March 21, 1875 Tornado, Edge Hill
The following was hand written by Thelma COOPER LAMB, b. 1912, d.1995, and typed by her son, Gene Lamb. This also includes the Microfilmed Glascock County GA Minutes Book, Page 368, published below. Mrs's Lamb's grandmother, Zilpha TOLER COOPER, wife of George Washington COOPER was killed in this storm and her father, Joseph Howell Cooper, was hurt and had his head shaved. This was apparently copied from some type of news article she had several years ago. Statements in parentheses are inserted by me (Gene Lamb). I have typed it below as it appears, without spelling corrections.
Fifty Years Ago Today (Mar 21, 1875).
This section was visited by storm that left death and ruin in its wake. BY: S.C. McGAHEE
Fifty years ago today we were visited by a fierce and distructive cyclone. The storm cloud divided at Camak (GA) on the Georgia Railroad. A branch of it going by Thomson, Ga., and another prong of it down through Warren, Glascock and Jefferson, Counties. At Camak it destroyed Elam Baptist Church with loss of human life; and became freakish by driving a plank endways through a solid telegraph pole. I am told that the section with the plank in it may now be seen at the Smithsonian Institute. At Thomson, Ga., it blew down the residence and killed a very prominent man by the name of STOVALL. The branch of it that went through Glascock Co., and Jefferson Co did considerable damage. It demolished Mt Zion Methodist Church killing and wounding some as I remember it. It was said that the wind entered at the door of the building and blew the heavy pine beanches like corn stalks over and about the heads of a number of people who had taken refuge there. The storm passing on went through Jefferson Co., demolishing the preaching stand at Mt. Moriah Campground and some of the tents. Today, on a Saturday, at about two o'clock p.m. fifty years ago this storm occured. At the time I was twenty years old.
I remember, very distinctly, I was at my ancestral home on Brier Creek in McDuffie County, thirty one miles from Augusta, Ga. While I stood in the hall of our home looking out, unconscious that the storm was passing some miles away both north and south of me. I saw the hail falling. Bits of it apparently were as big as my fist and thundered like rocks upon the house top. Up to this time I had never eared(sic) the snap of my finger for the wind blowing. Rather I liked to see it for it made the apples fall from the trees.
I was twenty years old at the time and had had no approximate observation or experience of storms. I thought they had bad storms in the West Indies and the tropics but never dreamed that I was living in a land that would one day become subject to them. Whats gone wrong? I would think Mr. EMIGH (sic), our metlorologist to explane.
Saturday, March 21st, 1925. by Mr. S.C. McGahee
Microfilmed Glascock County GA Minutes Book Page 368
Gibson,Ga March 31st 1875
The following are the names registered by the Relief committee of those who are suffeis(?) by the tornado which passed through this county on Saturday the 20th inst. registered for the purpose of distributing the various amounts that have been donated for this relief:
Annie Beckworth 10.00 1 Nancy D kitchens & Sons 20.40 2 Hiram W Hawkins 20.00 3 John W Braddy 125.00 4 Thomas Braddy 23.00 5 H Jasper Calhoun 10.00 6 Nehemiah Dickson 10.00 7 Denis Ivy 30.00 8 Dewell (?) Hilson 21.25 9 John H Kent 10.00 10 Geo. W Cooper 57.80 11 Elizabeth Pool 70.00 12 Presley H Cooper 5.00 13 Elijah Dickens 10.00 14 Richard Beckworth 14.20 15 Joseph B May 13.50 16 Reuben Warren 5.25 17 Stephen Toler 10.00 18 James McNeil 6.25 19 William McNeil 10.25 20 Marth Williford 5.00 21 Ezekiel Mathews 28.35 22 Nancy Toler 16.85 23 Thomas Mathews 10.00 24 Susan Thigpen 10.00 25 Nelly Logue 15.00 26 Richard Walden 15.00 27 Vincent Davis 18.50 28 B.T. Hughes 11.25 29 Augustus Williams 10.00 30 Miss Chalkin 25.00 31 Amos Davis (colored) 67.10 32 Richard Davis (colored) 5.75 33 Nancy Davis's Family (colored) 34 Grace Thigpen 12.00 35 Middleton Warren 5.25 36 Asa Johnson 5.00 37 Thompson Poole 10.00
The following names were included in a series of articles in the Augusta Chronicle & Sentinel March 21-26, 1875 and were submitted to the Glascock County GAGenWeb by Kathy Ernst at keernst@hotmail.com. The full reports can be seen at attp://www.augustaarchives.com. Appreciation is expressed to Kathy for sharing the information and acquiring permission to do so from the Augusta Chronicle. Kathy also acquired similar information for Baldwin, Burke, Columbia, Jefferson, Hancock, Harris, McDuffie, Richmond, Talbot, and Warren Counties in Georgia and Barnwell and Edgefield Counties in South Carolina.
*Glascock County, Ga.: 1. Mr. Mathias, his wife and children were killed 2. Mr. Vincent Davis killed, property damage 3. Dr. Barton was preaching at Zoar Church 4. J. L. Usry sent message to Dr. Barton 5. Sheriff Benj. Ivey mentioned 6. B. B. Kitchens wounded, his wife and child killed and his wife s brother, Mr. Brooks killed 7. Mr. Brown 8. Wm. McNeal 9. Ezekial Matthews wife killed 10. Mrs. George W. Cooper killed 11. Mrs. Thompson Pool killed 12. Mrs. Matthews killed 13. Richard Beckwith his child killed 14. Mr. V. Davis deaths at his farm 15. John Braddy mortally wounded 16. Mrs. Betsy Pool mortally wounded 17. Mrs. Nancy Toler mortally wounded 18. Bose Kitchens mortally wounded