WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY     55

[The Wilcox Family 
 starts on page 53 & ends here on this page] 

     The Ward and Hargraves Families 

  About the year 1800  Priscilla Gibbs Ward Hargraves
("Mother Jones") and her six boys  landed in what  is 
now Coffee County, Georgia, and settled on the Seven- 
teen Mile Creek.  "Mother Jones"  was  not  the  real

56     WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY

name  of  this  pioneer  woman.   Her  maiden  name  was 
Priscilla Gibbs, of  the State of Maryland,  daughter of 
Abram Gibbs,  who was a brother  to the ancestor of Wil- 
liam G. McAdoo.                                    
  Miss Gibbs  was  a  fine  looking  and  well  educated 
young woman.   Early  in life  she  married  James  Ward
of  Roberson  County,  North  Carolina.   As  the fruits 
of her marriage  with Ward  she  had  three sons,  James 
Preston  Ward,  Joab  Ward,   and  Abram  Ward.    While 
these boys  were quite small  their father,  James Ward, 
died  and  in  the common course  of  human events  Mrs. 
Ward  was  married  to  an  Englishman  by  the name  of 
John Hargraves.   She  had  three  sons  for  Hargraves, 
Abram, Jack, and Tom;  hence  it  will be seen  that her 
real name  was  Priscilla Ward Hargraves,  but  she  was 
always  known  as  "Mother  Jones"  after  she  came  to 
Georgia.  She lived and died under that name. 
  The  story  in the change  of her name  is  a romantic 
one.   When  the  Revolutionary  War  closed   and   our 
trade  relations  with  England  were  resumed  Mr. Har- 
graves,  her husband, wished  to return to England,  and 
make that his home.  To this proposition his wife inter-
posed serious objections;  but as the years went on, Mr. 
Hargraves was making his plans to return to England.
  About  the year  1800  his plans had  matured  and  he 
was ready to take his wife  and  children to Charleston,
South Carolina,  and  take  passage  for  England.   His 
wife  refused point blank  to go.  Then he insisted that 
she let him take  his three boys with him  back  to Eng-
land.  This she refused to do.    
  Mr. Hargraves,  being  fully determined  to return  to 
England and, if possible, to take his children with him,
sought legal advice  how he might get  possession of the

       WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY       57

children,  and take them  with him.  So  he left  on a trip 
of several weeks  to  Charleston,  South Carolina,  to per-
fect his plans for returning to England.        
  About   this   time   immigration   had   started  toward 
South  Georgia.    People   were  coming   from   Virginia, 
North  Carolina   and  South  Carolina,   down  by  way  of 
Augusta,   Georgia,   settling   Burke,   Montgomery    and 
Tattnall Counties as far south as the Ocmulgee River.
  Mrs.  Hargraves   conceived  the  idea  that   she  could 
take her six boys and fall in line with these settlers, for
the south,  and  forever  lose  herself  and  her children, 
in the wilds of this new country in the Wiregrass. 
  At  the  time   "Mother  Jones"  came  to  Georgia  there 
were   very  few  white  people   in  what  is  now  Coffee 
County.  All  this territory  was  owned  and  occupied  by 
the Creek Indians.  Only  a few  brave pioneers  had  dared 
to  cross  the  Ocmulgee River  and  settle  on  the  south 
side.  There  was  a small settlement  on the south side of 
the river,  consisting  of  McRaes,  Ashleys,  and  others;
but  "Mother  Jones"  not  only  crossed  the Ocmulgee  and
came  on the South side  into  the territory  owned  by the 
Creek  Indians,   but  she  passed  on  by  the  settlement 
named  above,   and  came  on  thirty  miles  south,  built 
a little log home  on what is now  lot of land  317  in the
Sixth  District  of  Coffee  County,  Georgia  being  about 
five miles  east  of  Douglas,  and  is  now owned by Judge 
Levi  O 'Steen.    When  "Mother  Jones"  arrived  she  had 
six boys,  two horses  and a two-horse  load  of such stuff 
as pioneers  usually  took  with  them  to make a start  in 
a  new  country.    "Mother  Jones"   and   her  boys  went 
to work  building  a log house,  set  it  on the dirt,  and 
put  clay floor  in it.   The roof  was  made  with  boards 
about  four feet long, carefully  laid  on small poles  for 

58     WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY

rafters  and  on top of the boards  was  laid  a good size
sapling pole  with weight enough  to hold  all  the boards
in  place.    They  got  their  water  about  two  hundred 
yards  west  from  the  house,  from  a spring,  and  they 
obtained fire by the old flint and steel process.  Cotton,
or cotton rags,  were singed  and  placed in a cow's horn,

[At this point on page 58 are two rows of oval head shots 
 of six men.   I  do not know  if  any of  these men  are 
 Hargraves descendants,  so  I have not scanned  in their 
 photos  from this page.   Below is  the caption  for the 
 photos.                        signed James W. Green III]

                   REPRESENTATIVES.                
         1.  WILLIE VICKERS, 1886-1887.             
         2.  C.E. STEWART, 1913-1914-1915-1916-17-18.
         3.  DANIEL LOTT, 1896-1897.                 
         4.  THOMAS L. PAULK, 1902-3-4.              
         5.  DR. D. H. MEEKS, 1923-1924.            
         6.  J. R. SMITH, 1859-1860-1868-1869-1870. 

       WARD'S HISTORY OF COFFEE COUNTY      59

to cut the air off,  and then with flint and steel sparks
of fire were knocked on the cotton, and thus fire was ob-
tained,   and  thus  "Mother  Jones"  and  her  six  boys
began life  as pioneers in Wiregrass Georgia,  now Coffee
County.

              The Meeks Family
...