An 1895 map of Hall County show's an area of Hall County named Chestnut Mountain. Folks have said this area was named Chestnut Mountain because you could fill bags , pockets and whatever you could carry with the fruit of the trees. The trees have disappeared now because of a blight but the name is still the name used today.Chestnut Mountain is located about four and a half miles northeast of Flowery Branch and about 14 miles from Gainesville Ga. This area was settled in about 1796 as a part of Jackson County. It was amoung a large portion of North Georgia land originally parceled out in the 1820 Land Lottery.Below are a few of the families in this area.
Tanner's Mill was located on the Walnut Fork of the Oconee River in Hall County, Georgia. It was a well known landmark in the Chestnut Mountian area for well over 100 years. It was burned by vandals in 1986. Before it was destroyed it was one of the oldest gristmils in Georgia and the oldest in Hall County. Mathew Tanner, Jr. was one of the first Tanners to migrate to this section of the south. He purchased 250 acres in Jackson County Ga from Elisha Winn. A son of Mathew , David Tanner purchased the property where Tanner's Mill was to be built. David and his wife, Elizabeth Chamblee Tanner had eleven children, four of these children fought in the Civil War.
Jesse Lott Sr. was born in 1771 in South Carolina and died in Hall County in 1854. He was married to Nancy Martin,she was born in Ireland. Lott bought 1200 acres of land and an old log house that stood on the property. In later years , the cabin had two-stories and the cellar was used as a tavern or inn. Folks often used this as an overnight stop.
Ambrose Kennedy was named the Postmaster in 1865 and the old family cemetery is suppose to be located along Highway 23. Kennedy was born in South Carolina and married Martha "Patsy" Gideon in Jackson County . He operated a Tanyard and a Goverment Distillery. He also served a tem as Sheriff in Hall County. He represented our county im Milledgeville, the State Capital from 1863-1865.
One of Ambrose Kennedy's daughters, Sarah Jane married a man by the name of Thomas Jefferson Benson. Thomas failed to tell his wife that he fought for the Union until he began drawing pension. It is said that a fence still divides the two in the cemetery.
Francis Bell was a veteran of the American Revolution. Francis was the son of Thomas Bell and was originally from Virginia. Francis Bell married his first wife in 1770. Her name was Esther Montgomery. There daughter Jane, born August 27,1781 was married to Beverly Hudgins in January 1801. Francis is believed to be buried in the Old Liberty Church Cemetery in an unmarked grave.
Irwin Strickland Jr was the son of Irwin Sr and the Grandson of John Strickland. Irwin married Patsy Crow in Jackson County in 1807.
Copyright © 2002 by Vicky Chambers.
This page was last updated Thursday, 10-Apr-2008 22:03:27 CDT.
