In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

CHAPTER 19 1841 HE hard times prevailing throughout the United States, beginning in 1837, were felt for some years to come, and by 1841 were the subject of considerable concern in De Kalb County. Economy, particularly in government , was the order of the day. The De Kalb Grand Jury for the March term, 1841, took cognizance in the following language: "In approaching anything of a public nature and expressing our opinion thereon, it is under a sense of duty we regret and deplore the embarrassed condition of the Country as concerns our Currency. As concerns the matters of our State affairs we call upon our members in the next legislature to use their efforts and influence to reduce the wages of the members of that body from five to three dollars per day, and while we have further to express our deepest expressions of regret in the frequent unsuccessful attempts to reduce the number of that body, we recommend that their influence be exerted to have biennial instead of annual sessions established. We recommend that a public meeting be had of the people of our County to consult on and adopt such measures and resolutions as relate to the foregoing subject and would say the fourth of July would be a proper day for such Meeting. . . . We request that our representatives have the office of tax collector and receiver consolidated in our County. . . . We request that these, our presentments, be published in the Southern Recorder & Federal Union/3 LODOWIGK TUGGLE, Foreman. Merrell Collier William Avery John Perkerson Simeon Williams John Reid William Goldsmith Christopher Connally Samuel Lovejoy William H. Tanner Robert Orr Benjamin Thurman Jesse L. Williams James W. Givens Lemuel Dean Dickson Jordan Charles W. McGinnis John McDaniel John L. Evins William W. White John Bird1 A meeting was held in Decatur, as suggested by the grand jury, not on July 4, but on September 9. Its primary purpose was to discuss a reduction of the salaries of all public officials in Georgia, including members of the State Legislature. Merrell Collier moved William Jackson to the chair; Alexander Johnson was appointed Secretary. The meeting resolved "not to support anyone for legislature who is unfriendly to the reduction of all salaries and wages of public or State officers, to a proper medium with the times; also for biennial sessions of the General Assembly of this State."2 Hard times finally caught up with the Western and Atlantic Railroad in the latter part of 1841. After four years of surveying and grading, the State had spent nearly two and a half million dollars and not an iron rail had been laid.3 T 180 ATLANTA AND ITS ENVIRONS Governor Charles J. McDonald, upon taking office late in 1841, found that the state finances were at low ebb. Accordingly, the Legislature, by Act approved December 4, 1841, suspended all work upon the W. & A., except that part of the line extending from the southern terminus to a point two miles beyond the Etowah River—about where Cartersville is now located. This Act repealed the former Act providing for three commissioners, and gave their power to a chief engineer and a disbursing agent.4 Former Governor Wilson Lumpkin was appointed Disbursing Agent, effective January 1, 1842, and Charles Fenton Mercer Garnett, for whom Garnett Street was subsequently named, succeeded James S. Williams as Chief Engineer in February, 1842.5 The Messrs. Lumpkins and Garnett were to sponsor an important change in "The Terminus" during the course of that year. Meanwhile, the regular and less spectacular business of De Kalb County proceeded in due course. On January 15, 1841, three new Inferior Court Justices took office. They were William Johnston, David D. Anderson and William Hairston. John N. Bellinger and Robert Jones succeeded themselves for another four year term on the same Court.6 If railroad building in '41 lagged somewhat, wagon road building was still a lively topic and a spur to enterprise. On September 6 reviewers were appointed "to view and mark out a route for a Road from the Nelson Ferry Road on by Loving Martin's to where the Stage Road intersects the Road from White Hall to Montgomery's Ferry."7 On October 1 the following report was handed in to the Inferior Court: "We the reviewers appointed to view and mark out a route for a Road from Robert Lemon's8 to intersect the Road at or near the creek between said Lemon's and Meredith Collier's make...

Share