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| Georgia Genealogy Trails "Where your Journey Begins" |
| Dooly County, Georgia DOOLY COUNTY. DOOLY COUNTY. DOOLY COUNTY AND VIENNA INRELATION TO CRISP COUNTY. Dooly County was created by Legislative Acts, May 15th, 1821, fromlands acquired from the Creeks, under the first treaty of Indian Springin the same year. It was named for Col. John Dooly, of the Eevolution.When organized, Dooly included Crisp, and parts of Lec and Worth, audextended from "Travelers Rest/' near Montezuma to Albany, and from theFlint River to the Ocmulgee. Vienna was first settled in 1814, as a relay station on the old stagecoach line between Macon and Albany, or Pindartown, as the terminus onthe east side of Flint River was then called. What is now Vienna, wasfirst called Brownville, from a predominance of the family of thatname, although this name was not official. Dr. C. T. Stovall has letters in his possession dated 1831 to 1833 fromBerrien, stating that the population was 33 souls all told, and "mostlyBrowns." The original county seat was a little town on the Flint Rivercalled Berrien, the name having been changed in 1833 to Drayton. Butthis site failed to give satisfaction. On December 23, 1839, an act wasapproved appointing William Smith, David Scarboro, Joel Dorsey, JamesOliver, Thomas Cobb, and John Crumpler, to select a new site for publicbuildings. At the same time, a provision was made to compensate theowners of the property in Drayton. In the late forties, the county seat was changed to Vienna; and onFebruary 18th, 1854, the new county seat was incor-porated as a townwith the following commissioners: Chas. H. Everett, Seth Kellam, LemuelM. Lasseter, John Brown, and Stephen B. Stovall. This Government lastedbut a year or two, when a Mayor and Board of Aldermen were elected. Thefirst members were Dr. Joseph Forbes, Dr. S. B. Stovall,. H. G. Lamar,W. R. Mims, and others. The first Court House built in Vienna, was of rough hewn logs and waslocated on the north side of the Public Square. The second was built inthe center of the Park, where it was burned in 1847 with all of itslegal records. This was replaced by a wooden structure and remaineduntil 1891 when this building was moved and converted into a hotel, anda modern brick structure was placed on the west side of the PublicSquare. Among the oldest settlers were, Brown, Dawson, Monger, Bothwell,Meriwether, Key, Petee, Sheffield, Bottom, Lasseter, Adams, Davies,Britt, Rogers, and Mclnvale. Vienna is situated in about the central part of the County, and is aflourishing town with a population well beyond 2,000 and increasingyearly. She is surrounded by a rich farming belt, the chief products ofwhich are cotton, corn, wheat, oats, hay, potatoes, etc. There are two Railroads running through Vienna : Georgia, Southern& Florida, and Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic. These Railroadsnot only invite travel, but they render fine freight rates. The largestManufacturing Concern is the Empire Cotton Oil Co. There are fourflourishing Banks: Bank of Vienna, Dooly Saving Bank, J. P. Heard &Sons, and First National. The city has a fine retail trade and is wellsupplied with substantial mercantile concerns, and those industrial andbusiness branches which go to make up a progressive city. One of the principal factors in the growth and development of Vienna isits fine school facilities. There has just been completed a splendidbuilding, devoted to the white school, costing about $30,000.00 Thenegro school is also in a flourishing condition. There are three whitechurches— Methodist, Baptist, and Episcopal—each with a largemembership. Negroes have Methodist and Baptist churches. Vienna is adry town, and has been for twenty years. Vienna has strong lodges of Masons, Knights of Pythias, Woodmen, andOdd Fellows. There are many splendid homes, which have a happy blendingof all that is noble and beautiful in architecture. These houses havegreat columns, wide halls, and broad verandas, which express to us thesolidity of character and open hearted hospitality of her people. Thepeople of Vienna are refined, cultured, patriotic. There is an unusualamount of wealth in Vienna, and a number of young men and women attendCollege each year. Trouble With Indians Along theBlackshear Trail in 1817-1818. The atrocities committed so frequently upon women and children by theSeminole Indians in the southern section of the State, so stirred thewhole nation in the year 1817 that war was declared against theSeminoles. These Indians lived in Florida and would invade Georgiaterritory, steal, pillage and murder the white settlers. At this timeFlorida was under the dominion of Spain, and since the landing ofOglethorpe these Indians had entertained great animosity against thepeople of Georgia. The Seminoles had been reinforced by a band of seceded Indians from theCreeks of Georgia, and known as "Red Sticks," who would not recognizethe treaty made at Fort Jackson, in which the Creeks had ceded a largeportion of their territory to the whites. These Red Sticks carried agreat many run-away negroes from Georgia and South Carolina, who alsojoined the Seminole Indians in their frequnt marauding expeditionsagainst the southern frontier of Georgia. On March 30th, 1817, Governor David B. Mitchell of Georgia wrote toHon. John C. Calhoun, Secretary of War, the following communication:"By yesterday's mail I received a letter from Mr. Timothy Barnad, whoresides on Flint River in the Indian territory, in which he observes: 'I have been informed two days past, from below where the Red Stickclass reside that a party has been down near St. Mary's and murdered awoman and two children and brought off some horses. The Red Sticks havecommenced their war dances again, which is proof that they mean tocommence hostilities. Our forts, Crawford and Gaines, have beenevacuated, and this has encouraged the Red Sticks, who believe that ourtroops were afraid to continue.'" This communication caused the Secretary of War to order General Jacksonfrom Nashville with two regiments of soldiers to join General Gaines,who was already in South Georgia with his brigade, and prevent furtherhostilities. On January 20th, 1818, General Jackson wrote to the Secretary of War:"The troops I have with me joined with the Georgia troops on thesouthern frontier will enable me to inflict speedy and meritedchastisements on the deluded Seminoles." The point then that the troops were directed to march to was situatedat the junction of the Flint and the Chattahoochee Rivers. All of theterritory between Hartford, now Hawkinsville, and Fort Scott wasentirely roadless, with nothing but Indian trails, except through thissection the trail had been made by General Blackshear during the war of1812 was still intact. General Jackson then commenced his march fromFort Hawkins, now Macon, to Hartford, now Hawkinsville, and from thenceto Fort Early in Dooly County, and passed directly over the spot wherethe City of Cordele now stands. General Jackson was guided by a friendly Chehaw Indian through whereCordele now stands and along the whole route from Fort Hartsford toFort Early many thrilling acts of bravery were performed by the Indiansand General Jackson's men. Near the residence of Mr. J. L. Wheeler a battle was fought betweenGeneral Jackson's men and the Indians. Three United States soldierswere killed and were buried on the Blackshear trail about a half a milefrom the residence of Mr. Wheeler. This battle was known as the battleof Skin Cypress Pond. Several Indians were also killed in this battle.These three graves have been lost and no stone marks their last restingplace, and the land is now being cultivated where these soldiers wereburied. Fort Early was erected under General Early's administration by GeneralBlackshear in 1812, and afterwards used by General Cain's army andGeneral Jackson's army in defense against the Seminole Indians. It was on January 2d, 1818, when Major F. E. Heard was ordered byGeneral Glascock to meet General Leigh, who was proceeding fromHartford with packs of provisions for the army. At Cedar Creek a haltwas made; there was great difficulty in crossing the stream. CaptainLeigh and a private of Captain Avery's company, by the name of SamuelLoftis, started across the stream. Major Heard at that time attemptedto dissuade these two men from crossing because the growth was so thickon the other side of the stream that it seemed an opportune place andtime for an attack by the Indians from ambush. Major Heard insistedthat it would be too dangerous for these two brave soldiers to cross,but they were insistent and were allowed to proceed, but just as theygot across they were fired upon by a party of 30 Indians and both shotdead on the spot. Major Heard had only 27 men and with these carryingthe provisions, he then proceeded to some small breast works near by,that had been thrown up several years previous by General Blackshear,and in this way defended himself from the Indian attacks. Mr. JohnBridges and Captain Snother were sent across the river to informGeneral Glascock, who sent reinforcements; and these 27 men with allthe provisions proceeded on the way. Up until a few years ago the Smoke family had in their possession awooden peg from the old fort, on which General Jackson, it is said,hung his hat during his stay at Port Early. Drayton, Dooly County, Georgia. Drayton is situated East of Flint River, South of Pennahachee Creek. Itis one of the oldest settlements in Dooly county and was once aflourishing village, but is now a town in name only. Only a few families reside there now. There are two churches in Drayton today in fairly good condition. Bothare in use at present and have been for more than fifty years. Several interesting old homesteads stand there today. Many have beendestroyed by fire, or torn away and moved to other towns. Aninteresting old home is a double pen log house that has stood for morethan seventy-five years, at present occupied by the owner, a very agedwoman. This old home for years was the Drayton Inn, when Indians wereliving across Flint River. At one time, a small town called Danville, West of Flint River fromDrayton, and the people of Drayton, refused all social affiliation, andgreat bitterness existed between the two towns, one was Whig and theother Democrat. GA DooleyCo Sketches Findlay, a village of Dooly county, is located on the Georgia southern & Florida railroad, a short distance north of Vienna. It has a money order postoffice, an express office and is a trading center for that section of the county. [Source: Georgia: Sketches, Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions & People, Vol. 2, Publ. 1906 Transcribed By: Maggie Coleman] Macon Telegraph, 2 Jan. 1912 CORDELE, Jan. 1. – John S. Byrom, of Byromville, a prominent planter and banker of Dooly county, died yesterday morning at 7 o’clock at the Piedmont sanitarium, in Atlanta. A few weeks ago he was stricken with an attack of paralysis, from the effects of which he never recovered. He had large financial interests in both Dooly and Crisp counties and was an important factor in the development of Byromville, where he has resided for many years. He was well and favorably known throughout the state. He is survived by two sons, W. H. and S. D. Byrom, one brother, William Byrom, and a mother, Mrs. S. M. Byrom, all of Byromville. His remains will be interred at Byromville cemetery Wednesday afternoon at 2 o’clock. Submitted by Brenda Wiesner Macon Telegraph, 15 June 1919 Announcement is made of the marriage Wednesday morning at the home of the bride’s sister, Mrs. J. W. Westbrook, in Cordele, of Miss Mildred Beryl Lasseter, of Vienna, and Mr. G. P. Forehand, of Akron, Ohio. Rev. Reese Griffin, of Vienna, performed the ceremony. Mr. and Mrs. Forehand left shortly after their marriage for Akron. Submitted by Brenda Wiesner Macon Telegraph, 4 Sept. 1907 Judson J. Hallman, aged 30 years, died at 9 o’clock Monday night at Unadilla after an illness of several weeks. He leaves his wife who was formerly Miss Laura Young, of Macon. He was a member of the Unadilla lodge of the I.O.O.F., and his body, which arrived in this city yesterday morning at 11 o’clock were accompanied by an escort from the lodge. The funeral cortege will leave the residence of Mr. W. A. Wilder, on the Columbus road, at 10 o’clock this morning, and the internment will be in the Shiloh cemetery about seven miles from Macon. The burial will be by the Odd Fellows ritual. Submitted by Brenda Wiesner Dooley County Georgia Macon Telegraph, 27 July 1908 UNADILLA, Ga., July 26. – Mrs. C. C. Graham died here yesterday after being confined to her bed for three months. She was buried today, her remains being followed to the grave by an unusually large concourse of relatives and friends. She was a devout Christian lady, and the world is better by her having lived in it. She leaves a husband and daughter to mourn her death. Submitted by Brenda Wiesner Macon Telegraph, 9 Mar. 1911 UNADILLA, Ga., March 8. – Mrs. J. A. Griggs, a prominently connected young matron of this community, died early today from the effects of poison administered by her own hand. It is said despondency, brought on by continued ill health, was the cause. The husband had left her at home apparently well at 6 o’clock, came to town and within an hour he was called on the phone and requested to come home post haste and to bring a physician. While he looked about town for a physician, a second message informed him it was too late. Laudanaum, carbolic acid and another equally poisonous drug was taken, either in a quantity sufficient to have produced the desired result, even if taken alone, it is said. The whole community is in a state of intense sorrow over the deplorable affair. She leaves a husband and a 3-year-old daughter and many relatives and friends. The family resides six miles from town. The burial will be at Harmony Church tomorrow. Submitted by Brenda Wiesner Macon Telegraph, 24 Oct. 1897 Montezuma, Ga., Oct. 23. – J. U. Bond, of Drayton, Ga., who was on a visit here to Montezuma yesterday, while under the influence of whisky, went up the railroad last night just before the passenger train came along and sat down on the track. A locomotive knocked him off, inflicting injuries from which he died this morning. He never knew anything after the accident. He was a faithful soldier during the war, and it is said by his comrades in battle that no braver soldier ever fought under the Confederate flag. He was a kind hearted man and his only fault was the fondness for stimulants. His family have the sympathy of our people. Submitted by Brenda Wiesner Macon Telegraph, 11 Feb. 1905 CORDELE, Ga., Feb. 10. – George McLendon, one of the most prominent young farmers of the 14th district, of Dooly county, died at 11 o’clock yesterday morning of pneumonia at his residence eight miles south of Cordele. The funeral was held at 2 o’clock this afternoon at Zion Hope church. Submitted by Brenda Wiesner Macon Telegraph, 11 Feb. 1905 CORDELE, Ga., Feb. 10. – The funeral of Dr. J. N. Ridley, who died night before l ast at Warwick, was conducted at 3:30 o’clock yesterday afternoon at Swift Creek cemetery, in Dooly county. The service was conducted by the Warwick lodge of Masons with Masonic honors. Rev. Shingler was the minister. A good many members of the Cordele lodge of Masons attended the funeral. Submitted by Brenda Wiesner For a number of years Drayton was the home of Dooly's Representativeand Senator. In 1837 Drayton was the Capital of Dooly. The town ofBerrien was the Capital up to 1835, but political friends of Col.Drayton from South Carolina (for whom Drayton was named) at variancewith Mr. Berrien, changed the Capital to Drayton. It was, however,moved back to Berrien, which is now the town of Vienna. Source: History of Crisp County  Copyright© Genealogy Trails |