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Liberty trivia
LibertyLore 0902
Nellie Simmons Mobley
- Mutch Logan lived in Willie and had a barrel of fish shipped by rail each Saturday and sold them in the community.
- Ferdie Futch was an excellent fiddler who played for many square dances in the community.
- Edward Payson Miller owned 4,019 acres of land in Liberty County in 1881 at a value of between $10,000 and $20,000.
- In 1898, there were two newspapers in Liberty County - the Liberty County Herald was published by R.M. Martin and Southern Home, published and edited by F.C. Miller of Walthourville.
- There were 14 flour and corn mills in the county in 1898. There were two watchmakers and jewelers; W.W. Johns and B.F. Abram.
- Robert Sallette, in Liberty County, put a pumpkin in a croaker sack, sold it to a Tory as his (Sallette’s) head, collected the money and killed the Tory.
- The Liberty County school commissioner appointed Laura Shellman a teacher when she was 15 years of age and she spent the remainder of her life educating black children in Liberty County. She is one of the best loved and revered teachers in Liberty County’s past.
- Celery was so unknown to most Liberty Countians in 1938 that one recipient said, “I boiled it and I couldn’t eat it. I gave it to the hogs and they wouldn’t eat it either.” Celery was one of the food commodities given out by the government in 1938.
- College aid totaled $248 and was given to four Liberty County students in 1937-38.
- There are 19 marked cemeteries on the Fort Stewart Reservation in Liberty County and six in Long County. Taylors Creek appears to be the largest and Thomas Hill second largest.
- Provincial land grants in 1758 in Liberty County stipulated a person must agree to raise three cows or six sheep or goats for every 50 acres granted to them.
- In 1789, Creek Indians attacked the LeConte-Woodmanston Plantation and abducted five slaves. Tomban, about 30 years old, was one of them.  A little more than 30 years later, he returned to the plantation.
- A barrel maker, called a cooper, was required to make three barrels a day. A barrel held 10 bushels of clean rice or 600 pounds net. The staves were three feet, two inches long and two feet across the head.
- “Pride of India” trees were precious to Mrs. Charles C. Jones on the Montevideo Plantation. There were several on her front lawn that were blown down by a terrible storm. We call them Chinaberry trees. I also refer to them as “pest trees” on our farm.
- “The Bridge War” was the affair caused by moving the county seat from Sunbury to Riceborough in 1798. John and William Graves owned land near the headwater of the North Newport River. They built a bridge across the river and the place was known as Gravesend. Judge McAllister gave land next to the bridge for the courthouse. Moving the county seat caused angry words by people in both communities. Daniel Stewart was the moving force behind the change. Thus “The Bridge War” came about.
- Although John Elliott Ward publicly disapproved of Georgia’s secession from the Union, his picture appeared on the Confederate States’ $10 bill.
- Richard Howley was a plantation owner in Liberty County and governor of Georgia in 1780. He escaped to North Carolina taking the state archives and treasury with him to keep the British from confiscating them. Because of his bravery and patriotism, the earliest records of the state are in existence today.
- Beautiful tote bags, bell pulls, wall hangings along with the Hinesville-Liberty County afghans can be purchased at Hinesville City Hall. Prices range from $13 to $25. On each article are historical places in Liberty County.
- Nellie S. Mobley of Gum Branch was one of the most proficient growers of all types of flowers in Liberty County. National seed companies purchased seeds from her. Her husband was John Washington Mobley. Her grandson-in-law, Mike Barrett, is a senior engineer for Liberty Consolidated Planning Commission.
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