Online Images of Old Wills and Estates

Names of Families in Wilkes County Ancestor Databases: Wills, Estates, Newspapers, Marriages, Maps

Wilkes County was created in 1777 from ceded lands of Cherokee and Creek Indians. People who resided in Wilkes County are also found in Warren and Oglethorpe Counties. Between 1790 and 1854, the legislature took land from Wilkes County to form Elbert County (1790), Oglethorpe County (1793), and Lincoln County (1796), and to help form Warren County (1793) and Taliaferro County (1825). The county seat is Washington, Georgia. Lincoln County should always be researched along with Wilkes. Many of the first settlers came from Virginia and North Carolina to take up the ceded lands (from the Indians) during the late 1700's. Early Settlers: John Heard, William Rasberry, James Gray, David Montgomery, John Marks, Bernard Zimmerman, George Bailey, William Mathis, Solomon Ellis and others.

Where to Search after Finding the Ancestors in Census Records

A through examination of census records from 1790 to (currently) 1940 is just the beginning of the hunt for ancestors. One needs contact family members, ask for family bibles, go to cemeteries, acquire county maps, etc. But the gut of genealogy is found in county records, from ca 1500 in Europe to the present in America. One must exhaust the county records everywhere that the ancestors resided. It is a tedious but informative and rewarding task. One can read the work of others, books, etc., but the most accurate answers are derived from deeds, tax digests, estates, wills, annual returns, estate inventories and sales, receipts, marriage records, and maps from the tax accessor's office. Too, one must also research the parent county and surrounding counties, as well as follow the (location of land grants) and lotteries. People were on the move. Nevertheless, factual information is in the county records Remember that!

Shot, Hanged and Frozen: The Struggles of an American Pioneer

The father of Samuel Whatley was killed by Indians at Cherokee Corner on the Clarke-Oglethorpe Counties Line when he was fourteen years old. Samuel Whatley served in Georgia under Capt. Micajah William of the Mounted Militia in the Regiment of Colonel Clarke and fought in the battle of Long Cane on December 10, 1781. It was during the siege of Augusta when he was shot in the left arm, for which he loss the use thereof. He was betrothed to Catharine Anglin before he left on his South Carolina Campaign and returned home with his wounds to be married before old Squire Biddle in Wilkes County. Whatley was known to be a loyal Whig and before he reached majority was twice frozen, once hung and twice shot while in the defense of liberty. In 1786 he was retired from service due to injuries sustained during the Revolutionary War. His wife, Catharine Whatley, wrote a letter to Senator R. W. Habersham of Georgia stating that at the time of the Revolutionary War her father, James Anglin, had removed from North Carolina to Georgia settling near Washington, Georgia. He brought with him seven sons and Catharine, a quot;motherless" daughter about thirteen years of age. After the death of her husband, Catharine went to live on the plantation of her son, James Whatley. The affidavit of Henry Anglin Sr., attached to the application of Samuel Whatley for a pension, stated that Whatley was wounded at Long Canes, South Carolina and taken prisoner four to five months and that when he returned home the soldier had wounds all over his body. The Battle of Long Canes was fought in McCormick County on December 12, 1780 when a force of four hundred to five hundred men defeated Colonel Elijah Clarke and 100 Americans. The Revolutionary War Pension usually provides information as to where soldier was born, resided and died as well as personal details. Study the pension, dates of service and battles helps the genealogist to know where the soldier was during different time periods and where to search the State and County records. Most soldiers traveled extensively during the war, and did not always return to the place or birth, but moved into other States to accept land grants for the service. Daniel Bonnell was Executed for Robbery Tales of Woe "Light Horse" Harry Lee died at Dungeness The Case of Hog Smith The Romance of John Wesley Thomas Jones of Wales Capt. John Collins of Acworth William Few Peter Gruber and Neighs Forced out of Austria There were Two Margaret Hollands Dr. N. G. Long He Came Over in a Barrel The Heartbreak of George A. Benson of Lawrenceville The Old Woman and Toccoa Falls They Traveled Far in Search of a Home The Enduring Escapades of Thomas Ramsey Major James Hicks Jeremiah Lamar The Flemings of Sunbury Lorenzo Dow Smith Wilson Conner The Sad Tale of Every Cemetery Swedish Soprano If Only I Could Tell My Grandmother the Rest of the Story Grannie Stories told over Chicken Every Sunday Anthony Bonnell