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HISTORY OF LAND IN Taylor COUNTY

1839 map. This map shows the main roads in existence around 1839. You can see how your ancestors may have settled along these roads.

This page attempts to trace the land which is present day Taylor County through it's changing County Formation lines.

If you took Taylor County as a more or less square and divided in into 4 equal parts, with the perpendicular line running just west of butler and the parallel line just south of Butler, you can make a guess as to what county the land was in prior to 1852. Remember (with the exception of the part from Crawford) all of it was Original Muscogee county (much, much larger than present day Muscogee County--so be careful not to confuse this when you read "originally Muscogee County" in old deeds.

Hall's 1889 Original County Map of Georgia shows these "original counties"

Learn about the Numbering of Land Districts (which never changed since they were first numbered)

Time Line for County Creation

  • Muscogee Original County (1827) and Monroe Original County (1821)
  • The Original Muscogee County divided into several parts including Talbot, Marion, and Macon. Crawford was a part of Monroe Original county created in 1821, thus an older section. 1825 (1827) - Indian Land Treaty

    1825 - Creation of Muscogee (original county not present day Muscogee)

    1827 Talbot County Created from Original Muscogee Land

    1827 Marion County Created from Original Muscogee Land

    1852 - Taylor County Created from parts of Talbot, Marion, Macon and Crawford

    1854 - Old Indian Agency Land (north east part of present Taylor)to Taylor


    Where Might My Ancestor Have Lived Before the 1827 Lottery?

    Those who drew in the 1827 Land Lottery were of various categories:

    Go here to see the qualifications to draw in the 1827 Lottery. This may give you clues about your Ancestor that you were not aware of, i.e. Revolutionary War Veteran; living in Georgia for three years.

    If your ancestor was a "fortunate drawer", his GRANT would be in the Archives. The Grant was issued after he had paid his $18 fee per Lot. If he didn't pay the fee, then the Archives will show that it reverted to the State of Georgia. MAP of Original Muscogee The ORIGINAL County was MUSCOGEE covering Land Districts 1-24 and was surveyed in 1826-1827 with the Land Lottery held in 1827.

    1827 Lottery by Surname. Gives county where living when drawing took place. Many participants never paid their fee, and if they did sold the lots.


    Indian Land Treaty

    1825 (1827) - Indian Land Treaty
    12 February 1825 -- Treaty at Indian Spring between Creek Indians and US Government in which the Creek Indians relinquished claim to all lands west of the Flint River.

    This Treaty was not ratified due to death of Gen. McIntosh (Creek Chief, the son of a Scottish trader and a Creek woman) who was put to death by a delegation of his own nation, at his home in the present Carroll County, May 1, 1825. They claimed that he acted against the wishes of the majority of the Creeks.

    The transfer of this territory to the State was officially made by the treaty at Washington City, Jan 24, 1826, when an agreement was made that the Creek Indians should vacate on or before January 1, 1827.

    This treaty was not recognized by Gov. Troup, and he ordered the survey into districts by the terms of the Indian Spring agreement. The Federal Government (President John Q. Adams) and the State of Georgia became involved in a serious controversy which was not amicably reached until the conference at Fort Mitchell (Alabama) Nov 15, 1827 when the United States agreed to pay the Creek Indians $28,000 for the territory.

    For more information see American Indian Land Cessions in Georgia

    Creek Personally Owned Lands

    Even though there was a treaty, many of the Creeks owned land, they even had slaves. This treaty allowed them to sell their lands, much like the treaties in Sussex and Surry Co., VA where the NA lands were sold to the whites.

    The records are in Russell Co., AL (near Ft. Mitchell)as that is where most of their lands were located. The capital of the Creek Confederacy, Coweta was in Columbus, GA but lands were also on the other side of the Chattahoochee River, which is in Russell Co., AL.


    1825 - Creation of Muscogee, Troup, Coweta, Lee and Carroll(original counties)
    A Georgia Legislative Act of December 11, 1826 created Muscogee, Troup, Coweta, Lee and Carroll Counties. The original Muscogee county was some 2,000 square miles of territory between the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers
    Size of Land Lots
    Muscogee Land Districts
    Muscogee County was divided into 24 Land Districts. Beginning at the lower right hand corner (now Macon) and numbering westward were Districts 1-7. Immediately north of these districts, numbering eastward were Districts 8-13; then numbering westward Districts 14-19. The top row numbered eastward Districts 20-24. Legal Description of County Boundaries

    A bill signed into law on Dec. 14, 1827 provides:

    "AN ACT for the division of the late acquired counties of Carrol, Troup. Muscogee and Lee into counties of a proper shape and size.

    "Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Georgia in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, . . .

    Legal Description - 1827 Talbot
    Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That so much of the county of Muscogee as lies within the following boundaries, to wit: beginning at the south-east corner of lot number 193, in the 17th district of the county of Muscogee thence east to Flint river, thence up said river to the boundary line of the county of Merriwether, thence with said line to the boundary line of the county of Harris, thence southwardly along said line to the beginning, shall form one other county called Talbot, (in memory of Capt. Matthew Talbot, of Wilkes county." (Ga. Laws 1827, p. 69)     1849 Legislature added more land

    Legal Description - Crawford Co 1827
    A bill signed into law on Dec. 26, 1827 provides:

    "Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Georgia in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That so much of the county of originally Muscogee, lying and being within the following bounds, viz: commencing at the corner of fractions Nos. 192 and 193, in the 24th district of originally Muscogee. running south until it strikes Patoyliga, or four mile creek; thence down said creek to its junction with Flint river, be added to and become a part of the county of Crawford -- any law or usage to the contrary notwithstanding." (Ga. Laws 1827, p. 68)

    Legal Description - Marion county
    Marion County was created from Lee and Muscogee counties on Dec. 14, 1827 by an act of the General Assembly (Ga. Laws 1827, p. 69). According to the act, Marion County's boundaries were defined as:
    ". . . so much of the counties of Lee and Muscogee as are contained in the following boundaries, to wit: beginning in the centre of lot number 120, in the 10th Muscogee, and running southwardly along the county line of Muscogee, to the south east corner of lot 136, in the 32d district Lee county, thence east to the upper corner of fraction number 145, in the 28th Lee, on Flint river, thence up said river to the south east corner of fraction number 280, in the first Muscogee, thence with the county line of Talbot to the beginning."

    Between 1827 and 1876, Marion County gave up land to Chattahoochee, Crawford, Macon, Muscogee, Schley, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor, and Webster counties. Note that from 1827 to 1837, (when Macon County was created), Marion County stretched all the way to the Flint River.
    Map showing how far east Marion County ran. The old community of Lanier, for instance, existed even before Macon County was created.

    Legal Description - Macon County
    Macon County was created from Houston and Marion counties on Dec. 14, 1837 by an act of the General Assembly (Ga. Laws 1837, p. 66). According to that legislation, the new county's boundaries were defined as:
    "Beginning on Flint river, at the corner of Houston and Dooly counties, running thence East, on the line between Houston and Dooly, to the corners of the 14th and 15th Districts of Houston county; thence due North on the line between the 14th and 15th Districts, and between the 8th and 9th Districts of Houston county, to the let of land in the 8th District, whereon James A. Everett, Esq. now resides; thence around the Southern, Western and Northern boundary of said lot of land, to the said dividing line, between the said 8th and 9th Districts; thence due North again along said line, to the line between Houston and Crawford counties; thence South-westwardly along said county line, to Flint river; thence across said river and up the same to the line between Marion and Talbot counties; thence westwardly along said line, to the second East meridian of the 13th District, of originally Muscogee, now Marion county; thence due South along said meridian line, to the line dividing the counties of Sumter and Marion; thence Eastwardly on said line, between Sumter and Marion, to the Flint river; and thence up and along said river, to the beginning."

    Hall's Land District Map of Georgia By looking at this MAP, you can follow what I have described above. It is the KEY to Land Districts in GA.

    Map showing the County Lines of Marion, Talbot Crawford, and Macon BEFORE Taylor was formed. Studying this will help you in knowing WHICH counties to search prior to 1852.

    Studying this map, you can see how Taylor County was taken out of the four counties -- Talbot, Marion, Crawford and Macon.

    Look for the straight Land District Divisions...on the west and the Flint River on the north and east. Note the colors for each county --these were where the older counties originally extended.
    Note that Crawford County originally extended southwest of the Flint and that Patsiliga Creek was the boundary at the time of this 1855 map.

    It is important to note that these Land Districts Numbers have NOT CHANGED even today. Though County Lines have changed the District numbers remained. If your ancestor owned land in District 13 of Muscogee County, it is still District 13 today but in Taylor County.

    As stated above, the original Land Grants (based on the Lottery Drawing) for land lots is in the ARCHIVES. If the land was sold after this, then the Deed would be in the Muscogee County Courthouse if the transaction occurred BEFORE Talbot County was formed in 1827. To locate the GRANT, see "How to Locate a Land Lottery Grant or Plat"


    1827 - Creation of Talbot County
    Talbot Co was established December 1827, created from parts of Muscogee "Original" county. At a later time part of and Troup "original Harris" Land Districts were given to Talbot. Begin at lower right hand corner of Muscogee. (See Hall's Land District Map of Georgia. Locate Land Districts on lower right hand corner, moving westward:
     
    22 23  24
    17 16  15    14           
    

    From 1827 until 1852, any sale of a Land Lot in the above Land Districts (22, 23, 24, 17, 16, 15, 14) would be in Talbotton Courthouse, Talbot County.

    Check out the Talbot County page Deed Bk A 1827-1829 . Carol Johnson has on-line abstracted deeds for these years.

    Legal Description - Talbot - 1849
    An act approved Dec. 20, 1849, provides:

    "SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Georgia in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by authority of the same, That from and after the passage of this act, the following lots, parts of lots, and fractional lots of land lying in the first district of originally Muscogee, now Macon county, to wit: the north half of two hundred and seventy-one, numbers two hundred and sixty-eight, two hundred and sixty-three and two hundred and sixty-four, and fractional lot two hundred and sixty-seven; and the following lots, parts of lots and fractional lots of land lying in the said first district of Muscogee, now Crawford county, to wit: fractional lot number two hundred and eighty, and that part of lot number two hundred and eighty-one lying north of Parchelagee Creek, and so much of the east half of lot number two hundred and eighty-two as lies north of said creek be and the same are hereby added to the county of Talbot." (Ga. Laws 1849-50, p. 131)


    1827 - Creation of Marion County
    Marion County was established December 1827, created from parts of Original Counties Muscogee and Lee. But only those Land Districts from Muscogee really concern Taylor County.

    10  11   12
     5  4    3
    


    1837 - Creation of Macon County
    Macon County was established in 1837, created from parts of Marion and Houston...but we are only concerned with the Land Districts from Marion...namely 13, 1 and 2.
    1852-Taylor County
    Taylor county was created by the State Legislature on January 15, 1852 taking lands from Marion and Talbot counties. It was named in honor of Gen. Zachary Taylor, a military hero in the Mexican War and the 12th president of the United States who had died in 1850 while in office.

    The northern half of the county to Patsiliga Creek was taken from Talbot County. The southwestern quarter was taken from Marion County and the southeastern quarter was taken from Macon County.

    Description at time of formation - 1852

    Dr. White described the original boundaries as: "Beginning at Walker's Ferry on Flint River (Talbot County), running thence along Walker's Ferry Road to Prattsburg.
    thence due south until it strikes the 12 mile station on Lot number 214, in the 15th District of Talbot.
    thence along the Fort Perry Road to Patisiliga Creek
    thence up the said creek to the district line between the 15th and 16th districts
    thence on the said line until it strikes Cedar Creek in Marion County
    thence down said creek until it strikes Turner's Bridge in Macon County
    thence along the road leading to the Burnt Bridge on Whitewater Creek, Macon County
    thence on a straight line running northeast, until it strikes Horse Creek, on the WS corner of Land Lot 162, in the 13th District of Macon County
    thence to the NW corner of Land Lot 194 in said district
    thence on a direct line due east until it strikes Flint River between lots #246 adn 247, in the 1st Distric of Macon County
    thence up said river to the mouth of Patsiliga Creek, along the old Talbot line to Walker's Ferry, the starting point. (pg 3. 100 Years in Butler County)

    15. Sec. XI. That the line of the county of Taylor shall extend down Cedar Creek until it strikes the south-east corner of William McLendon's land, thence due north to the original line of Taylor county.
    Approval Date: APPROVED, March 1st, 1856.

    36. SEC. IX. And be it further enacted, That the line between the counties of Taylor and Marion shall be as follows, to wit: said line shall extend due West from the present line to the Northwest corner of lot of land No. 225, in the eleventh district of originally Muscogee, now Marion county, thence due South to the Southwest corner of lot of land No. 250 of said district, thence along the line of said lot to the Southeast corner of the same, thence South to the Southwest corner of lot No. 264 in said district, thence East to the Southwest corner of the same lot, thence South to the Southwest corner of lot No. 285, thence due East to the original corner of Taylor county, and also the line shall be further changed so as to include all that portion of lot of Land No. 214 in the third district, now in Marion county, in the county of Taylor so as to include the residence of Jeremiah Wilcher.
    Approval Date: APPROVED, March 4th, 1856.

    857 Vol. 1 -- Page: 233
    Sequential Number: 206 Law Number: (No. 204.)
    Full Title: An Act to define, lay out and run a part of the western line of Taylor county, appoint Commissioners, and pay said Commissioners for running said line.

    33. Sec. I. The General Assembly of the State of Georgia do enact, That a part of the western line of Taylor county, shall commence at Prattsburg, where the Walker Ferry road to Talbotton, and the Miking Ferry road to Daviston cross, running in the direction of Daviston, to Dr. William Draine's gin-house, from there, in a straight line to the twelve mile station, or mile post, on lot No. (214,) two hundred and fourteen, in the fifteenth district of Talbot county, excepting the easterly land lines of William Draine, sr., of Talbot county, from the points of intersection with said straight line, shall be a part of the western line of Taylor county.
    [Sidenote: Part of the western line of Taylor co. established.]

    34. Sec. II. Be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That Joseph Brown and Walton Carter, both of Talbot, and Hiram Draine and William Matthews, both of Taylor, and such person as they may select as surveyor, be and they are hereby appointed Commissioners to lay out and run said line described in the first section of this Act.

    35. Sec. III. Be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That said Commissioners shall make return of their acts and doings, to the Inferior Courts of Talbot and Taylor counties, and said Courts shall pay said Commissioners such an amount as in their judgment is reasonable and just for their services, each of said counties to bear one-half of said expenses.
    Approval Date: Assented to December 22d, 1857.


    Map showing Land Districts and Land Lots
    Today's Taylor County Land Districts:

    The area has changed from the original boundaries when land from Crawford was added in 1854and from Macon in 1859.

    You may obtain a map of Taylor County from the Dept of Transportation (be sure to ask for the one which shows the actual Land Lots as well as the Land Districts.

    The Land District/Land Lot maps are also available from:

    Tax Assessor's Office
    1 Courthouse Square
    P.O. Box 68
    Butler, GA 31006
    Send check for $5.00 for each map.
    

    The Land Districts were complete squares and contained Land Lots beginning with #1 and running north-south, reversing to south-north on next colum, so if the County Map Land District doesn't contain the complete number of Land Lots, this is a valuable CLUE that nearby land lots were (are) in another County at one period!

    
           24
    -- --  15    14       1*       
       11  12    13
           3*     2    
    

    From 1827 until 1852, sale of a Land Lots in the 15, 14, Land Districts might be in Talbotton Courthouse, Talbot County.

    *BUT, Land District 11, 12 northern part of #3 were from Marion County, created in 1827. Buena Vista is the County Seat. (1827-1852)

    *Part of Land District (northwest)13, 2 and 1 were originally in Macon County, created 1837. Oglethorpe is County Seat. So a few of these Land Lots from this District would have been sold through that county from 1837-1852.

    *Land District #1 is located just east of Land District 14 (present day Reynolds Area) and was part of original MUSCOGEE County . Tracing this land would begin in Muscogee

    Land Research is NOT EASY! But it is essential in tracing your ancestors and where they lived!


    Summary of Land Districts--Where to Look Before 1852
    24 = Talbot (1827-1852)
    15 = Talbot (1827-1852)
    14 = Talbot (1827-1852)
    
    13 = Marion (1827-1837) Macon (1837-1852)
     1 = Marion (1827-1837) Macon (1837-1852)
     2 = Marion (1827-1837) Macon (1837-1852)
    
    11 = Marion (1827-1852)
    12 = Marion (1827-1852)
    3 = Marion (1827-1852)
    

    INDIAN LANDS to Taylor County

    Summary by Carol Watson
    On February 11, 1854 the Georgia legislature placed all that part 
    of Crawford County "lying west of the Flint River" into Taylor Co.
    
    That part "lying West of the Flint River" was originally the western part of 
    the Old Indian Agency that Colonel Benjamin Hawkins was appointed  in 1796 by 
    the US Government to establish.  It was a huge square of land with "about 
    1/2" on the east side of the Flint and the other  "about  1/2"   on the west 
    side of the river.The Indian Agency was operating while the land west of the 
    Ocmulgee River was still Indian Land(including the land now know as Crawford 
    Co.).
    
     Since 1854 the western part of the Old Indian Agency  has been the in the 
    northeast part of Taylor Co. Maps of Taylor plainly show the western part of 
    the square on its map.  
    
    That land was no longer needed for an Indian Agency when the Indians agreed 
    to a treaty(1825) that allowed Georgia to have the land all the  way to the 
    Muscogee River. Muscogee Co(formed from that treaty) went all way to the 
    Flint River. The northeast part of present day  Taylor Co-the 14th Land 
    District--was the 14th Dist of Muscogee & then the Talbot 14th, until 1852 
    when Taylor was formed.  However, the part of Crawford Co "lying west of the 
    Flint River" was not part of Muscogee Co or Talbot Co,because it was already 
    part of Crawford Co. In 1854 it became part of Taylor.
    
    So, all of the people living in that part of Crawford "lying west of the 
    Flint" were  Crawford Co residents and should have been counted in the 1850 
    Census of Crawford Co.  and would have used the Crawford Co Court in 
    Knoxville. In 1854,  If they still lived in the same house they would have 
    became part of Taylor Co and would have been in the 1860 Census of Taylor Co. 
    Also, from February 1854  they would have depended on the Court of Taylor Co  
    in Butler vice the Crawford Court in Knoxville.
    
    Howevr,if they relocated from "the land lying west of the Flint" of Crawford 
    to land in Taylor Co between 1852 and 1854 they would also have been under 
    the Court of Taylor Co. Taylor County Court then would have issued the money 
    to be paid to Hortman for Britt in 1853.
    That relocation could have been simply moving across the road, if they lived 
    near the county line!!!  If they moved back to Crawford Co afterFeb 11,1854, 
    they would have had to move east of the Flint River and they would appear in 
    the 1860 Census of Crawford Co.  Families that did not own land, moved 
    frequently from farm to farm in the winter months so they would be at the new 
    farm when the new crops were planted in the spring.
    
    The property of the Old Indian Agecny was declared by the Georgia government  
    by the Acts of Dec 22, 1827(ACTS 1827 Page 131)to be sold because of  the 
    Indian Treaty. The 1/2 west of the Flint was divided into 28 Lots.  The courthouse or 
    library in Crawford Co. has a complete list of the buyers of both the east 
    and west portions of the Old Agency. 
    
    

    When searching for land distribution, also remember these:
    1. Lands inherited, or gained through marriage (land given to a daughter)
    2. Lands which were sold at Sheriff's sales for taxes, or
        for Distribution of Estates. Any sale of lands is listed under the Sheriff's name (not the "debtor-owner") as "grantor" of the land to the highest bidder, "the grantee". 
    By taking a few minutes to scan the indexes you'll become aware of the Sheriff's name as he is usually listed with several sales. You should look up each of these to see if your ancestor's name is listed within the document.


    Defines GMD and Land Districts

    Map showing Land Districts and Land Lots



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