georgiapioneers.com

Heirs Agreement (image) of estate of Vincent Lockhart (1893), Hall Co.; LWT of Elijah Williams (1879), transcript, Madison Co.;
LWT of Robert Lackey, transcript (1839), Cass Co.;
LWT of Daniel Liddell, transcript (1846) Gwinnett Co.;
LWT of Ann Lovett (image)(1862) Burke Co.;
LWT of William Lumpkin, transcript (1847), Oglethorpe Co.;
LWT of James Langham (image)(1823), Jasper Co.;
LWT of Lunsford Long (image) (1883), Fulton Co.;
Estate files of George Lavender (image)(1843), Floyd Co.

The genealogist can have a lot of fun viewing original documents in this colonial colony because records were not lost, or burned. Of course that means that there are tons of pages to research. The first wills contain as many as 30 to 50 pages. That’s a whopping lot to read in the old colonial-style handwriting. If you travel to Savannah to see the original documents, you have have to wait 2-3 days while the probate office brings them out of storage from an off-site location. The other alternative is to view microfilm at the Georgia State Archives or to view the original will images dating from 1777 to 1861 online at GeorgiaPioneers.com. From the year of 1733 through the American Revolution, Savannah was the center of Georgia economy. It attracted a wide variety of merchants, artisans and fur traders. Persons from New England colonies also resided in Savannah at one time or the other. The deed records prove holdings in Georgia, South Carolina and the New England States and the tax records specifically list where tracts of land were located. This helps you to determine where to search next. If you read the first and second will books, you will see that many pre-colonial and colonial colonists had realized their fortunes. Their plantations extended as far North as Charleston, South Carolina and as far South as the tide rivers of Liberty County. By the early 1800s Savannah planters had ventured into the prosperous cotton and rice markets. If you are searching for ancestors before the American Revolution, first search Chatham County.

The wills (original images) from to 1777 to 1861 have been added to GeorgiaPioneers.com.

The genealogist can have a lot of fun viewing original documents in this colonial colony because records were not lost, or burned. Of course that means that there are tons of pages to research. The first wills contain as many as 30 to 50 pages. That’s a whopping lot to read in the old colonial-style handwriting. If you travel to Savannah to see the original documents, you have have to wait 2-3 days while the probate office brings them out of storage from an off-site location. The other alternative is to view microfilm at the Georgia State Archives or to view the original will images dating from 1777 to 1861 online at GeorgiaPioneers.com. From the year of 1733 through the American Revolution, Savannah was the center of Georgia economy. It attracted a wide variety of merchants, artisans and fur traders. Persons from New England colonies also resided in Savannah at one time or the other. The deed records prove holdings in Georgia, South Carolina and the New England States and the tax records specifically list where tracts of land were located. This helps you to determine where to search next. If you read the first and second will books, you will see that many pre-colonial and colonial colonists had realized their fortunes. Their plantations extended as far North as Charleston, South Carolina and as far South as the tide rivers of Liberty County. By the early 1800s Savannah planters had ventured into the prosperous cotton and rice markets. If you are searching for ancestors before the American Revolution, first search Chatham County.

Recently added by www.georgiapioneers.com is the Chatham County Wills from 1850 to 1861.

To see the names included in Chatham Wills 1777 to 1861, go here
www.georgiapioneers.com/content/probateexplan.html

If you have a genealogy that you’ve typed up and want it included on GeorgiaPioneers.com and be available to its members, I will be happy to add it under Genealogies with your name on it. We all work on the same lineages, so sharing research with others makes sense, saves time and money. Just send it to me jeannette@georgiapioneers.com

Jeannette Holland Austin

Genealogy on the internet grows through subscription websites. Although we might prefer them to be free, if they were you would get little information. Someone has to do the filming and acquire data. Look at it this way. You have doubtless spent years researching lineages and realize that you will never finish the job. Add those years plus 8-12 hours per day of a staff of workers. Still not enough information on the internet? Be patient. It simply takes time and money. Although your work is appreciatedly intensive, the work that we do here at GeorgiaPioneers.com saves you many trips to the archives and libraries. Because we have filmed the indexes to wills and estate books for the 156 Georgia counties (existing ones) as well as many original will and estate images, you are in a position to know whether or not the information is available before making a trip to the archives. One day we will all be able to sit down at our computer and acquire all the genealogy we need. Until that day, we need to save ourselves as much time (and as many trips) as possible. Remember the cost of gasoline?
When it was $4 per gallon, I was spending $30 per day traveling back and forth to the archives. This sort of thing, not counting our time, photocopies, and not finding anything much, is what we researchers are up against. It is a life’s work. The cost of membership in GeorgiaPioneers.com is 5 trips to the archives for me. Think about it. To see what is available, go here
http://www.georgiapioneers.com/content/whatswhat.html

Good luck to all this year!

Because of the enormous cost of adding materials and maintaining the website www.georgiapioneers.com remains fee-orientated. I have tried my best to keep membership fees low. Georgia Pioneers currently has grown to over 3 gigabytes of information. That’s 10 million names! The site lays claim to an unprecedented amount of data for the genealogy researcher. Yet the fees do not cover the cost of operation and I pay the difference out of my own pocket. In 2008 I finished adding most of my books on line and they are merged into some of the databases. Some books were not added because I do not own the copyright. I believe that I have written more Georgia genealogy books and family histories than anyone else. Last year, genealogical.com published my 3 volumes of The Georgia Frontier, which is enormously popular (not added to georgiapioneers.com). Although, I finished by book on Cobb Citizens, I elected not to do a public offering. Instead, it is available to members of the website. Obviously, the addition to these books to the website saves you the cost of purchasing them. Because Georgia Pioneers contains an unprecedented amount of genealogical data, it is the largest Georgia genealogical website. To see what is available, go here
http://www.georgiapioneers.com/content/whatswhat.html and click on the various links.

Let’s face it - it costs a fortune to maintain such a website. The free genealogy websites are also fine, except do not expect to find a lot of data. If you are a serious researcher, the best avenue is to find a growing website such as georgiapioneers.com and stick with it.

Good luck to all in 2009!

Jeannette Holland Austin

The following Will images were added to www.georgiapioneers.com

Warren County - L/A, Wills 1797-1801; Will Bk A 1793-1811; index to Will Bk A 1810-1829; Index to Will Bk B 1829-1852; Index to Annual Returns 1811-1826

Walker County - Index to Wills, 1883-1917

Ware County - Index to Wills, 1879-1915

Wayne County - Index to Wills 1884-1927; LWT of James Causey (1839)

White County - Index to Wills 1863-1893

Whitfield County - Index to Wills 1852-1960

Wilcox County - Index to Wills 1858-1957

Wilkinson County - Wills 1817-1860 (abstracts); Index to Annual Returns and Estates 1820-1853

Worth County - Index to Wills 1865-1905

Unfortunately Georgia’s 1790, 1800 and 1810 US Census records did not survive. Before the Revolutionary War, the colonials resided in Augusta, Savannah, Ebenezer, Darien, Midway and St. Simon’s Island. The economy was found in Savannah and Augusta. These town represented later Richmond, Chatham, Effingham, McIntosh, Liberty and Glynn Counties. In 1752 after the charter was surrendered by the trustees, Great Britain offered huge land grants to settlers having large families and servants; the means to help develop the state. These settlers came from NC, SC, VA and the New England States and mostly established their plantations along the Savannah River in McIntosh and Liberty Counties. After the Revolutionary War, land grants were offered to veterans from the original 13 colonies. These grants were predominantly located in Washington, Wilkes, Greene, Burke, Screven, Franklin, Elbert and Richmond Counties. These are the counties along the South Carolina border. When the Creeks began making their treaties in 1813 and moving away, white settlers crossed into mid-Georgia. To find someone between 1777 and 1800, it is best to start with the original 13 Georgia counties, then branch out according to county expansion. If you are searching Burke, also research Screven records. Search Washington with Warren and Laurens Counties. Elbert and Jackson Counties go with Franklin County. The next step, of course, is to dig into the tax digests for the earliest counties. This is where you learn about other lands which they owned and in what counties they were located. All clues on where to look next. The land lotteries began in 1801 and went until 1833. It is a must to search these records because they act as a substitute for the 1800 census.

Unfortunately Georgia’s 1790, 1800 and 1810 US Census records did not survive. Before the Revolutionary War, the colonials resided in Augusta, Savannah, Ebenezer, Darien, Midway and St. Simon’s Island. The economy was found in Savannah and Augusta. These town represented later Richmond, Chatham, Effingham, McIntosh, Liberty and Glynn Counties. In 1752 after the charter was surrendered by the trustees, Great Britain offered huge land grants to settlers having large families and servants; the means to help develop the state. These settlers came from NC, SC, VA and the New England States and mostly established their plantations along the Savannah River in McIntosh and Liberty Counties. After the Revolutionary War, land grants were offered to veterans from the original 13 colonies. These grants were predominantly located in Washington, Wilkes, Greene, Burke, Screven, Franklin, Elbert and Richmond Counties. These are the counties along the South Carolina border. When the Creeks began making their treaties in 1813 and moving away, white settlers crossed into mid-Georgia. To find someone between 1777 and 1800, it is best to start with the original 13 Georgia counties, then branch out according to county expansion. If you are searching Burke, also research Screven records. Search Washington with Warren and Laurens Counties. Elbert and Jackson Counties go with Franklin County. The next step, of course, is to dig into the tax digests for the earliest counties. This is where you learn about other lands which they owned and in what counties they were located. All clues on where to look next. The land lotteries began in 1801 and went until 1833. It is a must to search these records because they act as a substitute for the 1800 census.

The LWT of Horn Horn (1871) of Harris County, Georgia has been added to www.georgiapioneers.com
He named all of his children as well as his wife.