Researching in Crisp County



What a delight to research in Crisp County! The county is small, everything is open, and everyone has 

true southern charm that is rare in our world today.



My deceased father, Wiley Conway "Buck" Treadwell (b.1913 Carroll Co. GA; d.1970 Palm Beach Co. FL) 

lived in Cordele from 1918-1933. I found him on the 1920 Census living on Ferry Road. For some 

perplexing reason I did not find him on the just released, not yet indexed, 1930 Census. I am positive 

he graduated from Cordele High School. He is in a graduation picture of Class of 1933.



This missing 1930 Census information prompted a very worthwhile and productive visit to Cordele. My 

sister and mother accompanied me. Our 93 year-old cousin who had lived in Cordele from 1917-1923 

remembered it as a beautiful city with perfectly laid-out square blocks and a thriving downtown. It was 

exactly as he described. The curbs of the downtown streets were made with Georgia granite stone. The 

downtown, while no longer thriving, remains a lovely section with many historical buildings.



We left Jacksonville, Florida, early in the morning for a three-hour drive to Cordele. We had that 

afternoon and the next morning to research in Cordele. We were then our way to a Treadwell reunion in 

Newnan. We carefully planned our schedule to accomplish as much as possible. For the first afternoon: 

one hour at the school board, two or three hours at the courthouse, one hour at the department of vital 

statistics, and the remaining hours at the library. On the following morning, we planned a visit with 

the son of the deceased Dr. Lee Williams Sr., for whom my grandfather worked as the overseer of his farms.



First stop was the school board office. Very kind and helpful ladies retrieved the high school records of 

my father. I was delighted to read his challenging curriculum included algebra, chemistry, physics and 

French. Cordele is proud of its educational system.



Second stop was the courthouse. Again, two very charming ladies helped us research the grantor-grantee 

index and then copy the property deeds, including a plat of the Bland Villa section where my father 

lived. We explained to them we were looking for our roots. They laughingly responded, "Yes, we can 

tell!" At the courthouse, we also visited the probate office for records of marriages and wills. We 

found original marriage licenses and a will on both direct and collateral lines. In our haste to 

stay on schedule, we left the copies at the probate office. Not a problem, however!



Third stop was the health department and vital statistics. We walked in and immediately the office 

workers asked us if were doing genealogy research. The probate office worker had just called to give 

the message that the copies were still at her office. How kind and caring they all were! We got a 

certified copy of my grandfather's death record.



Fourth stop was the library. The special collections room was unlocked for us. The librarians showed 

us where the newspaper microfilm was located. My father played football; I found the newspaper records 

for his senior year of football. My sister and mother poured over every book. We found a city 

directory from 1938 that confirmed the address of my grandfather. We closed with the library at 6 pm.



On the way back to our motel, we found the Bland Villa section and the area my father lived. The house 

was no longer standing; it was on 16th Avenue and now was a commercial strip.



The next morning we met Jake, a retired pharmacist. My grandfather worked for Jake's father (Jake 

was too young to remember my grandfather). Jake is a delightul, charming, southern gentleman! We 

spent several hours with him. He took us on a grand driving tour of Cordele. We saw the location of 

the old high school. He showed us in detail where the tornado ripped through the town, destroying 

the school and many homes. We saw where his family lived when he was born, and his family home 

designed as a copy of Robert E. Lee's home. He told us many stories about the history of Cordele. 

He showed us the famous "Hole in the Wall" hot dog stand on "Smokey Road" (the nickname for the 

road next to the railroad depot). He took us to see the farms where my grandfather worked.



As we ended our visit, we felt as though we had been in Cordele for many years. We promised ourselves 

that we would visit again soon.



Patsy Treadwell Freeman (Jacksonville, Florida)



 


Primary line: Treadwell and Carter

Collateral lines: Brooks, Duncan, Gladney, Kimble, Hicks, Deriso, Sloan