Baldwin County GaArchives History .....History of Baldwin County - Daughters of the American Revolution 1925 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 6, 2004, 9:26 pm PART IV Regents of the NANCY HART CHAPTER Daughters of the American Revolution and a History of their Work By LEOLA SELMAN BEESON ETTA KINCAID CHAPPELL 1900-1901-1902-1903 "There is always the man for the occasion." The minutes of the first meeting of the Daughters of the American Revolution, held in Milledgeville, read as follows: Mrs. J. Harris Chappell organized a Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Feb. 7, 1900, consisting of the following members: Mrs. J. Harris Chappell, Regent Mrs. Jeanette Cone, Vice-Regent Mrs. Laura Compton Miller, Secretary, Mrs. Leola Beeson, Registrar Miss Mary Andrews, Treasurer Mrs. Sarah Allen Mrs. Anna Cook Mrs. Jessie Phillips Miss Alice Osborne Napier Mrs. M. A. Roberts. Mrs. Callie Woofter Miss Rosa Scott Whitaker Mrs. Richardson Mrs. A. Joseph Miss Ellen Fox LAURA COMPTON MILLER, Secretary. When a Greek of the herioc age thought of a forefather, he exclaimed, "The trophies of Miltiades will not let me sleep"—-by recalling deeds of valor, he himself rose to victory. So should it be with members of the D, A. R., when they remember what their forefathers did in ----------------- p. 154 weaving the fabric of our nation—in which fabric, the golden threads of their heroism stand out in bright relief. Mrs. Chappell was the centre if not altogether the guiding spirit of the Chapter in its early days. She caused interest to grow more and more in "Those mighty pioneers Whose every step was toil and sacrifice. And think you that the tears And heart-breaks of that fierce three hundred years Have been forgot? No! Every mile of our vast nation's spread Is sacred with our dead, And every page upon our record roll Has its herioc soul." Nancy Hart was the herioc soul for whom the regent named the Chapter. The delightful description of this war-woman by Joel Chandler Harris, was read at the very first meeting after organization; and the little volume, "Stories of Georgia," from which it was taken, is a treasured souvenir. In addition to Harris’ story of Nancy Hart, the Chapter has enjoyed Gilmer’s story and White's story and Mrs. Ellett's story, and the Union Recorder's story of 1825, and all the stories of the Atlanta Journal and the Sunny South, published in 1901. Years ago, the Chapter was presented with Mrs. Loulie Kendall Rogers' sketch of this Revolutionary heroine. Mrs, Rogers sent also a sketch written by Mr. H. B. Mitchell, and the original story in the Recorder, copied from the Yorkville (S. C.) Pioneer, all of which are published in this Chapter. So impressed was the Nancy Hart Chapter with the valor of its patron saint, that in 1901, almost its first money, in partnership with that of the Stephen Heard Chapter, was spent in the purchase of a five- ----------------- p. 155 acre tract of land—the site of Nancy Hart's cabin, with the spring nearby. The Chapter possesses a gavel made from wood from the very limb on which the Tories were hanged! The early minutes of the Chapter record the search for graves of Revolutionary soldiers; and announce the discovery of the grave of Abner Hammond in the city cemetery and the repairng of Capt. Beckom's grave on Smith's mount. One recalls with pride and pleasure the fact that Dr. J. Harris Chappell, that eloquent and distinguished first President of what was then The Georgia Normal and Industrial College, gave the benefits of his great talents as a lecturer to the Nancy Hart Chapter. Mrs. Robert Emory Park, State Regent, was Mrs. Chappell's guest during her term of office. From the organization of the Chapter to the present day, the study of American History has been encouraged in the schools of the town and the County. The first prize was offered in 1903, and the secretary recorded the expression of the Chapter "to make the presentation of it an event in the school." The Chapter members still recall to mind the day on which Mrs. Chappell gave a Colonial Tea, at the old Governor's Mansion, her home. The beautiful old Mansion was lighted with wax candles, and the old spinet was used to play the accompaniments to the old time songs, and the guests were dressed in Colonial costumes. Contrasting this scene of beauty with one of pioneer days, one can truly say: "Oh woman of ease in these happier days Forbear to judge of thy sisters' ways. How much thy beautiful life may owe To her faith and courage, thou cans't not know." ----------------- p. 156 A TRUE HISTORY OF NANCY HART By MRS. LOULIE KENDALL ROGERS As there seems to be some doubt connecting the history, or even the existence of this brave old heroine of the Revolution, I will come to her rescue, and give publicity to a few facts in my possession, which will be an evidence undeniable that Nancy Hart really lived, and was a noble, true woman who did all she could for the establishment of our glorious republic. I have often thought of publishing these facts, but could not do so without introducing a certain amount of family history in which I have inherited, and justly, too, the old Carolinian pride of ancestry. These long cherished records of past generations have been kept only to hand down to my children; not for publication. But when the gifted author of the "History of Georgia People," and of other books, Rev. G. G. Smith, in the Macon Telegraph (copied in the Atlanta Journal) asks: "Was Nancy Hart a Creation of Romance?," I feel it would not be just to withhold them from the Daughters of the American Revolution. Dr. Smith says, "This is a story of fiction. There was no such person as Nancy Hart in real life. It is just a pretty story that was written, and it made such a hit, that the character of Nancy Hart has been given a place in history." Dr. Smith is a valued friend of our family and I have often wished he could have met my grandmother, Mrs. Winifred Lane Rogers, before writing this story; for she was a personal friend of Nancy Hart, and well acquainted with the pioneer Methodist of Georgia. Winifred Lane's father, Capt. Jesse Lane, was a member of the Third North Carolina Continentals, and moved to Georgia in 1784. His brother, Col. Joel Lane, the founder of Raleigh, was a member of the first provincial congress, and the assembly often met at ----------------- p. 157 his house, which is still standing,—-a grand old relic of his whole-souled patriotism. Patience Lane, his niece and sister of my grandmother, was born Friday, March 8, 1765, and married John Hart, the second son of Nancy Hart, in 1787. The following letter to my mother, Mrs. Louisa H. Kendall, from Dr. Neisler, formerly of Athens, dated Butler, Ga., February 8, 1872, and her reply in relation to the history of Mrs. Hart, will give the facts much more accurately than I can state them. Dr. Neisler says: "My mother is with me and a few evenings since, the conversation chanced to turn on Nancy Hart, of Revolutionary fame. She informed me that when my grandfather moved to Georgia in 1803, Nancy Hart was living with her son, John Hart, from whom he had bought the lease of the place which he intended to occupy; and furthermore that this John Hart was your uncle, having married your mother's sister. "I was delighted as well as surprised, for having little to engage my thoughts, I had been some time rummaging among the musty chronicles of the state, and while doing this I had met with a very meager account of Nancy Hart, and I thought I had found the means of learning something more of that remarkable woman and her family than is generally known. "I should like to know in what county John Hart lived when he married your aunt, whether your mother knew anything that she can recall to mind concerning the woman, her general appearance, her exploits, especially her capture of the Tories, and in what state that took place? "John Hart was a man of considerable property for those times, was much respected and elevated far above the mass of the population of the country. "I find by reference to Clayton's digest of the laws of Georgia from the year 1801 to 1810, page 35 in the act to divide the county of Jackson, passed De- ----------------- p. 158 cember 5, 1801, "John Hart with four others were appointed to fix on the most convenient and central place of said county of Clarke at which courts of elections may be held," and was thus one of the fathers of Watkinsville." The reply is as follows: Bellwood, Upson Co., Ga. February 22, 1872. My Dear Dr. Neisler: I shall be pleased to answer all inquiries in my power concerning Mrs. Nancy Hart, whom I have heard of ever since my childhood. She, with her husband and younger children moved from Edgefield, S. C., to Georgia in its earliest history and settled on Broad river, Elbert county, where she remained many years. John Hart, her son, married one of my mother's older sisters, Patience Lane, 1787. He remained in Elbert a year, then moved near my grandfather, Jesse Lane, who lived on Long Creek, three miles from Lexington, in Oglethorpe County, which was a wilderness and had not been named. After living there several years, Mr. Hart moved to Spark's Fort, three miles below Athens on the other side of the river—the Indians being exceedingly troublesome on .this side. He remained there one year only, then bought or leased land near a valuable plantation owned by my grandfather Lane, on the Oconee, a few miles below Athens. This property was afterwards bought by Colonel Harden. John Hart then bought the land purchased by your grandfather, Mitchell, above Athens, but not long afterward moved to Kentucky, taking with him, his mother, Nancy Hart, who was related to the Morgans of that state. Ben Hart, her husband, was brother to the celebrated Col. Thomas Hart, of Kentucky, who was the father of the wife of Henry Clay. It is thought ----------------- p. 159 that Thomas Hart Benton is also a member of the same family. My mother says "Aunt Nancy Hart," as she was always called, was in possesion of considerable property when she knew her, and able to provide well for her family, though she lost much by moving from place to place. Her husband indulged her every wish, or she always "carried her point," at least, and she made a good wife and a very affectionate mother. She was the mother of eight children, six sons and two daughters. The sons were Morgan, John, Thomas, Benjamin, Lemuel and Mark. The girls were Sarah, who married Hugh Thompson, and Keziah married Mr. Compton, of lower Georgia. She often told my mother, Winnie Lane, of her exploits with the Tories, which happened in this state; as she preceded my grandfather in this state many years. Her husband, Ben Hart, was not a coward, as some histories represent him, but was necessarily compelled to take his stock and negroes to the swamps to save them and his own life. The Tories, much to their credit, never shot at women, but killed all the men they could find unarmed. Nancy Hart was conscious of her power and a stranger to fear; so she always went to the mill, several miles off, entirely alone, and related to my mother an incident that has never been in print. One day, while on her rounds, she was met by a band of Tories with the British colors striped on their clothing and hats. They knew her and asked for her "pass." She shook her fist at them and replied, "this is my pass, touch me if you dare!" Being amused at her answer and wishing to have some fun, they dismounted the old lady and threw her corn to the ground, laughing at her trouble. But this did not disconcert her in the least, and with her brave, muscular strength she coolly lifted the two and a half bushels of corn and proceeded to the mill. She often boastingly said that she could do what few men could, ----------------- p. 160 and that was to stand in a half bushel measure and shoulder two and a half bushels of corn. Many Tories lived on the other side of the river, opposite her cabin, and she had many trials with them, as they enjoyed worrying her. The stories of capturing a large number at her own table, and throwing hot, boiling soap into the face of one who was peeping at her, are true. There was a large oaken stump near her home in which she cut a notch for her gun. Concealing herself in the undergrowth around, she watched for Tories as they crossed the river, and without compunction, shot them down, and blew the conch shell for her husband to deliver their bodies over to the proper authorities. From these facts the Daughters of the American Revolution may be well assured that Nancy Hart was not a myth, but a veritable reality, and perhaps accomplished as much for her country as any one soldier of the Revolution. I regret not knowing anything of her life after removal to Kentucky. I do not know whether she ever returned to Georgia, but she lived at St. Mary's in this state, before living with her, son, John Hart. Let Georgia render "honor to whom honor is due," and respect the memory of one who did what she could for her state. NANCY HART WAS NO MYTH By H. B. MITCHELL There can be absolutely no shadow of doubt of the fact, when such a historian as Georgia's former governor, George R. Gilmer, bears witness thereto. In his work entitled "Georgians," a copy of which I possess, he devotes an entire chapter to Nancy Hart and states that when a boy he had often, from his father's place, viewed her cabin across Broad river, where it ----------------- p. 161 had been washed and lodged against some trees by the great freshet of 1795. It originally stood about one mile up the river, and nearly opposite the residence of Gov. Matthews. He does not specify in which county, but the former site of Governor Matthews' home, which can no doubt be easily traced, would establish the location. "The cabin"—I quote the author's words—"was called Nancy Hart's, because her husband was 'nobody' when she was by." Nancy Hart was one of the North Carolina emigrants. She was a tall, muscular, red-headed, cross-eyed woman. In the contest between the Whigs and Tories in the Revolutionary War, she proved herself every inch a Whig. Nancy Hart's confident courage stirred into patriotic action many vacillating British-fearing men of the times. When the Whigs of upper Georgia were flying from the murdering and plundering of the Tories and .their superiors, she stood her ground; ever disposed and ready to defend herself and hers from her country's foes. All agreed that she knew no fear and that she was untiring in attacking the Tories. One of my father's negroes, when dying with consumption, imagined that apples, such as he used to eat at Lethe, his old master's place in Virginia, would cool his fever. The only place where apples could be had in the neighborhood was Nancy Hart's. My mother supposing that she could procure them more certainly than any one else, went to Nancy Hart's cabin for that purpose. Soon after she was seated, two men rode up and asked for apples for their wives. Nancy cursed them and their wives. Though apples were given to the men, my mother was deterred by Nancy's rudeness from asking for any. But she was as kind as she was rude. She took my mother into the orchard and filled her pockets, which, according to the custom of the times, were two little bags attached to a belt around the body, for holding everything she had use for in keeping house. ----------------- p. 162 When civilization began to extend its gentle influences over the frontier-people of upper Georgia, Nancy Hart left her accustomed haunts for the west. She settled for a while on the Tombigbee. A great rain flooded the river, destroyed her crop and inclosed her house within its overflowing. She had no love for the Spaniards, nor for the ways of the French, her neighbors. She returned to Georgia, and finding her old residence occupied by others, settled in Edgefield, South Carolina. When the preached word was heard instead of the drum, and the peoples' thoughts began to be occupied about the results of their final account, instead of sending others to the judgment seat unprepared, Nancy Hart's conscience became troubled about her future state. A Methodist society was formed in her neighborhood. She went to the house of worship in search of relief. She found the good people assembled in class meeting, and the door closed against intruders. She took out her knife, cut the fastening and stalked in. She heard how the wicked might work out their salvation; became a shouting Christian, fought the devil as manfully as she fought the Tories, and died in good fellowship with the saints on earth, with bright hopes of being admitted into communion with those in heaven. I was a member of Congress in 1826-29. General Jackson's successful election to the presidency put the ambitious members all agog to attract his favorable notice. One of the means used was proposing to fill the vacant niches in the rotunda with paintings descriptive of the battle of New Orleans and his other victories. I prepared a resolution as an addition or substitute to fill one niche with a painting of Nancy Hart wading Broad river; her clothes tucked up under one arm, a musket under the other, and three Tories ahead, on her way to the camp of the Whigs to de- ----------------- p. 163 liver them up to the tender mercies of Colonel Elijah Clark. This is incontrovertible evidence and should forever setlle any doubt that such a woman as Nancy Hart really did exist, and I trust it may prove of service in establishing her final resting place. Mrs. David Hart, of Henderson, Kentucky, writes the following: "Nancy Morgan Hart is buried a few miles out from Henderson in the old Hart burial grounds. I am a great, great, grand-daughter. Miss Sugg, Nancy Hart's great-grand-daughter is living." A letter from Miss Annie McS. Dennis Hart, dated April 7, 1925, at Henderson, Kentucky, states; "There is no doubt of this being her burial place, as she was remembered by Miss Juliet Sugg, age 98, who was her great grand-daughter. She was the daughter of D. Morgan and he settled Morganfield in 1730, and as is said, died there, but was removed by Washington's request." The above information was sent to Mrs. James I. Garrard by Mrs. Edna Arnold Copeland, Elberton, Georgia, May, 1925. STORY OF NANCY HART This story of Nancy Hart was published in the Milledgeville Recorder in 1825; and according to Rev. George White in his Historical Collections of Georgia, is the same story which originally appeared in the Yorkville (S. C.) Pioneer. It is as follows: "This old-fashioned matron of Amazaonian strength and habits," says the Recorder, "occupied such a conspicuous station during the times that tried men's souls, and women's, too, that it is thought expedient to take a passing notice of some of her most prominent actions; particularly as the old Revolutionary stock is nearly gone, and their deeds, like the ----------------- p. 164 white sails of vessels disappearing in the mist of the ocean, become more indistinct, until they are lost—or will be so distorted by tradition that credulity itself might pause at their recital. The following particulars are based on incontrovertible facts: "Nancy Hart and her husband settled before the Revolutionary struggle a few miles above the Ford on Broad river, known by the name of the Fishdam Ford near a very extensive canebrake. An apple orchard still remains to point out the spot, and to prove the provident powers of its planter. In altitude, Mrs. Hart was almost Patagonian and remarkably well limbed and muscular—in a word, she was lofty and sour—she possessed none of that nobility of nerve which characterizes modern times—marked by nature with prominent features, circumstances and accident added perhaps not a little to her peculiarities. She possessed none of those graces of motion which a poetical eye might see in the heave of the ocean wave or the change of the summer cloud; nor did her cheeks (I will not speak of her nose) exhibit those rosy tints that dwell on the brow of the evening or play on the gilded bow: no one claims for her throat that it was lined with fiddle strings, but this must be acknowledged; that her step bespoke energy, and be it said only for the sake of truth that she could round off regardless of being called a hard swearer. The perforating punch of the gatemaker never did closer work on the yielding tin than did that dreadful scourge of beauty, the smallpox when it set its emphatic signature on her face. She was horribly cross-eyed, as well as cross-grained, but nevertheless she was a sharpshooter. Nothing was more common than to see her in full pursuit of the stag—the huge antlers that hung around her cabin or upheld her trusty gun gave proof of her skill of gunnery—and the white comb drained of its honey and hung up for ornament testified her powers in bee finding. She was remarkable for her ----------------- p. 165 frequent robberies on these patterns of industry and piqued herself on the invention of an infallible bait for their discovery. Many can testify to her magical art in the mazes of cookery, being able to get up a pumpkin in as many forms as there are days in the week; she was extensively known and employed for her knowledge in the management of all kinds of ailments, and yielded the palm to no one in the variety and rarity of her medicaments. Her skill and knowledge took a wider and more profitable range, for it is a well known fact that she held a tract of land by the safe tenure of a first survey, which was made on the Sabbath, hatchet in hand. But she was most remarkable for her military feats. She possessed high-toned ideas of liberty—nor could the marriage knot restrain her on that subject. Like the 'Wife of Bath' "She received over her tongue-scourged husband, The reins of absolute command. With all the government of house and land, And empire o'er his house and o'er his land." When War Clouds Gathered "The clouds of war gathered and burst with a dreadful explosion in this state. Nancy's spirit rose with the tempest. She proved herself "a friend to her country, ready to do or die." "All accused of whigism had to swing. The lily-livered Mr. Hart was not the last to seek safety in the canebrake with his neighbors. They led a prowling, skulking kind of life, occasionally sallying forth in a kind of predatory style. The Tories at length determined to beat the brake for them. They, however, concluded to give Mrs. Hart a call, and in true soldier manner, ordered a repast. Nancy soon had the necessary materials for a good feast spread before them—the smoking venison, the tasty hoecake and the fresh honeycomb. These were sufficient to prove the appetite of a gorged epicure. ----------------- p. 166 "They simultaneously stacked their arms and seated themselves, when quick as thought, the dauntless Mrs. Hart seized one of the guns, cocked it and with a blazing oath declared she would blow out the brains of the first man who offered to rise or to taste a mouthful. They all knew her character too well to imagine that she would say one thing and do another, especially if it lay on the side of the valor. Captured Six Tories " 'Go,' said she to one of her sons, 'and tell the Whigs that I have taken six d— Tories.' "They sat still, each expecting to be offered up, with a doggedly mean countenance, bearing the marks of disappointed revenge, shame and unappeased hunger. "Whether the incongruity between Nancy's eyes caused each to imagine himself her immediate object, or whether her commanding attitude and stern and ferocious fixture of countenance overawed them, or the powerful idea of their unsoldier-like conduct unnerved them, or the certainty of death, it is not easy to determine. They were soon relieved and dealt with according to the rules of the times. This heroine lived to see her country free. She however, found game and bees decreasing so fast—the country becoming old so fast—to use her own words—that 'she sold out her possessions in spite of her husband, and was among the first of the pioneers who paved the way to the wilds of the West'." ----------------- p. 167 JEANETTE HARVEY CONE 1903-1904-1905-1906 1912-1913-1914 His song was only living aloud, His work, a singing with his hand! —Sidney Lanier Mrs. Cone has the distinction of having served the Nancy Hart Chapter as Regent, longer than anyone. She had the vision to plan many of the best things the Chapter has accomplished. It was she, who in 1904, initiated in Milledgeville, and Baldwin County, the observance of Georgia Day; and who enlisted the participation of school children in patriotic exercises. Under her direction, the school children of the town gave to the Chapter an offering for the Oglethorpe Monument at Savannah. It was Mrs. Cone who inaugurated the plan for marking Milledgeville's two most historic buildings; and under her direction, on Georgia Day in 1913, the pupils of G. N. and I. C., now the Georgia State College for Women, gave to the Chapter, a contribution of funds for the two bronze tablets. During her regency, the corner stone of Continental Hall, Washington, D. C., was laid, and the Chapter had its representative there. During her regency, also, the Chapter contributed its "mite" towards the Georgia column at Continental Hall. During her regency, Dr. J. Harris Chappel’s book* History Stories of Georgia, appeared; and his presentation volume to the Nancy Hart Chapter D. A. R., is treasured. The Chapter is always glad "To welcome one who found it good to know And better yet to do the things That prove men noble, great and true." ----------------- p. 168 LEOLA SELMAN BEESON 1906-1907-1908 President Milledgeville Woman's Club, 1917-1918. President Federated Clubs of Baldwin County, 1918-1919--1920-1921. President Federated Clubs of Baldwin County 1925. Chairman Woman's Division for sale of Confederate Memorial Coins in Baldwin County, 1925. "We hold the years in our hearts And all that was, is yet.'' MARY HOWELL SCOTT 1908-1909 Local D. A. R. Chairman for Marking Graves of Revolutionary Soldiers, 1909-1910-1911. Lord God of Hosts be with us yet, Lest we forget, lest we forget. —Kipling. In recalling the work connected with this patriotic Regent, two events stand out—the one, where family and friends dressed in historic costumes, welcomed the D. A. R. guests; the other, when as local D. A. R. chairman of marking the graves of Revolutionary Soldiers, she presided at the marking of the grave of one "worthy on Fame's eternall bead-roll to be fyled." At the former event, was worn a historic costume owned by Mrs. Scott. It is a rose-colored court dress of silk, which once belonged to Dame Catherine White- ----------------- p. 169 ly, wife of Arthur Whitely, the first rector of the First Episcopal Church of Cambridge, Maryland—one of the early churches in Maryland. The establishment of the church was about 1688. The guests were served coffee from the beautiful silver coffee-pot brought from England by the Whitelys at the same time Dame Catherine brought over her handsome gown. The second event is described by Lucian Lamar Knight in Georgia Landmarks Memorials and Legends. One reads as follows: "Eight miles from Milledgeville, in a grove of forest oaks, is the grave of an old Revolutionary patriot—Major Jacob Gumm. He was an officer not only in the first but also in the second war with England, and according to the records, acquitted himself with credit in both struggles. The place of his burial has been marked by the Nancy Hart Chapter of the D. A. R., with a handsome stone, finished by the U. S. War Department. The stone is an excellent specimen of white marble, four feet in height, and is set upon a granite base, the latter a gift of the Chapter. "On August 18, 1911, the exercises of unveiling took place in the presence of several hundred spectators. The day was an ideal one. In addition to the specially invited guests conveyed to the place in automobiles, there were also a number of people gathered from the countryside, eager to witness the impressive ceremonies. "Mrs. Mary Howell Scott sketched in brief words the story of the movement to obtain the marker from the United States Government. Miss Cora Gumm, a great grand-daughter, read a paper on the life of her distinguished ancestor; President M. M. Parks, of the Georgia Normal and Industrial College, made an eloquent talk on patriotism; and Mrs. Walter G. Charlton, of Savannah, followed with an earnest plea for the preservation of historic shrines. ----------------- p. 170 "Ten descendents of the old Revolutionary soldier were present. It was to be regretted, however, that his son, Jacob Gumm, Jr., was prevented by the infirmities of old age from attending the exercises. He lacked only two years of the century mark; and, while his bent figure might have added something to the im-pressiveness of the occasion, it was nevertheless an event of great solemnity, and one long to be remembered." ----------------- p. 171 IN MEMORIAM MRS. ROSA SCOTT WH1TAKER SHANKLIN (1911-1912) The Pilgrim Way But once I pass this way, And then—no more. But once—and then, the Silent Door Swings on its hinges,— Opens——closes,— And no more I pass this way. So while I may, With all my might, I will essay Sweet comfort and delight, To all I meet upon the Pilgrim way. For no man travels twice The Great Highway, That climbs through Darkness up the Light,— Through Night TODAY. —John Oxenhan. In Columbia, S. C., on October 12, 1918, departed this life, Mrs. J. A. Shanklin, before her marriage, Rosa Scott Whitaker. Mrs. Shanklin has been a member of the Nancy Hart Chapter, since :its organization, and had served one term as Regent. It is not for us to question why this young woman, in the fullness of life, should be taken from husband and children and kindred. She knows and is satisfied. We know her as a devoted daughter, a nature of fine and sterling qualities, performing all her duties with conscientious exactness, whether at home, in church, Chapter, or in social life. She has left her children that best inheritance, a well spent life. May perpetual light shine upon her. MARY H. SCOTT, Chairman ----------------- p. 172 CARRIE BUDLONG HORNE 1909-1910-1911 1914-1915-1916 Local D. A. R. Chairman of War Relief, 1917-1918. There's nothing so kingly as kindness And nothing so royal as truth. —Alice Carey. November 23, 1915, was considered the first really great day the Nancy Hart Chapter ever had. On that day two beautiful bronze markers were unveiled. One was placed on what was originally the front of the old Capitol building, and the other was placed on the old Governor's Mansion. On this day the Chapter longed for "A hundred mouths, a hundred tongues, And throats of brass inspired with iron lungs" to tell Georgians what these two buildings stand for in the State's history. No Georgian should ever be able to say "The key of yesterday I threw away, And now before tomorrow's fast locked gate I helpless stand. In vain to pray, in vain to sorrow, Only the key of yesterday unlocks tomorrow." The Chapter thought then, and still thinks, that in the plan of patriotic education, such historic buildings are among our chief assets. The preservation of such buildings is the truest evidence of the love of the living for those who have made history. By the preservation of such buildings, a people is honored and exalted. ----------------- p. 173 In recalling to mind what these buildings and the little town of Milledgeville, with its five thousand souls, has meant in the history of the State, one is reminded of James Russell Lowell's saying that he was "saddened when he saw the success of a nation measured by the number of bushels of wheat it exported; for the real value of a country must be weighed in scales more delicate than the balance of trade. The gardens of Sicily are empty now, but the bees from all climes still fetch honey from the tiny garden of Theocritus. On the map of the world, you may cover Judea with your thumb, Athens with your finger-tip, and neither figures in the prices current, but they still live in the thought and action of every civilized man." As with countries, so it is with towns. Milledgeville has witnessed the most dramatic scenes in the history of our State and has exerted a far-reaching influence. On the occasion of these two unveilings, the Chapter was fortunate in having two great Georgians to speak—Hon. Lucian Lamar Knight, author and historian, at the Capitol, and Mrs. T. C. Parker, D. A. R. State Regent, at the Mansion. Long before his book "Memorials of Dixie Land" had appeared in print, Mr. Knight generously gave the Nancy Hart Chapter a copy of his address to use in any way they saw fit. It is a pleasure to enclose it in this Chapter. The Union Recorder, in describing these two unveilings, reads as follows: Possibly no event in our city in recent years was of so historic a significance as the unveiling of bronze tablets placed by the Nancy Hart Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution upon the Mansion and upon the old Capitol Building today, Tuesday, November 23rd., 1915. The Nancy Hart Chapter has for some years past been at work preparing for the tablets and arranging the data for inscription. ----------------- p. 174 The tablet on the Old Capitol, now Georgia Military College, was placed on the east side of the building to the right of the main entrance and bore the following inscription: "This building is a silent witness of many of the most dramatic events in the history of Georgia. Erected in 1804, first Legislature met here in 1807, the last in 1868. The Secession Convention was held here in 1861. Was used as the Court House of Baldwin County from 1871 to 1880. The use of it was given to the Georgia Military and Agricultural College October 14, 1879. "Tablet erected by the Nancy Hart Chapter, Daughters of the American Eevolution, 1915." The ceremonies were opened with prayer by Rev. Harold Major, and Mrs. Julius A. Home, Regent of the Nancy Hart Chapter, introduced Mr. Lucian Knight, who delivered the address. Mr. Knight's address was a masterful discussion of the historical facts and memories which cling around the old capitol and was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience which had gathered to be present at the unveiling of the tablet. Mrs. T. C. Parker, of Macon, State Regent, unveiled the tablet, and it was presented to Col. Horton by Mrs. Julius A. Home. Col. Horton accepting in a very graceful speech, declared that as Georgia Military College, the old building was still making Georgia history. That the tablet should have been unveiled by Mrs. Parker, was a very happy incident, as her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Derry, were born and raised in this county. During the course of the program, the G. M. C. band played, "The Star Spangled Banner," and at the conclusion, "America." The exercises began at the old Capitol at ten o'clock; at eleven, the exercises were held at the Mansion. ----------------- p. 175 The tablet at the mansion contained the following inscription: "The Daughters of the American Revolution place here this memorial that Georgians may be forever reminded of the great men who as Governors of our sovereign state in the critical years of her history dwelt within these walls." George R. Gilmer, 1837-1839. Charles J. McDonald, 1839-1843 George M. Crawford, 1843-1847 George W. Towns, 1847-1851 Howell Cobb, 1851-1852 H. V. Johnson 1853-1857 Joseph E. Brown, 1857-1865 Charles J. Jenkins, 1865 At the opening of the exercises at the Mansion a double quartette sang "The Star Spangled Banner." Mrs. J. L. Beeson introduced the State Regent of the D. A. R., Mrs. T. C. Parker, of Macon, who made the address. The tablet was unveiled by Mrs. Walter G. Charlton, of Savannah and presented to Pres. Parks by Mrs. J. L. Beeson. Dr. Parks, in accepting, gave a short history of the building saying that it was older than any building in Atlanta or in Chicago. The Senior class of the G. N. & I. C. sang "Sunlit Georgia" at the conclusion of the ceremonies, and the G. M. C. Band played "Columbia" and "Dixie." The members of the Nancy Hart Chapter and presidents of the various Women's Clubs and visitors to the city were entertained at one o'clock at a luncheon given by Mrs. Julius A. Home. The elegant home of Mrs. Home was appropriately decorated for the occasion. The Nancy Hart Chapter takes pleasure in acknowledging here their indebtedness to the late Mr. ----------------- p. 176 Walter G. Charlton, of Savannah, for the inscription on the tablet at the Mansion, and to the late Mr. Stetson Sanford, of Milledgeville, for the inscription on the tablet at the Old Capitol. ----------------- p. 177 IN MEMORIAM CARRIE BUDLONG HORNE And underneath are the everlasting arms. Deut. 33:27 Resolutions on the death of Mrs. Carrie Sherman Budlong Home, by the Nancy Hart Chapter D. A. R. On June 27, 1919, Mrs. Carrie Sherman Home was summoned to her final home, in the inscrutable wisdom of Him, who does all things wisely and well. She laid down the burdens of this life without a murmur and without a tremor, and her sweet gentle spirit went uncomplainingly on its journey to that "undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler ever returns." She had been for many years, a loyal, self-sacricfiing, unselfish member of the Nancy Hart Chapter, and her unfailing devotion to its patriotic objects and purposes had been a continual asset of the brightest value to the Chapter. She was unvaryingly thoughtful and considerate of the welfare and happiness of others, and she left behind her a memory full of completion of deeds of kindness, charity and sympathy. She was a patriot of the finest type, and her life meant much to the community in which she lived. The Nancy Hart Chapter profoundly regrets her death, and express to her loved ones their sincerest sympathy. Resolved further, that a copy of these resolutions be given the family of the deceased. MISS CLARA WILLIAMS, Chairman. MRS. R. W. HATCHER. MRS. CHARLIE L. MOORE. ----------------- p. 178 Full text of an address delivered by Dr. Lucian Lamar Knight at the unveiling of a tablet on the walls of the old State Capitol at Milledgeville, Ga., November 23, 1915, under the auspicies of Nancy Hart Chapter, D. A. R. Madam Regent, Daughters of the American Revolution, Ladies and Gentlemen: The Wizard of the North has given us no finer character than old Mortality. It was the habit of this strange man, year after year, chisel in hand, to visit every burial ground in border Scotland, marking graves and deepening epitaphs for the Cameronians. Click, click, click—wherever he went, went the sound of his chisel. Not a hallowed spot was forgotten; not a cherished name was left uncarved. His master passion, his sole object in life, his one occupation, was to keep these martyrs in remembrance; and unweariedly he toiled away—click, click, click. But one day the f amilar music suddenly ceased; and lying near the roadside, Old Mortality was found unconscious. His work was done; but Stotland's breast was strung with his memorials. The spirit of the rare old Scot is today amongst us, multiplied an hundred fold. What an aged devotee could do for Scotland, fairer hands and fonder hearts have found to do for Georgia. Madame Regent, to the Daughters of Nancy Hart, all honor. For keeping the memories of our State green-—for marking its historic spots—for preserving its ancient landmarks—all who love Georgia must love you. May your days be multiplied like your deeds of patriotism and your virtues survive you as the stars outlive the sunset! What means this splendid spectacle? To say that we are here to unveil a tablet upon these walls is to answer this question only in part. I voice the deeper meaning and the fuller spirit of this hour when I say that, turning our backs upon Georgia's age of gold, we are here to commune in spirit with Georgia's Golden Age; that leaving behind us an age of commerce whose music is the jingle of the guinea we seek an age of men in whose eyes a guinea never glistened. I do ----------------- p. 179 not know to what extent I may be influenced by the illusions of distance and by the magnifying power of time, but I speak deliberately when I say that it required no ordinary civilization to produce the peerless men and the glorious women of Georgia's ante-bellum days. It will amply repay us to delve into these former times, if only to meet that fleur de lis of Southern Knighthood: the Georgia gentleman of the old school. Alas, "old times have changed, old manners gone" and I fear it must be said of him as it was said of Hamlet's father, "we shall not look upon his like again." There is a disposition prevalent amongst us to decry the backward look. We live in an age of frenzied finance, of materialistic ideals. "Remember Lot's wife"—"Let the dead past bury its dead"—"Forward march"—these are some of the expressions which we are wont to hear. Naught can be said in praise of an industrial age to which I will not fervently respond. I believe in progress. Factories—forges—fields— these make a people rich. But these things do not constitute a State; nor in them can we find the soul of Georgia's immortality. Forget the past? Such a philosophy of life would teach us to despise the only commandment with promise. The past is ancestral to all the future; and reverence is a virtue which no civilization can neglect. We enjoy these fruits of toil, these rewards of industry, these blessings of liberty, because of what other men have wrought before us. These things arebecause our fathers were; and we can boast of no achievement which is not rooted in the soil and is not watered with the blood of an immortal Past. Without a Yorktown there could have been no Appo-matox; and without a Runnymeade there could have been no Yorktown. Show me a State which is not proud of its herioc and splendid yesterdays and I will show you a State which can find nothing of which to be proud in its barren tomorrows! ----------------- p. 180 Standing upon this high place of Georgia's history, I feel as did the Hebrew prophet when he stood beofre the burning bush, out of whose smoke there came a voice which said: "Put off thy shoes from off they feet, for the place on which thou standest is holy ground." What can I say—what need I say—upon this hallowed spot, where Georgia's proudest memories cluster. To speak in this assemblage of what occurred upon this hill is "To gild refined gold, to paint the lily, To throw a perfume on the violet To smooth the ice or add another hue Unto the rainbow or with taper-light To seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish." Here—of all other spots in Georgia—should the tongue of eulogy be silent while the voice of memory speaks. Not in the forum of Rome and not on the bema of Athens was sweeter music ever laid on mortal lips than when, in cloven tongues of fire, the demigods of our herioc days here .rivalled the senatorial thunders of the mighty Webster and even revived the coronal accents of the old Demosthenes. On June 16, 1802, at Fort Wilkinson, two great bodies of land were acquired by treaty from the Creek Indians. One of these, to the South of the Altamaha, was formed into the old county of Wayne; the other to the south and west of the Oconee was organized into two great counties: Wilkinson and Baldwin. The State at this time was clamorous for a new seat of government. The tide of population was moving rapidly toward the foothills. The old town of Louisville had developed malarial symptoms. Accordingly in the act of 1803, under which these newly acquired lands were distributed by lottery, it was provided that at the head of navigation, on the south side of the Oconee river, in the county of Baldwin, a tract of land containing 3,240 acres should be laid off for a town to be ----------------- p. 181 called and known by the name of Milledgeville, a compliment to the great patron and friend of education, who was then Governor of the State, John Mil-ledge. Nor was the distinguished Georgian for whom this county was named any less a champion of education; Abraham Baldwin. It was he who drafted the charter of Franklin College, America's oldest State University, founded in 1785; while it was a gift from John Milledge, which enabled the Trustees to purchase a body of land on which the whole city of Athens is today built. Thus it will be seen that the future capital of the State was conceived in an educational spirit, since both the town and the county bear the names of men who were apostles of learning. Not an inauspicious omen for a town which after losing the State capital, was, in years to come, destined to possess what was better still: two great intellectual nurseries in which to train the flower of Georgia's youth. But let us go back. The commisioners appointed under the Act of 1803 to locate a town were: John Rutherford, Littlebury Bostwick, A. M. Devereaux, George M. Troup, John Herbert, and Oliver Porter. The town was located; and on December 12, 1804, Milledgeville was designated as the permanent capital of the State. It was next in order to sell some of the town lots; and we find the same commissioners appointed to perform this duty, with Captain Howell Cobb's name added to the list. Out of the proceeds arising from this sale were derived the funds for building a State House, the cost of which was not to exceed $60,000. On an eminence well suited for the purpose a large square was reserved for the capitol grounds. To General Jett Thomas was awarded the contract; and in the fall of 1807, the handsome building, Gothic in design, was occupied by the General Assembly for the first time, but it was not until 1837 that the building was completed in its present form. Twenty Governors of our State held office while the capitol remained at Milledgeville, to wit: Jared ----------------- p. 182 Irwin, David B. Mitchell, Peter Early, William Kabun, Matthew Talbot, John Clark, George W. Crawford, George W. Towns, Howell Cobb, Herschel V. Johnson, Joseph E. Brown, James Johnson, Charles J. Jenkins, and General T. H. Ruger. One of these, James Johnson, was a Provisional Governor. Another, General T. H. Ruger, was a Military Governor. Both of these officials were forced upon the State by an external power. In the extraordinary language of the latter's appointment he was "detailed for duty," to act as Governor of a soverign commonwealth! During the days of Reconstruction when the legislature, amid the desolations of war, adjourned sine die, if adjourned to meet no more in Milledgeville. As military headquarters for the Federal Army, our Gate City had become the new seat of government. But during the sixty-one years which elapsed from 1807 to 1868, the most eventful era in Georgia's annals had come and gone; and its history was written here. It seems difficult to credit the statement, but to the pioneer settlers at Milledgeville in 1807 there was no such thing as a percussion cap, a stove, a lucifer match or a steel pen. All of the cooking of this town, famed for its hospitality, was done in an open fireplace from which a crane was suspended. This capitol was finished twelve, months before Fulton's steamboat plowed the Hudson and twenty years before Stevenson's locomotive first trailed its smoke in England. The invention of the sewing machine, the discovery of anesthesia and the countless marvels of the electric spark have all transpired since this capitol was built. In 1807, Georgia's population numbered only 200,000, of which number approximately one-half were African slaves. Florida belonged to Spain and Texas was a part of Mexico. The territory of Louisiana, but recently purchased from Napoleon, stretched from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the shores of the Great Lakes, while the region west of ----------------- p. 183 the Rocky Mountains was an unknown wilderness, penetrated only by the holy gowns of the Jesuits. Milledgeville, in the early days, was reached chiefly by stage lines from Augusta, Louisville and Fort Hawkins, but what vast throngs were wont to assemble here—how gay the scenes of splendor when "bright the lamps shone o'er fair women and brave men." Music's voluptuous swell comes floating up from yonder pjillared mansions—not more richly steeped in the magnolia's royal perfume than in the recollections of the Long Ago. I can see the decanter on the sideboard, the duelling pistols ivory-bound, the old-time spinning wheel in its allotted corner, the old black mammy with her arms a-kimbo, and the ancient spinet on which our grand-dames played to listening beaux—"Maxwellton's braes are bonnie, where early falls the dew." There are portraits hanging in those homes which might have hung upon the walls of Kenilworth—whose originals would not have shamed an age of chivalry; and in those parlors gallant scions of an Old South's aristocracy have bowed to Lady Fair with a courtliness of manner which was never surpassed by Sir Phillip Sidney, in the throne-room of Elizabeth. Back in the dim historic distance, I can see slowly moving up this hill the bent form of an old paladin of liberty, around him a shattered remnant of our own herioc guard who fought with him on the gory fields of independence. To greet the illustrious visitor, all the homes of Milledgeville are opened, all her windows are illuminated, all her firesides are ablaze; and even to this day she cherishes sweet memories of the beloved LaFayette. It was on this hill that the dauntless Troup defied the encroachments of the Federal Government, closing his message to the Legislature with that bold ultimatum : "The argument is exhausted, we must stand by our arms!" It was on this hill, in the great tariff debate of 1833, that two of Georgia's mightiest intellects, Forsyth and Berrien, met in an argument which for ----------------- p. 184 three days enchained the multitudes. It was on this hill that the great William H. Crawford plucked his maiden laurels, a man for whom in after years the Presidential chair of this nation was not esteemed too high an honor and to whom even the great Napoleon is said to have twice bent the crown of France. It was on this hill that Joseph E. Brown issued his famous order for the seizure of Fort Pulaski. It was on this hill that he great secession convention of 1861 assembled, a body of intellects worthy of the Grecian Age of Pericles. These walls until time has crumbled them to dust, cannot forget the Olympian thunders of that great debate. Once more we listen spell-bound to the fiery Toombs, to the prophetic Stephens, to the inspired Benjamin H. Hill, to the intrepid Eugenius A. Nesbit, whose pen wrote the ordinance of secession, to the impulsive Francis S. Bartow, to the superb Herschel V. Johnson, to the impassioned Thomas R. K. Cobb. Ye gods, what men they were! If Georgia could have stemmed the tide of Cobb's eloquence she might have remained within the Union; but the fiery spell of his genius was upon her. We can almost hear those lingering accents yet: "Speak no uncertain words, but let your united voice go forth to be resounded from every mountain top and from every gaping valley; let it be written in the rainbow which spans our falls and read in the crest of every wave upon our ocean shores, until it shall put a tongue in every bleeding wound of Georgia's mangled honor which shall cry to heaven for 'Liberty or Death!' " Young men, may the same love of Georgia be yours and the same spirit be in you which was in these men. But not alone upon this hill are the glories of Milledgeville enshrined. On every tree is laid the whispering music of some ministrel's harp. At every fireside lingers the aroma of some glorious feast. Her very streets breathe memory's incense, like fragrant aisles in some old cathedral. In yonder silent city of the dead sleeps the great Judge Lamar. Near him lies entomb- ----------------- p. 185 ed the master-craftsman, who built this capitol. Not far removed from either is Governor David B. Mitchell. Richard Orme and Seaton Grantland—two of Georgia's greatest editors—are there; and there is General George P. Doles. Nathan C. Barnett—for forty years Georgia Secretary of State—who buried the great seal of the commonwealth underneath his home to preserve its sanctity untouched when usurpers seized the State capitol—he too is there. Iverson L. Harris and Augustus H. Kenan and Tomlinson Fort and Thomas P. Games and Leonidas Jordan and Zachariah Lamar, and E. H. Pottle and Daniel B. Sanford and J. Harris Chappell—all these are there, with others whom I cannot mention. Whatever may be the future of Milledgeville, her past at least is secure; and not while the ashes of these men shall sleep in her bosom and not while the memories of which I speak shall cluster ivy-like around these mouldering walls, will Georgia lack a voice to counsel her in wisdom or a beacon light to keep her in the ancient path of honor. Ten years ago, I stood upon the Capitoline hill at Rome and with reverential gaze beheld the eternal city of the Caesars It was the dream of a life-time come to pass. There rippling at my feet rolled the tawny Tiber; and before my eyes in a splendid pageant moved the panorama of her vanished days. I thought of the divine poets who had sung of her renown to distant ages and of the conquering legions who had planted her victorious eagles among the eagles of the Alps. I tried to picture her in her imperial pomp when she "Sat upon her seven hills and from her throne of beauty ruled the world." But all of her seven hills combined had no such power to stir me as dwells in the magic of this single hill among the hills of Georgia. To be a Roman in the older day conferred more honor than to be a king; but there was then no Georgia on the map. Italy may hold the inverted heavens in her limpid lakes; and Switzerland may wear the stars upon her pearly peaks; but no other spot for me while Georgia spreads her ----------------- p. 186 robe of green from the cedars to the sea. Not for all the glories of the Tiber would I exchange the nightingale which sings for me on the Oconee's golden waters. I scorn all birthrights but my own. Let him be duke who craves a dukedom; let him be king who courts a diadem; but I can lift my head above them all if I am just a Georgian. ----------------- p. 187 SARA CANTY WHITAKER ALLEN 1916-1917-1918-1919-1920 Baldwin County Chairman of United War Work, 1918-1919. Baldwin County Chairman of Women's Committee on Fourth Liberty Loan, 1918-1919. Baldwin County Chairman of Women's Committee on Liberty Loan or Victory Loan, 1919-1920. State D. A. R. Chairman for Marking Graves of Revolutionary Soldiers, 1919-1920-1921-1922. Chairman of Thrift for Baldwin County, 1919-1920. Local D. A. R. Chairman of Historic Sites, 1921-1922. State D. A. R. Chairman of Transportation, 1921-1922-1923-1924. State D. A. R. Chairman of Old Trails Committee, 1924-1925. Member National Old Trails Committee, 1924-1925. Chairman Baldwin County Woman's Division in McAdoo Campaign, 1924. Delegate to the Atlanta McAdoo Convention, 1924. Vice-President Woodrow Wilson Service Star Legion of Baldwin County, 1925. Auditor Georgia State Division Service Star Legion, 1925. "Happiness is not in living, Happiness is but in giving All of self for others' sake." The Nancy Hart Chapter achieved great success under Mrs. Allen's regency. Like the great Southern President Woodrow Wilson, who led our country to victory during the most trying years of her existence, Mrs. Allen led to a happy culmination all the women's work in Baldwin county, with the exception of the Ked Cross work, which was under the able direction of Mrs. G. C. McKinley. A record of Mrs. Allen's work would be long. She began her money making venture with a picturesque ----------------- p. 188 Gypsy Camp on the G. M. C. campus, and ended it with the presentation of "The Hut," built and paid for, to the Georgia Military College in 1920. "The Hut" was promised to Col. Marsburn, President of the Georgia Military College on Georgia Day, 1919, owing to the fact that the barracks had been destroyed by fire and the boys were compelled to live in tents. It was a Camp Wheeler Y. M. C. A. hut, torn down in Macon, and reproduced in Milledgeville, even to the heating and lighting systems. It was the biggest piece of civic work reported in the 10th District in 1919-1920. The Nancy Hart Chapter was the first D. A. R. Chapter in the State to pledge support to two French war-orphans. Their names are treasured—Georges Drouet and Angele Bourdais. The Chapter treasures also the names of the Baldwin County heroes who gave their all in the world war. This Chapter, joined by three other organizations, planted in 1920, a row of eleven memorial trees on the G. M. C. campus. Ten of these trees were for the fallen heroes, and one tree was planted in honor of the boys who came back home. All of these trees are registered with the American Forestry Association. The boys who gave their lives were: William Singleton Morris James Franklin Little Eddie Q. Brown Robert Lee Roberson Morris Vinson Furman F. Lee Fleming Du B. Vaughn Joseph Woodson Wood Thomas Howard Huff Isaac Newton Maxwell. While regent, Mrs. Allen had the under-brush cleared away from an old cemetery in which is buried ----------------- p. 189 Major John Howard, a Revolutionary soldier. A roadway to this old burial ground has been given to the Chapter by Mr. J. R. Hines, the owner of the surrounding property. There are many citizens in Milledgeville, who are not aware of the existence of this cemetery on account of its secluded position, between the Oconee river and the Georgia Military College. The inscription on the tomb reads: SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF JOHN HOWARD BORN ON THE 4th OF OCTOBER 1761 AND DIED THE 18th OF APRIL 1822 IN THE 61st YEAR OF HIS AGE He was a plain man of inflexible integrity who did equal justice to all people. He was revered by his friends and adored by his numerous family. FORT WILKINSON "Look on this side, then on that." June 16, 1802—Treaty signed at Fort Wilkinson with Creek Indians. June 16, 1917—Unveiling of bronze tablet, embedded in granite boulder and placed on site of old Fort Wilkinson. The old fort was marked on the one hundred and fifteenth anniversary of the purchase from the Creek Indians, of land lying between the Oconee and Ocmulgee rivers. Mr. J. C. Butler in his "Historical Record of Macon and Central Georgia," says the convention between the Commissioners of the United States and the Chiefs, head men and warriors of the Creek nation at Fort Wilkinson, met on May 23, 1802, continued until ----------------- p. 190 June 1, adjourned until June 8, when it re-assembled and continued to June 30. The following is quoted from Butler's history: May 23, 1802. The Chiefs sent to inform the commissioners that on the next day they wished to receive them, according to the ancient customs of their country, at the public square; and they requested the commissioners to be ready to move from their encampment early in the morning, and as soon as the runners arrived, to inform them that everything was ready for their reception. May 24. The commissioners went to the square, and were seated with all their attendants. The Chiefs of the upper towns and lower towns, having met at some distance from them, moved on in a body; two men in front dancing the eagle-tail dance, to music, accompanied by the voices of all men and the women. As soon as they arrived at the square, the commissioners moved to a place prepared for them, when they were touched by the wings in the hands of the dancers. Behind General Wilkinson was a small pit and a white staff standing by it; they brought a bow and arrows, painted red, showed them to the commissioners, then broke them, put them into the pit, covered them with earth, and with a white deer skin; these great Chiefs representing the upper and lower towns, wiped the faces of the commissioners, and, after the embrace of friendship, addressed them: Efan Hanjo —for the upper Creeks—"We this day, a fine one for the occasion, a clear sun and sky, meet our friends, brothers and fathers, to take them by the hand, according to the custom of our forefathers, as old as time itself. "We have, at the foot of the General, buried the sharp weapons of war, which were in use in old times, and such as we have, our white deer skins, are placed on the seat of our friends, and cover them with the same; we add one more emblem, a pipe." ----------------- p. 191 In the same history, Mr. Butler mentions Fort Wilkinson again. He says: In March, 1807, Aaron Burr, while under guard crossed the river near Fort Hawkins, which had just been built and garrisoned. Burr and his guards were drenched and chilled by the freezing rains when they reached the river. He was captured below the Tombigbee river in Alabama, and was required to ride horse-back, at the rate of forty miles per day. The guards and their prisoner crossed all the rivers in canoes, in which their camp equipage was placed, and by the sides of which their horses swam until they reached the Oconee, where at Fort Wilkinson, they crossed in the first ferry boat they had seen on the whole route, and a few miles beyond that river, they were sheltered by the first roof—a house of entertainment kept by Mr. Bivins. The Union Recorder of June 19, 1917, in describing the ceremonies at the unveiling of the tablet, reads as follows: One of the most interesting events in the history of the local D. A. R., was the marking of Fort Wilkinson on last Saturday afternoon at four o'clock. This historic old fort, famous both in State and National history, located near the State Sanitarium on the banks of the Oconee river, was the scene of the unusual incident. The marker, a bronze tablet, bolted to a huge granite boulder, was unveiled by Mrs. Julias A. Home. The idea of thus marking the historic spot was originated by the present regent, Mrs. H. D. Allen, and was carried to its successful conclusion largely through her efforts. Several hundred people both from the city and from other points throughout the State, were present at the ceremonies which marked the day. The tablet was presented to the State by Mrs. H. D. Allen in a very happy talk, and was accepted by Dr. L. M. Jones, Superintendent of the State Sanitarium. ----------------- p. 192 ..Col. D. S. Sanford, Master of Ceremonies, introduced Dr. E. M. Vittum, who made the address of the occasion. The large audience was delighted with the address, and Dr. Vittum who is a most versatile and eloquent speaker, was at his best on this occasion. His address was one of unusual interest and eloquence, and was greatly enjoyed. A happy incident of the occasion was developed when, in his introductory speech, Col. Sanford referred to the fact that this county was secured by the treaty signed at Fort Wilkinson, and was named for Abraham Baldwin—to which Dr. Vittum referred in his speech, saying it alweys delighted him to hear the name of Abraham Baldwin mentioned; that he was born in the Connecticut town from which Abraham Baldwin came, and grew to manhood among the Baldwin descendents. Mrs. J. L. Walker, of Way-cross, one of the distinguished members of the D. A. R., and State Chairman of the Committee on Old Trails, made a short address on Old Trails in Georgia, alluding pleasantly to the Old Garrison Trail which led from Fort Hawkins near Macon to Fort Wilkinson. The ceremonies were opened with prayer by Dr. Kendall and concluded with prayer by Dr. Flye. The Georgia State Sanitarium Band contributed largely to the occasion with several selections. The Nancy Hart Chapter here acknowledges its indebtedness to Mrs. J. L. Walker, of Waycross, for the inscription on the tablet which reads as follows: OLD FORT WILKINSON WHERE TREATY OF LIMITS TOOK PLACE BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND CREEK NATION OF INDIANS JUNE 16, 1802, RATIFIED JAN. 11, 1803. THIS TREATY WAS SIGNED BY JAMES WILKINSON, BENJAMIN HAWKINS, ANDREW PICKENS, COMMISSIONERS ON THE PART OF THE UNITED STATES AND FORTY CHIEFS AND WARRIORS. NANCY HART CHAPTER D. A. R. 1917 p. 193 Before the unveiling of the tablet at Fort Wilkinson, Mrs. Allen entertained at an elegant luncheon at her surburban home. The Union Recorder of that week reported it as follows: "Mrs. H. D. Allen,regent of Nancy Hart Chapter D. A. R., gave a most beautiful luncheon in honor of the State regent, Mrs. Howard McCall, of Atlanta, and of Mrs. J. L. Walker, of Waycross, Mrs. Walker being Chairman of the Old Trails Committee. "The meomory of this beautfiul luncheon will linger long with the D. A. R. members and they will remember especially those bright friends whose presence added intellectual lustre to the occasion." In July, 1918, the Georgia Legislature passed a bill which had been introduced by Mr. Howard Ennis, representative from Baldwin County, giving to the Nancy Hart Chapter, five acres of land, the site of the old fort, together with roadway to the property. The old fort is now a beautifully wooded knoll on the western bank of the Oconee and is a popular place on picnic occasions. In Clayton's "Compilation of the Laws of the State of Georgia Passed by the Legislature Since the Political Year 1800 to the Year 1810 Inclusive," is found a copy of the treaty of 1802, and President Jefferson's proclamation. The treaty is published below; Treaty at Fort Wilkinson in 1802 THOMAS JEFFERSON, President of the United States of America. To all singular to whom these presents shall came, GREETING: Whereas a certain treaty between the United States and the Creek Nation of Indians was concluded and signed near Fort Wilkinson on the Oconee river, on the sixteenth day of June, last past, which treaty is as follows: ----------------- p. 194 A Treaty of Limits Between the United States of America and the Creek Nation of Indians. Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States of America, by James Wilkinson, of the State of Maryland, brigadier general in the army of the United States; Benjamin Hawkins of North Carolina, and Andrew Pickens of South Carolina, commissioners plenipotentiary of the United States on the one part, and the Kings, Chiefs, Head men and Warriors of the Creek Nation, in council assembled, on the other part, have entered into the following articles and conditions, viz.: Article 1. The Kings, Chiefs, Head men and Warriors of the Creek Nation in behalf of the said Nation, do by these presents cede to the United States of America, all that tract and tracts of land, situated, lying and being within and between the following bounds, and the lines and limits of the extinguished claims of the said nation heretofore ascertained and established by treaty—That is to say; beginning at the upper extremity of the high shoals of the Appalachee river, the same being a branch of the Oconee river, and on the Southern bank of the same; running thence a direct course to a noted ford of the south branch of Little river, called by the Indians Chat-to-chuc-co-hat-chee; thence a direct line to the main branch of Commissioners creek, where the same is intersected by the path leading from the Rock landing to the Ocmulgee Old Towns; thence a direct line to Palmetto creek, where the same is intersected by the Uchee path, leading from the Oconee to the Ocmulgee river; thence down the middle waters of the said creek to the Oconee river, and with the western bank of the same to its junction with the Ocmulgee river; thence across the Ocmulgee river to the south bank of the Altamaha river, and down the same at low water mark to the lower bank of Goose creek; and from thence by a direct line to the mounts on the margin of the Okefinokau Swamp, raised and established by the commissioners ----------------- p. 195 of the United States and Spain, at the head of the St. Mary's river; thence down the middle waters of the said river to the point where the old line of demarcation strikes the same; thence with the said old line to the Altamaha river, and up the same to Goose creek; and the said Kings, Chiefs, Head men and Warriors, do relinquish and quit claim to the United States, all their right, title, interest and pretentious, in and to the tract and tracts of land within and between the bounds and limits aforesaid forever. Article 2. The Commissioners of the United States, for and in consideration of the foregoing concession on the part of the Creek nation, and in full satisfaction for the same, do hereby covenant and agree with the said nation, in behalf of the United States, that the said States shall pay to the said nation, annually and every year, the sum of three thousand dollars, and one thousand dollars for the term of ten years, to the Chiefs who administer the government agreeably to a certificate under the hands and seals of the Commissioners of the United States of this date; and also twenty-five thousand dollars in the manner and form following, viz.: Ten thousand dollars in goods and merchandise, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged; ten thousand dollars to satisfy certain debts due from Indians and white persons of the Creek country to the factory of the United States; the said debts after the payment aforesaid, to become the right and property of the Creek nation, and to be re-recovered for their use in such way and manner as the President of the United States may think proper to direct; five thousand dollars to satisfy claims for property taken by individuals of the said nation from the citizens of the United States, subsequent to the treaty of Colerain, which has been or may be claimed and established agreeably to the provisions of the act for regulating trade and intercourse with the Indian tribes, and to preserve peace on the frontiers. And it is further agreed that the United States shall furnish ----------------- p. 196 to the said nation two sets of blacksmith's tools, and men to work them, for the term of three years. Article 3. It is agreed by the contracting parties, that the garrison or garrisons which may be found necessary for the protection of the frontiers, shall be established upon the lands of the Indians, at such place or places as the President of the United States may think proper to direct, in the manner and on the terms established by the treaty of Colerian. Article 4. The contracting parties to these presents do agree that this treaty shall be obligatory and of full effect, so soon as the same shall be ratified by the President of the United States of America, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate thereof. In Testimony, Whereof, the commissioners pleni-potentary of the United States, the Kings, Chiefs, Head men and Warriors of the Creek Nation, have hereunto subscribed their names and affixed their seals at the camp of the commissioners of the United States, near Fort Wilkinson on the Oconee river, this sixteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and two, and of the Independence of the United States the twenty-sixth. JAMES WILKINSON, (L. S.) BENJAMIN HAWKINS, (L. S.) ANDREW PICKENS, (L. S.) EFAU X HAUJO 1. TUS TUNNUGGEE X THLUCCO 2. HOPOIE X MICCO 3. HOPOIE X O-LAH-TAU TALLASSEE X MICCO TUSSEIKIA X MICCO MICEO X THLUC-CO TUSKENEHAU X CHAPCO CHOU-WACKE X LE-MICCO TOOSCE X HATCHE-MICCO HOPOIE X YAUHOLO HOITHLEWAU X LE-MICCO EPAU-HAUJO X OF COOLOOME ----------------- p. 197 CUS-SE-TUH X TUS-TUN-NUG-GEE TAL-TIS-CHAU X MICCO YAUF-KEE X EMAUTLA HAUJO COOSAUDEE X TUS-TUN-NUG-GEE NENEHOM X OH-TAUTUS-TUN-NUN-NUG-GEE-MICCO IS-FAU-NAU- X TUS-TUN-NUG-GEE EUFAULAU X TUS-TUN-NUG-GEE TUSTUNNUE X HOITHLE POYUCH IS-HOPEI X TUS-TUN-NUG-GEE COWETUH X TUS-TUN-NUG-GEE HOPOITHLE X HAUJO WOC-SEE HAUJO UCTY-UTCHEE X TUS-TUN-NUG-GEE OKELESAU X HUT-KEE PAHOSE X MICCO MICKE X EMAUTLAU HOETHLE-PO-YAU X HAUJO TOOSEHATCHEE HAUJO CUSSEUH X HAUJO OCHEWEE X TUS-TUN-NUG-GEE ISFAU-NEE X HAUJO HO-POITH-LE X HO-POI-E OLOH-TUH X EMAUTLAU TIMOTHY BARNARD, ALEXANDER CORNELLS, Interpreters. JOSEPH ISLANDS, ALEXANDER MACOMB, Jun'r. Secretary to the Commissioners. WILLIAM R. BOOTE, Captain 2nd Regiment Infantry. T. BLACKBURN, Lieut. Com: Comp. D. JOHN B. BARNES, Lieut. United States A. Wm. HILL. A'gt C. D. Now be it known, That I, Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States of America, having seen and considered the said treaty, do, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate thereof, accept, ratify, and confirm the same, and every clause and article thereof. ----------------- p. 198 In Testimony Whereof, I have caused the seal of the United States to be hereunto affixed, and signed the same with my hand. Done at the City of Washington the eleventh day of January in the year of our Lord* one thousand eight hundred and three, and of the Independence of the United States the twenty seventh. THO. JEFFERSON, By the President, JAMES MADISON, Secretary of State. ROCK LANDING "Stat nominis umbra.” The shadow of a name remains. The use of modern inventions may cause a people to almost forget the past. The use of steam and the swiftness of transportation by the railroads caused the abandonment of the old-time river traffic and the old-time river settlements. The name Rock Landing became, in time, a name only. Montpelier and Salem, the names of villages formerly in Hancock county, now in Baldwin County, became mere names. In 1922-23, under Mrs. John Hutchinson's regency, Mrs. Allen was local D. A. R. Chairman of Historic Spots, and it was she who organized a successful party for rediscovery. Rock Landing was formerly the terminus of navigation on the Oconee river. All goods brought up the river on flat boats were unloaded here and then hauled on wagons to their destination. Commerce and prosperity became dependent oh the Oconee river, and that continual efforts were made to improve its navigation, will be seen from the following quotations from "A Compilation of the Laws of the State of Georgia Passed by the Legislature Since ----------------- p. 199 the Political Year 1800, to the year 1810 Inclusive:" No. 16 is An Act "To alter and amend an act, entitled 'An act to establish Tobacco Inspections at the several places hereinafter mentioned, and for improving the Navigation of Broad River and Oconee River/ passed the 15 day of February, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-nine, so far as respects the navigation of the Oconee River." There was a penalty of twenty dollars per day imposed upon any person who should "dam, stop or obstruct" the Oconee river, from the mouth of the Appalachee to John Barnett's on the Big Shoals, in the county of Jackson. This act was assented to December 2, 1801, Josiah Tatnall, Jun'r., Governor. No 60, is An Act “To amend an act for keeping open the Oconee River from the Rock Landing, to John Barnett's in the county of Clarke," and was assented to November 26, 1802, John Milledge, Governor. No. 208, is An Act "To incorporate a company for the improvement of the navigation of that part of the Oconee river, between the Big Shoals, at John Barnett's and the town of Milledgeville." The preamble of which Act is as follows: "Whereas the improvement of the inland navigation of every country, is of primary importance to its inhabitants, and as few countries enjoy greater natural advantages than this state, for the extention of commerce, and it being conceived, that the clearing out and removing the obstructions in that part of the Oconee river, from the Big Shoals, at John Barnett's to the town of Milledgeville, would greatly conduce to the convenience and interest of the inhabitants, settled in the north and northwestern parts of the State. Assented to December 7, 1805. JOHN MILLEDGE, Governor. ----------------- p. 200 No. 359, is An Act "To incorporate a company for the purpose of opening the Oconee river, and to grant a lottery for that purpose." Assented to 22nd December, 1808. JARED IRWIN, Governor. No. 514, is An Act "To incorporate a company for the improvement of the navigation of the Oconee river, from the mouth of Fishing Creek near Milledgeville up to the Big Shoals at Barnett's." Assented to 15 December, 1810. DAVID B. MITCHELL, Governor. In Prince's Digest, Laws of Georgia to 1837, one finds more Acts to render navigable the Oconee river between the mouth of Fishing Creek and Barnett's Shoals, and also Acts to improve the navigation of the Oconee below Milledgeville. One finds Acts for appropriating large sums of money for this purpose, and Acts incorporating companies to render the Oconee river more navigable. Rock Landing on the Oconee river, was the place where the Indian Chief Alexander McGillivray, unscrupulous, but possessing great address and zeal, defeated the attempt of Andrew Pickens and H. Osborne to make a treaty with the Creek Indians. These two Commissioners, on April 20, 1789, sent a "talk" to the headmen, Chiefs and Warriors of the Creek nation. William Bacon Stevens in his History of Georgia gives this "talk" as follows: "We last year appointed a time and place for holding a treaty with you to establish a lasting peace between you and us, that we might again become as one people; you all know the reasons why it was not held at that time. ----------------- p. 201 "We now send you this talk, inviting you to a treaty on your bank of the Oconee river, at the Rock Landing. We wished to meet you at that place on the 8th of June; but, as that day is so near at hand, you might not all get notice. We therefore shall expect to meet you on the 20th day of June. "We have changed the place of meeting from that of last, year, so that none of you shall have reason to complain; it is your own ground, and on that land we wish to renew our former trade and friendships, and to remove everything that has blinded the path between you and us. "We are now governed by a President who is like the old King over the great water. He commands all the warriors of the thirteen great fires. He will have regard to the welfare of all the Indians; and when peace shall be established he will be your father, and you will be his children, so that none shall dare to do you harm. "We know that lands have been the cause of dispute between you and the white- people; but we now tell you that we want no new grants. "Our object is to make a peace and to unite us all under one Great Chief Warrior and President, who is the father and protector of all white people. "Attend to what we say. "Our traders are very rich, and have houses full of such goods as you were used to get in former days; it is our wish that you shall trade with them, and they with you, in strict friendship. "Our Brother, George Galphin, will carry you this talk. Listen to him: he will tell you nothing but truth from us. Send us your answer by him. ANDREW PICKENS H. OSBORNE, Commissioners of the United States for Indian Affairs in the Southern Department. April 20, 1789. ----------------- p. 202 This effort failed, and in White's Historical Collections of Georgia, is found a part of McGillivray's letter to his merchant friend, William Panton, of Pensacola, Florida, in which he says: "Galphin, whom I sent to the Rock Landing with a talk, declining the treaty of June last, returned about a fortnight since, and I find that they are resolved upon making a treaty. In order to accomodate us, the Commissioners are complaisant enough to postpone it till the 15th of next month, and one of them, the late Chief Justice Osborne, remains all the 'time at Rock Landing. Pickens returned for the Cherokee treaty; but in this I took measures to disappoint him, for those chiefs would not meet. In this do you not see my cause of triumph, in bringing these conquerors of the Old, and masters of the New World, as they call themselves, to bend and supplicate for peace, at the feet of a people whom, shortly before, they despised and marked out for destruction? "My people being all at home, and the grand ceremony of kindling the new fire being just over, I deem it the fittest time to meet these Commissioners, and have accordingly made the broken days, of which nine are left to set out in. In conducting the business of the treaty, I will, as you observe, confine it to the fixing our limits and the acknowledgement of the independence of my nation." William Bacon Stevens in describing the further attempt at treaty-making at Rock Landing says: "Unwilling to relinquish the efforts at Indian pacification, other and more honorable Commissioners were associated with General Pickens, and appointed to treat with McGillivray. These were General Lincoln, who had served as Commander of the Southern army during the Revolutionary War; Cyrus Griffin, a former President of the Continental Congress, and David Humphreys, one of the military family of Washington, and subsequently minister of Spain. These persons sailed from New York, August 31st, for Savan- ----------------- p. 203 nah, in a vessel well laden with Indian presents; and having reached there on the 10th of September, in safety, they prepared to enter upon their duties by sending word to McGillivray of their arrival, and requesting him to meet them, on the 20th of September, at Rock Landing on the Oconee. To this place they accordingly repaired, with their escort, a company of United States Artillery, under Captain Burbeck, and pitched their tents, on the 20th of September, 1789, on the eastern bank of the river. "McGillivray, with two thousand warriors, gathered around him to display his power and overawe the Commissioners, encamped on the western bank of the Oconee; and after several days spent in private interviews with McGillivray, and the formalities usual on such occasions, the business of the Council was entered upon the 24th of September, by the Commissioners presenting to the Chiefs a draught of a treaty which they proposed as the basis of pacification. At the time of its delivery, the Indians seemed pleased; but when it was talked over in the council of the chiefs that night, dissatisfaction appeared, and so increased, that the next morning McGillivray wrote to the Commissioners that the bounderies proposed did not satisfy the nation, and that the chiefs had resolved to break up the council and depart. "This announcement took the Commissioners by surprise, and they immediately addressed a note to McGillivray, imploring him to prevail on the chiefs to remain. Instead of this, however, he abruptly broke up the encampment, and, under plea of seeking forage for his horses, moved back several miles from the river; and two days after, from his camp on the Oc-mulgee, he wrote to the Commissioners that he had determined to return to the nation, 'deferring the matter in full peace till next spring. We sincerely desire a peace, but we cannot sacrifice much to obtain it'." It was with great mortification, after so much toil and expense, and so large expectations of fruit- ----------------- 204 ful results, that the Commissioners were obliged to report to the Secretary of War, that "The parties have separated without forming a treaty." The treaty which failed at Rock Landing was proclaimed in New York by President Washington on Aug. 13, 1790; signed on the part of the United States by Knox, sole Commissioner, and by Alexander McGillivray and twenty-three chiefs in behalf of themselves and the whole Creek nation. Additional Comments: From: Part IV - History of the D. A. R. HISTORY of BALDWIN COUNTY GEORGIA BY MRS. ANNA MARIA GREEN COOK ILLUSTRATED ANDERSON. S. C. Keys-Hearn Printing Co. -1925— File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/baldwin/history/other/gms249historyo.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/ File size: 86.4 Kb