Key Facts

Snapshot:	farmer
Parents:	172Caleb Love His mother's identity is unknown.
Born:	circa 1830 either North Carolina or Georgia
Died:	23 December 1877 Johnson County, Georgia
Buried:	unknown

86James Love, son of 172Caleb Love,1 was born circa 18301,2 in either North Carolina2 or Georgia.1,3

86James grew up in Washington County, Georgia (His father submitted an affidavit there in 1833,4 and 172Caleb's household lived there in 1840.5) before relocating to Emanuel County, where we find him in 1850:1

1850: 86James' family in Emanuel County, Georgia. Full page.1

86James married 87Mary Logue on 17 February 1857 in Emanuel County, Georgia.6 Using other records, we can deduce that she was about 15 years old, and he was about 27.

1857: 86James' and 87Mary Logue's marriage certificate. Full page.6

By 1860 the couple was living in Johnson County and already had two children.2 Like later records, this census shows that 86James was an illiterate farmer. His 1860 agricultural schedule entry shows that he owned 100 acres (20 improved, 80 unimproved), a horse, an ox, 6 cattle, 18 pigs, and that he grew/produced Indian corn, peas/beans, and butter.7

1860: 86James' family in Johnson County, Georgia. Full page.2

86James served the Confederacy during the Civil War, although details of his service cannot be proven with reasonable certainty.

Problem: Unresolved Where did 86James Love serve during the Civil War? "Mary Love" (i.e., presumably 86James' wife 87Mary) is on a list of "Names of wives of soldiers now in Service" from Johnson County.8 86James' wife 87Mary on a wartime salt list. Full page.8 Therefore, we can be reasonably certain that 86James served the Confederacy—but where, exactly? Men from Johnson County often served in either the 14th Georgia Company F ("Johnson Greys") or the 48th Georgia Company F ("Battle Ground Guards"), but rosters for these companies don't include 86James. The National Park Service's Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System database shows several plausible entries for men named James Love or similar. Of these, perhaps the most likely entry is James Love of the 32nd Georgia Infantry, Company E. Company E hailed mostly from Washington County, which is immediately north of Johnson County. Unfortunately, that soldier's compiled service record includes no details that would help to confirm his identity (i.e., age and enlistment location). I believe that 86James was in fact in Company E of the 32nd Georgia, but because this assertion cannot be proven with reasonable certainty, here I prefer to consider the question unresolved.

After the war, Johnson County's 1866 tax digest includes him.9 (Notice that "M. A. Logue," listed just above 86James, was in fact 86James' stepmother-in-law, who was widowed during the war.)

1866: 86James on the tax digest for militia district 56 (map), Johnson County, Georgia. This is the first page; Second page.9

In 1867 the U.S. Congress passed several Reconstruction Acts. These Acts divided the former Confederacy into several military occupation zones, which were ruled by Union military commanders. The Acts also directed the commanding officers to register Southerners who wanted to vote in upcoming elections. One registration requirement was to swear an oath of loyalty to the United States; the obvious intent was to disfranchise any lingering Confederate resistance. 86James signed his oath on 25 July 1867.10

1867: 86James' Reconstruction-era voter registration oath.10

The 1872 tax digest copied below is the last record I've found of 86James made while he was still alive. It shows that he had four children age 6-18,11 presumably the same four who were later named in his estate division record (see below).

1872: 86James on the tax digest for militia district 56 (map), Johnson County, Georgia. This is the first page; second page.11

86James died in Johnson County on 23 December 1877.12 Although he died intestate, his passing produced numerous estate records, all from Johnson County:

•	Bills of Sale, Book A (1849-1896), pages 154-156 — This lists 86James' property sold at auction on 17 January 1878, mostly a lot of livestock, corn, and farming tools.
•	Division of Estates, Book A (1860-1929), pages 38-43 — Page 39 names four heirs: William Love, Joseph E. Love, James Love, and 43Elizabeth Copelin. These records also allow us to narrow down a ~3.5-mile stretch along which 86James' property must have lain: Page 39 states that his land is in militia district 56, and page 40 that it lies along Neel's Creek. Roughly 3.5 miles of Neel's Creek lies within militia district 56; see the master map.
•	Guardian Bonds, book for the years 1859-1883, page 124
•	Inventories & Appraisements, Book A (1859-1887), pages 191-192 — The earliest-dated of his estate records, this inventory proves that 86James had died by 3 January 1878.
•	Letters of Guardianship, Book A (1859-1919), page 63
•	Annual Returns & Vouchers, Book A (1858-1886) [Do not confuse this with Book A for years 1858-1877, which is on the same microfilm reel.], pages 478-483, 593, and 633
•	Warrant of Appraisement, book for the years 1859-1888, page 85

86James' estate also became involved in a minor land dispute, which resulted in a jury trial. Relevant records include:

•	Ordinary Court, Minutes Book A (1874-1890), pages 197-198
•	Ordinary Court, Minutes Book B (1874-1886), pages 365

Sources Cited:

1: 1850 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). District 28, Emanuel County, Georgia. Page 463[a], dwelling 267, family 267, Calop Love household. NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 68. Internet Archive, <https://archive.org/details/7thcensus0056unit/page/n454/mode/1up>, accessed 4 October 2023. The Internet Archive's "volume" metadata tag for this roll erroneously states that it's roll 56, but the NARA's website clarifies that it's actually roll 68.

2: 1860 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Johnson County, Georgia. Page 483, dwelling 261, family 245, James Love household. NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 128. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YBT-7KB?cc=1473181&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMZML-W37>.

3: Treutlen County, Georgia death certificate 14110-K for Sarah Elizabeth Copland, who died 5 May 1929. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3S4-D6D9-BC?i=860&cc=1385727&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AJJSQ-WXX>, accessed 19 January 2020.

4: National Archives microfilm series M804 (Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1906), reel 1590 (Charles Love - William Love), folder for Thomas Love of North Carolina, image 31 of 37 for this folder. NARA, <https://catalog.archives.gov/id/196210782?objectPage=31>, accessed 4 October 2023.

5: 1840 U.S. Federal Census. District 91, Washington County, Georgia. Page 213, Caleb Love household. NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 53. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYTB-9SDC?personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AXHBN-BFG>.

6: Emanuel County, Georgia. Marriage book A (1817-1860), page 56, marriage of James Love and Mary Logue. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9BK-Y1MG?i=57&cat=216979>, accessed 18 January 2020.

7: 1860 U.S. Federal Census (Agriculture Schedule). Johnson County, Georgia. Pages 11-12, entry 1, Jas. Love farm. NARA microfilm publication T1137, roll 5. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-53L2-XB?lang=en&i=401>. The NARA provides a helpful template.

8: Georgia. Adjutant and Inspector General's Office (Commissary General's Department). Military records 1862-1864, page 416, column 3, entry for Mrs. Mary Love (near the bottom of the page). FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS73-KBXT?cat=487301&i=218&lang=en>, accessed 10 April 2025. FamilySearch restricts access to this image, so see a copy here.

9: Johnson County, Georgia. Tax digest for 1866, militia district 56, sheet set 2 of 3 (Each set consists of two pages.), entry for James Love. Ancestry.com ("Georgia, U.S., Property Tax Digests, 1793-1892" / Johnson / 1866 / images 26 and 27 of 44), accessed 24 October 2021. You can see a cropped copy of the images here. The corresponding microfilm at the Georgia Archives is microfilm 61/60.

10: Georgia's 1867-1868 Voter Registration Oath Books. Volume 91 (Johnson County Book 1), page 11, entry 22, entry for James Love. Ancestry.com ("Georgia, Returns of Qualified Voters and Reconstruction Oath Books, 1867-1869" / Oath Book / Johnson / 16 / image 36 of 230), accessed October 2021. The corresponding microfilm at the Georgia Archives is microfilm 296/36.

11: Johnson County, Georgia. Tax digest for 1872, militia district 56, sheet set 2 of 4 (Each set consists of two pages), entry for James Love. Ancestry.com. Ancestry.com ("Georgia, U.S., Property Tax Digests, 1793-1892" / Johnson / 1872 / images 24 and 25 of 49), accessed 24 October 2021. You can see a cropped copy of the images here. The corresponding microfilm at the Georgia Archives is microfilm 61/60.

12: Johnson County, Georgia. Ordinary court minutes book B (1874-1890), pages 126-127. FamilySearch, <>.