George Archer, V

George Archer V was the son of George Archer IV and Rachel. He was born in Henrico or Chesterfield County, VA between 1739 and 1757 and died between November 25, 1818 and January 25, 1819 in Lincoln County, TN. He had a wife, Jane, who survived him. He had four sons, William, Thomas, George and Daniel and three daughters, Sarah, Mary and Elizabeth.

During his life, George migrated from Virginia to North Carolina, then to South Carolina, then to Georgia, then to Lincoln County, Tennessee.

It’s uncertain exactly when George left Virginia to go south, though it was after 1763. For various reasons, his father, George IV, had sold most of his lands before he died. So George V had little to live on. During this time, however, many families were moving south and west for new lands. The Archers came down the Upper Road from the coastal regions of Virginia into North Carolina.

George settled first in the Randolph / Montgomery County area of North Carolina. This area is close to the Upper Road and would be a logical place to stop. The first record of George in the area was as a witness to a land deed in Mecklenburg County in 1774. Mecklenburg County is on the southern border or NC, directly in the path of the Upper Road. This puts him in North Carolina in time for all of his children to be born there. If he was born when his father was eighteen and he left Virginia when he was young, he could have been in North Carolina by 1764. He probably got there sometime after that, though.

In 1779, George was living in Randolph County, North Carolina. A William Archer was also living in the same county. There is some evidence that George had a brother named, William, and it’s possible George and his brother moved to North Carolina together. George later named his oldest son William. In 1787, George had moved to Montgomery County, though William was still in Randolph.

George was still in Montgomery County in 1790. In his household was himself, another man sixteen or older and four sons younger than sixteen. He also had four females in the house, presumably his wife and three daughters. The other man living with them could be a farm hand or another relative.

By 1800 George and family had moved to the Pendleton District of South Carolina. Sons, George VI and William, are living separately, having married. George is living with his wife, Rachel. William is living with his wife and three daughters, all under 10 years old. Tom and Daniel are still living at home, as are two of the daughters. The other daughter must have married and moved out.

In a later census, George VI’s wife, Rachel, is listed as being from South Carolina, so they must have been in South Carolina long enough for the younger George to have met and married her.

The Pendleton district was on the northwestern tip of South Carolina, just across from Georgia.

There’s no way to tell why George and family left North Carolina. The farming may have been bad or the Indian attacks may have become too much. They might have migrated with their community, which was common.

By 1803, some of the family was in Georgia. It’s possible they moved to Georgia to participate in the 1805 Land Lottery. This was the first mass land lottery in the U.S. and set a pattern for following lotteries. Lotteries were an attempt to overcome the corruption and speculation that often occurred with other methods of land distribution. Lotteries also allowed participation by widows and orphans who were often excluded by the head-right and land grant systems.

Eventually, the family migrated to Tennessee. It is certain that George and Jane moved, along with the four sons. It’s impossible to tell which of the daughters went. Since one of the girls (likely Elizabeth) was ten or younger in 1800, she might have gone with them. One of the girls was already out of the house by 1800 and the other was between sixteen and twenty-six, so she could easily have married and left as well. The girls, with their husbands and families, may have migrated as well. Otherwise, they remained in South Carolina or Georgia.

The most northerly route through Georgia from the northeast tip of South Carolina was down the east side of the Appalachians to the current town of Gainesville in Hall County, Georgia. This route generally parallels the current I-985. In Hall County, they would head east and northeast over the route that is now Highway 53 to Dawsonville. From there they would travel generally east through the current Georgia towns of Tate, Jasper, Fairmount, Calhoun and Rome. From Rome the trail went to present-day Gadsden, Alabama. From Gadsden they could head north to Huntsville and then straight up to Lincoln Co (Fayetteville) Tennessee. From the northeastern border of Georgia to Fayetteville, Tennessee is about 320 miles.

The northern portion of Alabama was only ceded to the U.S. from various Indian tribes in 1802. So, this territory was probably still wild for some time. Huntsville, Alabama, the last town before Lincoln County, Tennessee, was not settled until 1805.

George Archer V eventually settled in Lincoln County, Tennessee. This is the county directly above Huntsville, Alabama and was a common entry point for settlers coming through the southern route. Goodspeed’s History of Tennessee, written in 1896, reports that the earliest settler in Lincoln, TN was Ezekiel Norris in 1808. So, George V could not have been in Lincoln before then. Other early settlers of Lincoln County are listed, but no Archers. So, the Archers must have moved to Tennessee at least a year or so after 1808. Unfortunately, the 1810 Federal Census of Tennessee was lost, so it’s impossible to determine if they were there by 1810.

George Archer V died around the end of 1818. His will was witnessed on November 25, 1818 and was filed with the Court of Lincoln County on January 25, 1819. His wife and children were all still alive, since they were all mentioned in the will. Sons, William and Daniel are mentioned as executors, so they were likely still living in Lincoln County.