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It seems that I am able to find more family history stuff as I am casually surfing web and when I am not really looking for one thing in particular. Take for example this evening as sat down to do an idle search of web of for references regarding the post-Civil War period of 1865 to 1877 that is most commonly known as the "Reconstruction". I wanted to get a feel for what sort resources on that topic were available. After poking around for a while I somehow wound up at the US Gen Web Georgia Archives.
Here there were links regarding American wars from the Revolution down to WWII and Korea. Knowing that my ggg-grandfather David Dobbs was for many years associated with the Georgia state militia from the War of 1812 until the eve of the Civil War when he was a trustee of the Georgia Military Institute, I first followed the link "War of 1812" link. This took me to a page that listed rosters for American Revolution and War of 1812 units. I already knew that David Dobbs was a 3rd Lieutenant in Booth's 4th Regiment of the Georgia Militia so when I found that unit listed I followed the link here I found some things that I did not know: 1) that the unit was mustered at Fort Hawkins in November of 1814 and that "Booth's" refers to Colonel David A. Booth. It was the place intrigued me the most and so went off in search of Fort Hawkins.
Visiting the City of Macon, Georgia's web-site I learned that Fort Hawkins was first built in 1806 and that it was an important military site during the War of 1812, Creek War (1813–1814), and the First Seminole War (1817-1818). I also learned that the fort was not garrisoned after 1819, that it was decommissioned in 1828 and that the LAMAR Institute (an archeological society) began excavating the site in 2006 (the 200th anniversary of the site). This lead me to Dianne Wilcox's page which has a lot of detailed information regarding the history of Fort Hawkins and on Benjamin Hawkins himself, but very little on the War of 1812-period. She does note that General Andrew Jackson was there in March of 1814, on his way to Alabama and eventually the Battle of New Orleans (January, 1815) and that Jackson returned again in February of 1818 with 1,000 Tennessee volunteers on their way to Florida. Also I found a teacher's packet (PDF) that provides some details regarding the archeological excavation at Fort Hawkins.
It was from the last site that I discovered Georgia's Virtual Vault. The vault has search forms that allow for discovery of various images of original documents from Colonial Wills to Confederate Pension Applications. It was in the pension applications that I found that one of David Dobb's nephew's, Asa A. Dobbs, had filed for a confederate pension in 1900.
Following external links from Georgia's Virtual Vault, I went to Georgia Legislative Documents, 1799-1999 and searched for "DOBBS".
Here is what I learned regarding my ggg-grandfather, David Dobbs, from the Georgia Legislative Documents, 1799-1999:
In 1825, when he was sheriff of Elbert county Georgia and a major in the Georgia Militia, the Georgia legislature passed an act "to establish district elections in the county of Elbert" that reads in part:
That from and after the passage of this act the general election for governor, members of congress, and of the senate and house of representatives in the state legislature, and all county officers, may and shall be held at the following places, viz: in Maj. Allen's battalion at Simeon Henderson's, or at such place as may hereafter be selected for battalion mustering in said battalion; in Maj. Dobbs' battalion at the house of David Dobbs, or at any other place that may be hereafter chosen for mustering said battalion; and at the Big Holly Spring and at the court-house for Maj. Richardson's battalion.
…not sure what it means, but it sure does sound official.
In 1851, David Dobbs is mentioned in "An Act to incorporate the Georgia Military Institute, and for other purposes therein named".
In 1859, David Dobbs and several other citizens of Cobb County were authorized by the state of Georgia to build a railroad from Marietta to the Alabama state line. The legislation is entitled "An Act to incorporate the Polk Slate Quarry Railroad Company, and for other purposes."
And there is this rather disturbing item that appears in record for the year 1849. Rather than try and interpret it, I will let it speak for itself:
ACTS OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA, 1849-50. 1849 Vol. 1 -- Page: 14 Sequential Number: 008
Full Title: AN ACT for the relief of David Dobbs of the county of Cobb.
WHEREAS David Dobbs hired to the Western and Atlantic Railroad of the State of Georgia, for the year 1848, a negro man by the name of Tom, to be engaged exclusively as a depot hand only, and not to perform any of the duties or to be exposed to any of the risks of a train hand, and the said negro man Tom having been ordered by one of the conductors on a freight train on said road, to assist in making up a train on said road, received an injury of which he died:
SECTION 1. Be it therefore 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 his Excellency the Governor be, and he is hereby authorized and required to draw his warrant on the Treasurer of said State, in favor of the said David Dobbs, for the sum of eight hundred dollars, in full compensation for the loss of said negro man.
Approval Date: Approved, December 20th, 1849. |
