Volume 23, no. 4 Winter 2005CIVIL WAR DOCUMENTS “FOUND”The Troup County Archives recently accessioned a collection of photocopies of documents about soldiers who were treated in hospitals in Troup County during the Civil War. The originals are part of the Samuel H. Stout Collection at the University of Texas.For years, local residents had known the names of the Civil War hospitals, which were located in churches, schools, homes, and other buildings. Residents knew that many local residents, including the Nancy Harts, a female militia unit, served as nurses and attendants to the patients. The Confederate Cemetery off Mulberry Street is filled with the graves of Confederate soldiers who died as a result of their injuries or diseases. Despite all this, locals never knew the names of soldiers who were treated here. This collection gives these names. Daily rosters for each hospital gives the names of soldiers, their rank, their regiment and company, and their conditions from December 2, 1863 to August 14, 1864. The company name usually includes the state they were from, such as “17th Alabama.” The records also include items such as date of death, discharge or desertion. There are also curious details that we wish we knew more about, such as “Alfred, Negro patient,” at St. Mary’s Hospital, transferred to General Hospital in August 1864. After we copied these records, the Archives was fortunate to have a volunteer transcribed the records. Joe Hungate, a retiree from Atlanta, transcribed each of the names. Hungate’s transcript fills a notebook plus his computer file serves as an index to the collection. This is the third such project Hungate has worked on. He first transcribed Upson County’s Confederate Hospital records for the Thomaston-Upson County Archives. He has also worked on Lamar County and the City of Macon. The Archives is most appreciative for his efforts! 140 years after the end of the Civil War, Troup County finally has a list of the soldiers who local residents nursed, fed, and cared for. The documents and index are available for use at the Troup County Archives.
 Joe and Myrna Hungate with Kaye Minchew & Barry Jackson BOOKS FOR SALE AT THE TROUP COUNTY ARCHIVESIn case you did not get everything you asked Santa for at Christmas, come by the Archives and stock up on books about Troup County and West Georgia!TROUP COUNTY IN VINTAGE POSTCARDSPublished by Arcadia Publishing Company, 2002. This volume looks back at LaGrange, Hogansville, West Point, and the surrounding area through twentieth century postcards. Topics include textile mills, downtown scenes, churches and schools, cotton pickers, trains and depots, and much more. Authors were Chris Cleaveland, Clark Johnson, Kaye Lanning Minchew, and Stephen Johnson. 128 pages, 220 postcards, indexed. Price $19.99HISTORY OF TROUP COUNTYBy Clifford Smith, 1933. Reprinted with a new personal name and subject index. Price $45.00TREASURES OF TROUP COUNTY: A PICTORIAL HISTORYA 263 page volume filled with over 400 black and white and color photographs. This coffee-table book makes a handsome addition to any office or home. Both longtime residents and people just moving into the area are fascinated by the chapters on education, religion, industry, military, leisure, commercial, and modern day life. Authors Glenda Major and F. Clark Johnson, III, worked with a committee of Troup County residents to depict the history of Troup County through photographs, maps, and illustrations. Price $25.00TRAVELS THROUGH TROUP COUNTY: A GUIDE TO ITS ARCHITECTURE AND HISTORYby John Lawrence, Professor of Art at LaGrange College. The 138 page book features 100 photographs of historic houses and buildings located in LaGrange, West Point, Hogansville, and throughout Troup County. Lawrence used a large format camera to make the beautifully detailed photos. Each has a caption highlighting architectural details, the history of the structure and the community. Maps drawn by Randall Allen will help motorists tour the county and study the structures in person. The book also contains a short, but thorough, history of Troup County written by Julie Turner. Softbound Price $10.00FERRELL GARDENS: A GROWING HISTORYThis film produced by the Troup County Historical Society and Kinekom of LaGrange spotlights the 154-year-old gardens during all four seasons of the year and includes an interview with Mrs. Alice H. Callaway. Historical photos of the Gardens are also featured in the program. Price $15.00PAID IN KIND: THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE IN TROUP COUNTY, 1831-1930,Glenda Major, author. An important reference book about Troup County’s history. Documents the central role doctors and medicine have played in the county’s development. Over 300 pages, indexed, with photographs and medical illustrations. Price $12.50HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF HOGANSVILLE, 1830-1970by Jane Strain. A very informative pamphlet which traces the development of this northeastern Troup County town from its earliest days as the site of William Hogan’s plantation to its Centennial in 1970. Price $7.00AND BOOKS ON CEMETERIES, MARRIAGES, ANTEBELLUM PEOPLE OF TROUP COUNTY, AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHURCHES AND MUCH MORE! NEW BOOK BY ANNIE GREENE
Georgia Farm Life in the 1940s, the Farm in Yarn is the title of a new book by Annie Greene, an award-winning artist. The artwork in this book was part of an exhibit at the Chattahoochee Valley Art Museum in 2003. The artwork and the related stories brings to mind many stories of the way farming use to be practiced in Georgia and the South. This book will help ensure that this way of life is not totally forgotten as time goes by.Copies of the book are for sale at the Troup County Archives for $31.90 hardbound or $21.50 softbound (including taxes). Shipping is an additional $3.00. If you would like a copy of this wonderful new book, contact the Archives at 706-884-1828 or come by at 136 Main Street. LETTERS FROM STUDENTS:Here are two letters that Archives staff have received from students during the fall of 2005. Barry Jackson spoke at Heritage Day at Hogansville Elementary in October and Kaye Minchew spoke at Career Day at Ethel Kight Elementary. We love getting these letters and thought members of the Historical Society would enjoy seeing them.
RECENT ACCESSIONS AT THE TROUP COUNTY ARCHIVESBrad ley, Dee, Hogansville. Campaign pins or 1918 (Willam S. Howard for U.S. Senate) and 1924 Presidential Election (Oscar W. Underwood, for President).Brown, Imo, Newnan, GA. 329 tapes of “The Johnny Brown Show” telecast on Newnan New Channel 9, 1997-2004. Cauble, Lillian Cobb, West Point. World War II Red Cross Handbook. Clem, Tommy, LaGrange. Construction photographs of Government Center. Davis, Jane Crayton, LaGrange. Papers, diplomas and baby quilt from the estate of Mary Jane Crayton. Dickson, Benjamin H., III, Cape Coral, FL. Civil War Amnesty Oath of Jonathan Jones. United Daughters of the Confederacy. Georgia Chapter, Ancestor Roster, Vol. 15. Fackler, William B., LaGrange. 1982-83 Lions Club Scrapbook. Henry, George and Helen, LaGrange. Plaque presented to Dr. Waights G. Henry, Jr. by LaGrange Chamber of Commerce in appreciation for bringing stature of LaFayette to LaGrange. Horvath, Louise, LaGrange. Mountville Elementary School yearbooks, Pioneer, 1967-68. Jeffries, Robert, LaGrange. “Memories of the Great Depression.” Lashley, Nina (Family of). Patterson, Lashley and Waller genealogy information; Photographs of first meeting Callaway Mills 25 Year Club (1945) and 1923 Overseers of Unity Spinning Mill; Certificate from Mercer University, LaGrange Center; World War I soldier’s memorial plaque. Lummus, Harold C., III, Columbus, GA. Lummus Cotton Gin patents, 1882, 1886. Murphy, Lillian, LaGrange. Seals from Chipley Agricultural Corporation, Inc. and LaGrange Banking and Trust Company. Nappier, Pat, LaGrange. Troup Retired Educators, scrapbooks, 2003-2005. Plott, Sally, Columbus, GA; Genealogy books from the estate of Mary Wade Robinson. Reno-Wells, Debbie, Deer Park, TX. 1949 Gray Hill School yearbook. Sheppard, Jeffery, LaGrange. Lead Toy Bus, c. 1930s and Double Cola Bottle, c. 1940s found in Chattahoochee River near West Point. Singletary, V. Allen, Knoxville, TN. Across the Cemetery: My Childhood and Singletary-Ochlocknee Heritage. Southern Lion Books, Madison, GA. In Search of Confederate Ancestors: The Guide, 2nd Edition. Taylor, R. S. Jr. Foundation, Atlanta, GA. Carroll County Georgia Cemeteries, Vol 1.; Lumpkin County Georgia Cemeteries; 1805 Georgia Land Lottery: Persons Entitled to Draw. Thomas, Diana, LaGrange. 1971, 1973 LaGrange High Granger Yearbooks and 1973 LaGrange College Quandrangle. Wall, Marlene Meacham. Descendants of William Terry Kirby, Sr. and Nancy Terry Greer, Randolph County, Alabama. West Georgia Underwater Archaeological Society, LaGrange. Pulley and navigational wheel from Chattahoochee River steamboat. Wiggins, David N., Carrollton, GA. Remembering Georgia’s Confederacy (pictorial history)
UPCOMING:This spring, Troup County and the Troup County Historical Society will host a special traveling exhibit sponsored by the Historic Preservation Division of Georgia. The exhibit will spotlight Georgia’s Historic Courthouses.Our state is blessed to have many beautiful historic courthouses. The Depression-era 1939 “old courthouse” in Troup County is one of those historic courthouses which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Details will be shared as they become available.
MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGN UNDERWAYThe Troup County Historical Society began its annual membership campaign in November. We need you to renew your membership to make the programs of the Society possible! If you do not remember whether you have renewed your membership or not, please check the mailing label on the back of this page (and the last page of this newsletter). If the first line has an ** after your last name, we have received your membership renewal. If you do not have an ** after your name, we have yet to receive your dues and are hoping you will rejoin the Troup County Historical Society soon.We urge you to consider increasing your level of membership giving this year. You can fill out the form below and mail it in with your payment. Or you can call the Archives at 706-884-1828 and put your membership renewal on your credit card! Our bookkeeper Diana Thomas will be happy to assist you! Even better, you can visit the staff at the Troup County Historical Society and Archives at 136 Main Street and drop off your membership in person! The Historical Society organized in 1972 as the Ockfuskee Historical Society. Members decided to change the name in 1981. The Society established the Troup County Archives, which opened in January 1983. With your membership in the Historical Society, you will receive our quarterly newsletter and will receive invitations to our luncheon programs and special lectures. Your membership is tax deductible. Membership funds of the Historical Society support the Troup County Archives, planning for the Museum of Main, annual History Day contests for middle and high school students, Heritage Education workshops for teachers, and other special programs and projects. We thank you for your past membership support and hope you will continue your support. For more info, click here.
DOCUMENT SPOTLIGHT:This New Year’s Greeting is found in the collections of the Troup County Archives in the Nix-Price Collection. This postcard was sent to Carrie Nix in 1910 and is just one of many postcards found in the Archives collections. Postcards were a major form of correspondence in those pre-e-mail days when telephone calls were a rarity.
This newsletter is a quarterly publication of:
The Troup County Historical Society and Archives
Troup County Historical Society OfficersOfficers: President - Oliver GreeneVice-President - Ann Petry Secretary - Sally Macomber Treasurer - Jim Crane Past-President - Bit Taylor Board of Trustee Representative - Charles D. Hudson Staff of the Archives:Director - Kaye Lanning MinchewReference - F. Clark Johnson Education Archivist - Barry Jackson Bookkeeper - Diana Thomas Manuscripts & Exhibits - Charles Kelly Photographs - George Allen
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