Causton's Bluff Plantation, Chatham County, Georgia

Date: About 1850 to about 1865
Location: Chatham, Georgia, United States
Surnames/tags: Habersham Slavery Black_Heritage

Index of Plantations

Introduction

The history of Causton's Bluff begins with approximately 2500 acres of fertile land along the Savannah River which later became three powerful rice plantations that included Brewton Hill and Deptford. Causton's Bluff being the earliest of the three. Originally, in 1715, this land was part of Granville County, South Carolina until 1733 when the Georgia Colony was founded. In 1738, Thomas Causton had already established a plantation called Ockstead. By 1775, Thomas Brewton took ownership and called it Turckenham. By 1785, the Brewton heirs had divided the land into Plats 1-7. ^[1]After the death of its next owner, William Williamson, Causton's Bluff went to his son, the Reverend Joseph Williamson. Then he sold it for one hundred pounds to John McQueen, Jr. who had a sufficient number of slaves, and cultivated most of the acreage in cotton, which was fast becoming a commodity of importance.

Following the acquisition by Herman Blodgett, Causton's Bluff and a plantation called New Hope were consolidated and were thereafter known by the name of Causton's Bluff. Three months later, on March 1, 1850, a sale was made for 197 acres of the plantation. Robert Habersham, who was the purchaser, paid Blodgett $4,975.50 for the acreage. The deed carried a stipulation stating "Robert Habersham shall have the privilege of flowing and drawing through Runaway Negro Creek so long and no longer as that Creek remains open and un-stopped by the said Herman Blodgett...." As the portion of Causton's Bluff acquired by Habersham consisted of lowland, this privilege of irrigation was essential to rice culture.

Robert Habersham completed his purchase of Causton's Bluff Plantation in 1852. ^[2][3][4] This property is said to have contained 1375 acres in 1873 when it was sold.^[5] It is possible that on the 1850 Slave Schedule in which Robert Habersham is recorded as owning plantation#2 and 82 slaves, that Causton's Bluff is Plantation #2.

Slaves

See: Slaves of Robert Habersham

At the time Robert purchased his final piece of property in 1852 he purchased 82 slaves from Herman Blodgett.^[6]

• Old Doctor Cloe
• Paine
• Harriet, not the same person as Harriet
• Old Maria's Jenny
• Dick, not the same as person as Dick or Dick
• Stepney
• Hardtimes, not the same person as Heardtimes
• Elsy
• Amanda
• Thomas, not the same person as Tom
• Balddon
• Bob, not the same person as Bob
• Ned, not the same person as Ned
• Jenney
• Rhoda
• Webster
• Washington
• Pleasants
• Belinda
• Cyrus
• Patience
• Jerry, not the same person as Jerry
• Mingo
• Pendee
• Harriet, not the same person as Harriet
• Old Belinda
• William, not the same person as William
• Francis
• Jim
• William, not the same person as William
• Mira
• Phebe
• Jupiter
• Leah
• Stephen
• Oscar
• Deana
• Maria
• Affy
• Dorcas
• Isaiah
• Clarinda
• Tamar
• Maria's Adam, may be Maria
• Hagar
• Goliath
• Flora
• Phillis
• Kate
• Uile
• Cicilia's Joe, may be same person as Cecilia
• Sylvia
• Clensey
• Pornelia
• Dick, not the same as person as Dick, Dick
• Sarah
• Jerry, not the same person as Jerry
• Cecilia's Dick, not the same as person as Dick or Dick
• Alethea
• Nora
• Sally, not the same person as Sally
• John Ballisi
• John Box
• Rose
• George
• Bob, not the same person as Bob
• Ned, not the same person as Ned
• Ned's Lucy
• Harrington
• Sue
• Judy
• Pussy
• Morris
• Mily
• Heardtimes, not the same person as Hardtimes
• Alec
• Betty
• Cheserlina
• Tom, not the same person as Thomas
• Esley
• Brabsen
• Sally, not the same person as Sally

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.seekingmyroots.com/members/files/H001223.pdf
2. ↑ Deed:"Deeds, 1785-1900; index to deeds, 1784-1910"
   Catalog: Deeds, 1785-1900; index to deeds, 1784-1910 Deeds, v. 3G-3H 1849-1851
   Film number: 008564924 > image 185 of 570
   FamilySearch Image (accessed 13 January 2022)*1850 Bk 3G p.282 property
3. ↑ Deed:"Deeds, 1785-1900; index to deeds, 1784-1910"
   Catalog: Deeds, 1785-1900; index to deeds, 1784-1910 Deeds, v. 3I-3K 1851-1853
   Film number: 008191845 > image 23 of 585
   FamilySearch Image (accessed 13 January 2022)*1851 Bk III p.26 property
4. ↑ Deed:"Deeds, 1785-1900; index to deeds, 1784-1910"
   Catalog: Deeds, 1785-1900; index to deeds, 1784-1910 Deeds, v. 3I-3K 1851-1853
   Film number: 008191845 > image 121 of 585
   FamilySearch Image (accessed 13 January 2022)*1852 Causton's Bluff and New Hope, Bk JJJ 212
5. ↑ Causton's Bluff https://www.jstor.org/stable/40576607?read now=1&refreqid=excelsior%3Ab07141bd015fc018965b31da6de1c31d&seq=20#page_scan_tab_contents *p.46
6. ↑ Deed:"Deeds, 1785-1900; index to deeds, 1784-1910"
   Catalog: Deeds, 1785-1900; index to deeds, 1784-1910 Deeds, v. 3I-3K 1851-1853
   Film number: 008191845 > image 175 of 585
   FamilySearch Image (accessed 13 January 2022)*1852 Bk JJJ p.319, slaves

• Causton's Bluff, Deptford, Brewton Hill Three Allied Plantations, By Savannah Unit Federal Writers' Project, WPA of Georgia: https://www.seekingmyroots.com/members/files/H001223.pdf