In a message dated 04/02/2000 2:48:53 PM Mountain Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: > 3. If the Marriage Records for a particular county have not been > abstracted and published yet, don't rely on what the index at the front > of the original Record Book says. I'm going to go off county topic here, but it does relate to marriage record searching. In Jasper County the "thing" seemed to be for the clerk to leave papers loose from the bound books. There you have to search the bound records AND the unbound or loose records. And most of the unbound records, which seems to be most of the records, are at the GA Archives in Atlanta rather than at the courthouse. So don't give up. Nancy

Gaila I can`t remember if I told you this but according to the 1900 cencus Temphester Howard and Isaiah Johnson had been married 46 years so they must have married about 1854. Sandra >Sandra and I have one marriage that we can't believe didn't get filed. It >was likely Tempie Howard's father married her as Michael Howard was a JP and >married several other of his relatives, including his sons. > >We are sure they were married because they feature in church records after >that time, in Houston Co. I feel if they hadn't married they would have been >shunned. > >Is this marriage certificate likely to have been a loose paper not filed or >pehaps just missed when they did the Marriage books. It was likely this >marriage was prior to 1868. I guess we are lucky that we have found so many >of the other dates and information. >Billy, Thanks for the information, >Gaila > >snip >Prior to the GA Code of around 1868, most GA counties kept their marriage >records in no particular uniform arrangement. However, after 1868 and >the Reconstruction Period, things started to fit a particular pattern of >order. > >Starting in the early 1900s, there was a detailed marriage application to >fill out prior to marriage. This gave the names of the parents, where >they were born, how old they were, etc. These records are locked in a >long storage room in the basement of the courthouse. > >

Houston County Researchers: >> Sandra and I have one marriage that we can't believe didn't get filed. It was likely Tempie Howard's father married her as Michael Howard was a JP and married several other of his relatives, including his sons. We are sure they were married because they feature in church records after that time, in Houston Co. I feel if they hadn't married they would have been shunned. Is this marriage certificate likely to have been a loose paper not filed or pehaps just missed when they did the Marriage books. It was likely this marriage was prior to 1868. I guess we are lucky that we have found so many of the other dates and information. Billy, Thanks for the information, Gaila << If you cannot find a marriage record for your ancestors, which should be recorded in Houston Co., GA, here are some suggestions: 1. Maybe they resided in a neighboring county, and it is recorded in *that* county. Just because a family resided in Houston Co., GA on the 1850 & 1860 Census, there is a ten year gap when they could have been mobile. 2. I am assuming that you are relying on either Mr. Henry's Houston Co., GA Marriage Record books, or either the microfilmed copy which was taken about 1962. You will need to physically look at the *original* records at the Houston County courthouse. There are a good number of marriage records that have been *lost*. As I search thru the original Marriage Record books (and all types of other record books), I come across pages that have been "cut out" by a sharp instrument. Or, the glued-on original record has been "ripped loose" from the page, or just fell out, and is now gone. If this situation occurred prior to 1962, the record really is *lost*. 3. If the Marriage Records for a particular county have not been abstracted and published yet, don't rely on what the index at the front of the original Record Book says. If you are searching for the bride's name, it is NOT listed in about *half* of the cases. If possible, always look for the groom's name. This obvious *non-indexing* of the brides' names is a common occurrence throughout the State of Georgia. My personal opinion as to why this happened is as follows: Depending if the Clerk of the Court was a Baptist or a Methodist, *may* have had some influence on it. The Baptist doctrine at that time, followed very closely the teachings of the Bible at Ephesians 5:22-24. The Methodist doctrine at that time, followed more along the lines of tradition and contemporary reasoning. I believe that if I took the time to search this issue of the Court Clerk's denomination, I could show a preponderance of the evidence to back this opinion up. 4. Since you are searching for a circa 1850s marriage record, what I am now suggesting, won't apply. If you cannot find a marriage record from 1865 to 1968 in Houston County, it may have been *filed* in the Colored Marriage Record Books. Last year, I abstracted about 8,000 Houston County Marriage Records. And, since I am very familiar with the families of this county, I recognized that *several* of the White Marriage Records were *mistakenly* filed in the Colored Record Books. Other Georgia counties had started to record their Colored Marriage Records prior to the Civil War. But, in Houston County, they didn't do it until they were *instructed* to do so, AFTER the Civil War. The first Colored Marriage was recorded in April 1865. You should see how *fancy* the handwriting is on these Marriage Records. I can just picture the Court Clerk being *overseen* by a Federal Marshal during the time period right after the Civil War. If you may think that your ancestors' Marriage Record may have been *mistakenly* filed in with the Colored Marriage Records, you will have to go to the Houston County courthouse to do your research. That is where the only extant Record Books are located. And, those Record Books can be a "jambled-up mess" to look through. The Colored Marriages of Houston County have NEVER been microfilmed. And, from 1865 to 1900, there were about 3 times as many Colored Marriages as there were White Marriages in Houston county. At least it *appears* as such. As I mentioned, I abstracted about 8,000 Colored Marriage Records last year. I was originally going to publish these records, but decided to put it on hold. I started to enter this info into a database, but then got "side-lined" on another project. If I were to be asked to find a particular marriage record in those abstracts, it could take a few hours to sort thru them. This is because the Colored Marriage Records are not in any *particular* chronological order after about 1870. I've seen 1870 and 1885 records on the same page. When the Court Clerk glued the Colored Marriage Records into the Record Books, he must have "shuffled them up like cards" first. This caused me great confusion, and I almost overlooked a *complete record book* in the process. I *thought* I had finished abstracting the 1865 to 1900 Colored Marriage Records, and was then proceeding to repair and organize all of the old Record Books in the Probate Court. You should have seen the look on my face when I dug out *another* Colored Marriage Record book from behind a bottom shelf of the courthouse. And, it had about 2,000 more names in it! Most of the Colored Marriage Record Books were not originally numbered or lettered prior to last year. So, with the proper permission, I *designated* the first Record Book as "A", and then proceeded forward. However, when I reached Record Book "I" (1921 to 1929), the county had designated the next Record Book (1929 to 1941) as "O". In other words, there are NO "J, K, L, M, & N" Colored Marriage Record Books in Houston County. And, when you get up to Book "Q" (1965 to 1968), don't go looking for Book "R", because the Colored Marriage Records then become mixed in with the White Marriage Records in Record Book # 4. From then on, you can make "heads or tails" out of it, all the way up to the present time. I feel that it is absolutely necessary to include all of the above info about the Colored Marriage Records of Houston County, GA. There may be various reasons as to why so many of the White Marriages were *mixed* in with the Colored Marriage Record Books, but I think that you can "read between the lines". 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 Sun, 2 Apr 2000 18:27:57 +1000 "Gaila & Jim Merrington" <[email protected]> writes: HI Sandra and I have one marriage that we can't believe didn't get filed. It was likely Tempie Howard's father married her as Michael Howard was a JP and married several other of his relatives, including his sons. We are sure they were married because they feature in church records after that time, in Houston Co. I feel if they hadn't married they would have been shunned. Is this marriage certificate likely to have been a loose paper not filed or pehaps just missed when they did the Marriage books. It was likely this marriage was prior to 1868. I guess we are lucky that we have found so many of the other dates and information. Billy, Thanks for the information, Gaila -------original message------ <snip> .... >> Prior to the GA Code of around 1868, most GA counties kept their marriage records in no particular uniform arrangement. However, after 1868 and the Reconstruction Period, things started to fit a particular pattern of order. Starting in the early 1900s, there was a detailed marriage application to fill out prior to marriage. This gave the names of the parents, where they were born, how old they were, etc. These records are locked in a long storage room in the basement of the courthouse. << ________________________________________________________________ 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.

HI Sandra and I have one marriage that we can't believe didn't get filed. It was likely Tempie Howard's father married her as Michael Howard was a JP and married several other of his relatives, including his sons. We are sure they were married because they feature in church records after that time, in Houston Co. I feel if they hadn't married they would have been shunned. Is this marriage certificate likely to have been a loose paper not filed or pehaps just missed when they did the Marriage books. It was likely this marriage was prior to 1868. I guess we are lucky that we have found so many of the other dates and information. Billy, Thanks for the information, Gaila snip Prior to the GA Code of around 1868, most GA counties kept their marriage records in no particular uniform arrangement. However, after 1868 and the Reconstruction Period, things started to fit a particular pattern of order. Starting in the early 1900s, there was a detailed marriage application to fill out prior to marriage. This gave the names of the parents, where they were born, how old they were, etc. These records are locked in a long storage room in the basement of the courthouse.

Houston County Researchers: There are usually 2 dates on a Houston Co., GA marriage license: one for the date of the application, and another for the date that the marriage was performed. You can usually tell if a minister or a Justice of the Peace performed the marriage also. Prior to the GA Code of around 1868, most GA counties kept their marriage records in no particular uniform arrangement. However, after 1868 and the Reconstruction Period, things started to fit a particular pattern of order. Starting in the early 1900s, there was a detailed marriage application to fill out prior to marriage. This gave the names of the parents, where they were born, how old they were, etc. These records are locked in a long storage room in the basement of the courthouse. For those who have the Houston Co., GA Marriage Record series of books which were published by the CGGS, you can take a *look* at what information was on some of the marriage licenses. Mr. Henry made a photocopy of some of those licenses, and included them in his books. _______________________________________ William A. Mills Perry, GA [email protected] Houston Co., GA Publications & Research Webpage: http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/Forum/8795 ===================>>> On Sat, 1 Apr 2000 09:22:54 -0800 "Sandra and Wayne Riner" <[email protected]> writes: Is there more information on the marriage lincence then just the date and people`s names, and who married them. does anyone know?? thanks Sandra ________________________________________________________________ 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.

Thanks Shirley what about Houston Co do you know if it gives any other info. thanks Sandra Subject: Re: [GAHOUSTO] marriages >The information on a marriage license varies from county to county. >Sometimes there will be the name of a parent if the groom is too young. Also >one county in AL has the ages of the couple penciled in on the certificate. >This same county gives where the couple was married, i.e. at the home of...., >as well as the ages. But primarily it only gives the information that you >mention. > >Shirley

Is there more information on the marriage lincence then just the date and people`s names, and who married them. does anyone know?? thanks Sandra

What an interesting Houston Co. Digest! Mr. Mills is doing Houston Co. and it's descendants an invaluable favor. Thank you from someone who lives outside of Georgia. Peggy Smith Ratliff

The information on a marriage license varies from county to county. Sometimes there will be the name of a parent if the groom is too young. Also one county in AL has the ages of the couple penciled in on the certificate. This same county gives where the couple was married, i.e. at the home of...., as well as the ages. But primarily it only gives the information that you mention. Shirley

hurry and finish that book, want to finish this story...lol Robbie

wow, this is very very interesting. Let us know when we can get a copy!!!please. Robbie Porter

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 2: The first court house was built by James H. Killen (brother of the late Judge John Killen, and uncle of Col. S. D. Killen, W. F. Killen, T. M. Killen, and G. W. Killen) in 1824 and 1825, on the site of the present one. Being a substantial, well-proportioned frame building, two stories high, with cornice, doors ornamented, glazed and painted, it was for the times, unique, and its appearance imposing. Indeed, it was better finished and made a better appearance than the one that has taken its place. Its interior arrangements were better, also. The whole of the first floor was occupied by the bar, lobby, and staircase with closets, the former being separated by two large, round pillars near the center, supporting the upper floor, with pickets extending right and left to doors or gates near the wall on either side. The bar occupied the north half; the staircases in the lobby extended half-way up the sides from the east and west doors, and across the south end, meeting at the entrance of a hall on the second floor, on each side of which were the Petit Jury rooms, and at the end, that of the Grand Jury; the latter covering nearly half of the upper floor. The lumber used in the construction of this house, was part hewed and part sawed; the latter with a whip saw. We never saw such a saw, and can give no description of it. The old jail (builder unknown) was located about seventy-five or one hundred yards east of the present one, which was built by Judge Killen. Its walls were of heavy hewn timbers, notched or dove-tailed, weatherboarded and painted by a Mr. Barr who, it is said, did the iron work, and was killed by falling from an upper window of the court house and striking the steps below. The first convict from the county was an elderly man; his offense, larceny. Dejected and alone in his cell, he was truly an object of pity. One bright, beautiful day, the sheriff brought a number of females to town, under arrest. Quite a crowd accompanied the sheriff's posse and the prisoners to the jail, and the excitement, which was increased by the rage and resistance of the prisoners, became intense when they were forced through the doors and locked in. All soon became quiet, however. At another time, a bevy of beautiful girls visiting the jail, were locked in by a mischievous boy, and the whole community was excited and alarmed by their screams, which continued until they were released. These incidents fixed our dislike for this repulsive but necessary place, when a boy. Judge, prisoners, boxes, state prisons and the gallows would associate themselves with thought and sight of it, and now that we are getting old, that dislike extending to its dismal successor, does not in the least abate. Jails and prisons, however, are necessary, and must and will exist as long as there are violators of the law. ~~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.

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 1: With the exception of a short time that he resided in the city of Macon, Perry has been the home of the writer since the twenty-eighth day of September 1826, and he proposes to recall some reminiscences of the early days of Houston. The place was named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, and was made the capital of Houston County, which was named in honor of John Houstoun, one of the first Governors of Georgia. Perry was settled in 1823. The original survey or plan of the town embraced one square of land only. It is said that the site was selected by the Commissioners chiefly for two reasons, namely that it was level, and that the Big Indian was or would be navigable. Without any knowledge of those constituting the Board of Commissioners or their opportunities for ascertaining whether the site was level or not, we discredit the first, and if the latter reason influenced them at all, they certainly thought of some smaller craft than steam, pole or sail boats. In 1826, there were not exceeding twenty houses in the place, all of which except the court house, academy and three others were built of round poles and hewed logs covered and sealed with boards or chinked with clay, and having stick and dirt chimneys. Perry was literally in the woods. Paths and roads, instead of streets and side walks crossing at right angles, led through thickets of tall pines, waving saplings and undergrowth of red oak, from house to house and across the embryo town. Big Indian Creek and Fanny Gresham Branch, at low water and within their banks, skirted with an almost impenetrable marsh and swamp, thickly covered with bamboo, cane, hazel and other swamp growth from the streams to the foot of the hills on either side, were narrow and deep. The former has been made shallow and wider, and in several places, forced from its original bed by washes from the neighboring cleared hillsides. Fanny Gresham Branch, which originally washed the eastern side of its swamp, has since been forced to and now runs along its western side, and through and over heavy sand washed from the town, and now empties into the creek nearly one hundred yards above their original confluence. The first crossings, which were by fords and corduroy roads, were often unpleasant and difficult, and sometimes impassable. That over Big Indian was below the present crossing and on a line with Main Street. Fish in these streams were abundant and large. I remember that a couple of citizens, after a half-day's fishing in the creek near town, brought home the fish they had caught, strung on a pole about as long as a fence rail and carried on their shoulders. Among the fish were several trout weighing ten or twelve pounds. Wild game in and around the town was also abundant. As late as 1833, the writer saw squirrels killed between the court house and where the Methodist Church now stands. He saw 127 blackbirds killed at one shot, just in front of Dr. Havis's residence. This was done by Augustus Russell, with Uncle Theodore Guerry's single-barreled shotgun, familiarly known as "Sweet-lips". Gus said he put half a teacup full of mustard seed shot in, and very likely, for it was well-known that the gun would carry that quantity; and on this occasion, its back-action kicked Russell heels over head. Who did carry that gun to the Creek Indian War? In those days, large plantations were not known, and the surrounding country was dotted with small settlements or farms, from which were daily sent to town: potatoes, meal, hominy, corn, pork, butter, eggs, poultry, venison, fruit, etc., which were sold or bartered at prices within the reach of all. For several years, the writer saw no cotton except in very small patches, and used to protect eggs brought to market in baskets and boxes, or by the ladies young and old, who were familiar with the card, spinning wheel, reel, loom and shuttle. The cotton seeds first introduced into Houston, in regular order, and used until about the year 1840 were: the Green, Mexican or White, Petit Gulf, Texan Bur, Royal Gulf, Hickory Nut and Okra. The recollection of the plain manners and domestic habits of the people who were happier than we are; the abundance of supplies and their superiority to those we are now forced to use, compel us to denominate those the "good old times", and often we find ourselves desiring their return, or that we could lapse back to them. ~~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.

Deeds of Houston Co., GA: Part 2. When performing Deed research on property in Houston County, GA, the main thing that you will be tracing, is the "legal description" of the property. If you don't know which Land Lot and Land District that your property is located in, you will need to know which road it is near in the county. There are several aerial maps located in the Tax Assessors Office, which will allow you to find which Land Lot that you are looking for. These maps are already on-line at: http://www.assessors.houstoncountyga.org Suppose you are trying to trace a certain parcel of land from the present, all the way back to when it was first drawn from the Land Lottery. You may have various reasons for doing this, among which may be a Title Search. In the State of Georgia, Title Abstracters who perform Title Searches, and then provide this data for attorneys to compile an Abstract of Title, only trace back 50 years. Genealogists sometimes trace property ownership from the present to the past, for reasons of finding the location or *mention* of a cemetery that may no longer appear to be in existence. The first place that you will attempt either of the above types of research, is the Tax Assessors Office. This office is currently located in the Houston County courthouse in Perry, GA on the basement floor level. Currently, you would need to actually visit this office to obtain copies of the Building Record cards to start your research. But, in the near future, these records will be available on-line. You will start your research with the "Building Record". Regardless if there is a building on the property or not, this is the name of the record card. These Building Record cards are located in several metal filing cabinets, and organized according to the Tax Map numbers. Once you determine which Land Lot your particular property is located in, the various Tax Maps will show the property in greater detail. One side of the Building Record contains a partial history of the ownership of the property, for about 50 years, in most cases. The other side of the Building Record contains a floorplan of the home, if there is or was one there in the past 50 years. There is also other data that shows the history of the valuation of the property, as well as if it's value is increasing, decreasing, or static. Genealogists are most concerned with the front of the Building Record because it gives the Deed Books & page numbers, as well as the Plat Books & page numbers. And, you can actually decipher how much the property sold for each time it changed ownership. For example, if the intangible tax is for $3.30, then the property sold for $33,000. The actual Deed may show that the property was sold for "Ten Dollars and other valuable consideration", but this Building Record card has the *real* story on it. If you are searching for a cemetery on a particular piece of property, you will need to check each Deed Book that is listed on the Building Record. Once you get back to the earliest Deed Book mentioned on the Building Record, you will need to finish the *digging* one Deed Book at a time. Sometimes the Deeds are tied together by mentioning the previous owner *and* the Deed Book references. This can save you a lot of time during your Deed searches. If you cannot establish a connection of Deed Book references in your search, it will be necessary to trace the last found owner (Grantee) of the property, and find who he purchased the property from (Grantor). This type of research is performed by going back in time, one Deed Book at a time, and sorting thru the Grantor & Grantee index located at the front of each Deed Book. Occasionally, you will wind up completely lost. If this is the case, you can start your search from the first lucky drawer of the Land Lottery, and carry it forward. However, this could cause some problems if the land has been divided into smaller sections during the early years. In all of my years of Deed research, I have only run across a few properties that I couldn't trace from the present, all the way back to the beginning of the county in 1821. In the basement of the Houston County courthouse, in the same room as the early Deed Books are located, there is a listing of the original lucky drawers of the Land Lottery for Houston County, Georgia. This listing is a photocopy made from the orginal Land Lottery records. It is divided by Land District and Land Lot. I've utilized this listing on several occasions, and it can be very helpful in your research of land records in Houston County. If you don't live near the Houston County courthouse, you can still perform much of your Deed research via LDS Microfilms of the records. There are a considerable amount of microfilms that contain only Deeds and other Land Records. If you haven't already checked it out, there is a detailed listing of these LDS Microfilms, which is currently near the bottom of the Houston County webpage at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~gahousto As I had mentioned in Part 1 of this article about Deeds, the Central Georgia Genealogical Society (CGGS) has published the 1821 to 1840 Houston County, GA Land Record series. There are 5 books in all, and they are extremely helpful in performing the early research of Land Records in Houston County, GA. If your local genealogy library doesn't have these books, infomation about this series of books can be obtained at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~gacggs The books are listed under the Resources portion of this webpage. _______________________________________ 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.

"The Seeds We Plant" (from the "Sunday Afternoon Rocking" Series) Afternoon All, Not long ago a young cousin wrote to me, telling me of the trip she made to what was once our family's old homeplace...to gather daffodils to plant in her yard. Our homeplace, taken for LBL (Land Between the Lakes) is no more, and what once existed as a thriving community of simple farmers is now a wilderness haven for wildlife. Only the flowers that annually spring bravely up in spite of a lack of attendance, are evidence now that this land was once other than what it is. They wave like brave flags each spring, and those who can remember (which are growing fewer each year) point to them and say there is where the old Dennis place stood, or the old Jackson, or whatever family made their home there for so long. And so...when this cousin told me of gathering some of the flowers her great grandmother planted, I was thrilled. She of all of us who are descendents, lives in a place that will more than likely be a permanent home for all of her life. She will take them home to her place on a hill, and she will plant them. And in my mind's eye, I see her children, a bit older, standing beside her as she points and tells them where those flowers came from, and who first planted them. They will ask questions, and this will be her threshhold for telling them of our family story. And someday....perhaps...one of her own children will either make a home where she does now, or will come to gather the flowers...and plant them in their own yard, to tell the story to yet another generation. More than just flowers, more than heart wrenching flags signaling where a family once lived for generations, they have become beacons...invitations to a discovery of the legacy that family left and the history that preceeded the family of today. And I wonder, thinking on those flowers, how many of us have such beacons...such invitations all around us? Perhaps they are not flowers at all.... perhaps it is a quilt, a stone crock, a treadle sewing machine, a cross-cut saw....or something as simple and innocuous as a ancient "button box" or a hammer...as simple as a scrap of a tattered hankerchief, a chipped cup, or a calendar long out of date. But whatever those things are, they have been kept, they have been treasured....for someone they bring back memories...and stories. And all of them are as clearly "invitations" as if they had gilt edging and RSVP written upon them. Perhaps you have these things scattered about your house, hanging on walls, displayed on shelves...and if the questions are asked, you are more than ready to answer them. Perhaps you have them wrapped carefully and tucked gently away in a box, in a trunk, bringing them out sometimes only to remember....or only to show to someone very special who will appreciate what it is you are showing them. Again, as I have so many times, I encourage you to attach the stories to the objects...lest at some point, all who remember why they are meaningful are gone... and the simple objects no longer serve as the invitation they are meant to be. And of course, without an invitation, how can anyone respond to an RSVP? Treasures can't leave with us, and those things we hold so dear to our heart must be passed on to be treasures at all. That, I have often thought, is the beauty of "matters of the heart" over material riches.....sharing is all that makes them treasures at all... Today take a look at your "daffodils", those things you have kept that in actuality are beacons...invitations to the past....and share your garden with another of your family, make sure the stories survive to lend color and beauty to the gardens that will come from those yet unborn. just a thought, jan c2000janPhilpot ________________________________________________ (Note: Afternoon Rocking messages are meant to be passed on, meant to be shared...simply share as written without alterations...and in entirety. Thanks, jan) Sunday Afternoon Rocking columns are distributed weekly on the list Sunday Rocking. This is not a "reply to" list, and normally only one message per week will come across it, that being the column. To subscribe send email to: [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.

Deeds of Houston Co., GA: Part 1. The CGGS has published 5 volumes of Deed Abstracts from the beginning of the county in 1821, up to 1840. If you are researching your ancestors in this time period, these books can save you a lot of time. Most of the major genealogy libraries have these books, and they are also available thru the CGGS. Davine V. Campbell & the late William R. Henry have provided a valuable asset for Houston County researchers by compiling these excellent books. Any county that is considering abstracting and publishing the Land Records for their county, would do well to emulate the first-class research that these 5 books contain. Houston County Deed indexes are some of the worst in the State of Georgia. What I am referring to, are the 4 books which index the Deeds from 1821 to 1943. You start out with the surname's first and second letter, and then proceed in running circles between all 4 books. It is much easier to just get familiar with which years are in each of the books, and check the Grantor & Grantee Index at the front of each Deed Book. Another *fun* thing about the Deed Books, is that they are located in 3 different rooms at the courthouse. The 1821 to 1943 Deeds are located in a back room in the Law Library in the basement of the building. The 1944 to 1966 Deeds are located on the first floor towards the south side of the building. The 1967 to current Deeds are located on the first floor towards the north side of the building. Of course, if you are doing your research via microfilm, you don't really care where the originals are at. Deeds can contain many important genealogical clues, but basically they all contain the following: Grantor: The Seller of the property. Grantee: The Buyer of the property. Legal Description: The Land Lot, Land District, and Town Lot Numbers if applicable. A full Land Lot is 202 1/2 acres in Houston County. There is other data such as: the county where the transaction took place, the names of the witnesses to the transaction, the names of the adjoining neighbors to the property, etc. The first time that a person moved to Houston County in the early years, and then purchased property, it wasn't unusual to have him listed as: John "Twiggs County" Smith. Land Records are not the only thing that you will find listed in the Deed Books of Houston County. In the early years, especially prior to 1830, you could find just about anything in the books, such as: Wills, Sales Receipts, Slave Records, Divorce Papers, etc. If you suspect that a family cemetery may have been located on property that your ancestors owned during the 1800s, the Deeds may make mention of this. However, I have never seen a cemetery mentioned in a Houston County Deed until the early 1900s. It would say something like: "The old Elijah Johnson homeplace, containing 202 1/2 acres, except for a one acre graveyard, and 1/2 acre graveyard for negroes." As time edged closer to our current day, references to old cemeteries weren't *mentioned* in Deeds, as they are considered to be "clouds on titles". They legally encumber property, and banks don't *like* the mention of them. If you are fortunate, you may find a plat of your ancestor's property in a Deed Book, but that is rare during the 1800s. There are a considerable amount of early plats recorded in the Homestead Exemption Record Books, but it was about 1913 before Houston County started to record the plats in Plat Books. These Plat Books are *huge*, and are set on large metal rolling shelves on the first floor of the courthouse. They have been microfilmed, but the only copy that I have seen is at the courthouse, and that is only for photocopying purposes. The Deeds from about 1913 to the present, will mention the Plat Book and page number where the plat is recorded. ~~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.

Thanks to lots of help, this is what I think happened: Dr. James C. Johnson married Mattie Holleman in Nov. 1860. Evidently she died soon after, because then he remarried Ann Eliza Reynolds in Oct. 1862. Ann Eliza was the daughter of James and Sarah Paul Reynolds, who are on the Jones County census in 1850, with Ann E., age 2. Mrs. Sarah Reynolds married John J. Allen in June 1853 in Bibb County, and he was appointed guardian of her daughter Ann Eliza in Houston County about the same time. They had a daughter named Georgia about 1855, and I don't know if they had any other children or not. There was a John J. Allen who was a Confederate soldier from Bibb County, but there is no record of a Georgia pension for him. In 1870, Georgia is on the Bibb County census, but living with the Everett family. She married Edward Coke Pearce in 1871. I would like to thank everyone who helped me put these pieces together. Paula

Paula, I checked the Houston marriage books and there is no J.C. Johnson listed. However, I also checked my Ala, Ga, SC marriage CD 3 and found listed, the following: "Marriage and Deaths So. Christian Advoc. (1797 - 19__) SC Marriag 15:47" Dr. J C Johnson married Mattie R. Holleman. the only date given is 18, it is aligned with the other dates under the century, i.e. 18__ , as 18 hundred blank blank. In the 1860 Houston census where you saw Johnson, J. C., M, 23, b. Ga., Physician, you will notice he is enumerated with a family headed by, Barnet Holoman 43, b. Va who is shown as a rather wealthy farmer. He has a daughter named, Mattie Holoman, age 14. In the 1850 Houston county census in dwelling number 691 is headed by Carlton Welborn, M, 63, farmer, b. Ga. his real estate holdings, $19,500. Enumerated with him is: Barnett Holeman, 33 M, b. Va. R/E $600., (the following are all Holeman) Caroline, 27; William, 10; David, 6; Martha 5 Carlton, 3; Ann, 3months and Martha 18. In other Houston books, an area named Wellborn Mills for William Wellborn later known as Feagin Settlement, shows one of the citizens as Barrnett Holleman. Obits are: "Mr. Barnett Hollemon died on Sep. 24, 1889 at the age of 73 years. Internment was at the family burial ground. (one of his daughters was shown to have been buried at the same place which was in Wellborn Mills). "Mrs. C. H. Holleman died on Mar. 19, 1891. She was the widow of Barnett Holleman (deceased) and the daughter of Major Carlton Welborn. She was at the residence of her son-in-law, Dr. J.P. Newman. This should help you and maybe some other researchers who see it. Eddie Keith and Paula Griffin wrote: > I tried to buy a copy of the Houston marriage book, but it is out of > print. Could someone who has it look and tell me if there are any > marriages for a Dr. J. C. Johnson? I need to know who he would have > been married to in 1886. > He is single on the 1860 Houston county census, and 23 years old. > Thanks for your help. > Paula

Thank you, Gaila, Addie and Sandra for looking up Dr. Johnson's marriages for me. I have: Dr. James C. Johnson married Mattie R. Holleman Nov. 25, 1860 (He is living with her family on the 1860 census.) and a James C. Johnson and Ann E. Reynolds on October 9, 1862. (I don't know if this is the same James or not for sure.) I think Ann might be Ann Eliza Reynolds, and I thought she was Georgia's aunt instead of her half-sister. I have a marriage for John J. Allen and Sarah Reynolds on June 3, 1853 in Bibb County. I also have that John J. Allen was appointed a guardian for Ann Eliza Reynolds in 1853 after the death of James Reynolds. I was thinking James Reynolds was Sarah's father, and they appointed John guardian of her sister. Could James have been Sarah's husband? Would her new husband have been appointed guardian of her child instead of her? I have the 1850 and 1860 Houston County census, but I can't find these people on it. I have been told there are no Reynolds on the 1850 census in Bibb County. There is only one on the 1850 census in Crawford County, but no James, Sarah, or Ann. Does anyone have an idea? Paula

I tried to buy a copy of the Houston marriage book, but it is out of print. Could someone who has it look and tell me if there are any marriages for a Dr. J. C. Johnson? I need to know who he would have been married to in 1886. He is single on the 1860 Houston county census, and 23 years old. Thanks for your help. Paula