Census Records Give Information About Early Jasper County

By John Harvey

One of the records used to trace the history of an area is the U.S. Census Records.  The U.S. Census is taken every ten years.

The first census was take in 1790 and each census that follows came in ten year period. In the War of 1812 when the British burned the national capital most of the census records were burned, so that the first complete record now existing is the 1820 census.

In all censuses prior to 1850 only the heads of households were listed, and then the number of males and females according to age living in that household.  Beginning with the census of 1850 all members of a household were listed by name and age.

For those wishing to trace their families back to the early years of our country, these records can be seen at the Georgia State Archives in Atlanta; Washington Library in Macon; and if you want a more detailed study, the Federal Records Depository in East Point, Georgia.

Recently we obtained pages from the 1820 census and were interested in seeing how many of the original settlers of Jasper County were still living in the county in 1820.  (The county was created in 1807)

From the list in L. L. Knights, Georgia Memorials, some of the names in the census of 1820 and the number of members they claimed in their families are:

Charles Cargile, two; (family still in county); Eli Glover, five, R. C. Shorter, eight; Anthony Dyer, eight; William Hitchcock, two; John Maddox, eight (family still in county); William Penn, six (family still in county); Woody Dozier, five (family still in county); Issac Weldon seven and Zephaniah Harvey, eleven.

Other names that appeared in the census that would be familiar to us were:  Holmes, Gibson, Smith, Baldwin, Baynes, Hill, Powell, Davis, Gilmore, Williams, Philips, Jordan, Lanier, King, McLendon, Robey, Linch, Lynch, Crawford, Henderson.

Also McMichael, Clay, Benton, Pye, Howard, Adams, Spain, Jacobs, Clark, Mosley, Mobley, Waldrop, Womack, Lane, Glazier, Mitchell, Bailey, Hardy, Scott, Turner Edwards, Malone, Martin, Walker Cooper, Simpson, White, Ezell, Pottery, Perry and many other names that are no longer found in the county.

As the first names in the above list did not match up with the original list, I assumed that they were for the most part the children of those on the original list or later settlers.

In many cases it was possible to tell which part of the county the people lived in, for example, the page headed by Zephaniah Harvey and James Henderson, both of whom lived in the Adgateville/Hillsboro area, and the page listing Matthew Whitfield, who lived at Shady Dale.  The others listed on those pages evidently lived in the same areas.  The page headed by James Hardy had to contain names in the northwestern part of the county.

As you read those names they become familiar to you, and you have seen them so often before they become like old friends.

Additional Comments:
Transcribed by Suzanne Forte (suzanneforte@bellsouth.net) April 2005,  from copies of articles contained in the Monticello News. There articles were prepared by Mr. 
John Harvey and published in this newspaper during the 1970's and 1980's time frame. Some were under the title "Jasper Reflections", others "Bicentennial Bits".
Permission has been granted by Mr. Harvey for use of these very valuable and informative articles.

Copies of articles provided by Benny Hawthorne.