Houston County Researchers: For the past 3 years, I have been compiling a book entitled: EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS OF HOUSTON COUNTY, GEORGIA 1821-1871: Copyright 2000 by William A. Mills. I thought I had this book finished last year, but I keep finding more interesting items to include in it. By the time that I actually print this book, it may be too large to contain in one volume. But, there is no need to keep all of this good info hidden away. I stumbled across an original story written by a man who was born in 1826, and resided in Perry, GA for several decades. This story was supposed to be published right after the Civil War, but I cannot find any evidence that it ever was. I've checked everywhere that I can, and no one has ever heard of it before. ================>>> Portions from Chapter 5: In giving the names of the founders of the Presbyterian Church here, I omitted that of Col. J. D. Havis, who is the only one left, and is the oldest man in Perry, though he is still hale and hearty, and attends to his daily business more closely than a great many younger men. The original boundaries of Houston County were as follows: From the starting point of the line on the Ocmulgee, above the city of Macon, between the 4th and 13th Districts of Bibb, extending westward to the 16th District of Upson; thence along Flint River to old Traveler's Rest; thence on the district lines to Hawkinsville; and to the Ocmulgee to the starting point, embracing fifteen milita districts. The First, Second, Third, Fourth, Seventh, Eighth and Fifteenth, and also portions of the Fifth, Sixth and Twelfth Districts now lie in the adjoining counties of Bibb, Crawford, Upson, Macon and Pulaski. The Superior Court for the county was organized at the residence of James A. Everett, where Fort Valley now is, at a coal house, by Judge Thomas W. Harris, on May 27th, 1822. Eli Nunn as clerk; the record does not give the name of the acting sheriff or bailiff, for the occasion. The following is a list of the Grand and Petit Jurors drawn to serve at the succeeding term: GRAND JURORS: Martin Pritchard, Jeremiah Bennett, James Sackwell, John Mather, John Blackston, M. A. Pollard, John Keener, James Fitzgerald, William Berryhill, Nudigate Ousley, Nathan Busby, Joel Smith, Daniel Monroe, Turner Everett, Richard Rucker, Tuttle H. Moreland, Lewis Fay, Imby Vanskiver, John Courson, Thomas Harvey, Henry Angler, James Flewellen, John Jones, Reddick Bell, John Cowen, Thomas A. Jackson, Austin Martin, Thomas Flewellen, John Andrews, Daniel Wadsworth, Kinchen Curl, and E. Amos. PETIT JURORS: James R. H. Rogers, E. Russell, Joab Grubbs, William Edwards, Solomon Griffin, Noel Coalson, Burrell Harris, William McVay, Daniel Powell, James Marshall, John Z. Grubbs, Dartin Cobb, Hiram Wadsworth, John Webster, Nathan F. Hooker, Thomas Cobb, Joseph McKinney, Elijah Wills, Harvey Summerford, Robert McBride, John Hutchison, Robert Stanford, William Green, Usry Ray, Buckster Ray, Thornton Fowler, J. Bennett, Thomas Grubbs, John C. Turner, John Beard, George H. Grubbs, John Tempter, Jethro Campbell, John Allen, Sanders Burnett, D. Lawson, Reuben B. Davis, Allen Hare, John Thomas Peapter, Dempsey Robbs, Job Galloway, Lucian Price, John Joiner, Eli Abbott, Biggers Singleton, Moses Tuplin, and Eli Young. The second term was held at or near Fort Valley, commencing November 1822; Hon. Eli S. Shorter presiding. The Court met by appointment in chambers on March 8th 1823, and ordered that all business pending and accord, which was thrown out of its jurisdiction by the formation of the new county of Bibb, embracing the Third and Fourth Districts of Houston, be transferred, and they adjourned. The first Superior Court was held in November 1823, and as we are informed, at the house of Jacob Little, near the present residence of James B. McMurray; the next, and until now at Perry. H. W. Raley, David W. Mann, William Haddock, Solomon Simpson and Howell Cobb were the first judges of the Inferior Court, and Henry Cunyus was Clerk. Its first session was held June 3d 1823. On July 7th, following, it ordered the court house built, and the capital of the county surveyed into town lots, on Lot No. 49, 10th District, by Joel Walker. The town was first named Wattsville, and afterwards it was changed to Perry. Henry W. Raley was Sheriff in 1826; who his predecessors were, we cannot now ascertain. The successors of Judge Shorter were: Charles J. McDonald (afterwards, Governor of Georgia), Christopher B. Strong, Angus M. D. King, Edward D. Tracy, John J. Floyd, James H. Starke, Abner P. Powers, Henry G. Lamar, O. A. Lochrane, and Carleton B. Cole. Edward Y. Hill of Coweta, and Edward H. Worrill of the Chattahoochee Circuit, presided one term each. Judge King, after an evening of the highest enjoyment at a May party, on May 1st 1851, was found dead in his bed the next morning. The effect of this startling event on the community, may be better imagined than described. The Court adjourned and all the bells were tolled, as the funeral cortege moved slowly out of town toward Macon, where his remains were conveyed for interment. Judge King was a man of the greatest reverence for the Deity, and for sacred things. It was said of him, that he never passed a church without taking and keeping off his hat, in rain or sunshine, till he passed it. ~~ TO BE CONTINUED ~~ _______________________________________ William A. Mills Perry, GA [email protected] ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

No problem. :+)

when can I get an autographed copy???? Robbie Lanier

Sorry for the duplicate. I have a very touchy computer! It sends things I am trying to copy! Shirley

In a message dated 04/07/2000 10:28:58 AM Central Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: << Subj: [GAHOUSTO] Eyewitness Accounts of Houston Co., GA: Part 4. Date: 04/07/2000 10:28:58 AM Central Daylight Time From: [email protected] (William A. Mills) Reply-to: [email protected] To: [email protected] Houston County Researchers: For the past 3 years, I have been compiling a book entitled: EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS OF HOUSTON COUNTY, GEORGIA 1821-1871: Copyright 2000 by William A. Mills. I thought I had this book finished last year, but I keep finding more interesting items to include in it. By the time that I actually print this book, it may be too large to contain in one volume. But, there is no need to keep all of this good info hidden away. I stumbled across an original story written by a man who was born in 1826, and resided in Perry, GA for several decades. This story was supposed to be published right after the Civil War, but I cannot find any evidence that it ever was. I've checked everywhere that I can, and no one has ever heard of it before. ================>>> Portions from Chapter 4: The Presbyterian Church was built and dedicated in 1849, under the auspices of a few members of that denomination, prominent among them were: the lamented C. H. Heywood, and that pure Christian gentleman, Dr. Charles West, who died in 1855 at Saratoga, New York, while on a tour for his health. Its first pastor was Rev. Sumner Wynn. We cannot ever forget his departure; meek, faithful and zealous, he was greatly beloved, and the cessation of his labors and sermons was regretted by all. The Baptist Church was constituted March 30, 1838. Rev. Allen Morris was its first pastor, who was succeeded by Isaiah Langley, Adam T. Holmes, & B. F. Tharp. Its first house of worship was built about the time it was constituted. The Baptist Church was originally located equidistant between Main and Carroll Streets, about a hundred yards west of the public square, for convenience, and also better surroundings. It was removed to a point immediately in front of, and on the opposite side of the street from where it now stands. After the frame was reared, and the roof was nearly finished, a storm swept over the town, tearing it into ruins. It was then rebuilt where it now stands, on its original plan, except the portico, steeple and blinds, which were added afterwards. I well remember two sermons from the present venerable pastor of that church, in which he presented "The Great I AM" as the essence and source of all truth. Sinai, with its awful sublimity and grandeur, when beneath the tread of Jehovah, amid vivid flashes of lightning and muttering thunder, He uttered His anathemas against those who willfully reject His righteous laws. And then Calvary, with its cross and bleeding victim; the pathos excited by the tenderness which brought tears to the preacher's eyes, and with which he portrayed the scene and circumstances of this tragedy as the grand central truth of Christianity. The spell-bound audience, with heaving emotions which could not be, and were not suppressed, are indescribable. Grateful for having been blessed with the privilege of hearing these discourses, I cannot and would not forget them. The first Methodist Church was built about 1827 or 1828, near the center of the cemetery as it is now; a small framed structure without a bell or steeple; pulpit boxed-up and elevated, after the old style; portable seats or benches; only a window here and there, with buttoned shutters instead of sash and glass, unsealed . The house was unpleasant in winter, and also in summer, when for additional ventilation, the weatherboarding was partially removed. Within a few yards of the church, was a group of graves, the first of which was that of a man who was killed between the late residence of Col. Howell Cobb, deceased, and C. A. Thompson's. ~~ TO BE CONTINUED ~~ _______________________________________ William A. Mills Perry, GA [email protected] >>

Houston County Researchers: For the past 3 years, I have been compiling a book entitled: EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS OF HOUSTON COUNTY, GEORGIA 1821-1871: Copyright 2000 by William A. Mills. I thought I had this book finished last year, but I keep finding more interesting items to include in it. By the time that I actually print this book, it may be too large to contain in one volume. But, there is no need to keep all of this good info hidden away. I stumbled across an original story written by a man who was born in 1826, and resided in Perry, GA for several decades. This story was supposed to be published right after the Civil War, but I cannot find any evidence that it ever was. I've checked everywhere that I can, and no one has ever heard of it before. ================>>> Portions from Chapter 4: The Presbyterian Church was built and dedicated in 1849, under the auspices of a few members of that denomination, prominent among them were: the lamented C. H. Heywood, and that pure Christian gentleman, Dr. Charles West, who died in 1855 at Saratoga, New York, while on a tour for his health. Its first pastor was Rev. Sumner Wynn. We cannot ever forget his departure; meek, faithful and zealous, he was greatly beloved, and the cessation of his labors and sermons was regretted by all. The Baptist Church was constituted March 30, 1838. Rev. Allen Morris was its first pastor, who was succeeded by Isaiah Langley, Adam T. Holmes, & B. F. Tharp. Its first house of worship was built about the time it was constituted. The Baptist Church was originally located equidistant between Main and Carroll Streets, about a hundred yards west of the public square, for convenience, and also better surroundings. It was removed to a point immediately in front of, and on the opposite side of the street from where it now stands. After the frame was reared, and the roof was nearly finished, a storm swept over the town, tearing it into ruins. It was then rebuilt where it now stands, on its original plan, except the portico, steeple and blinds, which were added afterwards. I well remember two sermons from the present venerable pastor of that church, in which he presented "The Great I AM" as the essence and source of all truth. Sinai, with its awful sublimity and grandeur, when beneath the tread of Jehovah, amid vivid flashes of lightning and muttering thunder, He uttered His anathemas against those who willfully reject His righteous laws. And then Calvary, with its cross and bleeding victim; the pathos excited by the tenderness which brought tears to the preacher's eyes, and with which he portrayed the scene and circumstances of this tragedy as the grand central truth of Christianity. The spell-bound audience, with heaving emotions which could not be, and were not suppressed, are indescribable. Grateful for having been blessed with the privilege of hearing these discourses, I cannot and would not forget them. The first Methodist Church was built about 1827 or 1828, near the center of the cemetery as it is now; a small framed structure without a bell or steeple; pulpit boxed-up and elevated, after the old style; portable seats or benches; only a window here and there, with buttoned shutters instead of sash and glass, unsealed . The house was unpleasant in winter, and also in summer, when for additional ventilation, the weatherboarding was partially removed. Within a few yards of the church, was a group of graves, the first of which was that of a man who was killed between the late residence of Col. Howell Cobb, deceased, and C. A. Thompson's. ~~ TO BE CONTINUED ~~ _______________________________________ William A. Mills Perry, GA [email protected] ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

Please do! ----- Original Message ----- From: William A. Mills <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, April 03, 2000 10:31 PM Subject: [GAHOUSTO] Courthouse Research Checklist. > Houston County Researchers: > > How many of you are planning to visit the Houston County courthouse in > Perry, GA this year? The reason that I am asking, is that I am > considering compiling a Courthouse Research Checklist to make your > research trips more efficient. > > One of the main things to keep in mind when going to any courthouse or > archives, is this: It is always best to search the records that haven't > been microfilmed yet, and those which are exclusive to that particular > courthouse or archives. > > Knowing beforehand, the time period that you are searching, and which > record books coincide with that era, can be quite a time saver. You can > take a quick look thru all of the record book indexes, and then make a > list of which pages you want to copy at the courthouse, or order the > microfilm for when you get home. > > Copying the pages from the old record books at the courthouse, is not an > efficient operation. The copy machine is usually busy, and it can be > very time consuming to carry and situate the very fragile original record > books on it. > > Do any of you have any special tips for doing your research at > courthouses, archives & libraries? > > William A. Mills > > ________________________________________________________________ > YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! > Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! > Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: > http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. > >

Houston County Researchers: How many of you are taking advantage of all of the excellent genealogical information that is contained in the Tax Digests for the counties that you are researching? In Georgia, taxes were levied on free white males over age 21, and slaves aged 21 to 60. These people were referred to as "polls". The tax records in each county are divided by Militia District. There are a variety of published Tax Digests for various Georgia counties, but primarily they are for the early years. For example, SOME EARLY TAX DIGESTS OF GEORGIA (1790-1818) by Ruth Blair, 1926, is available via LDS Microfiche # 6046883. Another excellent publication is AN INDEX TO GEORGIA TAX DIGEST (5 volumes) by The Reprint Co., 1986. If you haven't taken a look at the types of info that is contained on an *actual* Tax Digest for the county that you are researching, you are in for a real treat! It's not just a listing of a bunch of names, polls, and the amounts to be paid to the Tax Receiver. Far from it! I'll just give you an example of what can be found on the 1829 Houston Co., GA Tax Digest: 1. Captain's District (Militia District). 2. Name of person taxed. 3. Acres of pine land. 4. Acres of oak & hickory land. 5. Quality # of acreage. 6. County where the land resides. 7. Land District number. 8. Land Lot number. 9. Stock & Trade. 10. Town Lots & value. 11. Gigs & carriages. 12. Stallions. 13. Polls. 14. Slaves. 15. Dollars & cents due for tax. In cases where there may be two people with the same name in a particular county, during the same time period, the Tax Digest could be a major help to you. Since you have probably already checked out the Land Records (Deeds, etc.) you can usually match up the person from the Tax Digest, since it shows which land he owned. And the legal description of that land will show the County, Land District and Land Lot numbers. And that's not all. You may be surprised to find that your ancestor also owned land in *other* Georgia counties. This may give you just the clue that you need to find out *where* he came from, and where he later *went*. Since the Federal Census was taken only every 10 years since 1790, the Tax Digests can fill in a lot of blanks in between. It can help you determine when a person either died, or left the county. Unless the Tax Digest has been abstracted and published, generally speaking, they are not indexed. This means that you will have to search thru them "page by page", to find the name(s) you are looking for. That is really not as hard as it seems. Since you are probably used to scanning for names on Census Records, it usually doesn't take more than an hour or so to perform. The 1829 Houston Co., GA Tax Digest is 103 pages long, but 2 pages are utilized to contain all of the data for the tax payers. And since there are 44 lines per page, that means that there were about 2,300 tax payers listed on that Tax Digest. The amount of Tax Digests that are available for your particular county of interest, may vary. In Houston Co., GA, there are the following extant Tax Digests at the courthouse in Perry, GA: 1829, 1831-1835, 1837-1839, 1841-44, 1845-48, 1848-50, 1853, 1856-60, 1863, 1864 & 1869. These Tax Digests have all been microfilmed by the Georgia Archives. Also, a lot of them have been microfilmed by the LDS. To ascertain which Tax Digests have been microfilmed by the LDS, for your county of interest, you can access the LDS Family History Catalog (FHLC) Locality Catalog. If you access it via microfiche at an LDS Family History Center (FHC), it is color coded with a yellow strip at the top of the microfiche. If you access it thru the www.familysearch.org LDS website, you may or may not be able to locate it. It is there, but there are several steps necessary to locate it. If the LDS has not microfilmed the Tax Digests for the years that you are interested in, it has probably been microfilmed by the Georgia Archives. This microfilm is available for purchase, once you obtain the permission of the Probate Judge or other steward of those records, from that particular county. In 1998, the cost was $20 per microfilm reel. More info may be obtained at: http://www.state.ga.us/sos/archives Many of the major genealogy libraries throughout the U.S. have microfilm collections of Tax Digests, especially the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, UT. Once you see how valuable the info is that is contained on the Tax Digests, and if you really feel ambitious and energetic, perhaps you will consider this: If you abstract, index and compile a Tax Digest for a Georgia County, The R. J. Taylor, Jr. Foundation of Atlanta, GA *may* approve a grant for you to have this compilation published. For more information about the Taylor Foundation, please check this website: http://www.taylorfoundation.org The plain fact of the matter is, that most people hardly ever utilize the original Tax Digests, and in most cases, that is all that is available for now. Until and *if ever*, the Tax Digests are published for your particular county of interest, I highly recommend that you access these valuable genealogical records *somehow*. Your time and efforts will very likely yield you excellent results in your genealogical endeavors. Take care & happy hunting! _______________________________________ William A. Mills Perry, GA [email protected] Houston Co., GA Publications & Research Webpage: http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/Forum/8795 ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

I just made a short courthouse visit to Cobb Co...to kind of get a feel for a local one before looking at driving distances to a courthouse. It would be nice to have a checklist because I am totally lost. I plan to visit Houston Co. over the summer. I couldn't fit it in to Spring Break. Tamie

I plan to go to the courthouse...thanks for all the help I can get. Robbie Porter

Mr. Mills.....this would be an absolutely wonderful idea. And it would be applicable to so many counties in GA....so let's try to get it on-line on the Houston County page itself (so we can all link to it).....or on your own web-page, and then Link to it there. Everything you say here is so true.... At 11:31 PM 04/03/2000 EDT, you wrote: >Houston County Researchers: > >How many of you are planning to visit the Houston County courthouse in >Perry, GA this year? The reason that I am asking, is that I am >considering compiling a Courthouse Research Checklist to make your >research trips more efficient. > >One of the main things to keep in mind when going to any courthouse or >archives, is this: It is always best to search the records that haven't >been microfilmed yet, and those which are exclusive to that particular >courthouse or archives. > >Knowing beforehand, the time period that you are searching, and which >record books coincide with that era, can be quite a time saver. You can >take a quick look thru all of the record book indexes, and then make a >list of which pages you want to copy at the courthouse, or order the >microfilm for when you get home. > >Copying the pages from the old record books at the courthouse, is not an >efficient operation. The copy machine is usually busy, and it can be >very time consuming to carry and situate the very fragile original record >books on it. > >Do any of you have any special tips for doing your research at >courthouses, archives & libraries? > >William A. Mills > >________________________________________________________________ >YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! >Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! >Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: >http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. > > > Virginia

Billy You should do a web page about researching. It would be so good and many of the ideas that you have would be applicable to other county courthouses in Georgia. Last year, Sandra and Darien and I researched at Bibb, Houston and Jones County courthouses. It would have been wonderful for us to have a checklist. Maybe someone in Houston County would be willing to assist you with putting up a web page. Or maybe you could do an HTML course. You sure have some wonderful ideas. Gaila snip The reason that I am asking, is that I am considering compiling a Courthouse Research Checklist to make your research trips more efficient. One of the main things to keep in mind when going to any courthouse or archives, is this: It is always best to search the records that haven't been microfilmed yet, and those which are exclusive to that particular courthouse or archives.

Mr.Mills, I plan to revisit the courthouse this June to do some research for a family tree. I would appreciate any help you could give. Stephanie Langston

Trying to piece together this Hancock Family: James G. Hancock was born Aug 24, 1826 in South Carolina and married Sarah SMITH in Houston County, Georgia on Feb 25, 1844. THEIR CHILDREN: William R. Hancock (b. Dec 1844 - d. Nov 1864) buried in Hancock Cemetery, Peach County, GA Sarah Hancock (b. 1846 - d. ?) could be Sarah Hancock who married Dave CLEMMONS Feb 26, 1888 in Houston County...but she would have been 42 at the time! James G. Hancock Jr. (b. 1849 - d. ?) could be James Hancock who married Sarah A. TAME in Houston County on Sept 30, 1868... Isaac D. Hancock (b. Dec 1850 - d. June 1895) married Martha Ann McCOY in Houston County on March 28, 1878. Both buried in Hancock Cemetery, Peach County, GA Samantha Hancock (b. 1853 - d. ?) John Hancock (b. 1857 - d. ?) could be John Hancock who married Mary J. JESUP in Houston County on December 1, 1877... Joseph Hancock (b. 1858 - d. ?) Female Hancock (b. 1860 - d. ?) I have not checked the 1870 Census for this family to see if James and Sarah had any other children or to check for the name of the unnamed female Hancock listed in the 1860 Census. Any names ring a bell?? Jeff W. Shirah

Hello all, Was just looking around ancestry.com and found a database for Georgia marriages which includes marrriages from Houston County. http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/vital/gamarr/main.htm Jeff W. Shirah

Houston County Researchers: How many of you are planning to visit the Houston County courthouse in Perry, GA this year? The reason that I am asking, is that I am considering compiling a Courthouse Research Checklist to make your research trips more efficient. One of the main things to keep in mind when going to any courthouse or archives, is this: It is always best to search the records that haven't been microfilmed yet, and those which are exclusive to that particular courthouse or archives. Knowing beforehand, the time period that you are searching, and which record books coincide with that era, can be quite a time saver. You can take a quick look thru all of the record book indexes, and then make a list of which pages you want to copy at the courthouse, or order the microfilm for when you get home. Copying the pages from the old record books at the courthouse, is not an efficient operation. The copy machine is usually busy, and it can be very time consuming to carry and situate the very fragile original record books on it. Do any of you have any special tips for doing your research at courthouses, archives & libraries? William A. Mills ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

Houston County Researchers: For the past 3 years, I have been compiling a book entitled: EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS OF HOUSTON COUNTY, GEORGIA 1821-1871: Copyright 2000 by William A. Mills. I thought I had this book finished last year, but I keep finding more interesting items to include in it. By the time that I actually print this book, it may be too large to contain in one volume. But, there is no need to keep all of this good info hidden away. I stumbled across an original story written by a man who was born in 1826, and resided in Perry, GA for several decades. This story was supposed to be published right after the Civil War, but I cannot find any evidence that it ever was. I've checked everywhere that I can, and no one has ever heard of it before. ================>>> Portions from Chapter 3: This story would have commenced with the original limits and boundaries of the county, but this is deferred till reliable data, not now at hand, can be obtained. Until this can be done, particular localities, with facts, incidents and individuals will be called up. Writing only from memory, and statements of others here and there, and having forgotten exact dates, this account must necessarily be desultory. Also, as the things narrated here are (many of them) the impressions of early childhood, the indulgence of the reader is asked, and the assistance of old citizens desired, in the correction of any errors that may appear in this manuscript. While I am not insensible to, but acknowledge my warm pride and attachment for old Houston, which holds position among the first in my native State. Yet Perry, having been my home from early childhood, and the particular scene of my whole life, the spot around which my strongest and most cherished attachments cluster, I hope to be excused for continuing for a time, my record of things in the old town and its immediate vicinity. So much, by way of apology and explanation. The old academy was built on the lot now occupied by the residence of Mrs. Colonel Ragin. It was a long, narrow two-story framed structure, and painted. Its exterior was admired, but from its slender proportions, it was considered unsafe. Whenever a storm of wind arose, school was dismissed, and all hands scampered home. It had brick chimneys at each end, and fireplaces above and below, but it was uncomfortable in winter, from the first, and up to the time my school boy days ended. The teachers were: E. Kellogg, Mr. Abernathy, David Mims, Howell Cobb, Robert Brown, Dudley, Michael E. Madden, James Holderness, Edwin Mounger, Mr. Dougherty, Igdaliah Wood, and Leonidas King. The school was mixed, as the idea of separate schools for males and females had not occurred to the people here, or if it had, it was not adopted until many years afterward. I will remark here, that the brick used for the foundation of the courthouse, as well as for that and the chimneys of the academy, were made in the street between the residences of T. M. Killen and W. Brunson. The old academy was sold, and about the year 1840, was succeeded by another in the grove at the termination of the street between W. Brunson's and the late residence of John Gordon. This was destroyed after it became old and somewhat dilapidated. Its locality, as well as the building with some necessary improvements, was more desirable than the one now occupied as a male academy. I promise a return to the old academy and my school boy days, in a future chapter. The building occupied by A. S. Giles, attorney at law, and the Post Office, was originally the office of the Branch Bank of Florida. The bed of limestone rock between it and F. A. Jobson's shop, lies just where the office was first located, and is the remains of its vault. After the Bank failed, the house was moved to its present location. What need there was, if any, for a bank in Perry then, I know not, and cannot imagine. I remember well, how during the thirties [1830s], I was delighted to run to the bank and receive change for a five or ten dollar bill, and wondered how it was that Mr. Gibbon Taylor, the cashier, could afford to give so many new shining silver half-dollars for that paper, even if it was pretty. When the bank broke, I could not understand how that was, but soon found that no more silver could be had there, for paper. Do any of the fair readers of this manuscript remember using bank bills which were presents from some of "us boys" as thumb papers and bookmarks? Only those who, like myself, cannot hide the evidence that they are growing old, need answer the question. The old mill on the branch north of the town, was built by Levin F. Chain. Some of its ruins still remain to mark its locality. Here "we boys" spent very many days of pleasure, watching the unprolific motions of a cork on a line, to which was attached a pin-hook, and the cool, clear water thrown into foaming, sparkling spray by the water wheel. Or, we gathered flowers of the dogwood and honeysuckle for the girls. My floral tributes were to blue-eyed "Lizzie". I thought I loved (and did), for I felt that "Forty thousand brothers could not, with all their quantity of love, make up my sum" for Lizzie. Now that the frosts of nearly a half century are whitening my locks, from the heart I exclaim, "Oh, dear to memory are those hours When every pathway led to flowers!" In the swamp between the old mill and the creek, either a panther or a wolf (more likely the latter) was disabled and captured, and then brought into town, alive and on its feet. This happened about the year 1832. I saw it on the public square, hampered, but in my abundance of caution, did not inspect it very closely. As well as I can remember, it was some taller and larger than the dog which was killed with a rifle at seventy-five yards off hand, in front of Oliver's Hotel, for biting old Uncle Simon Mann. ~~ TO BE CONTINUED ~~ _______________________________________ William A. Mills Perry, GA [email protected] Houston Co., GA Publications & Research Webpage: http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/Forum/8795 ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

You might also check Pulaski Co. for later Houston Co. marriages if they lived on that "side" of the county. My Ggrandfather married his 2nd wife there but they were both residents of Houston Co. at the time of their marriage. Helen

HI I guess we will have to study the record books directly. We have just the searched on the Internet and in the CGGS books. Sounds like we are lucky to have so many marriage records prior to 1868. We will search in other counties too. I find for this area in Georgia that if I am looking for records that I search Macon Co, Bibb Co, Crawford Co and Dooley County. These ancestors of our are more mobile than we give them credit for. Billy, will you please give us the email for your new research list again. Thanks for your help, Gaila

Gaila & Houston County Researchers: >> We will search in other counties too. I find for this area in Georgia that if I am looking for records that I search Macon Co, Bibb Co, Crawford Co and Dooley County. << Don't forget the Twiggs Co., GA records too. Just because the early records in Twiggs and other GA Counties were burned, that doesn't mean that *all* of the records are now *lost*. In many of the court cases, there were appeals made to Federal Circuit Courts. Most of these records are now at the East Point, GA branch of the National Archives. I believe they are all indexed, and that you can send a request to that branch, and they will search for a particular name. At least this was the procedure in 1994. It could have changed by now, or maybe the records have been microfilmed also. If I had a *hint* that any of my ancestors had resided in Twiggs Co., GA during the early years, I would *wear* those records out. In 1992, I *found* an old record book at the Houston Co., GA courthouse, which contained Federal Circuit Court records from the 1820s to the 1850s. Actually, these records are considered to be *lost* at the present time, as far as researchers are concerned. This book has never been microfilmed, and should not be photo-copied until it has been filmed. Otherwise, extremely valuable info could be damaged on the very fragile pages. I am currently in the process of making brief abstracts of the court cases in that record book. I have found that several of the early Houston County families had spent time in Twiggs Co., GA prior to settling here in Houston, *especially* if they came from North Carolina. If you can glean from the Tax Digests of Twiggs Co., GA, that your ancestors had resided there, then I would suggest that you "jump on" the Federal Circuit Court records that pertain to Twiggs Co., GA. The Twiggs Co., GA Tax Digests for 1818, 1826, 1830, 1833, and 1853 have been microfilmed by the LDS on Microfilm # 0159185. One of the main things to remember about burned counties, is that they only contained a copy of the Deed Records. The family had the orginal, and would *usually* come back and have it re-recorded at the courthouse, once it was restored. In North Carolina, The Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions (CPQS) recorded the names of the Grantor, Grantee & the witnesses to the Deed, in the Minutes. Since 1994, I have been compiling a "restored listing" of over 10,000 Wake Co., NC Deeds from the 1770s to 1833 which had burned. I am not aware of any Deed Records which are mentioned on a regular basis in the Inferior Court Minutes in Georgia. The Inferior Court Minutes which William R. Henry abstracted and then published in 1987 thru the CGGS, ONLY covered the Inferior Court Minutes for *Ordinary Purposes*. There are also Record Books which contain Minutes of the *Proceedings* of Inferior Court. These records are literally "filled with gold" for researchers, but have never been microfilmed or indexed. Book "B" covers 1830 to 1850, but I have never been able to find Book "A". One day, it will probably surface from under some shelf in another part of the courthouse. When it does, it will be worth it's weight in gold to genealogical researchers. My main purpose in dwelling on all of these various types of records, is that just because a researcher cannot find what he is looking for in the *supposedly* published records, all hope is not lost in the search. Even though I am familiar primarily with Houston County records, I still have times when I have to figure out "what's what, and where it's at". Regardless of how many times I have been to the Houston County courthouse, it can still be a "mind-boggling" adventure. I always take a checklist with me, so that I am not "swamped" by the quagmire of folios that await. >> Billy, will you please give us the email for your new research list again. << [email protected] is where to subscribe. This newsgroup is a forum devoted specifically to research in Houston County. If interested, just send an email that says "subscribe". Take care, and happy hunting! _______________________________________ William A. Mills Perry, GA [email protected] Houston Co., GA Publications & Research Webpage: http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/Forum/8795 ================>>> On Mon, 3 Apr 2000 07:30:42 +1000 "Gaila & Jim Merrington" <[email protected]> writes: HI I guess we will have to study the record books directly. We have just the searched on the Internet and in the CGGS books. Sounds like we are lucky to have so many marriage records prior to 1868. We will search in other counties too. I find for this area in Georgia that if I am looking for records that I search Macon Co, Bibb Co, Crawford Co and Dooley County. These ancestors of our are more mobile than we give them credit for. Billy, will you please give us the email for your new research list again. Thanks for your help, Gaila ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.