Penfield, Georgia


Map of Penfield, 1833 - 1871
Source: Mercer at Penfield 1833-1871: Centennial Celebration 
(May 27, 1933), Mary Callaway Jones


This page was created as a collection point for anything and everything I find or create myself related to the research of my family history in Penfield, Greene County, Georgia. 

Last update: August 5, 2024 - added links to two photos of Mr. and Mrs. Bob Callaway from Library of Congress website

Books

History Of The Baptist Denomination In Georgia - Vol. 2 (book excerpt), by Samuel Boykin, The Baptist Standard Bearer, Inc. 2001.

How Curious a Land: Conflict and Change in Greene County, Georgia, 1850-1885 (book excerpt), by Jonathan M. Bryant, UNC Press Books, 1996. The story of my ancestor James M. Lankford and slave Becky can be found on pp. 35-37.

My Dear Friend: The Civil War Letters of Alva Benjamin Spencer, 3rd Georgia Regiment, Company C (book excerpt), edited by Clyde G. Wiggins III, Mercer University Press, Macon, Georgia.

Tenants of the Almighty by Arthur Franklin Raper (photos by Jack Delano). The book is a study of the tenant farmers of Greene County, Georgia in the early 1940s. This book contains many mentions of Penfield.

Lankford's Horse Book by James M. Langford. A blog post I wrote after discovering my 3rd great grandfather wrote a book in 1883.

History of the Janes-Peek Family: From Grandma’s Little Trunk by Dr. Reba Neighbors Collins, Edmond, Oklahoma, 1975. Book starts on image 726 and ends on 1026. Images 779 to 783 and 804 to 815 contain information and photos of Janes families from Penfield, including Dr. Thomas P. Janes. These images are part of the FamilySearch website, so you’ll need to set up a free account if you don’t have one.

History of Greene County, Georgia, 1786-1886 by Thaddeus Brockett Rice (1961), Internet Archive. This book contains many mentions of Penfield.

Living and Dying Unto the Lord by Mallary, Charles D., a discourse in commemoration of the life, services and death of Elder Billington M. Sanders; delivered before the Georgia Baptist Convention, at Washington, Wilkes Co., on Lord's Day, April 23, 1854.

Businesses 

B. E. Spencer & Company: Mercantile. Sold items such as sugars, rice, and molasses. (1854)

Boarding House, Mrs. H. N. Ware: Board in Penfield. Late of Oglethorpe county, begs leave to announce that she has removed to Penfield, and will occupy the “Armstrong House,” where she will be happy to receive students and others into her family as Boarders. Mrs. W. has had long experience in housekeeping, and will devote herself wholly to the interests and comfort of her guests. Refers to Dr. Tucker. (1868)

Boarding House, Mrs. Lizzie T. Loftin: New Boarding House in Penfield. Mrs. Lizzie T. Loftin, recently of Lexington, having engaged the comfortable residence heretofore occupied by Mr. A. B. Sharpe, will open the same for the reception of Boarders, and respectfully solicits from the students of Mercer University, and others who may visit Penfield, a share of their patronage. No pains will be spared to render the inmates of the family comfortable and happy. Refers to Dr. Tucker. (1868)

Doster & Lankford: Hack line providing transportation to local towns via carriages, hacks, and buggies. Owners W. T. Doster and James M. Lankford. (1854)

Grocery Store, J. M. Bowles & Company: Business name unknown. Leased storeroom previously used by Williams & Lankford. Sold family groceries, fruits, candies, cigars, candles, tobacco, snuff, soap, medicine, and other eatables. (1857, 1858)

Hack Line: Owned by James M. Lankford. Horses and buggies or horses and saddles – transporting people in carriages. (1856)

Hack Line and Livery Stables: Owned by James M. Lankford and J. W. Jackson who bought out Hack Line from Messrs. Wilson and Thompson. Horses and buggies or horses and saddles – transporting people in carriages. (1857)

Harness Establishment: Owned by James M. Lankford and J. S. Barnwell. Opened April 1857. Manufactured harness. Repaired harness and saddles. (1857)

Index Job Office: Printing business owned by J. T. Blain. Printed “all kinds of plain, fancy and ornamental” items “such as books, pamphlets, hand bills, circulars, cards, show bills, etc.” (1848)

J. S. Barnwell: Has purchased Mr. Neeson’s part of the Grocery establishment recently commenced in Penfield by Barnwell & Neeson. He takes pleasure in calling attention to his stock of FAMILY GROCERIES AND CONFECTIONARIES. He will keep himself constantly supplied with all articles in his line of business, which he will be pleased to sell, very reasonably, to CASH CUSTOMERS. Nov 18. 1858

J. S. Barnwell & Company: Manufacturers of saddles, harness (wagon, coach and buggy), trunks, etc. Also made repairs.

Lankford & Jackson Livery Stable: Owners James M. Lankford (Penfield) and J. W. Jackson (Greensboro). Dissolved April 5, 1857.

Morgan & Tarwater Tailoring: Established in Penfield January 1845 at "the stand formerly occupied by Messrs. Tarwater and Thompson." Tarwater was the "cutter." Morgan previously "engaged in one of the first tailoring establishments in Augusta." 

Otto Lange, Watchmaker & Jeweller: Shop located next door to Morgan & Tarwater's Tailoring. Repaired clocks and watches.

Penfield and Greenesboro Hack Line: Hacks or accommodation for travel to Penfield, Scull Shoals, Dr. Durham’s, Watkinsville, or any other point. Transportation to trains. Moderately priced. Horses and buggies for hire, with or without a driver. Owned by W. A. Wilson (1854); W. A. Wilson and G. S. Wilson; H. Neeson Jr. (1858).

Penfield Steam Mill: Flour mill that appears to have been created about 1849. Newspapers reported receiving mill machinery in Augusta from Philadelphia in May 1849, then forwarded to (assumed) Penfield by railroad. A bill was passed in November 1853 to incorporate the mill. Owned by Robert L. McWhorter, James R. Sanders, and John G. Holtzclaw, with Holtzclaw apparently managing the mill. Known stockholders were Billington M. Sanders and John Scott. Sanders’ estate sold 36 shares of stock in 1858; Scott’s interest was sold in 1856. Holtzclaw purchased large quantities of “good” wheat for grinding to flour. Local grocers advertised flour milled by Penfield Steam Mill. Also sold rolls of wool.

Phelps & Seals: Mercantile co-owned by A. B. Phelps and William B. Seals that sold groceries including coffee, fish, syrup, molasses, apple vinegar, salt, as well as blue stone, candles, burning fluid, hay, cigars, Georgia Sarsaparilla Compound, lamp black, crockery, glassware, nails, paints, oils, burning fluid. Potash (potassium fertilizer). Mr. Phelps retired in 1858 and the business was dissolved. (1856, 1857, 1858)

William B. Seals: Clothing (styles of the season). (1858) 

Temperance Banner: Local newspaper, Penfield. Published every Saturday in the year, except two, at $1 if paid in advance; $1.50 if not paid in six months; or, $2 if not paid until the end of the year. Any person sending ten new subscribers, accompanied with the cash, would be entitled to an extra copy for one year. Sold by Editor Benjamin Brantly, Esq. ~ first of January 1855 to John H. Seals. First edition to be published by Seals was January 6, 1855. James T. Blain, printer. (1854)

The Georgia Temperance Crusader: Local newspaper, Penfield. Published every Thursday in the year, except two. $2 per year, in advance. John H. Seals, sole proprietor; Lionel L. Veazey, editor literary department; Mrs. M. E. Bryan, editress; John A. Reynolds, publisher. (1858)

Temperance Crusader: Local newspaper, Penfield. Published weekly, it focused on promoting temperance and prohibition principles. The newspaper aimed to spread awareness about the importance of abstaining from alcohol and advocating for temperance. John H. Seals served as the publisher during its run. (1856–1857)

Cemeteries

Penfield Cemetery
Absalom Janes Family Cemetery, Find A Grave

Full list of cemeteries located in Penfield, Find A Grave

Geer Family Cemetery, Find A Grave

Penfield Cemetery, Find A Grave

Penfield Cemetery, Greene County, Georgia, Familypedia

Penfield African American Cemetery, Find A Grave

Penfield African American Cemetery, Greene County African American Museum. Click on the links below to read about the work being done to restore this cemetery:

Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery, Find A Grave

Census

1950 - 16 pages (click on Population Schedules button to view pages)

Churches

Annotated Penfield Baptist Church Minutes, Historic Rural Churches of Georgia

Penfield Baptist Church Minutes, 1839-1892, Mercer University Libraries

Penfield Baptist Church, Historic Rural Churches of Georgia

Penfield Presbyterian Church

Penfield Presbyterian Church (Penfield, Ga.), Digital Library of Georgia

Shiloh Baptist Church

Shiloh Baptist Church Records (1839), requires a free Family Search subscription to view

Courts Cases/Records

Curtis Lankford - evicted from Penfield property

The trial of Becky the slave

Samuel J. Cramer, substitute soldier for James M. Lankford

William and Elizabeth Bryant family contracts smallpox

James M. Lankford and partner must pay for transport of horses 

Doctors

Alexander F. Durham, M.D.: Dr. Durham, along with Dr. Thomas P. Janes, shared a practice that served the citizens of Penfield in an office located on Main Street in 1856. Dr. Janes retired in 1857 and the practice was dissolved. Dr. Durham continued the practice.

W. L. M. Harris, M.D.: Dr. Harris, along with Dr. Massey, shared a practice that served the citizens of Penfield in an office located on Main Street. (1855, 1856)

D. Herron, M.D.: Practiced medicine in Penfield for at least 20 years (as of 1856). Experienced in “the treatment of female diseases peculiar to this climate.” In 1856, Dr. Herron advertised that he would accept patients by mail. He requested that people write their symptoms on paper and send to him, along with five dollars. He would then send them medicine and directions for taking it for a period of one month. This practice was extended to people who lived as far away as 100 miles.

Thomas P. Janes, M.D.: Dr. Janes, along with Dr. A. F. Durham, had a practice that served the citizens of Penfield in an office located on Main Street. Dr. Janes retired in 1857 and the practice was dissolved. (1856)

Robert J. Massey, M.D.: Dr. Massey, along with Dr. Harris, shared a practice that served the citizens of Penfield in an office located on Main Street. Dr. Massey retired about January 1858. (1855, 1856, 1857)

L. W. McGregor: Surgeon and Mechanical Dentist. Dr. McGregor was in business with Dr. William Morgan in 1859. An ad they ran in The Georgia Temperance Crusader on March 18, 1859 (advertising their dentistry business) stated “They will insert from one to an entire set, which, for beauty, durability, comfort, and masticating, will compare with any either in this country or in Europe.”

William Morgan: Surgeon and Mechanical Dentist. Dr. Morgan was willing to “insert from one to a full set of teeth on fine gold plate.” (1858) Dr. Morgan was in business with Dr. L. W. McGregor in 1859.

Films

Acts of Reparation: a documentary film by Selina Lewis Davidson + Macky Alston

History

The New Georgia Encyclopedia describes Penfield as a village in Greene County located approximately 73 miles from Atlanta, “named after Josiah Penfield of Savannah, who bequeathed $2,500 to the Georgia Baptist Convention in 1829 to help fund education. Using Penfield’s donation, the church purchased 450 acres of land north of Greensboro and in 1833 founded a literary and theological school, which was named Mercer Institute after a prominent Baptist pastor, Jesse Mercer. In 1837 the school began calling itself Mercer University, and the following year its trustees were granted the authority to govern the village surrounding the school. Penfield became a center of culture in Greene County, vying with Greensboro for social dominance. But when Mercer University moved from Penfield to Macon in 1871, Penfield gradually lost its population, ultimately being subsumed by Union Point. …” Wikipedia further notes that the American Civil War brought hard times to the village of Penfield and after Mercer University moved to Macon, “the village of Penfield survived on the strength of the cotton industry.”

Penfield, Georgia, Wikipedia

Penfield Historic District, National Register of Historic Places Inventory — Nomination Form

Greene County. Three Days in Greenesboro and Penfield, The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, March 21, 1879.

Maps

Mapquest link

Military

Company C (Dawson Grays), Third Georgia Infantry Regiment, Civil War: Organized by Robert Ligon McWhorter in Penfield. The women of Penfield provided a uniform and socks for every soldier in the Company. They also sewed a battle flag which they presented to Captain McWhorter on the lawn of Mercer University on April 29, 1861. 

Muster Roll of Company C, 3rd Regiment Georgia Volunteer Infantry Army Northern Virginia C. S. A., Greene County, Georgia (Dawson Grays), excerpted from Roster of Confederate Soldiers of Georgia 1861 - 1865, compiled by Lillian Henderson, ca. 1900.

Muster Roll and timeline, Dawson Grays, compiled by Denise Murphy, 2021.

News


People

Barnhart, Mary Lou: 1st cousin 2x removed. Lived in Penfield. Buried at Penfield Cemetery.

Burnette, Flora Mae: Grandmother. Lived in Penfield. Her Bible documents her marriage and home in Penfield.

Callaway, Robert Dawson: Husband of great grandmother. Lived in Penfield. Buried at Penfield Cemetery.

Cheney, James Stephen: Lived in Penfield in 1870.

Colclough, Frances Etta: Greetings from a CO-ED by Carol Bishop, a story about Frances Etta Colclough who lived in Penfield and is buried at the cemetery there. Beyond the Pages: Knowledge Wins, University of Georgia Libraries, vol. 20, Fall 2014, p. 16.

Epps, Ralph Millard: Uncle. Lived in Penfield.

George, Hayden Edgar: Husband of 1st great grand aunt. Lived in Penfield. Buried at Penfield Cemetery.

George, Willie Marion: Lived and died in Penfield. Buried at Penfield Cemetery.

Hobbs Sr., Nathan Augustus: 4th great grandfather. Postmaster at Penfield for over 30 years. Lived to the age of 99 years. Buried in Penfield Cemetery.

Hobbs Jr., Nathan Augustus: 3rd great grand uncle. Attended Mercer University and lived in Penfield.

Hobbs, Caroline B.: 3rd great grandmother. Lived in Penfield.

Hobbs, Marian Langford: 3rd great grand aunt. Lived and died in Penfield. Buried at Penfield Cemetery.

Hobbs, Minor Smith: 3rd great grand uncle. Served with the Dawson Grays during the Civil War and carried the regimental drum back to Greene County.

Hobbs, Rebecca L.: 3rd great grand aunt. Lived in Penfield. Buried at Penfield Cemetery.

Janes, Absalom Madison: 3rd great-grandfather. Born on June 8, 1796 in Wilkes County, Georgia. Moved to Taliaferro County in 1816. Married Martha Cordelia Callaway in Wilkes County, Georgia on July 18, 1817. Moved to Penfield in 1839. On the committee that selected the site for Mercer University and trustee. Died on September 25, 1847 at the age of 52. Buried in the Janes family cemetery in Greene County. There is a marker encased in stone at the entrance to his family cemetery that reads:


Absalom Janes, 1796 – 1847

One of the founders of Mercer University and a trustee 1833 -47. Treasurer of the Georgia Baptist Convention 1836-45. Member of Bethesda Church 1828 – 38, of Penfield Church 1839 – 47.

President Spright Dowell listed Absalom Janes as “Trustee and Financier” and as one of the six persons instrumental in founding Mercer University in 1831. He assisted Adiel Sherwood in securing passage of a resolution to establish a manual labor school for young ministers. He builded his very life into the foundation of the Mercer School; aided in the selection of the site; was present when the first logs were hewn and laid; and stood by the enterprise faithfully until his death. It was perhaps the diplomacy of this keen sighted planter and business man, more than any other individual when the project for a Baptist college at Washington, GA. Faced collapsed that guided in the shifting of the plans, and the transfer of the contributions and pledges for the Washington School to Penfield and the elevation of Mercer Institute to college grade. The magnitude of his work is as treasurer of the convention is shown by the accounts that he handled involving duties, many responsibilities large. A cause great for him. A labor of love.

History Commission – Georgia Baptist Convention – 1963

A short biographical sketch for Absalom can be found on pages 290-291 in the book Baptist Denomination in Georgia: With Biographical Compendium and Portrait Gallery of Baptist Ministers and Other Georgia Baptists.

Janes, Felix W.: Son of Absalom Madison Janes Sr. and brother of Thomas P. Janes. Died at age 16 over a game of marbles.

Janes, Thomas Gresham: 4th great uncle. Lived in Penfield.

Janes, Thomas P.: 2nd great-grandfather. First Commissioner of Agriculture for the state of Georgia. His family moved to Penfield in 1839. There is a historical marker denoting the “First Commissioner of Agriculture” located in front of the Greene County, Georgia courthouse that reads:


In 1874, the Georgia Department of Agriculture was established by Act of the Legislature with Thomas P. Janes serving as its first Commissioner, 1874-79.

Commissioner Janes, born 1823 in present Taliaferro County, (formerly the eastern part of Greene County), moved to Penfield. There he attended Mercer Institute. In 1842 he entered Columbian College (George Washington Univ.), Washington, D.C., where he received his A.B. degree. Columbian College, Mercer University, and the College of New Jersey (Princeton University) awarded his A.M. degrees. In 1847 he was granted his M.D. degree from the University of the City of New York. A successful farmer and physician he was commissioned in 1861 as Assistant Surgeon, 16th Regiment, Georgia Militia.

He died at his home, “Redcliff Farm”, near this site, in 1885, and is buried in the family cemetery four miles northeast of this marker.

This marker was erected by the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Historical Commission as directed in a resolution passed by the 1961 session of the Georgia General Assembly.

If I remember correctly, the same marker can be found on the side of the road near his gravesite.

Langford Sr., Vincent Thomas: Husband of grand aunt. Lived in Penfield.

Lankford, Alice Beman: Great grandmother. Born in Penfield on August 11, 1872. Buried at Penfield Cemetery.

Lankford, Carroll Harvey: Grandfather. Born in Penfield on September 21, 1887 and lived there many years.

Lankford, Emerette B. “Nannie”: 2nd great grand aunt. Lived and died in Penfield. Buried at Penfield Cemetery.

Lankford, Emma S.: 2nd great grand aunt. Lived in Penfield. Buried at Penfield Cemetery.

Lankford, Florrie E.: 2nd cousin 3x removed. Lived in Penfield.

Lankford Sr., George Washington: 1st cousin 4x removed. Born and lived in Penfield.

Lankford, James C.: 2nd great grandfather. Lived in Penfield. Buried at Penfield Cemetery.

Lankford, James Meriweather: 3rd great grandfather. Lived and owned multiple businesses in Penfield.

Lankford, Jessica Corinne: Great grand aunt. Lived in Penfield. Buried at Penfield Cemetery.

Lankford, John W.: 1st cousin 4x removed, brother of William Thorpe Lankford. Lived in Penfield. Served with the Third Georgia Infantry Regiment, Dawson Grays during the Civil War.

Lankford, Katie: 2nd cousin 3x removed. Lived in Penfield. Buried at Penfield Cemetery.

Lankford, Marion: 2nd great grand aunt. Lived in Penfield.

Lankford, Mary Corrine: Great grand aunt. Lived in Penfield.

Lankford, Nathan: 3rd great uncle. Lived in Penfield. Son of James Meriweather Lankford and Caroline B. Hobbs.

Lankford, Samuel Terrell: Father. Born in Penfield.

Lankford, William Thorpe: 1st cousin 4x removed, brother of John W. Lankford. Lived in Penfield for a while.

Mapp, Thelma L.: 3rd cousin 2x removed. Lived in Penfield and buried at Penfield Cemetery.

McCarty, William Harris: Husband of 3rd great grand aunt, Marian Langford Hobbs Jenkins McCarty. Lived in Penfield. Buried at Penfield Cemetery.

McWhorter, Julia Pope: Stepdaughter of my 2nd great grand aunt. Lived and died in Penfield.

Mercer, Jesse: Baptist minister and publisher. Mercer University named after him. After his death in Butts County, his body was taken to the home of Absalom Janes. Buried at Penfield Cemetery. 

Removing the remains of Rev. Jesse Mercer, Union Recorder, Milledgeville, Georgia, April 2, 1895.

Mullins, Jessie Pope: Wife of 1st great grand uncle. Lived in Penfield. Buried at Penfield Cemetery. An update to Jessie’s story can be found here.

Sanders, Billington McCarthy: Helped establish Mercer University; first president. Buried at Penfield Cemetery.


Rev. Billington M. Sanders
Charles D. (Charles Dutton) Mallary,
public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Wilson, Jack L.: Lived in Penfield.

Wilson, Mary Ann: 2nd great grandmother. Lived in Penfield. Buried at Penfield Cemetery.

Wilson, Oliver Porter: 3rd great grandfather. Lived in Penfield.

Wilson, Robert Harrison: 2nd great grand uncle. Lived in Penfield.

Photos

Digital Library of Georgia – Penfield

Vanishing Georgia (Penfield) – Photos by Brian Brown

Jack Delano photos, Library of Congress. Includes photos of my great-grandmother Alice Lankford Callaway (Mrs. Bob Callaway). Delano was a photographer for the Farm Security Administration who took photos for the book Tenants of the Almighty by Arthur Franklin Raper. My great-grandmother didn't make the book but two photos of her are posted on the Library of Congress website.

Property

House and lot owned by G. T. Carrie: Six good rooms, six fireplaces, brick basement, good kitchen, smokehouse, other out building. Convenient to schools. Up for sale in October 1854.

House and lots owned by Benjamin Brantly: After selling the Temperance Banner, Brantly was looking to change his location and occupation. Four-acre lot where he resided including a one-story framed dwelling house with 4 rooms and 4 fireplaces, a commodious dining room and pantry attached. A second house, two story framed, occupied by the Temperance Banner as the office on the same lot. Could easily be connected with the dwelling house. Large two-story barn house, with crib and stables connected. Smokehouse, double kitchen and several outhouses. Well with cool, good water in the region. About 150 peach trees, 30-40 young apple trees, 4 varieties of pear trees, Italian and blue figs, plum, cherry and other fruit trees and vines. One 8-acre lot, divided from the dwelling house by a street, under good fence and in cultivation. One 20-acre lot, well fenced, and ditched half round, in good order for cultivation, about 200 yards from 8-acre lot. One 38-acre lot, on the west side of Greenesboro Road, adjoining the village. Fenced and in good order for cultivation. The 38-acre lot has 7-8 acres of woodland on it, with a branch of water running through it. The lots are in or about Penfield. All of this property was advertised to be sold together or separately in October 1854.

House and lot owned by Iveson L. Brookes: Town lot of 4 acres, situation in the junction of the streets leading to Greenesboro and Madison. Wood building 46 x 36, three stories, basement, 12 fireplaces, 2 garrett rooms. Could be used as a tavern, private boarding house, or family residence. Located 2 ½ miles from Penfield, and convenient to both branches of the Georgia Railroad. 520 acres, with a large portion in woods and well timbered. Productive land.

For Sale on the First of December. Two Hundred and Twenty-five Acres of Land, more or less, within a half mile of the corporate limits of the town of Penfield. On the premises are fifty acres of No. 1 creek bottom land, and a sufficient quantity of wood to keep up the place for farming purposes. I will divide the place into convenient lots to suit purchasers. Also, about two hundred barrels of corn, fodder, shucks, cows, horses, pork of stock hogs, farming utensils, household and kitchen furniture, &c. &c. If not disposed of privately, the above property will be offered to the highest bidder, on the first day of December next. Robert J. Massey. Oct 21, 1858

Schools

Mercer High School: Established in 1871 by the Board of Trustees of Mercer University.

Mercer High School, Public Meeting at Penfield, Christian Index and Southwestern Baptist, Atlanta, Georgia, May 4, 1871.

Mercer High School—A Brillant Commencement, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, August 8, 1878.

Mercer University: Founded in Penfield in 1833 with the name Mercer Institute. Named for Jesse Mercer. First president was Billington McCarthy Sanders. The school moved to Macon, Georgia in 1871.

The Removal of Mercer Institute, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, September 30, 1869.

The Removal of Mercer Institute, No. 3, Christian Index and Southwestern Baptist, Atlanta, Georgia, November 18, 1869.

Georgia Baptist Convention report from April 22, 1870 meeting, with discussion of removal of Mercer; Christian Index and Southwestern Baptist, Atlanta, Georgia, April 28, 1870. 

Penfield Female Seminary: According to an ad published in The Christian Index on August 31, 1848, the seminary was “designed to be a school, in which the young of the female sex may be judiciously and thoroughly trained, in a iterary, scientific, and ornamental course of instruction, under circumstances the most favorable for the cultivation of their manners and morals.”

  • 1848: Fall term began August 30, ended December 15. Courses included spelling, reading, geography, arithmetic, penmanship, history, etymology, botany, use of globes, rhetoric, evidences of Christianity, natural and intellectual philosophy, theology, chemistry, algebra, geometry, political economy, trigonometry, mineralogy, geology, astronomy, scripture lessons, correction to false syntax, composition, mnemonics, and vocal music. Tuition rates varied from $4 to $30, depending on the class. They were charged $10 per month for room and board, and $1.50 for washing.
  • 1854: Fall term began August 27; R. T. Asbury principal. Vocal and instrumental music taught by Miss Evelina J. Macon; painting, drawing and embroidery taught by Miss Cordelia Stowe. Board, washing, fuel, lights etc. were $12 per month.
  • 1856: Fall term began September 1; W. H. Dickinson, principal.
  • 1858: February term. Miss C. W. Barber principal.

Penfield Preparatory School: Prepared students for college. Tuition ranged from $16 to $40. Principal in 1858 was A. S. Morgan.

Videos

Virtual Pilgrimage to Penfield, Mercer University, October 22, 2020

Decline of Penfield (YouTube), Spencer W. Roberts

Growth of Penfield (YouTube), Spencer W. Roberts

Mercer Institute Origins (YouTube), Spencer W. Roberts

Penfield Baptist – The Beginning (YouTube), Spencer W. Roberts

References

  • A Lot of Flour, Daily Chronicle and Sentinel, Augusta, Georgia, October 24, 1850.
  • Arax, Mark and Rick Wartzman, The King of California: J. G. Boswell and the Making of a Secret American Empire, 2005.
  • Baptist Denomination in Georgia: With Biographical Compendium and Portrait Gallery of Baptist Ministers and Other Georgia Baptists, compiled for the Christian Index, Jas. P. Harrison & Co., Printers and Publishers, Atlanta, Georgia, 1881, Internet Archive; https://archive.org/details/cu31924010315103.
  • Biennial Session, in November December, January, and February, 1853-4. Compiled, and Notes Added, by John Rutherford.
  • Billington McCarthy Sanders (1833-1840), Mercer University Presidents, Mercer University Libraries Research Guide; https://mercer.libguides.com/mupresidents/Sanders. 
  • Bryant, J. C., Antebellum Years in Penfield, Mercer University, December 1, 2006, Education, Colleges & Universities, New Georgia Encyclopedia; https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/education/mercer-university. 
  • Bryant, Jonathan M., How Curious a Land: Conflict and Change in Greene County, Georgia, 1850-1885, pp. 35-37, 67.
  • Christian Index and Southwestern Baptist, Atlanta, Georgia, December 17, 1868.
  • Collins, Dr. Reba Neighbors, History of the Janes-Peek Family: From Grandma’s Little Trunk, Edmond, Oklahoma, 1975.
  • Digital Library of Georgia; https://dlg.usg.edu/.
  • For Sale on the First of December, The Georgia Temperance Crusader, Penfield, Georgia, November 18, 1858.
  • Greene County. Three Days in Greenesboro and Penfield, The Oglethorpe Echo, Crawford, Georgia, March 21, 1879.
  • Greene Sheriff's Sale, Temperance Crusader, Penfield, Georgia, September 20, 1856.
  • Jesse Mercer @ Penfield — Mercer University, openhandspublications.com; https://openhandspublications.com/2019/10/21/jesse-mercer-penfield-mercer-university/.
  • Jones, William Brent, Jesse Mercer (1769-1841), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, New Georgia Encyclopedia, March 26, 2005; https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/jesse-mercer-1769-1841. 
  • Langford, James M., Lankford's Horse Book, 1883.
  • Machinery for Georgia Flour Mills, The Daily Constitutionalist and Republic, Augusta, Georgia, May 16, 1849.
  • Mercer at Penfield, 1833 - 1871: Centennial Celebration, Mercer University Research, Scholarship, and Archives, May 27, 1933; https://libraries.mercer.edu/ursa/handle/10898/2851. 
  • Mercer High School—A Brillant Commencement, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, August 8, 1878
  • Mercer University; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercer_University. 
  • Muster Roll of Company C, 3rd Regiment Georgia Volunteer Infantry Army Northern Virginia C. S. A., Greene County, Georgia (Dawson Grays), excerpted from Roster of Confederate Soldiers of Georgia 1861 - 1865, compiled by Lillian Henderson, ca. 1900.
  • Notice, The Temperance Banner, Penfield, Georgia, April 10, 1852.
  • Otto Lange, Watchmaker & Jeweller, The Temperance Banner, November 25, 1854.
  • Penfield Steam Mill Stock, The Georgia Temperance Crusader, Penfield, Georgia, October 14, 1858.
  • Tailoring, The Christian Index, Washington, Georgia, January 24, 1845.
  • Temperance Crusader, Penfield, Georgia, October 21, 1854, September 6, 1856, February 12, 1857, April 30, 1857, Georgia, September 3, 1857.
  • The Christian Index, Washington, Georgia, June 20, 1845, August 31, 1848.
  • The Georgia Temperance Crusader, Penfield, Georgia, January 14, 1858, March 18, 1858, June 24, 1858, July 22, 1858, March 18, 1859.
  • The Historical Marker Database, First Commissioner of Agriculture; https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=14726. 
  • The Removal of Mercer Institute, The Greensboro Herald, Greensboro, Georgia, September 30, 1869.
  • The Removal of Mercer Institute, No. 3, Christian Index and Southwestern Baptist, Atlanta, Georgia, November 18, 1869.
  • The Temperance Banner, Penfield, Georgia, October 21, 1854.
  • Public Meeting at Penfield, Christian Index and Southwestern Baptist, Atlanta, Georgia, May 4, 1871.
  • Rev. Billington M. Sanders, The Independent Press, Eatonton, Georgia, October 21, 1854.
  • Robert McWhorter; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_McWhorter.
  • Union Recorder, Milledgeville, Georgia, April 2, 1895.
  • Wheat, The Temperance Banner, Penfield, Georgia, October 22, 1853.
  • Wool! Wool!!, The Temperance Banner, Penfield, Georgia, August 6, 1853.

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