WRIGHTSVILLE, JOHNSON COUNTY

AT THE DAWN OF THE 20TH CENTURY

When the 20th Century dawned a century ago, Johnson County had reached its pinnacle. The population of the east-central Georgia county, named for antebellum Georgia governor, Herschel V. Johnson, had ballooned to nearly eleven and one-half thousand folks, nearly doubling the 1890 population of 6,129. Taxable property doubled in the five-year period centered around 1900. The immense growth of the county was due mainly to the impact of three railroads, the Brewton and Pineora, the Wadley and Mt. Vernon, and the Wrightsville and Tennille, which was presided over by Alexander F. Daley, a Wrightsville attorney.

Agriculture was the predominant industry in Johnson County. Nearly every acre of land which could be cultivated or built upon was improved and each such acre was valued in the amount of $2.66. Unimproved lands, which totaled fifty five-hundred acres out of one hundred and eighty thousand acres in the county, were valued at $1.21 per acre. The county's farmers produced slightly more than four million pounds or eighty three-hundred bales of cotton during the year 1900. Sheep herding was still a viable agribusiness. The forty-two hundred wooly animals ran wild over the grasslands of the county, much to the chagrin of the cattle farmers who owned an equal number of cows. Twenty four-thousand chickens produced a reported thirty-five thousand dozen eggs, which were delicious when served with the meat of seventy seven-hundred pigs and hogs. As for the equine animals, there were five hundred ninety three horses, five hundred four mules, and only three donkeys. Another large agribusiness was the manufacture of forest products. Shingles, rosin, and turpentine were the taken from the forests, which were estimated to be at fifty percent of their original state.

In the year 1900, electronic media was non-existent. Communications were made via the railroads and the postal system. While today there are only a few post offices, a dozen or so post offices were established in the county. The largest of these were Wrightsville, Kite, and Adrian, which continue to function today. Among the others, most of which were located along the railroads were Tom, Ethel, Hodo, Riner, Meeks, and Odomville along the Wadley & Mt. Vernon Railroad; Scott on the Brewton & Pineora Railroad; and Donovan and Spann/Meadows on the Wrightsville & Tennille Railroad. Regnant was located northeast of Scott, and Kittrell was situated in the northwest corner of the county on the Old River Road. Other post offices included Garnto, Ennis, Fortune, Rosa, and Shortpond.

Businesses were booming in Wrightsville at the turn of the 20th Century. The Bank of Wrightsville's assets were approaching thirty thousand dollars. The bank's president, T.J. Arline, resigned to devote more time to his business interests. These interests included the purchase of W.H. Harrison's gin and warehouse with his partners, J.M. Mason, J.E. Smith, Jr., S.A. Corker, and Frank G. Corker, all of whom formed the Wrightsville Gin Company. Dr. Jeremiah W. Brinson, Sr. purchased the Beehive Grocery building on the northwest corner of Marcus and Elm Streets where he built his drug store, which served the community for six decades. There appears to have been three drug stores. Along with Brinson's, there were the City Drug Company and J.W. Flanders' Drug Store. Mason and Arline moved their general merchandise store into a new building adjoining the Brinson building. There were two newspapers in town, "The Headlight" published by J.M. Huff and "The Record," published by A.B. Pierce. Unfortunately, all of the issues of these and other papers have not survived. The Lovett Brothers, Richard T., Ervin A., and William H. had their own businesses. The former two were in the mercantile business, while the latter was engaged in the insurance business with O.L. Little.

Among the other merchants in the town of Wrightsville were H.C. Christian, barber; A.F. Daley, lawyer; S.L. Linder, barber; P. Weinberg, jeweler; J.L. Kent, lawyer; E.A. Outlaw, barber; H. Connellee, furniture; Rouss Racket Store, general merchandise; J.A. Cobb's City Market Grocery; J.W.A. Crawford, wagons and buggies; Stewart and Dale Dry Goods, Cook and Morrell Grocery, Hayes Bros. Grocery; Farmers and Planters Hotel, Kennedy House, Lee Barnes Gin; Thompkins and Johnson Gin; and Walker and Simpson Warehouse.

Kite businesses included A.S. Sealey and M.A. Whitaker's Blacksmith shops; W.W. Pearce, carpenter; I.I. Smith, druggist; G.M. Johnson, J.M. Johnson, W.N. Kight & Son, Neal & Wheeler, and L.A. Perkins General Merchandise stores; Mrs. C.T. Smith's hotel; L. B. Lightfoot, Lawyer; C.T. Smith, Jr.'s livery; S.M. Norris and I.I. Smith's doctor's offices. The town of Rosa had seven general merchandise stores owned by T.F. Brantley, T.C. Bray, G.A. Moye, G.T. Prescott, A.L. Pridgen, and J.E. Smith, along with five cotton gins operated by T.F. Brantley, T.C. Bray, E.V. Jenkins, G.A. Moye, and G.H. Tarbutton. Businesses in the town of Scott included C.T. Thigpen, blacksmith; J.G. Carter's cotton gin; G.W. Pullen's Gen. Merchandise; and J.G. Carter, physician. Spann was home to the blacksmith shop of E.A. Hall, C.F. Boatright's carpentry business, the cotton gins of G.W. Bush and G.W. Wynn, the general merchandise stores of Edmondson & Stewart, G.W. Thomas' Lovett Academy, and the Spann Hotel. Other Johnson County hotels included Dora Williams' hotel in Arrieville and the Wallace House in Riner. Regnant, which was located northeast of Scott on the Adrian/Wrightsville Road, was improved with the blacksmith's shops of John Calley and G.W. Spring, John D. Smith and Lott Foskey's carpentry businesses, E.J. Sumner's and J.E. Welch's cotton gins, G.W. Pullen's Store, W.H. Smith's grist and saw mills, and J.G. Carter's saw mill.

J.A. Dent of Arrieville, L.D. Tison of Meeks, S.T. Ellis of Riner, and A.I. Haynes and Henry Hodges of Rosa were among the other turn of the century physicians of Johnson County. See the December 14th, 1999 issue of the Courier Herald for the businesses of Adrian, which lies partly in Johnson County.

Wrightsville was the home to Nannie Lou Warthen Institute, a college which was located on South Marcus Street and was supported by the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Professor Homer C. Woodard was elected in 1900 to serve as President. He was assisted by Prof. J.A. Mershon and Mrs. J.L. Rozar. Ethel Fincher taught music in the school, which later became Warthen College. The school began in a building which served as the courthouse prior to the construction of the new courthouse in 1895, moved to the site of the old elementary school site, where it burned in the mid 1930s.

The biggest event of the year, besides the political elections and events, was the first annual Chautauqua which lasted from June 3rd to June 8th. The headline speaker was Gen. John B. Gordon, a former Georgia governor, United States Senator, and Major General of the Army of Northern Virginia. General Gordon, as he was always called by those who idolized him, spoke on "The Last Days of the Confederacy," a topic which he was intimately familiar with as he was commander of one-half of Lee's dwindling infantrymen at Appomattox. The remainder of the five-day session was filled with musical performances and lectures, which took place in the courthouse and the Chautauqua Hall.

Among the other news-making events in 1900 was the return and burial of the body of Edward Burnett. Burnett, a young Wrightsville man, was among the first American soldiers to die in the Spanish American War during the invasion of Cuba, where he contracted a fatal case of fever. Even the killing of animals made the news. William Snell picked up a sweet potato and threw it, instantly killing a large hawk on the Ransom Hall Place. George Spivey, of Regnant, killed an eagle with a five-foot wing span. One of the big events of the year was the coming of the Cooper and Company Railroad Circus on November 20th.

Among those holding political office in the year 1900 were J.E. Page, Judge of the Court of Ordinary; J.W. Rowland, Sheriff; W.W. Anthony, Clerk of the Superior Court; Joe H. Rowland, County School Superintendent; R.A. Bradshaw, Tax Receiver; Beverly D. Evans, Judge of Superior Court; S.J. Moye, Tax Collector; C.T. Claxton, County Treasurer; E.A. Douglas, Surveyor; and George Schwalls, Coroner. Turn of the century Justices of the Peace included: Allen Meeks, J.T. Snell, B.B. Blount, A.S. Mayo, L. Foskey, W.C. Wiggins, S.P. Price, and E.J. Sumner.

WASHINGTON COUNTY COURTHOUSE, SANDERSVILLE, GA.

Washington County Courthouse

Sandersville, Georgia

Circa 1910

EMANUEL COUNTY COURTHOUSE

Courthouses in Emanuel County, Swainsboro, Georgia.

WHEELER COUNTY

Home to America's First Cowboys


Long before the cries of "Head 'em up, Move 'em out" echoed across the plains of the southwest, cattle were raised along the coastal plain of the southeastern United States. While cattle had been in America for centuries, the first true cattlemen came to our country following the American Revolution. They were to
Scotsmen and the Scotch-Irishmen who first settled in the Carolinas. The first generation of these cattlemen moved southward to the lower Oconee River Valley during the War of 1812. They were "America's First Cowboys" in a time when south Central Georgia was the southwestern United States. Today Wheeler County encompasses the extreme western portion of old Montgomery County which lies west of the Oconee River. Originally the lands were a part of Telfair and Laurens Counties until the formation of Emanuel County in 1812.

With first names like Angus, Archibald, Alexander, Duncan, and Malcom and last names like McMillan, McLeod, McRae, McQuaig, McArthur, Gillis, Peterson, Currie, and Clark, they came by the hundreds into Montgomery County, Georgia.

The Scots came looking good grazing lands, which they found in the regions of the Upper Wiregrass. Although the grass was not the best the Scots would persevere for many decades to come.

The Highland Scots continued to move into the area well into the 1830s.  Many of the families had made brief stays in Ireland before coming to this country.  Gaelic became a second language and was often used in church services. The Scots were known to be as honest and hard-working as they were obstinate and
prejudiced. The were members of the Presbyterian faith. The central church was founded in 1851 just across the Oconee at Mt. Vernon. Some of the Scots converted to Methodism. They began meeting at Morrison's Hill, near Glenwood, in 1828.

Among the large farmers in mid 19th century Wheeler County were Archibald McMillan, Malcom Currie, Anqus McMillan, Duncan McCallum, Duncan Bohanon, William Haralson, George Browning, Gabriel McClement, Henry Wooten, James Chaney, and William Brantley. The 1850 Census recorded that the largest improved acreage farm was 200 acres. Larger tracts were used for grazing lands including those used by sheep. The '50 census indicates that 75% of the current day Wheeler County's slaves worked in the southern part of the county where the larger farms were located. No Scots were considered planters, because none had more than twenty slaves, the largest being the seven each owned by Roderick Gillis and
Isabel McRae. When Georgia voted on secession from the Union in 1861, Montgomery County's citizens and representatives voted to remain in the Union, even after it was certain that Georgia would vote in favor of secession.

Among the more successful Scots who became public servants of early Wheeler County was John McRae. Judge McRae, son of a native Scotsman, served as a justice of the Inferior Court, State Senator - including the first three years of the Civil War -, State Representative, U.S. Marshall, a forty year term as chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, and as Postmaster of Alamo, which was created in 1889. The McRae family donated the land for the new town.

Christine McRae Brightto named the town for the immortal Catholic mission in Texas. She also named the streets for her seven daughters. Glenwood, which means a small valley in the woods, was established the same year on land given by Peter Galbraith.

Many Wheeler County communities carry Scottish names. John McCrae established a village of McVille along the western banks of the Little Ocmulgee River which separates Wheeler County from Telfair County. When the railroad company requested that the town change its name to avoid confusion with McRae, Scotland became the name of the community at the far southwestern edge of Wheeler County.
Other 19th century communities were McArthur, Bruce, and Little York.  Little York was established as Post Office on August 11, 1853. Duncan McRae was the first postmaster. He was followed by Alexander McMillan, Harlow Clark, Henry S. Clark, and John McRae. The post office was discontinued shortly after the end of the Civil War. The first two postmasters, McRae and McMillan, operated a general store in Little York. Through the generous donation by Mary Alice Brownson, the ledger books of the store are now available for inspection by historians and genealogists at the Dublin-Laurens Museum. These well preserved
and invaluable books detail every purchase and payment during the mid 1850s.

Other business records in the museum include the McRae store at McVille. The books give the names of hundreds of individuals who lived in present day Wheeler County, northeastern Telfair County, and southern Laurens County.

The heritage of the Scots in Wheeler and Montgomery County still lives.  Many descendants of the original families still live in the lower Oconee River valley. Their heritage lives on in the names of their communities and churches.

SCOTT BANKING COMPANY, SCOTT, GEORGIA

Scott Banking Company, Scott, Georgia

MT. CARMEL BAPTIST CHURCH, DEXTER, GA.

Painting of original church

Painting of church destroyed by a tornado in April, 1929.

CARTER'S CHAPEL METHODIST CHURCH, SCOTT, GEORGIA

Interior View of Carter's Chapel United Methodist Church

Erected in 1902

West of Scott, Georgia on U.S. Hwy 80.

Opposite the entrance to the Hugh Gillis Fishing Area