Considering the Civil War: Choestoe Guards and Young Cane Volunteers

Continuing with an emphasis on April as Confederate Memorial and Heritage Month and April 26 as Confederate Memorial Day, we look this week at two units that figured prominently in the war---Company K of the 23rd Regiment, Georgia Infantry Volunteers, Army of Tennessee, Confederate States of America, known as “The Choestoe Guards,” and Company B, of the 23rd, known as “The Union County Mountain Volunteers” (also known as “The Young Cane Volunteers”).

These units were formed in 1861 and went to Fort McDonald in Cobb County where they were attached to the 23rd Regiment in August, 1861. Joseph G. Souther who was only six years of age when the men signed up and went away to war recalled in his memoirs written many years later in 1937: “I saw the first soldiers of my township enlisting for the front, happy, content, saying the war would be over in six weeks and not a drop of blood spilt.”

But the anticipation with which the Choestoe Guards faced the war was short-lived, for Joseph Souther noted: “Thirty young men of my township joined the ranks, one-half of which never returned to once prosperous and happy homes.”

Who were some of these soldiers in Company K and Company B?

William P. Barclay was first Captain of the Choestoe Guards. Later he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. The 23rd Regiment was ordered to Richmond, Virginia on November 10, 1861, and shortly went into action at the Battle of Yorktown. It was there the men learned how cruel and terrible war can be. Private John Nix of the Choestoe Guards was a casualty there. His brother, James Bly Nix was near him and saw John cut down by a mini-ball “right in the midst of a roasting ear patch.” Fighting in the Peninsular Campaign of 1861-62, they moved on to the Battle of Seven Pines on May 31, 1862. Lt. Colonel William Barclay was described as “cool and gallant” in every intense battle. In Maryland at the Battle of South Mountain on September 14, 1862, Col. Barclay was called “the hero of the battle” by General D. H. Hill and Colonel A. H. Colquitt in their written reports. On September 17 in the Battle at Sharpsburg (Antietam, America’s bloodiest day), Colonel Barclay and his troops underwent heavy bombardment. He was fatally wounded, but before his death he saw his unit victorious in the field. Four Barclay brothers served in the Confederate Army. The others were Elihu S. Barclay, Hugh W. Barclay, and Julius Barclay. Two of these, William P. and Julius (Captain of Company G, 52nd Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment) were killed. Julius lost his life in the Battle of Atlanta.

James H. Huggins, captain and enlister of Company B, the “Young Cane Volunteers,” likewise distinguished himself in battle. On May 29, 1862, Captain Huggins was in command of his unit at the Battle of Malvern Hill. Following this engagement, he was promoted to major. At the Battle of Sharpsburg at which his good friend, Colonel Barclay died, Major Huggins was severely wounded. After that battle, Huggins was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.

Then came the forlorn march from Shepherdstown, Maryland back to Fredricksburg, Viginia in the dead of winter. Huggins’ unit was deprived even of shoes and had to march through the snow with such improvised footgear as they could tie around their feet to protect them in the terrible cold. They were assigned to guard a wagon train of supplies. Many of the men were taken captive but some were exchanged a few weeks later. Col. Huggins’ unit traveled much during the last several months of the war. They were at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. At the latter battle, General Stonewall Jackson lost his life. There Colonel Huggins was taken prisoner of war and held at Fort Delaware, but was traded in a prisoner-of-war exchange.

His unit was ordered to Kingston, North Carolina, back to Richmond, Virginia, and then to Charleston, South Carolina where they spent the winter of 1863. They were fired upon as they were aboard the ship named Ft. Sumter in Charleston Harbor, but no casualties resulted for Huggins’ unit. They were ordered to Olustee, Florida, where they engaged in the Battle of Ocean Pond. Colonel Huggins was reported as “acquitting himself with honor” at that battle.

From Florida, Huggins and his men returned to Charleston and thence to Petersburg, Virginia and on to Drewry’s Bluff where they won a fierce battle in May, 1864. In June, 1864, they fought for the second time at the Battle of Cold Harbor where it is reported “they left the ground littered with Grant’s drunken rabble.” They met the enemy again at the final siege of Petersburg, Virginia located on the Appomattox River. The end was near at hand. A week after the final battle at Petersburg came the signing of the surrender papers on April 9, 1865, with the treaty signed three days later on April 12.

Space precludes a listing of all the members of “The Choestoe Guards” and “The Mountain—or Young Cane---Volunteers,” and the brave soldiers who lost their lives. Those with internet connections may access the muster rolls of these two and other units of brave Union County Confederate soldiers.

It is interesting to note that Colonel James H. Huggins, born August 22, 1828, was a lawyer by occupation. He served in the Georgia General Assembly both before and during the war. He signed for Georgia to secede from the Union. He was a slave owner, having two slaves in the 1860 listing who helped him in his farming operations.

Regardless of our leanings, whether North or South, we can but salute the bravery and persistence of the units from the mountains as they defended their homeland. A Confederate Memorial Day marker in Kingston, Georgia declares the South’s men “gallant Confederates—greatest fighting men of all time.”

Historian James M. McPherson stated: “A blend of triumph and tragedy, courage and cowardice, heroes and knaves, selfless sacrifice and selfish profiteering, the war shaped and defined the America that has emerged in the (now 140) years since the guns fell silent.”

c2005 by Ethelene Dyer Jones; published Apr. 28, 2005 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville, GA. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

April--Confederate History and Heritage Month

I read with interest the Proclamation signed by Union County Commissioner, Honorable Lamar Paris, designating the whole month of April as Confederate History and Heritage Month. Coupled with the Confederate Memorial Day April 26 throughout Georgia and other Southern States, the joint emphases are geared toward learning more about and understanding events of The War Between the States (known as the Civil War) and their far-reaching effects upon our history.

The conflict began in April, 1861 with shots fired upon Ft. Sumter in Charleston Harbor and ended in April, 1865 with the treaty signed at Appomattox Court House. Within the intensive four-year period, the face of America and its people changed. Volumes have been written and hundreds of films produced to try to get at the heart of the conflict. As I consider writing about the war from the perspective of Union County, I feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the subject, even before I begin.

Many see slavery as the major cause of the War Between the States. Although that institution played a part in secession, there were deeper underlying differences in ideologies and culture. The mainly agrarian South was pitted against a strongly industrial North. If slavery had been the issue in Union County, Georgia, it would have been miniscule. According to the 1850 listing of slaveholders in the county, twenty-four citizens owned 100 slaves. Disregarding the issue of slavery, those from Union County who fought for the Confederacy did so because of loyalty to a region and to the state of Georgia.

For interesting details and a listing of soldiers from Union County by regiments, I recommend that you find copies of these resources and read them: “The Civil War,” pages 29-60 in Sketches of Union County History, Volume 2, by Jan H. Devereaux and Bryan Webb, 1978; “The Civil War in Union County,” pages 41-56 in Mountain Relic, Spring Edition, 1980; and “The Story of Two Soldiers,” pages 35-36 in Sketches of Union County History III, edited by Teddy J. Oliver, 1987. Numerous resources are available online such as Muster Rolls by Companies, Regiments and Counties in Georgia. It takes patience to access and read them, but the effort is worthwhile for those desiring a listing of men who served from Union County.

Union County’s stately War Memorial lists the names of ninety-one men who lost their lives fighting for the Confederacy and three who died while serving in the Union Army. These ninety-four casualties from the War Between the States comprise a larger number than the combined total of casualties from all other wars listed. A Confederate memorial service is planned to begin on Saturday, April 23 at 11:00 a. m. at the Old City Cemetery in Blairsville and then move to the War Memorial. The David W. Payne Camp 1633 of Sons of Confederate Veterans will lead the service commemorating the men who gave their lives for the South.

The words of poet Sir Walter Scott are appropriate as we remember the sacrifices of fallen soldiers:

“Soldier, rest! Thy warfare o’er,
Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking,
Dream of battlefields no more,
Days of danger, nights of waking.”

“All gave some; some gave all.” May they rest in peace.

c2005 by Ethelene Dyer Jones; published Apr. 21, 2005 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville, GA. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

In April, National Poetry Month: Featuring Local Poet, Barbara Ruth Sampson

As we celebrate during April the art of poetry, a local contemporary Union County poet deserves the limelight.

She is Barbara Ruth Nicholson (Collins) Sampson who lives on Nottely Shores. She merits accolades for her excellent poetry. In 2004 she was named National Senior Poet Laureate. She could have submitted most any of her poems to vie for this coveted title. The poem that won the title for her was “Return in the Spring.” She is equally at home in traditional forms and free verse. This poem is of the latter style. Here are her lines:

Spring in the mountains,
but you are not here.
Yet, somehow, my eager eyes discern you
faintly profiled against darkening clouds,
hear your voice echoing in sky-shattering thunder
above the splintered silver waterfalls,
feel you in the profound absence of footsteps
along the leaf-padded trail bordering
the lavishly blossoming rhododendron thicket.
I sense you in the profound grandeur
of this unpeopled wildness,
relax with utter satisfaction in this spot
exclusive to lichen on boulders,
protective moss on northside of trees,
and the drama of an eagle launching himself
into vastness of sky above rugged mountains.

You are here in this eden
that prohibits raucous, man-made noises
within its sacred solitude,
and comes your voice to my depth of yearning
a luminescence of all past glory.
The cadence of your robust laughter,
profound and sincere, makes me smile,
my heart to sing.
So good there is nothing to intrude,
here in the mountains of spring,
with you.

Who is this wordsmith, this maker of verse? Would you believe she has already celebrated her four-score and tenth birthday? Spending most of her time now in a wheelchair, she is not bound by its physical limitations but allows her mind to soar, to grasp ideas that challenge and cajole, words that send imagination on flights of beauty to climb to heights of solitude, where there is “nothing to intrude” save for the very pleasure of writing.

This retired educator—high school English teacher for many years---is herself a daughter of educators: Dr. James M. Nicholson was her father, inimitable principal of Union County High School from about 1930 until his retirement in the mid-1940’s. Her mother was Flora Maynard Nicholson, also an English teacher. She grew up with siblings James Frank, George Truett and Flora Nelle. Her sister, called Nelle, is also a word-crafter and a poet. Barbara Ruth proudly traces her ancestry back to her great, great grandfather John Nicholson, a Revolutionary War soldier whose grave is in the Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Union County.

Barbara Ruth Sampson and I have been pen pals for many years. Her letters are literary gems, delightful to read and saved among my treasures. It was my distinct pleasure, as a fellow member with her of the Georgia Poetry Society, to review her book of poems published in 2000 by Sparrowgrass Press, Sistersville, West Virginia. The Society meeting in Athens, Georgia in April, 2001 was the scene for my oral review of her book entitled “Earth Is a Splendid Place”. I was delighted that Mrs. Sampson was able to attend the review, thanks to her daughter Sylvia Sampson-Haney who took her. In all the years I reviewed books of poetry for Society members, Mrs. Sampson by far showed the most appreciation. Here was a poet not only proficient with words but one with a deeply ingrained sense of gratitude.

She and Union County poet, Byron Herbert Reece, were friends. He inscribed on his book, “Three Lyric Poets,” published in 1942 by Decker Press, Prairie City, IL: “To Ruth, With admiration and affection.” I noted in her poetry a similarity to Reece’s in her adroit use of traditional forms, her appreciation of nature, her ease in using poetic devices of metaphor, simile and personification. Maybe “something there is in the hills” that draws poetic expression from those with skills of observation and introspection such as she and Reece display.

Like Reece, she is adept at the quatrain. Her “On Planting a Crocus Bulb” states a tremendous amount of truth in four lines: “I planted a crocus bulb today/under the leaves, under the clay;/ I planted a bit of purple hope/in a chilly wind, on a barren slope.”

In “Mortality” she feels and touches the splendor of earth and leads the reader to explore our own time and space in the world. The questions posed in the poem lead the reader to contemplate answers:

Why has pulsing spring so early come to earth
in this the growing winter of my days;
what primal instinct stirs less certain steps
to seek among more rough and youthful ways?
Now surely should I pull the fleecy shawl
around the shivering bones of age,
nor face the freshened breeze that challenges
beyond the spirit now grown pale and sage.
What is this pang within my very core
that makes me laugh yet wish to cry,
envisioning all that will come more
when empty of the world am I?

In reading her book, “Earth Is a Splendid Place”, one identifies with her love for natural beauty and her zest for life. Though age, an expected part of life, rolls upon us with the passing years, she encourages our welcoming the seasons as friends and the accrual of years as a blessing. During this month for poetry and poets, her poetic philosopy is well-expressed in another quatrain that gives her book its title:

High the sky to the edge of heaven,
bright the sun as a smiling face;
life is a treasured blessing given,
and earth is a splendid place.”

Congratulations, Mrs. Sampson, for your well-earned title of 2004 Senior Poet Laureate! Your stamina and wisdom are admirable; your love for and expression of words in poetry are exemplary. You make us think while giving us beauty.

c2005 by Ethelene Dyer Jones; published Apr. 14, 2005 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville, GA. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

What We Learn From Early Post Offices

Even though we live in an age of electronic communication and e-mail is the mode of today’s exchange of letters, there still is a fascination about receiving mail by post. If you have a post office box and go there to check your mail, no doubt you spend time to greet someone in the lobby or in the parking lot. You exchange pleasantries, news of the day, and talk of the world situation, politics or the weather (none of which we can change much by talk alone).

If the mail is delivered to your home address and you are there near the time for the postman to come, you begin to watch the clock. If you are away at work when the postman arrives at your address, you most assuredly will check your box soon after arriving home. We may deplore the excesses of “junk” mail. We could wish our bills were not so prompt in delivery. But still there is the fascination for the mail. And so has it been through many a day of mountain mists.

In the last column we sought to locate where Polk, Union County might have been. Noting that the post office name changed from Polk, founded in 1844 to Choestoe in 1851, we listed the known postmasters until the Choestoe post office closed in 1938.

Other complications are noted about Polk as a post office. In the old Coopers Creek District were five post offices: Baxter, Clemeth, Polk, Seabolt and Shopes.

William L. Smith made application for a post office to be named Polk, Georgia on December 23, 1891. It was approved January 11, 1892 and Mr. Smith was the first postmaster. Evidently the authorities at the U. S. Postal Services considered that enough time had elapsed since September 25, 1851 when Joseph F. England “across the mountain” had requested that the Polk office there be changed to Choestoe. That was, after all, forty years in the past.

Polk post office opened in the Coopers Creek District. James H. Shope was appointed second postmaster at Polk on October 15, 1892, but his appointment was soon rescinded. Smith resumed the duties until James H. Cavender was appointed on April 14, 1893. Next was his sister, Mary A. Cavender, who began as postmaster on March 30, 1894. Samuel A. Dixon began duties on April 2, 1895. Polk, Georgia post office was discontinued on October 7, 1897. This Polk location for the U. S. mails lasted almost five years. When the last postmaster had the charge, it was located at his home on Dixon Branch, a mile south of Mulky Gap. When Polk was closed, the mail was routed to the Coosa post office, which closed March 15, 1907.

Baxter post office had an interesting history. It was the forty-fifth post office to be established in Union County. Dates of appointment and postmasters were: David M. Jarrard, June 16, 1900; James H. Cavender, April 15, 1901; Mary Ann Cavender (James’ sister), February 20, 1903; Nellie Cavender Grizzle (sister to James and Mary Ann), January 17, 1935; Mrs. Lillie Gurley moved the post office to her home January 26, 1944 and served until the office was discontinued April 15, 1953. Two of the postmasters served until their deaths: Ms. Mary Ann Cavender and Ms. Nellie Cavender Grizzle.

Clemeth post office in Coopers Creek District was opened June 21, 1880, with Clemeth Cavender the first postmaster. The office had the given name of its first postmaster. It had a short life until April 26, 1887, two months shy of seven years. Yet in that seven year period, there were seven postmaster appointments, some serving twice: Clemeth Cavender, Andrew B. Campbell, James A. Cavender, William Jones, William A. Jones, William F. Cavender and James A. Cavender.

Seabolt post office was located in the Coopers Creek District. The initial application asked for the name Mist, due to the mist from the waterfalls near Coopers Creek Bridge as well as the many morning fogs that left mist like a veil over the valley. The application was approved on May 25, 1903 but not the name Mist. Instead, Seabolt was the assigned name. Seabolt was designated in honor of the first settlers to the area. It lasted the first time until October 31, 1907 when it was discontinued and the mail routed through Suches. However, Seabolt was reopened July 22, 1922 by James Frank Seabolt and operated until July 31. 1924 and the mail routed to Baxter, GA.

The last of the five post offices in the Cooper Creek District was named Shope. The application requested Harkinsville as the name, but instead the U. S. Postmaster General chose Shope after early settlers. Opened August 8, 1880 with Charles W. O’Kelley as postmaster, he served until the office closed March 2, 1883 and the mail was routed to Clemeth.

Applications for new post office charters had to give approximate number of families that would be served by the office, the names of some citizens in the community, and occupations. Even being in close proximity to those the office served, postmasters could not always guarantee delivery for they depended on mail to arrive at their office by a carrier on horseback. The Pony Express of the west had a kindred tie to the station-to-station carriers of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Through rain, flood, snow, sleet or sun’s burning rays, they sought to do their jobs and get the mail on its way.

c2005 by Ethelene Dyer Jones; published Mar. 31, 2005 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville, GA. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

March 4th Was Once the Presidential Inauguration Date

Was there a place called Polk in Union County? And if so, where was it located?

An e-mail from David Friedly noted that an 1839 map of Union County showed Polk as located “around Owltown.” His question to me was “Have you heard of Polk in Union County?”

I had not heard of a Polk in Union County, but curiosity got the better of me and I began a search to see if I could find authentic references. Knowing that a post office usually designated a place, named either for the first person approved to be postmaster or for another significant person, I checked out the post office history of Union County, using the wonderful Heritage of Union County, Georgia, 1832-1994, Sketches of Union County History. Volume 2 (1978) and census and other records.

Interestingly, I found that there was a Polk post office, but founded later than the 1839 map listing to which Mr. Friedly referred. The mystery of why a place was named Polk and whether it was in Owltown still remained unanswered.

Then I found this important bit of information. Of the 1800’s militia districts formed in Union County, Owltown (GMD # 1409) was the last district to be designated. It was carved out of portions of Arkaquah, Coosa and Choestoe. The addition of Owltown District was signed into law by Ordinary William Colwell on April 4, 1887.

The next step was to try to locate a Polk Post Office in Union. That was not hard to do. Looking at the list of post offices in Owltown District, only three were listed: Laura founded February 5, 1892; Otto, founded May 14, 1898; and Edmund founded March 11, 1905. No Polk there on record.

The Coosa Post Office was the first to be officially established in the new Union County, started On July 19, 1833 with Arthur Gilbert as postmaster. It was near the county seat of Blairsville, and ran until September 17, 1834. No post office seems to have existed in Union County until the old Coosa, under postmaster Charles R. Gibbs was granted a name change to Blairsville on February 9, 1835. There was no post office named Polk in the Coosa District.

Then to the Choestoe Militia District post office listings, and the origin of Polk was immediately evident. The very first post office in that district was named Polk, with the first postmaster John Butt, Sr. on February 20, 1844.

Why was it named Polk? Evidently not for the first postmaster. A guess is that it may have been to honor James Polk, eleventh president of the United States who was running for the country’s highest office and had been governor of the nearby state of Tennessee. Polk was not in the nation’s highest office when Polk post office was formed in 1844. Polk was elected and served one term, from 1845-1849. His platform of westward expansion, annexation of Texas and the Oregon Territory, the tariff, immigration policy and agrarianism might have appealed to Mr. Butt. Maybe he wanted to honor this “dark horse” candidate from Tennessee by naming the first post office in the Choestoe District for him.

Succeeding postmasters and their dates of appointment at the Polk post office were Francis (Frank) Collins, November 5, 1845; Robert F. Lemmands, May 28, 1846; John Butt, Sr. (for the second time), September 13, 1847; and Joseph F. England, June 30, 1851. While Joseph England was postmaster, he requested that the name be changed to Choestoe. This was granted on September 25, 1851. So Polk became Choestoe.

To answer the question posed by David Friedly: “Where was Polk in Union County?” I did some more speculation based on facts. Knowing that the post office changed locations with the appointment of a new postmaster, and that the office was either in a portion of the home or store owned by the postmaster, I surmised that the location could have been somewhere in the midst of Choestoe, a large district.

The second postmaster was Francis Collins, son of one of the first Choestoe settlers, Thompson Collins and wife Celia Self Collins. This Collins family was listed in the first census (1834) of Union County and owned broad acreages along Town Creek and the Nottely River in Choestoe. I could not easily find Mr. Lemmands who served for little more than a year. But the Joseph F. England was a neighbor to Francis Collins and his family had also settled early in Choestoe. He was the one who requested the name change from Polk to Choestoe.

[Next week: Continuing a look at early post offices.]

c2005 by Ethelene Dyer Jones; published Mar. 24, 2005 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville, GA. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Where in Union County Was Polk, Georgia

Was there a place called Polk in Union County? And if so, where was it located?

An e-mail from David Friedly noted that an 1839 map of Union County showed Polk as located “around Owltown.” His question to me was “Have you heard of Polk in Union County?”

I had not heard of a Polk in Union County, but curiosity got the better of me and I began a search to see if I could find authentic references. Knowing that a post office usually designated a place, named either for the first person approved to be postmaster or for another significant person, I checked out the post office history of Union County, using the wonderful Heritage of Union County, Georgia, 1832-1994, Sketches of Union County History. Volume 2 (1978) and census and other records.

Interestingly, I found that there was a Polk post office, but founded later than the 1839 map listing to which Mr. Friedly referred. The mystery of why a place was named Polk and whether it was in Owltown still remained unanswered.

Then I found this important bit of information. Of the 1800’s militia districts formed in Union County, Owltown (GMD # 1409) was the last district to be designated. It was carved out of portions of Arkaquah, Coosa and Choestoe. The addition of Owltown District was signed into law by Ordinary William Colwell on April 4, 1887.

The next step was to try to locate a Polk Post Office in Union. That was not hard to do. Looking at the list of post offices in Owltown District, only three were listed: Laura founded February 5, 1892; Otto, founded May 14, 1898; and Edmund founded March 11, 1905. No Polk there on record.

The Coosa Post Office was the first to be officially established in the new Union County, started On July 19, 1833 with Arthur Gilbert as postmaster. It was near the county seat of Blairsville, and ran until September 17, 1834. No post office seems to have existed in Union County until the old Coosa, under postmaster Charles R. Gibbs was granted a name change to Blairsville on February 9, 1835. There was no post office named Polk in the Coosa District.

Then to the Choestoe Militia District post office listings, and the origin of Polk was immediately evident. The very first post office in that district was named Polk, with the first postmaster John Butt, Sr. on February 20, 1844.

Why was it named Polk? Evidently not for the first postmaster. A guess is that it may have been to honor James Polk, eleventh president of the United States who was running for the country’s highest office and had been governor of the nearby state of Tennessee. Polk was not in the nation’s highest office when Polk post office was formed in 1844. Polk was elected and served one term, from 1845-1849. His platform of westward expansion, annexation of Texas and the Oregon Territory, the tariff, immigration policy and agrarianism might have appealed to Mr. Butt. Maybe he wanted to honor this “dark horse” candidate from Tennessee by naming the first post office in the Choestoe District for him.

Succeeding postmasters and their dates of appointment at the Polk post office were Francis (Frank) Collins, November 5, 1845; Robert F. Lemmands, May 28, 1846; John Butt, Sr. (for the second time), September 13, 1847; and Joseph F. England, June 30, 1851. While Joseph England was postmaster, he requested that the name be changed to Choestoe. This was granted on September 25, 1851. So Polk became Choestoe.

To answer the question posed by David Friedly: “Where was Polk in Union County?” I did some more speculation based on facts. Knowing that the post office changed locations with the appointment of a new postmaster, and that the office was either in a portion of the home or store owned by the postmaster, I surmised that the location could have been somewhere in the midst of Choestoe, a large district.

The second postmaster was Francis Collins, son of one of the first Choestoe settlers, Thompson Collins and wife Celia Self Collins. This Collins family was listed in the first census (1834) of Union County and owned broad acreages along Town Creek and the Nottely River in Choestoe. I could not easily find Mr. Lemmands who served for little more than a year. But the Joseph F. England was a neighbor to Francis Collins and his family had also settled early in Choestoe. He was the one who requested the name change from Polk to Choestoe.

[Next week: Continuing a look at early post offices.]

c2005 by Ethelene Dyer Jones; published Mar. 24, 2005 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville, GA. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Susannah Nix, Daughter of John Henry Stonecypher, Jr.

Family legend holds that when Susannah Stonecypher married William Nix on September 9, 1809 at Carnesville, Georgia (Franklin County), her father, the inimitable John Henry Stonecypher, Jr., Revolutionary War soldier, disowned her and had nothing more to do with her or her family. However, this family story may not be true at all, since documents have been found to show that Susannah Stonecypher Nix did, indeed, receive a portion of the inheritance from the notable estate of John Henry, Jr. and Nancy Curtis Stonecypher.

Susannah (1788 – after 1870) was the second of nine documented children of John Henry Stonecypher, Jr. (1756-1850) and Nancy Curtis Stonecypher (abt. 1760-1849). Susannah’s siblings were Benjamin (1786), James (1793-1854), Nancy (1795), Frances (known as Fannie, 1797), Mary (1799), Lucy (1801), Amy (1803) and Phoebe (1807-1865).

Susannah grew up in relative prosperity for that day in Franklin County, Georgia. Her father owned large tracts of land, most of which he received in grants for his service in the American Revolution. He built a large two-story dwelling house at Eastanollee (a portion of Franklin County which became Stephens County). He had an architect named Pressnell design and build the house. As a monument to the solid building, the house, restored, still stands today near the graves of the Stonecyphers. It took ten years to complete the plantation house. Every sill, sleeper, joist and post were mortised and fitted together. The nails in the house were wrought by hand. At that house, and amidst plenty, Susannah grew up.

Using the waters of Eastanollee Creek for power, John Henry Stonecypher built a mill in the early 1800s. Millwright Thomas Sockwell was the engineer responsible for erecting the Stonecypher Mill. As with mills in every communtiy, it was a popular place for getting corn, wheat and rye ground and for keeping up with happenings of the day.

When Susannah married William Nix on September 9, 1809 and moved away to then Habersham County, later White, near Tesnatee northwest of Cleveland, her youngest sibling, Phoebe, was only two years of age. If the story has any credence that Susannah was “disowned” by her father, she was, nevertheless, named one of the legatees of the estate of John Henry Stonecypher. Also, when Nancy, Susannah’s unmarried sister, made her will, one of the legatees was “William Nix, in the right of his wife, Susannah.”

William Nix and Susannah Stonecypher Nix had seven children: John Nix (1811) married Lucinda Adams; James Nix (1812-1882) married Elizabeth Collins (1814-1856); Mary Nix (1816) married Archibald Collins (1811); Fannie Fairlena Nix (1818-1854); Rutha Nix (1822-1893) married Francis Collins (1816-1864); Susannah Nix (1827-1856) married James Cathey (1823); Malinda Nix (1829-1894) married Jesse Souther, Jr. (1813-1869); and William Carr Nix (1831-1858) married Rachel Minerva Carroll (1842-1920).

Four of Susannah Stonecypher Nix’s children played prominently in early Union County history. James Nix married Thompson Collins’ third child Elizabeth, known as Betsy. They had thirteen children. Mary Nix married Thompson Collins’ first child, Archibald. They had eleven children. Rutha Nix married Thompson Collins’ fourth child, Francis (called Frank). They had ten children. Malinda Nix married Jesse Souther, Jr., son of Jesse and Jane Combs Souther of Wilkes County, NC. Jesse, Jr. founded the Souther Mill of Choestoe. Malinda and Jesse, Jr. had eight children. The youngest of these, Jeptha Freeman Souther who married Mintie Dyer, continued to operate the Souther Mill until 1937. Books and lengthy descendancy charts are required to trace all these Stonecypher descendants from these four children of William and Susanna Stonecypher Nix. To my knowledge, no researcher to date has been able to tabulate them all.

An historical marker will be placed at the Souther mill site in a special commemorative program planned for April 30, 2005 at 2:30 p. m. Mark your calendar now. The public is invited.

Thus the Stonecypher legacy lives on in Union County.

c2005 by Ethelene Dyer Jones; published Mar. 17, 2005 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville, GA. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.