Lee County GaArchives History .....Palmyra History 1983 ************************************************ 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: Debra Crosby http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00010.html#0002467 May 8, 2006, 9:11 am Book Title: This history of Palmyra was abstracted directly from the Lee County Historical Society's book HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY GEORGIA. with permission of the Lee County Historical Society specifically Ben Young...April 2001 The information is exactly as it appears in this book which was printed in 1983. Palmyra Palmyra, in Lee County, according to several histories, was a thriving settlement before Albany was founded in 1836, but it's growth declined as others developed. It has been a ghost town for many years. There are no extensiver ruins, and only a few scattered remains are left of the once bustling village. Among the few traces of it's former existence is a pitifully neglected cemetery, almost obscured by a tangled thicket of vines and trees which make it difficult to distinguish the monuments from the gray of the spanish moss and the silvery trunks of hickory trees which have draped and sheilded it for many years. Local Descendants: Many Lee Countians and citizens of neighboring communities are descendants of the early settlers of Palmyra and some of their ancestors and relatives rest in family burial plots of the area, and in the old cemetery. It is natural for them to be interested in helping restore these old graves and in marking the location of the former town. Many other persons who are interested in history generally, also have expressed their desire to have something done to show the proper respect for the citizens of the past who helped develop this section of the state. THey were true sons and daughters of the Revolution and they had the courage to establish their way of life in a wilderness not far removed from savagery. Palmyra was named after the anceint city of Syria, and located similarly, northeast of Damascus. The original Palmyra, according to tradition, was founded by Solomon and in the Bible it is called Tadmor. No invading armies plundered Georgia's Palmyra, nor pillaged it's structures, but hordes of mosquitoes did attack it's citizens, striking down their loved ones, even babes in arms with a dreaded disease, thne known as intermittent feve, later known as malaria as it was thought to have been caused by bad (mala) air. The forsaken graves on the hill at the little church and by the side of the road, attest the sorrow and bereavement of the afflicted families. Moving Back: Palmyrans moved to Albany years ago, but today some Albanians are moving to Palmyra. Palmyra Community today has much of it's original natural beauty. Some of the most beautiful rolling lands in this section may be found in the area, interspersed with farms and pastures. It also has the added scenic beauty of the Kinchafoonee Creek, which has several rapids and falls, made by tributary streams which are exceptionally picturesque. Palmyra, as it was in the beginning, is now made up of scattered farms and plantations but there is no longer a village. There is no church for white people and no school. Several sources of information relate interesting stories of the old settlement, which have been gleaned from earlier historical accounts and records. Before the War Between the States, there was at least one white church at Palmyra, a school, post office, doctor's office, store, blacksmith shop, grist mill, warehouse and other businesses. At Palmyra was also located Watson's Cotton Gin Factory, which was described in 1854, by George White in his "Historical Collections" as follows: Good Work "The articles manufactured are said to be unrivaled in their performance and durability. The machinery is propelled by water power taken from the subterranean stream which runs at this place from 12 to 15 feet under the surface of the earth. The limestone has been excavated down to the stream, and a head of water raised suffiecient to run the machinery for the gin factory, and the grist mil. The creek upon which the factory is built runs into the Kinchafoonee, about 300 yards distant." Apparently this factory was located where some persons have said the springs were cut by the Indians. There is no doubt that these springs were originally used by the Indians, but evidently the square shape that is still to be seen today must have been cut in the excavation for the factory. From the Albany Patriot, Friday April 28, 1854, is an account of "Randall's Cotton Planter": "This is a machine, the joint invention of Charles Randall Esq. and Dr. L. B. Mercer, of Lee County, for opening the furrough, dropping the seed, and covering them. The machine is simple in construction and easily kept in repair. It is easily drawn by one horse, and it completes the process of planting as it passes. On monday last we examined three large cotton fields in Lee County, which had been planted with this machine, viz. -- Mr. S. D. McLendon's, Dr. L. B. Mercer's and Mr. William Owens. A good stand of cotton in each row was up in a narrow line that looked like a ribbon stretched across the field. The success of the Cotton Planter is considered complete". Much Data Lost Many facts about Palmyra and the families who lived there have been lost, but from available sources the following list of early settlers have been collected. Many of the names are still prominent in Albany and the state, but there are probably many others whose names should be added to the list, as they become known to historians. Three doctors lived at Palmyra. They were Dr. Jeremiah Hilsman, Dr. Leonidas Mercer and Dr. John B. Gilbert. Listed as commissioners when Palmyra was incorporated, in 1840, were John Woolbright, John Mercer, Burch M. Roberts, Edward Janes and George S. Oglesby. The Rev. Jonathan Davis, well-known Baptist preacher, founded one of the first Baptist churches in South Georgia at Palmyra. The Honorable Lott Warren, eminent jurist and congressman, lived at Palmyra. Others on the list are John McLendon, William Spence, Joshua Clarke, J. O. Edwards, John Lawhorn, John C ock, Abraham Dyson, Lewis Bond, William Janes, D. Janes and D. Snead. Wealthy Men Mention has also been made of other citizens of Palmyra, which includes Henry Morgan, "bachelor schoolteacher-lawyer." There was Lee (Leonidas) Jordan, said to be "one of the wealthiest men in the state", and Charles Randall, co- inventor of the cotton planter, with DR. Leonidas Mercer." The three doctors all had children who were born in Palmyra, so most likely many other men listed also had children who were native to the village. Where the homes of all these families were located is not easy to determine anymore, since many of Lee County's records were destroyed by fire when the courthouse burned. Clumps of large magnolia, cedar and black walnut trees show where houses once stood, but many of the old plantations are known today by the names of present owners, or subsequent owners rather than of those who originally settled them. Near the Palmyra church is a small cemetery in which several old graves are located, all prior to 1852, when the church was for white people and their servants. John Mercer of Palmyra, one of the county's first settlers, and uncle of Jessie Mercer for whom Mercer University was named, is buried here. The 7 1/2 or 8-foot shaft marking his grave shows that he was born in 1776, the year our Declaration of Independence was made. The following is the inscription on this monument: "Sacred to the Memory of John Mercer BOrn October 1776 Died March 1852 Aged 75 yrs 5 months Mark the perfect man and behold the upright For the end of that man is peace" The Thronateeska Chapter, DAR, "History and Reminiscences of Dougherty County", "A Historical Sketch of Lee County," and George White's "Historical Collections," plus old records, scrapbooks and diaries have provided the material for this story. Submitted by Ernestine Sherman. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/lee/history/other/palmyrah635gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/ File size: 8.4 Kb