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Wilkinson
County, Georgia History
from:
The Story of Georgia and the Georgia People 1732 to 1860
by George Gillman Smith, D.D.
Originally published c. 1901
Submitted by K. Torp, ©2007
WILKINSON.
The lands purchased in 1802 were divided in 1803, as has been already
stated, into three counties, Baldwin, Wilkinson and Wayne. Out of each
of these many other counties were carved, until each of them was
reduced to a small area. Wilkinson is now a county of moderate size and
of limited resources. It is named Wilkinson in honor of the general of
that name who served in the southwest, and the county site, Irwinton,
is named for Governor Irwin. The Central railroad passes through its
upper border, and it has two or three small villages along its line.
The first settlers, according to Mr. White, were: Chas. C. Beall, S. B.
Mur phey, J. Hoover, J. Meredith, Abner Hicks, A. Passmore, John
Freeman, Joel Rivers, Samuel Bragg, John Lavender, Isaac Hull.
The population of Wilkinson in 1810 was 1,836 whites and only 318
slaves. In 1830, when it was much reduced in size, there were 5,591
whites and 1,922 slaves; and in 1850 there were 5,467 whites and 2,745
slaves. In 1890 there were, in all, 10,781. The county is not a fertile
one, and has not been thickly settled, and its religious and
educational advantages have not been of the best. There has, however,
been a good academy at the county site for many years, and the county
has shared in the advantages of the public school system.
The Methodists and Baptists have provided the people with what
religious instruction they received, and there are churches of these
denominations in all parts of the county.
The county has been almost purely an agricultural one, and there has
not been a single manufactory in its borders. Much of the land is quite
poor and inhabited by poor people who furnish to the Macon cotton mills
a large part of their operatives.
There is little to distinguish Wilkinson from the other counties that
have been classified with it, and it is at present less important as a
county than it was sixty years ago.
SELECTING
THE
COUNTY
SITE
In a resolution of December 10, 1807, the duty of selecting a county
site was imposed on the Justices of the Inferior court of the county.
They were directed to select the site as near the geographical center
of the county as conveniences permitted, to purchase or accept the
donation of four acres of land for the purpose of building the
court-house and jail on; to cut the remainder up into lots and sell
them after giving sixty days notice in the Augusta Chronicle and
posting notices in three places of the county.
The Justices of the Inferior court, however; seems to have failed to
act on the matter and on the 22nd day of December, 1808, the
legislature appointed the following Commissioners to select a site for
the public buildings: Arthur Fort, John Hays, William Bivin, Elkanah
Loftin, and Jesse Brown. The act provided: "The seat of public
buildings in the county of Wilkinson, so far as relates to the court
house and jail shall be in the centre of said county, or such other
place as may be adjudged most convenient for the citizens thereof;
provided the same be within two miles of such centre." The act also
provided that the Commissioners should purchase not less than one
hundred and not more than two hundred, two and one-half acres of land
for the use of the county and to let out the building of the court
house and jail to the lowest bidder after giving thirty days public
notice of their intentions.
The act further provided that in the meantime while the building of the
courthouse and jail was in progress the house of Willis Anderson should
still be considered the temporary court house of the county.
As a means of defraying the expense of the building of the court house
and jail the act provided that the Inferior court should have the power
to sell any part of the land purchased for the county site.
It would seem that with the foregoing instructions it would be an easy
matter for the Commissioners to settle upon a spot for the county site.
They did settle upon a site, same being lot No. 111 in the 26th
district, it being located across the present county line a short
distance west of Ball's Church, the lands being purchased from Samuel
Dick. No sooner had this spot been decided upon than there arose a
storm of protest over the selection. Petitions were circulated
addressed to the Legislature charging that the Commissioners had
violated their instructions. So violent became this storm that when the
legislature met it felt that it was necessary to send surveyors to the
scene of trouble and measure the distances from the four corners of the
county. The report of the surveyors was in favor of the Commissioners
and the legislature approved of the spot selected, as being within the
authority given by the act. And thus the work on the buildings began
and was soon nearly completed.
In the meantime, the disappointed element was not idle. Arthur Fort,
one of the Commissioners, seems to have espoused the cause of those who
opposed the establishing of the county site at this place and ran for
the legislature apparently on the platform of cutting the county in
two. He was elected and immediately set to work to cut the county to
carry this out. John Thomas Fairchilds was Senator from Wilkinson at
this time, Wilkinson being entitled to one representative and one
senator. No objection seems to have been raised as to the division of
the county and the act was passed providing that the line between
Wilkinson and Twiggs should begin where the "upper county line crosses
the main south fork of Commissioner Creek and thence on a straight line
to the first branch which the present line crosses dividing Pulaski and
Wilkinson on a southwest direction from the corner that divides Laurens
and Pulaski counties and lower line of Wilkinson." Daniel Sturges was
the Surveyor who ran this line. The act provided that Twiggs County
should pay for having this line surveyed. It also provided that both
counties should levy a tax for the payment of building the now useless
courthouse and other debts, the house to be sold for the mutual
interest of each county, the lot of land purchased from Samuel Dick to
be returned to him upon his paying back the consideration, and all the
public records to remain in Wilkinson.
Not only was Fort bent upon cutting Wilkinson County in two but the
same act when first passed by the House provided for the entire
obliteration of the name of Wilkinson, Gen. James B. Wilkinson in the
meantime having fallen into disrepute by reason of his western
intrigues. The Senate concurred in the changing the name of Wilkinson
but refused to agree to the new name submitted by the House, and in its
stead submitted another. This, the House refused to agree to and a
committee was appointed from each body. A great deal of time was lost
in the repeated wrangling. First one name was suggested and then
another, none of which would suit. Among those suggested were "Marion,"
"Emanuel," etc. Finally, at the end of the session nothing had been
agreed to. Otherwise we would not be "Wilkinson," today.
The successive carvings of Wilkinson County were in a way necessary
owing to its vast size and the numerous creek swamps which cut sections
off from each other. When the part now composing Laurens, Bleckley,
Pulaski, Dodge, Telfair, and Wheeler was cut off it was the concensus
of opinion that the county site of the remaining territory would have
to be located on the divide about midway between the Oconee and
Ocmulgee Rivers. By so placing it the settlers living between the
creeks could follow the old Indian trails and only have to cross the
large water-courses at shallow points. Thus when the point was selected
in 1809, on land lot No. 111, of the 27th district as the spot most
accessible to the county as a whole, it would have been hard to find
any place better adapted for such a large scope of territory. It must
have been pretty well suited for Twiggs county as its present county
site is now only five miles from the identical spot. It was far more
easily accessible in bad weather to all points south of Big Sandy creek
than was Irwinton on account of the hills and streams. Had it remained
where it was first built all the territory north of Commissioner would
doubtless have been added to Baldwin. And yet it is not surprising that
this has been the case for all this section found it easier to reach
Milledgeville than to reach Irwinton even after the cutting off of
Twiggs, for Commissioner Creek becomes a raging torrent when the heavy
rains come.
Upon the severing of Twiggs from this county, it became necessary for a
new county site to be selected for Wilkinson. Thus on the 14th of
December, 1809, the legislature appointed Stephen Johnson, John Eady,
Sr., Elkanah Lofton, Philip Pitman, and William Crawley (or Cawley), as
commissioners to fix a site for the public buildings, to purchase for
the county's use not less than one hundred acres and not more than two
hundred, two and one-half acres, to lay out what number of lots they
may think proper and sell on twelve months credit, the proceeds of
which to be used in the building of a court house and jail, any
overplus to go to the county.
This body seems to have had much trouble agreeing upon a site and
probably all resigned in a body for we find that no action had been
taken in 1810. On December 15th, 1810, the following Commissioners were
appointed to carry out this duty: John Hatcher, Abram Lewis, Matthew
Carswell, William Stubbs, and John Home, the act providing that the
place selected should be "within two miles of the most convenient place
in the county for same."
Information handed down to the author by Hon. John W. Lindsey, says the
spot where the home of T. A. Brundage now stands was used as the place
of holding the courts and for other county purposes.
In December, 1811, no action having been taken to make permanent the
county site, the legislature passed the following act:
An Act to make permanent the site of the public buildings in the county
of Wilkinson.
Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, That
the seat of the public buildings for the county of Wilkinson be, and
the same is hereby declared to be permanently fixed upon tract or lot
of land, number eighty-three, fourth district of Wilkinson County
(provided, good and sufficient titles can be procured for the same,
within the term of six months from the passing of this act; the titles
to be made and executed to the Inferior Court of said county and their
successors in office, to and for the use of the county aforesaid, which
said public site shall be called and known by the name of Irwinton.
Sec. 2. That John Proctor, Robert Barnett, John Speight, John Ball and
Daniel Hicks, be, and they are hereby appointed commissioners fully
authorized to lay out and sell whatever number of lots they or a
majority may think proper, in the following manner, to wit: one-fourth
part of the purchase money payable in twelve months from the day of
sale; one-fourth part payable in two years; one-fourth part, payable in
three years, and the remaining fourth part in four years thereafter;
and shall take notes from the purchasers with approved personal
security, made payable to the Inferior Court and their successors in
office, as well as a mortgage on the premiscs, executed to said courts;
and the money arising from the said sales is hereby appropriated to the
building of a Court house and jail, under the direction of said
com-missioners, who are hereby authorized and empowered to contract for
the same, as soon as they or a majority of them may think proper, or
deem it expedient, first giving thirty days public notice in one of the
Milledgeville Gazettes, and at three or more public places in the
county, which shall be let out to the lowest bidder at public outcry;
the undertaker or undertakers shall be bound in a bond with approved
security, in double the amount of the sum or sums undertaken for, to
the Inferior Court and their successors in office, for a faithful
compliance to such contract, entered into with the commissioners
aforesaid.
Sec. 3. That the said commissioners or a majority of them shall lay out
and reserve one or two lots as they may think most proper in an
eligible part of said site for the purpose of erecting a Court house
and jail thereon, first strictly observing that in laying out the lots
intended to fix the public buildings upon, or those to be sold for
county purposes, they shall be so arranged as not to interfere with the
lines or lands of any other tract or lot of land, except said lot,
number eighty-three, or to be so near thereto as to require any part
thereof to complete any lots ever contemplated to be laid out for
county purposes.
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That in case the said commissioners
should fail to procure the titles to tract or lot number eighty-three,
in the fourth district as aforesaid, within the time allowed them by
this act, then and in that case, they or a majority of them arc fully
authorized to purchase not less than one hundred acres, or more than
two hundred two and a half acres, within two miles of the centre of
said county, and proceed as before pointed out in all respects; and in
all cases it shall be the duty of the Inferior Court of said county to
give such aid to said commissioners as may most facilitate the
completion of the public buildings, or so far as they may have the
power of public funds. Sec. 5. That the courts, elections and other
county business shall be held at the house erected for that purpose, on
the tract or lot number eighty-three in the 4th district as aforesaid,
until the Court house is completed, and the same reported to the
Inferior Court by the commissioners appointed to superintend the
building of the same. December 16, 1811. We find this act was later
amended by John T. Fairchild in the form of a resolution December 4,
1812, appointing in addition to those already appointed in the act,
William Wicker, William Lord, John Smith, and Charles Culpepper, with
powers same as the other commissioners.
Davidson, Victor,. History of Wilkinson County. unknown: John Ball
Chapter, D.A.R., c1930.
Towns,
Hamlets and
Villages
Gordon, the largest town of
Wilkinson county, near its northwestern corner, is on the main line of
the Central of Georgia railway, which connects Macon and Savannah, and
is the southern terminus of a branch of the same system which passes
through Milledgeville and Eatonton and has Covington for its northern
terminus. It was incorporated by act of the legislature in 1885
and had in 1900 a population of 509 in the town, while the Ramah
militia district in which it is situated, had 1,597. It has a
money order post office with rural free delivery, express and telegraph
offices, stores, churches and schools.
As General Howard was approaching this place on Nov. 22, 1864, he sent
Wood’s division and Kilpatrick’s cavalry toward Macon for another
attack upon that town. Wheeler’s men met this force in the early
morning, captured 60 Federal pickets and a considerable cavalry fight
followed. In the afternoon Wheeler, with the assistance of a
small infantry force and a battery pushed on and near Gordon attacked
Walcutt’s Federal brigade, which managed to hold out until night,
though their loss was considerable, including General Walcutt, who was
wounded.
(Georgia: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions,
and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form. VOL III Publ. 1906.
Transcribed by Marilyn Clore)
McIntyre,
a town of Wilkinson county, is on the Central of Georgia railroad,
about two miles north of Irwinton. It has a money order
postoffice, with a number of free delivery routes emanating from it,
express and telegraph service, mercantile and shipping interests, and
in 1900 reported a population of 101.
[Source: Georgia
Comprising
Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons,
Vol 2, Publ 1906. Transcribed by Renae Donaldson]
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