Charles Woodson Christian, Sr.

• Ref: FamilyTreeMaker

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ELBERT COUNTY DEED BOOK K, p 246: "Woodson Christian of Elbert County has brought judgements of my father: Turner Christian against sd. Christian before sale of 2 tracts sd. Turner sold. One to Wm. Cross, 403 acres, the other sold to Willaim Jordan, 194 acres. Purchased of Cross & Jordan by John Statham who is now the possessor. Laws of state binds both real and personal property by judgements, Statham has paid for both tracts. I relinquish claim to Statham, the present possessor of both tracts, 22 March 1808.(signed) C. W. Christian. Test: Jesse Statham, Pleasant Statham. Proved by Jesse Statham, 30 March 1808, Reubin Liundsay, J. P. He saw Charles W. Christian sign. Regd. 30 March 1808."

    "Charles Woodson Christian, who was Turner Hunt's son, was a member of the Rehoboth Baptist Church. He and a group of men and women obtained permission from the church to start another 'constitution' (Church) at Holly Springs. There were 22 men and 44 women who participated in this work. ..Charles was married to Mary at the time they left Rehoboth to start the church at Holly Springs. Charles was into everything. He was a Representative of Georgia Legislature and later a Senator. He also served a stint as Justice of Inferior Court in Elberton. He was heavily involved in real  estate, along with his father, Turner, and brother, William Payne. Charles' name appeared on a number of real estate transactions where he served as the (1) lawyer and (2) witness to the signing of the papers. He probably was associated with the law firm of Christian and Fitts. ", Irvin Christian.

    The following transcribed by Irvin Christian: ANDERSON INDEPENDENT, Anderson,South Carolina Sunday,December 27 Put Down By Helicopter By Emory Lavender, Independent Staff Writer 

    "Carlton,Ga.Fog and rain has put a damper on transporting a grave marker from  Carlton in Madison County to a remote Elbert County cemetery by helicopter,but weather permitting,the helicopter flight will take place at about 11 a.m.Monday.Locating the  family cemetery of his great-great-great-grandfather, Dr.Charles Woodson Christian,a physician and a lawmaker, turned out to be a four year project for A.W.Thompson...Hoschton in Jackson County. Now Thompson,poultry breeder,with operations in Hoschton and Buenos Aires,Argentina,with franchised dealers in nine other foreign countries, wants to mark the Christian grave and the grave of the doctor's first wife, Nancy Ruff, with a new stone.

    Due to the remoteness of the Elbert County area in which the Christian family cemetery is located, it was decided that it would be more practical to transport the new marker to the grave sites by air than by truck. Born in 1778,Dr.Christian practiced medicine in the Elbert County area,was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 1820-1823 and the Georgia State Senate from 1829-1840 and was justice of Elbert County Inferior Court from 1837-1841.He died in 1854.

    The Dr.Christian Episode is but one of many adventures of Thompson,whose hobby is tracing the history of his ancestors the Christian,Thompson,Rice and Woodson families.THOMPSON 'S first step in locating the Christian family cemetery was to examine Elbert County property  records.He found that the Christians had owned property in western Elbert County along the  Broad River.   

    After several trips over a four-year period,  he finally found the graves on a high spot overlooking Broad River,Thompson said. Dr.Christian's grave was marked with stone but the marking was difficult to read.Thompson said he could make out the year in which the  physician was born! 1778! but had to check the Elbert County records to certify the year he  died 1854.

    The old tale is that Christian wandered off with some Indian youths when he was about 18  and returned home unexpectedly several years later as a doctor,Tompson said. 

    Thompson said Dr.Christian's father,Turner Christian, served in the Revolutionary Army  and operated a corn mill in the Elbert County area. Turner Christian is also buried in the family plot.

    By his first wife, Dr.Christian had a son,Washington Christian,who married  Levicy Hall,and a daughter,Mrs. Mary Christian Hall.By his second wife,the former Mary Walton Maxwell, he had two sons,William P.Christian and Charles Woodson Christian, Jr.,and a daughter, Mrs.Josephine Elizabeth Christian Maxwell. Thompson has traced the Christian line back to the 1400's at the Isle of Man off England and the Thompson family to Isham Thompson,who came to Georgia in 1781.He has traced the Rice family back to the 1100's in England and the  Woodson family who came to Jamestown,Va.,from England in 1619.

    A native of Madison County,Thompson began his poultry business in Elberton in  1936,moved to Cumming Forsyth County in 1940,then settled in Hoschton in 1942. Besides traveling to Buenos Aires frequently to oversee his business there, he makes periodical trips to his franchised dealerships in England,Belgium, Holland, France, Spain,Italy,Brazil,Chile and Venezuela.His wife is the former Miss Eunice Smith of Starr. They have a daughter, Nancy,18,a freshman at North Georgia College in Dahlonega 

    ...Simpkins...Carlton Monument manufacturer who made the Christian marker said I have been in this business for 40 years and this is the first time we have moved a monument by  helicopter.An Atlanta firm is furnishing the pilot and helicopter for the project."

    Because of the poor quality of the picture showing Thompson and his daughter with the marker,it was not possible to add it to the typewritten article above.The marker appeared to be about ten feet long and four feet high.It read:

    "CHRISTIAN, CHARLES WOODSON NANCY RUFF

     b. Nov. 11, 1778 d.Apr.1854"

    Caption underneath the picture read: "CARLTON. A.W.Thompson of Hoschton, and his daughter, Nancy,18,look over the marker  Thompson had prepared for the Elbert County graves of his great-great-great grandfather, Dr. Charles Woodson Christian, a physician and a lawmaker,and Dr.Christian his first wife, Nancy Ruff.Born November 11, 1778,Dr.Christian died in April 1854.(Independent photo by  Emory Lavender)

    Saturday, June 28, 2003 in an e mail from Paulette Moon to Irvin Christian: 

" I had an opportunity to go by the library yesterday and had an most unusual experience there. They had a copy of the early cemetery book and I have scanned and will try to attach. I had to reduce the file size so if it is not usable let me know and I will mail the paper copies.

    While I was sitting in the library going through the book and map a lady spoke to me and ask if I was researching in Elbert Co.  She says she knows everything  about Elbert Co.  Anyway I told her what I was looking for.  I had not mentioned it but she said she remembered them airlifting in a tombstone.  She said she had known one of the men who helped set the stone.  On the map it has the Ira Christian cemetery in I-7 and the Turner Christian cemetery in F-6 but she said this cemetery is along the river and indicated an area in G-3 - H-4.  She said it was hard for her to remember exactly and she knows there are other researchers looking for it but to the best of her knowledge you take Hwy 172 to Kings Hall Mill Rd near Rehobeth but the road she thinks is impassable now. 

      There is a newer Elbert Co. cemetery book that was not in the library but this lady said your cemetery is not in it and is not recorded at the courthouse.  I asked for her name but she said "I doesn't matter."  I really believe she knows what she is talking about but the whole meeting was very strange.  

      I know this does not give you the info you need but maybe it helps some.  Let me know if I can do anything else.                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                  Paulette"

    "Ms. Moon: THANK YOU !!  With this bit of information, all the pieces fit.  What is so incredible about your story is that I experienced exactly the same thing in the library when we were in Elberton last year.  A little lady, probably about 65/70 came to the table where I was working and asked if I was working on genealogy of Christians in Elbert County.  When she learned what I was looking for, she told me all about the area where Turner Hunt Christian was buried, including the road (Piper Road) where the cemetery was located.  She explained that the road was named for a dentist who had passed away.  The dentist, Dr. Piper, had left the property (adjoining the road) to his daughter and that she later had married a man in Athens.  That little bit of information enabled us to find the cemetery with the aid of a gentleman named Mark Dove who lives at the junction of Piper Road and Hwy 17.  Mark knew the owner and contacted him for directions to the site.  A really amazing bit of luck and some very helpful people!   We also had some information that had been furnished by the Archivist for Elbert County.  That is how we located Turner's grave and it sounds as though you may have encountered the same little helpful lady.  By any chance did she mention membership in the DAR?

The information she gave you is totally accurate and fits nicely into the picture that was described in the article from the Anderson Independent Mail concerning the big headstone that A. W. Thompson had made and airlifted to the site of Charles and Nancy Christian's grave. Not only does this all fit, but the coordinates you furnished match those furnished by the archivist and confirms the site to be the Moore, Kellum Cemetery at about G-3. This site overlooks Broad River just as the 1964 news article indicated and it is off Hwy 172 and Kings Hall Mill Road near Rehobeth. My wife and I got on that road last year after asking directions from several people. We actually ran past it the first time and crossed Broad River before we turned back and found the road. Luck was not with us, however, and we did not locate the site.

Another interesting piece of the picture is that the Rehobeth Baptist Church is about three or four miles down Kings Hall Mill Road (Intersects with Deep Creek Road) from the site. This is the church that Charles Woodson and his wife and 33 other people helped establish. Among them was another Revolutionary War veteran, Thomas Maxwell. This group obtained a letter of dismissal from their church "to form a constitution at Rehoboth" on June 23, 1827.

It is clear now why Thompson had the headstone made in Carlton. Carlton was closer than Elberton. Carlton is in Madison County not far from Broad River. It was a simple matter to move it across the river and deposit it at the site on the Elbert County side of the river. You really don't need for me to tell you all of this because you are thoroughly familiar with that area since you reside in Colbert not far from Carlton.

Thompson, who was a great great great grandson, had all the correct information except for one item. Turner Hunt, Charles' father, is not buried there. He and his family are buried at the site identified as F-6 which is just off Piper Road. The little lady who helped you correctly identified Turner's burial site. The archivist also identified this site as the Turner Christian Cemetery. Her name is Janice B. Turner and she resides in Augusta, Ga. Do you know her?

With your help Paulette, I believe we have located Charles and Nancy Christian's grave site and the location of the big headstone. One other comment about the road to the burial site. It is still open and was in fairly good condition when we were there last year. It is a typical red clay road. "

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