Grandfather Jessie was born in Bulloch County GA in 1793. His parents were Abraham and Mercy(Martin) Gieger of Bryan County, GA. He is the elder of about 15 siblings which have been identified; Tobitha was the daughter of James Martin of Bryan County, GA who was the brother of his mother Mercy(James was Jessie's maternal uncle). Both were children of German Baptist Minister John A. Martin of Bryan County(Bryan, Bulloch, and Effingham Counties were being formed during that timeframe so you have to look in the records of all three to find things.) which makes Jessie and Tobitha first-cousins. Jessie had no sister named Martha - at least none that we have identified. Zachariah was born in Bulloch County GA in 1814 and they migrated to MS Territory in 1814-15, before statehood. It is believed that they came in the company of Richard Welch who received a Passport to cross Indian Lands from the Governor of GA, about 1809. Richard was the father of Bryant Welch who married Tobitha's sister Sabra(Sarah/Sally) Martin. Richard, Bryant, and Sabra are also buried in Southern MS and the Welch's of Covington County descend from these Welch's. Two of Zachariah's children are married to their Welch cousins. Jessie's grandfather Abraham was born in SC about 1761. As a child, he migrated to GA with his father Hans Ulrich Gyger in 1767, where they settled on the southwest side of the Great Ogeechee River, part of which is presently located on the Ft. Stewart Military Reservation. Their land grant began at the Flat Ford and went up stream, encompassing 300 acres(which later turned out to be about 380 acres). I have much data to support this information, some of which I have already posted to Rootsweb, and more will be posted in coming months, since I have just now gotten my PC fixed and am back on line... >From: "Richard Johnston" <rjohn@bayou.com> >To: "Gerald Gieger" <giegerg@hotmail.com> >Subject: Re: Dikes >Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2005 20:07:16 -0600 > >Hello, > >Thank you for such a prompt reply. Maybe if we just kicked the info >about we could make some sense of it. > >Benjamin Dikes(Dykes), I believe was in SC in 1840s. I know that >Geigers, Jessie was in Covington county, Ms in 1840. Now I think I >remember that the Geigers came from SC also. Now I know some say GA but >I think that was in route to Ms. Benjamin was married to another lady. >I will have to look this up. They had several children and Benjamin F >Jr was my GGrandfather. My Grandmother being his daughter Frances >Melvina Dykes. His wife must have died and he married Martha(don't know >if this occured after arriving in Ms or was in SC before they left. > >I have thought, that Benjamin died prior to 1860 in Jasper County(fairly >near Covington County). Maybe Martha and Eleanor then joined her >Brother???Jessie and Tabathia Geiger and and died there. Do you have in >info on Jessie's siblings. Maybe way back in the Carolinas. I suspect >that since Martha was probably 45-50 years old when she married that >Martha was not her mom except from a previous marriage. Benjamin could >have adopted her and she took the Dikes name. However when they >probably came to Covington County Eleanor may have been single. Now she >could have been just a baby girl that Martha took as her own and she >married Zacharias Geiger. Now if she was blood kin to Martha and Martha >was Jessie's sister, not likely she would have married Jessie's son. >Now if she was not Jessie's sister and just a cousin, that happened a >lot. > >Tell me what you know about Jessie, (Father, Mother siblings etc). > >This info is always a little theoretical because of the unknons. > >Thank you, Maybe we will both benefit. > >Richard Johnston > >