Capturing Camden's Past by Dr. John H. Christian.

This section contains reprints of newspaper articles from the Camden County Tribune and Southeast Georgian. Most of the older articles were originally in the Southeast Georgian  before it was bought by the Tribune several years ago.

Capturing Camden's Past  is a small collection of articles written by Dr. John Christian, who is formerly the librarian at the Bryan-Lang Library.

There are more in these series but I do not have them all yet. The following list are all that I have so far.

Permission has been granted by the Tribune-Georgian publisher, Rachel Hoskins, to reprint these articles so long as due credit is given.

Index:
(Dates are in MM/DD/YY format):

1. Scandals Mentioned in Camden's History - 1/29/97
2. Jacob Weed Saw Vision of Logging Town on St. Marys.
3. Another Ashley Figures Prominently in County History - 11-20-96
4. Conyers Plays Silent, Yet Pivotal Role In Camden County's History
5. Henry Osborne Held Various State Offices.
6. Gallop Little-Known Founder of St. Marys

Scandals Mentioned in Camden's History

By Dr. John H. Christian

Reprinted from the Jan. 29, 1997 Issue of the Tribune-Georgian.

We sometimes long for what we call "the good old days" when everyone was thought to be honest and everyone attended church on Sunday and then helped their neighbors through the week. That is probably an idealic dream. Old records do not bear out this dream.

"The Georgia Gazette," an early Savannah newspaper that is found in the Georgia Historical Society Library in Savannah, tells us in its issue of July 28, 1791, that charges of fraud and irregularities growing out of the Congressional race held on Jan. 3, 1791 were contained in affidavits that were published.

The election returns from Camden County showed that General Anthony Wayne received 79 votes and General James Jackson received 10 votes. The returns were certified by Henry Osborne, J.P., James Armstrong, J.P., Habbackkuk Wright, J.P., Langley Bryant, J.P., and Robert Seagrove, J.P.

The published affidavit of Samuel Smith, sheriff of Camden County, and of Alexander Young and Daniel Miller, dated July 5, 1791, says that they do not believe 70 voters reside in the county. Smith, in a separate affidavit, said that the polls at St. Patrick (the county seat in those days) closed about sundown, and less than 40 votes were cast.

Miller swore that he was a clerk in the election and the polls were closed about sunset, and 25 votes were polled, of which 15 were for Wayne and 10 for Jackson. He said he went home, two miles away, and after dark, was sent for by Judge Osborne, and when he arrived, he found that the managers had re-opened the poll and closed them and new results as stated above were certified to.

In the Gazette of Aug. 4, 1791, the Grand Jury in Chatham County said in their Presentments they had indicted Messers Bryant, Wright, Osborne, Seagrove and Armstrong for re-opening the polls.

Judge Osborne was one of the early judges of the Supreme Court of Georgia. But because of his participation in some of these election stinks, he was forced to resign his judgeship or be impeached. He chose to resign.

Jacob Weed Saw Vision of Logging Town on St. Marys.

By John H. Christian (Former) Librarian of the Bryan-Lang Library.

In 1785, the Revolution was over. Settlers came to the coasts of Camden County looking for suitable land on which to plant their roots. One such settler was Jacob Weed and his wife Sarah.

As they made shore on Point Peter, they saw the marshland and hammock land with its tremendous growth of pine and hardwood. He must have exclaimed, "What a place for a sawmill or a cotton plantation."

A new law had passed the Georgia Legislature in this year that made it easier to get a land grant. This law made land free to each head of a household. It granted each head of a house 200 acres and 50 for his wife, 50 for each child, and 50 for each slave.

The maximum was to be 1,000 acres. This limitation was not enforced, for we find many men receiving several grants of more than this amount throughout the land grant area of Georgia. From 1786-1788, Weed received 34 grants in Camden County totaling over 80,000 acres.

Weed developed a cotton plantation on Point Peter called New Town. The records show that he was granted this land in 1787, but he was already on Point Peter before this time.

The Colonial Records of Georgia show him entering into a contract with Henry Osborne on March 21, 1786, agreeing to be equally "concerned and interested in the purchase of land warrants and surveys, building of sawmills and other necessary things to carry on a mill business in Glynn and Camden counties, and agreeing to share equally in all the I expenses and profits and agreeing that either one may sell off land, materials, etc., by rendering an account of same to the other."

This contract was signed by both parties on Point Peter.

Weed was held in high regard by his fellow Camden Countians. He was chairman of the Land Court that sat from 17871789 to grant lands in Camden County to settlers.

Serving on the court with him were A. J. John Webb, Nathaniel Ashley and Langley Bryant.

It did not take long for Weed's land grants to begin to pay dividends. In just a few months after he was granted land — before the ink was hardly dry — he began to sell it: tie sold half of a 200-acre tract on March 23, 1787, to a John Pearce of New York. He had been granted this land on Feb. 2. In a deed dated Dec. 7, 1787, we find him selling a large tract of land to his friend Henry Osborne. Let us quote from the deed found in the courthouse at Woodbine:

"Conveys: 7,900 acres on Great Satilla River surveyed June 26, 1787, for grantor; also one-third part of 6,625 acres on Buffalo Creek surveyed the same date for him; one-third part of 8,460 acres on south side of Great Satilla River surveyed June 26, 1787, for him; one-third part of 8,650 acres on south side same river surveyed same date for him; also one-third part of 6,500 acres in the fork of Buffalo Creek surveyed for him; also one-third part of 3,650 acres on south side of Satilla River; also third part of 7,200 acres on Buffalo Greek; and third part of 719 acres on Crooked River surveyed May 28, 1787, for him; and one-third part of 350 acres on Crooked River surveyed same date for him."

The deed records do not reveal the amount of money he received for these lands. But we do know from other sources the value of land in Camden County in those days.

In a deed book in Glynn County for 1801 concerning the selling of land in Camden County that had been granted to Jacob Weed is this statement: "It is agreed that any part of said lands that may be lost by litigation for superior title, is to be deducted out at 75 cents per acre."

Weed was a visionary. He saw the need of a town near the St. Marys River. He had the perfect site in mind; it was just across North River from Point Peter.

The bluff would make a per, feet place for a port. Here ships could dock and unload needed goods from England and other lands. Also, these ships could load goods for export.

Among the goods that were abundant in Camden County were lumber, naval stores, and farm products. This port would be the southernmost port of the United States, for just across the St. Marys River was Spanish Florida.

He sold his idea of a town to a number of his friends. Then, on Nov. 20, 1787, they entered into an agreement to establish a town. In the Camden County Courthouse is the record of Jacob Weed making a deed to the 20 men who signed this agreement.

Weed was a man who stood by his friends. He was a surety for his friend Nathaniel Ashley, who was the tax collector for Camden County in 1787.

That year, execution was issued by William Gibbons, state treasurer of Georgia, against Ashley for 691 pounds, II shillings, 8 pence, being the balance due the state by said Ashley for taxes collected for the year 1787 by him as tax collector of Camden County.

Weed had an interest in politics in Camden County. In 1788, he was a successful delegate to the state convention. He was one of 58 men who took part in this political race as voters.

In the early days of settlement in Camden County, there were many confrontations with the Indians.

We find Col. Weed on Cumberland Island writing a letter to Gov. Telfair: "Frontier here attacked by Indians — one body from West Florida carrying off horses. Is there Indian war? Swarms of refugees will come from West Florida to help Indians."

Weed was not one to miss out on an opportunity.

He saw the potential all along the South Georgia coast. He got a land grant of 950 acres in Glynn County in 1787, and saw the possibilities of a newly developing town called Brunswick.

In 1789, he purchased five lots there. But tragedy struck him from ever getting to develop his property and business interests there.

It was in the spring of 1791, while on a trip up the St. Marys River dealing with the Indian problem, that he met a tragic death at the hands of a violent storm. Let the April 2, 1791, issue of Augusta Chronicle tell us about it: "Col. Jacob Weed, Messers Cartmell and Holmes from Charleston, Mr. Morrell, four white laborers and two soldiers and a negro were in a boat coming down the St. Marys River when it was overturned by a strong wind, and all were drowned except Holmes, Morrell and the two soldiers."

Although his untimely death took him from the activity of Camden County, his influence is still with us today.

And he will be forever remembered as the founder of the historic city of St. Marys as people read his name on the marker that identifies the; street, just two blocks from the waterfront, that bears his name.

Another Ashley Figures Prominently in County History.

By Dr. John H. Christian.

Among the group of men who met on Cumberland Island on that November day in 1787 to sign the Articles of Agreement that started the town of St. Mary where three men by the name of Ashley — a father and two sons.

Lodowick was the eldest son of Nathaniel and the older brother of William Ashley.

Lodowick was born in Anson County, S. C., about 1760. He served in the Revolutionary mar. Near the close of the war, the Ashley family moved to South Carolina for a short period of time. In a few years they moved to Georgia, coming to Camden County around 1787.

Lodowick first appeared in the public records of Camden County in 1787 when he signed the Articles of Agreement. The next year he appeared before the Land Court and requested and on his headright and that of his wife. He was granted 250 acres on the St. Marys River.

Records seem to indicate that he did not live here for some time. He was a resident of South Carolina and east Florida before we find him as a resident of Camden County.

In the 1790s there are three deeds in Camden records that show him as a resident of South Carolina. In these three deeds he bought more land in Camden County and then used some of his land to settle debts of his father, Nathaniel Ashley.

One of these deeds tells us that he sold a lot in St. Marys — Lot No. 28 — which was one of the lots he received as a draw of one of the original proprietors of St. Marys.

After his father's death in 1800, he came back to Camden County for a short period of time. According to the 1803 and 1804 voting records and legal advertisements, he was a resident of Camden at that time.

He is listed among the voters in the 1803 election and was named in a legal advertisement in 1804 in the Savannah Advertiser applying for the administration of the Daniel McGirt estate. This was the infamous Daniel McGirt of Revolutionary War fame, and also Lodowick Ashley's father-in-law.

Dr. Rembert Patrick, in his book Florida Fiasco, made several references to early settlers of St. Marys and Camden County who became wealthy from raiding below the Georgia-Florida border — lumbering, smuggling and engaging in the slave trade. Patrick names Lodowick Ashley as one of these men.

Gen. George Matthews sought to lead a revolt among the Americans living in east Florida against Spanish rule and to turn the Spanish colony over to the United States. In 1811, he set out to gain financial support from men of wealth in Camden County and east Florida.

Among the list of men and wealth enlisted was Lodowick Ashley. What made him join this risky venture? Probably it was the promise of a military command and the promise of land. We know he was referred in the venture as Col. Ashley, and that he was in command of Patriot soldiers.

There was more of a class system in those days. If Matthews had known that Ashley had once served as an overseer of a South Carolina Plantation, the general might never have given him such a high place, for overseers fell far short of the elite in the South.

After a few years, this attempt to take east Florida from Spain came to failure; hence the name of Patrick's book, Florida Fiasco. Ashley was labeled as a rebel by the Spanish, so he had to leave his lumber business and plantation in Florida.

He joined his brother William in Telfair County where he appeared on the 1820 census.

While he was living in Telfair County, he disposed of some of his property in Camden County, according to county records. During a visit to Camden to take care of these business transactions, he and his wife must have gotten a desire to return here.

Certainly this would have good news for his wife. She could now be near her folks, for the Peeples family was moving from South Carolina to Camden County. Descendants of the Peeples family are still here today.

By the time of the 1830 census they were living in Camden County. Not long after this, Lodowick Ashley died. It was Jan. 3, 1837, in the Inferior Court of Camden County that his will was probated. His widow, Tabitha Peeples Ashley, qualified as executrix.

It is unfortunate that the will book for this period of time is missing from Camden records. It would be interesting to know the worth of the man who had owned a large part of Camden County and to know how he disposed of his estate.

We do not know the burial lace of Lodowick Ashley. It could very easily be at the cemetery in Jefferson, which the county seat in those days. We do know that he owned property near there at the time of his death.

His widow remained in Camden County. She is listed in the 1840 census as head of household.

It is true that the Ashley men did participate in some unethical activities while they lived here, but we should not forget them just because of this. We remember them in St. Marys, for there is a street named Ashley in honor of these three men who played a part in the founding of this southern-most Georgia city.

Conyers Plays Silent, Yet Pivotal Role in Camden County's History

By Dr. John H. Christian

Date?

When Jacob Weed extended an invitation to a select group of men to meet him on Cumberland Island on Nov. 20, 1787, for the purpose of establishing a town by signing the Articles of Agreement, he invited mostly residents of Camden County.

But one man who was not a resident of Camden County who attended and signed his name was Stephen Conyers. Conyers seemingly never lived here; therefore, he never got into many records of the county.

Of course, his signature is on the Articles of Agreement that now hangs in the city hall in St. Marys. These articles are recorded in Deed Book "A" of Camden County. This book shows that he made transactions of sales of his lots in St. Marys.

He must have made a business trip to Camden County in 1793, for on February 22 of that year, it is recorded that he sold Lot #9 in the town of St. Marys to Antoine Saurez and David Fernandez of Camden County.

Then just four days later, on Feb. 26, it is recorded that he sold lots 70 and 72 in St. Marys to John Jameson of Camden County.

In the records, it is stated that Stephen Conyers was a native of Charleston, S.C.

The one other mark he left in Camden County is his name on one of the streets in St. Marys. This street is located just three blocks from the waterfront in the historic district of downtown St. Marys.

Even though county records do not remember Conyers very much, the people of St. Marys will always remember his visit here when they tour the sites of historic interest in the heart of the city.

Henry Osborne Held Various State Offices.

By Dr. John H. Christian

There were few citizens living in Camden County in 1785 when Henry Osborne first set foot here as an unmarried young man. In fact, so few people lived here that the machinery of county government had not yet been set up.

In this same year, the Georgia Land Law was liberalized, making it easier to get land as grants from the state. A land court was set up and began to issue grants in 1786. This was a great boon to the county, for many people began to arrive here and apply for a land grant.

During the year 1787, Osborne appeared before the land court nine times and received a total of 29,515 acres in Camden County and received two land grants in Franklin totaling 1,000 acres.

Osborne was on hand that Nov 20, 1787, on Cumberland Island when a group of men met to sign the Articles of Agreement that would establish a town on Buttermilk Bluff. He paid his required amount and in later years would sell these lots that he received as one of the proprietors of St. Marys.

He served as representative from Camden and Glynn counties in the State Legislature from 1786 to 1788. In the county election of 1788, he was elected as a delegate to the state convention that would ratify the U.S. Constitution.

Osborne had great influence in Georgia. That fact is shown in his appointment by the governor as chief justice of Georgia in 1788. He resigned after a few months.

In 1789, the State Legislature organized the state judiciary system of Superior Courts. Osborne was appointed as Judge of the Superior Courts of the Eastern Circuit.

Osborne made his home in Augusta, and then the state capital, after he was appointed judge. But he maintained his home in St. Marys and spent quite a bit of time there. After his death, his family returned there to live for many years.

The town of Brunswick was laid out in 1771. By the time of the Revolutionary War, 179 lots had been granted. But most of the citizens moved away during the war because most of them were Tories. After the war many of these lots were regranted. Osborne received a grant of 10 lots in Brunswick in 1789.

On Feb. 1, 1788, the General Assembly passed an act to resettle Brunswick. Eight men were appointed as commissioners by the legislature to survey and sell lots in Brunswick. One of these men was Osborne.

The money from the sale of the lots was to be used for the erection and maintenance of an academy, which is now known as Glynn Academy.

In the early educational program of the state, each county was to have an academy. Of the early academies established, only three remain to this day: Glynn, Chatham and Richmond.

After Osborne was appointed judge, he moved to Augusta, where he met a young lady by the name of Catherine Howell, the daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth Howell.

The Aug. 27, 1791, issue of the Augusta Chronicle and Gazette reported that on the previous Sunday, the Hon. Henry Osborne, one of the judges of the superior courts of this state, was united in matrimony to Miss Kitty Howell of Augusta.

We learn of Osborne's death from the files of the Augusta Chronicle and Gazette. In the Nov. 22, 1800, issue are these words: "At St. Simons island on the 9th, Henry Osborne, attorney-at-law, former judge of the superior court and a patriot. He was a good husband, and a tender and affectionate parent."

Osborne was visiting on St. Simons Island at the time of his death. Although no known gravesite or markers have been found, it is believed he was buried on the estate of Major Wright.

Osborne owned several larger tracts of land in Camden County. There were several judgments against him, and it was some time before his family was able to benefit from the property.

Almost eight years after his death, his widow, Mrs. Catherine Pearis, was in inferior court on April 12, 1808, to report that she had not received any of the estate of the late Hon. Henry Osborne, on account of same being levied on by the sheriff to satisfy judgments against the deceased. Soon after this, most of the property was back in the hands of the family.

The name Osborne lives on in the hearts and minds of the people of St. Marys and the many people who come here to visit each year.

(Additional note: Henry Osborne & Catherine Howell were the parents of Mariah Jane, James Gunn and John Howell Osborne. John Howell and Mariah F. Parsons, married 19 Aug 1821.)

Gallop Little-Known Founder of St. Marys

By Dr. John H. Christian

Some men like notoriety and do many things to get their names before other people, while some men like to remain m the background and receive little public acclaim.

One such man of the latter type was Prentiss Gallop, a signer of the Articles of Agreement that began the town of St. Marys in 1787.

Prentiss did not like public acclaim. He is very illusive when it comes to public records. He did little during his period of residence in Camden County to call attention to himself.

Yet for his desire for anonymity, his is a well-known name because of his taking part in the founding of St. Marys. He is remembered by all the residents of St. Marys and many who come here as tourists, for his name is affixed to one of the streets of the city.

This street is parallel with the railroad tracks from Osborne Street near Gilman Paper Mill west for six blocks to Margaret Street. So for a many who desired anonymity, his name is on display and is well known by many people.

We do not know anything about the past life of Prentiss Gallop before he came to Camden County. We do not know where he came from or how long he stayed in the county, or if he died here or left before that time. His desire for anonymity keeps all these facts from us.

One of the first businesses to be established in St. Marys was a trading firm known as Gallop and Wheeler. This was a joint partnership of Prentiss Gallop and Isaac Wheeler. Both these men were signers of the Articles of Agreement.

During those early days on the frontier, money was scarce. Businesses often traded one article for another with the hope of making a fair profit. As a result, a large inventory could be built up without a cash flow to pay creditors and suppliers.

The Gallop and Wheeler Trading Firm of St. Marys ran into this situation. The public records of Camden County reveal that in 1788 William Payne of Charleston, S.C., appointed Thomas Norris, also of Charleston but soon to remove to Camden as his power of attorney "to recover all sums of money due him by Prentiss Gallop and Isaac Wheeler trading as the firm of Gallop and Wheeler in St. Marys, Ga.

The last time that Gallop appeared in public records of the county is on Aug. 25, 1789, where he deeded four lots in St. Marys to James Finley, another founder of St. Marys.

After a two-year sojourn here in Camden County, Gallop slipped into oblivion without leaving any tracks of his whereabouts.

But as long as history remains, we will always remember him as the founder of a town that has endeared itself to the hearts of thousands of people across two centuries of time and will continue to do so in the years ahead, especially with the coming of Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base.