Bartow County was created from
the Cherokee lands of the Cherokee County territory on December 3,
1832, and named Cass County, after General Lewis Cass (1782–1866)
Secretary of War under President Jackson, Minister to France and
Secretary of State under President Buchannan, until renamed on December
6, 1861 in honor of Francis S. Bartow. The original county seat was at
Cassville, but after the burning of the county courthouse and the
Sherman Occupation the seat moved to Cartersville, where it now remains.
The county was profoundly
affected by the Civil War, setting it back economically for many
decades. May 18 and 19, 1864, General Thomas led the Army of the
Cumberland after General Hardee's Corps of the Army of Tennessee, and
General McPherson led his Federal Army of the Tennessee flanking
Hardee's army to the west. This huge army was disruptive and sought
food. Elements were out of control and sacked homes depleting meager
supplies.
Property destruction and
the deaths of one-third of the county's soldiers during the war caused
financial and social calamity for many.
Slaves gained their
freedom, and briefly exercised political franchise through the
Republican Party. The Freedmen's Bureau agents gave blacks little
effective help.[dubious – discuss] In 1870, about 1 black family in 12
owned real estate. Over a third of the blacks lived in white-headed
households, working as domestic servants and laborers. The great
majority of freed people were day laborers or farm laborers, while a
sizable minority occupied skilled positions such as blacksmiths,
wheelwrights, and iron workers.
By the late 1870s,
hardship was experienced by everyone. Blacks had been relegated to
second-class citizenship by Jim Crow laws.
Source: From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
1840 Pensioners for Cass County
| Name
of Pensioners |
Age |
Head of Families
who Pensioners Resided Jun 1 1840 |
| John Lewis |
83 |
Bayles W. Lewis |
| Reuben Edwards |
82 |
Reuben Edwards |
| Hugh Brewster |
80 |
William Brewster |
| Benjamin Haris |
81 |
John Stokes |
| Charles Baker |
79 |
Charles Baker |
Contributed by Richard Ramos
