Key Facts

Snapshot:	served in the War of 1812; owned slaves; Georgia state senator
Parents:	unknown
Born:	early 1790's location unknown
Died:	before 22 July 1845 probably Tattnall County, Georgia
Buried:	unknown

324Joseph Tillman served the Georgia militia in the War of 1812, as shown by his service record's index card,1 although I haven't ordered a copy of the service record itself.

The index card to 324Joseph's War of 1812 service record.1

324Joseph married 325Catherine Chuning in Bulloch County, Georgia on 17 March 1816.2

324Joseph's and 325Catherine's marriage record. Full page.2

The 1820 census shows that the young family had settled in Bulloch County. The numbers represent the following people (in order): 1 boy age 0-9 [very likely 162James Tillman], 1 man age 26-44 [324Joseph], 2 girls age 0-9, 1 woman age 16-25 [his wife 325Catherine], 1 person engaged in agriculture, 4 male slaves age 14-25, 2 male slaves age 26-44, 2 male slaves age 45+, 1 female slave age 0-13, and 2 female slaves age 14-25.3

324Joseph's family and slaves in the 1820 census. Full page.3

In 1827 and 1828 324Joseph served as a state senator representing Tattnall County.4 His name appears (usually as simply "Tillman") frequently throughout the Senate's 1827 Journal, mostly in lists of who voted "yes" and "no" on particular votes.

A newspaper announcement that 324Joseph had won his 1827 election campaign. Full page.5

Problem: Unresolved Did 324Joseph represent Tattnall County in Georgia's 1832 anti-tariff convention? Several online profiles of 324Joseph Tillman state that he represented Georgia in the 1832 anti-tariff convention. (The Tariff of 1832 benefited Northern industry and charged high taxes on Southern products.) However, I have found no primary evidence that 324Joseph was a delegate to the convention. Indeed, to the contrary a list of the convention's delegates shows that the only Tattnall County representative was a Thomas Tillman.6 Perhaps the compiler of the list simply made an error. One can't be certain, so I've left this problem as "unresolved."

His wife 325Catherine presumably died circa 1830, since on 2 June 1831 he married his second wife Casander C. Everitt in Tattnall County.7

324Joseph's and Casander's marriage record. Full page.7

In April 1835 the Tattnall County Superior Court tried a case against James C. Harvey, who was accused of defrauding 324Joseph by forgery. 324Joseph himself testified as a witness: that on 8 or 9 December 1834, he was traveling to Savannah and was about 20 miles from home when he encountered Harvey crossing a creek. Harvey struck up a conversation about a lady who had borrowed a horse, but they didn't discuss anything else. Harvey, who plead not guilty, may have accused 324Joseph of forcing him to give a false confession, since 324Joseph next testified that he had never used violent language nor "attempted to a run a drawn sword or sword-cane through" Harvey to coerce him to confess. Other witnesses (including 324Joseph's daughter Sarah, whom Harvey had tricked into handing over the money) describe the subsequent forgery, Harvey's use of a fake name, his supposed confession, his motives, his alibi, etc. in considerable detail. The jury ultimately found Harvey guilty, and he was sentenced to five years hard labor at the state penitentiary in Milledgeville.8

The 1840 census shows that 324Joseph lived in militia district 41 (map), Tattnall County. (In combination with the 1820 census,3 this 1840 census also lets us estimate 324Joseph's birth year to the early 1790's.)9

1840: 324Joseph's family and slaves in militia district 41 (map), Tattnall County. Full pages: 1, 2.9

The 1840 census shows eight slaves at 324Joseph's residence, but he must have rented other slaves out to other farms, since an 1841 tax digest shows that he actually owned 39 slaves. The tax digest also shows that he owned vast amounts of property, mostly in southeast Georgia but including some land in other parts of the state.10

1841: Tattnall County's 1841 tax digest lists 324Joseph's substantial land holdings. Full page.10

By 22 July 1845 324Joseph Tillman had died; on that date his son 162James and others applied to administer the estate.11

Estate records reveal the extent of 324Joseph Tillman's wealth. The records are simply too long to display here, but you can view them at the following links:

•	Inventory and appraisal: images 155-158
•	Estate sale: images 163-169
•	Guardianship returns: images 170, 172, and 173.12

His estate inventory shows that he owned (among many other properties) a lot in the city of Savannah. Further research reveals that he owned lot 25 in Franklin Ward, i.e. the southwest corner at the intersection of Jefferson Street and Congress Street.13 As of November 2024 this location is now occupied by The Grove restaurant/pub. A 1939/1940 map of the block is below,14 followed by a modern map.

View Larger Map

Other notable/interesting items listed in his estate inventory include: 49 slaves by name, blacksmith and carpentry tools, 6 geese, several guns, writing desk, writing table, book case, walking cane, gold watch, 246 cattle, 130 hogs, 80 sheep, and 9 bags of cotton.

The estate sale records show the names of some of the books he owned. I've listed a few below, but there are many more. The titles are written the same as in the estate sale record. For some books, I've provided links so you can read the book, although I can't be certain that I've found the correct book.
    American Preceptor
    Baxter's Call
    Domestic Encyclopedia
    Domestic Medicine
    Evelina
    History of England
    Life of Christ
    Life of Washington
    Pilgrim's Progress
    Saint's Rest
    Walker's Dictionary

I don't know where 324Joseph is buried. His entry on FindAGrave alleges that he's buried in an unmarked grave in a small, ruined/overgrown family cemetery off of Evergreen Road in Evans County, Georgia on land owned by a hostile landowner. The area around coordinates N32.2697 W81.9718 seems to match the FindAGrave description. (Notice the area of cleared timber, which wasn't visible in a December 2015 aerial image of the area, was somewhat visible in March 2020, and is blatantly obvious by October 2022. An Evans County Tax Assessor record shows a timber sale at the site in March 2016.) An aerial photograph taken in 1941 doesn't show anything in the area that looks like it might be a cemetery, although tree cover could make it impossible to see from above.

Sources Cited:

1: Joseph Tillman's War of 1812 service record index card. NARA microfilm publication M602, roll 209, Joseph Tillman (1 Reg't [Johnston's], Georgia Militia). Fold3, <https://www.fold3.com/image/309577099>. The same record is also available on FamilySearch: <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-958M-RGJ?i=893&cc=1916219&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AQ29K-18LJ>.

2: Bulloch County, Georgia. Marriages book 2A (1814-1856), page 10, marriage of Joseph Tillman and Catharine Chuning. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93G-F97Z-5?i=150&cc=1999178&cat=335052>.

3: 1820 U.S. Federal Census. Bulloch County, Georgia. Page 13, Joseph Tilman household. NARA microfilm publication M33, roll 7. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YBC-4SW?cc=1803955&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AXHLW-M4P, accessed 12 August 2019.

4: Georgia Department of Archives and History, Georgia's Official Register 1957-1958, page 1023.

5: Augusta Chronicle and Georgia Advertiser (Augusta, Georgia), 10 October 1827, page 11. Georgia Historic Newspapers, <https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn82014184/1827-10-10/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=01%2F01%2F1763¬text=&date2=12%2F31%2F2017>, accessed 12 August 2019.

6: The Georgia Journal (Milledgeville, Georgia), 22 November 1832, page 3. Georgia Historic Newspapers, <https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn82014251/1832-11-22/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=11%2F01%2F1832¬text=&date2=05%2F07%2F1833&searchType=advanced&sequence=0&index=4&proxdistance=5&rows=12&ortext=&proxtext=&andtext=tillman+tattnall&page=1>, accessed 12 August 2019.

7: Tattnall County, Georgia. Marriages transcribed 1806-1873, page 33, marriage of Joseph Tillman and Casander C. Everitt. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9PPF-9LN?i=114.

8: Tattnall County, Georgia. Testimony in criminal cases, book A (1835-1839), pages 1-16. FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSRG-1DV2-Q et seq.

9: 1840 U.S. Federal Census. Militia district 41, Tattnall County, Georgia. Page 266, Joseph Tillman household. NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 51. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YBW-GVN?cc=1786457&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AXHBZ-YRD> and <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYBW-5SM?i=1&cc=1786457>.

10: Tattnall County, Georgia. Tax digest for 1841, n.p., entry for Joseph Tillman. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKK-FZ8R?i=54, accessed 14 August 2019.

11: Southern Recorder (Milledgeville, Georgia), 22 July 1845, page 3. Georgia Historic Newspapers, <https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn82016415/1845-07-22/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=01%2F01%2F1763¬text=&date2=12%2F31%2F2017>, accessed 12 August 2019.

12: Tattnall County, Georgia. Records on Estates, Wills, Inventories & Appraisements, Sales, Etc., 1840-1846, n.p., records pertaining to the estate of Joseph Tillman. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93G-F9C1-S?i=154&cc=1999178> et seq., accessed August 2019. The record book has no index or page numbers, but the estate inventory is on FamilySearch image numbers 155-158; sales on images 163-169; and guardianship returns on images 170, 172, and 173.

13: Chatham County, Georgia. Deeds book 2Z, page 374, a deed from William Water to Joseph Tillman dated 6 July 1841. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3Q5-7DF1?i=495&cat=140778>.

14: "Franklin Ward" (map), United States Works Progress Administration record series 3121-019, sheet 66, surveyed 1939/1940. Digital Library of Georgia, <https://dlg.usg.edu/record/gsg_scswsm_scswsm-3121-019-sheet-066>, accessed 15 August 2019.