Richard B. Russell Lake, called Lake Russell by locals, has the most natural appearance of the three large lakes impounded by the Army Corps of Engineers on the Savannah River along the Georgia-South Carolina border. While all the lakes serve the dual purpose of flood control and hydropower creation, Richard B. Russell has restrictive covenants that prevent the construction of homes along its shoreline, unlike Lake Hartwell to the north and Lake Strom Thurmond to the south. As a result, it is a more pristine environment and an unusual recreational location in Georgia.
Originally conceived as Trotters Shoals Lake in 1966, it was authorized by the Flood Control Act. The name was later changed to memorialize the recently deceased U. S. Senator Richard B. Russell. Historic sites ranging in time from the last Ice Age to the time of the lake’s construction were inundated during the filling process, and about 68 of the 600 identified sites were documented. This work has been covered in two books, Beneath These Waters, Archeological and Historical Studies of 11,500 Years Along the Savannah River and In Those Days: African-American Life Near the Savannah River.
The lake is approximately 26,650 acres in size and levels do not fluctuate more than five feet in optimum conditions. The average maximum depth is approximately 167 feet. This is another distinction from neighboring Lake Hartwell and Lake Strom Thurmond.
Sign marking the trail leading to Dan Tucker’s grave
Elbert County has always promoted Dan Tucker’s gravesite to visitors based on the assumption that the Daniel Tucker buried here is the “Old Dan Tucker” of 19th-century American folklore. There is no academic or even incidental agreement on this assertion, but it’s a great story, and the public access trail to the historic Tucker Cemetery is one of the nicest walks around. And as a big fan of vernacular gravestones, I’d suggest a visit to others who appreciate this underappreciated art form. Kudos to Elbert County for maintaining it so nicely. It’s a low rise path surrounded for most of its short distance by wooded slopes descending into Richard B. Russell Lake. The small cemetery has several other markers, three of which are identified.
Path to Dan Tucker’s grave
Since the origins of the standard folk song “Old Dan Tucker” are unclear and may never be confirmed, there is no way of proving the identity of its namesake. Some credit the song to Dan Emmett, who popularized blackface minstrel shows and composed the song “Dixie”, but it has also been credited to J. R. Jenkins, and Henry Russell. Dan Emmett told his biographer that he wrote the song circa 1830-1821 when he was 15 years old. “Old Dan Tucker” was first published as sheet music in 1843. The earliest versions (there are many) employed Black Vernacular English, portrayed Dan Tucker as a drunken troublemaker, and breaks with many social conventions. He was a Black man in these iterations. At least four versions with different lyrics and identities for Tucker were published in the 19th century. Some suggest it’s based on a notorious sea captain and widely despised colonist named Daniel Tucker. This seems a bit far-fetched to me. More likely, as has been suggested, it’s derived from earlier minstrel tunes.
General view of Tucker Cemetery
Elbert County’s Dan Tucker was Daniel Tucker (14 February 1740-7 April 1818), a Virginia native who served as a captain of the Amelia County Militia during the Revolutionary War. For his service, he was awarded a land grant on the Georgia frontier. He developed a successful plantation, Point Lookout, with an enslaved workforce, ran a ferry on the Savannah River, and served as a minister, particularly known, through oral tradition, “…to bring Christianity to those he enslaved.” He was a neighbor and good friend of Governor Stephen Heard.
Frances Tucker (25 April 1790-19 May 1818). The nice vernacular headstone, of local material, reads: Sacred to the memory of Frances Tucker W of Rev Eppes Tucker – Born April 25 1790 – dp this life May the 19 1818 -Age 28 years.
A 1957 Georgia Historical Marker, which is no longer standing, claimed this about Daniel Tucker: “…Esteemed by his fellow planters, he was loved by the Negroes who composed the many verses of the famous ditty, “Old Dan Tucker,” a favorite song at corn shuckings and other social gatherings.” There is no evidence whatsoever to support this claim, other than local tradition. While I never dismiss it outright, oral history is spotty at best. I mean no ill will in pointing this out, and I enjoyed my visit to Dan Tucker’s grave. I never gave it much thought when I first heard it on The Andy Griffith Show and Little House on the Prairie as a boy.
Decedent unknown. I’m working on translating the name but haven’t gotten it yet.
There are several unidentified stones in the cemetery, all relatives or in-laws of Daniel Tucker as best I can discern.
Frances Epps Tucker (4 April 1750-6 August 1823). The stone reads: In Memory of Frances Tucker W. O. Daniel Tucker-who was born April the 4th 1750-dp this life Aug the 6th 1823-Age 73 Yr. [The maker of this marker used a backward capital D for the letter R, and for the number 5 in the birthdate, quite an unusual characteristic.]
Daniel Tucker’s grave is also quite primitive.
Rev. Daniel Tucker (14 February 1740-7 April 1818)
A newer military-issued marker has been placed in recent years, and it’s a good thing, as these memorials are all fading fast.
This historic cemetery near the lost plantation village of Heardmont is best known as the final resting place of Stephen Heard (1741-1815), who served briefly as governor of Georgia, from 1780-1781. It’s also referred to as the Stephen Heard Cemetery, Heardmont Cemetery (historic), and God’s Acre Cemetery. The earliest identified burial dates to 1800. It has been maintained by the Daughters of the American Revolution, though I’m not sure if that arrangement is still in place. It’s very well maintained. A granite marker near the entrance states: John W. McCalla, husband of Mary Allen McCalla, daughter of Singleton W. Allen*, deeded ten acres more or less, to the order of the “Daughters of the American Revolution” on November 24, 1903. The northeast corner, known as Heardmont Cemetery and church lot, to be reserved for burying purposes of the family members and relatives of Singleton W. Allen. *-Singleton Walthall Allen, Sr. (1793-1853), married Jane Lanier Heard, daughter of Stephen Heard.
He and his family came to Georgia in 1759, and in 1766 was the beneficiary of a 150-acre land grant for service rendered during the French and Indian War. Tensions remained high among the British settlers and the Creek and Cherokee peoples, and after both tribes signed the Treaty of Augusta in 1773, land north of the Little River was opened to settlement. To help protect new settlers from Native American incursions, Heard and his brother Barnard constructed Fort Heard, at present-day Washington, in 1774. Around the same time, Stephen and Barnard, along with their father, established another fort, known as Heard’s Fort, seven miles north of Fort Heard near Fishing Creek.
The Heards were patriots (Whigs) and were part of a larger group of rebels that included Nancy Hart, Elijah Clarke, and John Dooly. Far from being embraced by their fellow settlers, these colonists were the target of British sympathizers, known as Tories. As the British occupied Georgia, the Tories committed widespread acts of violence, culminating for Stephen Heard in the loss of his wife, Jane Germany, and their adopted daughter. The Tories invaded the Heard property and forced the women outside and into the snow. They later died of exposure.
His resolve greater than ever, Stephen Heard participated in the Battle of Kettle Creek on 14 February 1779. The battle was a major setback for the British in northeast Georgia, as only 270 of a force of 600 survived, but Tories continued to create chaos in the area. During one such campaign, Heard was captured and taken as a prisoner to Fort Cornwallis in Augusta. Legend holds that he was saved by one of his slaves, Mammy Kate.
Heard was appointed governor by the executive council of the House of Assembly on 24 May 1780 and served just over a year, departing the office on 18 August 1781. Clay Ouzts writes: “During his term, the British, who had overrun most of the state, were in control of its principal cities, and the backcountry was in a state of anarchy. Heard’s Fort functioned temporarily as Georgia’s capitol, but raids by Tories and Indians forced Heard and the council to move about continually to avoid capture by the British.“
Elizabeth Darden Heard (October 1765-5 June 1848)
After the Revolutionary War, Heard was granted nearly 7000 acres. He built Heardmont about 30 miles north of Washington on land which became part of Elbert County in 1790. He married Elizabeth Darden (1765-1848), a great niece of George Washington according to Findagrave, and they had nine children. Heard was an early justice of Elbert County, a delegate at the state constitutional convention of 1795, and a member of the committee that laid out the county seat of Elberton in 1803. He died at Heardmont on 15 November 1815. Heard County is named for him.
Col. Stephen Heard (13 November 1741-15 November 1815) The memorial doesn’t mention his brief service as governor, but notes: He was a soldier and fought with the great Washington for the liberties of his country…
There are no known contemporary images of a woman enslaved by Stephen Heard known simply as Mammy Kate, but early references described her as imposing, over 6 feet tall, very strong and fearless. She also declared herself to be the daughter of an African king. These firsthand accounts are part of an oral tradition among the descendants of Stephen Heard that have elevated Mammy Kate to near mythological status for her bravery in freeing Heard from his British captors at Augusta during the American Revolution.
On 14 February 1779, Heard was present at the Battle of Kettle Creek and was subsequently captured and imprisoned at Fort Cornwallis in Augusta. He would have been executed had he remained there. Hearing of his capture, Mammy Kate set out on his horse, Lightfoot, and after reaching Augusta, gained the trust of the British soldiers at Fort Cornwallis by doing their laundry, and therefore got close to Heard. The story goes that she convinced him to get into a basket and she carried him out on her head. This part may be apocryphal, but is central to the story. She did in fact get Stephen Heard safely back to Fort Heard, (present-day Washington, Georgia). Mammy Kate was given her freedom for this daring act, as well as a small plot of land and a four-room house. She continued to live at Heardmont alongside her husband, Daddy Jack, who remained enslaved and worked as Heard’s gardener. Ironically, Mammy Kate left her nine children to Stephen Heard’s children upon her death. It does raise questions as to the broader relationship dynamics at work but there is nothing to be found, even in genealogical resources that I’ve consulted.
Published accounts of this story emphasize that Mammy Kate lived in “freedom from care and want” and that she loved her “kind” master. It should be pointed out that, ultimately, African-Americans, even free African-Americans, didn’t have carefree lives or a sense of self determination at this time and such accounts should be taken at face value and within a broader context.
Daddy Jack (Heard)-Birth and death dates unknown, Heard Cemetery, Elbert County
Even less is known about Daddy Jack than Mammy Kate. I was unable to find any mention of their countries of origin in Africa or their children.
A 2011 article in the Athens-Banner Herald notes that Mammy Kate was the first Black woman in Georgia honored as a patriot by the Sons of the American Revolution and Daughters of the American Revolution. Daddy Jack was also afforded this honorific. Heard’s descendants, who have diligently worked to preserve family stories over the centuries, were happy to see the recognition for Mammy Kate and Daddy Jack.
Mammy Kate (Heard)- Birth and death dates unknown. Heard Cemetery, Elbert County
The very presence of two marble slabs bearing their names in the Heard Cemetery is proof that Mammy Kate and Daddy Jack were held in high esteem. Unfortunately, there are no birth or death dates on their memorials. They were likely installed at the same time, possibly years after their deaths. I can’t think of another enslaved man or woman who died before Emancipation that are honored in this way, though I imagine there could be a few in existence.
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 