Coldwater_Plantation_Elbert_County_Georgia.jpg

Coldwater Plantation, Elbert County, Georgia

Privacy Level: Open (White)
Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Elberton, Elbert, Georgia, United Statesmap
Surnames/tags: Slavery Banks Black_Heritage
Profile manager: Sara Lively private message [send private message]
This page has been accessed 564 times.


Contents

History

In 1785 at the age of 28, Ralph Banks moved with his father Thomas (and probably his brothers) from Granville County, North Carolina, to Georgia. They brought with them an unnamed number of slaves. Both Ralph (at an early age) and his father (through his involvement in an arms procurement committee) had served in the Revolutionary War, and so they qualified for free land grants which required them to live on the property for one year. Ralph was granted 800 acres of land in Wilkes County, which changed to Elbert County in 1790.[1]

Ralph settled in a fertile region 12 miles from Elberton, on the big Cold Water Creek. Likely between 1788-1800[2] he built a very large house of 14 rooms -- originally called the Banks House -- with expensive furnishings, crystal, silver, and more. He was described by descendants as the "wealthiest man in middle Georgia." [3]This is Wilkes County Georgia which became Elbert. [4][5][6]

Married in 1788, Ralph and his wife Rachel Alston (Jones) Banks (1769-1851) raised fourteen children in this large house. According to an account by a descendant, Ralph Banks appointed "Negro" foremen to oversee the plantation work, and he expected his sons' agricultural training to be overseen by that authority -- the "Negro" foreman. [7]

Ralph grew tobacco and cotton on a plantation which included a large amount of livestock, a tannery, sawmill, blacksmith shop, barns, sheds, and presumably slave quarters. One descendant reports that on his large estate he simultaneously carried on three or four plantations. He apparently acquired additional property over the years. [8] The total amount of acreage on Coldwater Plantation, and elsewhere, during Ralph's lifetime has not yet been found through this research.

Ralph died in 1823. He is buried at Coldwater Cemetery in Elbertson, Elbert County, Georgia. [9]

According to his Last Will and Testament (1823), Ralph divided up his land -- along with named slaves (as described below) -- to leave to his wife and children. To his wife Rachel Alston (Jones) Banks (1769-1851) he gave "all tracts of land on Big Cold Water Creek, it being the place where I now live." To Henry Banks (1804-1846) and Lemuel Banks (1806-bef.1857) "all that tract of land lying on Savannah river bought of Joseph W. Bibb." To Marion Banks (1813-1886) "all that tract of land on Little Cold Water Creek and one hundred and fifty three acres adjoining said Land on the South side." To Ralph Banks Jr. (1796-1871) "two tracts of Land adjoining on Leatherwood creek in Frankling [sic] county." Note that at some point Ralph the father had purchased land in nearby Franklin County.

To the nine other children who survived him, he gave the "remainder of his property both real and personal." These children were Thomas Alston Banks (1789-1835), Willis Banks (1791-1852), Sally (Banks) Sims (1793-), James Jones Banks (1792-abt.1867), Richard Banks (abt.1794-), John Banks (1797-1870), Mary (Banks) Napier (abt.1799-1854), Dustan Banks (1800-1881), and Priscilla (Banks) Butt (1802-1853). [10]

An appraisal done of the property -- including the enslaved people -- after Ralph's death showed a total valued of $50,000, about $1.2 million in 2024 dollars. The value of the enslaved was said to be more than the value of the estate itself, about $2.5 million in 2024 dollars.[11][12]

Property still called "Coldwater Plantation," including Ralph's original house, several buildings and a sloping pasture intersected by Coldwater Creek, was registered in 1978 with the National Registry of Historic Places. The nomination form states that assuming the large house was built in 1788, it is the oldest existing house in Elbert County, and oldest extant building in the state of Georgia. [13]

An area of only 15 acres was nominated for this recognition. The location is about two miles east of Georgia Highway 77 and about 2.3 miles south of the Elbert-Hart County line in Elbert County. One hundred and fifty acres of land associated with Coldwater Plantation are now used as pasture. The property as of 1978 had been owned by a series of Banks descendants who used it on weekends and for family reunions.

Owners

Ralph Banks (1757-1823) initial owner

Heirs to portions of the plantation (see above): Rachel Alston (Jones) Banks (1769-1851), Henry Banks (1804-1846), Lemuel Banks (1806-bef.1857), Marion Banks (1813-1886), Ralph Banks Jr. (1796-1871), Thomas Alston Banks (1789-1835), Willis Banks (1791-1852), Sally (Banks) Sims (1793-), James Jones Banks (1792-abt.1867), Richard Banks (abt.1794-), John Banks (1797-1870), Mary (Banks) Napier (abt.1799-1854), Dustan Banks (1800-1881), and Priscilla (Banks) Butt (1802-1853). [14]

Slaves

Introduction

Ralph Banks (1757-1823), as reported on census and estate records as well as his Will, owned slaves in Elbert County, Georgia, and bequeathed some of these slaves by name to his wife and descendants.

Descendants' genealogical records also describe a whipping of "only" one young boy, as follows: "Only one instance is given of a slave being whipped, and that was when one of them, a young boy, was caught in the minister's house at night, probably intent on some petty theft. Major Banks and his father used to put silver and gold coins in all sorts of places about the house, leaving them for an indefinite time, and these were never disturbed. In this manner he sought to teach the servants the commandment, Thou shalt not steal."[15]The boy might have been one of the 19 male slaves under the age of 14 listed in the 1820 census.

1820 Census

According to the census record of 1820 in Elbert County, Georgia, Ralph Banks owned 69 slaves ranging in age from under 14 years old to over years old. [16]

  • 19 M under 14
  • 13 M 14 thru 25
  • 7 M 26 thru 44
  • 2 M 45 and over
  • 11 F under 14
  • 7 F 14 thru 25
  • 6 F 26 thru 44
  • 4 F 45 and over

Probate Inventory, about 1823

Four years later, according to the Inventory and Appraisal of the Estate of Ralph Banks in Elbert County, Georgia (date not given, but presumably around the time of his death in 1823), he owned 62 slaves. 58 of these people are listed by first name in this record, identified as man, woman, boy, or girl; plus an unnamed wife and three children (another 4 slaves) are included in the list. "Color" is not assigned though some men are identified as "negro." All are given "values," along with other "property" such as livestock and furniture. [17]

As for the value of the enslaved people, the highest estimate on an individual person was $600, these (such as the men called Larkin and Bill) probably skilled carpenters, wheelwrights or shoemakers.

Will and Testament, 1823

In his Will and Testament (recorded 9 November, 1823), Ralph Banks bequeathed land and 23 slaves by first name (along with some of their unnamed family members) -- most of them matching, or approximately matching, some of the names listed above, from the probate inventory -- to four of his sons and to his wife. He appointed two of his sons, Thomas Banks and John Banks, the Executors of his Will.

Five named slaves he left to his successors do not match those in the probate inventory. All the other unnamed remaining slaves not left to the three sons and wife were "put into the possession" of Ralph's other ten children who survived him. [18]

This means that of the 62 slaves listed in the probate inventory, only 18 of them through the Will can be traced by name to the next slave owner:

Ralph left to his son Marion Banks (1813-1886):

Ralph left to his son Ralph Banks Jr. (1796-1871):

Ralph left to his sons Henry Banks (1804-1846) and Lemuel Banks (1806-bef.1857):

  • Solomon (bef.1805-)
  • Winney and her child Item (no closely matching names found in probate document)

Ralph left to his wife Rachel Alston (Jones) Banks (1769-1851):

The following listed in the Will as being left to Rachel have no closely matching names in the probate inventory of the same year:

  • Lett Peter and his unnamed wife
  • Hannah (this Hannah named as "old" not a match for the child on probate document)
  • Jenkins
  • Nancy (there are several people named Nancy in the probate inventory)

All remaining, unnamed slaves were left to Ralph's other children.

Research Notes

  • Research of primary sources is recommended to learn the continuing history of the slaves and land that Ralph bequeathed to his family.
  • It is likely that other records of Ralph Banks' slaves were made over time, but the federal census records for Georgia from 1790-1810 were lost. Although Ralph and his father (according to his descendants) brought 16 slaves with them in 1785 when they moved from North Carolina to Georgia, [6], neither state has surviving census records for this time.
  • The names of the enslaved people listed in parentheses above, bequeathed through Ralph Banks' Will to his successors, do not match exactly the names of the enslaved people listed in the probate inventory, even though this inventory and the Will were written at about the same time (around the year of Ralph's death in 1823), and so names, genders and family configurations would likely not be different. Other names, noted above, do not appear to match at all, so profiles for these people have not been made. Errors could easily have occurred in either document -- especially in the Will, found in an authored secondary source. The original Will (not available online) should be reviewed in person if available.
  • Some of the inherited enslaved adults were listed with the names of the children on the probate inventory, and without these children on the Will. It is not known at this point if those children were separated to be inherited by other children of Ralph Banks, or sold.

Sources

  1. ↑ “The Story of Thomas Banks,” by Ed Jackson of the Banks Family Association, on YouTube [1] Transcription: [2]
  2. ↑ National Register of Historic Places - Coldwater Plantation https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/b12ffdca-48ab-4ac7-b1a7-53645ef5f3a6
  3. ↑ Banks, Elbert Augustine; Young, Georgia Butt; Franklin, Sarah Banks, The Genealogical Records of the Banks Family of Elbert County, Georgia. Volume 2, 1937, page 153, pp. 197-202
  4. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKK-PXH6?i=11&cat=275804
    • Confirming that they moved to Georgia together, Ralph's father, Thomas Banks, in 1786, was granted 600 acres of land on Coldwater Creek, Wilkes County Georgia, Bk iii p.567, 581 (this deed book is locked to online research however it can be accessed at the Family History center, or possibly in Elbert County at the courthouse)
  5. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKK-PXS7?i=12&cat=275804
    • 1787 - Thomas Banks another 250 acres on Coldwater Creek in 1787, Bk PPP p.78 (this deed book is locked to online research, can be accessed at the Family History center, or possibly in Elbert County at the courthouse)
  6. ↑ Land Order book, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS42-9HT8-5?i=50&cat=161089
    • Order for Thomas Banks to have a warrant for 200 acres of land it Wilkes County in line of an old warrant of Richard Banks.
  7. ↑ Banks, Elbert Augustine; Young, Georgia Butt; Franklin, Sarah Banks. The Genealogical Records of the Banks Family of Elbert County, Georgia. Volume 2, 1937, p.154.
  8. ↑ “The Story of Thomas Banks,” by Ed Jackson of the Banks Family Association, on YouTube [3] Transcription: [4]
  9. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
    Find A Grave: Memorial #61065025 (accessed 22 December 2022)
    Memorial page for Capt Ralph Banks Sr. (21 Oct 1757-28 Aug 1824), citing Coldwater Cemetery, Elberton, Elbert County, Georgia, USA; Maintained by Andrew Ayers Martin, M.D., J.D. (contributor 47214126).
  10. ↑ Banks, Elbert Augustine; Young, Georgia Butt; Franklin, Sarah Banks, The Genealogical Records of the Banks Family of Elbert County, Georgia. Volume 2, 1937, page 153, pp. 192-193.
  11. ↑ Banks, Elbert Augustine; Young, Georgia Butt; Franklin, Sarah Banks, The Genealogical Records of the Banks Family of Elbert County, Georgia. Volume 2, 1937. p. 194.
  12. ↑ Online calculation based on US Labor Department data. https://www.officialdata.org/
  13. ↑ Historic Name: Ralph Banks Place, Common Name: Coldwater Plantation, National Registry of Historic Places Inventory, Nomination Form, United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, entered May 22, 1978. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/b12ffdca-48ab-4ac7-b1a7-53645ef5f3a6
  14. ↑ Banks, Elbert Augustine; Young, Georgia Butt; Franklin, Sarah Banks, The Genealogical Records of the Banks Family of Elbert County, Georgia. Volume 2, 1937, page 153, pp. 192-193.
  15. ↑ Banks, Elbert Augustine MD and Young, Georgia Butt, The Genealogical Records of the Banks Family of Elbert Country, Georgia, Volume 2, 1937, pp. 152-153.
  16. ↑ 1820 Census: "1820 United States Federal Census"
    1820 U S Census; Census Place: Christian, Elbert, Georgia; Page: 172; NARA Roll: M33_8; Image: 119
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7734 #1455491 (accessed 25 December 2022)
    Ralph Banks in Christian, Elbert, Georgia.
  17. ↑ Probate: "Georgia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1742-1992"
    Georgia, Elbert County, Estate Records; Author: Georgia. Probate Court (Elbert County); Probate Place: Georgia
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 8635 #1683644 (accessed 25 December 2022)
    Ralph Banks probate.
  18. ↑ Banks, Elbert Augustine; Young, Georgia Butt; Franklin, Sarah Banks. The Genealogical Records of the Banks Family of Elbert County, Georgia. Volume 2, 1937, pp. 192-193.




Images: 1
The Original Ralph Banks Home in Elbert County, Georgia
The Original Ralph Banks Home in Elbert County, Georgia
Collaboration
  • Login to edit this profile and add images.
  • Private Messages: Send a private message to the Profile Manager. (Best when privacy is an issue.)
  • Public Comments: Login to post. (Best for messages specifically directed to those editing this profile. Limit 20 per day.)


Comments

Leave a message for others who see this profile.
There are no comments yet.
Login to post a comment.

Categories: Elbert County, Georgia, Slaves | Elbert County, Georgia, Slave Owners | Coldwater Plantation, Elbert County, Georgia