Jasper County GaArchives News.....Jasper Reflections - Liberty Church School 1970's ************************************************ 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: Suzanne Forte suzanneforte@bellsouth.net July 2, 2004, 9:57 pm Monticello News JASPER REFLECTIONS BY JOHN HARVEY Liberty Church School Liberty Church School, one of the oldest in the county, had its beginnings almost as soon as the county was organized, first as Walkers Academy then as Liberty Church School I am indebted to Mrs. Clara T. Ellis for the information about it. Mrs. Ellis came to the Palalto section of the county more than 50 years ago as a young teacher. She married J. B. Ellis, the grandson of an original settler and was soon on her way to becoming one of the authorities on the settlement of the county. Mrs. Ellis wrote many articles for publication and collaborated on others about Jasper County and the people who settled it. Liberty Church school was organized soon after the country was created on land given by Henry Walker. Mr. Walker, who was nicknamed "Hackie", was an original settler. He was also the first clerk of court and secretary to the first Board of County Commissioners. The school was first known as Walkers Academy. As time went by the school became associated with the church that had been erected nearby. The first building was located by a "bold spring" on what was known as the Gilstrap place, but was abandoned, according to rumor, when the family moved to North Georgia, at the time of the gold rush. WHEN THE LAND which we know as Jasper County was divided into lots and districts, each district was given a name. The district in which Palalto and Liberty Church and the school were located as named Minter and Gilstrap District, by which name it is still called. The community now called Palalto was then called Bentonville because of the large number of families by that name living nearby. Liberty Methodist Church was founded in 1827 and the school moved to land near it in the 1830's or 40s. It is said that the school was placed so that it could serve the largest number of children. The school term was usually two months long and began after the older children had finished helping their parents get in the crops. The original deed in the Jasper County Courthouse says that the school was organized to "teach reading and writing". Many of the families who settled the area had originally come from Delaware and can be traced through the Carolinas to the Hancock County area and then to Jasper County. The early surname found here were: Gilstrap, Ellis Smith, Lewis, Loyd and Knowles. The last name was often Misspelled as Noles as many county officials spelled name as they sounded. These named were prominent on the rolls of the church and school and are still found in the district. A story that is told concerns the Rev. Adeil Sherwood, who was instrumental in the forming of the Liberty Methodist Church. The Rev. Sherwood visited a relative who was teaching at school. Upon finding that the relative was sick in bed with a fever, he turned his horse into the lot and finished out the term. The Rev. Sherwood is noted for his "Sherwood's Gazeteer of Georgia" first published in 1829 as an aid to his students. He also worked with the Rev. Jesse Mercer in the founding of Mercer University. It is interesting that the churches in these early days often worked together using the same building. The Methodists would meet one Sunday and the Baptist would meet the next. The Rev. Sherwood had family connections with the Phillipses and Florences who lived in the area. ADDITIONAL HISTORY OF THE LIBERTY CHURCH SCHOOL Transcribed by Suzanne Forte (suzanneforte@bellsouth.net), May 2004. Transcriber's note: The following article may have come from the local Monticello paper about 1959. JASPER COUNTY -- 1853 THE LIBERTY SCHOOL The school in the Liberty neighborhood was begun in 1853 and was first known as "Walker's Academy". The building is still standing on a lot near the Liberty Methodist Church. It is in front of and to the left about 1/4 to 1/2 of a mile. The first teacher was Mr. John W. Parker. Other teachers were: Miss Marriette Florence 1855 Rev. Tweedle 1856 Seaborn Goodall 1857 George Niles 1858 (Mr.Niles was a captain from New Hampshire but fought for the Southern Cause. He was a captain in Bartow ARtillery.) Dr. Jackson 1860 Thomas Shenton 1861 (Spring term. He resigned and enlisted in the 14th Georgia Regiment) Miss Mat Morgan 1862 W. L. Willis 1862-1863 Miss Polly Phillips 1864 Rev. A.C. Mixon 1865-1866 He died recently and was the oldest member of the North Georgia Methodist Conference) Rev. Adel Sherwood, noted Baptist minister visited a kinsman who was teaching here. On finding him very sick with fever he put his horse in the lot and finished the term of school for this relative. The following names are to be found inscribed on the walls of this old school building: H. W. Walker S. B. Vaughn, Bryan Phillips, S. F. Mixon, Alfred Noles, Ozias Allen, Rufus Smith, D. C. Thomason, Robert Smith, Minnie Ellis, C. L. Harris, H. V. Robinson, P. P. Kelly, G. B. Ellis. Eugene Benton, W. H. Smith, E. C. Ellis, L. E. R., Lucius S. Kelly, W. C. Gilstrap, Allen Ellis, M. E. Benton, J. C. Thomason, J. P. Wilburn, M.C.B., J. H. Robinson, C. T. Thompson, Johnnie Ellis. In one corner on a side wall was written: "Farewell, all you pretty girls, W. A. Kelly is going to War. March, 1862". Additional Comments: Transcribed by Suzanne Forte (suzanneforte@bellsouth.net) from copies of articles contained in the Monticello News. There articles were prepared by Mr. John Harvey and published in this newspaper during the 1970's time frame. Permission has been granted by Mr. Harvey for use of these very valuable and informative articles. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/jasper/newspapers/gnw191jasperre.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/ File size: 6.3 Kb