Chapter 3: 1827, The Georgia land lottery

The Treaty of Indian Springs (1825) had spelled out the doom of what remained of the Creek Indians in Georgia. Although President John Quincy Adams had sought to ameliorate the harshness of the treaty by negotiating a new one with tribal leaders, Governor Troup had merely ignored the president’s efforts and proceeded with the removal of the tribe from their lands. Next, the state’s legislature had quickly authorized yet another land lottery (there had been others in 1805, 1807, 1820 and 1821) and made preparations to distribute the lands to its White citizens.

2 “You are entitled to make two draws, Mr. Hendrix,” Abraham Turner told the young man standing before him. There was a large barrel filled with slips of paper on the ground beside him. Jesse Levi Hendrix smiled and plunged his hand into the barrel and drew out a slip of paper. It was blank. “Do it again!” the man encouraged. So, Jesse complied and drew out yet another slip of paper. And, although he could not read, he could see that this one clearly had something written on it.

3 Mr. Turner smiled and took the slip of paper from Jesse’s hand. “Section five, District two and Lot number one hundred and thirty-eight for Mr. Levi Hendrix,” he told the man seated at the table situated on the other side of the barrel. The man was busily copying the information down into a large ledger book. “Congratulations, Mr. Hendrix,” Mr. Turner told him. Then he motioned for the next man to step forward.

4 Levi rushed home to tell Chloe the good news. After all, his marriage to her during the same year in which the treaty with the Creeks had been ratified had enabled him to make that second draw. If he had still been a bachelor, he would have only been entitled to one draw; and he would have gone home empty handed.

5 “Land o’ Goshen!” Levi shouted as he entered the house. “We own a little over two hundred acres of land in Carroll County!”

6 “Oh praise the Lord!” Chloe shouted back in response. “How soon can we take possession?” she asked. “Daddy will be sorry to see us go,” she added as an afterthought before he could answer.

7 “I’ll be wantin to get started as quick as we can,” Levi told her. “What about this?” Chloe asked as she pointed to her swollen stomach. “He’ll be alright, Darlin,” he smiled.

8 True to his word, Levi had quickly packed up his wife and a few belongings and was headed for his new land within two weeks. Although the Hendrix family had lived in Elbert County for over thirty years, Levi didn’t feel any regrets about leaving. He was ready to try something new.

9 There also wouldn’t be any long sighs or regrets for the Indians who had occupied that land just a few years before his arrival there. As with most White Georgians, he firmly believed that God intended for him to have that land and the opportunity it represented.

10 Now these are the generations of Jesse Levi Hendrix:

11 Levi Hendrix married Chloe Coker; and they had children: William, Anderson, Nancy, Susan and six others.

12 William Hendrix married Mary Camp, and they had children: Leah, Armindia, Sarah, Bud, Lizzie, Lionah, Teenie, Henry and Virgil.

13 Virgil Hendrix married Margaret Anne Ennis, and they had children: Samuel, Henry, Hayden, Eva, Corene, John and Virgie.