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Biographical Sketches of Colonials -N-O--



Naylor, George owned a plantation on the Big Kiokee, 300 acres, formerly belonging to Rev. Daniel Sturgess. He mortgaged for a term of 500 years, his plantation, along with ½ of all property in the town of Hardwicke (purchased jointly with Isaac Pollock), one tract in Jincoes Point, one island called Redbird Island, one island called Bear Island, along with a number of Negro slaves for $20,022.86 to Benjamin Sims.

In 1799 George Naylor was involved in a lawsuit (Naylor vs. Crookshanks, attachment), wherein $2,590 with interest was found in favor of Naylor. One of the jurors was Theodore Dorsett. Naylor married Harriett, the aunt of Dorsett.

Odingsell, Charles, planter. An estate was left his wife, Sarah, by her former husband, Lurngston, and "what fell to her by the death of her daughter, Dory." Executors to sell two tracts of land where Mr. Screven now lives, known as Rest Park and London Derry, with the two tracts opposite one bought of Johnson and Alex Wylly, and lands in South Carolina to pay debts. Children:
  1. Mary Screven.
  2. Charles Odingsell.
  3. Benjamin Odingsell.
  4. Elizabeth Odingsell.
  5. Sarah Odingsell
James Edward Oglethorpe Oglethorpe, James. No Georgia history is complete without an understanding of the role which James Oglethorpe played in the colony. James Edward Oglethorpe was born on December 22, 1696 as the tenth child of Eleanor Wall (1662-1732)and Theophilus Oglethorpe (1650-1702). He was born in London where the family spent their winter months, and was baptized the following day by the Archbishop of Canterbury at St. James Church, this parish register thus proving the date of birth. The family name was well-distinguished in Yorkshire and remembered for their staunch support during the 17th century of Charles I, the Stuart King. During Cromwell’s tenure in office, the family suffered political disfavor, but during the Stuart Restoration, Theophilus won favor, and was appointed a major of the Royal Dragoons. His lodgings were near Whitehall, the royal palace, and this location enabled him to meet and Marchry Eleanor Wall in 1680, an Irish woman who served as a simpstress to King Charles II. Sir Theophilus, now became Brigadeer-General to King James II, and for his service, was awarded the estate of Westbrook in Godalming, Surrey. James became the sole heir of Westbrook after the death of an elder brother. Unfortunately, this king was disposed of during the 1688 Revolution, and Sir Theophilus became a Jacobite, joining his old master in exile. Eventually, however, James II returned home, taking the oath of allegiance to William III, becoming a Member of Parliament, insisting that his supporters become Catholics.

The Oglethorpe’s descend from a long lineage of prominent society, wealth and fortune, viz: Theophilus was a son of Sutton Oglethorpe (born 1612) and his wife, Frances Pickering. Sutton, was a son of William Oglethorpe III (1588-1634) and his wife, Susan. William III was the son of William Oglethorpe II who marriedAnne Sothely in 1580, and he was the son of William Oglethorpe, who died in 1594. William was the son of John Oglethorpe.

Actually, the family estate, Westbrook Manor, was located in Godalming about 35 miles southwest of London, and this was where James spent his boyhood days. Substantial properties were also owned in nearby Haslemere. The voters of Haslemere elected young James to Parliament, thus enabling him to follow in the footsteps of his father and brother. It was in the Parliament that James later pressed for the creation of the new colony of Georgia. This is how Oglethorpe became involved in its politics and also in its settlement, undertaking the personal responsibility of exporting passengers for settlement into a virtual wilderness. In 1722 James entered Parliament and became an active Tory. He was tall and thin, having a shrill voice. It was not his politics which lauded his fame, rather a pamphlet entitled The Sailors Advocate, which he published in 1728, deploying the practice of forcibly recruiting men into the Royal Navy. When a friend of his, Robert Castell, a writer, was imprisoned for debt and was deliberately exposed to smallpox by a sadistic jailer, Oglethorpe persuaded the House of Commons to launch a series of inquiries. Thus, he quickly took upon himself the mantle of prison reformer.

James was an exceptional person, whose colorful life extended beyond his own countrymen. He sacrificed his time, effort, and money towards colonizing Georgia, as well as made it a safe haven from marauding Indians and Spanish invaders. When he traveled to the colonies, he was an unmarried gentleman. The ship, Ann, departed from Gravesend in November of 1732. Oglethorpe did not lack for leadership. He commanded the settlers in everything - from erecting the first huts, forts, building roads, laying out the towns of Savannah , Frederica, and New Inverness (Darien), to arbitrating local disputes. He also trained the colonists in the use of guns, while establishing good relations with the Indians, particularly the Yamacraws, who dearly loved him. Oglethorpe took upon himself the mantle of fighting Spain at a time when war simply fell into his lap. He was personally acquainted with soldier-settlers who lost their lives, and those who were taken prisoners by the Spanish and incarcerated in the stony St. Augustine fort. Unsupported with troops from other colonies, particularly nearby South Carolina, he almost single-handedly stragetized the removal of the Spanish from Georgia. There is no doubt of but what he was a planning genius, architecting the plans for the lovely laid-out squares of the Town of Savannah, the fortifications of Fort Frederica, and Ebenezer. Also, he personally granted land to settlers and deserving soldiers . Today, as one observes Savannah, they are pleasantly surprised by the beauty of its squares and surrounding homes of brick and wrought-iron, and the great flowing Savannah River. The first square was Johnson Square having a watering trough for horses and which was enclosed with a log fence. Old rice and cotton warehouses squattle the cobbestone streets, serving as a reminder that here was the first economy and enterprise. One massive brick building, home of the Masons, proudly displays several obscure portraits of Oglethorpe inside their great halls. From the river, one can climb the steep bluff, just as General Oglethorpe did, with his settlers following in a foot path through the thicket into the marketplace overlooking this bluff. Oglethorpe was resident in the colony between 1733 and 1734. He couldn’t resist taking a group of Native Americans with him to England, whom he showed off to his friends and political consorts. His second sojourn in Georgia was in the year of 1736, when he accompanied John and Charles Wesley, Methodists, to the colony. His third visit, which was the longest, was between 1738 and 1743, during which time he fought and conquered the Spanish. Sir Robert Warpole, the Prime Minister, was dead set against providing Oglethorpe with resources to defend Georgia against the Spanish. England did not wish a war with Spain, and the Spanish were already touchy with Oglethorpe’s encroachment upon their lands. After the Spanish threat ended, in July of 1743, and while preparing to return the regiment to England, settlers stood on the shore with tears in their eyes, calling... "father, father". That sad day of goodbye heralded his final departure from the colony. He was going home, to Godalming. A statesman, soldier, and good friend was gone. He would never return. Once home, Oglethorpe lost popularity when the second Jacobite rebellion broke out in 1745. The British gave him the rank of Major-General in charge of troops to repel the invading Scots. However, as all of his family members were Jacobites, their trust in him was thin. The turning point came when he allowed Bonnie Prince Charles to escape with his army from Shap, near Penrith. Oglethorpe paid the penalty. He was court-martialled.. Although he was later acquitted, his reputation suffered irreparable damage. Oglethorpe married an heiress, and his later years were inactive in politics, losing his seat in Parlament in 1752, yet he always retained an interest in the affairs of the colony. The death of Oglethorpe occurred during the summer of 1785 at his home and estate in Cranham, near London. The Gentleman’s Magazine reported that he had lived to the ripe old age of 102. Actually, he was 88 years old. The culprit was Samuel Ireland, an artist who sketched Oglethorpe from life, writing the caption "Genl Oglethorpe, aged 102*quot;. The sketch was Oglethorpe, seated on a box reading a paper at a London auction.

Oldner, Richard, planter, scout-boat worker. In 1738 Oglethorpe gave him the job of teaching the soldiers the art of cultivation. Resident of Frederica.

Wrightsboro

Wrightsboro Oliver, John, blacksmith, owned 200 acres near Wrightsborough, being part of a 300-acre grant to John Oliver on 3 July 1770. Alexander, Oliver, the executor of the Estate of John Oliver, sold the property to William Ferrill, merchant, for 100 lbs. On 3 May 1777.

Ortman, Christopher arrived in the Colony as a schoolmaster, on 12 March 1733/4. He married on 16 October 1732 Katherine Crobbins, in London, England. Servant: Ann Kelly. As early as 17 October 1733 Ortman appeared before the Trustees and offered to go to Georgia as a schoolmaster and parish clerk for the Saltzburghers. However, in 1736 arrangements had been made to send him to the colony as a catechist and secular teacher. He was urged to teach the Germans the English language, however, Ortman was poorly qualified to teach in any language, as he was unable to speak English fluently. Too, he was an old man. A complaint was rendered in 1739 that he was not fit for his business of teaching the Saltsburg children to speak English. He also created friction in the religious affairs of the Germans, and was ultimately discharged. Ortman complained that he had been unjustly discharged from Ebenezer, so the President and Assistants appointed him as schoolmaster at Vernonburgh and Acton, agreeing to pay him five pounds per year. But the Trustees quickly overruled this decision, thus making Ortman an object of charity. His last days were spent in misery. Brother: Rowland Orton of Sheeby nigh Richmond in Yorkshire. Mentions a large chest belonging to Mr. Bosomworth now in the custody of Captain Patrick Mackay in his will; silver plate belonging to the Church of Savannah; one surplice; one folio book belonging to the library; and one silver pint belonging to General Oglethorpe, which Mr. Peter Joubert is to engrave.

Osgood, Josiah, Sr., planter, and his wife, Barbara, had six children. Josiah Osgood was the son of Josiah Osgood and his wife, Mary Bacon. They resided at Midway, but had outlying farms, one of 250 acres on Mortar Swamp in St. Andrew’s Parish, and others in St. Johns Parish. Josiah was born ca 1722 and died 16 June 1772 at Midway. He married Barbara Lupton. Josiah was the son of Josiah Osgood (died 1738)and his wife, Mary Bacon, who had children : Josiah, Solomon, Phoebe, Deborah, Mary, and Elizabeth. The grandfather of Josiah, Sr. was Thomas Osgood, born ca 1680 in South Carolina and his wife, Waitskill Way born in Suffolk, Massachusetts). Children of Josiah Osgood, Sr. and wife, Barbara Lupton:
  1. Josiah Osgood died 8 February 1801 Midway, married August 1768 Margaret Fulton, Liberty County.
  2. John Osgood died 21 March 1807 Midway, married Esther Scarth 8 July 1773 Liberty County.
  3. Thomas Osgood.
  4. Sarah Osgood.
  5. Mary Osgood.
  6. Elizabeth Osgood.