Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-04-07
Unwritten Chapters IN Georgia History
BY GEORGE c. SMITH, vINEwLLE, MACON. GA.

Taylor, Tilman, Tucker, Tomlinson,
Wood, Wells, Wimberly. Walker. Wal
ton, Whitehead, Warren, Williams.
Young. These are few OF the names
Of those who had head rights and they
can all be traced directly to Virginia,
though some Of them came Immediate
ly from North Carolina. venture lit
tie in saying that there can be found in
Atlanta some lineal descendant Of ev-
cry one OF these original Corners.
THE CIRCUMSTANCES Oh THE
PEOPLE.
These people were none Of them rich
and but few of them very poor. In
1875, in Jefferson county, there wero
$50 families and COS negroes.
After the use of the cotton gin be-
came common the prosperity OF the
Burke people rapidly increased, and
there was, as originally in Virginia and
afterward in all Georgia, an absorption
of the farms into the plantations. The
wide lines which separated the classes
in England and which were drawn
in Eastern Virginia were obliterated In
the new counties of Virginia and in
North Carolina and were never formed
IN Georgia, except on the coast. but IL
will require but little effort to find
in these plain people OF St Georges
panel people of as good blood as any
IN America Those, however, who pic
ture the life of the first corners In the
same glowing Language as they use to
describe that Of the barons OF the
James only render themselves some
what ridiculous. II was after the GEN.
fury had advanced considerably before
the Burke county planter reproduced
the features of the old Virginia life.
/ found an old paper giving the list
IL a. rr1r IN an
men whose children owned hundred
slaves when I lived there in 1855 had
only one or two or none at all. But
no people ever made money more rap
, idly than the Burke county planters
after the cotton gin was invented ]
regret that the books Of record in old
Burke were burned, but those OF JEFF
ferson still stand. They show that that
county, which I have pictured in my
account of the Scotch-Irish in Georgia,
was in 1895, when the record begins.
peopled by a sturdy people Of whom
not one family in rye had any slaves
at ALL John cobb. who had bought
a large plantation on Rocky creek,
had sixty-five slaves; John Lewis, his
kinsman, and Robt. Flournoy, his SON
in-law, as manX, but the majority OF
the people had none.
The tax returns of 1900 give a good
idea of the estates.
Pat Connally had 19 slaves, 10 horses.
IS cattle, 81 hogs, 20 geese. beds, few
books, 1s chairs, slab. knives and
forks. plates and sideboard.
Thomas Mcbride. Ga cattle, horses.
7 sheep. 80 hogs. negro, table, 2 beds.
l pot.
John Famous. negroes. s horses.
20 hogs, 81 cattle, pewter. fiax-wheel.
- - - knives
and forks, cotton machine.
James Hunt. 8 horses. 9 cattle. ls
hogs. chairs.
May Paulet, negroes. bed. l kettle.
a saddle, loom. gallon Jug.
John bowman, 10 cattle. Is hogs.
still, / mace, 8 chairs, / pot, l oven.
/ loom. 8 geese. turkeys, l negro.
Nathaniel Whitaker. % cattle, .
beds, loom, table, oven, pot 8 chairs.
i lot books. l reel, crockery-wares
knives and forks. table and teaspoons.
Chesley Bostwick, 1906. mahogany
sideboard, beds, 2 looking glasses 1
dozen windsor chairs, broadcloth,
coat, Violin, carpet, walnut table. 4 en-
cravings, negroes, Jersey wagon.
I have given these Inventories taken
as they come merely to show the cor
rectness of my general statements.
DISTINGUISHED MEN.
st. Georges parish, afterward Burke
county, had her share OF distinguished
men. Governor johnson. Governor
Irwin, Governor Telfair, Governor Ly-
man Hall were all from Burke or JEFF
ferson or in II. The Jones, John and
James and Abram were in the early
conventions and legislatures and ]. j.
Jones was in congress. The fitzpatrick
family were famous as preachers The
Carswells, Polhills, Palmers, White
heads, Whittakers, Corkers and scores
of others, who have done the state
service, sprang from this old Burke
stock.
I think / have now gone over the
ground / began to travel some time
ago. 1 may have been so anxious 70
correct mistakes about early Georgia
that have not been careful to secure
myself against this fault. I hope We
have heard the last OF Oglethorpe's
few immigrants as settling Georgia.
and that we will now see who our
fathers really were-a brave. hardy.
self-reliant, independent race, Ameri-
can-born, who had no call to bow
their crest to any Corners. and among
them a fair share of yoemanry and
peasants. I had a friend IN Virginia
once gently to intimate that the re-
demptioners and poor trash Heated out
OF Virginia. He was too polite TO say
they foated &c Georgia, but he really
thought so.
The facts have been brought to tina
readers of The Journal. II they have
been fully brought out elsewhere than
in my story Of the Georgia People"
I do not know where to and the rec
ord. What have said / have verb
fed and as a native Georgian have
no reason to blush for the past what
ever the future may bring.
GEORGE G. SMITH. .