THE RISE AND FALL OF THE WHIG PARTY

Today, Georgians are participating in the election of delegates to the national nominating conventions of the Democratic and Republican parties, which will choose their candidates for the general election this November. In the middle third of the 19th century, when tensions in American politics were at an all time high, a party known as the Whigs came into the scene. The Whigs were an unusual, unlikely, and fragile partnership between the abolitionists of the North and the State's Rights factions of the South. This coalition, while successful at times, led to the eventual dissolution of the party after sixteen years.

The rise of the Whig party in the South came was a direct result of dissatisfaction with President Andrew Jackson. While General Andrew Jackson was one of the most revered men in the South during the War of 1812, President Andrew Jackson drew the ire of many southerners because of his policies on the issues of nullification, the national bank system, and the effort to strengthen the Federal government. In the election of 1828, Jackson drew tremendous support from Laurens County voters. Gen. David Blackshear, one of Laurens County's premier statesmen of the 19th century and a fellow general in the war, served as a delegate committed to Jackson in the Electoral College, which elected Jackson to the first of his two terms.

The State's Rights movement had arisen in Georgia during the 1820s. Governor George M. Troup, a resident of Laurens County, took issue with President John Quincy Adams's directive. Adams enjoined Georgia from acquiring land from Indian tribes and forcing the Creeks and Cherokees from their native lands. The two leaders issued a heated exchange of letters and threats. Gov. Troup got the upper hand, and Georgia annexed the remaining part of her present territory. In the national elections of 1832 and 1834, Gov. Troup moved to the forefront of the Whig party, whose policies eventually led to the secession of the southern states from the Union in 1861.

Jackson, a Democrat, did not run for a third term in the election of 1836. His party's successor, Martin Van Buren, had never been popular in Georgia. Those opposed to the nationalistic policies of Jackson and Van Buren sent delegates to the Anti Van Buren Convention, which was held in the capital of Milledgeville on May 2, 1836. Representing Laurens County at that convention were Bryan Allen, Dr. James S. Moore, and George M. Troup, Jr., the latter being the only son of the venerable governor. Dr. Moore, who lived in Dublin for a short time, was a graduate of the United States Military Academy and a classmate of Robert E. Lee.

Van Buren easily won the election with support from all areas of the nation. The Whig party put up three candidates: William Henry Harrison, Daniel Webster, and Hugh White. The people of Georgia and Tennessee, Jackson's home state, chose another Tennessean Hugh White, who finished third in the four-man race. Naturally, being the home of Governor Troup and therefore the birthplace of the State's Rights movement, Laurens County overwhelmingly supported White over Van Buren or any other of the Whig candidates. The total vote for White was nearly unanimous - two Hundred and eighty-eight votes for White and only one for the scoundrel Van Buren. It is interesting to note, that of the counties which surround Laurens County, only Montgomery County, Gov. Troup's second home county, supported the Whig candidate White. Pulaski, Twiggs, Washington, and Wilkinson county voters supported Van Buren with fifty-five to sixty percent of their votes. Emanuel Countians were much more supportive of Van Buren and voted for him by a margin of eleven to one. On a statewide basis, White barely carried Georgia with fifty-two percent of the vote.

In the Spring of 1837, the State's Rights Party held a convention in Milledgeville. Wingfield Wright, Robert Robinson, and Cullen O'Neal represented Laurens County at the convention, which was held to strengthen the party in Georgia and to prepare for the off-year elections of 1838. Wright joined C.S. Guyton and Robert Robinson as delegates to the convention held in April of 1839. During this period, the Whig factions realized that in order to win the Presidency, they must cooperate to prevent the tyrannical acts of the President by electing a majority of their candidates to Congress. While Laurens Countians were not in favor of the United States Bank, internal improvements, and a protective tariff, they realized that compromise and cooperation was a necessary evil. The new political giants of Georgia, Robert Toombs, Alexander Stephens, Charles Jenkins, and John Berrien, headed the Whigs in Georgia. Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, William Henry Harrison, and John C. Calhoun led the party on the national level.

The coalition began to dissolve in 1840, when Gov. Troup hinted that the State's Rights party should remain neutral in the presidential race. Stephens encouraged Troup to offer himself as a candidate, but the Whigs finally settled upon William Henry Harrison, who was the leading Whig candidate in the 1836 election. Van Buren had grown in disfavor among voters, who had supported him in his first term. Harrison, on the other hand, was a hero for his victory over an Indian force at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. Van Buren lost in a landslide to Harrison and failed to carry his own state. Harrison carried Georgia by a margin of eight thousand votes out of eighty thousand votes cast. Van Buren increased his vote total in Laurens County by four hundred percent, but Harrison increased the Whig vote by nearly two hundred percent from the last election. He and easily defeated Van Buren by a margin of five hundred fifty-six to four. A majority of voters from Twiggs, and Washington counties left the Democrats and supported the Whigs. Montgomery County voters staunchly supported the Whigs twenty-one to one. Even the Emanuel voters, who were among the Democratic party's most loyal supporters, voted in larger numbers for the heroic Whig, William Henry Harrison. Unfortunately Harrison became ill while giving his inaugural address and died several weeks later. Six weeks after the election, The Harrison and State's Rights Party held their convention in Milledgeville, where Wingfield Wright, A. Ashley, and Robert Robinson represented Laurens County.

The Whigs lost power in Georgia during the gubernatorial and congressional elections of 1841 and 1842. Democrats captured all of the seats in Congress in the last election under the general ticket system of electing congressmen. The Georgia Whigs held their first convention in Milledgeville on June 19, 1843. Laurens County was represented by Wingfield Wright, Robert Robinson, and W.W. O'Neal. Wright was appointed to the prestigious Committee of Twenty One. Serving with Wright were future Confederate Vice President, Alexander H. Stephens and future Confederate General Robert Toombs, who was almost chosen President of the Confederacy ahead of Jefferson Davis. The committee recommended candidates for state and national tickets. The convention nominated George Crawford for governor. Crawford won the election, which led to a Whig resurgence in the state. However, the Whigs were losing their strength in the South because of the deportment of John Tyler, who succeeded Harrison in office. The State's Rights supporters in Laurens County were drawn between siding with their avowed enemies, the northern Whigs and their treacherous Democratic friends in the South. They chose to remain with the Whigs, who at least would not stab them in their backs.

Conciliation was still the key word in the attempts of the Georgia Whig leaders who were trying to hold the tenuous alliance with the Northern Whigs in the 1844 elections. Georgia leaders, although opposed to tariffs, appeased their northern party members by speaking in favor of them. The national Whig party held its convention in May 1844 in Baltimore, Maryland. Lott Warren, a former resident of Laurens County, served as a delegate. The convention was unanimous. Their choice was Sen. Henry Clay of Kentucky. Clay, an early favorite in the race, lost support in the South because of his opposition to the annexation of Texas. Many Laurens Countians felt betrayed by Clay's position because of their close ties to those who had gone and who would later go to Texas to fight for independence and statehood. James Birney, a northern abolitionist, took Whig votes away from Clay in the northern states. Dr. Nathan Tucker, John M. Hampton, and Robert Robinson served as delegates to the state Whig convention, which was held on June 24, 1844. C.B. Strong, who had served as Judge of Laurens Superior Court, and Charles Jenkins, who tried cases here, were delegates to the national convention.

Despite his stand on Texas, Clay easily carried Laurens County in the 1844 election. While James Knox Polk had posted the highest democratic vote total in twelve years with fifteen votes, Clay tallied six hundred and eighty-six votes for a total of ninety eight percent of the vote. While Twiggs and Pulaski counties and most of west Central Georgia sided with the Democrats, Washington and Wilkinson county voters shifted their support to the Whig candidate. Emanuel County, which had been a steadfastly loyal democratic county, dropped their support down to the seventy percent range. James Polk garnered fifty one percent of the vote in Georgia narrowly defeating Clay by a margin of two thousand votes. The outcome could have been undoubtedly changed by Clay's reversal of his stand on Texas.

The Whigs of Laurens County invited their fellow Whigs in the adjoining counties to a mass meeting in Dublin on the 25th of October 1844. The Invitation Committee, composed of Robert Robinson, Allen Ashley, Charles P. Creech, Hugh McCall Moore, and Charles B. Guyton advertised the event in "Southern Recorder" and promised a free barbecue for all those attending the event. Another meeting was held on the 9th of June 1845 to form an alliance with Wilkinson County Whigs for the Georgia Senate election. Attending that meeting were Freeman H. Rowe, E.J. Blackshear, T.N. Guyton, Dr. Nathan Tucker, Ira Stanley, Robert Robinson, Russell Kellam, T.C. Spicer, Cullen O'Neal, R.A. Love, David Blackshear, John McLendon, Hugh M. Moore, Charles B. Guyton, Jeremiah H. Yopp, Edward Perry, Byrd Allen, D.F. Scarborough, David Harvard, Wiley J. Bender, Andrew Y. Hampton, Sugar Forrest, L.M. Hudson, Winfield Wright, J.T. Linder, Hardy Smith, and William McLendon. Meanwhile, those few Democrats who lived in Laurens County elected William Godfrey to represent the county at the party convention in Milledgeville on June 16, 1845.

The Whigs of Laurens County met with the Whigs of Wilkinson County in July of 1845. The meeting was held at Centerville Academy, which was located north of Dublin on the Mt. Olive/Claxton Dairy Road near the current location of Centerville Baptist Church. Attending that meeting were Jeremiah Yopp, Winfield Wright, J.T. Linder, Allen Ashley, D.F. Scarborough, J. Wilkinson, Hardy Smith, Charles B. Guyton, David Harvard, William McLendon, Bird Allen, Wiley J. Bender, William Adams, Cullen O'Neal, Dr. Nathan Tucker, Robert Robinson, Edward Perry, L.M. and L.M. Hudson. The two counties chose Wesley King, of Wilkinson County, to represent the party in the Senate race. Dr. Nathan Tucker was chosen to represent the county on the State Executive Committee. Eli Warren, a former resident of Laurens County, represented Houston County on the committee.

During this period, many of these men represented Laurens County in the state legislature. The Whigs who served in the Georgia House from 1836 to 1852 were Bryan Allen, Andrew Y. Hampton, Robert Robinson, J. W. Yopp, Allen Ashley, and Charles B. Guyton. Robinson served in the House for thirteen consecutive years - a county record which stood for one hundred fifty four years until broken by Dubose Porter in 1996. The Whigs serving in the Georgia Senate during the period were Winfield Wright and Nathan Tucker.

A meeting was held in Dublin on June 1, 1847 for the purpose of electing delegates to the gubernatorial convention. Attending that meeting were F.H. Rowe, J.H. Yopp, Robert Robinson, John Love, D. Harvard, W. Wright, J.T. Linder, JohnYopp, L.E. Smith, A.R. Kellam, D.R. Maddox, Henry C. Fuqua, Hardy Smith, C.B. Guyton, W.W. O'Neal, R. Robinson, Wm. McLendon, Dr. Nathan Tucker, W.D. Coney, Ira Stanley, L.N. Hudson, D. Roberts, J.N. Hampton, and John Thompson. (the first three of these were chosen as delegates.)

Party members came together again in Dublin on March 10, 1848. Cullen O'Neal, C.B. Guyton, Ira Stanley, Iverson L. Harris, A.R. Kellam, W.H. Connelly, James L. Seward, Dr. Nathan Tucker, J.W. Yopp, Edward Sheftall, and L.M. Hudson chose John Lowther and Robert Robinson as delegates to the State Convention which was held in Milledgeville on 8th of May. The principal issue of the election of 1848 was slavery. The Whig candidate and hero of the Mexican War, Zachary Taylor, was non-committal on the issue. Democrat Lewis Cass would leave the issue up to the individual states. Van Buren attempted to resurrect his Presidency and entered the race as a "Free Soil" candidate. The Democrats continued to gain strength in the county with twenty five votes, but once again couldn't overcome the five hundred and sixty seven Whig votes. Montgomery and Washington counties remained in the Whig column, but all other counties surrounding Laurens voted for Cass. Despite his heroic status, Taylor barely carried Georgia - winning with only fifty one percent of the vote.

Edward J. Blackshear, who was selected at a convention of Laurens and Wilkinson county Whigs at Centerville Academy on July 7, 1849, was elected to the Georgia Senate. The beginning of the end of the Whig party in Laurens County came in 1850. Following the Clay Compromise of 1850, an election was held on the issue of slavery. The Constitutional Union Party of Georgia was led by Howell Cobb. Locally, E.J. Blackshear and Charles Guyton led the Union Party. When Laurens County's votes were tabulated, two hundred seventy two men voted for the Union while no one voted for the Resistance. The Union party was committed to seeking a workable solution with the North over the issue of slavery. T.M. Yopp, R.A. Love, and John W. Yopp represented the county at the Constitutional Union Convention at Milledgeville on June 2, 1851. Attorney John R. Cochran was chosen to represent the county in the Democratic State Convention in May of 1852. E.J. Blackshear, Cullen O'Neal, F.H. Rowe, J.R. Coombs, J.W. Yopp, C.B. Guyton, E.H. Blackshear, Hardy Smith, and T.N. Guyton, all former Whigs, met at the Union Meeting in Dublin on August 2, 1852. Franklin Pierce won the presidency in a nationwide landslide over another Mexican War hero, Winfield Scott, who failed to carry his home state of Virginia. In Laurens County, Scott got sixty seven votes, while Pierce got sixty three. Former Whig and then Georgia Governor, Howell Cobb, carried the county with five hundred seventy nine votes. Former Governor, Charles McDonald managed to get seventy-six votes. Cobb had supported Daniel Webster, but Webster died nine days before the election - a fact which didn't seem to matter to the one hundred and sixty eight Laurens Countians who voted for the dead Yankee statesman. The Whig Party in Laurens County died. Laurens Countians supported the American party in 1856, which included the remnants of the Whigs and the Union Party, which was opposed to secession in 1860.

THE OCONEE RIVER

The Lifeblood of Laurens County

It is our county's greatest natural resource. When its waters are too voluminous, a disaster follows. A disaster precedes when its waters are too gry.(no that's the right word, look it up in the dictionary). It derives its name from the people who once lived along its banks and subsisted on its bounty of fresh water and animal life. The word "Oconee," according to the latest linguistic studies, is actually a two-word phrase - "O" meaning "of" and "Conee" meaning skunk, or "place of the skunk." Earlier linguists attribute the name to the phrase "water eyes of the hills" - a much more romantic-sounding name for this body of water which has been an integral part of our county's civilization for the last eon. Which name came first, the Indian community Oconee Old Town, which was located in southern Baldwin County, or the Oconee River cannot be determined. Other variations of the spelling of the name are Ocone, Oconi, Ocony, Ekwoni, and Ukwu'nu. The middle part of the river has been referred to as "Ethoho," while the lower portion which passes through Laurens County has been called "Ithlobee" by Indians who lived in the area until the end of the 18th century.

The Oconee River, Georgia's third longest single-stream river, begins near the sleepy community of Lula in Hall County, Georgia. It flows for two hundred fifty miles in a southeasterly direction to a point between Lumber City and Hazlehurst, where it joins the Ocmulgee River to form the Altamaha. Its basin covers fifty-four hundred square miles, which is a little larger than the size of the state of Connecticut. For thousands of years, those who lived along the river depended on the Oconee for food, water, and transportation. It has been said that its waters were crystal clear - untainted by the runoff from the sandy clay farm lands, which were highly prized by the early settlers.

Beginning in 1819, the waters of the Oconee gave merchants a way to ship goods into and out of the Central Georgia area. When the railroads came, river transportation began to subside, except for a brief period immediately prior to the Civil War. After the war, and before railroads criss-crossed the entire state, river transportation in the middle Oconee region was revived by Captain R.C. Henry, Captain W.W. Ward and financier, Col. John M. Stubbs.

In order to maintain adequate and reliable shipping lanes, financial aid, in the form of federal government money, was necessary. Congressmen James H. Blount and Charles F. Crisp complied with the demands of their constituents and supplied the necessary federal monies to study the river and to aid in the clearing of rocks, snags, and the always dangerous sandbars. A study was commissioned by Congress in 1888 directing the Army Corps of Engineers (under the direction of Lt. O.M. Carter) to prepare a report on the river, including the cost of clearing it and the cost of maintaining it as a commercial waterway. The report estimated that $171,000 was necessary to maintain a navigable channel and that an annual appropriation of $5,000 was needed to maintain the river in a navigable condition. The report only covered the 150-mile portion of the river below Milledgeville at the fall line, which was the terminus of any freight-carrying boat. Actually, by the time of the survey, no boats could go beyond the Central of Georgia Railroad bridge near Oconee in Washington County.

A.S. Cooper, in his meticulous survey, noted the course of the river, depths at standard intervals, and the volume and velocity of the water at selected sites. Cooper's men measured the mean low water velocity of the river at Dublin to be 1.34 feet per second, which converts to 4824 feet per hour. At that rate it would take about two days for the water to flow from the northern end of the county at the mouth of Big Sandy Creek along its 42.7 mile long trek to Bonnie Clabber at the southern tip of Laurens County. The engineers determined that, during the river's course through the county, its elevation above sea level fell 40.5 feet from its high point of 176.6 feet at Big Sandy to 136.1 feet at Bonnie Clabber. The volume of water passing Dublin at low water was determined to be 1990.5 cubic feet per second, which would fill an average size house in six to eight seconds. Of course, the volume in times of flood was much higher.

Cooper's report, made during the year 1889, noted thirty-five places along the river, beginning at Big Sandy Creek and including White Bluff, Kittrell's Landing, Guyton's Bluff, Hobbs' Boat Yard, Blackshear's Ferry, Blackshear's Landing, Carr's Shoal, Dominey's Landing, Keene's Landing, Dublin Ferry, Rowe's Landing, Fuller's Landing, Burch's Landing, Little Buzzard Bar, Big Buzzard Bar, Drowning Cow Bight, Fish Trap Cut, Clark's Landing, Troup's Lake, Pritchett's Landing (Smith Lake), Wring Jaw Bight, Poor Robin's Bluff, Pine Lake, Walton's Landing, Green's Folly, Shady Field Cut, Shady Bluff, Cooper's Landing, Hall's Warehouse, Cooper's Bight, Branch's Landing, Upper Travers Bight, Berry Hill, Davis' Landing, and Bonnie Clabber.

The river was at its widest point of four hundred and fifty feet just above Guyton's Bluff. In the area between Big Buzzard Bar, Fish Trap Cut, and Poor Robin's Bluff the river broadened to four hundred feet, a fact not unnoticed by the Indians who built settlements there. The river was deepest in the area near Riverview Park between Rowe's Landing and Dublin. The water was shallowest just above Guyton's Bluff, the widest spot along the entire river, except for the last mile before the Oconee's confluence with the Ocmulgee.

Most of the places along the river in Laurens County needed very little attention. The major trouble areas ranged from Carr's Shoals, where a few cubic yards of rock needed to be removed, to the main danger areas of Big and Little Buzzard Bars, where the sandbars encroached about half way into the three hundred foot wide river. The engineers recommended that two closing dams be built at the upper end of Fish Trap Cut in order to give more water at the lower end of the cut.

Over the years, the method of measuring the depth of the river has changed. The original site of the measurement of the river's depth appears to have been from the Wrightsville and Tennille Railroad Bridge. The gauge was moved to the highway bridge in 1934. The highest depth ever recorded was 33 feet at the railroad bridge in 1925. As the river reached about 27 feet, many lots and houses were flooded in the Scottsville area. The waters again rose over its flood stage on April 12, 1936. During that flood, known to have been the biggest in the last hundred years, the water at the at Blackshear's Ferry rose to 33.4 feet, while it reached 32.8 feet at Dublin. Mrs. Verdie Rowland remembered seeing water lapping against the bottom of the railroad bridge just below the passenger bridge. Rawls A. Watson, a long time ferryman, reported that the river had not been that high since 1888. Several strange sights were spotted by railroad workers. The first was a pair of wash tubs floating down the river. One contained a big clock and the other a big black cat. One questionable informant reported that he saw a log floating in the river with a wild cat on one end and a rabbit on the other.

OLIN J. WIMBERLY

The Epitome of a True Southern Lawyer

Olin J. Wimberly, one of Macon's finest attorneys at the turn of the 20th Century, was born on the Moses Guyton place in the Buckeye District of Laurens County on May 22, 1862. Wimberly was born in Laurens County instead of in his parent's family home county of Twiggs County because the senior Wimberly was serving in the Confederate Army. The Army was about to begin its first major series of battles on the Virginia Peninsula. His father's folks were one of the old and prominent families of Twiggs County. His father, James Lowry Wimberly, was a son of an itinerant Methodist minister, Frederick D. Wimberly. James L. Wimberly, who was educated as an attorney, served as Judge of the Ordinary Court of Stewart County, Georgia for several terms and as a judge of the Superior Court of the Chattahoochee Circuit. Judge Wimberly served as a delegate to the Confederate Electoral College, voting for the country's first and only president, Jefferson Davis. When the war was over, Judge Wimberly was sent to Washington, D.C. as a delegate seeking acceptable peace terms. In 1877, Judge Wimberly was selected as a delegate to form Georgia's new constitution.

Olin Wimberly's mother's people were from two of Laurens County's most prominent families, the Guytons and Loves. Wimberly's mother, Helen Augusta Guyton was a daughter of Moses Guyton. Moses and his brothers, John and Charles, were all sons of Moses and Tabitha Saxton Guyton, who were among the largest plantation owners in the fertile Buckeye District of northeastern Laurens County. Each of the Guyton brothers were prominent in the political and agricultural affairs of the county. Olin's mother, Mary Ann Love Guyton, was a daughter of Amos Love, Laurens County's first Clerk of the Superior Court. Her brother, the Hon. Peter Early Love, was a physician, judge, and a member of Georgia's congressional delegation. The entire delegation resigned their seats in Congress when Georgia seceded from the Union in 1861.



Olin Wimberly was raised on his father's place in Stewart County, Georgia. His family was wealthy enough to weather the storm of reconstruction following the Civil War. Wimberly graduated with first honors from the prestigious Vanderbilt University in 1882 at the age of twenty. His first love was mathematics, which led to his acceptance of a position as a professor of mathematics at Professor's McNulty's college in Dawson, Georgia. While teaching in Dawson, Wimberly met the true love of his life. Wimberly fell in love with Mattie McNulty, one of his students and a daughter of Prof. McNulty, the dean of the college. Upon his reaching the age of majority, Wimberly decided to make a career change and began studying law in his father's law office in 1883. After his admission to the bar at Lumpkin in 1884, Wimberly moved to the city of Macon where he established a practice in 1885 in partnership with Clem P. Steed. Wimberly combined his ability as a teacher with his skills as a lawyer and taught Equity at Mercer Law School for the last decade and a half of his life.



Wimberly was idolized by his contemporaries as "having a boundless capacity for intricate details, prodigious energy and labor in the preparation of his causes coupled with an ability to work out the last analysis of the most abstruse problems of the law." His capacity for work was simply marvelous," said one lawyer, who also said of Wimberly, "that men must have that by nature, they cannot acquire it." Wimberly had an amazing memory, rarely forgetting any details, even the most trivial. His home library was one of the finest in Macon, if not in the entire state. Wimberly was fluent in German as well as an expert in mathematics. He observed photographs of Dr. Frederick Cook, who claimed to be the first man to reach the North Pole. Wimberly calculated the angle of the shadow of a flag pole in the picture and determined that Cook was no where near the pole as he had claimed, a fact which was later determined to be true.



His personal character was impeccable. Wimberly, a true southern gentleman, was a devoted father to his seven children. He cared little for money, except when it was needed for the comfort of his family. His dress was simple - a simple long black coat with a high collar and black bow tie. Arthur H. Codington, in his report to the twenty-seventh convention of the Georgia Bar Association in 1910, heaped one accolade after another on the virtues of this public spirted citizen.



Ninety years ago this week on January 16, 1910, Wimberly went to work in office as he had done for the last twenty five years. Wimberly was having a conversation with E.R. Orr of Dublin in front of the fire place in his office. Without any hint or warning, Wimberly collapsed just after noon. Death was immediate and was determined to be caused by a cerebral hemorrhage. Doctors concluded the hemorrhage was ironically super-induced by tremendous study and mental exertion, the qualities which led to Wimberly's high regard by his peers and friends. Wimberly was funeralized by Rev. W.N. Ainsworth, a former minister of the First Methodist Church of Dublin, and who within the decade would become Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. His body was carried to his grave by his most valued and trusted friends and laid to rest in Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon, where old Macon's most prestigious and prominent families are buried. In the days when lawyers were accorded the total respect of the community, Olin J. Wimberly was a lawyer's lawyer and a friend of every client he ever represented. The standards set by Wimberly in his professional and personal life are ones that everyone, not just the members of the legal profession, should strive to attain and maintain.

DEATH ON TOBACCO ROAD

Momentary Passion

It mattered not at all to Jackson Terry that he was the first and only member of his race to accomplish a feat in the 203-year history of Laurens County. His lust for money and its evil roots, along with too much of the spirits, led to his undesirable title. Since and before 1840, Jackson Terry was the first and only white man in the history of Laurens County, Georgia to be legally hung by his neck until his death.

Jackson Terry wandered from place to place in search of a way to make a living. He wound up in Virginia, where he met one Captain James Hannah. The captain, a robust man of 60 years of age with tolerably long snow white hair, hired Terry to drive his wagon to Macon, Georgia, where they planned to sell tobacco. Terry had lived in Macon before, so it seemed only natural to take the assignment as a way of getting back to familiar territory and making a good wage in the process.

Terry and Hannah agreed that in compensation for his services, Terry would receive the excess profits of more than fifteen cents per pound for tobacco which would get wet when the wagon crossed creeks and rivers along their path. In his spare time, Terry diligently worked on stripping the damaged leaves. At first, the salvaged tobacco brought a handsome profit of ten cents per pound for Jackson, who expected to be paid at the end of each day. Each night Terry requested his pay. And each night, the Captain refused his demands.

The two men stopped at Steele's Mill on the Pee Dee River in North Carolina, where they purchased a 10-gallon keg of whiskey. Along their way, Terry, at Captain Hannah's request, sold whiskey, which in Terry's words was, "contrary to the laws of the state." They stopped again in Camden, South Carolina, where they refilled the keg and resumed the dispensing of spiritous liquors to any thirsty traveler with money.

At one point in South Carolina, their scheme was nearly discovered by an overseer of a group of slaves. Terry distracted the overseer by telling him that the dog they had with them would bite if the man went near the wagon without him. The ruse worked. Captain Hannah had enough time to hide the keg and the men went on their way. Terry later self servingly explained, "After this, I was determined to sell no more spirits, and on my refusal to do so, Capt. Hannah became vexed." Terry related that Hannah had cursed him although he thought him to be a member of the Methodist Church. The driver continued, "Captain Hannah said he would as soon be at the Devil as to have one in his employment who would not obey his orders." Despite Terry's resolution to stop selling liquor, Capt. Hannah refilled the keg in Augusta.

The relationship between the two travelers began to unravel at their campsite in Louisville, Georgia. Terry started a fire and set out some meat and coffee to cook. Realizing the deluge of rain made it impossible to cook bread, Terry went into town to find a freshly cooked loaf. Upon his return, Jackson found that the Captain had eaten his supper and thrown out the leftovers before retiring for the night. Terry held his tongue. In fact, both men did, well into the next morning. When they began to talk, Terry reported that the Captain used very harsh language against him.

It was still raining the next night when the two-horse wagon pulled into a campsite near Robert Higdon's mill on Hunger and Hardship Creek, just north of the village of Dublin. Terry cooked supper and laid it out on a stool, along with a sufficient cup of whiskey. Instantly, Hannah forbade his driver's attempt to drink any coffee out of a small iron pot. After the Captain finished his meal, Terry took the coffee out of the pot and drank it.

As the next day dawned, Terry and Hannah talked of heading to Clinton in Jones County. "He wanted to go by a circuitous route, and I thought it was out of the way to go by the route he recommended," confessed Terry, who had only promised to go to Macon. Hannah ordered Terry to grease the axles of his wagon, which he did. The discussion became more heated. Hannah threatened to knock Terry in the head with a spike. Terry retorted, "Get me a switch large enough to whip me!" Tempers subsided. When Terry asked Hannah how he wanted a squirrel cooked for breakfast, there was no reply. The squirrel was thrown into the frying pan along with some other victuals. Hannah complained about the food, to which Terry responded, "If you get me some good food, I will cook it." Hannah complained the bread was too thick, so Terry cooked a thinner piece. Hannah asked for a dram of liquor with his coffee. Both men began to imbibe one drink after another.

Captain Hannah stood up, picked up a knife, and assaulted the five-foot-tall Terry, who reached for an axe and whacked the Captain across the neck, nearly severing his head. Jackson panicked. He called to the Captain by name. There was no answer. He ran down to the mill pond and filled his bucket with clean water. Terrified and regretting what he had just done, Terry ran back up the hill, started a lightwood fire and went over to his comrade to check if he was still alive. As he saw blood spuing from Hannah's neck, he realized he had killed his antagonist. Terry stated that he told Hannah that this was his fault and he should have left him alone. Terry rifled through Hannah's belongings, taking about a hundred dollars and some of his papers. He cut the rope tied to one horse and set out to Wilkinson County to the north. He stopped for the night at Mr. King's house before going to Macon.

As the day light illuminated the scene, Captain Hannah's bloody corpse was found. Incensed at the murder, local officials began to investigate. They came up with a description of the murder and word got out as fast as it could. There were no newspapers, phones, or telegraphs around. John M. Higdon and John Spicer offered a reward for the suspect's capture, a man by them as "Terrell." Investigators followed the old dog which had accompanied the men and the other horse, which broke his rope and followed Terry's horse. A few days later, Jackson Terry was arrested at the race track in Macon. Hannah's papers and cash were found on his person.

Jackson Terry was kept in the Laurens County jail until he was indicted by the Grand Jury. A trial was held on June 15, 1840. Judge Carleton Cole was sitting on the bench. Solicitor General William Wiggins called the case to trial. Representing the pauper Terry were Isham Saffold, Thomas C. Sullivan, Augustin Hansell and Peter Early Love, all very prominent attorneys. Hansell and Love, a native of Laurens, were both prominent jurists and statesmen in the latter half of the 20th Century.

After a brief trial, jury foreman Stephen B. Hester read the verdict of guilty. Three days later, Judge Cole ordered that Terry be hung by his neck until his death. On Friday, July 24, 1840 between the appointed hanging times of between ten and two, Jackson Terry walked up the gallows.

When asked, Jackson Terry confessed the story, his story, which you have just read. He concluded his repentance by saying, "I am doomed to die, and today I shall pay the great debt of nature, the only retribution I can offer for my crime - a crime which was committed under the influence of a momentary passion and for which I most seriously repent. And, may the Lord have mercy on my soul. Amen." The trap door dropped - another death on Tobacco Road.

ISAAC BROWN

Crossing the Line

Isaac Brown, Jr. lived in fear of Indians for most of his life. He had reason to be afraid. A group of unfriendly Indians killed his father. They tried to kill his mother. They even tried to kill Isaac, too. So, when Isaac got a chance to save another woman from the hands of barbaric captors, Isaac remembered the blood curdling terror in his mother's eyes, the day they crossed the line.

After the Treaty of Augusta was signed in 1783, the State of Georgia began to carve her pristine lands into new counties. The largest of these was Washington County, named in honor of the nation's greatest hero, General George Washington. Almost from the beginning, Indian leaders began to have second thoughts about the treaty. Alexander McGillivray, the half-Scottish chief of the Creeks, repudiated the treaty and opted instead to negotiate with Spain over the title to the lands along the Oconee River.

The treaty defined the line between the land of the Creeks and the land of the State of Georgia as the Oconee River with the east side belonging to Georgia and the west side to the Indian tribes. Despite the treaty, isolated groups of the Creeks ventured over the line into homesteads granted to former soldiers of the American Revolution. Some of these forays often resulted in violent attacks on the settlers or their unwelcome visitors.

Despite the fact that Chief McGillivray, upon the enticement of President Washington, reversed his position and signed the treaty of New York in 1790, violent encounters along the Oconee resumed and did not reach a climax until 1796. In order to prevent attacks upon her citizens, Georgia established a series of forts along the lower Oconee River. The main fort was established at Fort Fidius, southeast of present day Milledgeville. Next was a fortress at Long Bluff, west of present day Oconee, Georgia at the point where the Central of Georgia Railroad now crosses the Oconee. Some twenty miles to the south, Fort Telfair was established at Carr's Bluff, opposite today's Dublin Country Club. The last in a series of forts was built in 1793 on Berryhill's Bluff, west of current day Lothair in Treutlen County. These forts, placed at all too distant intervals, proved woefully ineffective in preventing the Creeks from crossing the line to the eastern banks of the Oconee.

Isaac Brown, Sr. decided that he would venture across the dividing line and build a home for his family on the west side of the river on lands still held by the Creeks. The home, located some two miles from Long Bluff, was a modest affair with no additional fortifications beyond the usual thick walls and iron locks. Brown hoped to capitalize on the virgin grasslands to raise cattle.

Brown, known as a man without fear, always maintained a stock of loaded guns just in case his family was attacked. As a means of maintaining an early warning system, Brown kept a pack of fine hunting dogs around to alert him of anyone approaching his home.

Although many thought the highly celebrated retaliation against Creeks led by Benjamin Harrison at Carr's Bluff some six months earlier would have prevented the Creeks from crossing the Oconee, river valley dwellers still lived in constant fear of the Creeks, who usually respected the treaty and remained on their side of the river.

On an early morning in May 1797, all of that changed. And, so did the life of Isaac Brown and his family forever. This time it was a white family who crossed the line. The senior Brown heard his dogs barking. When he opened his door to see what the matter was, he was immediately shot dead by an Indian hiding just outside the door.

The attackers, said a report in The Eastern Herald to number ten, began to yell and hoop. Mrs. Brown managed to drag her husband's corpse into the house. She then gathered all of the rifles she could and fired at anything that moved. Initially she succeeded, fending off the assault. But soon, the attackers returned.

All of sudden, Mrs. Brown noticed that her board shelter adjoining the home was on fire. Quickly and as calmly as she could, Mrs. Brown climbed the wall on the inside and extinguished the fire with a big bowl of milk. While she was pouring the milk onto the flames, her exposed arm was shot and broken by a rifle bullet.

The determined lady persevered. And, with the help of a young boy, a son of one James Harrison, she managed once again to ward off the attackers. Mrs. Brown, the Harrison boy and Isaac, Jr. were able to escape back across the river to safety in Washington County. A company of men were dispatched to the scene to investigate Mrs. Brown's claims. There they found Brown's body in the house. Not too far from the house were the bodies of two dead Creek braves, who had unsuccessfully attempted to treat their wounds.

Two decades later, Isaac Brown, Jr. was living with his mother in Twiggs County. Thomas Woodward, who had been appointed by General Andrew Jackson to collect as many Indians as he could and join him at Fort Scott, called upon Isaac to go with him to Florida to end the troubles in the newly acquired territory.

Before they left, Mrs. Brown pleaded to her son, "Isaac, my son, the Indians killed your father and may kill you, but I had rather hear of your being killed than to hear that my son was a coward," as she remembered the day she and a young boy beat back ten Indians by themselves in what Woodward described as "no sham fight."

Isaac had no horse, so both men set out on foot and made their way to Fort Early, where they obtained mounts. The men joined the army of Gen. William McIntosh, another half-Scottish Chief of the Creeks and a first cousin of U.S. Senator George M. Troup of Laurens County, to seek out and destroy Seminole strongholds.

Dressed like Indians, Brown and Woodward came upon a band of Seminoles, which included Billy Powell, the future and powerful Osceola, Chief of the Seminoles. There they found and rescued Mrs. Stuart, who had been captured a year or so before in an attack on Fort Scott. Brown remembered how his own mother had nearly been killed by Indians. Mrs. Stuart was much more fortunate, having been treated kindly by Yellow Hair, an old Indian in the camp. He rejoiced in that he was able to save yet another woman from harm.

Some thirty five years after the Treaty of Augusta established the Oconee River as the border between the Creeks and the whites, the people along the eastern Oconee River would finally rest with no fear of being attacked by those who would cross the line.

LAURENS COUNTY HEADRIGHTS

LAURENS COUNTY HEADRIGHTS


1784-1903





*****************************************************************



Grants from 1784-1793 were all located in Washington County.

Grants from 1793-1811 were in Washington and Montgomery Counties.

Grants from 1811-1903 were in Laurens County.

Some of the granted lands were given to Johnson County in 1857.



*****************************************************************





NAME BOOK PAGE ACRES YEAR REFERENCES

DEED BOOK -

NEARBY CREEK

OR RIVER.

ORIGINAL CO.







ANDERSON, ELIJAH 3-D 383 287.5 1784 C-121, CLARKS

and/or 3-H 155 287.5 1785 OR BIG CREEK

WASHINGTON

ANDERSON, JOHN G. S-5 159 600 1837

ANDREWS, WILLIAM S-5 539 400 1837

ARLINE, JETHRO V-5 181 96 1845

ARLINE, JETHRO V-5 152 400 1844 L-11,

DRY CREEK

ARLINE, JETHRO S-5 540 50 1837 L-12

BIG CREEK

AYCOCK, JOSEPH Z-5 724 372 1858

AYCOCK, JOSEPH Z-5 725 430 1858

AYCOCK, JOSEPH Z-5 726 563 1858

AYCOCK, JOSEPH Z-5 727 383 1858

AYCOCK, JOSEPH Z-5 728 245 1858

AYCOCK, JOSEPH Z-5 729 346 1858

AYCOCK, JOSEPH Z-5 730 239 1858

AYCOCK, JOSEPH Z-5 731 642 1858

AYCOCK, JOSEPH Z-5 732 278 1858



BAKER, WASHINGTON Y-5 275 200 1853

BALLARD, BENJAMIN F. A-D 79 256.68 1897

BALLARD, BENJAMIN F. Y-5 335 400 1853

BARRON, WILLIAM 3-I 475 350 1786 E-218, 225

513 WASHINGTON

823 BUCKEYE CR.

BARROW, REUBEN 287.5 1785 J-14, BIG

WASHINGTON

BEATTY, JAMES K-5 439 200 1816

BEATTY, JAMES K-5 440 120 1816

BELCHER, ALLEN L-5 58 100 1817

BLACKSHEAR, DAVID K-5 438 18 1816

BLACKSHEAR, EVERARD A-B 78 263 1860

BLACKSHEAR, EVERARD Z-5 568 400 1857

BLACKSHEAR, EDWARD J. A-B 301 59.9 1863

BLACKSHEAR, EDWARD J. A-B 798 100 1883

BLACKSHEAR, EDWARD J. Z-5 750 150 1859

BLACKSHEAR, EDWARD J. Z-5 567 802 1857

BLACKSHEAR, EDWARD J. A-B 153 100 1861

BLOUNT, WILLIAM 3-M 328 1000 1787 E-389,455,170

3-M 346 500 1787 BUCKEYE CRK.

WASHINGTON

E-455

BONNER, SHERWOOD 3-N 402 250 1787 H-221, OCONEE

WASHINGTON

BRACKEN, WILLIAM 4-B 553 388 1793 E-277 OHOOPEE

WASHINGTON

BRACKEN, WILLIAM 4-3 496 400 1794 H-195,

WASHINGTON

BRACKEN, WILLIAM 5-C 408 200 1800 F-88, FORT'S

WASHINGTON

C-103 BUCKEYE

BRANCH, CHARITY X-5 196 472.5 1850

BRANCH, ELIAS S-5 150 300 1837

BRASWELL, JOHN 3-G 276 287.5 1785 F-143, G-132

WASHINGTON

CLARK/BIG CRK

BREWTON, JOHN 3-H 520 287.5 1785

BREWTON, JOHN 3-V 383 300 1792

BREWTON, WILLIAM 600 1790 I-105, BIG

WASHINGTON

BRITT, HEZEKIAH Y-5 210 444 1852

BRYANT, DAVID 3-T 310 400 1790 F-168 BUCKEYE

WASHINGTON

BRYANT, DAVID 4-Z 154 200 1797 C-15, C-32

BUCKEYE

WASHINGTON

BUSH, ALCY X-5 533 300 1851

BUSH, JAMES A-B 112 23.7 1861

BUSH, JOHN 3-K 449 287.5 1786 E-353, OCONEE

WASHINGTON

BUSH, JOHN 5-E 710 125 1804 MONTGOMERY

E-352?

BUSH, WILLIAM 5-D 600 650 1800 MONTGOMERY

C-51, BRUTON?

BUSH, WILLIAM 5-E 779 630 18O4 MONTGOMERY



C-51, 250

BREWTON

BUSH, WILLIAM Q-5 556 200 1832

BUSH, WILLIAM Y-5 483 300 1853

BUSH, WILLIAM, JR. X-5 273 245 1850

BUTLER, DANIEL 3-F 376 287.5 1789 F-161

WASHINGTON

CARROLL, WILLIAM 3-D 303 287.5 1784 I-138

WASHINGTON

BUCKEYE CR.

CARTER, ELIJAH W-5 664 200 1849

CARTER, ELIJAH V-5 186 200 1845

CARTER, FREDERICK S-5 547 750 ----

CARTER, GEORGE W. A-C 25 226.5 1886

CARTER, GEORGE W. A-C 37 25.7 1886

CARTER, J.O. A-B 877 83.16 1884

CARTER, JAMES W. A-D 225 44.36 1908

CARTER, JAMES W. A-D 2 183.95 1885

CARTER, ROBERT P-5 629 250 1826

CARTER, THOMAS V-5 185 200 1845

CARTER, THOMAS Z-5 561 127 1857

CARTER, WILLIS V-5 920 300 1847

CARTER, WILLIS Z-5 878 600 1859



CLARKE, ELIJAH GEN. 3-Q 265 1050 1788 B-141,169

WASHINGTON

CLEMENTS, ELIAS X-5 723 449 1851

CLEMENTS, HOSEA 5-C 174 449 1799 G-26

WASHINGTON

CLEMENTS, JESSE Z-5 520 178 1857

CLEMENTS, JESSE Y-5 156 400 1852

CLEMENTS, JOSEPH C. Y-5 1613 200 1855

CLEMENTS, MORTIMER W-5 404 300 1849

CLEMENTS, MORTIMER V-5 184 85 1845

COLEMAN, J.A. A-B 922 998.1 1891

COOKSON, WILLIAM 98 1788 J-40, I-34

SEE 5-B/360, 5-A/211 WASHINGTON/

MONTGOMERY

CRESWELL, JAMES 3-N 23 1000 1787 E-312, OCONEE

EAST DUBLIN

WASHINGTON

CULPEPPER, JOHN 3-V 391 350 1792 E-40, BUCKEYE

WASHINGTON

CURRY, DANIEL 5-C 267 200 1799 MONTGOMERY

L-27

DANIEL, G.W. U-5 681 220 1842

DANIEL, GEORGE Q-5 371 205 1831

DARDEN, JACOB 3-N 284 300 1787 WASHINGTON

and/or 3-N 292 300 1787 K-186,

SAW PALMETTO

CRK. & PUGHES

CRK.

DAVIS, DAVID N. Y-5 582 328 1853

DEAN, EDMUND 5-C 324 200 1800 D-16,

MONTGOMERY

DENT, JOHN U-5 358 89 1841

DENT, JOHN Z-5 733 8.25 1858

DONALDSON, JAMES M. A-B 698 250 1880

DOWDY, RICHARD 237 I-27, BIG

WASHINGTON





EMANUEL, ASA 3-F 552 287.5 1785 F-24, OCONEE

or 3-G 21 287.5 1785

MERCERS CRK.

WASHINGTON

EVANS, BENJAMIN 5-A 276 200 1798 C-249-50

MONTGOMERY

EVANS, BENJAMIN I-5 467 250 1814



FAIRCLOTH, ALLEN P-5 205 445 1824

FAIRCLOTH, RICHARD K-5 520 600 1816

FENN, ELIJAH N-5 275 300 1821

FLANDERS, BARNABUS X-5 814 250 1851

FLANDERS, BARNABUS V-5 867 200 1846

FLANDERS, BARNABUS X-5 535 300 1851

FLANDERS, ELBERT X-5 406 400 1850

FLANDERS, FRANCIS E. Z-5 539 150 1856

FLANDERS, FRANCIS E. R-5 126 600 1834

FLANDERS, FRANCIS E. X-5 813 400 1851

FLANDERS, FREDERICK A-B 20 50 1860

FLANDERS, JOSEPH R. A-B 692 490 1880

FLANDERS, MARK U-5 359 300 1841

FLANDERS, WILLIAM Y-5 208 47 1852

FLOWERS, WRIGHT L-5 598 200 1818

FLOWERS, WRIGHT N-5 574 381 1823

FLOWERS, WRIGHT N-5 575 228 1823

FLOYD, ELI X-5 548 162 1851

FLOYD, SHADRACK U-5 83 300 1840

FOLSOM, JACOB 200 1791 I-111

WASHINGTON

FORT, THOMAS 3-I 124 200 1785 I-61, 117

BIG CREEK

WASHINGTON

FORT, THOMAS 4-E 739 372 1794 I-117, D-112

BUCKEYE CR.

WASHINGTON

FULFORD, VALENTIN X-5 542 185.5 1851

FUTCH, JAMES U-5 215 100 1840 N-164



GARNTO, NATHAN, SR. Y-5 314 200 1852

GARNTO, NATHAN, JR. Y-5 313 200 1852

GILBERT, THOMAS 5-C 245 200 1799 I-43,

ALLEN'S MILL

WASHINGTON

GLASS, JAMES U-5 679 300 1842

GLASS, LEVI P-5 131 150 1824

GLOVER, FOSTER Y-5 154 550 1882

GLOVER, JAMES Z-5 765 250 1859

GRAHAM, ALEXANDER Y-5 155 225 1852

GRAHAM, ANDREW J. A-C 371 140 1892

GRAHAM, DUNCAN Y-5 162 200 1852

GRAHAM, DUNCAN R-5 71 200 1833

GRAHAM, JOHN W-5 796 500 1850

GRAHAM, JOHN Y-5 1254 785 1854

GRAHAM, SARAH Y-5 158 300 1852

GRANT, PETER 3-H 47 575 1785 F-112,

WASHINGTON

GRAY, RUFUS G. A-C 331 35 1891

GREEN, LEONARD ? 3-M 263 200 1787 F-45

WASHINGTON

GUTHRIE, JOHN 4-Y 466 235 1796 E-194 BUCKEYE

WASHINGTON

GUYTON, CINNCINATUS A-B 798 84 1883

GUYTON, JOHN M-5 644 780 1820 H-114

INGRAM'S BR.

GUYTON, MOSES T-5 15 250 1838



GUYTON, MOSES T-5 16 250 1838

GUYTON, MOSES T-5 17 250 1838

GUYTON, MOSES T-5 18 250 1838



HALL, JOHN W-5 534 1849

HARRISON, BENJAMIN 4-T 754 706 1795 G-56, BIG

WASHINGTON

HARRISON, BENJAMIN 5-C 452 300 1799 MONTGOMERY

HARRISON, BENJAMIN 5-C 453 314 1800 MONTGOMERY

HARRISON, BENJAMIN F-5 96 1000 1805 MONTGOMERY

HARRISON, BENJAMIN 5-A 241 1000 1798 WASHINGTON

HARRISON, BENJAMIN 5-A 242 812 1798 WASHINGTON

HARRISON, BENJAMIN 5-A 243 92 1798 WASHINGTON

HARRISON, BENJAMIN 5-A 244 135 1798 WASHINGTON

HARRISON, BENJAMIN 5-A 245 500 1798 WASHINGTON

HARRISON, BENJAMIN 5-A 246 500 1798 WASHINGTON

HARRISON, BENJAMIN 4-T 754 706 1795 WASHINGTON



HARRISON, EDWARD ? 3-S 565 300 1789 J-41, BIG

WASHINGTON

HARRISON, EDWARD ? 3-T 867 400 1790 J-41, BIG

WASHINGTON

HART, ALLEN W-5 803 297 1850

HART, ALLEN X-5 718 200 1851

HART, THOMAS A-B 204 53.5 1862

HARVEY, BLASINGAME 5-C 73 287.5 1799 D-80 OCONEE

MONTGOMERY?

HARVEY, BLASINGAME 3-T 143 287.5 1790 C-120, BIG

MONTGOMERY

HARVEY, JAMES HILL 3-G 547 287.5 1784 WASHINGTON

OCONEE R.

E-285



HAYWOOD, HAYBUT V-5 76

HERENDON, GEORGE L-5 133 200 1817

HESTER, JEREMIAH Y-5 24 300 1852

HESTER, STEPHEN JR. Y-5 462 200 1853

HESTER, STEPHEN SR. U-5 234 400 1840

HESTER, ROBERT R. X-5 543 300 1851

HIGHTOWER, CHARNAL K-5 164 200 1814 H-235

HIGHTOWER CRK

HIGHTOWER, ECHOLS K-5 164 200 1815

HIGHTOWER, ECHOLS L-5 812 100 1818

HIGHTOWER, EPHRAIM V-5 906 650 1846

HIGHTOWER, JAMES V-5 902 150 1846

HIGHTOWER, JAMES V-5 903 36 1846

HIGHTOWER, JOSHUA V-5 982 387 1847

HIGHTOWER, JOSHUA V-5 838 297 1846

HIGHTOWER, JOSHUA E. V-5 183 197 1845

HIGHTOWER, WINFIELD Z-5 514 271 1857

HIGHTOWER, WINFIELD Z-5 510 500 1857

HILBURN, ANDREW J. A-B 21 90 1860

HILBURN, IRA A-C 59 41.5 1887

HILBURN, IRA H. A-C 60 0.57 1887

HILBURN, MADISON V. A-C 35 0.7 1886

HILBURN, VAUGHN A-C 36 218 1886

HILBURN, VAUGHN V-5 254 140 1845

HILLIARD, ABIGAIL 4-C 187 120 1799 C-195,



OHOOPEE R.

WASHINGTON

NOW JOHNSON

HOLMES, CHARLES X-5 192 497 1850

HOLMES, CHARLES L. X-5 194 393 1850

HOLMES, EDWARD V-5 255 500 1845

HOPKINS, WILLIAM R-5 155 200 1835

HUGHES, JAMES 5-E 646 400 1804 F-53

MERCER'S

MONTGOMERY

HUTCHINSON, JOHN V-5 921 250 1847



IRWIN, JOHN N-5 414 62.5 1821



JACK, SAMUEL 3-D 290 287.5 1784 WASHINGTON

E-187, OCONEE

JACKSON, JOHN A-B 545 108 1874

JACKSON, JOHN V-5 897 300 1846

JACKSON, JOHN V-5 876 408 1859

JACKSON, JOHN Z-5 569 300 1857

JACKSON, ROBERT 100 1790 E-306 PUGHES

WASHINGTON

JACKSON, WALTER* 4-C 55 1000 1793 G-176,

WASHINGTON

JOHNSON, ISRAEL X-5 578 250 1851

JOHNSON, ISRAEL X-5 714 300 1851

JOHNSON, ISRAEL A-D 22 303.66 1894

JOHNSON, WILLIAM 4-3 813 200 1794 E-4, BIG

WASHINGTON

JOHNSTON, JAMES 100 F-53,

MERCER'S

MONTGOMERY

JOHNSTON, JOHN 3-H 295 287.5 1785 WASHINGTON

M-374

JOINER, WILLIAM J. A-D 77 32 1897

JONES, ALFORD V-5 182 192.7 1845

JONES, JOHN W. A-C 100 92 1887

JONES, WILLIAM V-5 429 35 1845

JONES, WILLIAM F. Y-5 1677 148 1855

JONES, WILLIAM F. Y-5 1678 398.5 1855



KEEN, W.J. A-D 83 212.7 1897

KEEN, YOUNG 0-5 226 300 1821



KEEN, YOUNG Y-5 463 710 1853

KEMP, WILLIAM 134+ G-221,



SEE 4-C/345, 4-L/899 OHOOPEE R.

MONTGOMERY

NOW IN

JOHNSON CO.

LANCASTER, JOSEPH 5-C 47 200 1799 F-104,

MONTGOMERY

LANCASTER, WILLIAM 5-C 418 400 1800 F-256,

MESSER'S

MONTGOMERY

LASSITER, JESSE 5-E 647 932 1804 MONTGOMERY

MESSER'S CRK.

M-374

LAWSON, ANDREW 3-H 2 287.5 1785 B-177,

HEIRS OF 3-H 16 287.5 1785 BIG CREEK

See deeds in Lau. Co. Leg. Rec. V. 1, p. 451 WASHINGTON



LEONARD, JOHN 5-A 444 250 1797 D-93, BIG

WASHINGTON

LINDER, JACOB Y-5 869 415 1853

LINDER, JACOB V-5 871 404.15 1846

LINDER, JACOB V-5 869 310.5 1846

LINDER, JACOB X-5 215 277 1850

LINDER, JACOB Y-5 1426 246 1854

LINDER, LEWIS Q-5 184 300 1830

LINDER, LEWIS V-5 919 200 1847

LINDER, LEWIS Z-5 427 185.5 1857

LIVINGSTON, JOSEPH N-5 506 59 1823

LOCKHART, BENJAMIN 3-G 143 287.5 1785 E-43, OCONEE

WASHINGTON

CARR'S BLUFF

LOVE, DAVID 3-N 140 300 1787 F-42, BIG

WASHINGTON

LUKE, WILLIAM V-5 981 200 1847



MADDOX, DAVID R. Z-5 343 162 1856

MADDOX, DAVID R. T-5 33 300 1838

MADDOX, DAVID R. U-5 437 144 1841

MADDOX, DAVID R. V-5 988 400 1847

MADDOX, JACOB L. Y-5 159 200 1852

MADDOX, JAMES R. W-5 77 300 1847

MADDOX, JAMES R. X-5 550 120 1851

MADDOX, JOHN P. Y-5 160 220 1852

MADDOX, LEWIS G. Y-5 161 198 1852

MARTIN, JOHN G. M-5 860 10 1820 G-14,

BUCKEYE CR

MARTIN, ROBERT P-5 46 400 1823 M-359, BIG

CREEK

MARTIN, W.D. A-B 655 200 1872

MARTIN, W.D. A-C 389 100 1893

MASON, JAMES U-5 520 200 1842

MASON, JOHN W-5 455 300 1849

MASON, THOMAS X-5 250 200 1850

MASON, TURNER U-5 518 250 1842

MASON, TURNER U-5 519 250 1842

MASON, W.L. U-5 100 200 1840

MASON, DR. W.L. Z-5 751 21.4 1858

MAYO, GIDEON F-5 72 100 1805 F-136, OCONEE

MONTGOMERY

MAYO, GIDEON 5-D 575 300 1801 MONTGOMERY

MCCULLOUGH, HENRY 3-U 59 900 1790 H-88, BIG

WASHINGTON

MCCULLOUGH, HUGH 900 1790 E-334, BIG

WASHINGTON

I-61

MCGEHEE, WILLIAM 600 WASHINGTON

J-48

MCLENDON, BURRELL K-5 1000 200 1816

MCLENDON, BURREL Y-5 365 199 1853

MCLENDON, ELEKIEL M-5 820 98 1820

MCLENDON, ELIZABETH 0-5 214 105 1820

MCLENDON, NEEDHAM T-5 279 200 1838

MCLENDON, HENRY J. Y-5 364 192.6 1853

MCLENDON, JOHN I. Z-5 991 671.6 1860

MCLENDON, NEEDHAM Z-5 630 200 1858

MCLENDON, NEEDHAM V-5 121 250 1844

MCLENDON, NEEDHAM --- 448 200 1839

MCLENDON, WARREN Z-5 990 197 1860

MCLENDON, WILLIAM V-5 138 250 1844

MCLENDON, WILLIAM V-5 139 250 1844

MCLENDON, WILLIAM Z-5 988 70 1860

MCLENDON, WILLIAM Z-5 989 400 1860

MCLENDON, WILLIAM Z-5 992 200 1860

MCWILLIAMS, JOHN* 165+ F-67,

WASHINGTON

MESSER, PETER* 4-C 50 165 1793 H-138, OCONEE

WASHINGTON

LATER MONTG.

MILLER, JOHN J. A-C 191 60 1889

MIMBS, BENJAMIN M-5 388 450 1819

MIMBS, BENJAMIN M-5 389 250 1819

MIMBS, BENJAMIN M-5 390 200 1819

MIMBS, BENJAMIN Q-5 712 300 1833 L-269

MIMBS, BENJAMIN X-5 711 145 1851

MIMBS, BENJAMIN Y-5 1 300 1852

MIMBS, BENJAMIN Y-5 1584 300 1855

MIMBS, BENJAMIN B. X-5 536 192.5 1851

MIMBS, BENJAMIN B. V-5 164 450 1844

MIMBS, REBECCA Z-5 217 90 1856

MINARD, WILLIAM 5-E 233 200 1803 D-7

MONTGOMERY

MOORMAN, CHARLES Q-5 361 90 1821

MOORMAN, CHARLES Q-5 219 380 1830

MURPHY, EDWARD 3-G 135 287.5 1785 F-43, OCONEE

WASHINGTON

MUSSELWHITE, LEONARD R-5 125 200 1834

MUSSELWHITE, LENOARD U-5 403 50 1841



NEEL, WILLIAM K-5 521 40 1816

NELSON, WILLIAM 250 E-305, PUGHES

NELSON, WILLIAM 150 1797 WASHINGTON

BIG CREEK

H-200

NOBLES, LEWIS SANDERS H-5 38 250 1810 D-7,E-222

WASHINGTON

ODOM, AARON A-C 239 187 1890

ODOM, RICHARD A. A-B 330 54 1864

ODOM, RICHARD A. Y-5 1819 238 1855

ODOM, RICHARD A. A-C 238 28.2 1890

OLIVER, MCDANIEL I-5 465 27 1814

OLIVER, WILLIAM P-5 45 350 1823



PARKER, JONATHAN V-5 740 180 1846

PAULK, JACOB P-5 394 200 1825

PAULK, MICAJAH P-5 576 50 1826

PERRY, EDWARD Y-5 223 370 1852

PERRY, EDWARD Y-5 2224 380 1852

POPE, FREDERICK V-5 431 173.1 1845

POPE, HARRIET A-C 183 347 1889

POPE, JOHN X-5 544 499 1851

POPE, JOHNATHAN M-5 228 300 1819

POTTS, JOHN 3-H 32 287.5 1785 F-136, OCONEE

WASHINGTON

POWELL, JESSE J-42

PULLEN, THOMAS Q-5 123 200 1829



REES, JOEL 3-L 119 200 1786 C-197, BIG

WASHINGTON

REGISTER, DAVID V-5 892 300 1846 N-164

REGISTER, REDDING P-5 109 300 1824

REGISTER, THOMAS N-5 420 250 1822

REGISTER, THOMAS P-5 110 300 1824

RICKS, HAMPTON X-5 783 185 1851

RICKS, JOHN R-5 128 200 1835

ROACH, JOHN 5-E 781 10 1804 MONTGOMERY

N-94, BREWTON

CRK.

ROBERTS, WILLIAM 5-E 930 400 1804 F-21, OCONEE

MONTGOMERY

ROBERTS, WILLIAM ? 5-D 280 200 1801 E-396

MONTGOMERY

ROBERTSON, ROBERT U-5 196 300 1840

ROBERTSON, ROBERT U-5 197 350 1840

ROBINSON, JACOB K-5 245 300 1815

ROBINSON, WILLIAM N-5 436 200 1822

ROBINSON, WILLIAM N-5 435 68 1822

ROE, JAMES 4-B 400 187 1793 E-44,

WASHINGTON,

BIG CREEK

ROWELL, ROBERT 131+ 1802 F-89

WASHINGTON

ROWLAND, ALEX V-5 179 250 1845

ROWLAND, ALEX Z-5 509 181 1857

ROWLAND, ALEX Y-5 168 192.4 1852

ROYAL, GILLIS T-5 358 200 1838



SANDERS, LEWIS P-5 422 60 1825

SCARBOROUGH, DRURY V-5 951 745 1847

SCARBOROUGH, EPHRAIM 5-C 69 115 1799 H-74, OCONEE

WASHINGTON,

BUCKEYE CR.

SIZEMORE, DAVID V-5 798 249.1 1846

SIZEMORE, NAZARETH Q-5 188 200 1840

SLAUGHTER, NOAH X-5 193 360 1850

SMITH, ARCHIBALD V-5 839 136 1846

SMITH, CHARLTON B. X-5 538 225 1851

SMITH, GEORGE J-42

SMITH, HARDY JR. U-5 92 318 1840

SMITH, HARDY JR. V-5 128 400 1844

SMITH, HARDY JR. X-5 537 787 1851

SMITH, JAMES M. Y-5 461 100 1853

SMITH, JOHN 150 WASHINGTON

BIG CREEK

E-7

SMITH, JOHN G. X-5 717 40 1851

SMITH, LOFTON T-5 722 259 1839

SMITH, LOFTON V-5 129 250 1844

SMITH, LOFTON X-5 903 150 1851

SMITH, LOFTON Z-5 323 92 1856

SMITH, WARREN X-5 904 200 1851

SMITH, WILLIAM A. Y-5 1640 48 1855

SMITH, ZACHARIAH V-5 948 158 1847

SMITH, ZACHARIAH X-5 901 40 1851

SPANN, FRANCIS 3-T 916 400 1790 I-111,

WASHINGTON

SPIVEY, SOLOMON P-5 405 250 1825

SPIVEY, SOLOMON Q-5 452 200 1831

SPURLOCK, WILLIAM K-5 163 200 1815

SPURLOCK, WILLIAM K-5 165 250 1815

STEWART, ARCHIBALD W-5 456 600 1849

STEWART, C.W. A-C 140 16.5 1888

STEWART, DUGALD S-5 557 400 1837

STEWART, DUGALD V-5 886 124 1846

STEWART, DUGALD A-B 171 146 1861

STEWART, DUGALD A-B 172 160 1861

STEWART, DUGALD A-B 173 333 1861

STEWART, MARY A. Y-5 152 200 1852

STEWART, NATHAN Y-5 1641 68 1855

STEWART, WILLIAM L. Y-5 362 200 1853

STOKES, JOHN 3-P 266 300 1788 G-75, BIG

ALLEN'S MILL

WASHINGTON

STUART, JAMES Z-5 563 103 1857

STUART, JAMES Z-5 564 50 1857

STUART, JAMES Z-5 565 150 1857

STUART, WILLIAM J. Z-5 562 300 1857

SUMNER, ALEXANDER Y-5 1048 174 1853

SUMNER, JOSEPH M. V-5 251 300 1845

SUMNER, JOSEPH M. W-5 662 200 1849

SUMNER, JOSEPH M. Y-5 1010 50 1853

SWEARINGEN, JOHN 5-D 532 400 1801 MONTGOMERY



THIGPEN, HARDEE A-C 261 30 1890

THIGPEN, MALANCTON A-C 312 31.375 1891

THIGPEN, W.G. A-B 755 229.35 1882

THIGPEN, W.G. A-B 873 57 1884

THOMAS, FRANCIS V-5 153 200 1844

THWEATT, JAMES 209+ H-249,

OCONEE



MONTGOMERY

TOWNSEND, HENRY X-5 405 203.1 1850

TUCKER, NATHAN V-5 884 593 1846

TUCKER, NATHAN V-5 885 360 1846

TURNER, EPHRAIM U-5 538 300 1842

TURNER, GIBSON X-5 539 150 1851

TURNER, GREEN B.H. Y-5 587 160 1853

TYSON, BETSEY O-5 78 200 1820 H-30, OCONEE

TYSON, MOSES Q-5 476 347 1831



VANN, ELZY Z-5 752 300 1859

VICK, SIMON S-5 560 250 1837

VICKERS, ABRAHAM 3-I 482 200 1786 D-373,

WASHINGTON

VIVIAN, THACKER 3V 224 400 1791 E-373

OHOOPEE R.

NOW IN

JOHNSON CO.

HWY 15 S.

WALKER, NOAH L-5 800 50 1818

WARREN, ELI T-5 19 500 1838

WARREN, ELI T-5 20 250 1838

WARREN, ELI T-5 21 250 1838

WARREN, REUBEN G-5 220 225 1807 J-49, B-166

MONTGOMERY

WATSON, M.D.J. A-C 6 151 1886

WATTS, WILLIAM R-5 31 353.8 1829

WHITFIELD, SAMUEL V-5 830 250 1846

WHITEHEAD, WILLIAM 990 E-325, PUGHES

MONTGOMERY

WILKES, DAVID X-5 546 449.3 1851

WILKES, DAVID A-B 174 113 1861

WILKES, DAVID A-B 176 9.2 1861

WILKES, ELISHA A-D 136 27 1903

WILKES, JOHN Y-5 1719 223 1855

WILLIAMS, JOEL L-5 248 284 1817

WILLIAMS, JOSEPH P. X-5 540 200 1851

WILLIAMS, RANDALL X-5 541 331.1 1851

WINDHAM, NANCY R-5 592 150 1836

WOMMACK, JESSE 3-M 88 287.5 1787 I-100

or 3-N 193 287.5 1787 WASHINGTON

OCONEE R.

WOOD, DAVID Y-5 153 297.2 1852

WYNN, BURRELL G. X-5 579 139 1851

WYNNE, ROBERT W.W. N-5 383 300 1821





YOPP, JEREMIAH Z-5 768 200 1859

YOPP, JEREMIAH Z-5 766 292 1859

YOPP, JEREMIAH Z-5 294 294 1859





Unless otherwise indicated the lands were located in Laurens

County at the time of the grant, unless they are before 1811.



* Indicates there may be other grants to the person, which are

located in present day Laurens County.







SOURCES: INDEX TO THE HEADRIGHTS AND BOUNTY GRANTS OF GEORGIA,

1756-1909, Revised Edition, Rev. Silas Emmett Lucas, Jr.,

Southern Historical Press, 1992.

THE STORY OF COL. JAMES WALKER FANNIN

SOLDIER OF MISFORTUNE

James Walker was born in Georgia circa 1801 to 1804. Walker was reportedly the illegitimate son of Dr. Isham Fannin. The young boy probably lived with his mother's father, George Walker. George Walker moved to what was then Wilkinson County about the year 1806. On December 10, 1807 his lands became a portion of western Laurens County. In December of 1808 the lands were once again shifted to another county. Now in Pulaski County, George Walker was appointed by the Georgia Legislature as a commissioner of the public buildings of that county. George Walker's sons built a three and one half mile stretch of the Federal Stage and Post Road which became known as Longstreet. James Walker grew up in the area along the Twiggs-Bleckley county line, living on a plantation south of Marion, in Twiggs County.

In 1819, George Walker secured an appointment for his grandson to the military academy at West Point. The young man entered West Point under the name of James Walker Fannin. Fannin was described as a " gallant, handsome, and sensitive lad, not especially devoted to his books." After a fight with a fellow cadet, Fannin resigned from the academy in November of 1821. Fannin returned to Georgia and married Minerva Fort. In 1834, Fannin removed to Velasco, Texas on the Brazos River. He organized a military company which he called "The Brazos Volunteers."

Fannin participated in the first skirmish of the war in October of 1835 and distinguished himself at the Battle of Concepcion four weeks later. Fannin was made an Inspector General in the Army of the Republic of Texas and was later promoted to Commander in Chief. After the fall of the Alamo, Col. Fannin was given orders to destroy the Mexican fort at Goliad and fall back to Victoria. Fannin and his men delayed their mission to help a group of women and children escape from the Mexican army. Fannin and his 350 men moved toward Goliad where they met 1200 Mexican troops under the command of Gen. Urrea. In two days of fighting, Fannin was wounded and lost seventy men. Fannin surrendered his forces to Gen. Urrea on the condition that they be paroled and allowed to return home. On March 27, 1836 Fannin and his men, except four surgeons and four assistants, were executed by the Mexican army. The deaths of the men at the Alamo and at Goliad so enraged the Texans that they completely destroyed the Mexican army under Gen. Santa Anna, who personally ordered the massacre at Goliad.

When a new county was formed in Georgia in 1854 from Union and Gilmer Counties, it was named Fannin, in honor of Col. James Walker Fannin. Several counties can claim James Walker Fannin as a citizen, and certainly Laurens County can at least claim him for one year from December of 1807 to December of 1808. The decision of whether Col. Fannin was a hero or a coward is left to the doubters of his courage in a situation that many men never face.