<<<<<Sandy, Your new e-mail address didn't work! I revised the note at the end.>>>>> 23 Mar 2000 Dear Sandy HODGES, I had understood for a while now that there was controversy about the origin of our Effingham & Screven Cos GA HODGES, and, being unprepared, I had refrained from entering the fray (that debate has evidently simmered off-line for quite a while -- before there was a "line"). Now, as I am acquiring primary sources within Screven and Effingham Cos GA, and as I (and other colleagues) ask for the additional sources which would support the genealogies that we have "inherited," the current proponents of those genealogies haven't been able to provide answers. Perhaps this data can help; it appears that perhaps as many as four HODGES clans are represented in the early records of those two GA counties and of adjacent Bulloch Co GA: Family ONE -- my ancestors (predominantly in Bulloch Co GA -- which was part of Effingham Co GA from 1777 until 1793 and then Screven Co GA until 1796): the family of Joshua HODGES Sr RS (son of Francis HODGES of NC -- now there seems to be some controversy about which RAIFORD connection, but I am out of that discussion because I have few resources available for NC and plenty to do here -- so I don't know if I am a MATTHEWS descendant or not). Family TWO -- my wife's ancestors (predominantly in Effingham Co GA, then Screven, Tattnall & Lowndes Cos GA): the family of the siblings of the 'famous' Screven Co GA 1802 deed (I posted it at the Screven Co GA genweb site): John HODGES [b 1760-1770, referred to as Sr in several deeds, wife Sarah "Sally," the Bible record of his son Isaac lists Sr's children], William HODGES [b 1770, moved on to Tattnall Co GA -- a middle name of Henry was evidently added by some descendants, if not by his parents], Nathan HODGES [b 1772, moved through Tattnall Co GA to Lowndes Co GA -- family of Joyce HODGES FEAZELL], Samuel HODGES [b 1780-1782, in Screven Co GA with his first family, then, after an evident divorce, to Effingham Co GA until d 1861 with a second family, his will of 1850 lists his children up to that time -- a middle name and an initial (!) was added by descendants, no primary records show any additional names], Mary HODGES [may or may not have been the one who m Jesse HURST on 20 Sep 1802 in Effingham Co GA], and Esenure HODGES DAMPIER [she and her husband John (Warren?) DAMPIER moved to Lowndes Co GA]. Family THREE -- Elias HODGES (of Granville Co SC), his widow Mary, brother Robert, minor Cousin Drury (Effingham Co GA grants 1793 & 1798, will of 19 Aug 1799 probated 25 Oct 1800) -- this bunch may be related to yours and to SC/NC/VA antecedents. Group FOUR -- well, these folks are all the others who passed through, so they are not necessarily a single family, and some of them may be part of Family Three: Benjamin (who appears to be in addition to the Benjamins of Family ONE), William of Beaufort District SC (deeds 1809), at least one other John (& Tabby, from a 1790 deed, NOT a m license -- I have found no primary evidence to tie this pair to Family TWO), James C. (deeds 1830-1837, perhaps James Carr of Family ONE), etc. Additionally, a Roger HODGE was a tax defaulter in Little Ogeechee District of Chatham Co GA in 1787. No one may want to claim the John HODGES age 22 who was sentenced to five years for horse stealing in Chatham Co GA in 1819 (he appears to be too young for our Sr and too old for our Jr). Family FIVE -- I had said four, but here's a fifth (not truly one of the four, because I do not know that this family has a connection to Effingham Co GA): The Liberty Co GA HODGES, which may include folks from Family THREE and Group FOUR: David HODGES was a tax defaulter in Sapelo Island/5th District of Liberty Co GA in 1793; a John HODGES Jr, Robert HODGES and Willoughby HODGES were tax defaulters in the Canouchie District of Liberty Co GA in 1796, and perhaps in 1789. Then there is the Rebecca HODGE who m 2 Jan 1804 m Samuel HARVILLE in Liberty Co GA which is of interest to Russ HENDERSON of FL. I have not even seen a family outline for the Liberty Co GA HODGES, and I can answer no queries about this bunch. After trying to make those "inherited" genealogies fit, I found that they were variations on Family TWO, and that the SC/NC/VA connections lacked substantiation, at least by primary evidence. There were occasional errors confusing folks of Families ONE and TWO, including: ONE has an early Hardy RS d in NC (the piper) and a Hardy Bell in Bulloch Co GA, the latter of whom was inconveniently b 28 May 1808 near the time as Family TWO's Hardy was b 25 Jun 1806 in Effingham or Screven Co GA (each b date from a family Bible), and their records can be confused, ONE's Catherine HODGES JACKSON m 14 Mar 1792 Effingham Co GA, so she has been incorrectly counted as part of Family TWO, TWO's Esenure HODGES DAMPIER m 5 Oct 1801 Effingham Co GA, but has been mistakenly counted as a child of ONE's Joshua (she has a daughter Ailcy/Alsey who m MONK but I do not know how she has been assigned her daughter's name as well), THREE's widowed Mrs. Mary _____ HODGES had records in Effingham Co GA which can be taken as those of the Miss Mary HODGES of TWO's 1802 deed siblings, or as a Mrs. Mary _____ HODGES, a proposed (but not by me) mother for the 1802 deed siblings, ONE's Nathaniel b 17 Jun 1777 (my ggggfather) has been confused with his nephew Nathaniel William McLain, but mostly he has been confused with TWO's contemporary Nathan b 16 Oct 1772, ONE's Asenith T. HODGES BOYKIN (my gggmother) b 1814 m 1828 across the Ogeechee River in Screven Co GA (where she lived until d 1863) and was thought to be part of Family TWO, ONE's Nathan had a son Samuel b 1815 GA, who was confused with his uncle Samuel b 1780-1782 East FL (Samuel's position in the "inherited" genealogies varies, but there is a deed record which clarifies that he is the uncle of the siblings listed in the Isaac HODGES Bible record), and many folks from Families ONE and TWO had connections to, and transactions with, folks across the Ogeechee which make separating their records difficult, &c. The further complication is that tieing a John of Family TWO back to Richard HODGES of NC makes for a bigamous fellow with two contemporary sets of children: thus his "wives" could be your Rebecca CHERRY and our Sarah "Sally" (or maybe Tabby/Tabitha LITTLE by the "inherited" genealogies). This point is taken from your post to HODGES-L. I, of course, have not completed building up from zero what I can substantiate from primary evidence, but I've gotten far enough along to learn to beware of sourceless lists of descendants of Family Two, particularly if the distributors of such lists reply with little interest in sources (primary or otherwise). I very much hope that eventually we will find connections for our Family Two to the SC/NC/VA antecedents, as I said, our folks have to have come from somewhere, but learning of it will require "careful, methodical, grass-roots research" (a term I had quoted in my WHITTINGTON post of 29 Sep 1999). Perhaps, in the long run, we will find our ties for Family TWO to the antecedent HODGES in SC/NC/VA, perhaps I can even bring Tabby (Tabitha LITTLE?) back into the fold (but surely not the one who divorced a John in Putnam Co GA in 1818-1821). But, in the meantime, we need evidence for our constructions, and it is clear that what was done before cannot be taken as fact when unsupported, even if written in stone (or on a metal plaque on stone)*. May God Bless You and Your Family, Bob (John Robert) PEAVY Post Office Box 1519 Rincon GA 31326-1519 Please respond to new e-mail address: [email protected] Note*: The William HODGES of the 1802 deed siblings has two tombstones on his plot in Tattnall Co GA -- the old headstone one is for: "Wm. HODGES Born June 19, 1770 Died Aug. 24, 1849 Who was in the constitution of Anderson Church was the first one buried at this place;" the new metal plaque on a footstone is for: "WILLIAM HENRY HODGES (1770-1849) SON OF JOHN ROBERT AND ____? LITTLE HODGES, NATIVE OF NORTH CAROLINA, PIONEER SETTLER OF TATTNALL COUNTY, GEORGIA, (1790) FARMER, CIVIC LEADER AND COUNTY SHERIFF. CHILDREN BY FIRST WIFE ANN BLITCH: CYNTHIA 1803 JAMES M. WILLIS A. 8-1-1812 SAMUEL WILLIAM RILEY CHILDREN BY SECOND WIFE HANNAH COLSON: SEABORN R. 4-26-1816 10-11-1899 SAMANTHA 5-8-1824 11-10-1891 PHILLIP POWELL 3-24-1830 8-30-1861;" the first might be taken as a primary source -- perhaps those that knew him were responsible for its being there, the later stone is due to genealogical research -- and should be considered a secondary source. I know of stones in two plots in Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah GA that have one year errors on them for a b date and a d date respectively (a church record and an obituary clarify the dates), and those stones were ordered by those who knew the deceased! I hope that the genealogists for William HODGES of Tattnall Co GA have substantiation for the middle name of Henry; I know that such a name seems necessary for him to also be the Henry (no William) of a Robert (no John?) HODGES will in NC. ________________________________ From: Sandy [email protected] on 03/22/2000 Subject: Re: HODGES Effingham & Screven Cos GA Thank's for this. My email address has changed - it is now [email protected] I don't know for how much longer this old address will work. Thanks, Sandy Hodges "Peavy, John Robert" wrote: > > Dear Carole FARR DREXEL, > > My wife's ancestor, > > Samuel HODGES b 1780-1782 East FL ... __________________________________________ NetZero - Defenders of the Free World Get your FREE Internet Access and Email at http://www.netzero.net/download/index.html