MCDUFFIE COUNTY, GA - HISTORY A History of Dearing, McDuffie County Georgia From 1850 to 1904 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by:James Malone Jam66inGA2@aol.com Table of Contents page: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/mcduffie.htm Georgia Table of Contents: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm A History of Dearing, McDuffie County Georgia From 1850 to 1904 By A.J Taylor *** With an additional Chapter on Twenty Five Years of Progress by A Citizen Published by Robert Printup 1929 Reprinted (1969,1983,1998) *** Additional Forward and End Notes by James Malone 2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Forward This work was written by Mr A.J Taylor an early citizen of what was then called Dearing District or Lombardy Post office. Dearing was the name of the Militia District, and a loose collection of wooden buildings and store houses as well as the post office clustered around the railroad tracks for a few miles took on that name. The land was mainly given over to Farming and Logging and the men who worked the area in the early days were a hard drinking , hard fighting lot who gave the place a bad reputation much like many a western town in later years. Mr Taylor served in the Confederate Army and married in 1872, He was a member of the United Veterans camp of Thomson. He was keen observer and sober reporter of events in and around the area for fifty years. In Transcriping this work for the internet I have not changed Mr Taylor's words in any way, the voice and observations are his , from the perspective of his Time period. Through his writing we can get a peek at what life was like for the early Citizens of McDuffie County and all Georgia. My only Contribution has been formatting the manuscript, adding Chapter headings not found in the original Pamplet, and notations where needed for the ease of the reader. All Notations added to the original text are enclosed in Brackets [ ] James malone ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************** The Early Days The writer of this work was born five miles North of Dearing Ga, Febuary 24,1845, at that time Columbia, now McDuffie County. Being a close observer,and always sober, he is able to give the true facts of everything connected with the History of Dearing . Since 1850 this place has been famous for fighting,and many people have been Killed in and around here, yet in many cases the peopel have been misrepresented . The Writer being an eyewhitness to a great many tragedies and having served on most of the inquest that have been held here , he is able to give the facts as they are and let the burden rest on those to whom it belongs, and vindicate the many good citizens who have lived and now live here- with this Object in view , namely , Do Unto to all men as you would have them do unto you. The Mode and style of Fighting in the early history of Dearing was with hickory sticks, brick bats, fist and skull. The writer has seen hundreds of times, Great, strong men strip off their shirts, tie their suspenders around them and and walk out into a sand bed and knock it out on the same principle that the Negro stole the dish rag - just to keep in practice. Whenever one got as much as he wanted he would call out,"Boys take em off." Immediatly they were parted and the man who got licked went in the bar and set up a gallon of Corn or Rye whiskey, costing him only 35 or 40 cents. Before that was gone the boys would get up another fight and out they would go,and so on all day until they got their spee out. If One got too Drunk to fight he was dragged under the store until he was able to get out and join the band again. I have seen a dozen or more under the house at one time , and no one was allowed to interrupt them under there. Gouging was not allowed. If one put his finger in the others eye he was taken to a large Oak that stood nearby and was hammered against it and made to set up the whiskey. They had a Regular Code and it was strickly enforced. Old Uncle Jack Harris set forth the rules and when they were violated he saw that the offender was punished according to the laws and Regulations of Dearing. Many Times the Old Fellow would come into the fracas with his cane, about five feet long, and fan out the whole business. Not a man would hit Uncle Jack. In the Year 1848 Bill Konida put sand in the eyes of William White, which caused him to lose his sight. In 1852 Thos. Buck pulled out one of Cull Lockets eyes by the roots. Locket never whimpered , but stuck to his man until he made him give calf rope. This brought about a new ordinance in the code, "That no man was to put sand or his Finger in a man's eyes at Dearing." And if he did he was promptly punished for it. Sometime in 1840, I am told, Rad Perkins bit off Thos Culbreath's nose. This being long before I was born, I only give this as it was handed down to me. As Long as I can remember Old man Culbreath's Nose was off. He was a funny looking sight and a very Funny old man when he got a few drinks ahead. The Boys used to have fun by getting him and Old man White and Will Konida tight , and making them play leapfrog. It beat any circus on Earth. There was always a class that kept sober enough to plan the devilment out, to get others into trouble. Sometimes it panned out more then they thought it would and then the hair flew like so many Tom cats in a barn. After such times as that you could pick up rags, pocket knives, and now and then one leg of a pair of Copperas breeches- all manner of remnants off the battle field. Then they would all go home until they got over their drunk. When a new comer got to this place, the boys would hold a short conference and appoint the sorriest man they had to try him. If he proved to be good game , of course he joined the club: if his sand was lacking he soon left Dearing. I knew several men who could not stand the racket, but would hide around in a bramble just back of the store and watch for some of the boys to hide a Bottle or Jug, and they would steal it and get from there. I would have the reader know that this was not an everyday thing or that it was carried on by a set of loafers; many of them were hard working ,good farmers, who would work hard five days in the week and go out to Dearing Saturday to finish up his weeks work in this way,and have some fun,as they called it. Every man of them was responsible for any debt he contracted and was ready to respond to any call of Charity. No One ever suffered in that community in those days. I will now give a few names of theold corner stones, as many of their offspring are yet living and will be glad to see their Father's name on a page of this book. Reader you must not consider this list of names to be wholly constitute the class i have spoken of above. I only give the leading citizens ,the old settlers and as a memorial their names stand on the tax books until this day to show who and what they were. men who live in the Hearts of their Children and their neighbors' Childre: Uncle Jack Harris, Benji Adams, Randle Newsome,Uncle Billie McGahee, Jackson McGahee, David McGahee, Samuel McGahee, Uncle John McGahee, Edmond Fuller,Uncle Jesse Watson Green Reeves, A.E Sturgis, F.M. Usry, Gillford Alfred, Steward Beggs, Jesse Evins, Buck Phillips, Steven Drane and many others who live in the minds and hearts of the people. Crime and Punishment I will now enter on the Crimminal docket of this Little History. it must not be expected for me to give names in every case that I shall record as many of them were in doubt and mistaken, and I am not willing to charge any man guilty until he is proven to be so. I cannot write what circumstantial evidence or public opinion charges a man with . It is only my object to give what I know to be true, nothing more, nothing less. The First Murder was committed at Dearing in 1850, the victim was Bob Frank. he was killed by James Adams, with a dirk. Adams was a conductor on the Georgia Railroad and a son of Buck Adams. Adams gave Bond and ran away, I never heard of him again. His Father sold about all of the negros and land he had to pay the bond, and moved to Florida. The Second man killed was in 1856. Edmond Whitaker killed Jeff Roland with a pocket knife. Roland had Whitaker down beating him, when Whitaker stabbed him through the Heart. He died in two minutes. Alexander Stephens defended Whitaker, and Whitaker went to the Penitenitary for only one year. The Next Tragedy was in 1860. Rowel Adams and his Boys shot Bill Rivers, causing the amputation of Rivers arm. They were under Bond in 1861, When the Civil war came on and were all respited,joined the Ramsey Volunteers and went to the Army of the Potomac, and made brave and good Soldiers. John Adams,one of the Boys ,was wounded at rhe battle of Malvern Hill, and died in the second Georgia Hospitial in Richmond, Va. Rowel Adams ,the Father, was shot in the Head and Instantly Killed at Knoxville Tenn, in the great charge on the enemy's works at that place. Ellis and Kinchen survived the war and became notorious after getting home , which will be explained when their turn comes. The Third man Killed was Arthur Street. he was Killed near his home. he was found not far from the road about five hundred yards from his house. It was never known who killed him, or at least never proven. he was a very inoffensive man, and no one could understand why he was killed. it couldn't have been robbery, as he was in his night clothes. His wife had started to Dearing to take the Express to Augusta, and forgetting something called Arthur to bring it to her. he did and she went on. he never got back to the house. When she got back he was missing. A search was made and Arthur was found not far from where she left him. [note* this was during the war.. Arthur Street had enlisted in Co K 48th Ga reg, he is listed as killed at home] The Next man was Thos Booker. He was waylaid and killed with an ax not far from where Mr Robt, Culpepper Now lives, by Jabe Booker, a former Slave, and Isam McGruder. Mr Booker lay Eight Days before he was found, they concealed him so well, and carried him one forth of a mile from where they killed him. The Two Negros skipped as soon as they did the deed. The Community suspicioned one of them before Booker was found,and a vigilant committie was on the lookout for him. As soon as Booker was found they at once made for Lincoln County and soon returned with Jabe. he at once confessed and told on Isam, saying he gave Isam ten dollars to help him Kill Booker. A committment Trial was held and the two negros started to Jail at Appling. Nothing was seen or heard of them for some time. The first I saw of them I was hunting and saw Vultures fly up from a ravine, an investigation proved it to beJabe and Isham. I recognized Jabe by his shoes, having half soled them for him two months before he killed Booker. The Next Man Killed was Joseph Spear. He was Killed 5 miles from dearing near Sturgis's Horse Lot. Adam and Hiram Holley were watching to catch a negro they thought had been stealing corn, When Adam called to Spear to halt, and he did not. Adam fired on him. The horse carried him three or four hundred yards before he fell, but he was dead when they got him. Adams did not know who he was shooting at, neither did he care. This was in the days when a man was expected to give an account of himself promptly when called on to do so at night. The next was the Killing of Ellis Adams by J.B Lambert and Augustus Hodo by Kinchen Adams, both done on the Same day. Lambert was tried and aquitted. Adams dodged the officers until he and Bill Rivers got into a difficulity and Rivers Killed him. Rivers was tried and aquitted. The Next Victim was a Woman, Mrs Hill. She was found a half mile from dearing with her throat cut,after being missing seventeen days. Akin Stanford was charged with the crime, tried and aquitted. The Next was Peter McNair (Col.), shot in his house by unknown parties. Andrew McGahee, James McGahee and Richard Spear were charged, tried and aquitted. The Next and last man was Andrew McGahee, Killed by Gus Comings a Negro. Gus was tried and aquitted. Since then, thank God such work has ceased. I will now Give the names of some men who disappeared suddenly and were never seen or heard from again. Samuel Neal, who had a saw mill two and a half miles from Dearing. he went to Augusta on Business and was never seen again. Coleman Wagner lived three and a half miles from Dearing, and he disappeared and was never heard from. We Now Give the number of unknown bodies found around here in the woods whome no one recognized. About one and a half miles North of Dearing four Negros in one place were found. No One could account for how they came there. One Mile south the bones of two more negros were found after the Vultures had nibbled their bones, No account could be given. Two and a half miles southeast a white man was found with a bullet hole through his clothes. he was recognized to be a jew from Sparta Ga. No one could account as to how he came there.