Early Settlers, Settlements - Some Questions Still Unanswered

By John Harvey

An inquiry was received from Thomas G. Paty of Phoenix Arizona about information on his great grandfather, Elijah C. Paty, an early settler of Jasper County.

This set off a search in the records (marriage, land and court).  Mrs. Irene Malone thought she might have something on this family and looked through her records.  She came up with much of the information Mr. Paty was asking for.  A letter from Mr. Patty giving permission to tell Elijah Paty's story came a few weeks later.

Elijah C. Paty was born in 1775 in Virginia.  He came to Jasper County in 1808 having drawn Land Lot No. 112 in the 14th District of the county.  He later bought the adjoining Land Lot No. 113 from Mr. Digby

In 1812 he married Eve (Amy) Parrott of Jasper County.  Her father ran a store in the Parrott community in the county and owned land also in the county.

Neighbors of the Patys were Thomas Broddus and Sen. Alfred Cuthbert.  Records in he courthouse show that Paty and Thomas Broddus each gave a half an acre of their land (Lots 113 and 114) for the building of  Methodist Church in 1832.  Shortly before 1840, the Patys moved to Alabama.  Other members of the family remained in the county, with marriages of Paty's and Parrott's in the county records as late as the 1850's.  Amy Paty died in Alabama in 140 and Elijah Paty in 1849.

Question:  Where was the community of Parrott?  An old map shows it on the railroad between Shady Dale and Eatonton, near Akienton; evidently a store and three or four houses.  Also an old Jasper County news has the news from Parrott's "On the railroad" in its pages.

The Methodist Church founded in 1812 we at first thought was Smithboro, but members of that church say it was founded in the 1870's.  Then we thought it might be the St. Andrew's Methodist Church, but maps showing the location of St. Andrews showed this not to be true.  Can anyone tell us which church it was?

Another question is: Was there ever a community in Jasper County near the Jasper-Putnam County line in the area of present Georgia Highway 212 East known as Gaylesville?

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.