosure, though none that I have heard of out- side. There were, and are now, the fragments of much broken, rude earthenware, and one of the jars, unbroken, is now in my possession. Also, rude beads, one musket barrel, and my hands within the last 10 years found a round iron ball, about 14 inches in diameter, about 300 feet from the large mound, near the spring in the neighbourhood. In the edge of the first bottom is another mound, not so large, a compound of clay and sand. When the country was first settled, the surrounding hills and valleys were pretty much covered
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HANCOCK COUNTY.
with either cane or wild pea and other luxuriant plants. I understand the Indian, found here said they knew nothing about them. The large mound was evidently thrown up by human agency, for though it has never been regularly ex- amined, it has been excavated in various places."
NAME .-- When the Legislature of Georgia named this por- tion of her territory Hancock, they designed to commemorate the services of John Hancock, whose name appears so conspi- cuous upon the Declaration of American Independence. Mas- sachusetts had the honour of giving birth to this illustrious man. He graduated at Harvard College, when he was only seventeen years old ; after which he was a clerk in the count- ing-house of his uncle, to whose wealth and business he succeeded in 1764; but his commercial arrangements did not prevent his taking an interest in the cause of his country's freedom. None exerted himself with more vigour in framing associations intended to hinder the introduction of English goods. When the good of his country required sacrifices, there were none which Mr. Hancock was unwilling to make. His patriotism was displayed in 1775, when it was proposed by the American officers who conducted the siege of Boston, to bombard and destroy the town, that the foe might be driven out. Mr. Hancock, whose property was thus exposed to destruc- tion, was among the first to request that no regard to his inte- rests should obstruct the operations of the army. When the Revolution broke out, he must have stood high among his countrymen, for he had the honour, in conjunction with Sa- muel Adams, to be made an exception to the pardon offered by the Royal Governor of Massachusetts, in the proclamation de- claring the province in a state of rebellion. In 1775, he was elected to the august station of President of the Continental Congress. In 1780 he was made Governor of Massachusetts, which office he continued to hold for several years. He died in 1793, the year in which this county was named after him. The author of Familiar Characters describes Mr. Hancock " as being nearly six feet in stature, of thin person, stooping a little, and apparently enfeebled by disease. His manners were very gracious, of the old style of dignified complaisance. As a public man, his country is greatly indebted to him."
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HARRIS COUNTY.
HARRIS.
BOUNDARIES, EXTENT .- This county has Troup and Meri- wether on the N., Talbot on the E., Muscogee on the S., and the Chattahoochee on the W. Laid out from Troup and Musco- gee, in 1827. Length 20 miles, breadth 18 miles ; 360 square miles.
RIVERS, CREEKS .- The Chattahoochee forms the western boundary of the county. West End, Standing Boy, Sowahachee, Mulberry, Flat Shoal, Old House, and Mountain creeks, empty into the Chattahoochee.
POST OFFICES .- Hamilton, Cochran's Cross Roads, Ellers- lie, Mulberry Grove, King's Gap, Piedmont, Waverly Hall, Whitesville, Valley Place.
POPULATION, TAXES, REPRESENTATION .- Population in 1845, 7,166 whites, 6,972 blacks ; total, 14,138. Amount of State tax returned for 1848, $4,922 49 cents. Sends two rep- resentatives to the Legislature.
TOWNS .- Hamilton is the seat of justice, two miles north of Mulberry creek, at the extremity of the Oak mountain, and one mile south of the Pine mountain. It is a small place, sur- rounded by beautiful scenery. Population about 400. It con- tains a pretty court-house, a jail, two churches, one male school, one female school. Amount of goods sold per annum, $50,000. It is healthy, and the water good. Distant from Milledgeville 110 miles ; from Columbus 22} miles ; from Talbotton 22} ; from Greeneville, 22} ; from La Grange, 22} ; from West Point, 223 ; and 11 from Whitesville. Incorporated and made the county site in 1828.
Whitesville is on the road leading directly from Columbus to La Grange. Population 150. Distant from Columbus 27 miles.
Valley Place, 10 miles N. E. of Hamilton, in the valley between the Oak and Pine mountains. One church, one school, two stores, &c.
Cochran's, 7 miles N. of Hamilton.
Ellerslie, 10 miles S. E. of Hamilton.
RELIGIOUS SECTS .- Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians.
EDUCATION .- This subject is generally appreciated, and schools are established in nearly every portion of the county.
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HARRIS COUNTY.
MILLS .- Merchant-mills, 3
Grist-mills, ยท
6
Saw-mills, 8 Distilleries, 2
PRODUCTIONS .- The productions are similar to those of Troup and the adjoining counties.
Cotton averages 500 pounds per acre.
Corn 4 barrels "
Wheat from 10 to 12 bushels
MARKETS, COTTON .- Columbus and Griffin. Eight thousand bales of cotton are annually produced.
FACE OF THE COUNTRY, NATURE OF THE SOIL, VALUE OF LAND .- There is much variety in the face of the country. The Pine mountains enter the county near the N. E. corner. The Oak mountains enter the county at its eastern corner. Above the Pine mountains, east of the road leading to Columbus, the country is level, having a thin, light soil, productive but not last- ing. West of the road, from Columbus to La Grange, it is a broken, rich country, heavily timbered. As you approach the Pine mountains it assumes a rocky and knolly aspect. In the valley between the Oak and Pine mountains the soil is gray ; growth, Spanish oak and hickory. South of the Oak mountain, upon the head waters of Mulberry creek, and extending all the way down said creek, the soil is rich.
Improved lands are worth $5 per acre. Unimproved lands from 3 to 4 dollars per acre.
CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE .- The citizens of Harris are clever and spirited. In morality, intelligence, and benevo- lence, they are upon an equality with the people of the adjoin- ing counties.
EARLY SETTLERS .- W. C. Osborn, W. Switzer, Hon. M. J. Welborn, John Greer, N. Barden, S. Clay, R. R. Brown, Gen. McDougald, Gen. Low, and others.
MINERALS .- Gold has been found in the Pine mountains, and most of the minerals which exist in the adjacent counties are found in Harris.
BRIDGES AND ROADS .-- Nothing very favourable can be said of the bridges and roads. Their condition would be improved by more attention on the part of the citizens.
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HARRIS COUNTY.
CLIMATE .- There is nothing which distinguishes the cli- mate from that of the neighbouring counties. In the mountains the air is cool and invigorating. The diseases are such as commonly prevail in western Georgia. Among the cases of longevity we have learned the following. There are now living Mr. Arthur Redding, over 80; Mr. W. Swann, over 80; Mr. McCraw, 90.
ANTIQUITIES .- There are two or three Indian mounds on Mulberry creek.
NAME .- Charles Harris, Esq., after whom this county was named, was born in England in the year 1772, and received his education in France. He came to Georgia in 1788, and studied law in the office of Samuel Stirk, Esquire, and gradually rose to high distinction in his pro- fession. He was regarded by many as the most profound lawyer in the State. His reasoning powers were great. He neither aimed at ornament nor eloquence. As an evidence of his great reputation as a lawyer, it may be stated that he was employed in the city of Washington, in an appeal case of great importance from the Court of Admiralty in Georgia, a large fee of five thousand dollars being given to him. Wm. Pinckney and Wm. Wirt, two lawyers of great celebrity, were associated with him, and such was his modesty, that although his pecuniary resources were very limited, he gave to the above-named gentlemen one thousand dollars each out of his fee. When the case came before the court, Mr. Pinckney rose and said, that Mr. Wirt and himself had concluded that nothing they could say to the court could possibly be necessary, or add any weight to the masterly reasoning given in the brief by the gentleman from Georgia. The brief was then read by Mr. Pinckney, and the decision of the court given in favour of the client of Mr. Harris.
Mr. Harris was a gentleman of uncommon modesty, and although importuned in the most earnest manner to accept of honours offered to him by his fellow-citizens, with the excep- tion of those of Alderman and Mayor of Savannah, in one or the other of which offices he served for more than twenty years, he could not be prevailed upon to do so. More than once did he refuse the highest offices in the gift of the people
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HARRIS COUNTY.
of Georgia. Gov. Jackson appointed him Judge of the East- ern Circuit, without consulting him; Mr. Harris, however, anxious as he was to gratify his friend, declined the appoint- ment, from a belief that the discharge of its duties would fre- quently call him from the enjoyment of the domestic circle, to which he was remarkably devoted.
A year or two afterwards, whilst he was still a young man, he was elected by the Legislature of Georgia, Judge of the Eastern Circuit, without his solicitation or that of his friends, but he would not consent to take the appointment. When the retirement of Mr. Milledge from the Senate of the United States rendered it necessary to fill the vacancy, although there were many aspirants to this distinguished office, the Legislature and both parties (Crawford and Clarke) united in the selec- tion of Mr. Harris, if he would serve. An express was sent to Savannah to ascertain his views, but he positively refused the honour. A short time afterwards, ill health, the loss of his wife, to whom he was tenderly attached, and other domestic 4 afflictions, caused him gradually to seek retirement, and he lost. that tone of feeling which had given delight to all who had the happiness of his acquaintance. He died March 17th, 1827, lamented by all classes of people.
Mr. Harris was rather above the middle stature. His manners were affable and pleasing. His benevolence was proverbial. When the widow saw him she blessed him. When the orphans saw him they were glad. Widows, orphans, the distressed, and the poor, looked up to him as a friend, whom they might approach at any time. Mr. Harris was of a highly respectable family. His father was William Harris, barrister, who was first cousin of Lord Malmesbury. His mo- ther was the sister of the hereditary Champion of England, Charles Dymock, who attended at the coronation of George the Third, and his father was one of the two squires of the Champion who attended the coronation. The Dymocks were a branch of the De Bergs, who had been Champions of Eng- land from the accession of the Norman family.
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