Emanuel County GA Land Plat Index, Book A, 1813

Emanuel County GA Land PLAT BOOK A, 1813-1829

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Emanuel County was created by an act of thelegislature passed December 10, 1812, its territory being carved out of theolder counties of Bulloch and Montgomery. In this book are recorded copies ofplats of surveys made under the earliest land warrants issued by the landcourts of Emanuel County. This book does not, however, containthe earliest land grant records for Emanuel County since many grants had already beenissued while the area was still a part of Bulloch and Montgomery Counties.

Almost all of the plats recorded herein were certified by TravisThigpin, the first county surveyor. A few were certified by Reuben Neel andJohn Chason, later county surveyors. On page 84 appears the plat of the tractlaid off for the county seat in pursuance of the legislative acts of December 6, 1813 and November 18, 1814(Lucius Q. C. Lamar, A Compilation of the Laws of the State of Georgia,Augusta, 1821, pages 204-06 and 210). The central portion of the city of Swainsboro stands on this site today.

Many pages in this book are missing and the numbers of some of thepages in the front of the book could not be determined. Those page numbers thatcould not be determined are designated by a "---" in the index.Copies of the missing plats can be obtained from the Surveyor General Department,Secretary of State, Atlanta, Georgia.

Under the headright system of land granting, which was in effectover much of Georgia in the early 1800's, each head of afamily was entitled to a grant of two hundred acres plus fifty additional acresfor each family member or slave. To obtain the grant the applicant would appearbefore the land court in the county in which the land he desired was locatedand take a simple, oral oath attestingto the fact that he wasentitled to a grant. The land courts were made up of three justices of thepeace, the one with the senior commission presiding.. If the land courtapproved, the applicant was issued a warrant: for a survey which described, asfar as possible, the tract desired. The applicant presented the warrant to thecounty surveyor who had the responsibility of laying the tract off, making aplat of it, and then transmitting the warrant and plat to the state surveyorgeneral. In addition the county surveyor was required to advertise the surveyfor three months after it was performed. Upon receiving the warrant and platthe surveyor general made out a grant which he and the governor signed. Thegrant was then sent to the county Surveyor who recorded it and delivered it tothe grantee. For all of this the applicant paid for the survey, the paper work,and a nominal fee for the land.

FarrisW. Cadle

Ann C.Farrar

Swainsboro, Ga.

October,1980

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