- Collection:
- Civil Unrest in Camilla, Georgia, 1868 : Reconstruction, Republicanism, and Race
- Title:
- Affidavit of William Jones: Dougherty County, Georgia, 1868 Sept. 28
- Creator:
- Howard, O. H.
- Date of Original:
- 1868-09-28
- Subject:
- African Americans--Georgia--History--19th century
African Americans--Georgia--Social conditions--To 1964
Freedmen--Georgia--Political activity
Freedmen--Georgia--Violence against
Freedmen--Georgia--Personal narratives
Reconstruction--Georgia
Political violence--Georgia--Camilla
Mitchell County (Ga.)--Race relations
Mitchell County (Ga.)--Politics and government
Johns, James, fl. 1868
United States. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands
Jones, William, fl. 1868 - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Mitchell County, Camilla, 31.23129, -84.21046
- Medium:
- affidavits
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- image/jpeg
text/html - Description:
- In this affidavit of William Jones, a forty-two-year-old freedman employed on Tinsley's plantation in Mitchell County, Georgia, taken in Dougherty County, Georgia on September 28, 1868 by Freedmen's Bureau subassistant commissioner O.H. Howard, Jones recounts his experience in the Camilla Riot. The Camilla Riot occurred when Republicans and freedmen came to Camilla, Georgia on Saturday, September 19, 1868, and were met with violent opposition from the townspeople. Jones recalls how he and another freedman, John Wesley, overheard the miller at Tinsley's mill, Mr. Hines, say that he did not think the townspeople would allow John Murphy, the Republican Party elector, to speak in Camilla. Nevertheless, Jones set out for Camilla to attend the rally, carrying his gun loaded with turkey shot, and was there to witness James Johns, an inebriated Camilla resident, firing the shots that began the riot, "plainly in the direction of the [band]wagon." Though Jones had his gun, he did not return fire, but instead fled, and was pursued until he escaped into the nearby woods.
Digital image and transcription created by the Digital Library of Georgia in 2001 of a photocopy held by DeSoto Trail Regional Library of an original record held by the National Archives. - Local Identifier:
- cam036
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/zlcu/id:cam036
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/do:dlg_zlcu_cam036
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlcu_cam036/presentation/manifest.json
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: [title of item], United States. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Records. National Archives and Records Administration, presented in the Digital Library of Georgia
- Extent:
- 2 pages/leaves
- Holding Institution:
- De Soto Trail Regional Library System
- Rights:
-
Page: [1]
[added text: 5X] Affidavit of William Jones, (Freedman)
Georgia
Dougherty County [added text: }]
Personally came before me William Jones, [deleted text: 42 years ol] a colored man, who being duly sworn, deposes and [added text: [] says that he is 42 years old, that he was employed by Mr Tinsley in Mitchell [Mitchell] County, that he heard Mr Hines the miller at Tinsleys Mill say on Saturday morning that he would bet a good deal that Murphy would not [deleted text: go to] speak in Camilla that day, that the people would not let him do it and that he heard them say so, he thinks, that John Wesley cold [colored] [deleted text: [illegible text]] from Dr Tinsleys place was with him and heard the same. Deponent further states that he carried a gun to Camilla loaded but did never fire it, when in Camilla, the gun was loaded with turkey shot . Deponent saw James Johns fire the first shot at the band waggon [wagon] pointing his gun plainly [deleted text: and] in the direction of the [deleted text: w] that waggon [wagon] . After that general firing
Page: [2]
ensued and deponent run off and was followed by white men on horseback about 200 or 300 yards until he struck the woods.
William [added text: his] X [added text: mark] Jones
Sworn to & subscribed before me, this
Septbr [September] 28. 1868.