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