The best kept secret of Glascock County, historically speaking, is a small settlement known as Georgetown along the east bank of the Ogeechee River in the northeast corner of the county. Unfortunately, Georgetown no longer exist and the only remaining evidence that it once served as a vibrant community is some gravesites, a few cellars and the bases of Indian mounds. Initially the site was an Indian trading post until the Indians left the area sometime around 1773. It became established as a settlement when a few German immigrant families came into the area from 1753-1793, but soon died out as they moved on to Pennsylvania. Its location along the stage route from Sparta to Louisville established it as the areas principal post office until the post office was relocated to Gibson in 1861.
Georgetown can be seen on some early late 1700 and early 1800 maps in the Hargrett Rare Map Collection Library at the University of Georgia in Athens. The "Map of the Southern Part of the United States of America" authored by Bradley in 1797 is an excellent example. It shows Georgetown on he east side of the Ogeechee River and Lexingten on the west side (neither exist today). These two communities, along with Louisville, about 30 miles to the southeast, and Greensboro and Rock Landing, about the same distances northwest and southwest, were the most westward reaching settlements in Georgia at the time. A brief writeup on the history of Georgetown is available in the publication commerating the "Centennial of Glascock County Georgia 1857 - 1957."
Although little has been recorded about Georgetown thus far, that will soon to change: You may recall that Mr. Daniel N. Crumpton authored two genealogy books on Warren and Glascock Counties, which also included parts of Hancock and McDuffie counties. He has made both of these available to the Glascock County GAGenWeb as lookup resources. The first book, published in 1987, was titled " Cemeteries & Genealogy, Warren County, Georgia And Immediate Vicinity 1792 - 1987." The second, published in 1993, was "Warren County, Georgia 1793 - 1900 Genealogy II." Both are valuable sources of information and certainly highly recommended. A description of the contents of the publications is listed at the bottom of this page. His new book, which he hopes to have to the printer by end of this year, or early 2002, will focus on Warren County, Georgia Land Records (Volume One), and will include a section on Georgetown.
Appreciation is expressed to Mr. Crumpton for graciously sharing a section of his new book with us:
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"These newcomers brought ability and know how as well as industry to Georgia. Colonel Richard Byrd came from Virginia and estabilished the first woolen mill and the first foundry known as Crowles Iron Works, in Georgia at Georgetown near the Shoals of the Ogeechee. __1 That the town existed is shown in the records in the office of clerk of court in the courthouse in Washington, Wilkes County (from which Warren County received a portion of land), and later in Warren County after it was established. Crossing the old public county line road that leads from Shoals to Augusta (about one mile from Shoals) was an old Indian trail which later became known as the Old Georgetown Road. This road ran north toward Warrenton and south toward the Ogeechee River. Between the crossroads and the river was situated the town of Georgetown. It must have been a good-sized town because the street was named. In bounding the lots that changed hands, mention is made of Asbury Street, Jameson Street, Dame Streete and Broad Street. On a map elsewhere in this volume and engraved in 1818, Georgetown is given as one of the towns in Warren County. The road that led to Georgetown from the northern part of the county went by Norris, bettter known as 'Four Mile Siding'. The first mention of Georgetown was made in 1791, and at that time Augusta was the nearest market and city from which supplies were secured. There were no railroads and Georgetown’s water-routed freight was quite a convenience to the farmers of Warren County, even though it had to hauled by miles in ox carts and mule-drawn wagons. A warehouse was located in Georgetown in which freight brought by pole boats up and down the Ogeechee River was stored, and the farmers would go with their wagons and convey these supplies to their respective homes. Records show that John Barnhill deeded to William Devereaux Lot No. 7 in the town of Georgetown, April 19, 1791. This was two years before Warren County was created. Harris R. Patrick and A. Devereaux were testators.There were business houses in Georgetown. William Riley and John Hammill are known to have been merchants there. __2 From Ogeechee to Oconee - - - that a new county (Hancock in 1793) shall be laid off out of parts of Washington and Greene, in the following manner:, from thence with a road leading from Rock Landing (On Oconee) to Georgetown, to where the same crosses the river, Ogechee, thence up the Ogechee ' __3 In the early days pole boats made it up to Georgetown, just below the Shoals of the Ogeechee, but after the Oconee and Ocmulgee were firmly in the hands of the white settlers, traffic abandoned the more easterly river and Georgetown, which had been at the head of navigation, passed out of existence. __4 Asbury (Methodist preacher) himself traveled relentlessly and is first recorded as being on the border of what would be Hancock in 1791 when he wrote in his journal, 'Came to Georgetown at Ogeechee Shoals, and found Satan was there. I levelled away on the parable of the sower' __5 An announcement in the Augusta Chronicle in March, 1792 had called for bids to carry the mail “From Augusta to Washington (in Wilkes County) thence round by Greensburgh (sic), the Great Falls of Ogechee and Georgetown, once in two weeks. The mail to leave Augusta every other Thursday at four o’clock in the morning, and arrive at Washington the same day and compleat the circuit on the ----6 Some appellations were dropped from use in one place only to be taken up and applied at another site. An interesting and persistent example can be found in Georgetown. A community bearing this label was established in colonial years on the west side of the Ogeechee, below Richmond Hill, in present Bryan County. Later this designation was changed to Hardwick, but in in post-Revolutionary years another Georgetown was founded on the east side of the Ogeechee in today’s Glascock County, to the northwest of Mitchell. This place in time became a so-called ghost town but the name Geortetown was next adopted for the seat of Quitman County, where it has continued for over a century. Incidentally, the early Hardwick also eventually died, but the name was moved to a point south of Milledteville.7 GEORGETOWN CS Quitman County. The name was changed from TABANANA September 21, 1836. Incorporated and designated the county seat December 9, 1859, and named for Georgetown, D. C.
References: Mr. Crumpton recently brought to my attention that Georgetown can also be seen on an 1818 Map of Georgia by Eleazer Early, which shows two towns in Warren County: Warrenton and Georgetown, and on the Adjugant General Elholm's map of the Oconee frontier in 1793. Neither of these is believed to be in the Hargrett Rare Map Collection in Athens mentioned earlier.
If you have information on Georgetown you would like to share with us, please contact Mr. Crumpton at dan@fandls.com or me at
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1. Cemeteries & Genealogy, Warren County, Georgia And Immediate Vicinity 1792 -1987
Contains 53,977 Indexed names. 294 documented cemeteries in Warren, Glascock, Eastern Hancock, Western and Southern McDuffie and Eastern Taliaferro Counties, GA. Early deed records mortality schedules (1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880) (Book printed 1987) $ 43.00 includes shipping2. Warren County, Georgia, 1793 - 1900, Genealogy II
Contains 94,694 indexed names. Deed records, guardians, marriages, wills, minutes of courts, returns on estate, church records, and records from Warren County Office of Probate (Book printed 1992. $ 60.00 includes shipping
Order from and make check to:
Dan Crumpton
P. O. Box 47
Warrenton, GA 30828
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