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CHAPTER 4 1826 EWS of the death, on July 4, 1826, of both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson was received with sorrow by the people of De Kalb, for certainly no two individuals had more to do with the founding of the Republic than these distinguished citizens. Three months later, on October 7, in Massachusetts, occurred another event, then by no means as newsworthy as the passing of the Messrs. Adams and Jefferson, but of considerably more import to the future of De Kalb County and its citizens. A tramway railroad, the first with metal tracks, was opened from the granite quarries at Quincy to the Neponset River to carry stone for the Bunker Hill monument.1 The fact that its cars were drawn by horses did not lessen the future impact of the innovation upon De Kalb County. Meanwhile the western and southwestern borders of De Kalb ceased to impinge upon Creek Indian territory. The abortive treaty of 1825 was succeeded by another, concluded at Washington, D. C., between the United States government and the Creek Nation, on January 24, 1826, whereby the Creeks ceded all of their land east of the Chattahoochee River, including the reservations of the treaties of 1805 and 1821. The cession includes all that part of the state lying between the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers, north of the cession of 1814.2 Out of this territory were created several large counties during the year 1826, including the neighboring ones of Carroll, Coweta and Troup. Some present-day towns and cities in the area are: Douglasville, Carrollton, Newnan , La Grange, Greenville, Columbus, Americus, Cuthbert and Dawson.3 A final treaty was concluded with Creeks on November 15 of the following year, its purpose being to correct the boundaries as established in the 1826 treaty. By its provisions the United States became possessed of a long narrow strip of land lying along the Alabama border and extending from the Chattahoochee to the Cherokee boundary. It is embraced in the present counties of Haralson, Carroll, Heard and Troup.4 Thus were surrendered the last known Creek lands within the state. Of course this left the Cherokee Nation to the north and northwest, together with the vexing and long unsettled question of where the boundary between the Creeks and Cherokees actually was, northwest of the Chattahoochee River. The boundary question was not officially settled until 1830. New De Kalb County officers were commissioned for a two-year term, January 9, 1826. They were: David R. Sillivan, Sheriff; Daniel Stone, Clerk Superior Court; Charles Murphey, Clerk Inferior Court; Larkin Carlton, Coroner and James Anderson, Suveyor.5 The new Inferior Court Clerk, Charles Murphey, age 26, was to become a noted man, about whom, more later. He was the great-grandfather of the present De Kalb County Commissioner, Scott Candler. A new Justice of the Inferior Court, John Reid, was commissioned February 14, 1826,6 while De Kalb's representation in the Legislature was entrusted to Tully Choice, Senator, and Thomas Akin and Jacob R. Brooks, Representatives .7 An early coroner's case is brought to light in the following order of the Inferior Court, dated May 1, 1826; "Ordered that Joseph D. Shumate be paid N 56 ATLANTA AND ITS ENVIRONS the sum of ten dollars out of the County funds appropriated by law for paying Coroner's fees in payment of an Inquest held on Utoy Creek over a person unknown."8 The physical development of the county continued throughout the year. Meredith Collier turned in a report to the Inferior Court on January 23rd. "Personally appeared before me Meredith Collier, Magistrate for this County, John Beasley, Abraham Chandler, Benjamin Plaster and Charles Bonner who said they have laid out and marked a new road beginning on the Chattahoochee River against George Stitt's landing onto Decatur on the best and nearest way agreeably to an order directed. . . . We as commissioners in viewing the road believe that the road is practicable and on as good ground as the country will admit of. Given unto our hands this 26th Jan. 1826. JOHN BEASLEY ABRAHAM CHANDLER CHARLES BONNER BENJAMIN PLASTER Ordered that the above mentioned road be cleared out as the law directs."9 The writer has never been able to satisfactorily locate George Stitt's landing but hazards the guess that it was somewhere between the Shallow Ford and Standing Peachtree. On February 14, 1826, the following Road Commissioners were appointed: Thornton Ward, Dempsey Perkerson, Lochlin Johnson, for Captain...

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