Heirs of Ellen Mathews Slatter

 Transcription of a file found at the Georgia Archives manuscript collection, Crawford County Probate Records, Enoch Mathews estate.  

Transcript of a petition found in the Crawford County GA loose files in the Georgia state archives,
State of Georgia Crawford county
To the Hon Court of Ordinary of said County,
The petition of Thomas B Eaton & Mary Eaton his wife of the county of Greer & State of Texas respectfully showeth that the said Mary Eaton is the daughter of Mrs. Ellen Slatter who was formerly Ellen Matthews & daughter of Enoch Matthews late of Crawford County Georgia. Your petitioners further showeth that said Ellen Slatter was the wife of Septimus Slatter Sr &that said Septimus Slatter Sr died previous to the death of said Ellen Slatter & that said Ellen Slatter died in Woods County Texas on Sept 15, 1869. That said Ellen Slatter at the time of her death was a widow & left surviving her five children to wit - L F W Slatter, Wm Slatter, George Slatter, S P Slatter & Mary Slatter (now Mrs. Mary Eaton) one of your petitioners. That no children of her had died before the said Ellen Slatter departed this life.
[pg 2]
Since the death of said Ellen Slatter L F W Slatter had died (leaving no will); also George & William Slatter have since died intestate, nor has there been any administration upon their estates. That said Wm Slatter left a wife who is now a widow named Isabella McBride & has his children who are minors & named Edward Slatter & Mary Slatter & that said Isabella McBride is the guardian for said minors & that the guardianship is pending in Raines Co Texas. That L F W Slatter died in Raines County Texas & left a wife and four children surviving him. His wife's name is Elizabeth & has recently married Richard Talley of Woods County Texas That the children of said L F W Slatter are minors & named Thomas Slatter, William Slatter, Robert & Henry Slatter and that their mother is their guardian & letters of guardianship are pending in Raines County Texas That George Slatter recently dec'd in Woods County Texas & left a
[pg 3]
widow named Roxanna & one child surviving him & that said child is a minor & no guardian appointed for same that your petitioners are aware of. That Septimus P Slatter Jr son of said Ellen Harris [sic] now resides in Raines County Texas, That your petitioners formerly resided at Whiteboro Grayson County Texas where the[y] moved from there to Frazer Greer County Texas, where they now reside since May 1886.
Your petitions further show that the aforementioned persons are the only heirs at law of said Ellen Slatter deceased who died intestate & no administration was had on her Estate that your petitioners are aware of. That the said Ellen Slatter at the time of her death was one of the legatees & heirs at law of Enoch Matthews her father late of Crawford County Georgia & that Geo. D. Matthews of Crawford County represented the Estate of said
[pg 4]
Enoch Matthews & has placed the portion of said Estate as belonged to the heirs of said Ellen Slatter in the Bank at Macon Ga ammntg to $230.90 & that the amount due your petitioner Mrs.
Mary Eaton of said source is $46.18 [1 word unknown] if any is due by said Bank. Your petitioner Mary Eaton joined by her husband Thomas B Eaton respectfully ask an order of your Honorable Court to pay the said sum of Forty Six Dollars Eighteen cents to their attorneys in fact Thomas & Chandler of Columbus Ga & that they have duly made & executed a Power of Attorney to said Grigsby E. Thomas Jr & Grigsby E Chandler or either of them to collect & receipt for same in their names. Said Power of Atty is dated Oct 14 1866 & witnessed by Mrs. L. Curry & F. B. Dirke County Judge of Greer Co Texas & certificate of clerk as to signature of said Judge. And your petitioners will ever pray &c
Thomas & Chandler
Atty for T.B & Mary Eaton
[pg 5]
State of Georgia Muscogee County
Personally appeared before me George W. Dillingham a Notary Public in & for said State & Couty, Grigsby E. Thomas Jr who is one of the firm of Thomas & Chandler Attorneys at law Columbus Georgia & who being duly sworn deposes & saith that the facts set forth in the forgoing petition of Thomas B & Mary Eaton are true to the best of his information & belief. That he went to Woods & Raines County Texas in July last & saw Mrs. L F W Slatter now Mrs Richard Talley, also saw Mrs. Isabella McPride & Mrs. Roxana Slatter in person, that Mrs. Isabella McBride was formerly the wife of William Slatter decd and had by said Wm Slatter two minor children surviving him, that Mrs.Roxann Slatter was the widow of
[pg 6]
George Slatter decd & had by said George Slatter one minor child surviving him. He also saw while out there Septimus P Slatter Jr in person. That he saw Mrs. L F W Slatter (now Mrs. Richard Talley) given name is Elizabeth & has by the said L F W Slatter deceased four minor children surviving him, That he went in person to Whitesboro Grayson County Texas to see Mrs. Mary Eaton & her husband Thomas B. Thomas B Eaton & was informed they had moved to Greer County Texas & that he [1 word] to them at Frazer Greer County Texas & received from them their power of attorney to act for them in collecting any money that may be due said Mary Eaton (formerly Mary Slatter & daughter of Ellen Slatter) as one of the
[pg 7]
heirs at law of her mother Mrs. Ellen Slatter wife of Septimus Slatter Sr & daughter of Enoch Matthews of Crawford County Georgia. That said Power of Attorney is dated Oct 14 1886 & witnessed by Mrs. L Curry and T B Dirke Judge of County Court of Greer County Texas & certificate of clerk of Green County as to the ?genuineness? of Judge's signatuer. That said Power of Atty is addressed to Grigsby E.Thomas Jr & Grigsby E. Chandler or either of them that [1 word] of same is hereby made to this Court of Ordinary of Crawford County Georgia for record in said Court.
Grigsby E. Thomas Jr
Sworn to subscribed before me this 26th day of November AD 1886
[signed] Leo W. Dillingham
Notary Public

(Delayed) Women's history month - Women Ordinary's in 1930 and before in Georgia.

Recently while looking through some 1920s marriage records for Crawford County, I suddenly realized that the Ordinary was Mrs. L. J. Hancock.  This had me intrigued - Georgia at that time was not exactly a hotbed of feminism and women had only just achieved the vote.  This got me looking at the 1930 census and I found 6 other women fulfilling this role.  I also found a 1929 Butler Herald article talking about how extraordinary it was to have so many women in County Government roles and listing 5 of the 7 that I had found plus one I didn’t have.   What is even more extraordinary is that these women's pioneering roles have mostly been forgotten  For those not familiar with Georgia Courts, the Ordinary is now called the Judge of the probate court and the Ordinary court is now the probate court  

Minnie Kate Cornelius Pafford (Kate), 1885-1950, Clinch County, is one of the few that I could find in a county history.  She had the distinction apparently of being the first female Ordinary in Georgia.  According to the 1940 census, she had completed 3 years of High School, which at that time would have meant she graduated.  She was a teacher up until her marriage in 1908 to Leon Pafford, a grocer.   They had 4 sons.  Leon died in 1922 and she was elected Ordinary in 1925.  The County history says that she served 12 years (until 1937) but in fact she is listed as Ordinary in the 1940 census and in her 1950 obituary.  She also signed the County marriage licenses at least through 1947, the most recent available online.  

Minnie Fairchild Corbitt (1865-1955), Atkinson, was more educated than average, having completed 2 years of college according to the 1940 census.  She married Martin Corbitt in 1899, a Civil War Veteran 25 years her senior.  They had 3 sons to add to the 6 children from his first marriage.   Martin died in 1913.  When Atkinson County was formed in 1917, Minnie just happened to be living in the new County Seat. In 1920, Minnie is listed as a truck farmer, running her own farm, with the 3 boys still at home. She became Ordinary at some point between 1923, when another signature is on a pension record, and 1929 when she signed as Ordinary.  Marriage records for the county are not available online.  She may have retired by 1936 when she visited Cuba on her own.  She received a Confederate widow's pension in 1939, at which time she may have moved to Florida where her son lived and where she is listed in the 1940 census.  She died in 1955 in Kentucky, although her death certificate lists Hillsborough, Florida as her normal residence.  

Ella Sapp Spivey (1883-1963) Chattahoochee, was one of the women missed  in the Butler Herald article.  She married Samuel Spivey in 1908.  They settled almost immediately in Columbus, Muscogee county.   In 1910, she had no occupation and her husband was listed as a bill clerk for the Railroad.  In 1920, he was the Secretary for the Chamber of Commerce.  They divorced between then and 1925 when he remarried.  By 1930, she was back in Chattahoochee County residing with her mother and two young nephews.  The first Ordinary record for her is 1 April 1930.  According to the press, she had been elected without opposition in a special election on 5 February 1930, since her predecessor had died.  Although she was not found in the 1940 census, she was in office at least through 1949, per the online marriage records.  She died in 1963 in  Russell County, Alabama, near where she had lived while married.

Elsie Smith O'Neal Ellis (1889-1964), Meriwether, replaced her husband Judge Maltire O'Neal as the Ordinary in 1927.  She continued to serve until 1940 when she lost the election.  Elsie was a high-school graduate and in 1910 was working as a sales person in a drug store.  I have not found a marriage date for her, but she married Maltire at some point between his wife's death in 1911 and their first child's birth in April 1917.  In 1920, he is working as a lawyer in general practice and she was not apparently working outside the home.  They had 2 more children between then and his death in 1927 while serving as Ordinary. Elsie was elected to replace him in the special election.  The following year she was elected in her own right. In 1930, she was living with her father, stepdaughter, and 3 children.  After losing the election in 1940, she became very involved in Democratic Party politics at both the local and state level.  In 1948, she married. Dr. William Ellis and they settled in Chipley (now Pine Mountain), Georgia.  She died in 1964.  

Frances (or Fannie) Kate Scott Marshall (1889-1964), Putnam,  is another who replaced her husband as Ordinary.  She graduated high school and married Ed Marshall in 1907.  She shows no occupation in 1910 but her husband is the manager of an electric power plant.  By 1920, he is the Putnam County Ordinary while she is a clerk in the Ordinary office.  Her husband died in 1926 and she became Ordinary but only served through 1932.  In 1940 she is the Clerk for the Superior Court.  She and her husband were unique in this group in that they did not own their house.  They were boarding in 1910 and living in a rented house in 1920,  Fannie was living with her mother 1930, still in a rental property, and was boarding again in 1940. She died in 1964.  

Louisa Wright (1891-1938), Jefferson,  was not only the Ordinary but was the first woman in Georgia to be appointed a member of the Board of Registrars.  According to an article in "Business and Professional Women of Georgia", 1931, she began her career in World War 1 serving as an assistant clerk of the local exemption board, then worked in the office of the Clerk of the Ordinary.  In 1921, she became the Clerk of the Ordinary, serving until 1927 when Judge Brown, then serving as Ordinary, died.  She won the special election to complete his term and was elected in her own right the following year.  She continued to serve as Ordinary until her sudden death in 1938.  According to her obituary, she apparently had a stroke while working at her desk.  She was taken to the hospital but died a few days later.  She was unusually well educated, having attended Limestone College and the Winnie Davis school of history, in Gaffney, SC.   

Nell Maxwell Fort (1896-1965), Decatur County, took over the role of  Ordinary from her father Tom Maxwell when he stepped down from the role in 1928. She said on the 1940 census that she had completed 1 year of college.  In 1920 she is working as an assistant in an office.  Her father, then 77, stepped down in late 1928  with Nell assuming the role by early 1929.  She had been clerk just before this. Online court records do not go far enough to indicate when she herself left the job but she is listed as Ordinary in the 1930 and 1940 censuses  At some point after 1940, she apparently married Dr. Mannie Fort, a widower some 20 years older than her.   He died in 1953.

Last but not least, the woman who started me on this search.  Lizzie Ruth Jones Hancock (1894-?), Crawford, also completed High School before becoming a teacher in Crawford County. It was there that she married her husband, widower Jack Hancock, in 1917  He already had three children and they went on to have a daughter in 1918.  Jack was described by his children as the sheriff but his official occupation in 1920 was that of Farmer.   Lizzie (who consistently signed licenses as Mrs L.J. Hancock) took over as Ordinary in April 1929 after the previous Ordinary died suddenly. She continued to serve in the role until at least December 1948, with a new Ordinary taking over in January 1949.  I have found no mention of her after that and there are no dates on her headstone.

So what do these women have in common?  Well, they were all unmarried (single, divorced, or widowed) at the time of their election. Some of them did still have children or stepchildren at home. They each became Ordinary in a special election to fill out a term after the death or departure of the previous judge, but they all won election to at least one full term after that.  For those who were finishing their husband’s term, this was possibly originally a sympathy vote. They were unusually well educated for women of their time.  Possibly connected to this, several of  those who did marry did so at a later age than average and often worked prior to the marriage  

Some after thoughts on Frances

For a variety of reasons, I've been looking a lot at Frances Garner Roberts Carr, mentioned in the last two posts.  Her life was unconventional in some respects - she did not marry young and have a lot of children - but conventional in others as the Aunt/sister/stepmother who filled others' places and kept things going.

There are very few records on Frances other than the censuses and her marriages.  She did join Union Baptist Church in 1859 along with her sister Minerva.  This was the same church her parents and grandparents attended and where she is buried.  Her cousin Wiley Garner joined at the same time.  

She was 20 or 21 when her mother died.  Her father never remarried and she did not marry for another 19 years, so it would have fallen to her to take care of the household and help raise the younger children.  At the time of her mother's death, there were ten younger children at home.  Some of them (Lawson, then 20, and A.J., age 18) were nearly grown themselves certainly by the standards of the time.  In fact Lawson enlisted in the Confederate army in 1861, followed by brother A.J. a few months later.   William C. and James T. supposedly served as well but I have not found their records yet and for James it would have been near the end of the war since he was 17/18 when it ended.

Of the other children, the Twins would have been 11, Louvenia 9, Washington 7, Linton 5 and Lizzie 3.   While there is no record of course of her decisions or reactions, it might be of note that she did not marry until after both Louvenia and Lizzie had married and left home, Washington was grown and working on the farm and Linton had finished school and become an MD.  

She then married a much older widower in 1880, when she was 41.  He had no children at home but was of an age that he might have required care himself.  It is of course possible that she married him for love, but the fact that he omitted her from his will would tend to indicate that was not it.   He died five years after they married.  She does not seem to have asked for support so it is possible that she moved back home or in with one of her siblings then. While a widow could live alone, there is nothing to indicate she would have had the means to do so.

Her sister Lizzie died in May of 1889 leaving 5 children.  Frances then married her brother-in-law, who was 8 years younger than she was.  They were married until her death in 1911.  It is possibly of note that her stepson named his oldest daughter Frances. 

Ahnentafel #16 William Garner and #17 Sarah Johnson

William Garner was born on 27 May 1811 in Washington County, Georgia to Henry and Sarah Garner.    He was the second oldest of 5 known children, 4 boys and a girl.  Sarah was born on 28 February 1819 to Timothy and Judith Knowles Johnson.   She was the second child and oldest daughter, with at least 9 younger siblings.  She lived in Hancock County until her marriage.

William starts to appear on the extant tax records about the same time he got married.  In 1836 he appears next to his probable aunt Patience and his father.  He owns no land but pays a poll tax.  The same is true in 1837.  In 1838, William's father Henry paid for sons John, Joshua, and William as well as for his probable sister Patience.  Patience owned land but the 3 sons only paid poll tax.  

William and Sarah (Bill and Sally according to some descendants) married on 27 Jul 1837 in Hancock County.  They apparently lived with his parents after their marriage.  They do not appear on the 1840 census, but Henry's household includes both a male and female 20-30 plus two females under 5, which could be them and their daughters Minerva (born 1838) and Frances (1839).   All of his brothers are listed in their own households, again making it likely that William is the son still living with Henry.

William's aunt Patience Garner was a founding member of Union Baptist Church near Warthen in Washington County.  The church was founded in 1844.  William's parents joined in 1845, while he and Sarah joined in 1848 and he was made a trustee shortly thereafter.  Throughout the 1850s, he was frequently one of the men charged with investigating problems among the church congregation, including the fact that Sister Cherry was no longer attending. 

The next surviving tax record is 1848 with William again listed by his father, aunt, and two brothers.  He is the only one to not own land at this point, with his father having 600 acres, his aunt 200, and his brothers 150 each.  It is probable that he was in fact still working his father's property or possibly his Aunt's.   In 1849, he and Patience are still listed with Henry but John is further away in that same district and Joshua does not appear there at all.  None of them own slaves.

William and Sarah do appear in the 1850 Federal census, in Washington County.  William, age 38, is a farmer with no property listed.  Sarah appears to be 30.  The household includes their children Manerva (Minerva), 12, Frances - 10, John L. 9, Andrew J. 6, William C 4, and James T. 2.  Also in the household is John Bridges, 16, listed as a labourer.  Frances and Lawson (John L.) both attended school.  Everyone in the family was born in Georgia.  With no property, William does not appear in the agricultural census for that year, nor is he in the slave owner's census.

The last available pre-war tax record in 1851 is interesting because William again just pays a poll tax.  Patience, listed next to him, pays property tax but Henry is not listed in the records even though he was certainly alive and owned property at that time.  As noted previously, Patience probably died between 1851, when she is last noted paying taxes, and 1855 when William purchased from Nancy Garner the land she had inherited from Patience. 

In 1860, William (49) and Sarah (41) appear in the census with a whole flock of children:  Minerva - 21, Frances - 19, John L. - 18, Andrew - 16, William - 14, James T - 12, Levi (Lee Roy) - 10, Green L - 10,  Lavina - 7, Washington - 6, Linton - 4, and Elizabeth - 2.  Also living with them is George Barron, "mechanic", age 49. 

This census is the first document to reflect William owning any property, giving him a real estate value of $1200 and personal property of $1000.  William does appear on the 1860 agricultural census, immediately above his father.   That census shows him having 200 acres of land, of which 25 acres were unproductive.  This matches closely the 200 acres that Patience had been paying tax on.  At that time he had 4 horses, 2 milch cows,  2 oxen and 8 other cattle.  He produced 8 bushels of wheat, 350 bushels of Indian corn, and 7 bales of ginned cotton. 

Sarah died early the following year, cause of death unknown.  She was 42 at the time and her youngest child was about 2, so she might have died in childbirth or just from one of many diseases.  William did not remarry after her death despite having so many children to raise.  The 1860s turned out to be a hard time for him, not only with the war and Sarah's death but he lost his mother in 1865, his father in 1867 and probably also his oldest daughter Minerva in 1867.   And while their exact dates of death are not known, Sarah's father and mother apparently died during that period as well. 


Sarah's death will have spared her the anxiety of seeing several of her sons go to war.  Lawson, A.J., Columbus and James all ended up either volunteering or being drafted into the Confederate army, although they all survived.  Lee Roy and Green Lee were just slightly too young when the war ended to have to serve. William was very fortunate in this regard, as two of his brothers did lose sons in the war.  William, his brothers and his sons took the Oath of Allegiance on 12 July 1867.  William and his brother John probably went together since they are sequential on the oath pages.  Both signed with their marks although their sons could write their names.

Despite the difficulties of the 60s, William was still doing fairly well in the 1870 census.  He is still a farmer, with $2305 real estate and $1200 personal property.  His children are growing up, but most are still at home.  Thomasa, age 30 (possibly Frances) is listed as a housekeeper.  Frances did not marry until late in life, so it would make sense for her to still be in her father's house.   John L. age 28 is next in the household, although he is listed as a farmer and has property in his own right, $1930 real property and $700 personal.  Andrew J. age 28 is also listed as a farmer.  He has no real property but he does list personal property of $1000.  The remaining children at home were James L. age 22, Leroy (Lee Roy), age 20, Greenleaf (Green Lee) age 20, Lavinia 17, Washington 15, Linton 13, and Sarah E 12.  James, Lee Roy and Green were all listed as farm laborers.  Lavinia was stated as having no occupation and the youngest 3 were attending school.   His sister Sarah (too many Sarahs in this family) does not show up in the census, but was probably living with him or possibly one of his brothers.  Family lore has it that she inherited property from her father which she eventually gifted to her niece Lavinia and her husband, but in 1870 Lavinia was still unmarried.

The 1870 agricultural census reflects William's relative prosperity as well.  He has more land now, having presumably inherited some from his father.  The number is hard to read, but he appears to have 280 acres of improved land, 231 acres of woodland, and 30 acres of "other unimproved" land.  His farm was valued at $1200 and farming implements and machinery at $200.  He had paid $400 in salaries the previous year, including any room and board offered.  He owned 4 horses, 2 mules, 4 milch cows, 2 oxen, 12 other cattle, 17 sheep, and 60 pigs for a total livestock value of $750.  The 60 pigs are interesting, that's far more than any of his neighbors.  He had produced 155 bushels of spring wheat, 800 of Indian corn, and 75 of oats.

There are 3 surviving tax returns for William between 1872 and 1877.  Unfortunately, they do not give the year on the returns but they are in sequence.  On the first, William has 3 children between 6 and 18, so this would have had to have been in 1872 since that is the year Washington turned 18.  He owned 706 acres of land, valued at $3580.  He had $643 in cash or solvent debts.  All other property was valued at $1032.  This gave him a total value of $5255 and a taxable value of $5055.  As a farmer, he did not have to pay the additional Professional tax.

On the next tax record he has 750 acres valued at $4641.  He did not pay a poll tax, presumably because of his age.  He owned household and kitchen furniture worth $300, livestock worth $810, and farm equipment worth $548, giving him a total value of $7554.

The final assessment for this set, so some point between 1874 and 1877, William's property has grown to 938 acres with a value of $4581.   His household goods are valued at $300, livestock at $805, and farm equipment at $440 for a total property value of $6833.

In 1878 or 1879, his property is assessed as 870 acres worth $4241.  His household and livestock have not changed significantly, $300 and $730 respectively, with  $395 of farm equipment. That made his total property assessment for that year $6666.

1880 is the final census where William appears.  He is a farmer, age 69, widowed.  He states he was born in Georgia with his father born in South Carolina and his mother in North Carolina.  He was not able to read and write.  Also in the household were Lawson, 40,  Andrew J, 38, Lee Roy, 30, Washington, 26, and Linton Stephens, 23.  Lawson and A.J. were listed as farmers.  Lee Roy and Washington were described as 'working on the farm' and Linton as a physician.  All were listed as single, although in Lawson's case that is only technically correct.  All were also listed as unable to read and write.  They could all certainly write their names but Linton in particular, as a university graduate, was highly unlikely to be illiterate.

William has not been found on the 1880 agricultural schedule but neither have his sons.  The extant schedule for that area is not in good physical shape and there are several Williams for whom the surname cannot be read.

William's tombstone states that he died in 1894.  However, the tombstone appears to be much newer than the grave and may have been added considerably after the fact.  In his estate records, his son Lawson, the executor, states that he died on 6 January 1889. He died intestate but Lawson was granted letters of administration on the estate.  Lawson took out a $12000 bond for this, witnessed by 3 of his brothers.  He first estimated the value of the estate at close to that, including 1000 acres of land and personal property but shortly afterwards changed that to $6200.  Lawson quickly requested permission to sell all perishable goods as well as some of the land.

The land sale was to pay off debts and to facilitate dividing the estate among the children.   The land was described as The Home place, 250 acres, the Mathis/Mathews place 500 acres and the Watkins place 249 acres.  This was later revised to be as follows:

  The Mathews place - 310 and 3/4 acres bounded by J.C. Duggan and J.L. Garner on the North, A.M. Mathews and T.G. Duggan and T.J. Cummings on the East, and by his own land on the South and West.

  Also 20 acres  adjoining lands of J.M. Archer on the North, East by  T.T. Brown, South by J.J. Garner, West by John Garner.

  Also 33 acres of land near Union Church, bounded on the North by G.W. Garner, East by Duggan, South by Duggan and West by G.W. Garner.

  The Home place was 503 acres bounded on the North by S.A. Garner [his sister Sally Ann], J.L. Duggan, East by his own lands and T.J. Cumming; South by G.E Walker, J.E. Garner, A. J. Garner and J.C. Duggan; West by S.A. Garner and L. S. Garner. 

After the land, crops, and personal items were sold, each of William's heirs received $466 in January 1890, an additional $275 each in 1891, and $10 in 1892.   Sarah Elizabeth's share, which would have gone to her children, was dispersed to their father J.P. Carr, who was designated as the guardian.

William and Sarah Johnson Garner had the following children:

• Minerva.  Born 7 Nov 1838, supposedly died 8 August 1867.  Never married and no children. 
• Frances (Fannie), born 16 Dec 1839, died 6 Dec 1911, buried at Union Baptist Church cemetery in Washington county.  She married James Roberts in 1880 and her widowed brother-in-law John P. Carr in 1889.  She did not have any children. 
• John Lawson, born 18 Aug 1841, died 7 Jan 1897, buried at Union Baptist church.  He married Mary Victoria McCook on 18 Aug 1892, after they had already had four children. 
• Andrew Jackson (A.J.), 23 March 1843 - 23 Dec 1911.  Buried at Union  Baptist Church.  Never married and no children. 
• William Columbus (seen in some family records as Christopher Columbus or just Columbus), born May 1845,  married Mary Catherine Dutenhoefer 15 Dec 1867.  Date of death has not been determined.  He may be the W.C. Garner of the correct age who appears in the Milledgeville Asylum in 1910 and 1920.  When his brother A.J.'s estate was distributed in 1911, his son Hollifield signed as his guardian, indicating some sort of incapacity.  He had 7 children.
• James Thomas, 29 Feb 1848-17 Jun 1926.  He is buried at Balerma Baptist church in Hancock County.  He married Louise Victoria McCray on 27 Dec 1877 and they had 6 children. 
• Lee Roy, 4 Jun 1850- 3 Nov 1932.  Twin brother to Green Lee, buried at Union Baptist Church. He married Catherine Lou Dutenhoefer and they had 5 children. 
• Green Lee, 4 Jun 1850 - 14 Mar 1930.  Married first Amanda Lou Walker on 21 Jan 1879 and then Hattie Gheesling on 18 Jan 1884.   Buried at Union Baptist Cemetery. 
• Louvenia (also seen as Lavinia and her tombstone says Lounera), 6 Dec 1852 - 6 Nov 1897.  Buried at Union Baptist Cemetery.  Married Green Mills on 27 April 1879.  They had at least 3 sons but only one lived to adulthood.  
• Washington Moses, 11 Aug 1854 - 28 Sep 1896.  Buried at Union Baptist Church. He married Claudia May Hood on 2 May 1889 and they had 3 children.  She later married a second time to Lee Blount.  
• Linton Stephen, 16 Nov 1856 - 26 Sep 1893, Buried at Union Baptist Church.  He was a medical doctor.  He married Addie Lee Archer on 11 Sep 1881.  They had 4 children of whom one died as a young child.  After his death, Addie married a second time to Oscar E. Smith.  
• Sarah Elizabeth (Lizzie), 16 Jun 1858 - 19 May 1889.  Buried at Union Baptist Church.  She married John (J.P.) Carr, but date of marriage is unknown.  They had 5 children.  After her death, John married her sister Fannie.

One Ichabod or Two?

Ichabod Martin seemed like a fairly simple find.  NH records show him as born on 5 Mar 1759 in Weare, NH, to Nathaniel and Mercy Goff Martin.  He enlisted in 1776 in the 1st NH Regisment, for 3 years and served out his entire enlistment.  He married sometime around 1788 (no record found so far).  He lived at first in NH, then in Vermont, and finally in Cortland County, NY, where he died in 1810.

And then he filed for a Revolutionary war pension in 1829.

This rather throws the  above knowledge into disarray.  We can be sure that "our" Ichabod Martin died in 1810 in Cortland County because his son Bishop Martin, as administrator of his estate, reported the date and place of Ichabod's death and listed himself as his son.   In the 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses, Bishop lists his own birthplace as Vermont, matching one of the records for Ichabod there.   The 1790 census for Ichabod lists himself (presumably, 1 male over 16), his probable wife, and 2 sons under 16, possibly Bishop and Ichabod.

It is apparent that Ichabod who served in the 1st NH regiment cannot in fact be Ichabod the father of Bishop, assuming that Bishop did not fake administering the estate.   But which Ichabod was the son of Nathaniel Martin and Mercy Goffe?   Which one appears in the Vermont Census?  And did 'our' Ichabod serve in the revolution or not?   Lots of questions to answer.

The Reports of his death may have been exaggerated

When I first started looking at Tilman Gooch, all that was known of his death was that he had been one of the militia on the Trail of Tears and reports had come back that he had died en route.  That was accepted in the family for a century or so, then modern genealogy came along and a woman discovered that a Tilman Gooch of about the right age appeared in Mississippi, near Tilman's brother William, in the 1840 census.  There was also a Tilman, possibly the same one, who died in San Francisco in 1850.  None of these men overlap with each other so they easily could be the same person. 

His daughter's bounty land application adds to the interest.  She was only tiny when he died so on her first go says that he came home from the wars and died.  Then, after talking to her older siblings, she amends that to say that Moses Justice had been with him in the militia and brought home the report that when he (Moses) left him, he was on the verge of death.  Which is a very different matter altogether.

Adding to the interest here is that Moses is probably a relative by marriage since Tilman's wife was Elizabeth Justice.  No way to tell across this much time but Moses could have been reporting factually or could have been sparing his sister/cousin's feelings by not telling her that her husband had just decided to not come back to her. 

Nancy and Turner Cates administrative Bond

Transcription:
[Administrator's Bond]
Georgia, Crawford County
Know all men by these presents
that we, Nancy Cates & Turner Cates & Joseph Wilder & Isaac Mills securities, are held and firmly bound unto their Honors the Justices of the Inferior Court, sitting for Ordinary Purposes for said County, and their successors in office, and assigns, in the just and full sum of two thousand Dollars for the payment of which sum to the said court of justice and their successors in office we  bind ourselves, our heirs, Executors and Administrators, in the whole and for the whole sum jointly and severally, and firmly by these presents, sealed with our seals and dated this 7th Day of November 1842

The condition of the above obligation is such, that if the above bound Nancy Cates & Turner Cates admors of the goods, chattel, and credits of Thomas Cates, late of said county, deceased which have, or shall come into the hands, possession, or knowledge of the said Nancy Cates & Turner Cates or the hands or possession of any person or persons for ?them? and the same, so made do exhibit unto the said Inferior Court, when sitting as a Court of Ordinary, when they shall be thereunto required; and such goods, chattel, and credit do well and truly administor according to law, and do make a just and true account of their actings and doings therein, when they shall thereunto be required by the Court:  Shall deliver and pay to such person or persons respectively, as they may be entitled to the same by law: And if it shall hereafter appear that any last Will and Testament was made by the deceased, and the same be proven before the said Court, and Executor obtain a certificate of the probate thereof, and Nancy Cates & Turner Cates in such case, if required, render and deliver up of the said Letters of Administration, then this obligation to be void, else to remain in full force.

Signed, sealed and acknowledged in open Court

Test E. W. Dennis ?C C D?

Nancy X Cates
      her mark
Turner Cates
Joseph X Wilder
   his mark
Isaac Mills

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Nancy Cates was the widow of Thomas Cates and Turner his son.   Joseph Wilder and Isaac Mills were neighbors.  Joseph's son Jonathan would marry Turner's granddaughter Feraby Lewis, daughter of Nimrod. 

The other item of interest is that in the legal notices in the Macon Telegraph of August 30, 1842, so several months before this, Nancy Cates, Turner Cates and Nimrod Lewis had applied for letters of Administration on the estate of Thomas Cates.   There is no indication why he was removed nor why no apparent action was taken between August and November.  The assessment of the estate and estate sale occurred in late November and early December of 1842.