Alexander Goodby Middleton was the oldest son of James Middleton and his wife Mary Owings (Owens?). Records referencing James Middleton all show him in South Carolina right up to the time of Alexander's birth. The precise date of Alex's birth is unknown to us since the only record of it is the date of his death referenced on his tombstone, 30 April 1858 – "aged 63 years".
According to research by Beth Engel, James Middleton was living in Liberty County Georgia as early as September 1796. Apparently he appears on a list of persons who were delinquent in paying their property taxes. So even though Alexander was born in Goose Creek, a settlement in St. James Parish in South Carolina, he was likely living in Liberty County while still an infant. The 1850 census was the first US census that asked for place of birth. For Alex, the place of birth was listed as SC.
I originally thought that Alex was named for the Uncle of his paternal Grandmother Sarah Goodby: Alexander Goodby Sr 1688 – 1729. Upon reflection, it is more likely that he was named for that man's son, Alexander Goodby Jr. ?? - 1751, a probable contemporary of Sarah Goodby Middleton.
Alex's father James had extensive land holdings in Georgia by the time of his death in 1810. There are records of purchases and sales of land in Wayne, Glynn, McIntosh, Liberty, and Camden Counties. It should be understood that Georgia in the early 1800's was as much a frontier as anything west of the Mississippi. In 1810 when James Middleton died, there were no established counties west of Wayne and Camden, and south of Tattnall. Those lands belonged to the Creek and Cherokee Indian tribes. Florida wasn't a state – it wasn't even a territory until 1822! So James and his sons Alexander, Robert, William and James Jr., were settlers in every sense of the word.
A muster role of Capt. Thomas H. Gould's Infantry Company shows Alexander and his younger brother William serving in the Georgia Militia during the war of 1812. Alex and William were discharged from that unit on February 28, 1815. Alex would have been between 19 and 20 years old at that time (William, born in Feb 1801, would have just turned 14).
Beth Bland Engel's book The Middleton Family is the only known source for information on the marriage of Alexander Goodby Middleton and Mary "Polly" Townsend. Engel simply states they "were married circa 1819 and their first son Thomas was born in 1820." Polly was the only daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Stapleton Townsend; she had eight brothers. Alex's in-laws moved on to Jefferson County Florida about ten years later, and most of his brothers-in-law moved to Texas where they were all active participants in the formation of the Republic of Texas.
Alex and Polly settled in the Sand Hills section of modern day Long County Georgia sometime after their wedding, and there they remained for the rest of their lives. The home they built is still standing and still occupied by family. Over the years the home property has been part of three different Georgia counties, thanks to shifting boundaries: McIntosh, Liberty and Long.
Land records on file at the McIntosh County Courthouse show a 200 acres land grant made to Alex in 1833 on the headwaters of the South Newport River. These same records also show a 300 acre grant in December 1835 along the Altamaha River. Because of the destruction of the McIntosh County Courthouse during the War of Yankee Aggression, these land records are likely to be incomplete and not reflective of Alex's full holdings.
In a letter dated 1932, Alex's granddaughter Geneva Murray Middleton makes the following statement: "Grandfather had more than 1000 head of cattle when he died and left Grandmother a widow." Polly inherited her husband's estate of course, and upon her death in 1871 the entire estate was left to her son Charles Lawson Middleton Sr.
Alex and Polly were the parents of the following twelve children.
Thomas G Middleton b. 1820 – d. abt. 1853 (Farmer)
Lucinda Middleton Davis b. 1822 – d. ??
William Spencer Middleton b. 1824 – d. 1884 (Doctor)
Alexander Goodby Middleton Jr. b. 1826 – d.1887 (Farmer)
Benjamin Grooms Middleton b. 1828 – d. ?? (Minister)
Mary Ann Elizabeth Middleton Murray b. 1830 – d. 1901
Francis Marion Middleton b.1832 – d.1891 (Farmer)
Stephen Middleton b. 1834 – d. 1863 (killed in a knife fight while serving in Waul's Texas Legion in Mississippi)
Charles Lawson Middleton Sr. b.1837 – d.1909 (Farmer)
Henry Harold Middleton b. 1839 – d.1901 (Farmer)
Capel Raiford Middleton b.1840 – d. 1901 (Farmer)
Marcella Veteria Middleton Purdom b.1843 – d.1914
According to research by Beth Engel, James Middleton was living in Liberty County Georgia as early as September 1796. Apparently he appears on a list of persons who were delinquent in paying their property taxes. So even though Alexander was born in Goose Creek, a settlement in St. James Parish in South Carolina, he was likely living in Liberty County while still an infant. The 1850 census was the first US census that asked for place of birth. For Alex, the place of birth was listed as SC.
I originally thought that Alex was named for the Uncle of his paternal Grandmother Sarah Goodby: Alexander Goodby Sr 1688 – 1729. Upon reflection, it is more likely that he was named for that man's son, Alexander Goodby Jr. ?? - 1751, a probable contemporary of Sarah Goodby Middleton.
Alex's father James had extensive land holdings in Georgia by the time of his death in 1810. There are records of purchases and sales of land in Wayne, Glynn, McIntosh, Liberty, and Camden Counties. It should be understood that Georgia in the early 1800's was as much a frontier as anything west of the Mississippi. In 1810 when James Middleton died, there were no established counties west of Wayne and Camden, and south of Tattnall. Those lands belonged to the Creek and Cherokee Indian tribes. Florida wasn't a state – it wasn't even a territory until 1822! So James and his sons Alexander, Robert, William and James Jr., were settlers in every sense of the word.
A muster role of Capt. Thomas H. Gould's Infantry Company shows Alexander and his younger brother William serving in the Georgia Militia during the war of 1812. Alex and William were discharged from that unit on February 28, 1815. Alex would have been between 19 and 20 years old at that time (William, born in Feb 1801, would have just turned 14).
Beth Bland Engel's book The Middleton Family is the only known source for information on the marriage of Alexander Goodby Middleton and Mary "Polly" Townsend. Engel simply states they "were married circa 1819 and their first son Thomas was born in 1820." Polly was the only daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Stapleton Townsend; she had eight brothers. Alex's in-laws moved on to Jefferson County Florida about ten years later, and most of his brothers-in-law moved to Texas where they were all active participants in the formation of the Republic of Texas.
Alex and Polly settled in the Sand Hills section of modern day Long County Georgia sometime after their wedding, and there they remained for the rest of their lives. The home they built is still standing and still occupied by family. Over the years the home property has been part of three different Georgia counties, thanks to shifting boundaries: McIntosh, Liberty and Long.
Land records on file at the McIntosh County Courthouse show a 200 acres land grant made to Alex in 1833 on the headwaters of the South Newport River. These same records also show a 300 acre grant in December 1835 along the Altamaha River. Because of the destruction of the McIntosh County Courthouse during the War of Yankee Aggression, these land records are likely to be incomplete and not reflective of Alex's full holdings.
In a letter dated 1932, Alex's granddaughter Geneva Murray Middleton makes the following statement: "Grandfather had more than 1000 head of cattle when he died and left Grandmother a widow." Polly inherited her husband's estate of course, and upon her death in 1871 the entire estate was left to her son Charles Lawson Middleton Sr.
Alex and Polly were the parents of the following twelve children.
Thomas G Middleton b. 1820 – d. abt. 1853 (Farmer)
Lucinda Middleton Davis b. 1822 – d. ??
William Spencer Middleton b. 1824 – d. 1884 (Doctor)
Alexander Goodby Middleton Jr. b. 1826 – d.1887 (Farmer)
Benjamin Grooms Middleton b. 1828 – d. ?? (Minister)
Mary Ann Elizabeth Middleton Murray b. 1830 – d. 1901
Francis Marion Middleton b.1832 – d.1891 (Farmer)
Stephen Middleton b. 1834 – d. 1863 (killed in a knife fight while serving in Waul's Texas Legion in Mississippi)
Charles Lawson Middleton Sr. b.1837 – d.1909 (Farmer)
Henry Harold Middleton b. 1839 – d.1901 (Farmer)
Capel Raiford Middleton b.1840 – d. 1901 (Farmer)
Marcella Veteria Middleton Purdom b.1843 – d.1914
Alexander Goodby Middleton was the oldest son of James Middleton and his wife Mary Owings (Owens?). Records referencing James Middleton all show him in South Carolina right up to the time of Alexander's birth. The precise date of Alex's birth is unknown to us since the only record of it is the date of his death referenced on his tombstone, 30 April 1858 – "aged 63 years".
According to research by Beth Engel, James Middleton was living in Liberty County Georgia as early as September 1796. Apparently he appears on a list of persons who were delinquent in paying their property taxes. So even though Alexander was born in Goose Creek, a settlement in St. James Parish in South Carolina, he was likely living in Liberty County while still an infant. The 1850 census was the first US census that asked for place of birth. For Alex, the place of birth was listed as SC.
I originally thought that Alex was named for the Uncle of his paternal Grandmother Sarah Goodby: Alexander Goodby Sr 1688 – 1729. Upon reflection, it is more likely that he was named for that man's son, Alexander Goodby Jr. ?? - 1751, a probable contemporary of Sarah Goodby Middleton.
Alex's father James had extensive land holdings in Georgia by the time of his death in 1810. There are records of purchases and sales of land in Wayne, Glynn, McIntosh, Liberty, and Camden Counties. It should be understood that Georgia in the early 1800's was as much a frontier as anything west of the Mississippi. In 1810 when James Middleton died, there were no established counties west of Wayne and Camden, and south of Tattnall. Those lands belonged to the Creek and Cherokee Indian tribes. Florida wasn't a state – it wasn't even a territory until 1822! So James and his sons Alexander, Robert, William and James Jr., were settlers in every sense of the word.
A muster role of Capt. Thomas H. Gould's Infantry Company shows Alexander and his younger brother William serving in the Georgia Militia during the war of 1812. Alex and William were discharged from that unit on February 28, 1815. Alex would have been between 19 and 20 years old at that time (William, born in Feb 1801, would have just turned 14).
Beth Bland Engel's book The Middleton Family is the only known source for information on the marriage of Alexander Goodby Middleton and Mary "Polly" Townsend. Engel simply states they "were married circa 1819 and their first son Thomas was born in 1820." Polly was the only daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Stapleton Townsend; she had eight brothers. Alex's in-laws moved on to Jefferson County Florida about ten years later, and most of his brothers-in-law moved to Texas where they were all active participants in the formation of the Republic of Texas.
Alex and Polly settled in the Sand Hills section of modern day Long County Georgia sometime after their wedding, and there they remained for the rest of their lives. The home they built is still standing and still occupied by family. Over the years the home property has been part of three different Georgia counties, thanks to shifting boundaries: McIntosh, Liberty and Long.
Land records on file at the McIntosh County Courthouse show a 200 acres land grant made to Alex in 1833 on the headwaters of the South Newport River. These same records also show a 300 acre grant in December 1835 along the Altamaha River. Because of the destruction of the McIntosh County Courthouse during the War of Yankee Aggression, these land records are likely to be incomplete and not reflective of Alex's full holdings.
In a letter dated 1932, Alex's granddaughter Geneva Murray Middleton makes the following statement: "Grandfather had more than 1000 head of cattle when he died and left Grandmother a widow." Polly inherited her husband's estate of course, and upon her death in 1871 the entire estate was left to her son Charles Lawson Middleton Sr.
Alex and Polly were the parents of the following twelve children.
Thomas G Middleton b. 1820 – d. abt. 1853 (Farmer)
Lucinda Middleton Davis b. 1822 – d. ??
William Spencer Middleton b. 1824 – d. 1884 (Doctor)
Alexander Goodby Middleton Jr. b. 1826 – d.1887 (Farmer)
Benjamin Grooms Middleton b. 1828 – d. ?? (Minister)
Mary Ann Elizabeth Middleton Murray b. 1830 – d. 1901
Francis Marion Middleton b.1832 – d.1891 (Farmer)
Stephen Middleton b. 1834 – d. 1863 (killed in a knife fight while serving in Waul's Texas Legion in Mississippi)
Charles Lawson Middleton Sr. b.1837 – d.1909 (Farmer)
Henry Harold Middleton b. 1839 – d.1901 (Farmer)
Capel Raiford Middleton b.1840 – d. 1901 (Farmer)
Marcella Veteria Middleton Purdom b.1843 – d.1914
According to research by Beth Engel, James Middleton was living in Liberty County Georgia as early as September 1796. Apparently he appears on a list of persons who were delinquent in paying their property taxes. So even though Alexander was born in Goose Creek, a settlement in St. James Parish in South Carolina, he was likely living in Liberty County while still an infant. The 1850 census was the first US census that asked for place of birth. For Alex, the place of birth was listed as SC.
I originally thought that Alex was named for the Uncle of his paternal Grandmother Sarah Goodby: Alexander Goodby Sr 1688 – 1729. Upon reflection, it is more likely that he was named for that man's son, Alexander Goodby Jr. ?? - 1751, a probable contemporary of Sarah Goodby Middleton.
Alex's father James had extensive land holdings in Georgia by the time of his death in 1810. There are records of purchases and sales of land in Wayne, Glynn, McIntosh, Liberty, and Camden Counties. It should be understood that Georgia in the early 1800's was as much a frontier as anything west of the Mississippi. In 1810 when James Middleton died, there were no established counties west of Wayne and Camden, and south of Tattnall. Those lands belonged to the Creek and Cherokee Indian tribes. Florida wasn't a state – it wasn't even a territory until 1822! So James and his sons Alexander, Robert, William and James Jr., were settlers in every sense of the word.
A muster role of Capt. Thomas H. Gould's Infantry Company shows Alexander and his younger brother William serving in the Georgia Militia during the war of 1812. Alex and William were discharged from that unit on February 28, 1815. Alex would have been between 19 and 20 years old at that time (William, born in Feb 1801, would have just turned 14).
Beth Bland Engel's book The Middleton Family is the only known source for information on the marriage of Alexander Goodby Middleton and Mary "Polly" Townsend. Engel simply states they "were married circa 1819 and their first son Thomas was born in 1820." Polly was the only daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Stapleton Townsend; she had eight brothers. Alex's in-laws moved on to Jefferson County Florida about ten years later, and most of his brothers-in-law moved to Texas where they were all active participants in the formation of the Republic of Texas.
Alex and Polly settled in the Sand Hills section of modern day Long County Georgia sometime after their wedding, and there they remained for the rest of their lives. The home they built is still standing and still occupied by family. Over the years the home property has been part of three different Georgia counties, thanks to shifting boundaries: McIntosh, Liberty and Long.
Land records on file at the McIntosh County Courthouse show a 200 acres land grant made to Alex in 1833 on the headwaters of the South Newport River. These same records also show a 300 acre grant in December 1835 along the Altamaha River. Because of the destruction of the McIntosh County Courthouse during the War of Yankee Aggression, these land records are likely to be incomplete and not reflective of Alex's full holdings.
In a letter dated 1932, Alex's granddaughter Geneva Murray Middleton makes the following statement: "Grandfather had more than 1000 head of cattle when he died and left Grandmother a widow." Polly inherited her husband's estate of course, and upon her death in 1871 the entire estate was left to her son Charles Lawson Middleton Sr.
Alex and Polly were the parents of the following twelve children.
Thomas G Middleton b. 1820 – d. abt. 1853 (Farmer)
Lucinda Middleton Davis b. 1822 – d. ??
William Spencer Middleton b. 1824 – d. 1884 (Doctor)
Alexander Goodby Middleton Jr. b. 1826 – d.1887 (Farmer)
Benjamin Grooms Middleton b. 1828 – d. ?? (Minister)
Mary Ann Elizabeth Middleton Murray b. 1830 – d. 1901
Francis Marion Middleton b.1832 – d.1891 (Farmer)
Stephen Middleton b. 1834 – d. 1863 (killed in a knife fight while serving in Waul's Texas Legion in Mississippi)
Charles Lawson Middleton Sr. b.1837 – d.1909 (Farmer)
Henry Harold Middleton b. 1839 – d.1901 (Farmer)
Capel Raiford Middleton b.1840 – d. 1901 (Farmer)
Marcella Veteria Middleton Purdom b.1843 – d.1914
Inscription
Aged 63 years
Family Members
Parents
Siblings
Children
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Dr William Spencer Middleton
1824–1884
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Alexander Goodby Middleton Jr
1826–1886
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Mary Ann Elizabeth Middleton Murray
1831–1901
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Francis Marion Middleton
1832–1891
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PVT Stephen Middleton
1834–1863
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Pvt Charles Lawson Middleton Sr
1837–1909
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Pvt Henry Harold Middleton
1839–1901
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Pvt Capel Raiford Middleton
1840–1901
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Marcella Veteria Middleton Purdom
1843–1914
