Ed Jackson and Charles Pou

The University of Georgia

August 23

1781 Lawyer and well-known Georgia political John M. Berrien was born in Princeton, New Jersey. Two years later, his parents moved to Savannah, where at age 18 he began the practice of law. In 1822, he served a term in the Georgia state senate, and in 1824 the General Assembly elected him to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate. In 1829, he resigned to serve as Pres. Andrew Jackson's attorney general. In 1831, he returned to practice law in Savannah, where he helped form the Georgia State Rights party. In 1840, Berrien was reelected to the Georgia Senate, where he served for the next 12 years. Afterwards, he practiced law in Savannah until his death on Jan. 1 1856. The next month, the General Assembly created a new county and named it in his honor.

1864 Near Atlanta, Sherman issued Special Field Order 59 prohibiting his forces from trading with Georgia merchants except for items needed by Union troops, and setting the conditions under which Union quartermasters could obtain what they needed.

1870 H.I.Kimball sold the former Kimball Opera House to the State of Georgia for $250,000. During 1868-69, the building had been transformed into the Georgia State Capitol. [Click here for more information on the Kimball Opera House.]

1913 On the twenty-fourth day in the trial of Leo Frank, prosecutor Hugh Dorsey continued his eloquent, yet ferocious, closing argument, condemning Frank for his abhorrent behavior and contending that he could not care less what opposing attorneys or Frank's family thought of him -- his duty was to Mary Phagan and the people of Georgia. Click here for a detailed accounting of the case.

1961 Responding to the city of Atlanta's argument in federal court two days earlier that city parks were no longer segregated, four blacks attempted to play tennis at the Bitsy Grant Tennis Courts. As they arrived, they found hastily posted "closed for repairs" signs.

1969 To mark the 11th International Botanical Congress in Seattle, Wash., the U.S. Post Office issued four commemorative stamps showing plants from the major regions of America. One of the stamps showed the Franklinia alatamaha, a plant found near the mouth of the Altamaha River by the Bartrams in 1765. [Click here to view the stamp and read more about the Franklinia.]

Georgia towns and cities first incorporated by acts approved on August 23:

1889 Lovett (Laurens County)

1905 Campton (Walton County), Cobbtown (Tattnall County), Dacula (Gwinnett County), Garfield (Emanuel County), Haddock (Jones County), Lela (Decatur County), Ludowici (Liberty County), Molena (Pike County), Odessadale (Meriwether County), Pembroke (Bryan County), Pitts (Wilcox County), Smithsonia (Oglethorpe County), and Walnut Grove (Walton County)

In Their Own Words on This Day. . .

1734 From Skidaway Island, William Dalmas wrote James Oglethorpe about the problem he was getting colonists to build a fortification on the coast island:

". . . All our settlement is in tolerable good health but have been a little alarmed with a report of fifty or sixty Spaniards and Spanish Indians being seen in a boat on our frontiers to the Southward, which made me assist and give directions to our people in erecting a square redoubt upon our point with an entrenchment on the inside and a fosse without. We have four swivel and a carriage gun mounted, which both commands the river and the approaches to our huts . . . . I can't help but take notice that we were but six to carry on the aforesaid work, with rest refusing to do any thing without being paid for it. . . ."

Source: Mills Lane (ed.), General Oglethorpe's Georgia: Colonial Letters, 1733-1743 (Savannah: Beehive Press, 1990), Vol. I, p. 47.

1738 George Whitefield, who would eventually became one of famous evangelists of his time in America, began his career ministering to Georgia colonists in Savannah. Even at this young age he took his calling very seriously, as evidence by today's entry in his journal:

"A Necessity was laid on me to Day to express my Resentment against Infidelity by refusing to read the Burial Office over the most professed Unbeliever I ever yet met with.-- God was pleased to visit him with a lingring [sic] Illness, in which Time I went to see him frequently. -- Particularly about five Weeks agone, I asked him what Religion he was of, he answered, 'Religion was divided into so many Sects he knew not which to chuse [sic].' -- Another time, I offer'd to pray with him, but he would not accept it, upon which I resolv'd to go see him no more; -- But being told two Days before he dyed [sic], that he had an Inclination to see me, I went to him again, and after a little Conversation, I put to him the following Questions, 'Do you believe Jesus Christ to be God, the one Mediator between God and Man?' -- He said, 'I believe Christ was a good Man.'-'Do you believe the Holy Scriptures?' 'I believe,' replied he, 'something of the Old Testament, the New I do not believe at all.' -- Do you believe, Sir, a Judgement to come?' he turn'd himself about and replied, 'I know not what to say to that.' -- 'Alass' [sic] said I, 'Sir, if all these Things should be true' -- which Words I believe gave him Concern, for he seemed after to be very uneasy, grew delirious, and departed in a Day or two. -- Unhappy Man, how quickly was he convinced that all I said was true. Now he and I are of one Mind: the Day after his Decease he was carried to the Ground, and I refuse to read the Office over him, but went to the Grave and told the People what had passed between him and me, warned them against Infidelity, and asked them whether I could safely say, 'as our Hope is this our Brother doth,' upon which I believe they were thoroughly satisfied that I had done right. -- GOD grant this may be a warning to surviving Unbelievers."

Source: [no author or editor cited], Our First Visit in America: Early Reports from the Colony of Georgia, 1732-1740 (Savannah: Beehive Press, 1974), pp. 295-296.

1738 Like Whitefield, William Stephens, the Trustees' secretary in Georgia, kept a journal. Both men's journals for today dealt with the death of same colonist:

"Mr. William Aglionby, a Freeholder in this Town, died this Morning, and was buried in the Evening. His character was better forgot, than rememeber'd to his Infamy: But it may not be improper with Regard to the Colony, to touch upon it briefly. . . . [H]e had a little Smattering of the Law, he made Use of that Talent, in being a great Advisor among divers of our late Malecontents [sic]; most of whom had forsaken him, feeling their Error. He was so far from any Improvements, that he discouraged many others from it . . . and was a stirrer up of ill Blood: And as he was a great Devotee to Rum, it is said, that using it to Excess brought a Flux upon him, which . . . at length carried him off; wherein the Colony (I conceive) sustained no loss. During his sickness, Mr. Whitfield was divers Times to attend him, offering to do his Duty in Prayer, &c. but he refused such Assistance; and upon several Questions put to him properly at such a Season, he denied any Mediator, and died a confirmed Deist. . . . Mr. Whitfield . . . as soon as the Corpse was interred, before the Company dispersed, came to the Grave, and there made a very pathetick [sic] Exhortation to the People, to be stedfast to the principles of Christianity, and careful not to be seduced into damnable Errors. It is to be hoped we have not many of the like Stamp among us, the Generality of the People shewing [sic] a good Disposition; but I fear three or four yet remain, who are fond of the modern way of Freethinking. . . ."

Source: William Stephens, A Journal of the Proceeding in Georgia (no city cited: Readex Microprint Corporation, 1966), Vol. I, pp. 268-270.

1865 In Washington, Ga., 25-year-old Eliza Andrews recorded in her journal the changed lifestyle of her family following the Civil War:

"Up very early, sweeping and cleaning the house. Our establishment has been reduced from 25 servants to 5, and two of these are sick. Uncle Watson and Buck do the outdoor work, or rather the small part of it that can be done by two men. The yard, grove, orchards, vineyards, and garden, already show sad evidences of neglect. Grace does the washing and milks the cows, mammy cooks, and Charity does part of the housework, when well. Cora has hired Maum Rose, a nice old darkey that used to belong to the Dunwodys, to wait on her, and she is a great help to us. I worked very hard in the morning because I had a great deal to do. I got through by ten o'clock and was preparing for a nap when Cousin Liza came in with some of our country kin, and immediately after, Mrs. Jordan, with her sister, two children and three servants, came to spend the night. Other people came in to dinner -- I counted twenty at table. Charity was well enough to wait in the dining-room, mammy and Emily did the cooking, but Mett and I had the other work to do, besides looking after all the company. I never was so tired in my life; every bone in my body felt as if it were ready to drop out, and my eyes were so heavy that I could hardly keep them open. I don't find doing housework quite so much of a joke as I imagined it was going to be, especially when we have company to entertain at the same time, and want to make them enjoy themselves. By the way, Mrs. Jordan says I was right in dusting the top shelves first, so the laugh is on the other side. After dinner Mrs. Jordan and Mary Anderson wanted to do some shopping, and then we went to make some visits. On our return home we met [former family slaves] Dick and Emily, with their children, at the front gate, going out to begin life for themselves. All their worldly possessions, considerably increased by gifts of poultry, meal, bacon, and other provisions -- enough to last them till they can make a start for themselves, besides crockery and kitchen utensils that mother gave them, had gone before in a wagon. Dick's voice trembled as he bade me good-by, Emily could not speak at all, and Cinthy cried as if her heart would break. I felt very much like crying myself -- it was so pitiful. Poor little Sumter, who has been fed every day of his life from father's own hand, as regularly as old Toby from mine, was laughing in great glee, little dreaming what is in store for him, I fear. Little Charlotte, too, the baby, who always came to me for a lump of sugar or a bit of cake whenever she saw me in the kitchen, sat crowing in her mother's arms, and laughed when she held out her little fat hand to tell me good-by. Poor little creature, I wonder how long it will be before her little shiny black face will be pinched and ashy from want! If it hadn't been for the presence of all those strangers, I should have broken down and cried outright. Father took some silver change out of his purse and placed it in the child's hand, and I saw a tear trickle down his cheek as he did so. Dick has hired himself out to do stable work, and has taken his family to live in a house out at Thompson's, that den of iniquity. I am distressed about Cinthy, exposed to such temptations, for they say it is disgraceful the way those Yankee soldiers carry on with the negro women. Altogether it has been a sad, trying day, and as soon as I could go to my room and be alone for awhile, I sat on the edge of the bed and relieved myself by taking a good cry, while Metta, like Rachael -- refused to be comforted."

Source: Eliza Frances Andrews, The War-Time Journal of a Georgia Girl, 1864-65 (New York: Appleton, 1908), pp. 376-378.