Georgia Militia Districts
Many census records, land records, genealogies and histories refer to historical locations in terms of militia districts. The districts defined areas of military and civil authority. Each district provided for the leadership and organization of a militia company, and also for one Notary Public and one Justice of the Peace. An examination of the history and function of Georgia Militia Districts is provided by the Georgia Bar Journal.
Historically, the counties of Georgia were divided into Georgia Militia Districts (GMD) for the purpose of organizing local militia companies to defend against Indian raids or other threats. With the formation of new counties in Wiregrass Georgia, new Militia Districts were organized as required by law. Every able-bodied man between the ages of 15 and 50 who lived within the district was required to serve in the militia, and the company of men in each district elected a captain by whose name the district and company was known, e.g. Captain Knight’s District. Although since 1804, all militia districts in Georgia were assigned a number, the practice of referring to the districts by the captain’s name persisted for quite some time.
Here is a detail of Georgia Militia Districts showing the Ray’s Mill District, which includes Ray City, GA, and the surrounding districts. Considering the shape of the 1144th district, it is easy to understand why nearby citizens in the 1329 (Connell’s Mill), 1307 (Cat Creek), and 1300 districts considered themselves residents of Ray City.
Georgia Militia Districts, circa 1950
Related information:
- Georgia USGenWeb Archives Project: Militia District Maps
- Thomas M Ray Founded Ray’s Mill in 1863
- The Poetry of Mary Elizabeth Carroll
- Isbin S. Giddens Visited Old Berrien Friends in 1905
- Dicey Guthrie Watson
- Beagles/Biggles/Beigles of Rays Mill
- Jonathan David Knight, Signer of the Georgia Constitution of 1877
Ray City History Blog 
Richard Wheeler said,
October 9, 2012 at 6:23 pm
I would assume that the Militia Districts changed in shape and size over time, just as counties changed. Do you know of a resource online that shows the evolution of the 1144th? Keep up the good work. I love this blog!