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The Mullins Families Participating in the Georgia Land Lotteries of 1805 & 1807

        Georgia was unique in its distribution of land taken from the Creek and Cherokee Indians.  No other state had such a system.  In the years from 1805 to 1832 nearly 3/4 of Georgia was distributed to persons wishing to settle on the newly acquired lands, without any benefit to the state of Georgia.  

        After each Lottery was authorized by Act of Legislature, citizens of Georgia would register in their respective counties of residence, if they were eligible under certain qualifications listed below with each lottery.  Their names taken in their counties of residence, and the lot and district numbers submitted by the surveyors were sent to the State Capitol (then Milledgeville) and commissioners appointed by the Governor drew the names and numbers from two separate wheels or drums. Subsequently the fortunate drawer would take out a grant to the lot he drew, paying the grant fee specified above. If he did not take out a grant, the lot reverted to the State. There were no requirements for cultivation or residence of any lot drawn and granted in the Lotteries.

        In addition counties were formed, divided and re-named as a result of these Acts of Legislature.

        The requirements for inclusion varied little, but for clarification each lottery's specifics are included here.  The lottery of 1805 can be used as a substitute for the 1800 & 1810 census data for Georgia that is missing.

1805 Georgia Land Lottery

        Counties formed:  Baldwin (districts 1-3, 202 1/2 acres); Wayne (districts 1-3, 490 acres); Wilkinson (districts 1-5, 202 1/2 acres)

        Grant fee:  $8.10 per 202 1/2 acre land lot; $19.60 per 490 acre land lot

        Person entitled to draw:  

1. Free white male, bachelor, 21 years of age or over, one year residence in Georgia and U.S. citizen - 1 draw
2. Free white male, married, with wife and/or child, one year residence in Georgia, U.S. citizen - 2 draws
3. Widow, with minor child, one year residence in Georgia - 2 draws
4. Minor orphan or family of minor orphans, with father dead and mother dead or remarried - 1 draw

        Mullins participants in 1805:

Notes:  

1) John Mullins Sr. and Jr. above came out of Virginia, settled for a while in Guilford County, North Carolina before moving to Franklin County, Georgia, around 1780-1785.  Also of interest is that John Jr. is the only one to draw a prize, due largely to the fact that there were about 25,000 applications with very little land available.

2) Clement, Jeremiah, Loan (Malone) and Nathaniel are all brothers having moved from Bute County (now Franklin County), North Carolina.  Malone and Clement were the first documented arrivals in about 1784.  Julius and Green are the sons of another brother, John, who remained in Bute County on their fathers estate.

        Counties formed:  Baldwin (districts 6-20, 202 1/2 acres); Wilkinson (districts 6-28, 202 1/2 acres).  See notes below.

        Grant fee:  $12.15 per 202 1/2 acre lot

        Person entitled to draw:

1. Bachelor, 21 years or over, three-year residence in Georgia, citizen of United States (1 draw)
2. Married man, with wife and/or minor child, three-year residence in Georgia, citizen of United States (2 draws)
3. Widow, three-year residence in Georgia, Spinster, 21 years or over, three-year residence in Georgia (1 draw)
4. Minor orphan, father and mother dead, three-year residence in Georgia (1 draw)
5. Family of minor orphans, father and mother dead, three-year residence in Georgia (2 draws)
6. Minor orphan, father dead, mother living, three-year residence in Georgia (1 draw)
7. Family of minor orphans, father dead, mother living, three-year residence in Georgia (1 draw)

        Persons excluded:  A fortunate drawer in the previous (1805) Land Lottery

Notes:

This lottery does not show the number of people who entered, just the winners.

The large amount of land opened in this lottery was listed as just Baldwin and Wilkinson Counties, but both were soon subdivided into the following counties:

In 1808, Jeremiah Mullins I and his family moved to Jones County, Georgia, where he and his family lived out their lives.

Other Georgia Land Lotteries:  1820, 1821, 1827, 1832, and 1832 Gold

Mullins Index