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Abraham Leffler Advertisement in 1881 Berrien County News

April 17, 2021 at 12:42 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: Abraham Leffler, Alapaha GA, Berrien County News, Brunswick and Albany Railroad, Gomm & Leffler Wholesale Grocers, Savannah GA, Tebeauville GA

The Berrien County News was published at Alapaha, Georgia from 1875 to about 1886. In 1881, the newspaper was owned by W. H. Lastinger.

July 2, 1881 advertisement of Abraham Leffler, Wholesale Grocer, Savannah, GA. During the Civil War and Reconstruction, Leffler was a resident of the Rays Mill District, Berrien County, GA

July 2, 1881 Edition of the Berrien County News advertisement of Abraham Leffler, Wholesale Grocer, Savannah, GA. During the Civil War and Reconstruction, Leffler was a resident of the Rays Mill District, Berrien County, GA

Abraham Leffler was a German merchant who came to Berrien County, GA before the Civil War. Although he suffered personal tragedy in the loss of his wife and a son, he apparently was among those men who prospered financially during the war and Reconstruction. The 1867 Berrien County tax digest shows that he owned town property valued at $350, had $1500 cash on hand, $6000 in merchandise, and $375 in other property, for a aggregate value of $8175. It appears that he paid a professional license fee of $1.00.

The 1870 census of the 1144th Georgia Militia District, Rays Mill District, shows he was a country merchant with a personal estate of $200 and real estate valued at $14,010. He had three children still in school, and a housekeeper, Miss Victoria Brooks.

Very shortly thereafter, Abraham Leffler relocated his family to Savannah, GA. The 1871 Savannah City Directory shows Abraham Leffler was in business with Adolphus Gomm, as wholesale grocers under the name Gomm & Leffler.

In Savannah, Abraham Leffler did not forget his old friends and business acquaintances from Berrien County. By 1874 a rail transportation route was opened from Berrien County to Savannah. The Brunswick & Albany Railroad passed through northern Berrien and a stop called Alapaha Station had been established. The B & A ran through Tebeauville (now Waycross, GA) where the Atlantic & Gulf Railroad provided connections to Savannah. Levi J. Knight, of Ray’s Mill, GA, had been an investor in the construction of the A&G. The route opened a door for Savannah merchants to trade in Berrien County. By 1881 Leffler was advertising his wholesale groceries in the Berrien County News, the newspaper printed at Alapaha.

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Judge Richard Augustus Peeples

September 22, 2018 at 9:08 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: 1868 Democratic Convention of the First Congressional District of Georgia, Alapaha GA, Albert Converse, Amy Kirby, Ansel A. Parrish, Augustin H. Hansell, B. F. Breedlove, Baker, Benevolence Baptist Church, Benjamin Jones, Berrien County GA, C.C. Varnedoe, Cabin Creek Church, Camilla Massacre, Carrie Peeples, Cedartown GA, Charles B. Peeples, Charles R. Pendleton, Cincinnatus Peeples, Clyattville GA, Company G, Company G Symon's 1st Georgia Reserves, CSS Alabama, Dr. George Lang, Dr. W. F. Munroe, Duncan Lodge, Duncan O'Quin, Edward Maffitt Anderson, Elizabeth Lyle Camp, Etta Lee Peeples, Fannie Peeples, G. G. Hammond, Georgia Masonic Life Insurance Company, H. Thompson Peeples, Hall County GA, Henry Burroughs Holliday, Henry C. Peeples, Henry Peeples, Henry Thompson Peeples, HMS Deerhound, J. E. Williams, James Dasher, James Dent, James M. Clap, James McBride, James Oglethorpe Varnedoe, James Preston Dent, John Pendergrass, John Robert Slater, Lewis Strickland, Lowndes County Courthouse, Lowndes County GA, Lucius F. Zeigler, Mary Emma Peeples, McPherson Academy, Melissa Camp Peeples, Mercer Baptist Association, Napoleon Alexander Bailey, Nashville Baptist Church, Nashville GA, P. C. Pendleton, P. H. Murray, Peeples Building, Peeples' Store, Peter Early Love, Philip C. Pendleton, R.A. Peeples & Sons Insurance, Remer Y. Lane, Remerton Young Lane, Richard Alexander Peeples, Richard Augustus Peeples, S. B. Godwin, Sally Peeples, Sarah Jane Camp, Sarah Virginia Dent, Savannah GA, Statenville GA, Stegall Plantation, Stephen Bowen Godwin, Symon's 1st Georgia Reserves, Thomas Crawford, Thomasville GA, USS Kersarge, Valdosta Baptist Church, Valdosta GA, Valdosta Immigration Society, W. H. Briggs, W. Jasper Peeples, Walter Dent Peeples, William Cincinnatus Peeples, William H. Dasher, William Kirkland DeGraffenreid, Young Men's Democratic Clubs

Richard Augustus Peeples (1829-1891)

continued from Richard Augustus Peeples, Clerk of the Berrien Courts.

Richard Augustus Peeples (1829-1891)

Richard Augustus Peeples.
Upon the organization of Berrien County in 1856 Richard A. Peeples was elected to serve as the first Clerk of the courts and moved his residence to Nashville, GA. He was instrumental in the construction of the first schoolhouse and the first Baptist church in Nashville. While serving as Clerk of the Berrien courts, R. A. Peeples undertook the study of law.

In 1860, the Atlantic & Gulf Railroad reached Lowndes County, and the town of Valdosta was created at Station No. 15 on the newly laid tracks, the first train, arriving on July 25, 1860. R.A. Peeples moved his family to the new town which then had a population of approximately 120 whites and 46 blacks.

He purchased ten acres of land outside the downtown area from James W. Patterson for the sum of $300. Census records show he was the owner of four enslaved people. His real estate was valued at $2000.00 and personal estate was worth $5,500.00

On being admitted to the bar, he opened an office as one of the first lawyers resident at Valdosta. His law office, and that of William Dasher, were directly across the street from the Lowndes County courthouse. The dozen or so commercial and public buildings which had been constructed by 1863 were of rather unsophisticated wood frame construction, as most of the men were away in the service of the Confederate States Army. J. T. Shelton described the courthouse as “a rough frame building, with a door leading into the court room and another into the small office of the clerk. The interior of the building had plenty of light from its several windows, but not a single coat of paint.“

The children of Richard A Peeples and Sarah Jane Camp were:

Sally Peeples (1850-1938)
Henry C. Peeples (1852-1905)
Charles B. Peeples (1854-1912)
Mary Emma Peeples (1856-1928)

But Sarah J. K. Camp Peeples would not live to see her children grown. She died at the age of thirty-three on July 3, 1863.

Obituary of Sarah Jane Peeples, from the Milledgeville Southern Recorder, July 21, 1863

Milledgeville Southern Recorder
July 21, 1863

DIED

Departed this life, at Valdosta, Lowndes county, on the 2d inst., after a short but painful attack, of a few days, Mrs. SARAH JANE PEEPLES, wife of Richard A. Peeples, Esq., in the thirty-third year of her age.
Beautiful, calm and trusting, passed the years of her earthly pilgrimage; and as quietly and beautifully has passed away, forever, one of the gentle and loved of the earth.
She embraced religion in her fourteenth year and connected herself with the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which she continued an ardent and devoted member up to the period of her departure from this world of trouble; and her death-bed scene was one of those a——— —-nces of the truth of Christian religion, which blesses the dying and reflects back upon the living the subdued, but steady light, which makes glad the heart of the Christian traveler. Husband, children, friends, servants, all were bid adieu, and forever with hopeful trust, and she quietly fell asleep in her Saviour’s arms and gladly exchanged this body of death for robes of light and immortality.
Farewell kindly gentle, and loving daughter, wife, sister, mother, friend. May the strong light of thy truthful, Christian life and womanly virtues long dwell around the vacant hearts and habitation of mourning husband and weeping children. And may the God of all goodness and grace suit this deep and sad bereavement to the increased religious conviction of the stricken ones left behind.

A BROTHER.

Did Sarah J. Peeples die in childbirth? The obituary makes no mention of a pregnancy. But an inscription on her grave marker indicates that she was buried with “little Carrie” – for whom no date of birth or death is given.

Grave of Sarah Jane Camp Peeples and her daughter Caroline “Carrie” Peeples, Sunset Hill Cemetery, Valdosta, GA. Image source: PhillW

In the fall and winter of 1863, when the Berrien Minute Men were with Confederate forces facing the Union Army’s encroachment in Georgia, Valdosta became one of the refugee towns of the South. “As the Union Army advanced in north Georgia and drove toward Atlanta, residents of those areas left their homes,” J. T. Shelton wrote in Pines and Pioneers,

Refugees clogged the railroads to the southward, for those areas were remote from the fighting. Riding in coaches if they could find seats, loading furniture, provisions and families in freight cars if they were fortunate in securing empties, a wave of new residents came into Lowndes county [via the new Atlantic & Gulf Railroad.]…Acting as a real estate agent, lawyer Richard A. Peeples helped many to locate on newly acquired properties. Some newcomers brought their slaves, and they had to find farms large enough to produce food for their laborers. When rations of corn and peas proved insufficient, the slaves ranged through the woods looking for hogs, cattle, even gophers to supplement their diet. Consequently the local people distrusted the imported black men with the strange “primitive” speech, for the south Georgians were not familiar with the coastal dialect. Ultimately, the rice laborers found no place in Lowndes and drifted back to their former homes.

Among those who “refugeed” to Valdosta was Miss Sarah Virginia Dent, of Savannah, whose deceased father Captain James Preston Dent, had been a ship’s pilot in the port of Savannah. Her father died of cholera on July 3, 1850. Her brother was serving in the Confederate States Navy aboard the Confederate raider CSS Alabama.

In the 1864 census for the re-organization of the Georgia Militia Richard A. Peeples claimed an exemption from military service on the grounds that he was a county tax collector. He was 34 years of age.

In early 1864, he was enlisted in the Georgia Militia and stationed at Savannah, GA. Apparently dissatisfied with service in the militia, he sought a commission in the Confederate States Army.

A letter dated May 20, 1864, addressed to Lieutenant R. A. Peeples granted him leave of absence pending a decision on his CSA commission.

Head Qrs Geo Militia
Atlanta May 20, 1864

Lt R A Peeples
Savannah Ga

Lieut,
In reply to your favor 21st inst the Maj Gen Comndg instructs me to reply that you are granted leave of absence from these Head Quarters until the point of elligibility is decided, & if against your right to hold a Commission in CSA, you will at once report to these Head Qrs. By order Maj Gen Wayne Commng
W K deGraffenreid A Ag

Richard Augustus Peeples, Civil War Letter

Peeples returned to Lowndes County where in June 1864 he was serving as the Enrolling Officer for the militia company in the 663rd Militia District. He supplied his own horse and shotgun.

About this time Richard A. Peeples married Miss Sarah Virginia Dent, of Savannah, who had refugeed to Valdosta. Her brother, James G. Dent, was serving in the Confederate Navy as Quartermaster on board the cruiser “Alabama.” Dent was a shipmate of Midshipman Edward Maffitt Anderson, son of Edward C. Anderson whose command at Fort Jackson and the Savannah River Batteries included the Berrien Minute Men. James Dent and Edward Maffitt Anderson were on board the CSS Alabama when she was sunk June 19, 1864, by the USS “Kearsarge”. Anderson was blown overboard, and although injured, managed to keep afloat until rescued. Dent jumped overboard and escaped capture by swimming to the British yacht, Deerhound.

By this second marriage there were born two daughters and three sons, all of whom lived in Valdosta.

The five children of Sarah Virginia Dent and Richad A. Peeples and were:

Walter Dent Peeples (1864-1926)
Etta Lee Peeples (1865-1921)
Richard Alexander Peeples (1867-1927)
Fannie Peeples (1870-1938)
William Cincinnatus Peeples (1872-1947)

Confederate service records show R. A. Peeples was made Captain, Company G, Symon’s 1st Georgia Reserves. He was with the unit for July and August 1864, as indicated on Company Muster Rolls, and was elected Captain on July 30, 1864. Captain Peeples and Company G remained stationed at Savannah until the approach of Sherman’s army. On December 20, 1864, Confederate forces evacuated the city, retreating across the river into South Carolina. The United States Army walked into Savannah without firing a shot, and on December 21, 1864, the Mayor of Savannah surrendered the city to General Sherman.

The Georgia Reserves then moved to Columbia, SC until the surrender of that city on February 17, 1865. After the fall of Columbia Captain Peeples was sent home sick and was unable to rejoin his command before the close of the war.

Captain Richard A. Peeples and the soldiers of Company G were surrendered with the 6th Regiment Georgia Reserves and were considered prisoners of war after May 10, 1865. Peeples was paroled at Thomasville, GA on May 18, 1865.

After the war, Richard Peeples made his life in Valdosta, GA.

[He] followed the profession of law in Valdosta with more than usual success, accumulating sufficient to place his large and growing family in easy circumstances. For twelve years he filled the office of city judge and was one of the influential Democrats and public-spirited citizens of this part of the state. Besides contributing largely, he canvassed the field and raised $2,500.00 to aid in building for the Baptists of Valdosta a house of worship, which was one of the finest in southern Georgia. [He also acted as agent for the church.] Later, he erected, almost unaided, a very neat church building at Clyattville, in Lowndes county. – History of the Baptist Denomination in Georgia

This church was, “The Benevolence Baptist Church …organized about 1865 or 1866, by Judge Peeples, and the first building was located on the Henry Brown place. The church building was moved in 1884 to land given by Mr. Charlie Arnold, four miles north on the old Valdosta-Clyattville road. There were twelve charter members. The first pastor was Judge R. A. Peeples. Others were: Messrs. Dave Evans, Mart Knight, High, Pitt Head, Henry Bryant, W. J. Ballen, Davis, Thrasher, Gus Sellars, S.S. Mathis, E. L. Todd, Roy Powell, Harvey Wages, A.C. Pyle, W.C. Taylor, W. J. Harrell, and Pulian Mattox. -History of Lowndes County, Georgia

These four buildings [McPherson Academy, Nashville Baptist Church, Valdosta Baptist Church, Benevolence Baptist Church] are monuments of his Christian zeal and philanthropy.

In 1867, R.A. Peeples was among a group of white Lowndes citizens wrestling with the new realities of Emancipation. The slave economy of the South was wrecked. J. T. Shelton in Pines and Pioneers observed “In the unsettled conditions of 1865, 1866, and 1867, a grower found it difficult to make cotton; certainly the workers had a hard time finding enough to eat.” Resisting the conditions imposed upon them by Reconstruction the white planters sought alternatives to employing Freedmen. On September 12, 1867, Peeples along with Col W. H. Manning, Henry Burroughs Holliday, Captain John R. Stapler, William Roberts, John Washington Harrell, A. McLeod, Hugh McCauley Coachman, John Charles Wisenbaker, W. Zeigler, Major Philip C. Pendleton, Col. S. W. Baker, James A. Dasher, Sr., David Peter Gibson, James T. Bevill, D. J. Jones, Archibald Averett, Charles Henry Millhouse Howell, and J. H. Tillman convened to form the Valdosta Immigration Society. The purpose of this organization was to procure emigrant labor of “the kind wanted”, by sending an agent direct to Europe to obtain them. It was also the emphatic opinion of the meeting that no planter ought to employ a freedman who has been discharged by his employer for misconduct, but that the freedman should have a recommendation from his former employer. Major Pendleton was selected as the agent to make the trip.

In 1867, R. A. Peeples was elected as a director of the Georgia Masonic Life Insurance company.

He was a member of the Democratic Party of Lowndes County. In March 1868 he was a vice president of the Democratic Convention of the First Congressional District of Georgia, which convened to elect delegates to the national convention in New York.

Following the April 4, 1868 bombing of a political rally of Freedmen held by congressional candidate J. W. Clift at the Lowndes County courthouse, R.A. Peeples chaired a civic meeting condemning the actions of both the bombers and the candidate. This event followed just four days on the Camilla Massacre, where 12 freedmen were murdered in what is generally regarded as the first strike of the Ku Klux Klan in Georgia.

In July 1868 Richard A. Peeples was a Lowndes County delegate to the Democratic state convention to nominate party candidates for the President of the United States. In late August 1868, Peeples, Remerton Y. Lane and Iverson Griffin, one of the men who had been implicated in the Clift Bombing at Valdosta in April, were among the organizers of a political rally at Valdosta to be held August 27. The announcement in the Valdosta South Georgia Times read, “there will be a free barbecue at Valdosta. Speakers from a distance may be expected. Let every man, white and colored, turn out.”

At the Democratic Convention of the First Congressional District, held September 16, 1868, at Blackshear, GA, Richard A. Peeples and P.C. Pendleton were delegates from Lowndes County, along with W.H. Dasher, James Dasher, James M. Clap and G.G. Hammond. Benjamin Jones, J. E. Williams and H. T. Peeples were the delegates from Berrien County. Delegates from Appling, Bryan, Chatham, Camden, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Liberty, Montgomery, Pierce, Telfair, Laurens, Ware, Wayne, Brooks, Colquitt, Echols, Thomas, and Screven, as well as “colored delegates appointed by Democratic Clubs” were also seated for the convention [The Young Men’s Democratic Clubs were the public political wing of the KKK]. Richard A. Peeples offered a resolution, unanimously adopted, that the purpose of the convention was the nomination of a candidate for Congress in the election to be held March 4, 1869. On the third ballot the convention nominated Augustin H. Hansell as the candidate. The following day, the state House of Representatives in Georgia passed a bill permitting “none but intelligent persons to sit on juries, and exclud[ing] negroes from the jury box.”

Three or four times he [Richard A. Peeples] was elected alderman of Valdosta, and, once, was elected to the mayoralty. At the organization of the County Court of Lowndes county in 1874, he was appointed Judge, and …held the position ever since, having been reappointed once; and his decisions were seldom reversed by higher courts.

He was ordained in 1876, at Statenville, in Echols county, the presbytery consisting of Elders N. A. Bailey, James McBride, E. B. Carroll and R, W. Phillips. He became pastor of the Statenville church, and, afterwards, of the neighboring churches of Macedonia and Bethlehem. He was for three years Chairman of the Sunday-school Committee of the Mercer Association, and through his instrumentality, mainly, the cause of Sunday-schools was greatly promoted in the eastern part of the Association. Indeed, all his time, which could be spared from his judicial duties, was given to this work, into which he entered most enthusiastically, organizing, by his own efforts, not less than eighteen Sunday-schools. Attended by the earnest-minded partner of his life, he would journey from neighborhood to neighborhood in a Jersey spring-wagon, carrying along an elegant parlor organ, advocating the Sunday-school cause, and furnishing such sweet music and singing such beautiful songs, that all hearts were enchanted. Such zeal and capacity could not but succeed.

Mr. Peeples is a man of liberal views, and … a broad and comprehensive mind. His reasoning powers are of a high order, superinduced by an inquiring disposition, and by a habit of analyzing, in detail, every thought and subject presented to him. The creatures of his own brain, as far as such can be the case considering that men are but divine instruments, his sermons are characterized by clearness and independence of thought, rather than by impassioned eloquence. In religion, as well as in the affairs of the world, he thinks and acts for himself, with comparative indifference to the opinions of others, being guided by his own judgment. In his speech and manner he is frank and candid, while deceit is utterly foreign to his nature. Five feet and nine inches high, and weighing one hundred and ninety-six pounds, he is a man of robust constitution, and bids fair for a much longer life of usefulness. – History of the Baptist Denomination in Georgia

In addition to his legal, civic, and religious work, R. A. Peeples was an accomplished farmer and businessman.

Atlanta Constitution
December 19, 1882

Valdosta, December 18.
…Judge R. A. Peeples is one of our largest truck farmers. He is now making quite extensive preparations, and will plant next year 130 acres in melons, 10 acres in cucumbers, and about 12 acres in Irish potatoes, besides two acres in cabbages. The Judge has experience in this industry, and your correspondent will have some interesting facts to submit in a few months in regard to the result of his large operations.

His brother, Henry T. Peeples, farmed in Berrien County, GA where he was the largest producer of rice. His nephew, Henry B. Peeples, was one of the early teachers in Berrien County.

About 1885, Judge R. A. Peeples built a brick commercial building at 200 N. Patterson St. to house R.A. Peeples & Sons, which he had established in 1872 as Valdosta’s first insurance company. Today, the main entrance of the Peeples Building faces Patterson Street, but originally the main entrance was on Central Avenue. This building in the 1890s was the home of Dr. W. F. Munroe’s drug store; The doctor had a popular soda fountain and was the first to serve fruit ices. This building now houses Kings Grill.

Judge Richard A. Peeples died on Sunday, July 19, 1891. The Valdosta Times reported his death.

Valdosta Times
Saturday, July 25, 1891

Judge Peeples Dead. He Passed Suddenly Away On Sunday Morning Last. Brief Sketch Of A Remarkable Career. Judge R.A. Peeples is dead!

He was called away suddenly at two o’clock Sunday morning last. Heart disease seems to have been the cause. On Sunday morning the 11th inst., he was suddenly attacked with a very severe pain in the region of the chest. He suffered intensely, and Dr. Lang was sent for, but before he came the trouble passed off, and the judge was riding about town apparently in usual health a few hours after. On the Thursday following, he had another but lighter attack which soon disappeared. On Saturday, in response to a petition from a colored Baptist Church in the lower part of the county, he got into his buggy and drove down to the Stegall Plantation to settle a disturbance in the Church. Mrs. Peeples was uneasy about him, and after failing to dissuade him from going, sent Jim Johnson, a colored employee, after him in a road cart. The Judge went to the colored Church, but began to feel so badly he was unable to assist the colored people, and started on the return home. He told Jim several times to drive faster, that he was feeling very badly. He got home about dark, and when the anxious wife met him at the gate he said he was quite sick. He refused all importunities to send for the doctor, or some of his grown children living in town, saying that he was not near so sick as he had been. He retired but did not seem to sleep well – his wife keeping a lonely vigil, while their two younger children slept unsuspecting, in other rooms.

About two o’clock Mrs. Peeples noticed that he was breathing badly, and at the same instant, she heard him slap his hands together, probably to attract attention, and when she got to his bedside he was speechless. His son Cincinnatus was immediately dispatched for a doctor, but the Judge breathed his last, without a struggle, before the young man reached the front gate. When he died, no one was in the house but Mrs. Peeples and their daughter, Miss Fannie. Kind neighbors and friends soon gathered in and performed such services as they could for the afflicted family.

During Sunday scores of friends and acquaintances called to see for the last time a face and form which had been a prominent figure in this community for thirty odd years. Among them were a large number of our colored people, with whom he was always popular. The funeral services were conducted at the house at 9 o’clock on Monday morning. Rev. P.H. Murray, the Pastor of the Baptist Church, was absent from the city, and couldn’t be reached by a telegram on Sunday; and the Judge’s warm friend, Rev. B.F. Breedlove, Pastor of the Methodist Church, officiated in his stead, assisted by Rev. Mr. Reaves. The earnest and eloquent words of the preacher were brief but impressive. The house and yard and street in front of the house of mourning were filled with sympathizing friends. The active pall bearers were Messrs. C.C. Varnedoe, S.B. Godwin, L.F. Zeigler, J.R. Slater, A.A. Parrish and C.R. Pendleton. The honorary pall bearers, Messrs. R.Y. Lane, W.H. Briggs, A. Converse, Thos. Crawford, J.O. Varnedoe and Louis Strickland. The funeral procession was perhaps the largest that ever moved through our streets to the cemetery. According to his frequently expressed desire his remains were laid away with the simplest ceremony, and without display.

Although some of his nine children lived many miles away all were present when this last service for his mortal remains were performed. Judge Peeples would have been 62 years old on the 14th of next September. He was one of the very first settlers in Valdosta, and has always been intimately associated with the growth and prosperity of the town. Once its Mayor, several times an Alderman, and always a public-spirited, hard working citizen, he has done perhaps more than any one man to make Valdosta the town she is to-day. For sixteen years he was Judge of our County Court, and during that long period he made a model Judge. His decisions were appealed to a higher court but seven times, and he was reversed but three. This record of able and eminent service stands without a parallel, perhaps.

Grave of Richard A Peeples, Sunset Cemetery, Valdosta, GA. Image source: Cat.

Richard Augustus Peeples, Clerk of the Berrien Courts

Rice Production in Wiregrass Georgia

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Richard Augustus Peeples, Clerk of the Berrien Courts

September 8, 2018 at 7:23 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: Alapaha GA, Amy Kirby, Andrew J. Liles, Berrien County Courthouse, Berrien County GA, Berrien County Inferior Court, Berrien County Superior Court, Berryman Camp, C. W. "Shine" Anderson, Cabin Creek Church, Camden District SC, Cedartown GA, Cincinnatus Peeples, Clark County GA, Dennis Duncan, Duncan Lodge, Duncan O'Quin, E. D. Cook, Elizabeth Lyle Camp, Fennel Hendrix, First Baptist Church of Nashville, Flat Creek GA, Flat Creek Post Office, Gillsville GA, Hall County GA, Henry Peeples, Henry Thompson Peeples, J. J. Goldwire, Jackson County GA, James Griffin, James H. Carroll, John McPherson Berrien, John Pendergrass, John Slade, Jordan Tucker, Josephine Peeples, Lowndes County GA, McPherson Academy, Melissa Camp Peeples, Milltown GA, Morgan G. Swain, Nelson Carter, Norman Campbell, Peeples' Store, Peter Early Love, Richard Augustin Peeples, Richard Augustus Peeples, Sarah Jane Camp, St. John the Baptist Lodge No. 184, Superior Court of the Atlanta Circuit, Swain's Hotel, Troupville GA, W. Jasper Peeples, William Cincinnatus Peeples, William D. Griffin, William Green Avera, William J. Mabry

Richard Augustus Peeples

Richard Augustus Peeples (1829-1891)

Richard Augustus Peeples was the seventh son of Henry Peeples. He was born in Hall county, Georgia, September 24th, 1829.

His father “Henry Peeples (1786-1854), a descendant of pure Scotch stock, was a native of South Carolina. Henry Peeples, born in Camden District, South Carolina, January 14, 1786, was possessed of a princely fortune which, by an unfortunate fire and by an equally unfortunate speculation in cotton, he lost soon after the war of 1812. Gathering up the wreck of his large estate, Henry Peoples moved to Hall county, Georgia, about the year 1821 or 1822, and settled where Gillsville, on the Northeastern railroad, now stands. Henry Peeples’ household and one enslaved person were enumerated in Hall County, GA in the 1830 census. There Peeples engaged in merchandising and farming, but failed again. By 1840, Henry Peeples moved his residence some 20 or 30 miles to the south. With his own wagons and teams he then brought his family and household goods… to Jackson county, Georgia [where he was enumerated in the 1840 census].

Richard Augustus Peeples had seven siblings, six brothers and one sister. His oldest brother was W. Jasper Peeples, for years a prominent lawyer in the Western Circuit of Georgia, and Solicitor-General for four years. Cincinnatus Peeples, a lawyer of prominence, at one time Clerk of the House of Representatives and afterwards State Senator from Clark county and Judge of the Superior Court of the Atlanta Circuit, was his second oldest brother. Henry Thompson Peeples, the third brother, married Melissa Camp on January 14, 1843, in Jackson County; he later became a lawyer, relocated to Berrien county, became a planter, served as Judge of the Inferior Court of Berrien County, and for several terms a member of the Georgia Legislature. Two brothers became substantial farmers in Florida. One died young. His sister Josephine Peeples Carroll died July 9, 1854, at Alapaha, GA.

…Owing to the financial embarrassments of his father, Richard A. Peeples obtained but a limited country school education. He made the best of his school opportunities and eventually became a well-educated man and one of the prominent men of South Georgia. In 1842, when quite a boy, he joined the Methodists, but the following year united with the Baptist church at Cabin Creek.

Before the 1840s were out, Henry Peeples moved his family yet again to the south, apparently leaving behind some debts. He acquired all 490 acres of Lot #8 in the 10th land district of Lowndes County, but an 1847 legal announcement shows that this land and an enslaved man, “one negro man by the name of Denis, about 45 years of age,” were sold at auction on the steps of the Troupville courthouse to satisfy debts owed to Fennel Hendrix, E.D. Cook and Nelson Carter of Jackson County, GA. But in early 1848, Henry Peeples managed to force collection on a debt owed to him by Dennis Duncan, said Duncan forfeiting all 490 acres of Lot #34, 16th District of Lowndes County for auction to satisfy the debt.

In 1848 he [Henry Peeples] came to Lowndes county, settling on Flat creek about two and a half miles from where Allapaha now stands, and there established a store, the locality hence taking the name of “Peeple’s Store.” He continued in active business until his death at the age of sixty years. – A History of Savannah and South Georgia

Richard A. Peeples at age 20, came with his father to Alapaha. In addition to Peeples’ Store, his father acquired some 1530 acres of land and was enumerated as the owner of three enslaved people in the Census of 1850.

Richard clerked in the store until, upon his father’s death October 30, 1854, he assumed management of the mercantile affairs. His brothers, W. Jasper Peeples and Cincinnatus Peeples, were by this time practicing law together in Athens, GA. His brother Henry and sister-in-law Melissa Camp Peeples had by this time relocated to Atlanta where they also operated a mercantile store.

In 1850, Richard A. Peeples returned to north Georgia, but not to visit his brothers in Athens or Atlanta. Instead, he went back to Jackson County, GA to take a wife. She was Sarah J. K. Camp, born July 30, 1830, the younger sister of his brother’s wife. Richard and Sarah were married November 7, 1850, in Jackson County in a ceremony performed by John Pendergrass, Justice of the Peace. The bride’s father, Berryman Camp, was born in Jackson county in 1800, followed farming there many years, and later settled near Cedartown in Polk county, where he died. Sarah’s mother was Elizabeth Lyle Camp.

Marriage of Richard Augustus Peeples and Sarah Jane Camp, November 7, 1850.

After marriage Richard A. and Sarah Jane Peeples located at Milltown, GA (now Lakeland) where he was engaged in saw-milling for a time.

In the summer of 1853, discussion arose among the people of northern Lowndes County and southern Irwin county who were remote from their respective sites of county government. There was a general feeling of need for a more convenient and satisfactory location for the people to conduct their business and governmental affairs. A meeting on this subject was convened June 18, 1853, at the Flat Creek Post Office, Richard A. Peeples served as secretary:

Richard A. Peeples worked on creation of Berrien County, GA. Albany Patriot, July 1, 1853

The Albany Patriot
July 1, 1853

Flat Creek, June 18, 1853

Agreeable to previous notice, a portion of the citizens of Lowndes and Irwin Counties, met this day at Flat Creek P. O., for the purpose of taking preliminary measures in regard to the formation of a new county out of a portion of the above counties.
On motion of Jordan Tucker, Esq., Mr. Jas. Griffin, Sen., was called to the Chair and R. A. Peeples, requested to act as secretary. The object of the meeting being explained, the Chairman appointed a committee of twelve to report through their Chairman, Wm. D. Griffin, which was unanimously adopted:
Whereas, a portion of the citizens of the counties of Lowndes and Irwin labor under manifest inconvenience on account of the distance of their respective county sites:
Resolved, therefore, That we, a portion of citizens of the 5th and 6th districts of Irwin, and the 9th and 10th districts of Lowndes counties, will use all the means in our power to secure the formation of a new county out of a part of said districts.
Resolved, further, That we earnestly solicit the aid of our fellow citizens of the two counties, to assist us in choosing Representatives to the next Legislature, who will use their influence to have an act passed organizing and laying out said county.
Resolved, further, That the citizens of Irwin and Lowndes be notified of these proceedings by publication of the same in the Albany Patriot and Georgia Watchman.
On motion the meeting adjourned.
JAS GRIFFIN, Sr., Pres’t
R. A. Peeples, Sec’y.

Upon the organization of Berrien County in 1856 Richard A. Peeples was elected to serve as the first Clerk of the Inferior and Superior courts of Berrien County. He promptly moved his residence to Nashville, the county-site of Berrien county which was then but a mere hamlet far from railroads. According to William Green Avera, “the first session of the Superior Court held in Berrien County, was held November, 1856, at the residence of Mrs. Amy Kirby, on the Coffee Road, one mile northeast of the present site of Nashville. Judge P. E. Love was the judge and R. A. Peeples was the clerk.“

Peeples then served on the county committee to draw plans and specifications for the construction of the first Courthouse in Berrien County.

Richard A. Peeples was a Mason and had served as Entered Apprentice at St. John the Baptist Lodge No. 184, constituted at Troupville on November 2, 1854. According to the History of Lowndes County, GA, the lodge met on the first and third Tuesday nights upstairs in Swains Hotel, situated on the banks of Little River and owned by Morgan G. Swain. Among other members of this lodge were Reverend John Slade, Norman Campbell, William C. Newbern, William T. Roberts, James H. Carroll, Andrew J. Liles, and J. J. Goldwire. Later, the St. John the Baptist Lodge No. 184 was moved from Troupville to Valdosta, GA.

Another of Peeples’ fellow lodge members was William J. Mabry, who in 1856 moved to Nashville, GA, to build the first Berrien courthouse in 1857.

The first schoolhouse in Nashville was built through the personal efforts of Richard A. Peeples in 1857, a large part of the funds coming from his own purse. William G. Avera described the building, constructed with the cooperative effort of local citizens and the Masons, Richard A. Peeples being a Master Mason in the fraternal order. “They constructed an up-to-date two-story edifice, the upper chamber of which, they named the Duncan Masonic Lodge in honor of the venerable Duncan O’Quin…The lower chamber was named the McPherson Academy in honor of John McPherson Berrien for whom Berrien County was named. The street running north and south in front of the building was named McPherson Street. William J. Mabry became the first Worshipful Master of Duncan Lodge No. 3.

McPherson Academy, Nashville, GA which was also home of Duncan Masonic Lodge; it was at intersection of W. McPherson Avenue and S. Berrien Street, and faced eastwardly. Image courtesy of http://www.berriencountyga.com

Two years later, Richard A. Peeples furnished half the money for the construction of a Baptist church in Nashville. This church was across the street from McPherson Academy.

C. W. "Shine" Anderson, facing McPherson Academy, with Nashville First Baptist Church building in background. Image courtesy of www.berriencountyga.com

C. W. “Shine” Anderson, facing McPherson Academy, with Nashville First Baptist Church building in background. Image courtesy of http://www.berriencountyga.com

While serving as Clerk of the Berrien courts, R. A. Peeples undertook the study of law. In 1860, he moved to the new town of Valdosta.

Continued….Judge Richard Augustus Peeples

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Charles Bruner Shaw

June 2, 2018 at 12:55 am (Law and Order, Register Family, Shaw Family)
Tags: Aaron Anderson Knight, Adel GA, Alapaha GA, blind tiger, bootleggers, Brodie Shaw, Brooker Shaw, C. H. Jones, Cauley Hammond Shaw, Charles Bruner Shaw, Charles Bruner Shaw Jr, Charley Thomas, Charlie Ruth Griffin, Charlie Ruth Shaw, Coffee Road, E. L. Mercer, Francis Arthur Shaw, Francis Marion Shaw, Frostproof FL, Georgia Lavenia Griffin, Gertrude Albritton, Glory GA, Haines City FL, Hass Griffin, John Harris, John Levi Allen, John Williams, Joseph Varn Nix, Juanita Shaw, Juanita Victoria Shaw, Landers Everett, Lois GA, Lynette Narcissis Shaw, Margaret Frances Griffin, Mary Ellen Griffin, Mayhaw Lake, Milltown GA, Mollie Register, Moonshine, New Ramah Church, Newt Hatcher, Odum Dunlap, Pecola Shaw, Pine Grove School, Pleasant Church, Possum Branch Road, Prohibition, Rachel Allen, Rachel Moore Allen, Ray's Mill GA, Rebecca Griffin, Rebecca Jane Parrish, Robert Bruce Griffin, Sara Rebecca Griffin, Sarah Laura Parrish, scarlet fever, Sovin Knight, Sullivan Jordan Knight, Victoria Giddens Knight, W. W. Griner, Wesley Griner, White Pond School, Will McSwain, Willacoochee GA, William Franklin Griffin, William Harrison Griffin, William M. Register, William Register, Willie Henrietta Griffin

Charles Bruner Shaw (1888-1950)

Special thanks to Bryan Shaw for sharing photos and content for this post. Portions reprinted from Shaw Family Newsletter: Charles Bruner Shaw

Born in 1888 in a corn crib on the John Allen farm just outside Ray City, GA, Bruner Shaw would later serve as a police officer for the town. He was a son of Francis Arthur Shaw and Victoria Giddens Knight.

Bruner Shaw in police uniform about 1926. Photographed in Florida. Image courtesy of Bryan Shaw.

After Bruner’s mother died of scarlet fever in 1889, he and his brother Brodie Shaw were raised by their grandparents, Francis Marion Shaw and Rachel Moore Allen Shaw. The home place of Francis Marion Shaw and Rachel Moore Allen Shaw was just west of Ray City, at Lois, GA just off Possum Branch Road. Bruner attended school through the eighth grade at the two-room Pine Grove School. The Pine Grove and Kings Chapel schools were filled at various times with the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of Rachel and Francis Marion Shaw.

Bruner Shaw circa 1905

At a young age, Bruner Shaw married Mollie Register, daughter of William M. Register (1852-1926) and Sarah Laura Parrish Register (1854-1933), and granddaughter of Elder Ancil Parrish, the old Primitive Baptist preacher of Berrien County. The Registers were a prominent family of Nashville, GA. Bruner and Mollie were married on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 1905, in a ceremony performed by Bruner’s uncle Aaron Anderson Knight, of Ray City, GA. Reverend Knight was then primitive Baptist minister of Pleasant Church, just west of Ray City, GA. The bride was one month shy of her 20th birthday; the groom had just turned 17.

Marriage certificate of Charles Bruner Shaw and Mollie Register, December 31, 1905.

Bruner farmed for a while at Ray City, GA near his brother, Brodie Shaw. The census of 1910 shows other neighbors included Mack Speights, Joseph S. Clements, Bryant Fender, and Frank Gallagher.

A Year of Tragedy

In January 1911, when his aunt and uncle, Eliza Allen and Sovin J. Knight, moved to Brooks County to a farm on the Little River near Barney, GA, Bruner went along, moving his young family to an adjacent farm. But shortly after their move to Barney, “on April 16, 1911, just 26 days after the purchase of the new farm, Sovin suffered a severe heart attack and died in his new home.

After this family loss coupled with the death of his infant daughter, Pecola, Bruner Shaw sold his Brooks County farm and returned to Berrien County. Just six weeks after the sale, his wife, Mollie Register Shaw, died of Scarlet Fever. She was buried at Pleasant Cemetery, near Ray City, GA.

Bruner’s widowed aunt Eliza later moved her daughters, Kathleen and Rachel, back to Berrien County to live in the farm home of her parents (Bruner’s grandparents), Rachel Moore Allen Shaw and Francis Marion Shaw, just outside of Ray City, GA.

Grave of Mollie Register Shaw (1886-1911), Pleasant Cemetery, near Ray City, GA. Image source: Cat

The young widower soon enlisted the help of a teen-age girl to help take care of his children. Fifteen-year-old Charlie Ruth Griffin was the youngest child of William Harrison “Hass” Griffin and Rebecca Jane Parrish, born June 25, 1897 in her family’s cabin on South Old Coffee Road in Berrien County. Her siblings were Sarah Rebecca, Georgia Lavinia, Mary Ellen, Margaret Frances “Fannie”, Willie Henrietta, William Franklin, and Robert Bruce Griffin.

Charlie Ruth Griffin while a student at White Pond School. Original image detail courtesy of www.berriencountyga.com

Charlie Ruth Griffin while a student at White Pond School. Original image detail courtesy of http://www.berriencountyga.com

As Charlie took care of Bruner’s children, they grew very close to their nursemaid. After a very brief courtship, Bruner and Charlie were married November 23, 1913, at the home of the Reverend Aaron Anderson Knight in Ray City. Reverend Knight was then serving as the first pastor of the newly organized New Ramah Primitive Baptist Church at Ray City.

Marriage certificate of Charles Bruner Shaw and Charlie Ruth Griffin, November 24, 1913, Ray City, GA

Charlie gave Bruner three more children, Francis Marion Shaw, Lynette Narcissis Shaw, and Charles Bruner Shaw, Jr., and raised Bruner’s two children, Juanita and William Arthur, as if they were her own.

Bruner and Charlie Shaw were a part of society and leisure at Ray City, GA and Berrien County. In February 1914 Bruner was among the people from Ray City attending the carnival at Nashville. Others from Ray City included Annie Mae Carter, Margie Dasher, Pearl Hardie Knight, Mr. and Mrs. G. V. Harvie, W. H. Luckie, George Norton, J. J. and J. S. Clements.

In 1914, Charlie Ruth and her husband, Bruner Shaw, and daughter, Juanita Shaw, were also seen at the Mayhaw Lake Resort on Park Street near Ray City. Mayhaw Lake was “The Place” in Berrien County for more than a decade. It was built in 1914 by Elias Moore “Hun” Knight, of Ray City. The amusement park was such a popular spot that the Georgia & Florida Railroad gave special rates for picnic parties from all points on their line. People from all over the area would journey to Mayhaw Lake, especially on holidays such as the 4th of July and Labor Day. A boarding house [later the home of Effie Guthrie Knight] up the road towards Ray City was opened up by the Paul Knight family specifically to provide lodging for the Mayhaw crowd.

Posing in front of the roller-skating rink at Mayhaw Lake in 1914, left to right: Burton Moore; Tom Parrish; Manson Johnson; unidentified lady; Charlie Ruth Shaw with her husband, Bruner Shaw, and daughter, Juanita Shaw; lady; Viola Smith Davis; lady; Mrs. Burton Moore and daughters, Kate Hazen, Thelma Register; Lonnie Smith; boy; man; Shellie Ziegler; and Jessie Ziegler Touchton. Members of the band in the background include Rossie Swindle, Glenn Johnson, Lonnie Swindle, and J. H. Swindle.

It was about this time that Bruner began his life-long pursuit of the law enforcement profession. Bruner entered police work through occasional employment as a deputy at Ray City. At that time the Police Chief at Ray City was Bruner’s cousin, Cauley Shaw.

An incident report in the Nashville Herald, October 9, 1914:

Considerable excitement was occasioned here Monday by a report that Cauley and Bruner Shaw and two other young men of Ray’s Mill had been shot about twelve miles down the Valdosta Road. Several gentlemen from here [Nashville, GA] went in an automobile. But when they reached the scene, they found that the wounds were not serious. A negro for whom they had a warrant, shot at them with a shotgun loaded with bird shot.

The Tifton Gazette also reported the incident:

Tifton Gazette reports Bruner shot while serving an arrest warrant, October 6, 1914

Tifton Gazette
October 16, 1914

C. B. Shaw, C.H. Jones and Charley Thomas were shot by a negro named John Williams, near Rays Mill Oct. 6, says the Milltown Advocate. Thomas has some trouble with the negro about hauling some cotton and the negro fired at him. He went to Rays Mill, secured a warrant and returned for the negro. The negro opened fire and slightly wounded three of the party who returned from Rays Mill with Thomas. The negro escaped.

Over the next few years, Bruner did stints in the police departments of Milltown (now Lakeland), GA and at Willacoochee. By early 1919, Bruner had been hired by Berrien County Sheriff J. V. Nix as a deputy at Nashville, GA.

Until 1919, most of the activities of a peace officer involved chasing down petty thieves, and raiding an occasional “skins” (gambling) game…

Production and consumption of moonshine – illegal liquor – was also a problem for law officers. State-wide prohibition in Georgia had passed in 1907, with Ray City’s own representative Jonathan Perry Knight among those leading the charge.

However, with the passage of the 18th amendment to the Constitution (prohibition), a whole new illicit business was the target of the county sheriff and his deputies. “Blind tigers”, as they were commonly referred, brewed alcohol in what was known as a “lard can” still, using syrup and meal processed through a copper worm. The product was a high explosive liquor with enough alcohol in it to burn like gasoline. Drinking of such had been known to cause blindness, if not death. Thus, the name “blind tiger.”

By 1919, reports of drunkenness and lawlessness in Ray City were making newspapers throughout the section. There were plenty of “blind tigers” running stills and selling bootleg liquor in Berrien County and Ray City, and gambling, too, despite the efforts of lawmen like Bruner Shaw, Cauley Shaw, Gus Clements, Frank Allen, Marcus Allen, Jim Griner, Wesley Griner, and W.W. Griner.

In April 1919, part-time deputy Bruner Shaw was again shot by an assailant.

1919 Tifton Gazette reports Bruner Shaw shot by John Harris

Tifton Gazette
May 2, 1919

Shaw Shot by Negro

Nashville, Ga., April 23- Bruner Shaw, a well-known young farmer who has served as special deputy sheriff a number of times, was shot from ambush Saturday at the home of Will McSwain, a negro farmer living near Lois, this county. Shaw recognized his assailant as John Harris, a young negro whom he had arrested at Adel several months ago on a misdemeanor charge. The wouldbe murderer used a 23-calibre Winchester rifle, and the bullet entered the left side of Shaw’s head. He was able to come to Nashville today and swear out warrants against the negro, who is in jail here, having been captured by Sheriff Nix.

While pursuing his law enforcement career in other towns, Bruner Shaw maintained his Ray City connections. In 1920 Census records show Bruner and Charlie were residing in Ray City. According to Bryan Shaw, Bruner’s last child, Charles Bruner, Jr., was born on February 6, 1920, in a home on Trixie Street behind the Marion Shaw home in Ray City. Bruner and Charlie resided in the home for three more years, participating regularly in the events of the community, especially dances and song fests.

Nashville Herald
March 15, 1923

News from Ray City—Everybody that wants to laugh as they haven’t since the war, come out on “Dad’s Night” . . . Last but not least will be some very fine singing by several of our gentlemen singers. They alone will be worth your time, should we have no other attraction. Mr. Bruner Shaw has promised us they will give at least four selections.

Later that year, Bruner Shaw was present at the startup of Ray City’s first power plant.

Sometime that fall Bruner, Charlie Ruth, and their five children moved to Polk County, Florida, where Bruner was hired as a deputy. There was steady work tracking down bootleggers and their moonshine stills. Details of big raids appeared in the papers:

The Polk County Recorder
March 2, 1924

“With drawn guns and expecting a battle to the death, sixteen deputies from Sheriff Logan’s force [and two federal agents] surrounded an abandoned sawmill camp in Eastern Polk County. Deputies Hatcher and Shaw volunteered to be a party to call for the surrender of the men sought.”

•∏•

Tampa Tribune
March 31, 1924

Lakeland Deputies Catch Moonshiners

Still of 100-Gallon Capacity Is Haul; Several Arrests Are Made

(Special to the Tribune)
Lakeland, March 30. – Lying in the woods near Bowling Green, Deputies [Newt] Hatcher and Shaw of the sheriff’s office Friday night watched a suspected bootlegger uncover two gallons of moonshine near the hiding place. Floyd Douglas, it is alleged, was getting the liquor to sell to Federal Officer Standau, unaware of the officer’s identity. Five gallons more were found in a search, and Douglas and the liquor were taken into custody. This is said to be Douglas’ second offense.
Just before the Bowling Green visit, the three officials made a big haul at Mulberry, where a 100-gallon copper still, 18 barrels of mash and six gallons of ‘shine were found in a swamp a mile from town. A negro man and woman were arrested as operators of the still.

•∏•

The Tampa Times
April 19, 1924

Raids Discourage Makers of ‘Shine

(Special to The Times.)
Bartow, April 19. – When the home of a Mrs. Beaumont, just over the Polk county line in Hillsborough county, was raided Wednesday the officers making the raid captured 244 bottles of 4 1/2 percent beer and three half pint bottles of shine. The arrest was made by Polk county Deputy Sheriffs Hatcher and Shaw with Federal prohibition Officers Standau and Dugan, who took the prisoner and evident to Tampa.
The recent series of captures of “shine” outfits conducted by Sheriff Logan and his deputies seems to have discouraged the moonshining industry in Polk county, according to reports from the sheriff’s office and judging from the record of convictions of violators of the prohibition laws in the criminal court combined with the sentences imposed by Judge Olliphant it seems highly probably that bootleggers of Polk county will decided that business isn’t so good in these parts.

In July 1924 Bruner served as Night Police Chief in Haines City, FL. His friend and colleague, Newt Hatcher, was the Day Police Chief.

Bruner Shaw in front of his squad car at Haines City Florida. Image detail courtesy of Bryan Shaw

The exploits of Officer Shaw were occasionally reported in the Tampa Tribune. On December 21, 1925, the paper reported C. B. Shaw was involved in a gun battle with a murder suspect.

December 21, 1925, C. B. Shaw in gun battle with Odom Dunlap, alleged murderer of Owen Higgins.

Later, Bruner Shaw served as chief of police at Frostproof, FL. A high-profile case while Bruner Shaw as chief of police at Frostproof Florida was the kidnapping of E. L. Mercer, well-to-do citrus grower.

June 6, 1928, Tampa Tribune reports Frostproof, FL police chief Bruner Shaw investigating kidnapping of E.L. Mercer

In the fall of 1929, the Shaw family returned to Berrien County, GA where Bruner sharecropped the John Strickland property on the old Valdosta highway. While the family went about bringing in crops of corn, tobacco and cotton, and the children [Marion, Lynette, and Charles, Jr.] were attending school at Kings Chapel, Bruner found temporary employment with the Berrien County Sheriff and the Ray City Police.

By November 1930 Bruner Shaw was named Chief of Police in Alapaha, GA and moved the family there. He was once again again in pursuit of “blind tigers.”

Nashville Herald,
December 18, 1930

Last Wednesday afternoon Chief C. B. Shaw and Deputy Sheriff Wesley Griner and W. W. Griner went over near Glory and went down in the river swamp about one mile west of Glory and found 180 gallons of corn mash. There was no still found with this buck. The officers poured out the contents and busted up the barrels. The people of Alapaha are pleased with the work of Mr. C. B. Shaw since he has been Chief of Police. We all hope that Mr. Shaw will stay on here as he is doing such good work and helping to clean up the community by catching blind tigers.

Moonshine still bust about 1930 near Glory, GA on the Alapaha River. Chief of Police, Bruner Shaw, 2nd from the right. Other identified is Brooker Shaw, brother of Chief Shaw, 2nd from the left.

It was the midst of the Great Depression, and though his work was appreciated, the pay was meager. In the summer of 1931, Bruner removed his family from Berrien County for last time and the Shaw family moved back to Frostproof.

The Shaw Family Newsletter: CHARLES BRUNER SHAW, SR: Have Badge, Will Travel, by Bryan Shaw, relates the story of Bruner Shaw’s life, law, business, and family.

https://www.fmshawfamily.com/Home

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Death of Ben Furlong ~ Was it Suicide?

October 28, 2017 at 12:08 am (Furlongs of Berrien, Law and Order, Remedies and Medicine)
Tags: Alapaha GA, Ben W. Furlong, Benjamin William Furlong, Berrien County GA, Brunswick & Western Railroad, laudanum, tincture of opium

Ben Furlong (circa 1854-1886), Desperado of Berrien County, GA

As Halloween approaches we revisit the scene of Ben Furlong, who was perhaps the most infamous ghost ever to haunt Berrien County.

After the 1886 death of Ben Furlong some said his ghost still haunted the scene of his final, heinous crime. In life, Ben Furlong may have been Berrien County’s most notorious outlaw. Furlong, a sawmill man when he wasn’t on the bottle, frequented the communities along the tracks of the Brunswick & Western Railroad – Alapaha, Vanceville and Sniff. He was a wife beater and a murderer wanted for dozens of criminal charges. His infamous deeds were published around the globe.

Furlong died on Friday, September 24, 1886, from an overdose of laudanum, also known as tincture of opium. The compound was commonly available in the drug stores of Berrien County and elsewhere for just five cents a bottle.

Laudanum bottle

Certainly, by the time of Furlong’s death, the dangerous potency of opioids was well known. Still, some assumed Furlong’s laudanum overdose was accidental.

The prevailing opinion in Alapaha, GA, the community that perhaps knew Furlong best, was that he intended to take his own life, either out of a guilty conscience or to escape the hangman.

The October 2, 1886, edition of the Alapaha Star examined the question:

Alapaha Star, October 2, 1886, questions death of Ben Furlong

Alapaha Star
October 2, 1886

Was it Suicide?

There is a difference of opinion as to whether B. W. Furlong committed suicide, but the preponderating belief is that he did. The murder of the colored man, the closing of his mill by his creditors and the effects of a severe spell of drinking were amply sufficient to —- —– —-perate step of his life – that of self-destruction.
It is reported that he drank two bottles of laudanum Thursday night, about twenty hours before he died, and that when he sank into the last sleep, his breathing indicated poisoning. Every effort was made to arouse him. He was walked about, slapped and rubbed vigorously, but the seal of death was upon him, and he breathed his last about four hours after he fell asleep.
We are satisfied that Furlong while temporarily insane from the causes we have mentioned, took his own life.

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An Inquest Into the Death of Jesse Webb

October 1, 2016 at 1:08 am (Furlongs of Berrien, Law and Order)
Tags: Alapaha GA, Ben W. Furlong, Berrien County GA, Brunswick & Albany Railroad, Furlong's Mill, J. M. Lofton, J.A. Slater, James Cross, Jesse Webb, Jesse Woolbright, Jim Simmons, Nathan Bridges, Sniff GA, Sniff Mill, Thomas Sharon, Tom Sharon

Jesse Webb Murdered by Ben Furlong

As previously told, Jesse Webb was the last victim of Berrien County desperado Ben W. Furlong. Webb was shot, knifed, brutalized and, after three days of agony, finally bludgeoned to death with a sledge hammer on September 9, 1886 at Furlong’s Mill. The mill was situated at Sniff, GA on the route of the Brunswick & Albany Railroad near the county line between Berrien and Coffee counties.

Alapaha Star

October 2, 1886

THE INQUEST

Wednesday morning [September 22, 1886] acting coroner J. A. Slater and a jury of eight men repaired to Furlong’s mill, five miles east of Alapaha. On arriving there several witnesses were summoned. Jim Simmons, col., was the first witness sworn. He testified that the down freight on Tuesday, September 7th put a colored man off and the conductor told Furlong to take him and work him. The man said he —- want work there. When —- left the colored man started —- it. Furlong told him if —–not come back he would f— him full of shot, went in — the commissary to get his gun The negro came back and F—ong handcuffed him and put Lo—- – white man, as guard over —. About an hour from night f— — –gro made a break for liberty. —

— ran to a swamp seve— hu—– yards south of —— —— —– —-
Furlong was about the —– tance behind Lofton. The —ness ran after Furlong, hoping to keep him from killing the ——. Soon after the pursuers and -ursued were lost to sight in the swamp. The witness heard a gun or pistol shot and stopped. In the pursuit Furlong carried a double barreled gun. In a few minutes he returned, without the gun, and said to the witness, “If you breathe a word about this I will kill you.” He afterwards told witness, “If you mention a word of this affair to a living being I know three men that will swear you did the shooting, and your neck will snap.” Tuesday night [September 7, 1886] Furlong, Tom Sharon and J. M. Lofton took Simmons down to where the wounded man lay. They were all armed with double-barreled guns. When they reached the wounded man they told Simmons to assist Sharon in getting the handcuffs off him. While they were thus engaged Furlong drew his knife and tried to cut the wounded man’s throat. Simmons caught his arm and begged him not to kill the man. He then made a lunge at Simmons’ — — —– —- —-

him. Wednesday morning [September 8, 1886] Simmons took the wounded man a bottle of water. The man begged him to take him to one of the shanties. Furlong refused to let him bring him. Later that day he told Lofton the man ought to have something to eat. He was helpless but could talk. The witness did not see the wounded man after Wednesday night.

Thursday night [September 9, 1886] Furlong set for Simmons and told him he wanted him to go with him that night. Simmons told him he was too sick to go.

Several other witnesses were examined, but we have only space for the most important.

Mr. James Cross, white, testified that he came at night Tuesday the 7th, and that Furlong asked him to go and stay at his house that night, as his wife was frightened about something. He did so. About 9 o’clock Furlong came in but remained only a minute. Wednesday night [September 8, 1886] Furlong, Lofton and Sharon stayed out nearly all night. Thursday night they left about 8 o’clock, returned about 9 o’clock, changed clothes, putting on their worst clothes and old shoes, and left again. They were absent until three o’clock. Witness did not –e —- — — morning their pants were wet and muddy to their knees and Sharon’s coat was wet to the pockets. He questioned them but they would not tell where they had been or what they had done.

None of the witnesses saw the man after he died, nor were any of them willing to say that he had been killed, although they felt satisfied that such was the case. The main actors in this brutal tragedy were absent, one in his grave and the other two had fled.

After hearing the testimony of the coroner, the jury and a number of white and colored men scoured the woods and bays and branches for miles, in search of the missing man, but without success. Not a trace was found as to where his body had been hidden.

When the party returned to the mill, it was given as a rumor that the man had been buried in the horse lot, just back of the commissary

Several men, with iron rods, went to the lot and probed it. In one place the rod went down — feet in loose earth, but it was not thought at the time it be the man’s grave. It being late in the afternoon [Wednesday, September 22, 1886] the jury adjourned to Saturday, to await the arrival of important witnesses. Just as Alapaha was reached Mr. James Cross came galloping in and announced that the body had been found in the horse lot where the iron rod had sunk in the ground. Several colored men were sent back to guard the body till Thursday morning.

Thursday [September 23, 1886] about nine o’clock the coroner and jury returned to Furlong’s mill. The jury at once repaired to the horse lot and were soon at work exhuming the body of Jesse Webb, this being the name by which the murdered man was said to be known.

After digging a depth of two —and a half or three feet, in the —- –st corner of the lot, between —- — —d and the forage house —- — -ands near the railroad —- —- body was re—– —– —- on his —- — —- —————————- out property. Decomposition had set in and his flesh would peel off at a touch. With the aid of crocus sacks, which were placed under him, the end of which extended out on either side, he was lifted out of the grave and placed in a box. On examination the skull was found crushed in on the left side just above the ear, seemingly with a large hammer, perhaps a sledge-hammer. On the right side, a short distance from the forehead, and about an inch from the center of the head the skull was also crushed in, the hole being fully an inch and a half in circumference. In the man’s mouth was a roll of waste, such as is used for packing the boxes on car wheels. The evidence showed that Furlong, Lofton and Sharon were at the commissary about midnight Thursday night, when Furlong asked first Gammage and then Simmons to go with him that night. What they did after that is left to conjecture, but the presumptive evidence is that they prepared themselves and proceeded to where the wounded negro lay, rammed the waste into his mouth and down his throat, so that he could not cry out when struck, and then crushed in his skull, dragged him a hundred yards through the woods — buggy, hauled him to the lot and buried him. All this was done inside of three hours.

The jury of the inquest will sit in Alapaha to-day, when doubtless a verdict will be reached.

This is beyond doubt the most brutal murder that has ever darkened the annals of out county. This unoffending negro was handcuffed and when he made an effort to regain his freedom, was pursued and shot after he was caught. Paralyzed in every limb, he lay in a dense swamp from about an hour before sundown, Tuesday evening, September 7th, until the following Thursday night at 12 o’clock. During all this time he had one drink of water and one meal, notwithstanding he was less than four hundred yards from several houses. Thursday night, at midnight, three white demons, braced with whiskey, which was the real cause of the crime, advanced through the gloomy swamp to where the helpless man lay and murdered him in the manner already stated.

Furlong, the leader in this horrible murder, is in his grave, but his accomplices are still at large. No time should be lost in bringing them to justice.

The first part of this article was — — would be an inquest.

Nathan Bridges and Jesse Woolbright, two colored men of this place, deserve honorable mention for their unceasing efforts to aid the jury in finding the body and for their attention to the jury while hearing evidence.

The Ghost of Ben Furlong, Berrien County Desperado

More on Berrien County, GA Desperado, Benjamin William Furlong

Back Story on Benjamin William Furlong

The Vanceville Affair

Ben Furlong’s Ghost Haunted Conscience of Berrien Residents

Southern Georgia: Railroad Pamphlet

The Haints of Berrien County

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Alapaha Star Reports 1886 Demise of Ben Furlong

September 24, 2016 at 12:51 am (Furlongs of Berrien, Law and Order)
Tags: Alapaha GA, Alapaha Star, Ben W. Furlong, Berrien County GA, Bob Wick, Brunswick & Western Railroad, ghost, J. M. Lofton, J. W. Hanlon, laudanum, Moore's Mill, Pocahontas Furlong, Quitman Sun, Silas O'Quinn, Sniff GA, Tom, Vanceville GA, Waresboro Georgia, Willacoochee GA

Ben Furlong (circa 1854-1886),
Desperado of Berrien County, GA

Ben Furlong was perhaps the most notorious outlaw ever known in Berrien County, GA. Furlong, a sawmill man when he wasn’t on the bottle, frequented the communities along the tracks of the Brunswick & Western Railroad – Sniff, Willacoochee, Alapaha, Enigma and Vanceville.

The Brunswick & Western Railroad linked the communities of northern Berrien County with Brunswick, GA to the east and Albany GA to the west, and connected with the larger Plant Railway.

Furlong was a philanderer, wife beater and a killer, wanted for dozens of criminal charges including the shooting of B&W engineer Chuck Brock and passenger Will Harrell, and cutting the throat of another passenger. It was said he committed his first murder at the age of 15. Some said after his demise his ghost haunted the scene of his final, heinous crime.

After his September 24, 1886 death Furlong’s infamy was literally told around the world. But the most detailed accounting of Furlong’s final days was published in the Alapaha Star, Berrien County’s own “splendid newspaper” edited by Irishman J. W. Hanlon (Hanlon had previously served as editor of the Berrien County News, Albany Medium, and later edited the Quitman Sun and wrote humorous works under the pen name Bob Wick).

Alapaha Star

October 2, 1886

MURDER AND SUICIDE

A Negro and — the Body In His Stock Lot – Suicide —- The Negroe’s Body Found —- —- – Inquest – A Horrified —- Etc.

Friday evening of last week [September 24, 1886], after the Star had gone to press news reached town that B. W. Furlong, who has been conducting a saw mill at sniff in this county, was dead, from the effects of a dose of laudanum, taken with suicidal intent. Before going to his room about twelve o’clock he asked his wife to forgive him for all he had ever done, and told her that he would go away from there in a few days and begin a new life. He called his children to him and spoke kindly to them and asked them not to disturb him, as he wanted to take a long sleep. He then went to his room, closed the door and, it is supposed, took the fatal dose. Later in the afternoon some one entered the —m, on hearing a strange —– — —– — dead.

Mr. Furlong had been drinking heavily for some weeks, and his creditors, knowing his business to be in a shaky condition, a day or two before his death had his property attached. Mr. Silas O’Quin, of this place, went down Friday morning to levy on some of his property, and found him rational, but wild-looking. He informed Mr. O’Quin that he had shot a negro about two weeks previous to that time and it was supposed that he was dead. This conversation occured about 11 a. m.

Mr. Furlong’s body was taken to Waresboro Sunday morning [September 26, 1886] for interment.

Immediately after his death rumors of the killing of the negro began to circulate, and on Friday evening [September 24, 1886], for the first time, they reached Alapaha. It seems that Furlong had been short of hands for several weeks. A negro boarded the B. & W. R. R. at some point and stated that he was hunting work, and that he had no money. The conductor, knowing that Furlong needed hands, took the negro to Sniff and turned him over to —- was taking to Furlong got off —-Willachoochee,
where he had work. The negro objected strenuously to being put off, and refused to work. Shortly after the train left, the negro walked off in the direction of Willacoochee, but was soon discovered by Furlong, who brought him back, handling him pretty rough in doing so.

Furlong then handcuffed him. That evening, after dark, according to report, the negro slipped out of the commissary and had gone some distance out on the tram-road when he was missed. He was still handcuffed. Lofton, a white man, in Furlong’s employ, discovered the fleeing negro and showed Furlong the direction he had taken. Furlong pursued him with a double-barreled gun, and in a short time the report of the gun was heard. Furlong returned without the negro. Before he reached the mill he met a mulatto who was a trusted employe, who had started after Furlong, hoping to prevent him from shooting the negro. Furlong told him that he had shot the negro and that if he divulged it, he, Furlong, had men there who would swear that he, the mulatto, did the shooting. Later in the night Lofton and the mulatto were sent by Furlong to the wounded man —- — ——— –. — ——- was shot through the neck and was completely paralyzed, except his tongue. When he saw Lofton he said: “if it hadn’t been for you Mr. Furlong would not have shot me.” This mulatto says he carried the wounded man something to eat later in the night. This was Tuesday night. It is reported that the negro lay there until Thursday night, when he disappeared. That night Furlong ordered out three mules, one for a wagon and two to be saddled. Where they went is not known, but the supposition is that the mission was to take the body to some deep water, weight it and sink it out of sight.

Lofton has fled, and his whereabouts are unknown. It is said that he is well connected in Atlanta. The mulatto is named Jim Simmons and is here.

Last Sunday [September 26, 1886] a crowd of whites and blacks went down to the Alapaha river and dragged for the body of the missing negro at the bridge at Moore’s old mill, but without success.

It is now rumored that the —- was concealed in a branch — of the mill.

But those rumors would turn out to be wrong, the mill branch concealed no body. An inquest into the fate of Jesse Webb was about to uncover the ultimate cause of death and the true location of the body.

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Eugene C. Phillips at Georgia Southern College

June 19, 2016 at 12:35 am (Education In the Wiregrass, Uncategorized)
Tags: Alapaha GA, Berrien County GA, Carleen Chambless, Carol Bradham, Carol Rowan, Enigma GA, Eugene C. Phillips, Garth Webb Jr., Georgia Southern College, James Roger Lewis, Jimmy Abney, Nashville GA, Patsy Partin, Ralph Bradham, Ray City GA, Ricky Partin, Statesboro GA

Eugene C. Phillips at Georgia Southern College

In 1966, Eugene C. Phillips, of Ray City, GA, attended Georgia Southern College at Statesboro, GA. Phillips majored in Business Administration.

Eugene C. Phillips, of Ray City, GA, attended Georgia Southern College.

Another Ray City student at Georgia Southern College in 1966 was senior W. Ralph Bradham. Patsy Partin and Garth L. Webb, Jr., of Nashville, GA, were sophomores. Freshmen Ricky Partin and Carol Rowan were also from Nashville, GA. Carol Bradham and James Roger Lewis, of Alapaha, GA, were seniors and Carleen Chambless was a freshman. Jimmy Abney, of Enigma, GA was a junior.

Georgia Southern Reflector, 1966 year book.

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Dr. J. A. Fogle of Alapaha, GA

December 27, 2015 at 12:44 am (Remedies and Medicine)
Tags: Alapaha GA, Americus Georgia, Baker County GA, Berrien County GA, Camilla GA, Camp Winder, Chimborazo Hospital, Chimborazo Hospital No. 3, Company G 2nd Georgia Infantry Regiment, Dr. Kirksey, Fletcher Cemetery, Fogle House, Frances S. Leonard, General Hospital Camp Winder, Green Bullard, Hardeman Giddens, Jacob Fogle, James A. Fogle, John Cooper, magic lantern, Mary E. Fogle, Nancy L. Turner, Newton GA, Panitheopticonicon, Paxton's Turpentine Farm, Raccoon Creek GA, Ray's Mill GA, Reese Byrd, Richmond VA, Sarah E. Leonard, Sarah Gamble, Stokes Walton, Taylor County GA, Uriah B. Harrold

Dr. James A. Fogle, a surgeon trained during the Civil War, was a physician of Alapaha, GA and an associate of Hardeman Giddens, of Ray’s Mill. He was well known in Berrien County – an M.D., farmer, Mason, census enumerator, innkeeper, merchant, and Justice of the Peace. In his judiciary role, he notably heard the 1879 case of John Cooper for the murder of Reese Byrd at Paxton’s turpentine farm.

Dr, J. A. Fogle, Physician and Surgeon of Alapaha, GA

Alapaha Star
October 2, 1886

Dr. J. A. Fogle
Physician and Surgeon,
Alapaha, Georgia

Returns thanks the citizens of Worth, Berrien, Irwin and Coffee counties for patronage in the past, and hopes to merit a continuance of the same. Calls by letter or telegraph promptly attended to. Charges are reasonable.

James A. Fogle was born September 12, 1838 in Columbus, GA. He was a son of Nancy L. Turner and Dr. Jacob Fogle, dentist and prominent citizen of Columbus.

As a young man, James A. Fogle attended the University of North Carolina, receiving the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1860.

James A. Fogle served in the Civil War. He enlisted as a private in Company G, Georgia 2nd Infantry Regiment on April 16, 1861. He was detailed by the Secretary of War to work in a Confederate hospital. He was promoted to Full Hospital Steward on October 6, 1862. At that time he was posted at General Hospital Camp Winder, Richmond, VA. He was later promoted to Full Assistant Surgeon on November 14, 1864.

General Hospital Camp Winder hospital ward, Richmond, VA. Dr. James A. Fogle was an Assistant Surgeon at the hospital in 1864. Fogle later practiced medicine at Alapaha, GA.

General Hospital Camp Winder hospital ward, Richmond, VA. Dr. James A. Fogle was detailed as a nurse at the hospital May 24, 1862. Fogle was later promoted to Assistant Surgeon, and practiced medicine at Alapaha, GA after the war.

http://civilwarodyssey.blogspot.com/2014/12/edge-of-obscurity-tracking-ailing.html

On November 1, 1862 Fogle was reassigned as a steward at Chimborazo Hospital No. 3, Richmond, VA.

Chimborazo Hospital, the “hospital on the hill.” Considered the “one of the largest, best-organized, and most sophisticated hospitals in the Confederacy.”
Library of Congress

Fogle was at Chimborazo Division No. 3 in June of 1863 when Green Bullard, of Ray’s Mill, was admitted in the No. 2 Division with typhoid fever. In November 1864, Fogle was promoted to Assistant Surgeon and continued to work at Chimborazo Hospital. The Civil War ended six months later with Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.

After the war, Fogle returned to South Georgia. He took the loyalty oath in Baker County, GA on July 10, 1867.

James A. Fogle, Oath of Loyalty to the United States of America, July 10, 1867.

On April 2, 1868 James A. Fogle married Sarah E. Leonard in Taylor County, GA.

Marriage certificate of James A. Fogle and Sarah E. Leonard, Taylor County, GA

James and Sarah Fogle made their home in Newton, Baker County, GA. The 1880 census shows they employed Sarah Gamble as a live-in cook. Dr. Fogle established his medical practice in Newton.

1870 census enumeration of Dr. James A. Fogle, Newton, GA

In the winter of 1872, while traveling near Camilla, GA., Dr. Fogle plunged into a a flooded creek to rescue a drowning African-American man.

Albany Herald, March 1, 1872 reports Dr. J. A. Fogle's rescue of two men from drowning in Racoon Creek, Camilla, GA

Albany Herald, March 1, 1872 reports Dr. J. A. Fogle’s participation in the rescue of two African-American men from drowning in Racoon Creek, Camilla, GA

Albany Herald
March 1, 1972

Narrow Escape.

We are informed by our agent, Dr. J. A. Fogle, that on the 14th inst. the two negroes of the Panitheopticonicon, while attempting to cross “Raccoon Creek,” had their horse drowned and came near loosing their own lives. Dr. Fogle, although the water was near freezing, swam in after one and rescued him by means of a rope.- Mr. Stokes Walton, with the assistance of Mr. Lee and four or five negroes, constructed a raft of logs and rescued the other. A half hour’s longer delay would have resulted in the death of both parties. Although nearly frozen, they were the happiest beings imaginable when taken out of the water.

This creek should, by all means, have a bridge over it. Last week Dr. Fogle came near losing his own and his horse’s life in the same place. Dr. Kirksey, Dr. F’s companion, lost his baggage, containing valuables to the amount of one hundred and twenty-five or one hundred and fifty dollars. [Camilla Herald.

The two rescued men were employees of the Panitheopticonicon. The Panitheopticonicon was a religious dramatization presented with a stereopticon, or “Magic Lantern.” A stereopticon is a slide projector which has two lenses, usually one above the other. These devices became a popular in the 1850s as a form of entertainment and education, and continued in popularity into the 1900s. Mashburn’s 1913 “Possum Supper” for physicians in Valdosta, GA featured as stereopticon. The Panitheopticonicon was billed as the “Great Religious Wonder of the Age!” where “Adam and Eve pass the scene… with the serpent following at their feet,” and attracted “almost the entire population without distinction of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

Dr. Fogle Comes to Alapaha
Some time before 1879, the Fogles made their way to Alapaha, GA. In the census of 1880 of Berrien County, James A. Fogle was the enumerator for the 4th District. He enumerated himself as 41 years of age, and employed as an M. D. and a farmer. His wife, Sarah, was keeping house. Also in the household was Sarah’s widowed sister, Frances S. Leonard.

1880 Census enumeration of Dr. James A. Fogle, 1156 Georgia Militia District, Berrien County, GA.

In addition to his medical practice, Dr. Fogle opened a drug store in Alapaha.

Alapaha Star
October 2, 1886

Drug Store

Dr. J. A. Fogle,
Proprietor,
Alapaha, GA

My stock of drugs, medicines, perfumery, toilet articles, cigars, tobacco, etc., is the largest and best selected ever brought to this market.

Prescriptions

Carefully and accurately compounded day or night.

Thankful for liberal patronage in the past, I shall endeavor to merit a continuance of the
the same.

In the spring of 1886, the Macon telegraph reported that Dr. and Mrs. Fogle were opening a new hotel at Alapaha.

Fogle House, Alapaha, GA

Macon Telegraph

March 24, 1886

At Alapaha. Her New Hotel. Her Clever Social People. Her Prosperous Merchants, Etc.,

[Alapaha has]…a new hotel, two stories high, nicely fitted up and well kept. Dr. J.A. Fogle, one of the most clever men you would met in a week’s hard riding, is the proprietor, but his time is mostly devoted to an extensive practice and to his well stocked drug store. The hotel is presided over by Mrs. Fogle, a lady of refinement and most pleasant manner, ably assisted by her sister, Miss Fannie Leonard. The table is bountifully supplied with tempting fare, the sleeping apartments are models of cleanliness and comfort, and the attention to guests is prompt and courteous The commercial tourists are fond in their praise of it, and you know they are, generally speaking, a difficult set to please.

Dr. James A. Fogle died on Friday, January 6, 1888 at Alapaha, Georgia. His death was reported in the Americus Weekly Recorder. Americus was the home of Dr. Fogle’s sister, Mary E. Fogle, and brother-in-law, Uriah B. Harrold:

Death of Dr. James A. Fogle, 1888.

Americus Weekly Recorder
January 12, 1888

Death.

Mr. U. B. Harrold Friday received a telegram announcing the death of Dr. James A. Fogle, at Alapaha, Berrien county, Ga. As he had been suffering from inflammatory rheumatism, it is supposed that that was the cause of his death. Dr. Fogle was an eminent physician and the brother of Mrs. Harold. Mr. and Mrs Harrold left for Alapaha Friday night.

Dr. Fogle was laid to rest at Alapaha in Fletcher Cemetery.

Grave of Dr. James A. Fogle, Fletcher Cemetery, Alapaha, GA. Image source: D & D Fletcher

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Logging Ten Mile Bay

October 31, 2015 at 12:30 am (Historic Businesses, Uncategorized)
Tags: Alapaha GA, Alapaha River, Allapachoochee Creek, Avera Mill Pond, Berrien County GA, Big Creek, Bootle & Lane Sawmill, Claudie Royals, Clements Lumber Company, Confederate deserters, Daniel Avera, Empire Church, Five Mile Creek, ground skidder, Henry Howard Thompson, Lawrence Cauley Hall, Lidgerwood Manufacturing Company, Milltown GA, Nashville GA, overhead skidder, Perry Cart, possum dog skidder, Ray City GA, Robert Christopher Powell, Skidder, skidderman, Ten Mile Bay, Ten Mile Creek, Tobitha Cook, W.H. Outlaw Farm, William M. Avera

The early sawmill operations of Wiregrass Georgia required a constant supply of timber to maintain production and profitability. Smaller sawmill operations could be moved close to the timber tracts where logs were being cut. For larger operation, such as the Clements Sawmill on the tracks of the Georgia & Florida Railroad at Ray City, logging timber typically involved transporting cut logs to the sawmill by skidder and tram.

Skiddermen like Claudie Royal, Robert Christopher Powell and Lawrence Cauley Hall used two wheel “Perry” carts pulled by a team of horses or mules to drag or skid felled logs. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 1918 publications, in Georgia a typical skidderman worked a 60 hour workweek, for a wage of 22.5 cents an hour, or $13.50 per week. The skiddermen dragged logs from where they were cut the short distance to the tracks of the railway tram, where they were loaded and hauled to the sawmill. Oxen could be used pull skidders in areas too wet for horses or mules, but even oxen couldn’t skid logs out of the deepest swamps.

Ten Mile Bay northeast of Ray City was one of the first places in this section where logs were hauled out of the swamp by overhead skidder.

At Southernmatters.com, Bill Outlaw relates how the deep swamp of Ten Mile Bay provided a hide out for Confederate deserters and draft dodgers during the Civil War. You can read Bill’s observations on Ten Mile Bay at http://www.southernmatters.com/image-database/upload/Nashville/Nashville-051.html The fact was, there were significant numbers of Southerners who did not support Secession or the war. Outlaw describes Ten-mile Bay as lying east of a line drawn between Alapaha and Nashville. William M. Avera, son of Daniel Avera and Tobitha Cook Avera, constructed an earthen dam from 1880 to 1884 across the lower end of Ten Mile Bay. This impoundment at the southern outfall of the bay created the Avera Mill Pond (now known as Lake Lewis), the mill run forming the Allapacoochee Creek (now known as Ten-mile Creek), which is the eastern boundary of the W.H. Outlaw Farm. Beyond the actual bay, a considerable area of land is quite swampy.

Bill Outlaw cites the unpublished papers of W.H. Griffin Jr., (1863-1932) in which Griffin describes the Ten Mile Bay as a deserter’s stronghold:

“Lying in the Northeastern portion of orginal Berrien county, four miles southeast of Allapaha, and six miles northeast of Nashville,lies an almost impenetrable swamp known far and wide as the ‘Ten Mile Bay.’ It is the sourse of Ten mile Creek, a stream running southward through the flat woods of eastern Berrien, flanked by numerous flat ponds and fed by sluggish pond drains until it mingles its wine colored waters with those of the Fivemile Creek, near where Empire church is located when together they form Big creek, as stream of no mean importance in the county and which, harboring thousands of perch, pike, jack and trout, to say nothing of the unlimited nimber of catfish, winds its tortuos and limpid way on past Milltown to mingle its leave stained waters with those of the Alapaha river…Its denseness, its dreary solitudes, its repulsiveness on these accounts and on account of the numerous wild animals rattle snakes that frequented its fastnesses rendered it a place which the ordinary mortal dredded to enter. It covers an area of about twenty square miles, being about six miles from North to South and a average with of three to four miles. It is covered in water for a portion of the winter and spring season with a depth of anywhere from one to three feet deep, and interspersed with numerous elevated hummocks which lift their surfaces anywhere from six inches to a foot and a half above the water and from a quarter to a half acre in extent. These hummocks are overgrown with vines and brambles, Ty Ty other swamp growth and thickly dotted with the tall growing huckleberry or blue berry bushes anywhere from three to ten feet high and from which every year thousands of berries are gathered by the neighboring citizens, who often go from a distance of ten miles away to gather berries. It takes a stout heart and brave resolution, to say nothing of intrepid courage and a power of endurance to hardships to get a tenderfoot into that swamp a second time. Only the person who has been through the swamp under the direction of native guides is willing to undertake an excursion into this ‘No man’s Land,’ for the chances are that he will become lost and consequently experience the greatest difficulty in finding his way out of the dreary wilderness of bog and fen, bramble and thicket. This dreary place became the rendezvous of many deserters during the war…”

When the Bootle & Lane sawmill brought overhead skidding to Berrien County in 1917 to log Ten-mile Bay, the news was reported in the Lumber Trade Journal.

The Lumber Trade Journal
September 15, 1917

Complete Construction Work

Savannah, Ga. – Bootle & Lane, who moved to Nashville, Ga., from Charleston, S. C.. a short time ago to embark in the sawmill business, have just completed the work of erecting their mill, six miles east of Nashville, on the Georgia & Florida railroad, and are beginning to make their first shipments of lumber to the markets. This firm purchased a large quantity of swamp timber in that county. They are now taking logs out of the Ten-Mile Bay with overhead skidders. This is an innovation in this country as no such powerful skidders were ever seen there before. There is a large quantity of valuable timber in this swamp, but no one has ever thought it feasible to get it out.

The overhead skidder was powered by a steam engine which could be moved from place to place on a logging railroad flatcar. The steam engine drove a drum around which there was a steel cable which would draw in the logs to drier land where they could be loaded and conveyed to the sawmill. The steam-powered rig could drag logs from the swamp up to 900 feet in all directions. Where this equipment was used to pull logs along the ground it was referred to as a “ground skidder” or “possum dog skidder.” But when the system of steel cables and pulleys were rigged from trees allowing logs to be suspended and hauled out above the muddy swamp, it was called an overhead skidder. Operating steam powered skidders was dangerous work. The logs being pulled in would sometimes encounter obstructions. Then the flying logs could move in erratic and unpredictable direction. The steam skidders were worked by teams of men, and communications were passed from the crews to the skidder operator by flagmen, such as Henry Howard Thompson of Ray City, who signaled when the logs were ready to pull. The men knew to stay away from a log on the skidder line.

Advertisement for overhead skidders manufactured by Lidgerwood Mfg. Co. appearing in the Lumber World Review, November 10, 1921. Overhead skidders were used by the Bootle & Lane Sawmill to extract timber from Ten Mile Bay, about seven miles northeast of Ray City, GA.

Advertisement for steel cable used in overhead skidder operations, manufactured by Williamsport Wire Rope Company, appearing in the Lumber World Review, November 10, 1921. Overhead skidders rigged with pulleys and steel cables were used by the Bootle & Lane Sawmill to harvest timber from Ten Mile Bay, about seven miles northeast of Ray City, GA.

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Ray City History Blog

Abraham Leffler Advertisement in 1881 Berrien County News

Judge Richard Augustus Peeples

Richard Augustus Peeples, Clerk of the Berrien Courts

Charles Bruner Shaw

Charles Bruner Shaw (1888-1950)

A Year of Tragedy

Death of Ben Furlong ~ Was it Suicide?

An Inquest Into the Death of Jesse Webb

Alapaha Star Reports 1886 Demise of Ben Furlong

Eugene C. Phillips at Georgia Southern College

Dr. J. A. Fogle of Alapaha, GA

Logging Ten Mile Bay

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