Volume 1 of Pioneers of the Wiregrass begins a new series of books and is an expansion of Judge Huxford’s original seven volumes of Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia and the Huxford Genealogical Society’s publication of volumes eight through twelve.  The original twelve volumes cover the wiregrass area of Georgia and the adjacent counties in Florida.  They also include the ancestors of pioneer settlers of the coverage area who lived in other regions of the country.

Over the years, there have been many requests to expand the geographical area covered in the books.  After twelve volumes, the board of directors of the Huxford Genealogical Society felt that the time had come to respond to these requests and include the Wiregrass counties of South Alabama and Northwest Florida.  This volume has some pioneers who lived in the expansion areas and later volumes will include even more.  There are a few sketches that are re-prints of ones printed in Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia, usually with substantial additional information.

Scores of people are responsible for the contents of this book, far too many to mention here.  Dozens are acknowledged via the pioneer sketches they submitted. We give special thanks to our library staff, Delain Bennett and Sharon Keith for their hard work and interest.  Their efforts go way beyond "just a job." Board members, Cathy Wells, Dolores Carpenter, Carrie Clark and President Donald Davis contributed their time and efforts, especially on "work days" which are held each month.  Special thanks are also extended to board member, Jessie Paulk, for indexing the book. Our Library Director, Spence Davis, deserves special praise for the long hours and dedicated service that he has spent over the last few years. As stated before, there are many others.  Truly, this book is the result of Society members working as a team for a common goal.

Volume 1 of Pioneers of the Wiregrass continues the amazing legacy of our founder, the late Judge Folks Huxford.  He was a brilliant and remarkable man in many areas and professions. He dropped out of school in the eighth grade, (he said they had something called "algebra"), and yet was one of the most educated men in his generation in Clinch County, Georgia. He began working in the courthouse in Homerville as a teenager where he developed a thorough knowledge of the Clinch County Courthouse records. In his old age, his fantastic memory enabled him to recall the book and page number of many of the early deeds.  He read law, passed the bar and became a successful lawyer and was a very popular political leader and public servant.  He was a Superior Court Judge and was County Judge at his death, though blind by then. He was Judge of the Court of Ordinary, (Probate Judge), long time Clerk of Court, and was on the County School Board. When he was a young man, he represented his district in the State Legislature.  He chose not to run for re-election because, due to lack of money, he had to sleep on a park bench in Atlanta when the Legislature was in session.

He was also a very respected Baptist Evangelist and in this capacity resurrected several extinct Baptist Churches that are still functioning and helped other churches that were faltering.  He also was an accomplished pianist and vocalist.  His beautiful and emotional rendition of Amazing Grace while accompanying himself on the piano would make grown men cry.  For many years, he owned, edited and published the Clinch County News, with the able assistance of his wife, Orrie Kirkland Huxford.

His careers as a public servant, lawyer, preacher, newspaper editor and musician would have been enough for most anyone, but his lasting legacy and his greatest accomplishments, came from his avid interest in history, particularly family history.  When just a boy, he began compiling his acclaimed History of Clinch County, which became a standard for county histories. He completed this work at age nineteen, but had to wait several years to accumulate enough money to have it published.  He later published the History of Brooks County Georgia and the History of Upson County Georgia. He founded the Georgia Genealogical Magazine, which he published until his eyesight began to fail.  He was instrumental in setting up the Georgia State Archives in Atlanta and was a Fellow in the very prestigious American Society of Genealogists.

He considered the seven volumes of Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia his greatest achievement. This almost unbelievable work has been a boon to genealogists with ties to North Florida and South Georgia and has no equal in any other section of the United States.

As great an achievement as the seven volumes of Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia is, without a doubt his foresight in creating the Huxford Genealogical Society was even more momentous, because without it his work would have come to an end with his death.  As the years passed and he began to lose his eyesight, he realized that he had to do something to preserve his genealogical collection. He felt that he needed to devise a means by which his work would continue after he was gone.  He put his great mind to work and after several months of intense planning, he called together a group of interested friends in 1972 and outlined his plans for an organization to continue his work. Out of this came the Huxford Genealogical Society.  He stoutly resisted naming the organization after him, saying "never name something after someone while they are still alive, because you never know what they’ll do before they die." This was one time his opinion was ignored, as it should have been.

Over the years the Society has grown and flourished.  The contents of the library always astounds a genealogist on their first visit. Judge Huxford’s card files on over 5,000 families are the centerpiece of the library.  The voluminous family folders accumulated over the years have to be seen to be believed and are extremely valuable. The contents of the library, that even contains over 100 volumes of the Pennsylvania Archives, are now insured for $1,000,000 and is growing every day.

The success of the Society has given Judge Huxford a form of immortality. It has exceeded even his optimistic hopes and dreams and he would be very proud.  We feel that he would be pleased with Volume 1, Pioneers of the Wiregrass.

E. L. "Boe" Williams, Co-Editor, Chairman of the Board

Helen Rowell, Co-Editor, Vice President

WIREGRASS  PIONEER  SKETCHES

Adams, John David 1

Albritton, William J. 2

Alford, Hansford R. 5

Allen, Early A. 6

Alvarez, Joseph (1771) 8

Alvarez, Joseph (1819) 11

Anderson, Malachi 15

Arnold, Newton 17

Boyd, Isaac 19

Brannen, John M. 19

Brewton, Abraham C. 22

Brewton, Ezekial G. 23

Brooker, Daniel M. 25

Brown, David J. 26

Brown, James W. 28

Brown, William G. 29

Brown, Thomas B. 31

Browning, Stephen 34

Burnside, James 35

Cannon, James 37

Carr, John Milton 39

Carraway, Archibald 41

Cason, Cullen W. 42

Cason, William 45

Cason, William W. 46

Cason, Willis 48

Cathcart, Arthur M. 49

Charles, Reuben 50

Charles, Reuben H. 53

Chesser, Wiley T. 55

Chesser, William M. 57

Christmas, Jeremiah M. 59

Christmas, William G. 60

Church, Lucius A. 61

Cobb, Lewis C. 63

Cobb, Richard O. 65

Combs, George J. 67

Combs, John R. 68

Cone, Fountain H. Sr 70

Cone, Isaiah 72

Cone, John W. 74

Cone, Lewis Nathaniel 75

Cone, William M. 77

Cone, William S. Sr 79

Cooper, Jesse Thomas 80

Cooper, William B. Sr 82

Corbett, Reubin G. 85

Cowart, Abel Jackson 88

Dagehnardt, John H. C. 89

Daniels, Lewis P. 91

Daughtrey, Arthur 92

Dees, William T. 95

Dees, Zachariah 96

Deloach, William R. 99

Drawdy, Albert 103

Drawdy, George W. 104

Durrance, George T. 106

Fletcher, Henry H. 108

Fletcher, John T. 110

Franklin, George 111

Franklin, Selby 113

Frazier, William B. 115

Goodman, Jesse 119

Gore, Calvin A. Sr 121

Green, Elisha 123

Green, John Elishua 124

Green, George W. 127

Green, James O. 128

Green, William R. 129

Haas, John 131

Haddock, William 132

Hair, John 134

Hall, Charles H. 135

Hall, George Oscar 136

Hall, John Marion 137

Hall, Lewis F. 138

Hall, Thomas Littlefield 139

Hancock, Henry W. E. 141

Harrington, H. M. Jr 144

Harrington, John D. 145

Harrington, Leonard F. 147

Harrington, William J. 148

Hendricks, W. H. C. 150

Herndon, Urbin C. 152

Higginbotham, Samuel 153

High, Julius 155

Hightower, Jesse 157

Hightower, R. B. 159

Howell, John G. 161

Howell, John J. 162

Hughes, Leander 164

Hunter, William M. III 167

Johns, Calvin Sr 170

Johns, Hardy 171

Johns, William W. 173

Jordan, William 174

Keeling, George 176

Keen, Russell R. 177

LaMartin, Robert 179

Langford, William J. 181

Mathers, Augustus H. 183

Mathis, James W. 185

McCranie, John 189

McDonald, James E. 190

McLeod, Andrew J. 191

McLeod, David 194

McLeod, Zachariah O. 196

McNealy, William 199

Melton, Hillary 201

Mizell, David Jr 202

Olliff, Joseph 205

O’Steen, James J. 206

Padgett, James Tippen 208

Parker, John Joseph 210

Parker, Jackson Coleman 212

Parker, Jonas Samuel 213

Peacock, Henry E. 215

Polk, George M. T. 218

Porter, John 219

Porter, Richard S. 221

Raulerson, Corlis R. 222

Raulerson, Carrol 223

Raulerson, Daniel A. 224

Raulerson, David E. 226

Raulerson, Elias 227

Raulerson, Henry 229

Raulerson, Independence 231

Raulerson, Jacob R. 232

Raulerson, John Ryan 234

Raulerson, Luther 235

Raulerson, Nichabod Jr 237

Raulerson, Noah 239

Raulerson, Raiford M. 240

Raulerson, Solomon 241

Raulerson, Stephen H. 243

Raulerson, William E. 245

Reams, Albert 247

Reams, James Floyd 248

Reams, Joshua Jr 251

Reddish, David William 253

Reddish, William Drew 256

Reddish, William Drewery 257

Register, David 261

Register, Guilford 264

Reid, James Napolean 267

Renfroe, Benjamin F. 269

Renfroe, Ervin Bailey 270

Renfroe, Joseph E. 271

Rewis, Alfred 173

Rewis, Andrew Jackson 274

Rewis, Randal 275

Rewis, Washington 277

Rewis, Washington Jr 278

Riggs, John Henderson 280

Robarts, William 281

Roberts, Albert Gallatin 284

Robertson, Daniel R. 286

Robertson, John 288

Robinson, John B. 290

Sasser, John 292

Scott, John R. 295

Scruggs, Bela Marshal 298

Scruggs, Richard 300

Scruggs, William H. 306

Shaw, Levi Jefferson 311

Simpson, Thomas Jackson 316

Sistrunk, Thomas Jefferson 318

Sloan, Elbert 319

Stewart, George J. 321

Sweat, Henry M. 323

Thrift, Joseph T. 326

Tillis, James D. 327

Tillis, Richard 328

Tillis, Willoughby (1808) 330

Tillis, Willoughby (1838) 332

Traxler, William Henry Sr 334

Traxler, William Henry Jr 336

Tucker, John H. 337

Varn, Asa 339

Varn, George S. 340

Varn, Isaac Jr 343

Varn, Isaac Sr 346

Varn, Samuel Lawrence Sr 348

Waldron, Elias D. 350

Waldron, James Jethro 353

Waldron, James Ransom 356

Waldron, Oliver 359

Walker, Littleberry 362

Ward, David F. 366

Ward, Andrew J. 369

Ward, William H. 370

Whidden, Wade H. 372

Whiddon, Charles Biles 374

Williams, Henry G. 376

Wilson, George Washington 377

Wilson, Henry C. 380

Wilson, Jasper Newton 381

Witt, Andrew J. 383

Witt, David 385

Witt, George David 386

Witt, Jacob 388

Witt, James Solomon 389

Witt, Jasper H. 390

Witt, Thompson C. 392

Worthington, Granville H. 393

Worthington, Samuel 396

Wright, Levi 398

Yearty, William 400

Yongue, Alexander Henry 401

Yongue, Alexander William 403

Yongue, Robert Ellison 405

Yongue, Samuel Whorter II 406

Yongue, William Ellison 408

Young, Christopher C. 410

Young, Ferdinand W. 412

Young, Thomas 413