Morgan County GaArchives An Old Line Whig - Jacob C. Butts Atlanta Constitution, 2 June 1893 ************************************************ 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: Pat Colbert PogosBill@aol.com 20 February 2004 *********************************************** The article below was written about Jacob C. Butts who lived in what was, in the 1800's, known as the Mallory Community, North of Madison, GA in Morgan County. He died on December 15, 1893. Two of his sons saw action in Cobb's Legion (William H. H. Butts and Eugene Oliver Butts) while he and his son Jacob. C. Jr. served in the home guard for the Confederacy. He owned nearly 800 acres of land near Little Sandy Creek by 1860. Atlanta Constitution June 2, 1893 AN OLD LINE WHIG Madison, Ga., May 30 (Special) I drove up to the home of Jacob C. Butts, of this county, about six miles north of Madison. The venerable gentleman heard us talking out at the front gate. Though almost totally blind, true to his hospitable instinct, he hobbled out with his cane to the gate, saying: "Light, gentlemen, and come in." As soon as I gave him my name Uncle Jake began to tell the story of his life. I was born in 1804 in the Fork, in Greene County; my father's name was Jacob C. Butts, who was born in Virginia and died in the Fork in 1809. I came to Morgan county, Georgia, in 1818 and settled on the lot of land I now live on. My mother's name was Abby Chivers, who was born in Washington county, in this state. In 1832 I married Martha Ann Sayres, who is my wife today. We have lived together over sixty years. I have never been a cotton raiser. Before the war I worked ten or twelve hands, but raised only six or eight bales of cotton a year. But I always had sheep, hogs, cattle, wheat, oats and corn in abundance. I remember one winter selling sixty head of hogs that averaged over 300 pounds. I sold one of the richest men in Madison his meat one winter. Some time afterwards he said to me: "'Jake, I like your meat; it was very good.' "'Yes,' I said; 'I don't sell any other kind.' "'But let me tell you,' said he, 'how I managed it. I sold the hams and shoulders, and I made the middlings clear profit, and we are living on it now.' "Before the war I was an old line whig. There was a great rascality in elections in those days. Both parties would run the most available man, though he was as mean as the devil. It was party above everything. Of course there were exceptions, John C. Reese, for many years clerk of the superior court, was a good man, but he was a democrat. The democrats had the majority, but I told the boys I knew a man that could beat Reese. We brought out Charley Whiting, not only an available, but a good man. The Reese roost was a strong one, and it was a hot race. He beat Whiting just one vote. Afterward we sent Whiting to the legislature. I think Alex Stephens was the greatest man Georgia ever produced. He was a dead line whig. I was a union man during the war, but did all I could to support the confederate army. After Sherman passed through some officers sent sixty yankee prisoners out to my house and ordered me to keep them at my own expense that night and carry them to Athens the next day. I did so to the best of my ability, treating them like gentlemen, but it was a pill I didn't like to swallow. "My general health is good. I eat and sleep well. But it tries me to be blind-to want to go and be unable to do so-to have to grope my way. I only want to keep even with the world above debt, if I can, during the days that are left me on earth." Submitter's Notes on this file that might be important to people researching in Greene County: The "Abby Butts" mentioned in this file was Celia A. Butts, wife of Jacob Butts who died in Greene County in 1809. Celia "Abby" Chivers Butts was the sister of Sabrina Chivers who was married to Rev. Jesse Mercer. The Jacob Butts that this interview is with is the son of Jacob and "Abby" Butts. When his father died, Jesse Mercer administered the estate. Col. John Mercer was appointed guardian of the Butts children: Jacob, Sarah Holley and Joel W. Jacob moved to Morgan County with his mother. His sister Sarah Holley Butts married William West, Joel W. lived in Morgan for a short time, married a woman from Butts County and then after 1845 disappeared from records. It is assumed that he died after the birth of his first child in 1847. Pat Colbert PogosBill@aol.com