The Houstouns of Georgia


Book Description

The Houstouns of Georgia shares the history of one of the oldest families in Georgia, showcasing its influential members and reflecting on the effect of one family throughout the state's history. Established by Sir Patrick Houstoun, who accompanied James Oglethorpe and helped him lay the foundations of the colony, the Houstoun family has called Georgia home since its inception. Over two hundred years after its founding, the author of The Houstouns of Georgia traces her own lineage back to the Houstoun family in her heavily researched account of the family’s presence in Georgia from its founding onward. The Georgia Open History Library has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this collection, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.




Abstracts of Colonial Wills of the State of Georgia, 1733-1777


Book Description

The records were compiled for the Department of Archives and History of the State of Georgia. Georgia's colonial period starts with the Charter signed by King George II in 1732 and ends at the close of the Revolutionary War in 1777. Many of the colonial records have been lost due to war and neglect. During the Civil War the most important records were loaded on wagons and hauled to Charleston, SC. From there they were moved to Newbern, NC then to upper Virginia and finally to Maryland. They were not returned to Savannah until 1783 again by wagon. Wills were not considered the most important papers and did not make the wagon transfers. Some of these early records ended up in the Tower of London where they remained until 1801. The wills within this book are those that were found in trunks within the Tower of London.