Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events, 1820s-1870s

CHAPTER 28: 1850

Section VI THE ElGHTEEN-FlFTIES Ante-Bellum Days. Atlanta Becomes a County Seat CHAPTER 28 1850 HE decade of the 1840's represents the basic formative period in the development of Atlanta. Indeed the thirteen years after 1837, when its site was chosen as the terminus of the Western and Atlantic Railroad, can well be characterized as a mould in which the city was cast. The pioneer railroads cast the mould physically, and, to a large extent, shaped the land usage pattern and the conformation of the city for years to come. The tracks of the first three lines, the Western and Atlantic, Georgia, and Macon and Western were routed along ridges, with the simple objective of reaching a given point by following the lines of least resistance. Those three roads, entirely independent of each other, were built as complementary units and were not subject to competition. Each was free to choose its route, and none was influenced by previously established industrial districts. Such districts developed after the railroad pattern was set. The city itself grew around the framework provided by the railroads. The specific location of the city was first decided almost exclusively in terms of railroad transportation, for certainly its site had only potential value until iron rails made it economically accessible and uniquely focal with respect to the cultural pattern of the southeast.1 The end of Atlanta's formative decade coincided with the enumeration of the seventh U. S. Census. This convenient circumstance enables us to secure an accurate picture of where our original citizens came from and what they did after they arrived. The census gave the total population of the United States as 23,191,876, a 36% increase over 1840. Of the 1,713,251 immigrants from Europe during the decade, 1,047,763 came from Great Britain, chiefly Ireland. Of this group Atlanta seems to have secured a proportionate share. The center of population in 1850 was 23 miles southeast of Parkersburg, West Virginia.2 The following general statistics relative to De Kalb County are illuminating :3 T Number of Dwellings Number of Familes Males, White Females, White Free Negroes, Male Free Negroes, Female Slaves Total PoDulation 1,792 1,794 5,704 5,668 9 23 2,994 14,398 Farmers Manufacturing Establishments Value of Real Estate Value of Personal Estate Number Persons Employed in Agriculture Professional and Engineers Pensioners for Revolutionary Service Blind White—Insane, Idiots at public charge White—Insane, Idiots at private charge Colored—Blind Number Academies and Graded Schools Scholars Private and Common Schools Number Scholars Number of White Persons over 20 years, Illiterate 1,019 45 $1,669,810 $1,721,560 1,648 13 7 4 2 4 2 2 77 10 245 435 Alabama Connecticut Delaware England Europe, country not specified France Georgia Germany Ireland Maine Massachusetts 2 4 1 5 4 3 154 7 14 2 3 New Jersey New York North Carolina On Sea Pennsylvania Scotland South America South Carolina Tennessee Vermont Virginia Left blank 2 4 44 1 5 1 1 114 7 1 12 3 It will be noted that Ireland contributed more family heads than any of the States of the Union except the Carolinas and Georgia; also that neighboring Alabama was claimed as a birthplace by only two citizens. However, if it were possible to compile a list of the states to which early citizens of De Kalb emigrated, Alabama, with the possible exception of Texas, would head the list.4 The occupational breakdown for family heads in Atlanta a century ago follows: Atlanta—Vol. 1-20 THE EIGHTEEN-FIFTIES 305 The task of enumerating the individual population of De Kalb County was performed by William Goldsberry, Assistant Marshal. After obtaining information in all of the Militia Districts and the Town of Decatur he began work in Atlanta on November 6th and finished November 19th. His final tally gave the city a white population of 2,058 plus 18 free Negroes and 493 slaves. A total of 394 persons were classified as "Heads of Families". An analysis of this group as to place of birth and occupation is interesting since it shows where Atlanta's pioneers came from and how they earned their daily bread. Heads of Families born in: 306 ATLANTA AND ITS ENVIRONS Bailiff Blank—no entry in occupation Blacksmith Boarding House Boilermaker Bookkeeper Bootmaker Brickmaker Brickmason Butcher Cabinet Work Carpenter Carriagemaker City Marshal...