Served in Rev. War-Col. Brandon's Regiment, South Carolina Militia from Newberry District. DAR# 295878

George's brother, Thomas, was a Major in Brandon's Regiment and his brothers William & Govin were Captains.

In 1763, the Treaty of Paris confirmed the cession to Spain but modified the territory involved because England demanded East Florida, West Florida and Canada. This treaty gave Britain the east side of the Mississippi including Baton Rouge. In 1779, Spain regained West Florida from England.

With the Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1800, Louisiana once again became a French territory after Napoleon's negotiations with Spain. It was a secretly negotiated treaty in which Spain returned the colonial territory of Louisiana to France. Boundaries of the territory being returned were not specified in the treaty. This later became a point of contention between Spain and the United States with Spain insisting the province of West Florida was not part of the territory included in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

Spain continued to hold onto this area until the West Florida Rebellion of 1810 when a small group of colonists, increasingly dissatisfied with Spanish rule, declared their independence from Spain, seized Baton Rouge from the Spanish officials and declared themselves the free and independent Republic of West Florida. They became a nation for 74 days, complete with president, governing body, constitution and flag. It was the original Lone Star Republic. The original copy of the constitution is now in the Louisiana State Archives through a donation in 2002 by Leila Lee Roberts, the great-granddaughter of Fulwar Skipwith, only governor of the republic.
The Historic Land Office building is significant because it housed the St. Helena District Land Office which served the entire Florida Parishes. Although Congress organized a land district out of the Florida Parishes in 1812, no provision had been made for the surveying of the private claims and public lands in this area.

On March 1819, however, Congress officially named this region the St. Helena District and provided for its survey. It was here that Florida Parish "residents applied for American patents to their lands". In fact, this can be seen as one of the many steps involved in the Americanization of Louisiana. In 1843 the land office was moved from Greensburg to Baton Rouge.**

George and Eliz are buried in their family cemetery on the Gordon land on the Old Liberty Road. Their Spanish Land Grant(between 1800 & 1810) bordered the State line on the north and the Tickfaw River on the west. Today that property is the Circle H Ranch, Hwy 441, Kenwood, LA. Since the owners will not allow, cenotaph markers for George & wife will be placed in their grandson's, William Stark Gordon, cemetery, Amite Co., MS.

**St. Helena Parish - LSU AgCenter, www.lsuagcenter.com › portals › features › about_parish