HISTORY OF WILKINSON COUNTY

Orig. pub. Macon, GA 1930. Reprinted 1978, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003. Print on Demand Edition 2013. ii, 645 pp., illus., maps, index

Wilkinson County, Georgia, was created in 1803 from Indian lands and, at one time, encompassed all or part of what are now Bibb, Baldwin, Twiggs, Bleckley, Laurens, Pulaski, Dodge, Wheeler, and Telfair counties. The author treats extensively the Indian era and the struggles of the first settlers with the Indians and with the Spanish in East Florida. A chapter is devoted to the attempt by pioneer Elijah Clarke to set up the independent Republic of Trans-Oconee. The participation of Wilkinson County residents in the "filibustering" expedition of French "Citizen Jean Genet" is discussed as is the county in the War of 1812. Other chapters deal with the development of the community by the early settlers including their churches, schools, and militia organizations. Wilkinson County's participation in the Civil War and the events of Reconstruction are covered. Two appendixes contain lists of early office holders, wills and estate records, and extracts of marriage records from 1819 to 1865 for over 1500 families. Church histories, town histories, and complete records of Civil War soldiers complete the first appendix. The second appendix lists genealogical data on over one hundred families including: Adams, Allen, Bacon, Baum, Beall, Bell, Billue, Bloodworth, Boone, Bower, Branan, Broadfield, Brooks, Bryan, Bugg, Burke, Butler, Carswell, Cason, Chambers, Cliett, Culpeper, Daughtry, Davidson, Davis, Everett, Fountain-Garrett-Knight, Freeman, Gibson, Gifford, Gilmore, Hall-Freeman-Hall, Hall, Hatcher, Hicks, Holloman (Holliman), Hooks, Hubbard, Hughes, Isenberg, Ivey, Johnson, Jones, King, Kinney, Kitchens, Lamb, Land, Lee, Lewis, Lindsey, Manson, McArthur, McGinty, Meredith, Nesbit, Patterson, Pittman, Player, Porter, Pugh, Rivers, Ryle, Sanders, Stanley, Stephens, Stokes, Tigner, Todd, Whipple, Whitehurst and Williams.