Theophilus Jackson Smith (17 November 1819-14 October 1881) built this plantation house in in 1848 and named it Glen Mary for his wife, Mary Gonder Smith. Glen Mary means “Mary’s Valley” in Scottish. Colonel Smith was a leading planter of Hancock County and served in the Georgia legislature and the Fifteenth Georgia Regiment during the Civil War. Due to financial losses one the eve of the war, Smith sold the plantation to General Ethan Allen Hitchcock (18 May 1798-5 August 1870). Hitchcock was the Vermont-born grandson of Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen and served in the Seminole Wars and as Winfield Scott’s Inspector General during the Mexican War. Albany-born architect Edward Vason Jones was responsible for restorations done to the home in the 1960s. Today, this Georgia gem is owned by Preservation America Trust.
Joseph Oxford “Joe” Holmes* (1844-1922) built this boarding house in 1894 and it served this purpose until Mr. Holmes’s death. It has been a private residence ever since.
*-Mr. Holmes, a native of Yatesville in Upson County, was wounded in the Civil War and imprisoned by the Union at High Bridge, Virginia.
Culloden Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
In his book Houses of Heart Pine: A Survey of the Antebellum Architecture of Evans County, Georgia (2001) Pharris DeLoach Johnson notes that this house was already built when purchased by Uriah Rogers in 1856. Rogers gave the house to his son James, who then sold it to his brother, John “Duffy” Rogers, Evans County’s longest-surviving Confederate veteran. Thirteen of his twenty children were born here to his first two wives, Laura Blitch of Blitchton who died here during childbirth in 1883, and Melvina Hearn. John Rogers lived here until 1891, when he built the large home seen in the next post. It is in immediate danger as the back roof is collapsing and this important house will soon be lost if not stabilized.
John “Duffy” Rogers (1847-1941) was the last surviving Confederate veteran of Evans County. He helped establish Bull Creek Baptist Church in 1870 and was a well-known citizen of the area throughout his life.
The William W. Daniel House is one of the most iconic in Evans County, not only for its historical associations but also for the splendid architecture that takes a simple form up a notch. From any angle, the house is quite beautiful.
Justin Daniel writes: This home belongs to my father. It was built by my great great grandfather William W. Daniel (1841-1909) circa 1895. James U Daniel was his son and my great-grandfather. To give you a bit more context, the house was constructed circa 1895 by William W. Daniel, a veteran of the confederacy. The story handed down through the family is that W.W. hired a carpenter, paid him $100.00 plus room and board to design and build this house. W.W. provided the labor from his farm, all lumber was sawn from timber on the property at his sawmill which sat to the east of the house down by the branch. The attached kitchen and large portico are said to have been added in the 1920s or 30s by W.W.’s son James Uriah Daniel (1880-1941). About the same time of the home’s construction, my great great grandfather sat down and wrote his memoirs of the war for southern independence. The original is still intact, along with several letters from the war written home by he and his older brother Captain Isaac C. Daniel (1840-1919).
This is one of the most beautiful and unique homes in Cuthbert and has recently been restored. Thanks to James Webb for the identification of this, and several other houses here. Corp. Charles Neal Simpson (1843-1922) was a member of Co. E., 31st Reg. “Bartow Guards” Stewart County, Jr.; 4th Corp. 13 November 1861; appointed Color Corp. 15 December 1861; hospital steward 13 May 1862. Surrendered at Appomattox 9 April 1865.
Cuthbert Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
John P. Rabun writes: I think, but am not certain, that this house was originally a Tootle family house that was moved to its present location from another location just off the west side of the Reidsville-Glennville Road. I think, too, that it is a “twin” of the house that still stands across the road from the original location.
Deborah W. Martin adds: Mr. Rabun is correct about the Tootle house. It was the home of Jeremiah Hamilton Tootle, MD (1830-1900). The original location is an area behind the current Reidsville High School, near Robert Tootle Road. The “twin” house belonged to Jeremiah’s brother, Columbus Tootle (1832-1910). It is a mirror image of Jeremiah’s house, fully restored by Dana Dowdy, and is located on Wren Dowdy Road. Jeremiah, Columbus, and three other brothers, Capel (1838-1862), Enoch, and Simeon (1844-1862), all served in the Civil War and are buried at Old Shiloh Cemetery, just outside of Reidsville.
One of my favorite antebellum houses in Georgia, this was built by Hendley Foxworth Horne (1814-1899). Mr. Horne was one of the most prominent citizens of then-Liberty County and was married three times. He was a deacon and trustee of nearby Jones Creek Baptist Church for many years and is buried there alongside his wives. He enslaved at least twenty men, women, and children on his plantation. Horne served as the Justice of the Peace of the 16th Militia District and was also a Judge of the Liberty County Inferior Court. During the Civil War he served with the Liberty Guards, in which he was a second lieutenant.
This historic farmstead is among the oldest surviving in Irwin County. The house on the left was a single pen log structure. I’ve heard from two people who believe they have ancestral connections to the property, and since I certainly can’t make a judgement call either way, I’ll share their recollections. The wonderful thing about researching properties like this are the family stores that surround them. It very well may be that there is a connection between these two and that their histories are somehow intermingled. As a historian, I’m most intrigued that both stories date the house to the 1850s. Its importance lies as much in the date as in the identity of the owners.
Jo Ann Smith Gorday: My father said that his grandmother, Nancy Fletcher Smith, born in December, 1858, told him she was born here. She was the daughter of Horton Fletcher and Mary Elizabeth Clements Fletcher Ross. Horton died at the Battle of Sharpsburg in September, 1862.
Steve Mixon: This was also the home of David Mark Hogan during 1858. His wife, Mary Ann Hogan, died there in 1859 giving birth to their seventh child. If you let your eyes follow the two path lane you will see a small grouping of trees at the crest of the hill. This is where she is buried. That seventh child was my GG grandfather, Oswald Gibson Hogan.The only thing I can state with absolute certainty is that my GGG grandmother is buried there. All other information was obtained through the direct line of family members in the Hogan family. According to them, and verified by my own research, DM Hogan moved to Irwin Co. in 1857. They had one child born in Irwin County in 1858. My grandmother said that the house in the picture was where her grandfather was born and she took me up the hill to the grave. I assumed that the family lived there while DM was off fighting in “the war”. My great-great grandfather went on to marry a girl who lived no more that a mile directly behind that house. I am sure housing was scarce during that time. Who knows, maybe the Fletchers moved out and my people moved in in 1858. I do know the Fletchers were, and still are, prevalent in that area. After 158 years who can be for certain.
Thanks to John Carroll for sharing this image of Captain DeVaughn at a Confederate Veterans reunion. Public domain.
Captain James Elijah DeVaughn (1840-1908) built this home for his second wife, schoolteacher Mary Elizabeth Porter. Captain DeVaughn was among the most prominent citizens of Macon County, not just for his service to the Confederacy, but for his vast land holdings and business interests. Besides his successful general merchandise business, he was also involved in the Montezuma Steamboat Company and the Montezuma & Flint River Steamboat Company in the late 1880s. This home was built near the end of his life. More biographical information about Captain DeVaughn can be found here. Minor Lewis bought the house in 1913 and lived here until 1935. Mr. Lewis was a financier who owned banks in Macon and Montezuma. He was also active in securing the Carnegie Library for Montezuma. After quite a few years in decline, I believe the house has a new owner who has plans for restoration.
