Milton

Old Milton County Genealogy, Wills, Estates, Legal Advertising (now Fulton County)

Old Milton County no longer exists. It is located in North Fulton County which was created in 1853. In 1857 Milton County (now Fulton County) included parts of Cherokee, Forsyth, and Cobb Counties. Milton was named for John Milton, Georgia’s first Secretary of State, and was located north of the Chattahoochee River (now Fulton County). Fulton was named for Robert Fulton, the famous inventor who experimented with a submarine boat in 1801 in France and built theĀ Clermont, a steamboat that sailed up the Hudson River in 1807. During the Revolutionary War, Milton traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, and New Bern, North Carolina before moving to Maryland with the official records of the state while Georgia was occupied by the English. Campbell and Milton County merged with Fulton on January 1, 1932. At this time Roswell was ceded from Cobb County. Research in Fulton and Campbell Counties should be done with Milton, as they were once altogether. Early Settlers: Morgan Fields, Robert Martin, John Nix, Hiram Taylor, and Dabner Yancey.

Videos that will help you find your ancestors. Topics include Genealogy Tips, Emigrants to America, Historical Events & People, etc. Free

Wills
  • Wills 1865-1882 (abstracts)
Images of Wills, 1865 to 1882

Testators: Bennett, D. W.;Binion, Job;Brown, Francis;Chamblee, Elisha;Crosby, Gardner;Dildy, Levi;Fields, Morgan;Hook, Jacob; Johnston, John G.;Land, Nancy;Lee, James;Martin, Robert;Maxwell, Jeremiah;Nesbit, W. H.;Newton, N. G.;Nix, John;Reavis, John; Rogers, William;Scales, Jesse;Taylor, Hiram;Yancy, Dabney

Indexes to Probate Records
  • Will Book A 1865-1882.
  • Will Book B 1879-1928.
  • Legal Advertising 1868-1873.

A Trip to Nowhere is Somewhere

Today, rural communities appear to be sinking into oblivion, especially as old houses and barns are torn down to be made ready for modernization. Every time one of these homes perishes, the past seems to disappear. After all, plows no longer do their job with horses, and old farm equipment rusts inside dilapidated barns and sheds. It is a past that no one wants anymore, one of the dusty roads and dilapidated communities. A less glamorous society is too slow for us today. And this is exactly how too many people think of old records. Yet, the old records describe societies that built communities, and then those communities built towns and cities. The first several will books in Savannah consist of wills having at least 50 pages each! These documents inventory an incredible lifestyle of agriculture and commerce. How they built brick chimneys and sidewalks and beautiful homes which hosted friends and relatives and which are the envy of visitors today. Georgia was a religious colony and slaves were not permitted until after the charter was surrendered to King George (1752). Thus, agriculture and industry were constructed by immigrants from the wilderness into thriving communities using white indentured servants. The cost was borne by the immigrant landowners. There were lazy people who did little work, however, most of them had run away to Charleston by 1743. By the time of the American Revolution, a great society had been carved in Savannah. Imports from England were costly and usually involved tariffs and restrictions. In other words, it cost more to build a home in America than in England. Lead windows, plank boards, bricks, and even nails were costly commodities. Those who had sacrificed so much to build a life in this wilderness were ready to protect their hard-work from punishing tariffs and trade restrictions. It was a question of freedom.