Daniel and Elizabeth Bullard of Twiggs County, Georgia

It was 10+ plus years ago when I visited Beech Springs Methodist Church and graveyard at the Bullard community in Twiggs County, Georgia. In researching the area, I learned it was first the site of a steamboat landing on the Ocmulgee River. It later became Bullards Station, a depot on the Southern Railway named for Daniel Bullard.

Daniel was born 11 March 1805 at Washington County, Georgia to Wiley and Parthena Bullard. He moved to the Bluff district of Twiggs County when just a boy, and after spending the balance of his life there, Daniel's final resting place would be the Cabiness Ridge section of Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon, Bibb County, Georgia. (Seems a bit odd to me, but I'm sure there were reasons.) Following is an obituary from the 6 September 1894 Macon Weekly Telegraph:

DANIEL BULLARD IS NO MORE

His Long and Useful Life Ended at High Noon Yesterday Surrounded By Loving Friends.

WILL BE BURIED IN MACON

He Was the Oldest and Wealthiest Citizen of Twiggs County and a Man Who Had Accomplished Much Good in His Day.

Yesterday at 12:30 o'clock Mr. Daniel Bullard of Twiggs died at his home in that county.

He was born in Washington county, Georgia, March 11, 1805, and had therefore reached his 90th year. He was the oldest [citizen] of his county. His death was due, not to any specific disease, but to the gradual decay of life in advancing years. When about 10 years of age he moved to Twiggs county, and for eighty years consecutively was a resident of the same district -- "Bluff district" -- of that county. For many years past he was a familiar figure on the streets of Macon and was known personally to nearly all of the business men of the city.

He was married four times. There survive him his last wife, whom he married January 29, 1865, and who was Miss Elizabeth Bardon [sic]; and the children of their marriage, Mrs. Cora Etheridge, Mrs. Victoria Billingsly and Daniel Bullard, Jr. His older surviving children are J. M. Bullard and Monroe Bullard of Cochran, Mrs. Elizabeth [Everett] and Mrs. Dora Harrell of Twiggs.

Mr. Bullard's life furnished another illustration of the opportunities open to energy and frugality under the conditions of life in this country. He started life a poor boy, without a cent, without parental help, earning his first quarter by manual labor. He leaves an estate estimated at from $50,000 to $75,000. He was wont to say in his quaint manner that he worked hard for this money when he was young, and after he was old he let it work for him. He allowed his capital, unlike the rolling stone, to gather the moss of interest, and being of simple tastes and habits his income was comfortably beyond his wants.

He was the first agent of the Macon and Brunswick (now the Southern) railroad at Bullard's station, which was so named after him, a position he held for thirteen years. His public spirit was shown by giving the right of way through an extensive tract of land and by his subscribing $42,000 to the stock of the road. Mr. Bullard was eminently a just man. He believed in the religion of paying debts. He rendered to every man his due, and thought that every man should do likewise by him. If he found a debtor seeking to evade or defeat a just claim he would pursue his rights to their full extent, but in many transactions, where the other party showed a desire to do justice, he would cheerfully remit a part -- sometimes much -- to which he was justly entitled.

Mr. Bullard lived and died a consistent member of the Baptist church. He was universally liked and respected in the community in which he lived. He was an honest, quiet, industrious, kind-hearted, God-fearing man. Such men make valuable citizens and when they die they are a loss. He had many warm friends here.

His remains will reach the city this afternoon at 4:20 by the Southern railway and will be interred at Rose Hill cemetery... The following gentlemen have been requsted [sic] to act as pall bearers: W. A. Davis, J. W. Cabaniss, N. E. Harris, R. H. Plant, C. J. Toole, M. R. Freeman, G. L. Reeves, W. M. Wimberly, Theodore Ellis. They are requested to meet at the store of Lamar Clay at 4 p.m.

It's important to note Daniel was not the only one to work "hard for this money" (his estate at death would equal 1.4 to 2.1 million dollars today). Daniel enslaved people and forced them to also work hard, solely for the benefit of him and his family. According to the 1850 Twiggs County census slave schedule, he owned sixteen individuals -- male and female, ranging in ages from 7 to 45 years.

Following is an obituary for Daniel's "last wife."

Macon Telegraph (Georgia)
Sunday, 20 May 1917 - pg. 8 [via GenealogyBank]

DEATHS AND FUNERALS

MRS. ELIZABETH BULLARD.
Mrs. Elizabeth Bullard, widow of Daniel Bullard, and one of the oldest and most prominent women of Twiggs county, died Saturday at her home near Bullard's station, Twiggs county, after a brief illness. She was 86 years old and probably the oldest woman in the county.

She is survived by three daughters, Mrs. Dora Harrell, Mrs. Victoria Billingslea and Mrs. Walter T. Holmes, and one son, Daniel Bullard. Twenty-one grandchildren also survive.

The body will be brought to Macon Sunday morning and carried to the home of her daughter, Mrs. Billingslea, 820 New street, where the funeral will be held Sunday afternoon at 2 o'clock. The Rev. T. F. Callaway, pastor of the Tabernacle Baptist church, assisted by the Rev. J. P. Wardlaw, will conduct the service and the interment will be in Rose Hill cemetery.

Daniel Bullard was one of the leading planters and one of the largest land owners in Twiggs county. The family is well known throughout this section of the state.

According to his obituary, Daniel was married four times. In addition to Elizabeth, I have only one other name to offer: Caroline. I believe she was the mother of at least seven of his children. In all, I have found Daniel fathered at least thirteen children:

- Wiley Bullard (b. abt 1829)
- Charles Bullard (b. abt 1832)
- Mary Bullard (b. 1836-1838)
- Elizabeth Bullard Everett (d. 1905)
- Henry H. Bullard (b. abt 1840)
- Ira Bullard (b. 1843-1844)
- J. Madison Bullard (b. 1848-1850)
- Monroe Bullard (d. 1921)
- William Bullard (b. abt 1856)
- Dora Bullard Harrell (1868-1934)
- Cora Bullard Etheridge Holmes (1872-1927)
- Victoria "Vick" Bullard Billingslea (1872-1948) *also buried in Rose Hill
- Daniel Bullard, Jr. (1873-1960)

Obituary for Former Slave, Primus Moore

According to his obituary, Primus Moore was born about 1829.  Upon his death in 1904, he was laid to rest in Oak Ridge Cemetery.  This land adjacent to Rose Hill Cemetery (and considered to be part of) was originally planned by Simi Rose to be a burial space for slaves.

The Macon Telegraph (Georgia)
Friday Morning, 16 September 1904 [Georgia Historic Newspapers]

DEATH OF ESTEEMED COLORED CITIZEN

Primus Moore One of the Oldest Colored Citizens of This City Died at His Home Yesterday -- Was Highly Esteemed by Everybody.

Primus Moore, one of the oldest colored citizens of Macon and a contractor and brick layer of wide reputation, died at his residence, 122 Spring street yesterday afternoon at 3:30 o'clock.

He was about 75 years old and belonged in the time of slavery to James Ayers a contractor who taught him his trade.  Primus Moore was one of the most highly respected colored citizens of Macon and this section.  He was one of the oldest subscribers to the Telegraph.

He has a son who is a physician, one a pharmacist, one a brick layer and one a carrier in the postal service.  These were educated in the best colored educational institutions of the country and brought up as highly respected citizens.

Primus Moore had many friends among the white citizens of Macon, and was regarded as one of the best colored citizens of this section.  He has labored for nearly all of the older inhabitants of Macon and always won the respect of every one on account of his fairness, honesty and industry.

Many of his friends among both races inquired about his condition at the residence yesterday and regretted to learn of his death last night.

The funeral will occur this afternoon at 3 o'clock at the residence.

Ambrose Baber Died from the Effects of His Own Medicine (Tombstone Tuesday)

In the Spring of 1846, Dr. Baber confidently copied the dosage information from Ellis' Formulary before the prescription was sent off to the druggist.  George Payne, prominent druggist of the time in Macon, Georgia, thought something wasn't quite right.  He filled the prescription, but attached a "beware" note to the vial before giving it to the patient.  When the doctor later called on his patient, a Mr. Jarrell, he was a bit aggravated the medicine hadn't been taken as prescribed.  Jarrell showed Baber the note of caution.  Dr. Baber took some of the medicine to prove its safety to his patient.  Then Dr. Ambrose Baber was no more.

Even as late as 1907, more than 60 years after his shocking death, articles were written in the local paper about Dr. Baber.  This is one of many posted at the time of his death.  Issued Wednesday, 11 March 1846, Macon Weekly Telegraph (via GenealogyBank).

DEATH OF DOCT. BABER.
It is with feelings of the deepest sorrow that we are called upon to record the death of Doct. AMBROSE BABER of this city.  We know that this sad news will fill with pain the hearts of a numerous body of admiring friends not only in this community but throughout the State.

This sudden and unexpected stroke has cast a gloom over the whole community.  Doct. Baber was up to the hour he fell in the enjoyment of his usual health and in attendance on the calls of his profession -- but the hand which has so often ministered to the sufferings of others is now cold in death -- the heart which has so often felt for their afflictions has ceased to beat forever.  The scenes of his triumphs and fame witnessed his own fall; he expired about 9 o'clock on Sunday morning last in the chamber of one of his sick patients.  He met death at a moment's warning, in the full possession of all his faculties, and without a murmur resigned his spirit to his God.

In his death what a striking illustration is there given of the uncertainty of life; of the futility of all human calculations; and of the fleeting and perishing nature of all sublunary things.  Like flowers cast upon the unreturning waves which are borne to the wide ocean where they sink and are seen no more forever.

"Earthly things
Are but the transient pageants of an hour;
And earthly pride is like the passing flower
That springs to tall, and blossoms but to die."

Doct. Baber was a native of Rockingham county, Virginia: and after completing his education emigrated early in life to this State, where he has resided, with the exception of a short absence in Europe, ever since.  He served as Surgeon in the Army under Gen. Jackson, in the Seminole campaign.  On repeated occasions he has been a prominent member of one of the political parties of this State: and although differing with him in opinion, his most ardent admirers cannot cherish more sincerely the recollection of his private virtues than the writer of this article.  Doct. Baber has several times represented this county in both branches of the legislature, where he was an influential and efficient member.  In 1841 he was appointed by Gen. Harrison minister to the Court of Turin in the Kingdom of Sardinia, in which capacity he remained until the spring of 1844, when he returned to this city and resumed the practice of his profession.  As a husband and father his devotion and affection were unbounded.  Gifted with a strong mind which was also cultivated well; unchanging in his friendships; with warm and generous feelings; with a high sense of honor and love for all that was noble and elevated in sentiment and practice, he has passed through all the stages of a life far advanced in years with the esteem of all who knew him.

He has left a wife and three children of tender years to mourn his loss.  Our deepest sympathies are with his bereaved and stricken household; with the orphans and the widow. -- But we will not invade the sanctity of their sorrow by attempting to off any words of consolation here.  No human speech can alleviate their anguish or assuage their unspeakable grief.  That solace must come from on high, from the author of every good and perfect gift -- from the father of the fatherless and the widow's stay; and to Him in humble resignation and adoring faith, we are sure they will turn for that consolation which can alone bind up the bleeding heart or assuage the poignancy of grief like theirs.

His funeral will take place from the Episcopal Church this morning at 10 o'clock, and his friends are respectfully invited to attend at that hour without further notice.  His remains will be interred in Rose Hill Cemetery.  Sit tibi terra levis.

"May the earth rest lightly on you." That's what that final Latin phrase translates to – I like it.

If Ambrose Baber is in your family tree, or you just want to know a bit more about him, keep reading.

He was born in September.  Some say 1792, others say 1793.  The first is inscribed on his tombstone.  Edward Ambrose Baber (his full name) was a son of Thomas, who "served on the American side during the War for Independence," and Sarah Oglesby Baber.  He was also a twin to Edward Hardin Baber.  The same first name was a bit much for Ambrose, so he dropped it for adulthood.

Ambrose was a veteran of the War of 1812.  He participated in the Battle of Bladensburg, and was severely wounded.  A friend, Henry St. George Tucker, carried him off the battlefield.  Though Ambrose felt the effects of his wound for the rest of his life, he did somehow recover.  He later named his first son after the friend who saved him.

Dr. Baber received his early medical training in Virginia.  From 1815 to 1817, however, he attended the Medical College at Philadelphia.  After this training, he relocated to Georgia and began his own medical practice.  He first settled in Dublin, Laurens County.  He then moved to Hartford in Pulaski County, where he joined troops fighting in the Seminole War.  His next stop was Marion in Twiggs County.  There, it seems, Dr. Baber would have been content, but a friend (Oliver Hillhouse Prince) requested his help in laying out the new town of Macon in Bibb County.  Ambrose acquiesced, and was residing in Macon by 1824.

It is about here where R. B. Flanders, in his biographical article about Ambrose Baber for the September 1938 Georgia Historical Quarterly, writes:

In contrast with so many members of his profession, this physician did not devote any time to cotton production and plantation management, but attended to his professional duties.  Books were purchased, subscriptions to medical journals were entered, and he sought in every way possible to add to his store of knowledge.

Soon after relocating to Macon, Dr. Baber founded the Constantine Chapter, No. 4, Lodge 34, of the Masonic Order – the organization which he had joined while in Marion.  He obtained the degree of Royal Arch Mason before leaving Twiggs County.  After founding the Constantine Chapter, he became the Worshipful Master of the Lodge and High Priest of the Chapter.  About 1831-1832, he was named Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Georgia.

As alluded to previously, Dr. Baber's medical practice never suffered because of his "extracurricular" activities.  In 1825 he was appointed to the Board of Examiners for the Medical Department of the University of Georgia, and ten years later to the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of the same.

That same year, Dr. Baber figured heavily in an endeavor that would lead to the founding of Christ Episcopal Church in Macon.  In March of the next year, Ambrose Baber fought in a duel, killing his opponent.

Then there was politics.  Though a personal friend, whose opinion Baber sought, advised against him entering the political arena, the already respected community leader could not say "no." Ambrose Baber was elected Georgia State Senator from Bibb County in 1827, 1831, 1835, 1838, and 1839.

Dr. Baber had a fondness for, and felt a duty to protect, state and national history.  From Flanders' article:

A most valuable service was [Baber's] introduction of a resolution providing for the appointment of a person to go to London to copy the colonial records of Georgia, the appropriation of $4,000 for expenses, and the solicitation of the support of the President of the United States in the enterprise.  While the resolution failed to pass at the time, it was later acted upon, and Baber deserves full credit for his work in the collection and preservation of the historical records of the State.

Let's talk about education.  Baber "was one of the organizers and trustees of Montpelier Institute, an academy located in Macon, and served as its supporter and financial backer for years." His daughter Lucy Marian attended the school.

Baber was also a driving force behind bringing the railroad to Macon.  Flanders wrote the following:

The economic necessities of the State would have resulted in the construction of a road between Macon and Savannah had Baber never lived, but the yeoman's labor he rendered in performing the "spade work" accounts largely for its early success…Over forty years later one man testified that Baber's arguments in 1830 had converted him. "Dr. Baber, I positively know is entitled to the paternity of the Macon and Savannah Railroad," he wrote.  Baber had discussed the matter with him, observing that "the true road to individual and national wealth was the successful tillage of the earth, abundant crops, cheap and easy transportation of them to market for home consumption or exportation.  That would stimulate industry and foster our commerce." With such views he advised the building of the railroad.

Dr. Baber believed in books.  He thoroughly enjoyed reading and discussion.  This led to the Macon Lyceum and Library Society, of which the doctor was president.

Baber was a large landowner.  At one time, he owned more than 2,500 acres across five Georgia counties.  This included the family's summer home – called Hamilton – in Habersham County.  The home the family occupied on Walnut Street in Macon (built about 1829-1830) stands today, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.  The property was converted to a medical clinic around 1919.  Baber was also on record as the owner of nineteen slaves.

Still another interest of Baber's was banking.  I won't go into too many specifics, because I honestly find them a bit confusing.  I will note, however, Baber was the president of the Insurance Bank of Columbus, Georgia.  The headquarters were in Macon.

In 1841, Baber reluctantly accepted the undesirable appointment of Chargé d'Affaires to Sardinia.  Flanders described the few years the doctor and his family spent on the Italian island as "altogether unpleasant." And I'm not sure it would even be considered a successful trip for the United States.  Dr. Baber was recalled, and the family returned to Macon in 1844.

Baber resumed his medical practice, though his desire was to retire and permanently relocate to the summer home in Habersham County.  If he had done so, he might have lived longer than his fifty-two or fifty-three years.  Though highly respected and seemingly well-liked, I believe it was a touch of arrogance that stood in the way of his retirement and hastened his death.

Immediate Family

Dr. Ambrose Baber married Mary Eliza Sweet 16 June 1829.  Mary, of Savannah, Georgia, was born 16 June 1810 a daughter of George Dunbar Sweet and Rachel Ross Porcher.  She was just 19 at the time of her marriage to Ambrose (he was 36), and Mrs. Sweet did not approve of the union.  Mary, who supposedly suffered from tuberculosis, was well cared for by Dr. Baber and lived to the age of 84.

Ambrose and Mary had five children:  Floride Calhoun (b. 1830), Henry St. George (b. 1831), George Francis Burleigh (b. 1833), Lucy Marian (b. 1836), and Ella Hunter (b. 1839).  Floride Calhoun and Henry St. George died as infants.  Burleigh was a Naval Officer lost at sea about 1854-1855.  Lucy Marian went on to marry Joseph W. Blackshear, touted by the Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library of the University of Georgia as a "teacher, accountant, and Civil War soldier of Macon." Joseph was a son of Joseph Blackshear and Elizabeth C. Paul.  Ella, the last daughter of Ambrose and Mary, lived to the age of 90, but I know little else about her.

It might be interesting to note (I found it so) that four of the children of Joseph and Lucy Marian were not ready to give up the well-known Baber name.  Ella, Paul, Birdie, and Minnie all took as their surname "Baber-Blackshear."

Research Note:  R. B. Flanders wrote a fabulous, all encompassing article on Ambrose Baber for the Georgia Historical Quarterly in 1938.  His article, source for a large portion of this article, is available at jstor.org --

Flanders, R. B. "AMBROSE BABER." The Georgia Historical Quarterly 22, no. 3 (1938): 209-48. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40576567.

Signs of the Times with the Death of Paul Tarver

Tombstone for
Paul E. Tarver

A simple inquiry regarding Paul E. Tarver started me on a quest to find out more about him. A piece in the Historical Collections of the Georgia Chapters, Daughters of the American Revolution (Volume IV -- Old Bible Records & Land Lotteries, © 1932) proved to be fruitful. Information from a Bible of the General Hartwell Hill Tarver family was listed. This gentleman was Paul's father.

Hartwell Hill Tarver was a son of Andrew Tarver and Elizabeth Hartwell, born 1791 in Brunswick County, Virginia. He married Ann R. Wimberly 15 May 1823 and had Paul E. in 1824.

Newspapers in January 1851 declared Hartwell H. Tarver the wealthiest man in Georgia:

- Gen. Hartwell H. Tarver, of Twiggs Co, Georgia, is the largest slaveholder, if not the wealthiest man in the State. He owns a thousand negroes and fifty thousand acres of land, divided into ten plantations, in Twiggs, Pulaski, Houston and Baker counties, yielding two thousand bales of cotton annually...He recently added to his estate a tract of 2350 acres, in Burke county...

In 1850, Paul E. Tarver was listed as a Planter in the Baker County, Georgia Federal census. I would not be surprised if he was planting on lands of his father.

Hartwell H. Tarver died 19 November 1851. His son Paul passed away less than seven years later. Given the wording used in notices of his estate sale, I think the land Paul amassed was possibly inherited by him from his father.

Macon Weekly Telegraph, Georgia
22 November 1859

"150 Negroes for Sale
AT PUBLIC OUT-CRY, IN THE
CITY OF ALBANY.
IN pursuance of the last will and testament of Paul E. Tarver, late of Dougherty county, dec'd, we will expose for sale, at public out-cry, to the highest bidder, on
THURSDAY, THE 29th DAY OF DEC., 1859, and from day to day until the sale is completed, before the Court House door in the city of Albany -- One Hundred and Fifty likely Negroes -- valuable plantation hands, belonging to the estate of the said Paul E. Tarver. Also, at the PLANTATION of the said Estate, five miles west of Albany, all the farm stock of said Estate, consisting of a large lot of Horses and Mules, Cattle, Hogs, Corn, Fodder, Wagons, and farming stock of every description. The sale of the Negroes at Albany, will take place on the 28th, and then the other property at the plantation. Terms liberal, and made known on the day of the sale.

HENRY TARVER, Ex'r

C. C. TARVER, Exr'x.

(Macon Weekly Telegraph, 25 January 1859)

"IN pursuance of the last will and testament of the late Paul E. Tarver, will be sold on the 1st Tuesday in February next, before the Court House door of Dougherty County, at public outcry, the real estate of the said Paul E. Tarver, deceased, situated in the county of Dougherty. Said estate consists of FIVE THOUSAND ACRES of the most valuable COTTON LANDS in South Western Georgia, having been originally selected by the late Gen. Hartwell Tarver."

The notice goes on to describe the lands divided into three plantations: "Porter Place," "Home Place," and "Mill Place."

Since Paul Tarver's tombstone states he died "at his residence in Dougherty Co. June 19, 1858," the plantation called "Home Place" was probably just that.

[It might be important to note: Dougherty County was formed in 1853 from Baker County, so it is doubtful Paul ever moved. The county name just changed.]

All this information is great, but I still questioned as to why Mr. Paul E. Tarver was laid to rest in Rose Hill Cemetery at Macon, GA. I think the answer lies in his wife: Cinderella Crocker Solomon was possibly connected by her father to Peter Solomon, a pioneer resident of Macon. Her father or Peter just might be the owner of the lot in which Paul Tarver (as well as two if his children and wife Cinderella) was laid to rest. Also buried in the same plot is James C. Solomon, died 1861 at age 24 years. He might be Cinderella's brother.

If anyone can tell me for certain how these individuals are connected, I'd truly appreciate a comment.

Sketch of the Life of the Late Joseph Bond, Part IV (Finale)

[In 1872, thirteen years after the death of Joseph Bond, the following sketch was written as a "Letter to the Editor" to the Macon Weekly Telegraph by a friend of Mr. Bond. It is a very long article filled with much fluff I will break up into parts. It is an interesting read however, for a few reasons. The death of Mr. Bond was not natural, he was killed by an overseer from a neighboring plantation. This article tells of this incident while also speaking to the character of Mr. Bond and his relationship with his slaves. Go to Part I ~ Go to Part II ~ Go to Part III.]

Macon Weekly Telegraph
24 September 1872
(Viewed online at GenealogyBank.)

Sketch of the Life of the Late Joseph Bond [finale, Part IV]

"Cross Examination - Bond did not pause for a reply from prisoner. Witness does not think Brown had time to reply to Bond's remark about his whipping his negro. Brown was near the place he fell, after being struck, when he fired. Brown made no attempt to draw his pistol at the first or second blow given him. Witness was in the field near him and could have seen him if he had. Brown drew his pistol as he was getting up after receiving the third blow. Brown was in Beall's field attending to the hands who were at work -- he was overseeing for Beall. The place was across a lot of land from any public road. Bond's "Whitehill" place was some three miles from where the difficulty took place. [Stick exhibited as before.] If a walking stick, it was used by a short man; thinks it would take a very hard lick to kill a man with it. When Brown said 'come over here, Sellers,' he did not know whether prisoner meant to come over and help, or the separate them."

"Jesse Beall sworn: "Witness and prisoner were talking. Prisoner said that 'Cheek (Bond's overseer) had told Uncle Joe lies on him, and that if he could ever get the law on his side he would make a flutter down there,' or words to that effect. At the time, witness thought he had reference to Cheek. In a conversation between Brown and a negro on Friday night in the hearing of witness, in which Brown acknowledged owing the negro one dollar and a half, Brown remarked to the negro he had better come and get it on Sunday, as he might run away. After the whipping of Bond's negro on Tuesday, Brown told witness he was certain that Bond was mad with him for doing it. On Thursday night witness took tea over at Bond's, and on his return Brown asked him if he 'heard anything of that fuss;' thought Brown referred to his whipping the negro. After the negro was whipped -- thinks it was on Friday night before the killing -- Brown remarked to witness that he had taken more from Col. Bond than he would ever take from any man. Beall allowed all of Bond's negroes to visit his place, so that they behaved themselves. Brown, the overseer, did not allow some of them to come; among the rest a blacksmith who had a daughter belonging to Beall -- a house girl. They were favorite negroes of Bond's as he got them from his wife's father's estate; have heard Brown say often that Henderson and Wash (the girl's father and brother) should not come on the place. The negro whipped by Brown on Tuesday belonged on the Fowl Town place, and had drove the baggage wagon down to the White Hill place, from which he was returning; blacksmith shop on the road; one door opened on the road and the other into the yard."

I have quoted only enough of the evidence to show the cause of the difficulty, how it occurred, and the animus of Brown. His whipping the wagoner in the manner he did, without any fault or provocation on the negro's part; his conversation with Jesse Beall afterwards, on Thursday night, before the homicide which was committed on Saturday morning; asking him if he heard anything about that "fuss," on his return from tea at Bond's; his conversation with the negro in which he told him to come for his dollar and a half as he might run away; and then his remark to Jesse Beall on Friday night (the night before the homicide), in which he stated that "he had taken more from Colonel Bond than he would ever take any more from him or any man;" all goes to show that he was expecting just what took place. And, getting the law on his side, he intended to "make a flutter down there." That was the purpose he had in view when he whipped the negro at the shop on the roadside, to offer Col. Bond such provocation, as would induce him to make the attack. He knew that Col. Bond would be as good as his word, when he said to him, "if you whip one of my negroes again without cause, I will whip you."

And then the manner in which he armed and prepared himself was another and stronger evidence of his murderous intent. The pistol with which he committed the deed was not one of the common sort. It was a rifled pistol with barrel about six inches in length, carrying a large ball -- large enough to make a hole where it entered in the breast of the deceased, according to the evidence of one of the witnesses, the size of a silver half-dollar -- and self cocking; that it to say, it would fire by simply pulling the trigger.

It was very unfortunate, not only for Colonel Bond and his family, but also for the public, that he placed himself in such a position in this affair, as the assailant, that the law could not vindicate his death. Under the evidence in the case two successive grand juries ignored bills against his murderer. Counsel for the prosecution thought then, and still think, that a true bill for murder should have been returned into court and Brown put upon trial.

Mr. Bond was not a violent or law-breaking man in any sense of the word. On the contrary, he was a man of peaceful disposition. The difficulty which resulted so fatally to him was, so far as the writer knows, the only one in which he was ever engaged; and that was undoubtedly provoked by his slayer for a purpose. A trap was laid for him, into which he unfortunately fell, without sufficient caution or reflection. Arriving at home on Friday night, and then for the first time hearing of the outrage Brown had perpetrated upon his innocent and unoffending servant, on the Tuesday previous, taken in connection with Brown's previous conduct towards other servants, so inflamed his passion that he resolved, without imparting that resolve to any one, to punish him for it.

This resolve "leaned to virtue's side." One of his slaves, dependent upon him for protection, had been most brutally assailed and beaten by a person who had previously warned not to do so. If the master did not protect his own slave, who would? It was due to himself, as well as to his slave, that he should punish the perpetrator of the wrong in some way. But how? To have sued him at law for damages, would have amounted to nothing. Force was the only argument -- as he knew -- that Brown would appreciate, and hence he determined to employ that argument, without weighing and considering the fact that he might place himself at a disadvantage in making an attack upon him. Brave himself, and, as a brave man, above taking advantage of any one, it never entered his mind that Brown would coolly and deliberately lay a snare to take his life, without incurring the law's penalty. Mr. Bond thought that brute force should be met and repelled by brute force; that such was the only argument Brown would appreciate, and hence his course, which resulted so fatally to himself.

Requiescat in pace! The marble monument nor the green sod does not rest upon a form in our beautiful cemetery that, at one time, contained a soul so noble, so generous, so brave, and so true to the responsibilities of the hour as the soul of Joseph Bond. He was a MAN, in the true acceptance of the term, and we shall never look upon his like again. In this day, when the new order of things is popular both North and South; while there is no one in the South who would restore the old order of things if they could; when the institution of slavery is buried so deep that the hand of resurrection can never reach it -- in these States at least, it is refreshing to look upon the bright side of a picture, which, to some persons, appeared dark and dark only. Slavery had its evils, none will deny that. But there was a virtuous side to that system also. The affection for the master by the slave, manifested in so many ways, was one virtue. The care of the master for the slave, and his protection afforded to his slave, in loco parentis, as it were, as manifested by Col. Bond in the last act of his life, was another virtue. Oh how many of his former slaves would now gladly return to servitude under him, and rejoice once more to meet him and salute him as "Mass Joe." But the light which once shone on the "old plantation," and gave joy to the negro, the master and family, has been extinguished forever. No more shall we behold it. No more shall the sons of Africa experience its benefits, or feel its power. But, in the light of the far distant future, our posterity alone shall be able to judge whether the change has been beneficial to the one race or to the other. -- A TRUE FRIEND

Sketch of the Life of the Late Joseph Bond, Part III

[In 1872, thirteen years after the death of Joseph Bond, the following sketch was written as a "Letter to the Editor" to the Macon Weekly Telegraph by a friend of Mr. Bond. It is a very long article filled with much fluff I will break up into parts. It is an interesting read however, for a few reasons. The death of Mr. Bond was not natural, he was killed by an overseer from a neighboring plantation. This article tells of this incident while also speaking to the character of Mr. Bond and his relationship with his slaves. Go to Part I ~ Go to Part II.]

Macon Weekly Telegraph
24 September 1872
(Viewed online at GenealogyBank.)

Sketch of the Life of the Late Joseph Bond [continued, Part III]

He was brave and courageous beyond measure. He could not brook an insult, or submit tamely to a wrong, whether offered to himself or one of his dependents, and he at last, in the flower of his days and in the very prime of his manhood, yielded up his life for one of his slaves. Think of that, oh ye, who from ignorance or prejudice, could never believe there was any good in a slaveholder. Ah, those who knew nothing of that system of servitude, now numbered among the things of the past, never to be again revived on this continent, cannot understand how it was that master and slave were so closely linked together in the bonds of true affection, that one would lay down his life for the other. He yielded up his life in the field a few miles from where his family were then temporarily residing. He left them in the early morn, full of life, health and vigor. He returned to them ere the sun had reached the zenith, a lifeless clod, cold in the embraces of death. There is not an old slave of his now in life, though they may be scattered far from the "old plantation," but what remembers with fearful distinctness that terrible morning in March, 1859. They even now, never speak of their dead master, but with trembling accents of love and gratitude. The world should be again reminded of how he died, and what he died for. It is to rescue his name from oblivion that I pen this notice, imperfect as I know it to be, yet truthful what there is of it.

He had had in his employ an overseer by the name of Brown. For some cause, he discharged him, and thus incurred his enmity. Mr. Bond had a brother-in-law who owned a plantation adjoining his own ("White Hill") plantation. Mr. Beall, the brother-in-law, did not manage his farm interests himself, but entrusted everything to the overseer. Mr. Bond thought, that while Brown did not suit him, he would suit Mr. Beall, and in consequence of his recommendation, Brown was employed by Beall. Now, the "White Hill place" and the "Beall place" were stocked with negroes, who had been raised up by the same master, and many of them were related, and hence, Mr. Bond and Mr. Beall allowed them and encouraged them to visit each other, when time and opportunity permitted. After Brown took charge of Beall's place, he prohibited some of the Bond negroes from visiting with the negroes on the Beall place. Catching one of the forbidden Bond negroes on the Beall place, after he had issued this order, he gave him a severe whipping. As soon as Mr. Bond heard of the outrage, he rode over to see Brown and condemned his conduct in no measured or polite terms, informing him that it was his wish, and Mr. Beall's wish, that their negroes on the two plantations should visit; and that so long as they behaved themselves with becoming propriety, they must not be molested; and wound up by assuring Brown that if he ever whipped one of his negroes again, without cause of provocation, he Bond, would whip him. It is believed by those who were familiar with the fac's, that from that time Brown resolved that he would take the life of Mr. Bond. He knew, as well as he knew anything, that Mr. Bond did not deal in unmeaning threats or boasts, but that when he said he would do anything, he was certain to attempt it, and that he generally succeeded in what he undertook.

A few weeks after the interview with Brown Mr. Bond moved his family down from his Fowl Town plantation -- where they spent most of their time in the winter -- to the "White Hill" place. A favorite negro who drove a baggage wagon, which removed some of the household goods, on his return, stopped in at the blacksmith shop on the Beall place -- which was right on the road-side -- to get a drink of water. Brown being, at the time, some hundred yards off, started in a run as soon as he saw the wagon stop and the negro enter the shop, and reached the place just as the wagoner was returning to his wagon. In fact, I think the negro's statement was that he had got back to his wagon, and was in the act of driving off when Brown fell upon him in a fury, and gave him a terrible beating. This was done by Brown, no doubt, to induce Mr. Bond to attack him -- which he knew he would do -- that he might have an excuse for killing him, and thus evade the law.

The negro wagoner was whipped by Brown on Tuesday. Mr. Bond was absent from White Hill from that time until Friday. On that evening he heard of it for the first time. The next moring, Saturday, March 12th, he arose very early, and obtaining a small screw barrel pistol from his overseer, Mr. David Cheek, not longer than a man's finger -- the only weapon of the kind on the place -- mounted his horse and rode off in the direction of Mr. Beall's place. The encounter with Brown, we will relate in the language of the only white person who witnessed the homicide.

Wm. J. Sellers sworn, said: "Witness and Mr. Brown were together, saw a man approaching. On his coming nearer, saw it was Col. Bond; (they were in Mr. Beall's field) as he rode up Mr. Brown said, "good morning Colonel." Mr. Bond said, "good morning -- you are the rascal that whipped my negro," and struck him with a stick. The second lick he struck him, Mr. Brown either fell off or got off his horse, on the opposite side from Bond, and fell upon his knees and elbows. Mr. Bond got off his horse, caught hold of Brown, as he got up, pulled him down and struck him again. About that time, Brown called to witness to "come around there." Bond said, "no, stay where you are, this is our difficulty and we can settle it." After Bond struck Nrown the third lick, and as Brown was rising from the ground on one knee and one foot, he shot deceased. Bond, after being shot, struck Brown again with his stick, when Brown jerked loose from him and run -- he supposed about ten steps -- down Beall's fence, jumped over and run about fifteen steps into Walker's field. Bond followed Brown to where he jumped the fence and shot at Brown. He then turned and walked nearly to where witness stood, and remarked "I am a dead man" and fell. He then got up and fell again. Witness left Bond in care of Beall's negroes, before he died. Witness knew of no difficulty between Brown and Bond personally. Never knew that Brown had whipped one of Bond's negroes, until he heard Bond tell him so. Witness and prisoner were talking about the new ground, in which witness was then rolling logs. As Mr. Bond was riding up, and after Brown had said who it was, witness said, "he is a man I have seen, but never had any acquaintance with. I suppose he was once your master;" alluding to prisoner's having once overseed for Bond.

"As Bond rose up, Brown turned his horse around, passing Bond, so as to have Bond on his right hand. Brown's horse's rump was to witness. After Bond struck Brown on the ground, in the scuffle, both were down. Bond recovered first; was on his feet, but not straight when Brown shot. Brown drew his pistol with left hand from behind. Witness did not know he had a pistol until he saw him drawing it; did not cross the fence into Beall's field; saw Mr. Bond fall twice. Witness did not cross the fence because Bond had forbid him to do so; did not cross the fence because he was excited. Witness ran to the house to tell Mr. Walker. When they separated, Bond had hold of prisoner. Bond had a small hickory stick about two feet long, and not such a weapon as witness would think likely to produce death. If a man were to be killed with such a stick, witness would think it an accident. When Bond said to prisoner: "You are the rascal that whipped my negro," prisoner did not deny that he had whipped the negro. Prisoner said nothing at all. Immediately after making the remark, Bond rode up by the side of prisoner and struck him. Took place in Beall's field on the 12th day of March, 1859, about 8, or between 8 and 10 o'clock in the morning. (A stick exhibited to witness which he supposed may have been the stick used by Bond -- judging from its appearance he would think it was -- (a small hickory stick about two feet long and five-eighths of an inch in diameter at the big end.) When Bond struck Brown, on the ground, the third blow, he had hold of Brown. Witness does not thin, with such a stick, and in the position of the parties, a very severe blow could have been inflicted. As Brown jumped or fell from his horse his hat was about half off.

~ Go to Part IV.

Sketch of the Life of the Late Joseph Bond, Part II

[In 1872, thirteen years after the death of Joseph Bond, the following sketch was written as a "Letter to the Editor" to the Macon Weekly Telegraph by a friend of Mr. Bond. It is a very long article filled with much fluff I will break up into parts. It is an interesting read however, for a few reasons. The death of Mr. Bond was not natural, he was killed by an overseer from a neighboring plantation. This article tells of this incident while also speaking to the character of Mr. Bond and his relationship with his slaves. Go to Part I.]

Macon Weekly Telegraph
24 September 1872
(Viewed online at GenealogyBank.)

Sketch of the Life of the Late Joseph Bond [continued, Part II]

The only office he ever held was that of an aid-de-Camp to the Governor of Georgia, which conferred upon him the title and rank of Colonel. I think it was under the administration of Geo. W. Crawford, and that was conferred upon him without solicitation on his part.

Owning such a number of slaves and cultivating so many different plantations, of course he was compelled to employ subordinates to aid him, but these subordinates were simply his lieutenants. They originated nothing, except as to inferior details. They simply were expected to obey orders emanating from him. Like a competent and successful military commander, he exacted the most implicit obedience to his orders as commander in chief of all the forces on his farms. He superintended the pitching of his crops in the early spring, designated the fields which should be planted in cotton and other crops, and directed how it should be done; prescribed the mode and method of cultivation during the entire season, as well as the gathering and preparation for market of such as were sold, and the preservation of such products as were to be consumed on the place. It was said of him, that so perfect was his system, and so thorough was his knowledge of his business, that he could sit in his mansion on the hill in Macon, over one hundred miles from any of his farms, and tell with certainty what field on each farm the hands were at work in at any given time.

All of his farms were the most fertile in the section in which they were located, and models of neatness in all of their appointments. The houses in which his slaves were lodged were all of the best description -- neat framed houses with brick chimneys, properly ventilated and always kept scrupulously clean and neat. Once a year they were whitewashed inside and out, and all trash and garbage of every kind under and around them cleaned up and carted away. An abundant supply of water was provided by wells dug in the negro quarter, convenient of access to all, and provided with an easy-working windlass, good bucket and rope. A nursery was provided on each place. This was a large house surrounded by an abundant shade, and kept under the care of an aged, competent and trustworthy "mammy" or "granny," to which all the small children, including the sucklings in their cradles with their nurses, were taken each morning, when the mothers went to the field. And this mammy, or granny, was responsible for their care, good treatment and safe keeping during the absence of their mothers. With the help of their nurses and the older children -- but too young to perform any other labor -- their food was prepared and distributed by her during the day; and her long switch was often called into requisition to preserve order among the older ones, and to awe them into obedience to her mandates. Her rule over them was similar to that of the village pedagogue over his pupils -- despotic but mild -- because her responsibility to the master, and in his absence to the overseer, with the oversight and watchfulness of the parents for their children's welfare, operated as a constant check upon her, and secured her little charge against either cruelty or neglect.

A hospital was also established on each place, to which all the sick were taken immediately. If attacked in the field, they were ordered to report there at once; if at their houses during the night, as soon as the fact was ascertained the same course was pursued. An experienced nurse was assigned to each, and held strictly accountable to himself to carry out the orders of the physicians, while of the latter none but the best within reach were employed by him. A good supply of medicines, such as were usually given for the cure of diseases incident to the climate and locality, were kept constantly on hand. This nurse, generally a female, was also supreme in her sphere. If medicine was prescribed by the physicians for a patient, and ordered to be given at stated intervals, it had to be followed to the letter. If the patient was refractory, the nurse could call in as much help as she needed to compel obedience, and administer the dose however nauseous it might be.

His mules were all of the best quality, selected with great care, and adapted to the work of the farm. As soon as one became so far advanced in years as to be unable to keep up with the rest of the team, it was sold and its place at once supplied by younger and more vigorous stock. Wagons, harness and all plantation equipments, were models of their kind. Fences were kept in perfect order, put up in straight lines, with the ends of the rails on the outside, even from top to bottom they were close enough to keep out pigs, and high enough to turn any larger animal of the jumping kind. Gates were provided at all places necessary to facilitate communication through the farms. Gin houses, packing screws, barns, cribs and shelters of the best and most convenient patterns were provided. A lock upon any building except the smoke house, dairy and workshops, was not thought of.

He owned a corps of carpenters who went from place to place, as necessity required, to build, repair, renew and keep everything in perfect order. Blacksmiths and wheelrights, and the best of their color that could be procured, were always kept in sufficient numbers to do the work of his various plantations.

A hog feeder, an aged and trustworthy man, was kept on each place, who was furnished with a mule and cart, and whose daily business it was to look after that stock and keep it in good condition. The result was, that an abundant supply of good wholesome meat, raised at home, was always in his smoke houses, and often -- in fact nearly every year -- he had a large surplus for sale. Stocks of cattle, and some of them of the purest breeds, furnished not only beef in its season, but an abundant supply of milk for the small children under the care of granny, and often for anyone who liked it, while an ample supply of butter for use at the plantation house in the various places, as well as for his own family consumption in Macon, was also produced. The milk and butter department in each place was also committed to the care and responsibility of one person.

He was a dear lover of fine stock of every kind, and one of the best judges of all kinds of stock, I ever knew. No jockey, however keen at a bargain, could put off on him an inferior animal, but if it came up to his standard, he would pay a good price. He kept a few of the finest horses, of purest blood, and as fleet of foot as any in the State. It was no uncommon thing for him to ride ten or fifteen miles an hour, in going from one plantation to another.

He was passionately fond of athletic sports, and encouraged them among his slaves. Often would he cause them to assemble in the yard of the plantation house to engage in wrestles and foot races, giving a prize of some kind to reward the victor and induce a spirited emulation among them. In his early days he often took part himself. He was very fleet of foot, and to his weight and size, could cope with any son of Africa in a foot race, wrestle, or at the end of a hand spike. He would often get off his horse in the log rolling season and amuse himself, as well as encourage the hands, by lifting with them. At the end of each year his cribs and barns were filled with corn, fodder, peas and pumpkins, his smoke houses groaned under their load of bacon, and his cotton bales were counted by the thousand. He was kind-hearted, noble and generous in the extreme. He did not belong to the codfish aristocracy. He was one of nature's noblemen. With him "worth made the man -- the want of it the fellow." The poor but deserving man, whose crop had failed, and who was in want of corn or meat, had but to make that want known, and his cribs and smoke houses were at his command until that want was supplied; but for the lazy and the thriftless he had no sympathy and no charity. He delighted to do a favor when he knew it would be appreciated by one who was deserving, but he did not hesitate to refuse bounty to one of the contrary character. He was a good judge of human nature, and took in at a glance the points of character, as by intuition, of whoever was clothed in white skin or a black one.

~ Go to Part III

Sketch of the Life of the Late Joseph Bond, Part I

[In 1872, thirteen years after the death of Joseph Bond, the following sketch was written as a "Letter to the Editor" to the Macon Weekly Telegraph by a friend of Mr. Bond. It is a very long article filled with much fluff I will break up into parts. It is an interesting read however, for a few reasons. The death of Mr. Bond was not natural, he was killed by an overseer from a neighboring plantation. This article tells of this incident while also speaking to the character of Mr. Bond and his relationship with his slaves. To be perfectly honest, I find some of the words regarding this relationship laughable, if not offensive. Nonetheless, it does give us an account of this period in Southern U.S. history.]

Macon Weekly Telegraph
24 September 1872

Sketch of the Life of the Late Joseph Bond [Part I]

Editors Telegraph and Messenger: In Rose Hill Cemetery, upon a lofty eminence overlooking the placid waters of the Ocmulgee, surrounded by monarchs of the forest and creeping vines, which lend their shade in summer and cast their mournful shadows in winter, athwart the resting place of the dead, a massive monument rears its magnificent proportions, inscribed in large letters with the name of "BOND;" also, with the full name and date of birth and death of the subject of this notice. To the ordinary passer-by this monument receives only a thought. To those ignorant of the history of Joseph Bond, it teaches no lesson and produces no impression. To many it doubtless calls to mind the words of Byron:

"The sculptor's art exhausts the pomp of woe,
And storied urns record who rests below;
When all is done upon the tomb -- is seen,
Not what he was, but what he should have been."

Not true of him of whom I now speak. The writer of this knew him well; saw him often, conversed with him often, and perhaps knew him and understood him as well or better, than any one now living, outside of his own immediate family. His many noble qualities of mind and heart, which were ever so manifest to those who were intimate with him, were hidden from the outside world. After the lapse of over thirteen years, one who did so know him, one who did truly appreciate him; one who remembers with gratitude his many acts of kindness, would speak of him in terms of just commendation, and lay upon that tomb, which rises so solemn and so grand, so magnificent and yet so lonely over his last remains, this tribute as a grateful offering. His family, which he loved so much, and which he provided for so magnificently, is now scattered far and wide. Time has made its mark and wrought its changes upon their fortunes, as well as upon the great mass of Southern people. They are now, comparatively speaking, poor and friendless, and some of them, strangers in a strange land, far from the ancestral home and the broad acres, over which he exercised control. It may, and doubtless will be, gratifying to them to hear from one who knew him, something of his character as a man of business, and as a successful one in his sphere, as a citizen, a master and friend.

Joseph Bond was a slaveholder. He counted his slaves by the hundred. Yet, while he was one, and a rigid disciplinarian, he was also a kind master. No man understood the responsibilities growing out of the relation of master and slave, better than he did. No man was more true to duty in that respect, than he was. His laws for their government were eminently just and proper. They were framed by him, after he had, by practical experience, acquired a thorough knowledge of the character of the negro slave and after he understood the wants and necessities of each, growing out of the relation of master and slave.

His rules were all framed with a view,
First -- To promote the best good of the slave, and,
Second -- To insure the greatest pecuniary benefit to the master.

It was the pride of his servants to say, "I belong to Joe Bond." They were always well clad, well fed, and well cared for in health and in sickness. They were protected by him in the enjoyment of every right which belonged to them, in that peculiar relation; and, in return for that care and protection, he demanded of them implicit obedience and faithful service, which, as a general thing, they rendered willingly and cheerfully, because they loved as well as feared him. They knew his laws were as immutable as the laws of the Medes and Persians; that what he ordered was just and right, and had to be obeyed. So just were his rules for their guidance, and so uniform and perfect was his entire system, that there was during the later years of his life, scarcely a jar in his whole machinery of government. There was no perceptible friction, but on the contrary, all worked smoothly and profitably to himself, and to the promotion of the best interests of the slaves.

Not like some masters, he did not commit his negroes to the charge of ignorant and oftimes, brutal overseers, and leave them to take care of themselves as best they could; but he exacted the same rigid accountability from his overseers or managers that he did from the slaves. His ear was ever open to their just complaints, and they knew better than to go to him with a tale that was untrue. In all difficulties between the slave and the overseer, he dealt out even-handed justice according to the facts. If the negro was right and the overseer in the wrong, the negro was protected and the wrong repaired, or the overseer discharged. Of the latter class, he did not knowingly employ any but men of superior acquirements. He paid good wages to a competent man, and if after a trial he suited him, he might count upon a home and employment as long as he wished. If he did not suit he was discharged, and told to seek employment elsewhere. His success in planting was great, perhaps greater than any other planter in the whole South, and the reason was, that he thoroughly understood the business in all its details -- controlled and directed everything. His knowledge was not theoretical only, but practical. He held no diplomas as a graduate of any college. After completing his academic course, his father, who was a man of wealth, wanted him to go through college and study a profession, but he had already chosen his occupation in life, and had determined to be a planter. His father gave him his choice, either to enter college or go to one of his plantations and become and overseer. He joyfully accepted the latter position, and by doing so he acquired that practical knowledge which was so useful and so profitable to him in after life.

While he was not a scholar in the true acceptation of the term, he knew much more than many who held the sheep-skin evidence of having gone through the regular curriculum of learning at our colleges and universities, because what he knew, he knew well. He had a contempt for superficial knowledge. He mastered every subject he studied. In the current literature of the day, in politics and religion he was well posted, and kept up with the advancement of the age in all things necessary to a thorough understanding of the position of affairs. He was no pretender. If he did not understand a subject which was being discussed, he was a silent listener. If he did understand it he would enter into the discussion with zeal, and in such cases never failed to throw light upon it.

He was not a professor of religion, but there was no one who had a greater respect or veneration for true than he had. He owned some three or four preachers of the Gospel, whom he always encouraged in their work. He did all he could to promote religious intelligence among his slaves, and was a liberal contributor to the itinerant ministry of the Methodist Episcpoal Church, who came around statedly to preach to the slaves on his different plantations. In faith he was a Presbyterian. His preference was for that Church. He understood its system of doctrines, and attended statedly, when at home, the ministrations of the Gospel in that Church, and, had his life been prolonged a few years, there is no doubt but that he would have united with it. Though not a member, he was liberal in his contribution for the support of the Church, and, without knowing it to be a fact, I have no doubt but that the Church in Macon has reason to remember his munificence.

In politics he was a Whig. Well do I remember how cordially he supported Clay and Frelinguhysen in 1844. Though no politician, and no office-seeker, he studied and understood the theory of our Government, and cast his vote and influence on the side which he thought would best promote the good of the whole country. He was eminently conservative in his political opinions. In 1850, when there was so much excitement in Georgia on account of the compromise measures, growing out of the admission of California into the Union, he sided with the majority of his party in this State, and lent the aid of his influence and of his purse in favor of acquiescence in those measures. He deprecated the agitation of the slavery question in Congress and out of Congress. He felt that it was a question that should be left exclusively to the States in which it existed. His idea was that slavery should be quiescent, not aggressive; that it would go wherever it could be made profitable, and that it was the veriest nonsense to contend for the right -- the bare right -- to carry the institution where reason and common sense told us it would never go. Hence, he was not in sympathy with the Kansas Nebraska movement. He thought the repeal of the Missouri compromise an ill-timed, useless and disastrous measure. Time and experiance have demonstrated that he was right.

~ Go to Part II

William Zeigler: the Man, His Vault, and His Woman Slave Mary (Tombstone Tuesday)

William Zeigler was born 18 November 1799 in South Carolina to Nicholas Zeigler. William came to Georgia in 1827 and spent his life farming. He amassed quite a fortune and died 11 June 1855 in Crawford County.

Records surrounding the death of William Zeigler are most fascinating. His obituary and will were transcribed and put online for easy access. I also found him in census records and newspaper items. The 1830 Crawford County, GA Federal census lists Wm. Zeigler with another male and 22-25 slaves. In 1840, Wm. had 66 slaves of which 26 were under the age of ten (thirteen boys and thirteen girls). 35 of the teenagers and adults were "employed in agriculture." I presume the other five were house servants. Mr. Zeigler was the only free white person counted in the household.

By 1850, William Zeigler had to be near or at the height of his fortune. He was listed as a planter from South Carolina living alone in Division 20 of Crawford County, GA. His real estate was valued at $40,000 to $60,000 (I can't quite make out the figure). William owned 90 slaves, ranging in age from 1 to 48 years.

After William's death in 1855, an upcoming executor's sale was noted in the Macon Weekly Telegraph (Georgia) regarding his lands. Most were in Crawford County, "containing in all about eight thousand acres." Zeigler had the lands divided into nine plantations: Home Place, the Simonton, Colbert, Boon, Dugger, Atkinson, Hatcher, Worsham, and Miller. He also owned land in Bibb County, and was part of The Macon Manufacturing Company co-op, producers of cotton and wool.

William Zeigler's obituary, transcribed by Cheryl Aultman and contributed to the USGenWeb Archives, was recorded in the Georgia Journal & Messanger on 27 May 1855:

Died at his residence in Crawford county, on the 11th instant, in the 56th year of his age, William Zeigler. He was born in Edgefield District, S.C., whence he removed to Crawford co. GA, in 1827, where he remained engaged in agriculture to the time of his death.

In his business habits he was very attentive and economical, whereby he was enabled in twenty-eight years to increase his capitol from ten thousand to three hundred thousand dollars; thus furnishing indubitable evidence that a farmer may become rich.

In his dealings he was strictly honest. In times of scarcity he would bid the rich and monied, who wished to buy provisions of him, to go to a distance and buy; that they had money and credit and could buy anywhere, and submit to the inconveniences and expense of transporting or carriage; that many of his neighbors had neither money nor credit, and that they must have corn and meat; thus he was a benefactor to the less fortunate. He never attached himself to any Church, but his faith was right. Over a year ago he remarked to the writer of this notice,
that he relied upon the mercy of his Maker, and hoped for salvation through the merit's of the Redeemer's blood.

For the information of distant relatives and friends, it is proper to remark, that his remains now rest in a temporary vault in Rose Hill Cemetery, in Macon, Ga., where they will remain until a permanent vault shall be completed according to his directions. He selected this place himself, while in life, from its peculiar fitness for the purpose intended. There let him rest in peace.

Friend.

Since William Zeigler's will was also transcribed and donated to USGenWeb, we are able to read what the directions were for the vault in which his bones would repose: "My Body I direct my Executor hereafter to be appointed to dispose of in the following manner to wit -- To procure a patent Coffin (Fetche, Metalic or some other Patent Coffin of like nature). Let it be placed therein in a neat Christian Manner in a shroud of the neatest and best material. Let it there remain until the following preparations are made. Obtain a plat of ground in Rose Hill Cemetery Macon Ga -- sixteen feet square, as near the plat upon which is Erected the Monument to the late Oliver H. Prince & Lady as may be practicable. And erect thereon a vault of sufficient thickness to Guarantee its durability above the ground Plat, the ground having been first leveled -- to be supplied with a suitable Iron Door & proper & secure fastenings -- and arched roof made of the best brick and the best Workmanship. The whole of the said vault to be cemented with the best Hydraulic cement and the whole Plat to be surrounded with Iron paleings & proper Gates of Iron with security fastenings. The vault to be of sufficient size to admit the Coffin and persons to arrange it.

Then let my Coffin be placed therein with a proper Monument in front of my vault -- suitable to my condition in Life and the Expenses I direct to be paid by my Executor out of my Estate for which a sufficient sum is hereby appropriated and bequeathed to my Executor for the use & Purpose aforesaid."

Here is how that vault looks today, more than 150 years after it was first built.

The interesting finds in William Zeigler's last will and testament do not end there. The fourth request begins like this: "Is my desire, and so I direct, that the colored children of my Woman Slave Mary, be taken to a state where the laws thereof will tolerate their Manumission, or freedom & that they be there put under Competent and proper Teachers Keeping them together if possible where they may be properly educated according to the Means hereinafter set forth. That they be provided with good & suitable board and lodging having an Eye in this as with selection of Teachers, to Strict Morality, also that they be properly Clothed."

These children of Mary were later named -- Malinda Ann, William Henry, and Octavia. In addition to Mary and her three children being given their freedom and taken to an appropriate state, they each were bequeathed money. $10,000 for Mary, and $30,000 to each of her three children due upon their reaching the age of twenty-one. The interest accrued from the monies was to sustain them until they reached the majority age. Mary's $10,000 was to be put in a trust and she was to be given a sum of the interest paid annually. While the will initially stated the monies were to be given to the children directly, it was later amended to state they instead should be put into a trust and given at the discretion of the trustee. William's two brothers, Henry and Lewis, and his nephew John W. Dent were listed as the trustees.

While William Zeigler does not name these children as his own, it is likely they are. It clearly was his intent that they be educated and financially comfortable for life. But were they?

In 1860, Mary Zeigler (mulatto, age 30, b. VA) and her three children -- Malinda (mulatto, age 12, b. GA), William (mulatto, age 11, b. GA), Octavia (mulatto, age 9, b. GA) -- were living in Batavia, Clermont County, Ohio with a servant and a personal estate of $100,500. In 1870, all were still in Batavia, but the financial situation may not have been quite the same. Forty-one year old Mary then had a personal estate of $100, and there was no longer a servant. Twenty year old William is listed as a "hostler," or stableman. I do not know what happened to Mary Zeigler after 1870.

In 1880, Malinda and Octavia were back in Georgia. They were living at 86 Spring Street, Macon, Bibb County -- not far from where their supposed benefactor and probable father William Zeigler was buried. Octavia was a seamstress.


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Their brother William returned as well to Bibb county. I believe I found him in the census records with a wife, Jane, and later a son, William, Jr. I lost track of him after 1910 when he was working in the railroad yards.

There is evidence that Malinda and Octavia had children, but never married. Newspaper items also indicate they were at least small property owners in the Vineville District of Macon, Bibb County.

In June of 1869, the same year Malinda turned twenty-one, Mary brought her daughter to Macon and demanded what was rightfully theirs according to William Zeigler's will. A couple of months later a lawsuit had to be filed against the trustees of the time, since the original trustees renounced their positions. I do not know the outcome of the suit.

The institution of slavery is an atrocity that cannot be undone and should never be forgotten, yet learned from if possible. Out of the horrible situation arose some interesting relationships -- some forced upon unwilling parties, and some entered into willingly. The case of William Zeigler and his woman slave Mary is one such situation. While I certainly was not a witness to the thoughts and feelings of William or Mary, the relationship they shared seems somewhat like a business. But maybe William was in love, and Mary had no choice. Or maybe there was a mutual attraction. Even with the amount of research conducted, who am I to say?

All Aboard for the Seeing-Macon Car

I recently found this and couldn't resist getting it on the blog quickly, even without any enhancements. Stay tuned for elaborations and photos!

[Update! The articles I have written to go along with several of the paragraphs in this 1917 news article are now linked from within.]

Macon Telegraph
16 December 1917
(Viewable online at GenealogyBank.)

"JUST 'TWIXT US
By BRIDGES SMITH

ALL aboard for the Seeing-Macon Car.

We will now leave the car and take a walk. This is Rose Hill Cemetery, taking its name from one of Macon's earliest public-spirited citizens, through whose efforts and by whose plans it was laid out and established in 1840. The first cemetery for the west side of the river is between Cherry and Poplar, below Seventh, and in it the pioneers of the city were buried. For many years it was neglected, but is now enclosed.

On this stroll we will point out a few of the graves of interest, leaving a more elaborate description of the many beautiful monuments and graves for a second visit.

The Ocmulgee river flows alongside, and before the Southern railroad was allowed to run through on the river bank there were a series of cliffs and bluffs, one of which was the usual Lover's Leap, with its usual tradition of the Indian maiden leaping from it to her death because her dusky lover had fallen a victim to an arrow of the enemy. The railroad cut out all the romance.

This is the Zeigler vault, and holds the bones of William Zeigler, who came here from South Carolina and died in 1855. Formerly there was a heavy plate glass window in the door, through which the hermetically sealed casket, with its elaborate silver handles and ornaments could be plainly seen. Shortly after General Wilson's army came to Macon in 1865, some vandal soldiers broke the glass and entered the vault. They had evidently heard a story in circulation that all Zeigler's gold had been buried with him, but not being able to get into the casket they stripped it of its silver ornaments and handles. It was then that this marble slab was put in place of the glass, thus shutting off a view of the interior.

Here is the grave of little Mary Marsh, the stage name of Mary Eliza Guerineau, whose fluffy dress caught fire from the footlights on the night of January 27, 1859, while dancing, and was burned to death before she could be rescued. She was a mere child, and was performing with the Marsh Family in the old Ralston Hall, the theater building that stood where the Fourth National Bank now stands. Her tragic death caused gloom all over the city. For many years the wreath of artificial flowers worn by the child on that night, enclosed in a circular metal case, remained on the top of the marble slab until some ghoul removed it.

For fifty years, in fact up to a few years ago, a lady in black visited the grave and covered it with flowers. No one knew from whence she came. She was never known to speak to any one, and all her actions were mysterious. It was supposed that she was the mother, and made this annual pilgrimage to Macon until death caused her to cease them.

Here is the Bond monument. Joseph Bond was one of the wealthy planters of antebellum days. Like many others of his day, he owned enough slaves to have made up a regiment, and land in Southwest Georgia sufficient for a site for two or more cities the size of Macon. He loved his slaves, and on one occasion, in the year 1859, when his overseer, from all accounts a man as brutal as the overseer in Uncle Tom's Cabin, was found by him beating a slave unmercifully, Mr. Bond interfered and was killed by the overseer. The imposing monument which you see before you was cut in Italy, and reached New York about the time of the break between the States. It was placed in a bonded warehouse in that city, where it remained until after the war and was then shipped here and placed in position.

Here is the grave of a man who did as much for Macon as any man, Elam Alexander, a contractor. He built Wesleyan College and other prominent buildings. He brought the magnetic telegraph to Macon, expended money in boring artesian wells, which proved failures, however, because of Macon being built upon solid rock, contributed to railroads and every public enterprise, and at his death left a fund, which by wise and careful management on the part of the trustees of the fund gave the city the three handsome public school buildings that bear his name. He died in 1863.

There is something as uncanny as it is unusual for a cemetery. On this lot are the graves of nine victims of a kinsman who slew with an axe almost his entire family. This was Thomas Woolfolk, and the extraordinary crime was committed one night in August, 1897. He paid the penalty of his deed on the gallows.

This grave is that of a man, who had he lived in these days would have received recognition from Carnegie. The inscription on the tombstone will tell you why. It reads:

"Erected by the Mayor and Council of Macon in honor of the public spirit which lost a valuable life in saving the property of his fellow-citizens from the ravage of fire."

This hero of Macon's village days was James Willingham, a printer. He died in 1844. His widow was the mother of Ben, William, Al and John Goodyear, well-known citizens now living.

This plot of ground is consecrated to the memory of Confederate soldiers. Nearly all the bones in these graves were removed from the old cemetery in the lower part of the city through the efforts of the good women of Macon, where the Confederate soldiers dying in the hospitals, and the remains of many dying elsewhere, were at first buried. On the 26th of April of each year memorial exercises are held here, and all these graves are strewn with flowers by both girls and veterans. No city in the South observes Memorial Day more than does Macon.

Adjoining Rose Hill is the Riverside Cemetery, which is one of the several forts or redoubts thrown up around Macon in 1864 to protect the city from the attacks of the enemy. They were thrown up to form a semi-circle, beginning on the east side of the river, where North Highlands is now, and extending to the Columbus road on the west side. That in Riverside is probably the best preserved, the others have been partially or fully destroyed to make room for improvements.

In former days Rose Hill was visited much more than now. Every fair Sunday afternoon it was filled with the younger people. In those days there was a number of springs of cold, clear water, all flowing into the little brook that is still here. One of the springs was the Crystal Spring within a cave, under the hill. It was walled up with crystallized rocks with an iron railing around it, and this was a favorite place to visit.

On the bank of the river, at the foot of Central avenue, was the "Lover's Leap," to be found in nearly all cemeteries that are situated on a river. It was here that the young people gathered and told of the legend of the Indian maid. That the legend was believed by many is evidenced by the fact that when these young people were on it, they preserved the utmost silence, hushing their talking to whispers. It was on this rock that Henry Watterson, during his residence in Macon, spent many a Sunday afternoon."