Saturday, September 27, 2014

Federal Road (Creek lands)

This was a project that started in 1805 for a more efficient mail delivery between Washington City & New Orleans. The Creek Indians gave permission to start a "horse path" through their nation, stretching from middle Georgia to coastal Alabama. Do you know the path your ancestors took traveling to Alabama? By 1805 my gggg grandfather, Isaac Funderburg, was traveling this section as the land was distributed by the 1805 Land Lottery and 1807 Lottery.  I can place him in Milledgeville, Baldwin, Georgia at this time. I believe some of his children were born  in Milledgeville. He quite possibly may have participated in the Creek Indian War of 1812. This is a map showing the the states "first interstate".


~Trish~
“first interstate”

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Baldwin County Georgia Wills

Baldwin County was created in in 1803 by Creek cessions of June 1802. Three years later, the land was distributed by the 1805 Georgia Land Lottery. After the second lottery (1807),five new counties were created from parts of Baldwin and Wilkinson Counties: Morgan, Randolph (later Jasper), Jones, Putnam, Telfair. In 1806, 1807, 1856 and 1872 portions of Wilkinson County were added; in 1807 portions of Hancock and in 1807, 1812 and 1826 portions of Washington; with some of Jones County added in 1856. The court house burned in 1861. The county was named after Abraham Baldwin; Milledgeville was named after George's first governor, John Milledge.

 Records Available to Members of Georgia Pioneers

Baldwin County Wills
  • Will Book A 1806-1829 (abstracts)
  • Wills 1829-1854 (abstracts)
Marriages
  • Marriage Book A 1806-1820
  • Marriages 1806-1851
  • Marriages from newspapers 1885-1886
Indexes to Probate Records
  • Will Book B 1829-1868
  • Will Book C 1868-1936
  • Annual Returns, Book A 1813-1820
  • Baldwin County Annual Returns, Book B 1820-1824
  • Annual Returns, Book C 1824-1831
  • Annual Returns, Book D 1831-1842
  • Baldwin County Annual Returns, Book E 1839-1856
Digitized Records
  • 1819 County Order Book; applicants of Widows of late war, orphans of Britton and Indians, Revolutionary War Officers and soldiers and persons who served in the Seminole War.
  • 1820 Land Lottery (Those who were eligable to draw) (digital images)
  • 1820 Tax Digest
  • 1820 Baldwin County Land Lottery
Baldwin County Residents (Memoirs of Georgia)

~Trish~

Some of Georgia Earliest Land Owners-

Tips for finding old home sites***
 
The first land grants in Georgia did not reveal much information for the genealogist. If you have found an old land grant and wish to go hunting for the homesite, the best thing to do is to observe adjoining neighbors (although "vacant" was used for the first grants in a new county). So, begin with the first deed book in the parent county and read every deed! Yes, that is the way to find any clues as to whom the land passed to next. Pay particular attention to the number of acres. For example, 287-1/2 acres was a typical land grant to a revolutionary war veteran. 202-1/4 and 202-1/2 is an indicator for the acreage granted in lotteries (1805, 1807, 1820, 1821, 1827, 1832). Washington County was the parent county for Hancock, etc. You can trace the land as it transferred ownership simply by paying particular attention to the legal description, limiting as it may be. Look for s. These are found with the deed books. If they exist for the county in which you are searching, you will see "drawn dimensions". Compare this with your (drawn) land grant. Once you have located the land lot number and district, you can obtain a county map and zero in on the homeplace. Search all the cemeteries in that district. Somewhere in there you will find recognizable names. People were normally buried in churchyards near their home, or on the plantation itself. You will notice from the map's "legend" the difference between a churchyard burial and a private cemetery. This information came from topical maps, so is quite accurate.
~Trish~