1807 Georgia Land Lottery

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The 1807 Georgia Land Lottery
Oglethorpe County Residents
List of Eligible Drawers and Fortunate Draws

The 1807 Land Lottery was initiated by the Act of June 26, 1806 to distribute land in the recently formed counties of Baldwin and Wilkinson. These counties were created from lands ceded to Georgia by the Creek Indians in 1803 (see map). Qualified Georgia citizens registered for the Lottery in their counties of residence, and their names were forwarded to the State Capitol in Milledgeville. Each name was then matched by random draw with either a blank ticket or a specific lot of 202 ½ acres. Fortunate drawers could take out a grant on their lot for a fee of $12.15. Not everyone who drew a lot took out a grant, and the ungranted lots reverted to the State.

Persons Entitled to Draw

Bachelor, 21 years or over, 3 year residence in GA, U.S. citizen – 1 draw
Married man with wife and/or minor child, 3 year residence in GA, U.S. citizen – 2 draws
Widow, 3 year residence in GA; Spinster, 21 years or older, 3 year residence in GA – 1 draw
Minor orphan, father and mother dead, 3 year residence in GA – 1 draw
Family of minor orphans, father and mother dead, 3 year residence in GA – 2 draws
Minor orphan, father dead, mother living, 3 year residence in GA – 1 draw
Family of minor orphans, father dead, mother living, 3 year residence in GA – 1 draw

Persons Excluded

Any fortunate drawer in the previous Land Lottery

Oglethorpe County Residents

Only the names of fortunate drawers were recorded by the State of Georgia. However, a list of all eligible drawers in Oglethorpe County was preserved at the county courthouse, divided by battalion and district. This list is presented here, with the addition of fortunate draws as recorded by the State. Note: There is no list of eligible drawers available for Capt. Hitchcock's District (GDM 235 - Pleasant Hill); therefore, only the names of fortunate drawers in that district are included here.