After General Jackson [next paragraph illegible]

  On an old map, dated 1818, no town is shown in the vicinity of what is now Thomas County, except Miccosukee, Florida, and the words 'Pine Barrens' are written over the area now known as Southwest Georgia.  The only inhabitants of this vast section

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at this time were roving bands of Indians, and we are indebted to the Tifton Gazette for the following information on the historical spots of Colquitt County.

    ⁶The earliest inhabitants of Colquitt County during the Revolutionary Period were Indians and white settlers, chiefly Indians.  Therefore the historical spots were centered around Indian mounds, trading posts, relics and wars.

    An old Indian trading post, where the Indian traded their beads, skins, and valuable trinkets
 among the settlers, was located upon the site which is now Murphy's Bridge, three miles Southwest of Moultrie, the County site of Colquitt County.

  A famous Indian mound is still in evidence on the farm of Mr. ? J. Marchant, a few miles from Crossland, GA., in Colquitt, County.  The Indian arrows were removed from this mound.

   On the bank where Warrior Creek and Little River join, a few miles East of Ellenton, in Colquitt County, a great battle was waged between Creek Indians and the White Settlers, July 15th, 1836.  The Indians were almost annihilated.

   The most famous of all these historical spots is the well known Thigpen Trail.  This trail is located in the western part of Colquitt County one mile this side of Hartsfield.  The Moultrie and Camilla road crosses this trail near the farm of Mr. Darling Gay.  This road was built by James Thigpen, of North Carolina.  Who was appointed overseer of highways in 1704.  The road passed through four states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.  It is the oldest road in Colquitt County, having been built two hundred and twenty one years ago.  This trail made a direct route from North Carolina to Pensacola, Florida and was used for the following purposes:

   1st - Military purposes.  Troops marched from North Carolina to Georgia, during the Revolutionary War.

   2nd- To bring provisions from Tallahassee, Florida, especially salt, to different places in South Georgia.  Although this road passes through the thickly settled portion of Colquitt County it has never been put in first class condition.

     To the late Mr. John Norman, who was County Surveyor, and who knew more of the County perhaps than any man in it, as he had a remarkable memory and had made an interesting collection of facts, dating from its early settlement, we are indebted for a good deal of unwritten history of the County.

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  Heads of Households of Families living in the Eight District  of Colquitt County in 1840
 

Chapter II

   The vast pine forests of which the County consisted were mainly the property of the State, but for five dollars ($5.00), one could secure a lot of land containing 490 acres.  Some acquired theirs by squatters' rights, that is, after they had occupied the land twenty years, they secured a title.
   The area of the County is 547.5 square miles.
   The few inhabitants in early days engaged in stock raising for a livelihood, marketing their products in Thomasville, Albany and other places.  In the 60s, 70s and 80s, there was little growth in population.  There were some excellent families that increased rapidly, among them being the Normans, Newton's, Monks, Weeks, Tillman's, Crofts, Murphy's, Sobers, Tuckers, Gays, and many others of whom there are hundreds in the County at the present time.
   From 1840 to 1860 we have no knowledge of any unusual events transpiring, except the formation of the County in 1856.   It was named for United States Senator Walter T. Colquitt.  Ma. A. B. Butts, of Macon, deeded the County fifty (50) acres of land, and Moultrie was laid out, and became the County site.
   The first Superior Court was held at Winchester, four miles North of Moultrie.  Judge Peter F. Love, of Thomasville, was the first Judge.  He was succeeded by Judge A. H. Hansell, who resided for fifty four years, and Mr. Hansell Merrill and Robert Mitchell, both of Thomasville.   Judge W. E. Thomas, of Valdosta, is he present Judge of this Circuit.  The late Captain John Triplett, Editor of the Thomasville Times Enterprise attended Court in this County, it is said, for thirty years or more, never missing a session, and it was largely due to articles in his paper that Colquitt County and Moultrie became known to the world.
   The next interesting period in the County was the declaration of the Civil War in the 60s.  There were only a very few owners of slaves in the County (27 with 110 slaves among them), and as its citizens had little intercourse with the outside world they were not concerned very much about the War and the issues at stake.  When they were called to vote for secession at Moultrie, only three men cast their votes in favor of it, and they were South Carolinians, John D. Dalton and Allen and Darling Creed, brothers.   Colquitt County's representatives to the Secession Convention were H. C. Tucker and John G. Coleman.  The citizens of the County were patriotic, however, and the following company was mustered from this County.  Of this number, only one man survives, so far as we can learn. The venerable "Uncle" Joel Norman, eight even years of age, and from him we secured this roster.

  The census of 1860 shows that Newton was the largest town in Southwest Georgia, having a total population of 2,225.  Albany had 2,, 674, Valdosta 166, Bainbridge 1,859, Savannah 22,292, Atlanta 9,554, Tallahassee 1,932, Monticello 1,080 and Newport 441.  The population of Thomasville is not given in the census of 1860, but in the town census of 1858, Thomasville had 1,458 people, of whom 911 were white.
   At that time, Moultrie was only a small village with a few families: Mr. Robert Bearden and wife, A. D. Patterson, Amos Turner and his daughter, Mrs. Dukes, Mother of Mrs. Faison, who still lives here.
   From the State Directory, where the roster of the House of Representatives is given from 1777 to the present time, we secured the following list of Colquitt County's Representatives:
 

Chapter III

  The first settlers of the County were for the greater part Primitive Baptists.  They were good people, honest, unselfish.  Pious and punctual in the payment of debts, and meeting all contracts.  So far as we can learn, the first church in the County was Sardis, a Primitive church, located a few miles East of Moultrie on Indian Creek.  The next historical church and first brick building in the County is the old brick church, Greenfield, near Autreyville, built by Mr. Eli Graves, a Northern man who settled in this County during the period of the 40s. It was a Presbyterian church, as Mr. Graves was of that faith, but not for years after this church was built is there any record of any Presbyterians in the County, with the exception of his family.  There was also a factory nearby for making buckets, which went by the name of   "The Bucket Shop."  Following the Primitives, the Missionary Baptists and Methodists came into the County. The Presbyterians being the last to enter. 
   The County had the misfortune to lose its first Court House by fire in 1881, and valuable records wee lost and much confusion ensued on account of land titles.  In 1880, the census gave the population and taxable property as follows:

Professional Men of Moultrie

Oldest Firms Of Merchants And Grocers

Roster of County Officers

Colquitt County Churches

.[General Colquitt was commander of the 6th Georgia Infantry, and a hero at the Battle of Ollustee, Florida, February 20, 1864. He later served as Governor of Georgia (1876-1882) and as U.S. Senator from Georgia (1882-1894).   

Jacob Frederick Reichert, JR. was the first Sheriff of Colquitt County.

 History of Colquitt County and additional photos coming soon.