Key Facts

Snapshot:	moved from North Carolina to Georgia; owned slaves
Parents:	1304John Everitt 1305Sarah Fagan
Born:	27 September 1774 probably North Carolina
Died:	14 February 1846 probably Bulloch County, Georgia
Buried:	Everette Cemetery, Candler County, Georgia Cemetery's coordinates: N32.30977 W82.01247

652Joshua Everitt was born 27 September 17741,2 to parents 1304John Everitt2,3 and 1305Sarah Fagan.2 He was probably born in North Carolina (since his father lived there during the Revolutionary War) and presumably moved to Bulloch County, Georgia with his parents in 1785.4

On 7 October 1797, 652Joshua was granted license to marry 653Jane Carter in Bulloch County, Georgia.5

1797: 652Joshua's and 653Jane's marriage record. Full page.5

652Joshua acquired thousands of acres in/near Bulloch County, in part from land grants, the first of which he received in 1818. A summary of his grant acquisitions is below:

# Acres	In What County	Year	Source
475	Bulloch	1818	Georgia Register of Grants Book MMMMM, page 123
700	Bulloch	1818	Georgia Register of Grants Book MMMMM, page 124
150	Bulloch	1818	Georgia Register of Grants Book MMMMM, page 125
47	Bulloch	1820	Georgia Register of Grants Book NNNNN, page 182
972	Bulloch	1820	Georgia Register of Grants Book OOOOO, page 231
177	Bulloch	1820	Georgia Register of Grants Book OOOOO, page 233
100	Bulloch	1820	Georgia Register of Grants Book OOOOO, page 234
677	Bulloch	1836	Georgia Register of Grants Book RRRRR, page 486
868	Bulloch	1836	Georgia Register of Grants Book RRRRR, page 515
115	Bulloch	1837	Georgia Register of Grants Book SSSSS, page 406
437	Tattnall	1837	Georgia Register of Grants Book SSSSS, page 482   Alternative Source

He also bought large amounts of land at sheriff's sales, e.g. this purchase on 1 July 1828 for 1449 acres that had belonged to Enoch Fagan.6

1828: 652Joshua bought 1449 acres of land at auction. This is an example of 652Joshua's sheriff's sale purchases. Full page.6

The 1820 census shows 652Joshua's family in Bulloch County. The numbers below represent: 1 boy age 0-9, 2 boys age 10-15, 1 boy age 16-18 (326John C. Everett), 1 man age 16-24 (652Joshua, albeit with an erroneous age), 3 girls age 0-9, 1 woman age 26-44 (653Jane), 1 agriculture worker, 3 male slaves age 0-13, 3 male slaves age 14-25, 1 male slave age 26-44, 9 female slaves age 0-13, 1 female slave age 14-25, 2 female slaves age 26-44, and 1 female slave age 45+.7

1820: 652Joshua's family and slaves in Bulloch County, Georgia. Full page.7

652Joshua was a Bulloch County inferior court justice, as proven by the court record shown below and other similar records.8

652Joshua was an inferior court justice. Full page.8

Problem: Unresolved Did 652Joshua have other civic roles? In addition to being an inferior court justice, Alvaretta Kenan Register's book Everett/Everitt Family: A Genealogical History on page 15 claims that 652Joshua was commissioned an ensign in Bulloch County on 25 November 1806, and the 45th district's militia captain on 18 February 1809. In both cases, Mrs. Register cites as evidence, "Executive Minutes, Georgia State Archives, Atlanta, Georgia" but unfortunately doesn't cite a particular microfilm reel number, page, etc. I have not searched for these records further.

By 1830 he had several more children and quite a few more slaves. 652Joshua is presumably the male age 40-50, although once again his age is wrong. The two men age 60-69 are unidentified.9

1830: 652Joshua's family still in Bulloch County. Full page.9

1830: 652Joshua's slaves. Full page.9

The minutes of Lower Lotts Creek Primitive Baptist Church show that 652Joshua was a member there in March 1833 but is described as "excluded." 10 The precise implication of the word "excluded" is uncertain, although reading through other contemporary church minutes shows that the church frequently punished members for various sins; drunkenness seems to have been one of the more common offenses. The first page of the minutes book has a copy of the church's articles of faith, which 652Joshua presumably would've subscribed to as a condition of membership; these articles of faith are typical of Primitive Baptist theology.11

The 1840 census finally shows his correct age range, and that he had 30 slaves (three more than in 1830).12

1840: 652Joshua's family still in Bulloch County. Full page.12

1840: 652Joshua's slaves. Full page.12

In lieu of a will, 652Joshua disposed of a vast amount of property via several deeds about 2.5 months before he died. Grantees include his daughters Eliza F.(?) Ellis, Pamelia Everitt, Casandra C. Tillman, and Sarah Young; and sons Jehu(e), 326John C. (deceased), Joshua B., and Josiah J. Everitt.13 He even explicitly deeded land (3,431 acres in all) to his wife (and soon-to-be widow) 653Jincy, plus "all my stock of horses cattle hogs sheep and goats also all my carts and carriages and plantation tools." 14 The deeds also mention slaves Amy, Annis, Aomes(?), Cain, Flora, Fredrick, George, Gilbert, Grace and Champion, Hampton, Hannah, Handy, Ishmael, Jack and Ester, Jude, Leah, Lenda, Lon, Lucinda, March, Mary, Mosly (female), Nancy, Nelson, Patience, Peter, Philida(?), Richmond, Rosan (female), Rose, Big Sam, Little Sam, Sepia(?), Simon, Little Simon, Wade, and Wealthy.13 Of these deeds, one original still exists, so we can see 652Joshua's actual signature:15

1845: 652Joshua's signature on a deed to his son Jehu. Full deed: front, back.15

652Joshua died on 14 February 1846 and is buried in Everette Cemetery, Candler County, Georgia at coordinates N32.30977 W82.01247. Below is a photo of his tombstone.1

Sources Cited:

1: Tombstone of Joshua Everitt, Everette Cemetery, Candler County, Georgia, cemetery's coordinates N32.30977 W82.01247. Photograph taken by 1Bryant Knight, circa 2009.

2: Bible of Josiah J. Everitt, described in 1987 as being "in possession of Mrs. Mary Phillips Tinkler (Mrs. S. A. Tinkler, 127 Grace St., Greenwood, S.C.). [Alvaretta Kenan Register] obtained a Xerox copy through her cousin, Mrs. May Walton, 2017 Richmond Ave., Augusta, Georgia 30904. Mrs. Tinkler has since died and the Bible is now in possession of her son, Dr. Phillips Tinkler, Greenwood S.C.. The fly leaf is missing," although current disposition is unknown. Cited in: Alvaretta Kenan Register and David M. Foley (ed.), Everett/Everitt Family: A Genealogical History (the Estate of Alvaretta Kenan Register, Statesboro, Georgia, 1987), page 15.

3: Bulloch County, Georgia. Court of Ordinary. Wills & misc. estate records book 1-A (1816-1836), pages 220-222. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93G-6QMT?i=120&cc=1999178&cat=155415> et seq. This is 1304John Everett's will.

4: "Declaration of Mrs. Sarah Everitt," included among the application files for 1304John Everett's Revolutionary War pension. NARA microfilm publication M804, roll 944, images 423-425. The declaration reads, "he served not less five years in the malitia[sic] of North Carolina," and "emigrated to Bulloch County Georgia, in the year 1785 where he resided until the day of his death." Ancestry.com, accessed circa 2010. If you want to see the image, download 1304John's pension application files.

5: Bulloch County, Georgia. [Marriages] "Book A" (1795-1807), page 1, marriage of Joshua Everi[tt] and Jane Carter. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L93G-F97J-Z?i=20&cc=1999178&cat=335052>, accessed 11 September 2019.

6: Bulloch County, Georgia. Deed book AAAA (1819-1828), page 530[b], land deed from "Robert Mcall sheriff of Bullock County" to Joshua Evritt, dated 1 July 1828. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4K-KSNK-P?i=561&cat=155333>, accessed 15 September 2019.

7: 1820 U.S. Federal Census. Bulloch County, Georgia. Page 13, Joshua Everett household. NARA microfilm publication M33, roll 7. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YBC-4SW?i=4&cc=1803955&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AXHLW-M4H>. Since the 1820 census typically lacks column headers, you may find this template helpful.

8: Bulloch County, Georgia. Ordinary court minutes, volume X (1815-1843), page 19, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 36, and 38. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4K-2WSJ-Y?i=16&cat=152418> et seq., accessed 14 September 2019.

9: 1830 U.S. Federal Census. Bulloch County, Georgia. Page 98, Joshua Everett household. NARA microfilm publication M19, roll 16. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYYY-9DV?i=13&cc=1803958> and <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYYY-9D2?i=14&cc=1803958>.

10: Minutes of the Lower Lott's Creek Primitive Baptist Church, Bulloch County, Georgia 1831-1901, page 2. Unfortunately, this book shows no transcriber/editor, publisher, print year, or any other such information.

11: ibid., page 1.

12: 1840 U.S. Federal Census. Bulloch County, Georgia. Page 10, Joshua Everit household. NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 37. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYY2-3SHS?i=20&cc=1786457> and <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YY2-SB7F?i=21&cc=1786457>.

13: Bulloch County, Georgia. Deeds book FH, pages 211-223.

14: ibid., pages 215-216.

15: Special Collections, Zach S. Henderson Library, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia. Bulloch County Historical Society Collection, box 11, folder 50. The library's finding aid entry for this record reads, "Deed of Conveyance from Joshua Everitt to John Everitt; $500.00 for 300 acres in one tract of land, and 328 acres in another, and 500 acres for another, in Bulloch County, Georgia. Dated August 27, 1845."