Database Review: "Semi-Centennial History of the Second Baptist Church of Atlanta, Georgia"

Semi-Centennial History of the Second Baptist Church of Atlanta, Georgia November 27-30, 1904 is a book edited and arranged by M. L. Brittain. It was digitized and put online by Ancestry about five or so years ago.

It's not very interesting reading, I must say, unless it applies directly to an ancestor (and it does not any of mine). The beginning lays out the program for the semi-centennial celebration and details the history of the church and its groups, such as the Women's Missionary and Benevolent Society.

A few sections should be highlighted, however. The ROLL-CALL OF THE DEAD is a "List of persons who died while members of the Second Baptist Church, from its Organization in 1854, to the Semi-Centennial Celebration November 27-30, 1904." This list consists of seven pages of names of individuals, when they joined the church and how, and their date of death. I estimate there to be over 300 names.

The Pastor and Deacons of the Second Baptist Church is a listing of individuals that served the church in those capacities. Short biographical sketches are given of each.

A final highlight is the ROLL OF THE CHURCH. More than 20 pages of members' names and addresses are given.

Book Review: "History of Atlanta, Georgia"

History of Atlanta, Georgia: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers is a book edited by Wallace P. Reed and published in 1889 by D. Mason & Co. of New York. Ancestry.com digitized and placed it online as part of their subscription service about five or so years ago. Google digitized it in 2006.

The preface written by Mr. Reed tells of the time in Atlanta's history:

THE fact that Atlanta is comparatively a young city will doubtless lead many to the conclusion that her annals are short and simple, and in such shape as to give a historian very little trouble.

It did not take long for the author of this work to find that it was a more difficult matter to obtain the facts and figures illustrating the growth and progress of Atlanta than would have been the case if he had attempted to write the history of a much older city. The presence among us of many of the old pioneers and early settlers, strange to say, has heretofore stood in the way of a systematic record of the city's onward march. Various suggestions, made from time to time, in regard to the organization of a Historical Society met with but little favor. Few citizens recognized the benefit of such a society, when they and their neighbors recollected nearly every important event that had occurred since the settlement of the place.

Mr. Reed goes on to state that he conferred with nearly all of the older citizens while compiling information for the book and obtained access to about twenty years' worth of files from the Atlanta Daily Intelligencer, as well as other newspapers. Mr. Reed believed that Atlanta's history was unique among the South because "The rapid growth of the city before the war; its rough experience between contending armies; its heroic defense in a siege of forty days; its occupation by Sherman; its complete destruction by his troops; its rebuilding; its active part in reconstruction, and its solution of the material, economic, and educational problems, incident to all cities, cannot fail to interest thoughtful readers."

The first few chapters, consisting of less than ten pages, deal with Atlanta's early history and removal of the Cherokees. Chapter 4 details the early white settlers. Noted settlers from 1844 to 1850 are listed. Chapters 5 and 6 are about the municipal history leading up to the Civil War. Chapters 7 through 13, well over 100 pages, are all about the Civil War and Reconstruction. Chapter 14 is again a municipal history leading from the war period to the then present time (1888). Law, medicine, education, religion, the press, banking, the railroad, trade, and manufacturing are discussed over the next several chapters. Each one including sketches of the individuals prominent in those areas.

Part II contains fifty more biographies. Some surnames are Adair, Calhoun, Goode, Inman, Lochrane, Norcross, Powell, Smith, and Van Winkle. This is but a small fraction of the names included in this section and especially this entire work. Illustrations regarding more than 40 individuals are included as well.

I've read most, if not all, of this book on Ancestry. Pages here and there in conjunction with research, and I do agree with Mr. Reed -- "it cannot fail to interest thoughtful readers."

Tombstone Tuesday: James A. Fortner (1845-1911)

James A. Fortner
2nd Lieut Co H 10 GA Inf
Confederate States Army
1845-1911

James Fortner soldiered with the Wilcox County Rifles.  He was buried in
Fortner Cemetery; Parrish, Florida.

Photo submitted by Benny P. Haimovitz to Wilcox Co GAGenWeb in
2005.

Georgia Tornadoes

The Glossary of Meteorology defines a tornado as "A violently rotating column of air, in contact with the ground, either pendant from a cumuliform cloud or underneath a cumuliform cloud, and often (but not always) visible as a funnel cloud."

Climate, weather, and specifically storms have an effect on our ancestors' lives. Below is a list of tornadoes that had an impact on areas of Georgia, oldest first.

• 15-20 March 1875 at 12:40 PM - 25+ dead, 65+ injured - There seems to have been 3 tornadoes that touched down in several counties. Those mentioned in local newspapers: Baldwin, Bibb, Chattahoochee, Columbia, Glascock, Hancock, Harris, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Laurens, McDuffie, Monroe, Talbot, Twiggs, Upson, Warren, and Wilkinson. To read accounts of the destruction from the Atlanta Daily Constitution, click here.
• February 1884 at 2:00 PM - 22 dead, 100 injured - Most deaths occurred south of Jasper, Pickens County, near Cagle and Tate. Large homes were swept away.
• 1 June 1903 at 12:45 PM - 98 dead, 180 injured - Gainsville Cotton Mill and nearby village in Hall County affected. One of the 25 deadliest in US history.
• 23-24 April 1908 - Sixteen killer tornadoes struck from Texas to Georgia, resulting in 320 deaths. It became known as the Dixie Outbreak. At one point, a single tornado was 2 miles wide. Atlanta, Rome affected.
• 28 March 1920 at 5:45 PM - 27 dead, 100 injured - LaGrange and Troup counties affected.
• 10 February 1921 at 12:30 PM - 31 dead, 100 injured - An entire section of a lumber mill village of Gardner, Washington County literally vanished.
• 25 April 1929 at 10:00 PM - 40 dead, 300 injured - Bulloch County, just north of Statesboro affected.
• 21-22 March 1932 - Ten violent tornadoes smashed through Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee, costing 330 lives.
• 2 April 1936 at 7:30 PM - 23 dead, 500 injured - Cordele, Crisp County affected.
• 6 April 1936 at 8:27 AM - 203 dead, 1600 injured - Gainesville, Hall County affected. One of the 25 deadliest in US history. J. S. Pope, assistant managing editor of The Atlanta Journal, wrote the most comprehensive outline of the path of the storm for the 7 April 1936 issue: "The tornado started at the foot of West Washington street, and swished through the narrow valley that lies between Washington and West Broad. Nothing was left standing in that area. Broad river was the southeastern boundary of the destruction until the old Gainesville Midland depot was reached. There the path flared suddenly across the heart of the business district. The courthouse and city hall left but little for the wreckers to move away. At this point the path of the tornado was marked by Brenau avenue and Church street, though no damage occurred outside this range. At South Green street, as though deflected by the new federal building, the twister veered eastward and rode across the residential section lying between Spring and Summit streets. From the high ground by the razed courthouse the prospect toward New Holland was one of contorted wreckage with hardly a wall left standing. This course was maintained past New Holland."
• 30 April 1953 at 5:10 PM - 19 dead, 300 injured - Warner Robins, Houston County and Dry Branch, Twiggs County affected. A tornado touched down on South Pleasant Hill Road and South Davis Drive, as well as cut a path across Warner Robins Air Force Base (in Houston County), before crossing the Ocmulgee River and into Dry Branch in Twiggs County. Eighteen people were killed and hundreds were injured in Warner Robins.
• 13 March 1954 at 10:00 PM - 5 dead, 75 injured - Roberta, Knoxville, Lizella, Macon affected.
• 25 December 1964 at 11:59 PM - 2 dead, 16 injured - Jones County affected.
• 3 April 1974 at 6:40 PM - 9 dead, 54 injured - Homes were leveled at Sugar Alley and the northwest edge of Resaca; 7 died in the Sugar Hill area.
• 3 April 1974 at 7:30 PM - 6 dead, 30 injured - Ball Ground, Yellow Creek, Juno affected.
• 18 February 1975 at 3:08 PM - 2 dead, 50 injured - Peach County affected: a tornado came down the center of Main Street in Fort Valley, ripping the fronts off most of the buildings.
• 24 March 1975 at 6:28 AM - 3 dead, 152 injured - Atlanta affected.
• 8 November 1989 at 4:35 PM - 1 dead, 8 injured - Wilcox County affected.
• 27-28 March 1994 - Afternoon and evening tornadoes ravage Georgia and Carolina, killing 42 and injuring 320.
• 20 March 1998 at 6:20 AM - 12 dead, 171 injured - Hall County affected.
• 9 April 1998 at 5:35 AM - 4 dead, 31 injured - Rye Path, Long County and Fort Stewart affected.
• 13 February 2000 at 11:09 PM - 11 dead, 100 injured - Camilla affected.
• 14 February 2000 - 6 dead, 30 injured - Meigs affected.

Rosser Adams Wilson, a Biographical Sketch

From Memoirs of Georgia, Volume II by The Southern Historical Association, 1895.
Transcribed by S. Lincecum 2004.

Rosser Adams WILSON, saw-mill proprietor, Reidsfield, Wilcox Co., Ga., was born at Eatonton, one of the most beautiful and aristocratic towns of central Georgia, Aug. 3, 1859. His father, William A. Wilson, is an eminently successful teacher, having had charge of the Eatonton high school for a number of years, and from there was called to the presidency of Furlow Female college at Americus, Ga. He was a soldier of the late war and was captain of a company in a Georgia regiment. The people of Sumter county have honored him with their suffrages at several different times as their representative and he is now president pro tem. of the state senate. Mr. Wilson received a good academic education and has made practical use of it in the mercantile and saw-milling business. Prior to 1891 he was located at Leslie, Ga., whence he moved to Reidsfield, on the A. & W., in Wilcox county, where he is at present engaged in business. As a business man he has been very successful; his methods being such as to keep him entirely unencumbered - something somewhat unique among country merchants. In June, 1878, Mr. Wilson consummated a marriage with Miss Cora B., daughter of J. W. Bailey, a successful and prosperous planter of Sumter county. His talent for business and his decision of character have given him a position of influence in the county of his adoption, which he uses with rare judgement.

E. H. Williams, a Biographical Sketch

From Memoirs of Georgia, Volume II by The Southern Historical Association, 1895.
Transcribed by S. Lincecum 2004.

E. H. WILLIAMS, attorney-at-law, Abbeville, Wilcox Co., Ga., is the eldest of six children born to Dr. Charles Williams, who was a physician of Georgetown, S.C., and who died in 1863. Edward Herbert was born April 19, 1854. Although the school period of his life was interrupted by the war and the disturbed condition of affairs immediately following the event, he succeeded in securing an academic education. Choosing the law for a profession he began its study under Richard Dozier, Esq., and subsequently with Joseph H. Earl, attorney-general of the state. He was admitted to the bar in his native state, and practiced at Lake City and Kingstreet until 1887, when he located at Abbeville. Prior to and since his admission to the bar Mr. Williams taught school in several different states. Since his coming to Abbeville he has made an earnest and patriotic citizen, serving as mayor of the town, and increasing the membership of the Abbeville guards, of which excellent military organization he is now captain. In 1892 Mr. Williams became a member by marriage of an influential Abbeville family, being happily wedded to Miss Laura, daughter of Maj. A. A. F. Reid. Two beautiful children are inmates of their home: Belle Reid and Martha Lovel. The character of Mr. Williams' citizenship has been such since his location in Abbeville as to cause the inhabitants of that bailiwick to feel indebted to his native state. Georgia needs such timber.

Henderson Church Cemetery Photos Now Online (via Southern Graves)

[Originally posted at the Southern Graves blog.]

Whew! I've been working! Some more photos are now available online. These are from Henderson Church Cemetery in Henderson, Houston County, Georgia. Surnames include Brown, Clark, Coleman, Haywood, Hodge, Jones, Kendrick, Kezar, McGehee, Peacock, Rogers, Shafer, and Till.

Direct link to individual photos and commentary - Henderson Church Cemetery.

Photos from Shiloh Cemetery Now Online (via Southern Graves)

[Originally posted at the Southern Graves blog.]

I'm still playing with Picasa's web features and found out I can embed a slideshow into my blog posts. This works well for a small number of photos, as with the case of Shiloh Cemetery. This predominantly African-American burial ground is an old church cemetery located in Henderson, Houston County, Georgia. There are several dated tombstones that likely memorialize former slaves.

This is not a complete survey, but a compilation of photos of some of the older stones and others that simply caught my eye. Surnames include Adkison, Amica, Davis, Hill, Jones, Nix, Riley, Simmons, Sneed, Thompson, Webb, and Williams.

If you are interested in viewing larger images and / or individuals, as well as my commentary, you may go directly to the album here - Shiloh Cemetery.

Follow Friday: Culpepper Connections

Here's a great website to check out and follow if you have any connection to a Culpepper. Lew Griffin and Warren Culpepper have been building this site for more than a decade, and the information contained within is astonishing. From their home page: "Since our inception in 1998, we have had over a thousand Culpeppers provide us with genealogies, other forms of new or corrected information, photographs, biographies, and more."

The latest under their What's New heading is this: "A new version of the Culpepper Family Tree. In our latest periodic update, published April 30, 2010, we added or updated the records for over 1,200 individuals. Our next update will be on or shortly after August 31, 2010."

As for the Georgia connection, the places index indicates ties to over 150 counties in the state. If you have Georgia Culpeppers in your family tree, do yourself a favor and check out Culpepper Connections!, The Culpepper Family History Site.

Dr. Joseph D. Maynard, a Biographical Sketch

From Memoirs of Georgia, Volume II by The Southern Historical Association, 1895.
Transcribed by S. Lincecum 2004

Dr. Joseph D. MAYNARD, physician and surgeon, Abbeville, Wilcox Co., Ga., was born in Jones county, Ga., Dec. 26, 1856. He is the son of Sanford B. Maynard, who was native of Edgefield district, S.C., whence he moved to Georgia. By occupation a planter, and a most successful one, highly esteemed and kindly regarded in the county where he lived, he died in 1868. Dr. Maynard was educated at Tremble institute, Winchester, Tenn. In 1882 he matriculated at Atlanta Medical college and was graduated in 1883. He was enabled to do this by reason of having read medicine for several years previously under a preceptor. He then supplemented his course in Atlanta college with a short one at Vanderbilt university, Nashville, Tenn., and then entered actively on the practice of his profession at Tallapoosa, Ga. After one year he removed to Abbeville, where he has since resided. When he removed to Wilcox county there were only three physicians within its limits, making a large territory to be covered by each. On April 11, 1883, he was united in marriage to Miss Lillie May, daughter of William M. Shephard, at that time a resident of Atlanta, subsequently moved to Savannah. Dr. and Mrs. Maynard are the parents of two very bright and beautiful little girls, the elder of whom, Lillie May, is eight, and the younger, Jessie Myrtle, six years of age. Dr. Maynard is a blue lodge Mason, and exemplifies in his life the teachings of that noble fraternity. He is prominently identified with the railroad interests of his section, being surgeon for the Savannah, Americus & Montgomery railway, of which he is a director; and projector and president of the Waycross & Abbeville railway.

Hon. Thomas L. Holton, a Biographical Sketch

From Memoirs of Georgia, Volume II by The Southern Historical Association, 1895
Transcribed by S. Lincecum 2004

Hon. Thomas L. HOLTON, judge of the county court of Wilcox county, Abbeville, Ga., and a lawyer of excellent practice and ability, graduated from the state university of Georgia, law department, in 1889, since which time he has been actively engaged at Abbeville. His father, John R. Holton, was a farmer by occupation, and died in 1874. Thomas L. Holton was born Jan. 9, 1867, in Appling county, Ga. Like many of our leading professional men, he passed his boyhood on the farm, receiving the ordinary common school education. He entered the university in 1888 and graduated with honor the following year as stated above. Six years of faithful and painstaking service at the bar have placed Judge Holton in the front rank of his profession. He was appointed judge of the county court Oct. 1, 1893, and holds the office acceptably to both clients and attorneys. Judge Holton took something better than a diploma from Athens, Ga., having carried away one of her fairest daughters, Miss Ida Haudrup. Their nuptials were celebrated in October following his graduation, since which time two lovely children have come to brighten their home: Winnie was born Dec. 22, 1891, and William Cecil, born Nov. 13, 1893. Judge Holton is a stanch democrat.

Dr. Duncan F. M'Crimmon, a Biographical Sketch

From Memoirs of Georgia, Volume II by The Southern Historical Association, 1895
Transcribed by S. Lincecum 2004

Dr. Duncan F. M'CRIMMON, physician and surgeon, Rochelle, Wilcox Co., Ga. The grandparents of this gentleman were of Scotch descent, an earlier member of the family having migrated from Scotland to North Carolina. Braving the ills and discomforts attendant on pioneer life, they emigrated to Georgia, being among the earliest settlers of the state. These members of the family were marked by that strong individuality so often found in pioneer settlers of the states of America. The father of Dr. McCrimmon was a farmer by occupation, and was held in high regard by the people of his county, who honored him by several terms in both branches of the legislature, where he performed the duties devolving upon him most faithfully. Dr. Duncan F. McCrimmon is a native of Montgomery county, Ga., and was born May 15, 1837. After receiving a common English education in 1859 he entered the Atlanta Medical college as a student of medicine. He finished one course and then spent a year at the Oglethorpe Medical college at Savannah, where he was graduated in 1860. After leaving school he located on House creek in Wilcox County. In 1862, entering the Forty-ninth Georgia regiment, he was detailed as physician for the counties of Wilcox and Irwin. In this capacity he served during the war, and remained at House Creek, where he had a very large practice, until 1890, when he removed to Rochelle. He was married in 1864 to Miss Rebecca Wilcox, daughter of Capt. T. L. Wilcox. To them have been born the following children: Charles L., railroad contractor, in Florida; Louis B., farmer; Hattie, wife of E. L. Revere, Rochelle; Duncan, Julia and Sallie, at home. Dr. McCrimmon was a member of the constitutional convention of 1877. In 1892 he was chosen by the people of his county to represent them in the general assembly, and while serving in that body was a member of the following committees: Agriculture, hygiene and sanitary, lunatic asylum and penitentiary. He is a member of Rochelle lodge, F. and A. M., No. 270, and of the Hawkinsville chapter. Prominent in politics, and a most successful physician, he stands among the foremost people of the place in which he lives.

John C. Ausley, a Biographical Sketch

From Memoirs of Georgia, Volume II by The Southern Historical Association, 1895.
Transcribed by S. Lincecum 2004.

John C. AUSLEY, planter and turpentine farmer, Pitts, Wilcox Co., Ga., is the son of Merritt Ausley, deceased, and was born in Robinson county, N.C., Dec. 2, 1848. His opportunities for a good education were very limited, but having been endowed with more than the ordinary amount of good hard sense and a natural bent for business, he has by right use of his talents, won his way to success. From the close of the civil war until he left his native state he was engaged in the manufacture of naval stores. He came to Georgia in 1887 and located in Wilcox County. One of the most enterprising citizens of the county, he runs three turpentine stills, and is also extensively engaged in farming. He belongs to the masonic fraternity. He was joined in marriage in 1875 to Miss Mary McCaskill of South Carolina. Three sons and one daughter constitute their flock: Thomas Allen, seventeen years of age, and a graduate of a business college at Atlanta; Charles Merritt, fifteen years; Nannie Gertrude, thriteen years of age, and Calvin K. C., ten years of age. Mr. Ausley is one of the solid men of his county and deserves the success which his energy and business ability have brought him.