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My earliest Warren ancestor from Heard County won land in the lottery in 1832. John Warren (Sr.) born ca. 1792 in South Carolina and his wife Martha were settled in Heard
County by 1836. John Warren appears as signer on the famous "indian trouble" letter sent to the Governor.
In fact there were 146 signers to the letter, and four of them were my Warrens.
The letter was not dated but addressed to Governor William Schley who was Governor of Georgia from November 4, 1835 to November 8, 1937, so it was written during this period.
The undersigned beg leave to represent to your Excellency that the entire frontier from West Point upwards, is exposed to the Tomahawk & scalping knife of the Savage,
under the present arrangement of the Army, (as we are informed). We therefore respectfully request that a force sufficient, at least, to afford us temporary relief (in case of invasion)
shall be ordered to some point or points above West Point. We think it not necessary to present in this petition the reasons in detail which fully authorizes us in making the request.
They will necessarily present themselves to your Excellency, & the more so when you find by reference to the map that the part of Troup above West Point, the whole of
Heard & Carroll are border Counties, and notwithstanding the War-Whoop has not yet echoed in our borders, yet, we know not how soon our wives & children & relations may be
bleeding the reeking knives of the red-stick & our homes & plantations crumbling under their curling flames.-If your Excellency shall not think it advisable to detach a part of the
forces already ordered to Columbus or West Point to guard our line do us the favor (if your duty will authorize you) to permit a special Battalion raised for that purpose among us, to act in that capacity.
N.B. It is desired by these petitioners that the Rev'd James Davis and Rev'd Joseph Bankstone bear this petition to the Gov. & to use their exertions to effect the wishes there expressed.
Liberty Hill, Heard Co. GA 28 May 1836
Dear Sir,
We now have to inform you, that the volunteer company (Liberty Hill Rangers) raised for the protection of the frontiers West of the Chattahoochy River, as reported to your Excellency
by an Election, held on the 17th Inst. have now raised the requisite number, for a company of horsemen, viz 65 privates, a Captain Elect together with a 1st and 2nd Lieut & Coronet,
4 Sergeants, & 4 Corporals making in all 77 whose services your Excellency is hereby requested to consider as tendered for the western side of the Chattahoochy where we all reside,
if our company be received please inform us where & when we can be supplied, with the necessry equipage for the company, etc. On the 17th instant many of the citizens of Alabama,
from the Counties of Macon, Chambers & Randolph, took alarm at the menaces of the Indians, & fled from their homes & in very many instances leaving all their propperty behind them,
our roads here were crowded in every direction, by Men, Women & Children flying from the savage & trying to make their escape by crossing the Chattahoochy river, This had its effect
upon the Citizens of our neighborhood verry many of whom also fled with their families in the general panic, & crossing the river communicated the alarm to others who left their homes,
in like manner, thus in a few hours was a scope of well settled country of 30 or 40 miles in a manner depopulated, many of the refugees have not yet returned to their homes we cite you
to this past scene of confusion amongst us, not with any view of exagerating the matter in any way whatsoever. (At present many believe that we are in verry little danger whilst others
contend for a different opinion) but for the purpose of representing to you the propriety of having in compleat readiness a sufficient force, on this side of the river, for the protection of our
neighbours in the peaceful enjoyment of their homes. This course will be the more obvious, when we take into consideration the generally received opinion that the upper & Lower Creeks
is expected soon to unite, and make common cause by frequent attacts upon, our citizens & etc.
Verry Respectfully, your obedient servants
His Excellency
N.B. Please drop us a line upon the reception of this informing us what we may expect from you as we shall all anxiously wait for your answer.
Yours as ever,
Timothy Pittman
David Stewart
Henry Harris
Jacob E. Ringer
John Warren, Sr.
John Warren (Sr.) had married a woman named Martha quite a few years older than him. Her childbearing years were therefore short. They had but three sons that we know of:
Warren Boys Marry
Given the fact that the three Warren boys were still young in 1836 when the indian letter was writen, but not so young that they couldn't hold a rifle against indians
(Reuben 22, John Jr. 17 and Sherrod 13) we can assume that these experiences with the Indians terrified them, coming just a short 4 years since they won land.
Two of the boys (Reuben and John Jr) had married by 1838 when the Indians were completely removed by the U.S. Army, lived in separate households, and had begun
to have children of their own. They all stayed in Heard County, GA in adjacent households, farming and raising children. This must have been a period of extreme hard
work to establish new households and farms, establish communities, while still having to protect the land from the Cherokee and Creek indians.
John Warren, Sr. and Martha Warren
The last evidence we have of John Warren, Sr. and his wife Martha Warren being alive is the 1860 census for Heard County, GA. In that census John Warren, Sr. says
that he is 70 and his wife is now 81, and they are living by themselves on a farm. He lists his real estate worth as $2600 and personal property worth at $1000. Martha
Warren's age changed drastically with each census, so it is difficult to be certain what age she actually was. We can assume however, that she was a good deal older
than her husband. That part seems to be consistent.
In the 1860 Heard county census they are farming and still living adjacent to two of their boys: Sherrod Warren (Sr) and John Warren, (Jr)., now 38 and 41, with families
and farms of their own. The eldest son, Reuben Warren (or Reuben William Warren) had already moved to Calhoun, Alabama with his family. Reuben Warren moved to
Alabama by 1854 as his son Leanidas age 6 in the 1860 census says 'born in Alabama.' Later, John Warren, Jr. the second son, moves his family out of Heard County to
Fayette County, Alabama by 1870 then later to Independence County, Arkansas. Thus begin the 3 lines of Warrens.
The graves for John Warren, Sr. and Martha Warren have not been found. Their names did not appear in the 1870 census for Heard County.
Of the three original boys, only one, Sherrod Warren (Sr) and his wife Jackebed (Pace) Warren, stayed in Heard County until Sherrod (Sr)'s death which occurred sometime
after the close of the Civil War. A family descendent said that although no one has found military records for him in the Civil War, his wife Jackebed said he came home
sick from the Civil War with measles, then after taking a bath in the river, died the next day. Although people feel that Jackebed's name is supposed to be spelled Jochabed
like the woman from the bible, the fact is that her husband called her 'Jokey' and her gravestone, whether correct or not says Jackebed, so I have chosen to honor that
and leave her name alone. She was illiterate.
The families of each son of John WARREN, Sr. (1792 SC) and Martha WARREN (1785 NC):
Reuben William WARREN b.ca. 1814 in SC m. 1834 Elizabeth DAVIS born 1817 in SC. Reuben died in 1869 in Talladega County, AL. .
Reuben Warren and his wife farmed adjacent property to his parents and brothers John Warren, Jr. and Sherrod Warren in 1850 in Heard County, Georgia while beginning and raising a family.
By 1854 he had moved his family to Talladega County, Alabama. Reuben died in 1869 in Talladega County, AL. The 1880 census has his widow Elizabeth Warren, living
on a farm in Chandler's Precinct, Talladega, AL with her son Lafayette and twins Carrie (female) and Virginia (male) who were still unmarried and living at home. Also living
with her was a grandson Thomas McCurdy, age 15 helping on the farm. Living in his own separate household nearby was her son Nathaniel 'Floyd' Warren and his family.
By 1900 the widow Elizabeth (Davis) Warren was living in Shelby Co. AL.
Reuben and Elizabeth (Davis) Warren had the following 9 children:
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