Elbert County GaArchives News.....Some Interesting History of Elbert County September 19, 1929 ************************************************ 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: Chandler Eavenson http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00030.html#0007294 July 4, 2007, 3:55 pm The Elberton Star September 19, 1929 The following article appeared in the Elberton Star apparently as a reprint of an article by Lee Rogers of Elberton and which appered in the Sunday Atlanta Journal: Elberton, GA.- In the northern section of Elbert county, on Van's Creek, and near an old Indian trail, is the town of Ruckersville, once a flourishing city of 600 or 700 people. Around it cluster the memories of much of Georgia's history. Once it had fifty stores, two banks and a newspaper, and was the home of Georgia's first millionaire. It was the depot for distribution of freight for all points above Petersburg, the freight being brought up the Savannah river by pole-boats. It had two schools, and an academy of which a Princeton graduate was principal. It was one of the five chief towns of the state, all on the Savannah river, Savannah, Augusta, Petersburg, Edinburg and Ruckersville. There is now no trace whatever of Edinbug, which has been as completely obliterated as any town in the world. Edinburg was located between Petersburg and Ruckersville. Ruckersville had her schools, academy, banks and millionaire, but Petersburg, with her two United States senators, Dr. W. W. Bibb and Judge Tait; two newspapers and the largest tobacco market in the state, was the largest town in Elbert county. Ruckersville appears to have been settled in 1773 by Virginia aristocrats, who came leisurely down the overland route, stopping a year or two in North Carolina and a year or two in South Carolina. Their purpose seems to have been to take up land grants, they no doubt sensing afar the coming prosperity of the section. John Rucker and John White took up the first grants in 1773. There are descendants of each in the county today. No doubt the town was named after John Rucker or his family. He came from a little town, Ruckersville, in Virginia. In 1777 he made a trip back to his old home, where he married Elizabeth Tinsley and returned with her as his bride. It was his son Joseph who became the first millionaire and one of Georgia's most prominent citizens. Old Safe Becomes Hen's Nest - James Rucker and Joseph Rucker were not brothers but closely related. Each had a bank, and they had their tilts in a business way. One of the banks, known as the Bank of Ruckersville, did such a large business that it was almost a state institution. James had his bank in his house, and the old safe he used was in recent years sold for junk. Its last use at the old Rucker home was as a hen's nest. Joseph Rucker married Margaret Houston Speer, a daughter of William Speer, and became one of the leading citizens of the state. James Rucker is an ancestor of the Rucker who established the Maddox-Rucker banking system in Atlanta. John Martin White is known in history as the man who brought to this section and into the state the first four-wheel carriage and the first carding machine. He is an ancestor of Elbert county's famous woman writer,Corra Harris, who was born in Ru ckersville, and whose childhood home on the present Calhoun [SC] highway is marked by a granite boulder. Ruckersville is also the birthplace of Joseph Rucker Lamar, who at his death was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court. It was also the home of Richard Banks, one of the most prominent physicians of his day, and for whom the county of Banks was named. In this historic town was a house built near the old home of Mrs. J. N. Wall, in which homemade nails were used, and some of these nails are now in Mrs. Wall's home. It is related of the woman who owned this house that she had a horror of dying and being buried without a preacher officiating. Preachers were not numerous and only occasionally came to town. When she became ill and thought her end was near she took advantage of the visit of a minister and had him preach her funeral sometime befoe she died. It is said that he proclaimed in his sermon her many virtues and good works. Dan Tucker's Grave - William Speer, the father of the wife of Joseph Rucker, lived at Cherokee Falls, on the Savannah River. This place is distinguished as the burial place of Dan Tucker, who was the subject of the song, "Old Dan Tucker," familiar to the children of today. His grave is identified by a marker made out of soapstone, and the inscription shows it to be the oldest known grave in Elbert county. Dillard Herndon was another prominent citizen of the community. He is an ancestor of the Herndons of this and Hart county, and was one of the state's wealthiest citizens. He owned between 600 and 700 slaves and 100,000 acres of land. Along the Savannah river, near Ruckersville, are mounds, which by many people are called Indian mounds. Excavations, however, have brought to light evidence which indicates that the builders were idol worshippers, and it is a well-established fact that the Cherokee Indians who inhabited this section at the time the white man came to America were not idol worshippers. For this reason many historians believe that the mounds were built by an earlier race than the Indians. In the mounds were found bodies standing up instead of lying down, and it is thought that the mounds may have been used by the Indians as watch towers, if they themselves did not build them. One of these mounds was located on the place of an old woman who was very proud of it. A couple of excavators sought her permission to dig into it. With some heat, she refused, saying: "The dead have their rights even if they have slept over them so long." Van's Creek was named after an Indian chief. The Baptist church at Ruckersville was named after him, and is to this day known as Van's Creek church, though the original building has long since passed away. According to the book of original minutes which is in existence, this church was organized in 1785. Trimmed Hats Barred - This book of minutes gives many interesting facts which throw light upon the material and spiritual affairs of the day. From it we learn that Dozier Thornton, ancestor of all the Thorntons of this section, was the first pastor; that women were not allowed to wear trimmed hats, and that one sister was brought before the church for wearing a feather in her hat. The whiskey problem gave trouble then as it does now. Sharp angry words often plunged the church into commotion. At one church conference a sister got up to make apologies for speaking angrily to another sister, who was present. She resented something that was said and they got into a heated discussion there on the church floor, with the result that both were dismissed from the church. Much Revolutionary history centers around Ruckersville. It was near where a running battle began which culminted at Kettle Creek, where the Tories were defeated. A wing of the Tory forces were seeking to join a large host at Augusta. The blockhouse just across the river in South Carolina was expecting them, but thought they would arrive by the Georgia side, so had placed its cannon and most of the soldiers over on the Georgia side. The attack was made on the South Carolina side and when the blockhouse was commanded to surrender the officer in charge asked for a delay of four hours in which to decide. The delay was granted. The forces in Georgia were summoned and arrived in time to answer the renewed demand for surrender with fire from their one cannon. This put the Tories to flight. They cptured a couple of patriots from whom they found out the location of the ford across the river. The patriots anticipated they would cross at this ford, so on a hill just cross it they entrenched themselves with their cannon. This hill was on land today owned by G. G. Rucker, a descendant of Joseph Rucker. As the Tories climbed the hill along an old Indian trail they were met with the fire of the patriot's little cannon and again they fled. The patriots followed them, found the general crawling on his knees in a briar ptch and captured him.The Tories seemed mortally afraid of that little cannon. Like a scattered covey of partridges they got together again and continued their efforts to reach Augusta, but at Kettle Creek,Gen. Elijah Clarke, with his forces, stopped them, and by his victory, as some historians think, changed the whole course of events. Elbert county is proud of Ruckersville and her history, a history which should be preserved in book form for the use of the present and coming generations. It should be the duty and privilege of those of us of the present generation to see that it is so preserved. Ref.: Kinight's "Georgia Landmarks, Memorials and Legends, 1913- 1914 edition; Mr. and Mrs. G. G. Rucker, and the old minute book of Van's Creek Baptist Church. 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