Georgia Genealogy & History

www.georgiapioneers.com Volume No. 1 Issue No.6 September 2005

Research Tips

Jeannette Holland Austin

Church Records.

Henry VIII, after his dispute with the Pope, established the Church of England in 1558. This precipitated his

ordering his archbishop to require the priests (Episcopal) to keep a record of baptisms, marriages and burials. So, in 1558 all the parishes in England began keeping their records.

This is why we rarely find earlier dates in the christening records in England. By 1598 the bishop of each diocese, in England, was required to receive copies of records, where we find dates

of baptisms (christenings), not births. According to the Episcopal creed, baptism occurred quickly after the birth, usually within a few days thereof. The Church of England only kept records for members.

Non‑conformists kept their own records, and this is why George Fox began keeping the Quaker records about 1658.

The difference is that the Quaker records recorded births, while Episcopalians recorded baptisms. Parish registers all over England have been microfilmed and are available in Family History Centers. They are on computer, and easy to access. One merely types in a name and approximate year.

After the American Revolution, the Church of England was established in the American Colonies, and there were colonial records were kept. Before churches were organized in America, preachers traveled the countryside on horseback, preaching, baptizing infants, performing marriage ceremonies and performing the last rites.

The Methodists called such ministers "Circuit Riders"; Baptists called them "Gospel Rangers". They kept records of their missions in little books inside saddle bags. An itinerant minister named Draper traveled throughout Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky and Southern Illinois, and wrote his interviews in his notebooks which became the property of the Wisconsin Historical Society at Madison.

As different States required the filing of marriages at the court house, Ministers, like Draper, kept private records,

and did not always file marriages, for example, with the county.

“Wild Heron”

Plantation in Chatham County

Francis Harris came to Georgia with Oglethorpe. An old colonial deed reveals that his brother was William Harris (died 1737) who left a widow in Frederica, Anna Coles Harris with a young son to raise. Anna ultimately became a very successful businesswoman.

Harris resided in Savannah, where he practised law. It is said that Francis went back to England and married Elizabeth, a rich widow. She was the one who named the plantation after an ancestral English estate.

For 100 years, the plantation Negroes slurred the name to “Wild Hern” . When it was purchased by Mrs. Myrick, she found the original name and renamed it “Wild Heron”. The tall palm tree to the right of the house was planted in 1780 by Mrs. Elizabeth Harris.

Ft. Morris Cannon

From Sunbury....in front of court house in Hinesville

“This small cannon was a part of the armament of historic Fort Morris at Sunbury during the American Revolution. In November, 1778, a superior British force from Florida under Colonel Fuser of the 60^th Regiment besieged the Fort. To the ultimatum to surrender the American Commander, Colonel John McIntosh, sent back the laconic reply: COME AND TAKE IT. The enemy thereupon abandoned the siege and retired southward. In January , 1779, the British returned to Sunbury by water. Fort Morris was then under the command of Major Joseph Lane of the Continental army. Ordered by his superiors to evacuate Sunbury following the fall of Savannah, Lane found reasons to disobey and undertook to defend the post against the overwhelming British force under General Augustin Prevost. After a short but heavy bombardment the Fort surrendered on January 9, 1779, with its garrison of 149 Continentals and 45 militia.

This cannon, which was excavated at the site of the ruins of the famous Revolutionary fortification in 1940, stands here as a reminder of America’s hard-won struggle to achieve Independence.

New Additions:

Genealogies

Allgood of Chattooga Co.

Dickson of S. C. & Clayton Co.

Dozier of France, Virginia & GA

Hatcher of VA & Wilkinson Co.

Hogan of N. C. & Jefferson Co.

Jordan of VA & GA

Mason of VA & GA

Parker of MD, Martin Co., N. C. & Hancock & Greene Co.’s, GA

Porch of France, VA & Elbert Co. GA

Pike of S. C.,, Hancock & Walton Co.’s

Raiford of VA, NC & Jefferson Co.

Reeves of SC & DeKalb, Fayette & Jasper Co.’s

Reid, Templeton of GA

Ross of Delaware, MD & Hancock, Jasper, Jackson & Wilkinson Co.’s

Rountree: Montgomery, Emanuel Co.’s

Saxon of England, VA, NC & GA

Poor Houses

Savannah Poor House and Hospital, Chatham County, 1850 and 1860

Orphans Homes

Episcopal Orphans Asylum, Chatham County, 1850

Land Grants

Images of land grants from Liberty and Washington Counties ... earliest grants!

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