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Hello, Wilcox County Georgia researchers! We are Janet Moore and Janice McGough and we are your hosts for Wilcox County.  We welcome your suggestions and comments on what you would like to see posted here. If you have bible records, cemetery records, family stories, will records, deed records, county history or any other information that you would like to share with others, please contact us, Janet and JaniceIf you can e-mail, snail mail or FAX them, just send them on and we will get them online for you.
 
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The Creation of Wilcox County Georgia

Wilcox County was created from Dooly, Irwin, and Pulaski counties 22 December 1857.  Wilcox County was named for General Mark Willcox, state legislator and one of the founders of the Georgia Supreme Court.  These counties were the home of many Revolutionary War Soldiers who were granted land or drew land in the land lotteries. Shortly after Wilcox County was created, the Civil War was fought and, once again, Wilcox County volunteers fought bravely in battle.  For more information on these early soldiers, please see our military pages.

The settlers came for the free land and stayed for the beautiful streams, rivers and pine forests. It was the land of milk and honey, if your cow survived, and your sweet tooth made you crazy enough to fight the bears and bees for it.  The pioneers of the Georgia frontier had made it to Ocmulgee River by 1804. The Ocmulgee River is the area's largest river. This river was the only boundary between the pioneers on the east bank and the Creek Indians on the west. It was a situation filled with conflict resulting in bloodshed on both sides of the river.  Some of the major battles of the Creek Indian War were fought on the banks of the Ocmulgee. The Ocmulgee was the river transportation in the early days.

The Alapaha River winds through the western section of the county.  These Wilcox county sections of the river were the favorite grounds of marauding Seminole Indians in 1836-1837 time frame.   There are also some nice springs in the county, among them is Poor Robin Spring and Oscewitchee Spring Poor Robin Spring is said to have been named for an Indian chief who was said to have been healed after bathing in its ice-cold waters. The spring became a popular mineral spa.  A venison ham more than 100 years old was taken from the depths of the spring and found to be petrified.   Oscewitchee Spring, also a cold spring, was once a very poplar recreational area.  Many family reunions have been held there with the watermelons being kept cool in the shallows.  Look here if you would like to see some younguns having a good time at the spring.  Both springs are privately owned now.

Plans to extend the railroad into Wilcox County were finalized in early 1887. On October 17, 1887 the first train came roaring down the track to a new town that had been formed at the focal point  where the railroad crossed the Hawkinsville-Irwinville Road. The new town was Rochelle. The railroad was a magnet that attracted newcomers to Wilcox county and they came in droves. New stations sprung up due to demand. Colonel Hawkins, the railroad magnate received all these appeals for new stations and post offices while in Europe with his young daughters. He named one station "Alamo" and left it to his daughters to name the rest. They chose the names of the cities they had enjoyed in Europe: Seville, in Spain; La Rochelle, in France; Milan in Italy; and Rhine for the Rhine River. The new station at Ashley Pitt's store was simply called Pitts.

There are four major municipalities in Wilcox County, Abbeville, Pitts, Pineview and Rochelle.  Abbeville is the county seat, however, Rochelle is the largest of the four. Surrounding counties are Crisp, TurnerBen Hill, TelfairDodge, Pulaski and Dooly.

Farming was the major occupation of the early settlers and a large portion of Wilcox County residents farm today.  The long summer season and mild winter are ideal for the farming of many crops.  Farmers and their families bought very few items from the store. They raised sugar cane to make their own sugar and syrup, grew vegetables in their gardens which the women canned to preserve for the winter, made their own soap, and raised corn which they ground into grits and meal. They raised cows, pigs and chickens for the family food. Some of the old smokehouses where the meats were cured are still standing today.  Wilcox County is the state's second largest producer of watermelons and among the top producers of cantaloupe.  Peanuts, corn, soybeans, cotton, tobacco and pecans are also profitable crops for the local farmers. In earlier days turpentine industry was thriving and many people made their living harvesting and selling rosin, lumber and turpentine.

Each May The Ocmulgee Wild Hog Festival is held in Abbeville.   There is plenty of barbecue, arts and crafts, a hog baying contest, a display of wild boars, an unusual beauty pageant of men and an antique car show. Want more information?.... just email them at wildhogfestival@yahoo.com

Research sources for the history portion of this page:

The Passing of the Pines by Mary Lou McDonald and Samuel Jordan Lawson III. Published and copyrighted 1984.
A History of Savannah and South Georgia
by William Harden
Huxford Genealogy Society Publications
The Georgia Genealogists Publications
Personal memories of Zaroga Goff
Personal memories of Hazel Helms Gordon




Wilcox County Research Information

Georgia Red Clay Roots Page

Georgia Genealogical Society

Wiregrass Genealogy Society

Central GA. Genealogy Society

Southwest Georgia Genealogical Society

The Huxford Genealogical Society Inc.

Wilcox County Archives at GAGenWeb.

State of Georgia Vital Records

Wilcox County Vital Records

Wilcox County Courthouse

Wilcox County Health Department

Wilcox County Chamber of Commerce

Wilcox County Profile

Wilcox County Photos at Archives

Wilcox County Map and Neighbors

Wilcox County Military Districts Map

Georgia County Map

AHGP GAGENWEB County Selection Table

USGenweb State Project

Georgia Militia Districts

AGHP State Selection Table

Wilcox County Researchers Personal Web Pages

Georgia Researchers Family Group Sheets Site

Georgia Records Online

Online Vital Records - all states
Vital Records - all states where and how

USGenWeb Georgia County Archives Files
Wilcox County Archive
Pulaski County Archive
Dooly County Archive
Irwin County Archive

List of All Georgia Newspapers Online
Wilcox County Newspapers - address & phone
Cordele Dispatch  Online 
Fitzgerald Herald Online

Ashburne Wiregrass Farmer Online soon



 

Site Map

Wilcox County Home Page Wilcox County Books Available
Our Volunteers Wilcox County Resources
Wilcox County Map and Neighbors Wilcox Family Picture Gallery
Georgia Links Wilcox County Mailing List
Online Resources Wilcox County Surname List
Wilcox County History Wilcox County Military Records
Wilcox County Marriage Records Wilcox County Church Records
Wilcox County Newspapers - Address & Phone Wilcox County Cemetery Records
Wilcox County Family Records Wilcox County Will Records
Wilcox County Obituaries Pate Family Letters
City Radio Service Accounts Naming Traditions


Share and Communicate With Other Wilcox County Researchers

Wilcox County Bulletin Board allows you post a query and receive answers at the Rootsweb/Ancestry Bulletin Boards. If you are new to the boards, you may want to read some helpful hints.
Hosted        by RootsWeb Rootsweb Mailing List allows you to join a mailing list for correspondence with other researchers of Wilcox County.  You can also search the mailing list archives for information on you family lines by clicking on the link below.

PRESS HERE TO SEARCH THE GAWILCOX-L ARCHIVES


 
 

If you have records that pertain to Wilcox County Georgia, please submit them to  Janet and Janice.  Your help is needed in cemetery surveying, census transcribing, and many other projects. We are also very interested in family stories and pictures, church records, deeds, military records and anything else you would like to share.

Janet Moore and Janice McGough    


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This page was created and is maintained to provide free genealogy information for individuals researching their family history. It is not to be used for resale or personal gain by individuals or companies seeking to make a profit. You may link to this page, the bulletin boards or mailing lists but please do not take the content of this site and post it as your own work. The site is copyrighted and I will pursue violators.

© Copyright 2005 Janet Moore and Janice McGough- Wilcox County Coordinator  - All Rights Reserved