Yes, you do find a large group of related family lines who are connected to those families in old Burke and Rutherford Co., NC migrated to many of the northern Georgia counties, Rabun, Towns, Gilmer, Murray, Union, Habersham, White, etc. While there are several reasons for these migrations, as you pointed out, the land lotteries, discovery of gold, removal of the Cherokee in 1835 to Oklahoma, along with population growth, economics, there were a few other reasons which don't get as much historical mention, which appears to have been part of the motivation. This movement began prior to 1830, when you find the first large group of these same families moving into Haywood (the area which became Macon in 1828). You have to take into context that in 1791 Buncombe Co., NC was formed from old Rutherford and part of old Burke Co., NC and covered the whole of what is today western North Carolina. Subsequently this area formed several other western counties, which is the area that abuts North Georgia, and east Tennessee. When Macon Co., NC was formed in 1828 from old Haywood, it was the only county on this western tip of the state - Cherokee wasn't formed until 1839, Jackson 1851, Clay and Transylvania 1861. Without getting into the migration movement from old Burke and Rutherford into Buncombe (and the lands contained in the mentioned later counties) of these connecting families, which was the first wave, with some migration into east Tennessee, KY, Indiana, and Missouri, the second wave of serial migration is the one that produced the movement in north Georgia. You find a concentration of these families first in old Macon Co., NC by 1828 (Haywood prior) with Macon serving as the funnel for the move into those north Georgia counties. It is the typical serial migration pattern with related families, and with this group in western NC, one strong reason was the spread of religion. While the two primary groups of settlers to early Burke and Rutherford Co., NC were the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians and the German speaking Lutherans, the Baptist message was being spread with intensity and the religion took a strong hold in the western region of NC. One of the more charismatic Baptist preachers who gained a strong following was the Rev. Humphrey Posey. He had moved into the area of Rutherford Co., NC by 1789 (the portion of the county which later became McDowell). In October of 1817 the Baptist Board of North Carolina sent Rev. Posey to the Cherokee area of Valley Town to establish a mission to minister to the Cherokee. A large group of Rev. Humphrey Posey's followers in Burke and Rutherford accompanied him to begin the missions of spreading the Baptist faith. By 1825, the Methodist, had also began to move into the same area with their mission message. The Baptist and Methodist had developed a strong rivalry in the attempt to gain converts, although the Baptist continued to be the prominent messenger. When you start unraveling the familial connections between those in those north Georgia counties and old Burke and Rutherford Co., NC, the impact of the connections becomes very pronounced. You find them buried in hundreds of little Baptist, along with a few Methodist and other competing religions, graveyards all through those north Georgia counties. The names inscribed on tombstones, on land deeds, written on censuses. Names of Erwin, McDowell, Mashburn, Garrett, Morgan, Stroud, Hall, Chastain, Burrell, McClure, Cathey, Ownbey, Kimsey, Souther, Noblett, Sellers, Hensley, Jones, Smith, Pendergrass, Painter, Helderman, Raburn, Plott, Burnett, Corn, Carter to name a few. As time progressed, with letters home and visits back and forth, nephews, nieces, cousins, and neighbors packed up and moved also. You later find these same families making progressive serial moves. Some into the adjacent upper Alabama counties which abuts the area in northern Georgia. About 1835 there was a smaller migration of these same connecting family groups into the eastern counties of the Republic of Texas. Around the mid 1840s there was another mini migration to the counties around Yell and Van Buren Co., AR. Later you find some of these families who had migrated from western NC into GA, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas, then move to join their relatives and neighbors who had established themselves in Texas. I find these migrations fascinating.

Your right about the migrations. Many of the families came from Virginia into the Carolinas near the end of the Revolutionary War. Then the first wave went the northern route and the second wave went the southern route. Then came the next wave. At least in several of my families. The Georgia families migrated into Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. And the Northern branches came to Georgia, etc. and settled. and many joined their cousins in the westward movement all the way to the Pacific ocean. Leota ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2004 2:54 PM Subject: Re: [NCBurke] Migration to Georgia > Yes, you do find a large group of related family lines who are connected to > those families in old Burke and Rutherford Co., NC migrated to many of the > northern Georgia counties, Rabun, Towns, Gilmer, Murray, Union, Habersham, White, > etc. > > While there are several reasons for these migrations, as you pointed out, the > land lotteries, discovery of gold, removal of the Cherokee in 1835 to > Oklahoma, along with population growth, economics, there were a few other reasons > which don't get as much historical mention, which appears to have been part of > the motivation. > > This movement began prior to 1830, when you find the first large group of > these same families moving into Haywood (the area which became Macon in 1828). > You have to take into context that in 1791 Buncombe Co., NC was formed from old > Rutherford and part of old Burke Co., NC and covered the whole of what is > today western North Carolina. Subsequently this area formed several other > western counties, which is the area that abuts North Georgia, and east Tennessee. > When Macon Co., NC was formed in 1828 from old Haywood, it was the only county > on this western tip of the state - Cherokee wasn't formed until 1839, Jackson > 1851, Clay and Transylvania 1861. > > Without getting into the migration movement from old Burke and Rutherford > into Buncombe (and the lands contained in the mentioned later counties) of these > connecting families, which was the first wave, with some migration into east > Tennessee, KY, Indiana, and Missouri, the second wave of serial migration is > the one that produced the movement in north Georgia. You find a concentration > of these families first in old Macon Co., NC by 1828 (Haywood prior) with Macon > serving as the funnel for the move into those north Georgia counties. It is > the typical serial migration pattern with related families, and with this group > in western NC, one strong reason was the spread of religion. > > While the two primary groups of settlers to early Burke and Rutherford Co., > NC were the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians and the German speaking Lutherans, the > Baptist message was being spread with intensity and the religion took a strong > hold in the western region of NC. One of the more charismatic Baptist > preachers who gained a strong following was the Rev. Humphrey Posey. He had moved into > the area of Rutherford Co., NC by 1789 (the portion of the county which later > became McDowell). > > In October of 1817 the Baptist Board of North Carolina sent Rev. Posey to the > Cherokee area of Valley Town to establish a mission to minister to the > Cherokee. A large group of Rev. Humphrey Posey's followers in Burke and Rutherford > accompanied him to begin the missions of spreading the Baptist faith. By > 1825, the Methodist, had also began to move into the same area with their mission > message. The Baptist and Methodist had developed a strong rivalry in the > attempt to gain converts, although the Baptist continued to be the prominent > messenger. > > When you start unraveling the familial connections between those in those > north Georgia counties and old Burke and Rutherford Co., NC, the impact of the > connections becomes very pronounced. You find them buried in hundreds of little > Baptist, along with a few Methodist and other competing religions, graveyards > all through those north Georgia counties. The names inscribed on tombstones, > on land deeds, written on censuses. Names of Erwin, McDowell, Mashburn, > Garrett, Morgan, Stroud, Hall, Chastain, Burrell, McClure, Cathey, Ownbey, Kimsey, > Souther, Noblett, Sellers, Hensley, Jones, Smith, Pendergrass, Painter, > Helderman, Raburn, Plott, Burnett, Corn, Carter to name a few. As time progressed, > with letters home and visits back and forth, nephews, nieces, cousins, and > neighbors packed up and moved also. > > You later find these same families making progressive serial moves. Some into > the adjacent upper Alabama counties which abuts the area in northern Georgia. > About 1835 there was a smaller migration of these same connecting family > groups into the eastern counties of the Republic of Texas. Around the mid 1840s > there was another mini migration to the counties around Yell and Van Buren Co., > AR. Later you find some of these families who had migrated from western NC > into GA, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas, then move to join their relatives > and neighbors who had established themselves in Texas. > > I find these migrations fascinating. > > > > ==== NCBURKE Mailing List ==== > NCBURKE-L [Co., NC] Mailing List - Sharing information on Historic Burke Co., NC > For further info, see http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncburke/ > Our thanks to RootsWeb.com for hosting this list and web page >