Amos Smith's Carp Pond

An article appeared in The Daily Enquirer Sun on March 19, 1886 concerning Mr. Smith's Carp Pond at Mountain Hill, Georgia. Amos Smith was born in Rising Sun, Maryland on February 1, 1831. His parents were Samuel and Anna Moore Smith. The Smiths were Quakers. As a young man, Amos served an apprenticeship for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in Maryland. He became a skilled metal worker. At the age of twenty one he came by boat to Savannah and decided to move to Harris County, GA. He settled in Whitesville, Ga though for a while he worked as a hand on a boat on the Chattahoochee River. Amos Smith married Frances Maddox in Harris County, GA on January 21, 1857.  After a short time, he moved back to Whitesville and started a photography business. Smith also ran a blacksmith shop and repaired clocks. At the close of the Civil War Amos moved his family a few miles down the road to a little community called Talleytown and built his home. He was on a committee that changed the name of Talleytown to Mountain Hill. He had built a two story home and opened a store in the front of his home. He also ran a mill and built the first one room schoolhouse in the community. The Smiths were Methodists and attended the Mountain Hill Methodist Church (no longer in existence). When the Mountain Hill Methodist Church burned, the family attended Sardis Methodist Church and later Whitesville United Methodist Church. Amos Smith was a popular member of the Mountain Hill Community. Along with his carp ponds, he was a beekeeper. He furnished honey for the community and surrounding areas. He was fond of animals, caring for wildlife brought to him. His little collection of animals was known as the Mountain Hill Zoo.  Amos became the last postmaster of Mountain Hill in 1874. Amos Smith died on May 6, 1908 and was buried in the Whitesville Methodist Church. Amos Smith’s daughter-in-law Henry Lou Calhoun was a charter member of Mountain Hill Baptist Church.

 

 

Family of Amos and Frances Maddox Smith

Annie (10Nov1857) m. Johnnie Williams

Lily Eva (4Jan1860) m. Brazilla Whitten

William Alexander (machinist) (5Aug1867) m. Henry Lou Calhoun(17Dec1872-15Jul1915) (daughter of James Henry Calhoun and Georgia Frances Duke)

Clara Josephine (1Mar1867) m. John Tillery

Sallie Jane (10Aug1873-10Jul1890)

James Bonner (10Aug1873-1946) m. Pearl Woolbridge

Connie Estelle (6Jan1878) died in her teens

      Albertine (17Oct1882)

Family of William Alexander Smith and Henry Lou Calhoun

Amos (2Dec1891-6Feb1935)

Charlie Franklin (6May1889-9Feb1956)m. 1)Clementine C. Knight 2)Emily Grant

Mable Claire (29Jul1893) m. Col. Horace F. McFeely

Alva Lucile (14May1896) m. John Lee Sloan (4May1895)

William Henry (2Apr1899) m. Bonnie Claire Adams

James Harold (30May1911) m. Mildred Neal

Helen Louise (6Dec1914) m. Harvey Arnold Langley

William Alexander and Henry Lou Calhoun Smith are buried in the Mountain Hill Baptist Church cemetery.

The Smith Family is interconnected with many old Harris County families: Brawner, Raby, Knight, Gordon, Adams, Neal, Calhoun, Tillery among others.

Columbus Enquirer Sun

March 19, 1886

Whitesville United Methodist Church

Amos Smith

Frances Maddox Smith

Mountain Hill Baptist Church Cemetery

William Alexander Smith

Henry Lou Calhoun Smith

References

Louise Calhoun Barfield, History of Harris County, 1961

Columbus Enquirer Sun, March 19, 1886

Mountain Hill Baptist Church

 

Mountain Hill Baptist Church

Established in 1893       

In the Spring of 1893 a group of Harris County citizens living in the Mountain Hill area met in the local school to organize a new church. The group consisted of farmers, Civil War veterans and their families. Rev. Casper Martin was present and agreed to be the new pastor.  The top of a knoll just to the east of Mountain Hill was chosen and construction began at once. Morgan Askew and Otis Calhoun were the carpenters in charge. Work was done as the men in the community were able. The church was roughly finished by June and a dedication took place. The church membership was approximately 22 members. William Thomas Zachary was the first deacon to be ordained in the church. In August 1893, Rev. Nathaniel Boaz O’Kelley led a revival and 29 young people were saved and baptized by Rev. Casper Martin in the creek just west of the church. The church was completely finished in 1894. The Adams, Askew, Brawner, Buford, Calhoun, Davis,  Dunnigan,,  Hargett, Moultrie, Mullins, Slayton, Smith and Zachary families were early members.

In 1904 Jerry Mullins was the first person buried in the cemetery behind the church. There are eight founding members of the church buried in the cemetery.

In 1910, home for the summer from Medical college in Atlanta, Joseph Daniel Zachary proposed to dig and build a concrete baptismal pool for $40.00. He finished it by the end of August and a baptism service was held in September.

In the late 1930’s the Birthday Jar began, collecting money to be given to the Georgia Baptist Children’s Home.

All the early records of Mountain Hill Baptist Church were destroyed in a fire at the home of L.B. Davis on  November 8, 1933.

   First Ordained Deacon 

William Thomas Zachary was the first ordained deacon at Mountain Hill Baptist Church

William T. and Orelia Adams Zachary

Baptismal Pool

   

  In 1910, home for the summer from medical college in Atlanta, Joseph Daniel Zachary, son of William Thomas Zachary, proposed to dig and build a concrete baptismal pool for $40.00 if the church would furnish the materials. He finished it by the end of August and a baptism service was held in September.

1958 Homecoming

Homecoming was held June 29, 1958 in the newly decorated and remodeled church. There was a large gathering. Three of the early members baptized in August of 1893 attended, Pearl Zachary Hart, Gussie Brawner Luttrell and Oris Slayton. Corinne Davidson, who lived in Washington, D.C. was unable to attend. Rev. John Carr was in charge of the service.

Left to Right; Oris Slayton, Pearl Zachary Hart and  Gussie Brawner Luttrell.

This Article appeared in The Poster March 1958

Charter Member Biographies  

                                                    

 Rev.  Albert Martin

Albert Martin, first pastor of Mountain Hill Baptist Church, was the son of Milliner H. and Jane Thomas Martin. He was born July 21, 1847 in Troup County, GA. Rev. Martin married Missouri Caroline “Carrie” Davis, the daughter of John Marion and Susan Frances Phillips Davis in 1875. They had seven children: Milner, Addie, Thomas, Homer, Albert, Casper, David and Minnie. The Martin family moved to Columbus, GA in the early 1900’s. Rev. Martin opened a furniture store on Broad Street and ran it for many years. The family joined the First Baptist Church. Carrie Martin died in Columbus in 1918 and was buried in Riverdale Cemetery. In failing health, Rev. Martin moved to New Orleans to live with his son Davis, he died April 14, 1925. His body was returned to Columbus and he was buried with Masonic Honors in the Riverdale Cemetery. 

Morgan Askew                                                                                 

Morgan Askew, the son of John and Sarah West Askew, was born in Harris County, Georgia on March 29, 1860. Morgan Askew was a farmer in the Blue Springs area. He married Mary Talley in 1883. They had one child, Monroe Talley Askew.  After her death, he married Leola Adams (1891). They had eight children: Wallace, Annie, Grace, Robert, Roy, Henry, Fletcher and Osie. The family moved to Muscogee County, GA in the early 1900’s and by 1930 they were in Stewart County, GA. Morgan Askew died on August 6, 1935. He is buried in the Antioch Baptist Church cemetery in Harris County, GA.

Otis Jenkins Calhoun and Ella Brawner Calhoun

Otis Jenkins Calhoun, the son of Michael and Amanda Elizabeth Rowe Calhoun, was born July 4, 1860 in Harris County, GA. Otis Calhoun was a farmer. He married Ella Mae Brawner,(b. July 31, 1867) the daughter of Mirabeau L. Brawner (a Civil War veteran) and Martha Ann Walker on May 4, 1884.  They had two children: Odessa and Roy. The family moved to Columbus in the early 1900’s. Otis Calhoun went to work as a carpenter in a buggy factory. Ella Mae died on July 1, 1917 and was buried in the Double Churches Cemetery in Columbus, GA. Otis Calhoun died February 18, 1922 and is buried in the Double Churches Cemetery as well. Ella Mae’s parents Mirabeau and Martha Brawner are buried in the Mountain Hill Baptist Church Cemetery

Henry Lou Calhoun

Henry Lou Calhoun, the daughter of James Henry Calhoun and Georgia Francis Duke, was born on Dec. 17. 1872. She married William Alexander Smith, They had two children: William Henry and Helen Louise. Henry Lou died on July 21, 1915. She is buried in the Mountain Hill Baptist Church Cemetery. William Alexander Smith died on March 4, 1932 and is also buried in the Mountain Hill Baptist Church Cemetery.

 

Martha Zachary Campbell

Martha Zachary Campbell (b. Dec. 29, 1829)  was the daughter of Daniel Hay Zachary and Priscilla Ward and the sister of David Thomas Zachary. She married Philander Fluellen Campbell (b. Oct. 31, 1829), a minister and Civil War veteran on Dec. 12, 1848. Rev. Campbell died on March 2, 1883 and is buried on the old Zachary farm in Pine Mountain, GA. Martha and Philander had 8 children: James, John, Daniel, Annie, Martha, Alissa, William and Walter. Martha died Feb. 27, 1906 and is buried in the Zachary Family Cemetery beside her husband.  

 

Annie Missouri Campbell Brawner                                    

Annie Campbell, daughter of Philander and Martha Zachary Campbell was born on March 17, 1857. She married Mirabeau L. Brawner on Sept. 6, 1893. The Brawners had two children: Robert and Ethel. Mirabeau Brawner died on October 17, 1925 and is buried in Mountain Hill Baptist Church Cemetery. Annie died November 28, 1944 and was buried beside her husband.

Walter Campbell                                                                     

Walter Campbell, son of Philander and Martha Zachary Campbell was born in Harris County, GA in 1869. He moved to Macon, GA  in the early 1900’s and married Judge Elizabeth Bronson June 27, 1907. By 1930, the Campbells were living in West Arcadia, Florida. Walter owned and operated a service station and Judge was a music teacher. They were members of the First Baptist Church. Walter died in 1950 and was buried with Masonic honors in the Oak Ridge Cemetery.

John Marian Davis                                                                                                                             

 John Marian Davis, son of James Gresham and Roaney Matthews Davis was born March 30, 1829 in Jasper County, GA. John Marian Davis married Susan Frances Phillips Nov. 16, 1848 in Harris Co., GA. They had four children: Anna, James, Caroline “Carrie” and Judith.  John Marian Davis was a farmer. His first wife, Susan, died in 1860. He married Elizabeth Eugenia Webster on December 16, 1868. They had three children: Willie, Rosa and George. John Marian Davis died in Harris County, GA on December 4, 1898.

 

Rosa Davis                                                                                    

Rosa Davis, daughter of John Marion and Elizabeth Eugenia Webster was born April 1872 in Harris County, GA. She married Fred Trammell in 1894 and they moved to Chambers Co., AL where Fred farmed. They had six children: Willie, Mary, Barton, Joseph, Elizabeth and Anna. Rosa died in 1953 and was buried in the Old Bethlehem Baptist Church Cemetery in Chambers Co., AL.

George Davis                                                                                   

George Davis, son of  John Marion and Elizabeth Eugenia Webster Davis was born August 10, 1871 in Harris County, GA. He married Mattie Talulah “Lulu” Brawner, the daughter of Mirabeau L. and Martha Ann Walker Brawner in Harris County on July 5, 1900. (Mirabeau L. Brawner was married three times). George Davis had a farm on Mountain Hill Road. They had three children: Lamar, Elizabeth and Myra. Lulu Brawner Davis died on January 16, 1908. She was buried in the Mountain Hill Baptist Church cemetery. George remarried and continued to farm until the 1930’s. He later moved to Atlanta and lived with his sister-in-law, Gussie Brawner Luttrell. He died April 11, 1944 and was buried in the Mountain Hill Baptist Church Cemetery.

 Joseph Litchfield Slayton                                                                         

Joseph Litchfield (Slaton) Slayton, son of Abraham Moses and Julia Ann Dent Taylor (Slaton) Slayton was born April 6, 1850 in Harris County, GA. He married Mary Elizabeth Campbell (b.May 4,1851) , daughter of Philander Fluellen and Mary Emerline Zachary Campbell in 1873. Joseph was a farmer in the community.  They had seven children: Zachary, Oris, Philander, Charles, Mattie, Annie and Leta. Joseph moved to Mississippi after 1920 and  died on November 21, 1830 in Choctaw County.  He was buried in the LaGrange Cemetery in Ackerman, Mississippi. Mary died on April 9, 1922 in Howard, Georgia in the home of her daughter Annie Lou Warren. She was buried in the Howard United Methodist Church Cemetery.  Their son Philander Campbell Slayton (b. June 29, 1878) married Lily May Cash in 1905. They had seven children: Annie, Clyde, Lowell, Beulah, William, Stanford and Noel.

David Thomas Zachary                                                                    

 David Thomas Zachary, son of Daniel Hay and Mary Spivey Zachary was born April 12, 1844 in Harris County, GA. He married Mary Ann Dunman (1848-1928), daughter of Joseph R. and Elizabeth Kilpatrick Dunman, on November 7, 1869. David Zachary was a farmer in the Mountain Hill Community. David Zachary enlisted as a private in Co. H, 17^th GA Infantry, Reg. 9  and served from 1861-1865.  In the late 1870’s the Zacharys moved to Pierce Creek, Arkansas. They moved back to Harris County in the early 1880’s. David Thomas Zachary led the first song sung at Mountain Hill Baptist Church and led the first prayer. The Zacharys had five children: William Thomas, Mary Leonora, Blanche “Sallie”, Martha “Mattie” Pearl, and Joseph Daniel Zachary, MD. David Thomas Zachary died February 18, 1928. He and his wife are buried in the Mountain Hill Baptist Church cemetery.

William Thomas Zachary                                                                 

 William Thomas Zachary, son of David Thomas and Mary Ann Dunman Zachary was born September 1, 1870 in Harris County, GA. He married Orelia Adams (1873-1955), daughter of Andrew J. and Cynthia Permila Rowe Adamas, on December 24, 1893. William was a farmer in the Mountain Hill Community.William Thomas Zachary was the first deacon ordained at Mountain Hill Baptist Church, The Zacharys had five children: Rubie, Judson Daniel Zachary, William Clarence, Affa Florine, Imri Azarine (married Clyde Slayton), and William Thomas, Jr. William Thomas Zachary died on November 12, 1915. He and his wife are buried in the Mountain Hill Baptist Church cemetery.

Mary Lenora Zachary                                                                            

Mary Lenora Zachary, daughter of David Thomas and Mary Ann Dunman Zachary was born October 29, 1872 in Harris County, GA. She married James Wyatt Hodge (1867-1940), son of James and Mary Catherine Weldon Hodge, in 1893. James Hodge was a farmer in the Mountain Hill Community. The Hodges had seven children: Vida Mae, John, Hattie, James Wyatt, Mary, Lena, and Iva. Mary Zachary Hodge died on May 18, 1939. She and her husband are buried in the Mountain Hill Baptist Church cemetery.

Addie Mae Martin                                                                                                           

 Addie Mae Martin, the daughter of Rev. Casper and Missouri Caroline “Carrie” Davis Martin, was born on February 15, 1878 in Harris County, GA. She married Marion Roe White on January 27, 1915 in Muscogee County, GA. They had one daughter: Evelyn. The White family moved to Thomasville, GA in the 1930’s.  Addie Martin White died in Telfair Co., Ga on October 23, 1945. She was buried in the Blakely City Cemetery in Blakely, GA.

Homer Martin                                                                                         

  Homer Martin, the son of Rev Casper A. and Missouri Caroline “Carrie” Davis Martin was born in 1879. As an adult he moved to Port Arthur, TX. No further information could be found.

Elijah Cook and Georgia Frances Duke Moultrie                                                                     

 Elijah Cook Moultrie, son of John Dial and Rebecca Mullins Moultrie, was born in April 1848. Elijah Cook Moultrie served in the Civil War. He was a private in Co. G, 9^th Regiment Ga Militia. Elijah Moultrie married Georgia Frances Duke, the daughter of Green Stephen and Pyrena Cornelia Webb Duke in 1875. The Moultries had two children Heny Lou and Alvah. Elijah Moultrie died Oct 22, 1932 and is buried in the Mountain Hill Baptist Church cemetery beside his wife, Georgia who died in 1926, Their son Alva, born August 7, 1876 married Ossie Dean Richardson (born December 10, 1883) on January 16, 1918. Ossie was a teacher in the community. They had five children: Elizabeth, Alvah, Marvin, Ferrell and Roy. Alvah and Ossie Moultrie are also buried in the Mountain Hill Baptist Church cemetery.

The Almond/Almand/Allmond Family

The Almond/Almand/Allmond family has Muscogee and Harris County connections. I also have a tiny connection to the Almond family. My grandparents Clements and Ethel McDaniel Reese were married in Judge Almond’s home on December 15, 1925. I knew that the home at the end of Almond Road belonged to Judge Almond but didn’t know his full name. From my research last week I discovered that Thomas Daniel Fortson had arrived in Columbus in the late 1830’s with his married sister Elizabeth and her husband Isaac Almond. Isaac Almond’s father Thomas Almond (Revolutionary War soldier), from Spotsylvania, Virginia, settled in Elbert County in the late 1700’s. Elbert County was established in 1790 from parts of Wilkes County. General George Matthews had established a community of pioneers from Virginia and the Carolinas and named their town Petersburg. Petersburg, the original settlement in the county, was the 3^rd largest town in Georgia (Petersburg is now completely covered by the Clark Hill Reservoir).

Isaac married Elizabeth Fortson in Elbert County on December 20, 1821. They joined the Dove’s Creek Baptist Church where Isaac served as clerk. After moving into the rural part of Columbus, Isaac and Sarah eventually settled in Harris County, GA. They are listed as new members of Antioch Baptist Church shortly after the church was organized in 1839. (The first pages of Antioch’s book of minutes are missing, the first preserved page is dated September 11, 1839. It states that Brother Jacob White David was moderator and Jacob Brizell was clerk. The recognized new members listed was James Wallstone, Issac Almond and Sister Hamilton.)

Isaac and Elizabeth had five children: Angie, Jesse, Mary, Georgia and Annie. Jesse Fortson Almond married Emily Hightower on October 23, 1848 in Harris County, Ga. Before 1860, Jesse and Elizabeth moved back into Muscogee County. Their son, Eugene Hightower Almond (also spelled Allmond) was born on July 15, 1855. He married Mary Mildred Burt on December 22, 1881. Eugene Allmond became a judge in Muscogee County in the Nances district (Fortson, GA). The Allmonds joined the Pierce Chapel Methodist Church, where my Smith and Reese ancestors attended. His wife died on February 4, 1928 and Judge Allmond died on September 17, 1929. They are buried in the Pierce Chapel Methodist Church cemetery. Fortson Road and the Fortson community was named after the Fortson family and Almond Road was named after the Almond family.

Findagrave.com

The Official History of Elbert County, 1790-1935, John H. McIntosh, 1940.

History of Harris County, Louise Calhoun Barfield, 1828-1961, 1961.

Antioch Baptist Church  Fortson, GA                                              Elizabeth Almond                                                   Antioch  Baptist Church        Home of Judge Allmond Pierce Chapel Methodist Church

The Getzen Fortson Wedding

 

An announcement of the marriage of Thomas Willis Fortson to Miss Minnie F. Getzen appeared in the Columbus Daily Enquirer Sun on March 26, 1885. The couple had married in Curryton, SC on the 24th and were arriving in Columbus the 26th and having a reception in their honor. Thomas Willis was the son of Thomas Daniel Fortson and Georgia A. Mealing. Thomas Daniel Fortson, sisters Jane and Harriet arrived in Columbus from Elbert County, GA with their married sister Elizabeth and her husband Isaac Almond after the death of their father Jesse Fortson in the late 1830’s. Thomas married 1) Eliza Pruitt and they had one son, Henry. After Elizabeth’s death in 1851, he married Georgia A. Mealing. Thomas Daniel became a prosperous planter, he also ran a general store and a gristmill on Heiferhorn Creek. In 1858 he built his home at the corner of Fortson and Almond Road near the Muscogee Harris County line. The Fortson house was a one story Georgian cottage built in the Greek revival style. Thomas Willis was born in 1860. During the Civil War, Thomas supplied the Confederate army with meal. After Thomas Daniel Fortson died in 1885, Thomas Willis became the owner of his father’s property. The area originally known as Blanchard’s Crossing was renamed Fortson in 1885 after the Columbus and Rome Railroad built a station on the Fortson property. Thomas Willis Fortson was named station agent. (Thomas Willis opened a post office in the general store and served as postmaster until his death in 1932. His son Luther Getzen Fortson became postmaster and ran the general store until his death in 1963). After Thomas Willis and Minnie Getzen wed they settled in the Fortson area and raised six children. In the late 1880’s Minnie’s parents, Samuel and Frances Mealing Gezten came for a visit. They fell in love with the area and decided to stay. They moved into the house built by Thomas Daniel Fortson for his sister. The house, across the railroad track, was half in Muscogee County and half in Harris County. Mrs. Getzen was fond of saying they ate their meals in Harris County and slept in Muscogee County. The Getzen’s organized the Getzen Memorial Church in 1904, still active today. Mrs. Fannie Getzen had been a teacher in South Carolina and when they settled in their new home she opened a small one room school near her home. Many of her students were from the Mulberry Grove area in Harris County. They included members of the Binns, Davis, Jones and McCrary families. Later she moved her school into Muscogee County and taught until her death in 1932. The Fortson family has retained ownership of the home until today. 

                                                  Fortson Home                                                            Fortson Road Fortson, Ga

Thomas Willis Fortson with sons Luther and Mark

Foundation of Fortson General Store and Post Office

                                                   Getzen Home                                                    Fortson Road

                             Getzen Memorial Church and Cemetery                                                                  Fortson Road                                              

Luther Getzen 

Columbus Daily Enquirer-Sun, March 26, 1885, p.4  

(This story is a very relevant one in my life. Thomas Daniel Fortson and my third great grandfather Osborn Ely’s lands adjoined the other. Thomas Daniel Fortson witnessed Osborn’s will. Many members of my Reese and Smith family attended the Getzen Memorial Church and are buried in its’ cemetery. I grew up in the Fortson area and visited the general store many times as a young child.) 

Columbus Daily Enquirer-Sun, March 26, 1885, p.4                                    The Macon Telegraph, December 17, 1885                                                    History of Harris County, Georgia 1827-1961, Louise Calhoun Barfield Historical Collections of the Georgia Chapters Daughters of the American Revolution, Elbert County, Grave Gilliam Davidson, 1929, p.139

Virgil Homer Walker

 Virgil Homer Walker, the oldest son of "Rich Billy" Walker, was born in Burke County, GA on September 14, 1792. The Walkers moved from Burke County into Putnam County, GA in the early 1800's. Virgil married Ann Champion Bell, the daughter of Benjamin Bell and Ann Champion,  in Putnam County on January 25, 1820. 

Putnam County Record of Marriages, Book B, 1816-1820, p.99

In 1826, Virgil was shown to still be living in Putnam County. An advertisement was placed in the Georgia Journal listing 2,000 bushels of corn for sale on his plantation in Putnam County. (The 1820 Census for Putnam County, GA shows him and his wife in the household along with 16 slaves.)

Georgia Journal, March 28, 1826

Virgil and Ann moved to Harris County in the late 1820's. Virgil's father built homes for each of his children and Virgil's home is still standing today. The house was built between 1822-1825. Many of the original features of the house have survived. In his book, Pine Log and Greek Revival, William Davidson stated that bricks for the tall chimneys were made on the property. The chimney faces are inlaid with a series of diamond patterns, worked by the brick masons into the chimney with glazed brick in a contrasting color. There was a wine cellar under the house, where the sills on which the house rests can still be seen. 

Virgil Walker Home

Before moving to Harris County in the late 1820's Virgil had served in the Army and was a Captain during the First Seminole War (1817-1818)  under General Duncan Clinch. In 1836 he wrote Governor Schley asking for help to subdue the Creeks that kept crossing the river and plundering and even burning homes and outbuildings. "It has become my painful duty to inform you that the Creek Indians opposite Harris has shown within a few days that they intend to commence hostilities on our side of the Chattahoochee River several friendly Indians has come over in haste to inform the settlers. Yesterday they burnt two farms....." (You can read the entire letter and others concerning the Creek Wars in The History of Harris County, Louise Calhoun Barfield, 1961, pp. 284-291.) There's also a Columbus connection to the Walker's. Virgil purchased a lot in Columbus for $105.00 and built a house that the family could use when travelling to Columbus. It took a day to travel to Columbus at that time. A few of the family's possessions are in the Walkers-Peters-Langdon house including a portrait of Ann Bell Walker, Virgil's wife. 

 

Walker-Peters-Langdon House 

Ann Bell Walker

Virgil Walker was a Mason, one of the founders of the Hamilton, GA Lodge #16. 

Virgil and Ann Walker had eight children:

1) Calvin J. Walker (lawyer, judge and civil engineer) 1820-1892 m. Elizabeth Frances Parker

2) Luther William Walker   1822-1888 m. Mary Victoria Thompson 

3) Virgil Homer Walker, Jr (physician)  1825-1896 m. Antoinette Walker       (second cousin)

4) Ann Bell Walker 1827-1895   m. Abram Phillips

5) Mary Lucina Walker  1828-1879  m. George Nix Phillips

6) John B. Walker  1830-1864  (died during the Civil War)

7)Thacker Vivion Walker (physician) 1832-1917 

8) Merriott Warren Walker 1834-1887

Virgil Walker died in 1848, and was buried in the Walker family plot in Mulberry Grove. There are two interesting newspaper articles about Virgil Walker. The Masonic Lodge printed an homage to Virgil. There was also an estate sale advertisement. 

Columbus Enquirer

January 18,1848

Columbus Enquirer

Dec. 26, 1848

Ann  continued to live in the plantation home until 1869 when Ann sold the house and land for $5,000.00 to E.C. Hood and Charles Hudson. (Harris County Deed Book H, p.239). She moved to Union Springs, AL to live with her son Luther. Ann died on October 17, 1869. She was buried in the Walker Family Cemetery beside Virgil Walker. 

Virgil Walker

Walker Family Cemetery

Cataula, GA

I would like to thank David Walker for sharing his research with me.

William "Rich Billy" Walker

 William "Rich Billy" Walker

(1765 - 1831)

  William "Rich Billy" Walker, son of George Walker (1737-1779) and Mary Duhart was born in Burke County, GA. He married Mary Vivion on November 20, 1791.  The couple eventually moved to Putnam County where he was noted as a large landowner. In the 1820 Census, he is living in Putnam County, and the tally of family members by age indicates that all of his children, except for the eldest (Virgil) are living with him.  By the mid-1820s, he had migrated to an area near Mulberry Creek in Harris County, GA, and is noted as one of the original pioneers of the county. He had large plantation holdings in Harris, Putnam, Troup, Jasper, and Meriwether counties, as many as 20,000 acres according to some reports. In a notice in the April 14, 1814 Georgia Journal newspaper, he is selling "a valuable plantation in Washington County on Williamson's swamp" that includes a two-story house, a cotton gin, apple and peach orchards. He was still living in Putnam County at this time. William Walker began buying large amounts of property in Harris County around 1828. Many sales were from land lottery winners in 1827. (See post about the Georgia Land Lotteries) Most of the land purchased by Rich Billy was along Mulberry Creek between Hamilton and Columbus, GA. The area later became known as Mulberry Grove. (My Ely/Eley ancestors lived near the Walkers.  While they were well off, their wealth couldn’t compare to the Walker Family.) David Walker, a direct descendant of “Rich Billy” Walker has an interesting image on his website showing the holdings of the Walker family.

“Rich Billy” built a large home for his family in the vicinity of  Hoody Hudson and Lower Blue Springs Roads in Harris County, GA. It stood until the 1990’s when it burned down. There is an interesting story in the book Pine Log and Greek Revival  about the Walker homes in Mulberry Grove. There is also a family cemetery on the Walker grounds, but it has been vandalized and overgrown through the years. Historians and genealogists owe a great debt to Louise Calhoun Barfield. Her book, The History of Harris County, contains many accounts of cemeteries that have been lost to time. Recently, a small cemetery related to the Walker family was found again.  I had the privilege to go and walk around the perimeter. It, too, had been vandalized. But, that’s another story.

The Walker estate included a cotton gin, grist mill, distillery, tannery, honey bee hives, and a brick kiln. He also built homes on the property for several of his eight children. “Rich Billy “died in 1831. His estate inventory of property in Harris County stated it was worth $95,148.87. In 2020 that translates into almost 3 million dollars! There is also a deed in the Harris County Superior Court that states that Mary Vivion Walker deeded six acres of land  south of the Walker home (located in the vicinity of Mountain Hill Road) to Mt. Olive Baptist Church as long as it was used as a Baptist Church. The church burned down in the 1940’s though the cemetery still exists.

William and Mary Vivion Walker’s children:

1)Virgil Homer Walker (1792-1848) m. Ann Champion Bell

2) Mary V. Polly Walker (1795-1850) m. Elijah Cook

3) William George Walker (1803-1849) m. 1) Francis G. _____ 

    2) Missouri Candler

4) Lucina Sara Walker (1804-1826) m. Iverson L. Brooks

5) Thacker Vivion Walker (1806-1873) John and Thacker were twins

6) John Thacker Walker (1806-1866) m. Melvina Tilly

7) David Enoch Walker (1810-1838)

8) Austin M. Walker (1812-1878) m. 1) Ellen Emeline Mitchell                                  2) Martha Angeline Marshall 3) Mary Fears Fannin

 

 I want to thank David Walker for allowing me to use his research on the Walker family for this post and future posts.

 

References

 

Putnam County Georgia Records, Frances Wynd, Albany, GA 1999

1820 U S Census; Census Place: Capt John H Butts District, Putnam, Georgia; Ancestry.com. 

1830 U S Census: Census Place: Harris, Georgia, Ancestry.com.

 History of Harris County Georgia, 1827 -1961,  Louise  Calhoun Barfield, Columbus, GA, 1961, p.558

http://www.neonclock.org/Pages/Walker-Geneology/LL_Walker_Ancestry.html

https://www.measuringworth.com/dollarvaluetoday/index.php#

Pine Log and Greek Revival, Houses and People of Three Counties in Georgia and Alabama, William H. Davidson, Chattahoochee Valley Historical Society, 1965, pp 192-199.