Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-09-25
GEORGIA LANDS.
Peculiar Conditions Attached to Grants Uns
der the Colonial Charter.

Peculiar Conditions Attached to Grants UNI
der the Colonial Charter.
The colony of Georgia was estab-
lished in 1873 under a charter from tho
King of Great Britain, and during tho
first twenty years of its existence all
grants of land were made by the trus-
tees under this charter. These grants
were limited to tracts not exceeding
five hundred acres and coupled with
many conditions that to the present
generation seem extremely harsh and
not entirely free from a%bsurdity. For
example. the grants were limited to
the male heirs of the grantees. The
object of this seemingly unfair regula-
ton was to preserve the military
strength of the province, as a female
heir might be unmarried and thus with
draw from the garrison the portion
which should belong to a soldier. Nor
were the grantees at first allowed to
sell their grants, because this privilege
being permitted, the lands which should
be apportioned among many might be-
come centered in a few. On failure of
male heirs the land at once reverted to
the trustees, TO be again granted to
such persons as the Common Council
should think most advantageous to the
colony. The rules, however, contained
at least one element of justice, as the
widows of grantees dying without issue
were, during their lives, entitled to the
enjoyment of the house and one-half
the improved lands which their joint
labors had created; and special regard
was had for daughters presumably
those with %husbands) of those who had
made Improvements upon their lots.
1t was also provided that the land
granted should be cultivated, planted,
cleared, improved, or fenced within ten
years from date of the grant, else such
grant should be void and the land so
unimproved should revert to the
trustees.
Another condition attached to the
earlier grants was that each person
should plant one hundred white null
berry trees. The projectors of the future
great State of Georgia regarded the
cultivation of silk as the foundation of
her future wealth.
As the years rolled by it became
and more apparent that the silk
worm would prove a failure, hence that
industry ceased to be fostered by the
the colonist. One large trust lot in the
present city of Savannah was set apart
for the ''tilature lot" %whereupon was
erected a huge wooden structure, speci-
ally appropriated to the promotion of
silk culture. This lot is now cvoered
by a range of brick tenements.
In the earlier period of her history
the known Georgia." so far as the
records disclose, was confined to the
low lands along the coast and the
banks of the Savannah River. The
deeds all describe the land as in the
province" Of Georgia. and in the dis
tricts of Savannah, Ebenezer, Ogee-
chez, etc. After the termination of
the charter, in 1853 or Whereabouts. all
grants emanated from the Crown, and
were tested by the Governor General
and Commander-in-Ch for the time
being. The records render notorious
the fact that each of these Governors
took a to Feather his own nest" as
large tracts of the most valuable lands
in the province were set aside to them.
In 1853 the charter of the colony ex-
pired. but two years prior to that date
the trustees deemed it expedient to sur
render their trust, which, after various
negotiations, was accomplished in 1852.
Their last meeting was held on Juno
% of that year, when they executed a
formal deed of surrenderto the rown.
The records of deeds, mortgages,
wills, etc, which are now preserved in
the offices of clerks of Superior Courts
and ordinaries, were, during the col
onial era, kept in an Office which was
the equivalent to that Of Secretary of
State to-day. The records are now in
the Capitol, and are in an excellent
state of preservation. They cover the
entire period from 1884 to the organ
ization of the State Governmental
l0ntG Constitution.