The Huxford Genealogical Society, Inc.

WELCOME to the Web site for the
Huxford Genealogical Society
(organized November 26, 1972 as a non-profit organization)

"Covering the Wiregrass Region of South Georgia,
North Florida, and the Eastern United States"

Price - $50.00 plus $5.00 postage and handling per volume.
Georgia residents add 7% sales tax.

Genealogist - Jurist - Historian

Baptist Minister - Lawyer - Musician

Public Servant - Journalist

Author of
"Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia"

WIREGRASS GEORGIA
A Little of Its History
(excerpt from Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia, Vol. II, by Folks Huxford)

The Wiregrass Region may be said to include all of Southern Georgia, but for the purpose of the original volumes of Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia, by Folks Huxford, the territory was defined to be the original Georgia Counties of Appling, Camden, Glynn, Irwin and Wayne. This section of Georgia is now divided into the following counties:

APPLING	CLINCH	LOWNDES
ATKINSON	COFFEE	PIERCE
BACON	COLQUITT	THOMAS
BEN HILL	COOK	TIFT
BERRIEN	ECHOLS	TURNER
BRANTLEY	GLYNN	WARE
BROOKS	IRWIN	WAYNE
CAMDEN	JEFF DAVIS	WILCOX
CHARLTON	LANIER	WORTH

Portions of the Counties of Wilcox, Turner, Worth and Thomas were taken from other original counties than those specified above.

Glynn and Camden Counties constituted a part of the older settled section of Georgia dating back to the Revolutionary War and before. They were created by the Georgia Constitution of 1777 out of the old Colonial parishes of St. Patrick, and St. Marys. While a good deal of land in those counties was granted by the Crown of England before the Revolutionary War, this section did not begin to draw settlers until after the War. Glynn and Camden did not have regular representation in the state legislature until about 1795-1800, on account of no elections being held, and neither had they county officers and county government until about 1788.

In colonial days, during the 1760s, a frontier fort was built on the north bank of the Altamaha River in what is now McIntosh County, and it was called Fort Barrington, It was designed to help protect that section in what later became Liberty and McIntosh counties, against attacks by the Indians from across the river. A road was ordered opened up extending from as point on the south side of the river opposite the fort, southwardly to St. Marys. The purpose of this road being primarily to facilitate movement of the military and military supplies from St. Marys northward, also to better protect Glynn and Camden counties against Indian attack. The road was not immediately built, and it was not until the 1790s that it was opened up all the way, and it immediately became a thoroughfare of travel for settlers as well as for those going overland to St. Marys and on into Florida. This road became known as "The Post Road"; it followed a high, sandy ridge practically the entire distance from the Altamaha to the St. Marys River. The course of this ancient road is today the county line between Glynn and Brantley counties and between Glynn and Wayne counties.

Note: The description of the formation, survey and settlement of the Wiregrass Georgia counties including listings of the first settlers continues in Volume 2 of Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia. Volume 2 also includes notes on the old churches and burying grounds mentioned through out all of the volumes.

NOTE: Today, when we refer to the "Wiregrass Region" of southern Georgia and northern Florida, we are including all of the original southeastern Georgia counties as defined by Folks Huxford, plus all of the southwestern counties of Georgia located on the Georgia - Florida border. In addition, we are including the northern most counties of Florida; i.e., those Florida counties on the Georgia - Florida border, from Jacksonville west to the Apalachicola River, plus a few counties not directly on the border: Alachua, Bradford, Clay, Duval, Suwannee, Taylor and Union. This is the region where the the original pioneers (included in the Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia volumes) settled and migrated to during the early years.

Wiregrass Georgia (The Core Counties)

WIREGRASS
(Aristida Stricta)

Wiregrass, also called pineland threeawn, is one of the most common grasses in the southern pine flatwoods and upland sandhills. Wiregrass is a favorite food of gopher, tortoises and quail and provides valuable cover for many birds, reptiles, and small mammals. The young plants may also be used as a forage by livestock. This is a fast growing species that regenerates quickly after fires. The plant depends on regular summer burning in order to stimulate flowering and seed production.

Wiregrass is often confused with a similar plant, piney woods dropseed (sporobolus junceus), which also has long, thin, wiry leaves. However, wiregrass has small tufts of hair at the leaf base; the dropseed stems are smooth and hairless.

Wiregrass is limited to the southeastern United States. It ranges from Mississippi to Florida, but only as far north as South Carolina.

BACKGROUND MUSIC:
"GEORGIA on my MIND"