Dear Researchers, Among the array of undocumented family outlines linking some HODGES in the southeast, perhaps some of the most perplexing are those which involve the John & Tabby "legend" which makes this pair the ancestors of the HODGES families who remained in the Effingham & Screven Cos GA area. PRIMARY EVIDENCE shows that a John HODGES and his wife Tabby did indeed sell 150 acres of land along the north side of the Ogeechee River in Effingham Co GA on 6 Nov 1790; each of the grantors made their mark (as recorded, Tabby's two marks on the instrument both seemed unique, so that if we ever uncover another document which she signed, we should surely know it). That one recorded deed is the ONLY PRIMARY EVIDENCE that proves that John & Tabby were associated in any way with Effingham Co GA and vicinity! We do not know when that particular John HODGES had acquired that land, how he did so (the earliest HODGES grant in St. Matthews Parish/Effingham Co GA was in 1791 to a William HODGES for 200 acres), or when he and Tabby were married (or born). We have no reason to assert that several instances of subsequent PRIMARY EVIDENCE concerning a John HODGES (in each of which the man actually signed his name) has anything to do with the John of John & Tabby -- additionally, that one recorded deed is the ONLY mention made in local records of Tabby -- yet the "legend" persists! One further point about such undocumented family outlines is that in reaching out and claiming NC/VA HODGES antecedents can "create" bigamists with two sets of children, perhaps in widely separated areas -- something must be amiss somewhere. I've added some notes below which allude to some of the issues which cause Southeast GA HODGES confusion. I believe that the William HODGES who was b 1770 and arrived in Tattnall Co GA c 1804 is the same man as the (ii) William HODGES ["Jr"] who originally came to Effingham Co GA (which had been formed in 1777, but in that northern portion which became most of Screven Co GA in 1793), and who has siblings named [the brackets indicate data from elsewhere - - the ?'s indicate that I cannot substantiate the m or date although I have asked for primary evidence from others]: (i) John HODGES [Sr b 1760-1770, whose family remained in Effingham & Screven Cos GA -- this man signed his name in deeds as early as 1802 & 1804], (iii) Nathan HODGES [b 1772?, wife GRAHAM?, who may have followed William HODGES to Tattnall Co GA c 1806, then moved on to Lowndes Co GA], (iv) Esenure HODGES DAMPIER [b 1776?, her husband died in Lowndes Co GA], (v) Samuel HODGES [b 1780-1782 East FL, settled in Screven Co GA then Effingham Co GA after his divorce in 1839], and (vi) Mary HODGES [?may be the one who m Jesse HURST in 1802]. My interpretation of the deed transcribed below is that these six individuals are siblings (I designate this clan as FAMILY TWO)* -- at the time, Samuel HODGES, perhaps the youngest of the siblings, was 20-22 years old. Each of the six siblings signed his or her name, except for Esenure HODGES DAMPIER (her husband represented their interests and he signed) and Nathan HODGES, who made his mark. My research for this family concerns the two siblings (John HODGES Sr and Samuel HODGES) and their descendants who remained in Effingham & Screven Cos GA. "Building up from zero" in logical progression, relying as much as possible on PRIMARY EVIDENCE: Samuel HODGES' will of 1850 (probated 1861 in Effingham Co GA) names his five children by his m1 (Jane BLACK NEALIN HODGES CHARLTON whom he divorced in Screven Co GA), including the youngest, Ambrose HODGES [b c 1820 -- my wife is descended from Ambrose's sister Sarah Jane HODGES SHEPPARD b c 1810]. Deed evidence shows that John HODGES Jr "Jack" [b 1804] was the cousin of Ambrose HODGES and the nephew of Samuel HODGES. Deed evidence shows that John HODGES Sr is the father of most of the eleven siblings (b 1791-1820) named in the Isaac HODGES Bible record%, including Isaac HODGES b 1813 and John HODGES b 1804 [Jr "Jack"]. [Samuel HODGES m2 was the sister of his nephew Isaac HODGES' wife. There are likely other interconnections.] Deed evidence shows that the wife of John HODGES Sr was Sally (nickname for Sarah) in 1804 and Sarah in 1836 (John HODGES Jr "Jack" b 1804 had m the widow Martha HANNAH HENDERSON in 1827 -- she was the gdaughter of Joseph B. COUGHRAN/COHORN, grantee of the 1802 deed). I have learned to refrain from giving out a known theorized surname of Sarah _____ HODGES "Sally," because having done such a thing in the past for my wife's ancestress (Ally _____ ANDERSON), I later found Internet posts that gave her proposed (by someone else) surname as fact; my proposed connection of Harvey SHEPPARD II of Savannah to his family in Screven Co GA appeared as fact, &c. Continuing, my interpretation of the 1802 deed and related records (I present the deed below, the PRIMARY EVIDENCE, for the interpretation of others): I believe that this data implies that the William HODGES of Tattnall Co GA was named for his father (and thus a "Jr") and that the six siblings are children of a William HODGES (Sr) who had d by 1802 [and after 1791], when his heirs sold his land. The numerous subsequent deeds, PRIMARY EVIDENCE, for FAMILY TWO often show witnesses who are LANIERs (in addition to HODGES family members); additionally, the adjacent land owners also are helpful in reinforcing that these individuals were one large, but close, family which lived near the Screven Co GA-Effingham Co GA boundary. Since the John HODGES of these deeds signed his name when grantor or witness, he is NOT the John of John & Tabby. Based on PRIMARY EVIDENCE, I cannot make any conclusions about the connection of this HODGES family (FAMILY TWO) to antecedents in NC and VA. The fact that Samuel HODGES was b in East FL toward the end of the Revolution may imply that the family had Tory leanings (my own HODGES, FAMILY ONE, ancestor of NC then Bulloch Co GA {formed from Screven Co GA in 1796} was a RS, and I have no indication that these two large HODGES clans who remained in the area were connected). Naturally, I welcome any PRIMARY EVIDENCE that would prove, or even imply, connections of FAMILY TWO to earlier HODGES families of SC/NC/VA. I do not know if the other HODGES who left records in Effingham and Screven Cos GA were related to either FAMILY ONE or FAMILY TWO. A 1779 Granville District SC will for Elias HODGES (wife Mary, brother Robert, cousin Drury, probated 1800 in Effingham Co GA) yields a FAMILY THREE. Incidentally, for the 1819 horse thief case in Chatham Co GA (Savannah, just south of Effingham Co GA) of John HODGES age 22 (too young to be our John HODGES Sr and a few years too old to be our John HODGES Jr "Jack") who served five years, I found a part of the Chatham Co GA Superior Court records, and the witness for the case (and that of Thomas JONES who also convicted at the same time of horse thievery) was an Elias HODGES! The nearby Liberty Co GA HODGES warrant investigation as to whether they are connected to FAMILIES ONE, TWO or THREE. Deeds in 1809 by a William HODGES of nearby Beaufort District SC with matters in the northern portion of Screven Co GA (which had been part of Burke Co GA until 1793) do not necessarily relate to other HODGES in the area. Finally, the 1790 Effingham Co GA deed which concerns a John HODGES, with a wife Tabby (both of whom signed by making a mark), does not necessarily relate to other HODGES who remained in the area#. A hallmark of the "inherited," but undocumented HODGES genealogies is the occurrence of middle names for individuals for whom we can find no PRIMARY EVIDENCE to support those middle names.$ That Samuel HODGES' eldest son (Phillip HODGES b c 1805) was in LA by 1827 to be married to a local (Amite MS/St. Helena LA) girl by a J.P. (Robert HODGES) who appears to be part of the family of John HODGES & Ann STANDARD could be a coincidence -- or it could hint at some relationship. And that latter clan, having Elias as a family name, may be related to FAMILY THREE. *Note: A huge problem for HODGES researchers, as well as less inquiring collectors of genealogical data, today is our "inherited" genealogies. I have attempted to "build up from zero," so to speak, so as to differentiate between what is proved, or at least implied, by PRIMARY EVIDENCE, and what comes from secondary sources. For example, where in PRIMARY records do we find a middle name for the William HODGES of Tattnall Co GA? Some inherited HODGES genealogies for FAMILY TWO give middle names for several early folks for whom the primary evidence did not hint at even a middle initial. For my wife's Samuel HODGES ancestor, he gets both a middle name and an additional middle initial, when I've not uncovered any PRIMARY EVIDENCE whatsoever -- NO NOT ONE DOCUMENT -- that indicated his name as other than "Samuel HODGES." I strongly recommend caution in accumulating outlines of the William HODGES (Jr?) family -- that requesting the basis for the dates and identifications included. When I've done so, those propagating the information many times have had no substantiation, other than that "I got it from someone else." Data of that type is best not used "as is." I can only use information like that as a guide to find the very records that should have been included, and too often, I've not been able to substantiate the conclusions, and have even found errors. $Note: I do have a theory as to the origin of the Samuel (middle name & middle initial) HODGES confusion. Samuel HODGES d in 1861. His second wife, who d in 1897, and a son, James K. Polk HODGES, who d in 1918, are buried in Little Ogeechee Baptist Church Cemetery, Screven Co GA. IF Samuel HODGES was also buried there, it would have been in 1861, that is, prior to Gen. SHERMAN's troops' desecration of the cemetery in late 1864. IF he was buried there and IF he had a wooden marker, that marker would have been trampled by the troops and their stock, and then burned by local folk in the subsequent fires to rid the cemetery of the numerous carcasses of the stock which the troops had destroyed just before their departure. IF Samuel HODGES is buried there, the family did not erect a post-war monument. In c 1955, the local chapter of the DAR did a survey of the cemetery in which the son's inscription is misread as "James R. HODGES;" the second wife's inscription reads "Margaret A., wife of Samuel HODGES." An entry form submitted to the LDS folks evidently mixed the DAR's faulty inscription and created "Samuel James R. HODGES" as the father of "James R. HODGES;" the LDS folks required no verification of such data -- thus, the earliest known ocurrence of Samuel HODGES having a middle name was c 100 years after he had d, and totally lacks PRIMARY EVIDENCE. %Note: A general difficulty for any family history researcher is the manner of transcription of family Bible records (not to mention interviews). Unlike, say, census schedules or court house documents, many Bible records are not available for viewing as primary sources, allowing for your own reading and interpretation. The transcriptions are technically secondary sources, and such transcriptions are not always clear about what actually appears in the original and what material was inserted by the transcriber (or interviewer). The Isaac HODGES Bible record in particular lists Isaac HODGES' mother in law (nee CRAWFORD) and her siblings. A note inserted (presumably by the transcriber) in the list leads one to believe that Patience CRAWFORD (who in actuality m Luke WILSON) had m John GRAHAM (rather than that her sister Selita CRAWFORD GRAHAM had done so). Incidentally, Isaac HODGES' uncle, Samuel HODGES, m2 Margaret Ann GRAHAM, another daughter of John GRAHAM & Selita CRAWFORD; Margaret already had a natural daughter (b c 1833, the father was James TUTTLE) prior to her m in 1840. #Note: A John HODGES (evidently absent from Putnam Co GA at the time) and his wife Tabitha (??LITTLE??) are involved in a divorce in Putnam Co GA (and in the GA State Legislature) during 1818-1821. In the Putnam Co GA Census of 1820, heads of household included Jesse LITTLE, Kinchin LITTLE, Louis LITTLE, Robert LITTLE, William LITTLE, and Jessee HODGES. That 1790 deed of John-Tabby "conveniently" precedes the 1791 b date of the eldest of the Isaac HODGES Bible Record siblings, leading many in the past to designate them as the parents of those siblings (and leading many to assume that John and Tabby were m in that year as well); Family History Article F173 in The History of Screven County, Georgia (published 1989) further propagates this and other misunderstandings, and was innocently repeated on the HODGES-L mailing list as recently as 5 Nov 2002. I hope that this material will be of some use to serious HODGES researchers, and May God Bless Each of You and Your Families, Bob (John Robert) PEAVY Post Office Box 1519 Rincon GA 31326-1519 jrpv@netzero.net Note: William HODGES 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 5-8-1819 6-27-1912 IRVIN JACKSON 12-25-1824 11-10-1891 PHILLIP POWELL 3-24-1830 8-30-1861;" the first stone 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 and are primary sources! The elder three of the four children of William HODGES' m2 were actually born prior to his actual m2 wedding date of 1827. The GA Legislature changed the surnames of the three from their mother's maiden name of COLSON to HODGES in 1838. _____________________________ Screven Co GA Deed Book L p 299: Georgia. This Indenture, made the fourteenth day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eighteen hundred & two, between John HODGES, William HODGES, Samuel HODGES, Nathan HODGES, Mary HODGES & John DAMPEER of the State & County of Scriven of the one part & Joseph COHORN of the State & County aforesaid planter of the other part. Witnesseth that for & in consideration of the sum of two hundred dollars to them in hand paid by the said Joseph COHORN at or before the sealing & delivery of these presents the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, hath granted, bargained, sold & by these presence doth grant, bargain, sell & confirm unto the said Joseph COHORN his heirs & assigns all that tract or parcel of land containing two hundred acres lying & being in the County and State aforesaid & on the waters of little Ogeechee say reedy branch, & butting & bounding on all sides by vacant land at the time of the Survey thereof, and in the County of Effingham at the time of the survey thereof having such shapes and form as appears by a plat of the same. Together with all & singular the rights, members & appurtenances thereof unto the same belonging or in any wise appertaining, and also all the estate, right, title, interest, claim, & demand of the said John HODGES, William HODGES, Samuel HODGES, Nathan HODGES, Mary HODGES & John DAMPEER aforesaid, of, in, to or out of the same. To have & to Hold the said tract or parcel of land, & all & singular the premises aforesaid, with their & every of their rights, members & appurtenances unto the said Joseph COHORN his heirs & assigns, to their own proper use and behoof forever in fee simple, and the said John HODGES, William HODGES, Samuel HODGES, Nathan HODGES, Mary HODGES & John DAMPEER do by these presents warrant & defend the aforesaid land & premises and every part & parcel thereof to the said premises belonging, unto the said Joseph COHORN his heirs & assigns forever, & against us the said John HODGES, William HODGES, Nathan HODGES, Samuel HODGES, Mary HODGES & John DAMPEER & our heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, claiming, or to claim the land & premises aforesaid from all & every other person or persons claiming or to claim as aforesaid any part or parcel of the above mentioned, premises. In Witness whereof we the said John HODGES, William HODGES, Nathan HODGES, Samuel HODGES, Mary HODGES & John DAMPEER have hereunto set our hands & seals the day & date above mentioned In presence of us Clement LANIER J. I. C., Benjamin LANIER, Sally LANIER Recorded 29th April 1830, Seaborn GOODALL Clk John HODGES LS, William HODGES LS, Samuel HODGES LS, Mary HODGES LS, John DAMPIER LS, Nathan his X mark HODGES LS [Land grants in Effingham Co GA, before Screven Co GA was cut from it in Dec 1793, show 200 acres granted to William HODGES in 1791 (GA Grant Book UUU p 254) which had been surveyed 28 Jan 1789 and for which a warrant had been granted on 4 Dec 1788. John DAMPIER m Esenure HODGE on 5 Oct 1801 in Effingham Co GA. Mary HODGES (may be the lady of this deed) m Jesse HURST on 20 Sep 1802 in Effingham Co GA] _____________________________