Hancock County (Georgia) Cemeteries
More Info
Maj. Charles Abercrombie
Grave 1
Inscription and Notes:
[d.in 77th yr, per Ga.Jnl. 9/18/21, m.Edwina Dicey Melinda Booth in Orange County, N.C.]
No dates on stone. Marr info per John Rozier and Dr. James W. May's family history.
Government Service.
Military Service: American Revolution
N.C. Mil. [Georgia state legislator and
senator]
Charles Abercrombie (ca. 1745-1821)
Born in Orange County, N.C., Charles Abercrombie married Edwina Dicey Melinda Booth of that place in 1769. He is said to have served in the Revolutionary War. He was appointed "first captain", Hillsborough District, NC in 1778 in the militia. It was also said that Charles during the Revolution erected a large fort designed for free use by his friends and neighbors (source: Elizabeth W. Smith, The History of Hancock County, Georgia II, 1974, p. 56-57). Some genealogies suggest that he was a Major in the 3rd NC Regiment, but no proof has been found to confirm this information. He was a member of the fifth Provincial Congress in 1776 (source: Dr. James W. May's family history).
Abercrombie settled in Georgia in what was then a part of Greene County (later incorporated in Hancock when it was formed in 1793). He represented Greene in the Georgia legislature and later represented Hancock in the state senate. He was chosen a presidential elector and voted for Thomas Jefferson. He was a delegate to the constitutional convention in Louisville, Georgia, May 30, 1789, which created Georgia's early constitution.
Abercrombie laid out the town of Sparta from his own lands in 1795. The town layout, with the courthouse at the high, central area of the city, was called the "Sparta Plan" and was later imitated by other Georgia towns. The house he built still stands (2002) on Maiden Lane (Rabun Street) and may be the oldest house remaining in Hancock County. The drill field for the early military companies was nearby and was on Abercrombie's property. A Fourth of July celebration occurred there in 1794. (source: Forrest Shivers, The Land Between: A History of Hancock County, Georgia To 1940, 1990).
Among his many children was Major General Anderson Abercrombie (Ga. militia) who was host to General LaFayette in Sparta and his escort to Milledgeville in LaFayette's 1825 tour through the U.S.
Sparta's founder was buried on his own lands "about a mile from his house." The Mount Zion Missionary 19 November 1821 reported that the Reverend Daniel Duffy would preach the funeral sermon at Major Abercrombie's "late residence" on December 25.
Notes: Dr. James W. May, professor emeritus at Emory University, a descendant, has written an unpublished history of the family. Mrs. Terrell Moore discussed his home in an article in the Sparta Ishmaelite 1 December 1964.
Obituary from the Georgia Journal, September
18, 1821:
DIED -- In Hancock county, on the 23 ult - Major Charles Abercrombie, in the
77th year of his age. The deceased was a valuable officer of the revolutionary
army, and has since been honored with various appointments from the hands of
his fellow citizens. His eulogium is written in the hearts of those who knew
him intimately.
Other information and sources:
Date marker was placed by National Society of Daughters of American Revolution: 1927, per Nancy Hart Chapter records.
Georgia Military Affairs Vol 2 Part 2 1793-1800, page
258:
A 1795 letter to Gov Mathews from Capt Jonas Fauche, Mounted Dragoons, discussing
his inspection of Militia stationed at posts or forts, refers to Major Abercrombie.
This reference suggests he was a major in the post-Revolution militia.
Georgia Service Records, Vol 1 A-E, page 3:
Abercrombie, Charles
Mar 4, 1742 - 1819 (Source of dates not cited)
Representative, Greene Co. 1787, 1789, 1791
Member, Constitutional Convention 1788, Greene Co.
Senator, Greene Co. 1792-93, resigned, cut off into Hancock Co.
Senator, Hancock Co. 1796, 1797, 1798, 1799
Member, Constitutional Convention 1798, Hancock Co.
Married 1769 Edwina Malinda Dicey Booth
This reference also included Military Officers 1777-1860; note no mention of
a Militia rank.
