Hall County, Georgia (about 1813-1825)
An historical
fact is inserted here which may or may not have had an effect on the MULLINS’
family move. 1816 was the year
known as “The Year Without a Summer”.
Mount Tambora was a volcano on the island of Sumbava in the Dutch East
Indies. On April 5, 1815, it blew up and blew dust and debris into the upper
atmosphere. The explosion was heard 930 miles away in Sumatra. In the area 83,000 people died.
In America, it snowed every month of the summer of1816 especially in New
England. People starved to death
all over the world.
Sometime in the
period of about six years from 1811-1817, Bud and his extended families moved to
Cherokee Indian lands from their farmland in Jackson County, Georgia.
Why Bud and his family chose to move to land not open for settlement
remains a mystery. As a side note,
his granddaughter, Sarah M. MULLINS, was quoted many years later as saying that
she was part Indian but this has never been proven.
It is possible that Bud married an Indian while living in either North or
South Carolina. That may be one of
the reasons that Bud never had any slaves until around 1850 when his wife was no
longer on any census reports.
Bud and his relatives were not alone in moving to this area.
Two families, closely associated with the MULLINS, were the
Strickland’s and the Myers', and they traveled to the Indian lands.
These settlers moved into Indian lands prior to their being available for
settlement, which was theoretically illegal. In fact, there are a couple of letters written by Jackson
County Indian Agent Hugh Montgomery to Governor William Rabun, and received by
the governor on July 3, 1817. The
first said in part:
"Sir -- I
have Just Returned from the Frontiers, and have Sat Down to give you the names
of the white persons (heads of families) who I find living on the Indian Lands
adjesant to this County -- (Jackson)...on both sides of the Chatahoochee...at
and near the mouth of Big Creek are John Mires...at and near the mouth of the
Flowery Branch are Bud Mullens...on Flat creek are Simon Strickland, Sion
Strickland, Irvin Strickland, Lazeras Strickland... I did not see all of them, but the greater part of them that
I did, promised to Come in, some few will, say about one in ten, the ballance
will not(.)
"There
are a great many shifts which those people make to get selling on those
Lands(.) some Rent or Lease of Indians or Mixed Bloods (,) others
settle Down on such place as pleases them and get some stroling vagabond
Indian to live or stay with them, they Call themselves his Croppers, he is to
hunt and they cultivate the Ground, they find him a Gun and amunition(.)
they have the meat and he the skins, but it often so turns out that he
has two Hoggskins for one Dearskin, and this accounts for the Frontier people
loosing so many of their Hoggs as they do -- others (if possible) more Lax in
their Morrels and Still Less Delicate in their taste will Kiss a Squaw for the
privallage of their Land and Range, he then becomes a Landlord he has his
Croppers, Tenants, and Hirelings etc. etc.
thus a whole settlement claim under him, and what seems more abominable
than all is that others give their Daughters to the Indian fellows for the
privallage of Living in their Country themselves, of this Land and Worst
Class are John Tidwell and Noah Langly the Former has given four of his
daughters to Indian fellows for wives and the latter two thus a Motly Race are
propegating fast verry fast on the Chatahoochee and its waters--...."1
The Chattahoochee was dammed in
1953 to begin the formation of Lake Lanier and so buried was the mouth of
Flowery Branch. The famous movie
Deliverance (1972), starring Burt Reynolds and Jon Voight, depicted a wild river
like this before the lake was full. Our
family, if they stayed there, would not have been the ones in the canoes running
the river.
In another letter 3 weeks later
on July 24, 1817 Indian Agent Montgomery writes to the Governor:
"Sir -- I have
received Certificates that the following persons have either moved or are
actually Removing within the settled Limits of the State (of Georgia)...Bud
MULLINS, John Mires..."
A lot can be said from reading
these letters. First, the Indian
Agent writer, a Mr. Hugh Montgomery, obviously had an opinion about the Indians,
and anyone who associated with them. His prejudices are obvious, and probably reflect those of his
superior’s otherwise he would not have put a pen to them.
Next, we learn that Bud has moved to the area by 1817.
One of the families worth of note in the letter is the Strickland clan.
Solomon Strickland was a long time friend of Bud’s and that will be
discussed later, but it is evident that he traveled wherever Bud went. In 1807, a Solomon Strickland deeded some property to his
nieces and nephews in Jackson County.2
In documentation, written much later, Solomon states that he had known
Bud for some 25 years but Bud must have known Solomon’s family much longer.3
Another friend was George Harper who was also in Jackson County at the
turn of the century and testified that he had know Bud for some 45 years, which
would be from about 1807.
Whether Bud, his family, and
other families actually moved pursuant to the request of the Indian Agent
Montgomery is questionable. He was
recorded in the tax rolls of the Gaddis District of Gwinnett County in 18194,
which means he did remove his family for a short period.
The previous year, 1818, both Gwinnett and Hall are formed, with Hall
comprising both the west and the east side of the Chattahoochee River and
Flowery Branch Creek where Bud settled by 1820.
Back in 1804, a portion of the eventual county was ceded by the Cherokee
and a border that would last until 1817 was established.
North of the border, the old Federal Highway ran through the Cherokee
Nation, crossed the Chattahoochee at Vann's Ferry and continued through Flowery
Branch to its south-eastern end at Augusta, Georgia.
Bud probably remained in the area and then moved back, as the 1820 census
has his family and others located in the same general area.
The above map, produced in 1828,
shows the Federal Highway through the towns of Jefferson (Jackson County seat),
Athens, and then on to Augusta, Georgia. The
road going north west crosses the Chattahoochee River and later enters the
Cherokee Indian Nation about where the 60-mile indication is located.
This was Hall County, formed in early 1818, and where Bud settled on
Flowery Branch.
By this time, two of Bud’s
daughters have married. Rebecca is
married to a man named Childers, of which more research needs to confirm.
Nancy has married John Myers (Mires on the Indian Agent’s letter
above), and they already have several children.
John Myers is the son of Abraham Myers who resided in Jackson County at
the same time as Bud. In fact, the
Myers family consisting of Abraham, his father Jacob who had immigrated from
Germany and Abraham’s son John were all living on land owned by others.5
The Myers family will be presented in detail when Bud’s children are
discussed.
Hall County Marriages
(Mullins) - earliest to 18506
Even though some of Bud Mullins'
children obviously married while living in Hall County, Georgia, none of the
marriages were recorded. Why? In looking at Bud's life, not much was
recorded. But we do have 7 marriages that were and each will be addressed:
-
Polly MULLENS to Calob
CLARK on September 14, 1828 - Polly Mullins is most likely the sister of
John D. Mullins mentioned below. She came with him (and their father)
from Kentucky sometime between 1810 and 1820. Calob Clark lived next
door to John Mullins in both the 1830 Hall County and the 1840 Cobb County
censuses.
-
Burton MULLINS to Susan
WILSON on November 12, 1827 and
-
Burton MULLINS to Nancy
STRINGER on June 13, 1833 - Burton Mullins is the son of another John
Mullins, John M. Mullins Sr. to be precise. Burton and his brother
John M. Mullins, Jr. moved to Hall County sometime before 1827 from York
County, South Carolina. Burton and his family moved to Cherokee
County, Georgia, by 1834 where he spent the rest of his life.
-
John MULLINS to Vicey
WHITEHEAD on May 4, 1830 - This is John D. Mullins marrying Lavicey
Whitehead. John and Lavicey also moved to the newly acquired Indian
Lands in northwest Georgia by 1832 when the lotteries were held. He
lived in Cobb County (along with Bud and his family) at least through
1850. John stated that he was born in Kentucky on the 1850 Cobb County
census. Note that Polly and Calob Clark also moved to Cobb County.
-
Morning MULLINS to William
STEWART - Morning and William moved to Carroll County by the 1830
Federal Census and then on to Randolph County, Alabama by 1850. In
that census she states that she was born in South Carolina in 1807.
She is most likely the daughter of May Mullins as they both moved to Carroll
County by 1830.
-
Rebecca MULLINS to Isaac
S. Crossley on May 2, 1832 - Rebecca's parentage is unknown but on the
1850 Walker County, Georgia, Federal Census he is listed as born in South
Carolina and hers is blank without "ditto" marks. She is
likely another daughter of May listed who was listed on the 1820 Hall County
census as being born between 1811-1820.
-
Reuben MULLINS to Rebecca
POWERS on October 4, 1829 - Reuben (or Reubin) is listed on the 1830
Hall County census followed by the 1840 Cobb County, Georgia, census.
Reubin is the son of Bud Mullins. He died about 1847 and his wife and
family moved back to Hall County where she would be near her family.
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Mullins Index
