The author chose this page to be the "landing" page for his paternal Wilkes County, Georgia ancestors in order to illustrate the close familial relationships that existed between many early settlers of Wilkes County. While it is true that researchers usually study many other families in order to learn about one particular family, this is particularly true about the author's Wilkes County Georgia ancestors.
The following early Wilkes County families are in the author's ancestry and they are a good example of how many of them so often intermarried. (Please click on the surname below to view the author's research of each family - you likely will need to return to this page to view the research for the other families as well.)
The intermarriages between so many of the early settlers of Wilkes County makes a fine puzzle for us to try to solve: There were marriages between several of these families before they arrived in Wilkes and then once they arrived in Wilkes, their descendants continued to intermarry. The early populations were not that large and they had to marry whomever was available and/or convenient.
In addition, on almost every family that the author has traced to Wilkes County, there is a Revolutionary War soldier at its head. This is because the area was mostly settled by soldiers who received land for their service. Many of these families knew one another before settling in Georgia. They may have even traveled together. There are so many intermarriages and relationships that it can make one's head spin. For example, it is obvious that the Combs-Hammock-Jackson families knew one another before settling in Wilkes County. There were marriages between these families even before they arrived in Georgia. Also, with so many of these families being old Virginia families of importance (Talbot, Callaway, Wise, Staples & Stark) and some having ties to the Northern Neck (Hammock & Stark for example), the resulting gene pool is staggering. Although not known to be in the author's lineage, the Creswell family has ties to President George Washington [1] and the Talbot family married into the Smith family (Captain John Smith) which also has ties to the Washington family.[2] The author's ancester (Shadrack Pinkston) was in General George Washington's elite LIFE GUARDS unit.[3]
The old adage of "cousins marrying cousins" is very true in the author's ancestry and appropriate in describing those ancestors from Wilkes County, Georgia. Wilkes County was one of the first eight official counties created in Georgia in 1777, and its citizenry was composed mostly of Revolutionary War soldiers. As a result, almost every line the author has researched is comprised of descendants of Revolutionary War soldiers or persons that married the descendants of Revolutionary War soldiers. And a great many of these early families were from Virginia.
In can be stated with confidence that the Wilkes County soldiers that fought for the Confederacy were sons and grandsons of Revolutionary War soldiers - a point so often not considered in Civil War discussions. Part of the early history of the cotton gin can be traced to Wilkes County and the Talbot family. It has been said that the cotton gin was supposed to end slavery by automating the process but it had the opposite effect of making cotton farming more productive and profitable and thus requiring more slaves to handle the higher production of cotton. In effect, this made cotton production (and slave labor) one of the key issues of the Civil War.
A few of the author's ancestors that were early settlers of Wilkes County
From the book "Wilkes County, It's Place in Georgia History" by Otis Ashmore
Partial list of Revolutionary War soldiers that participated in the Battle of Kettle Creek
From the book "Wilkes County, It's Place in Georgia History" by Otis Ashmore
The chart below illustrates the many intermarriages between some of the author's Wilkes County ancestors. The families of Starke, Staples, Pinkston, Colley, Jackson, Evans and Hammock are proven lines of Revolutionary War soldiers that settled close to one another in Wilkes County, Georgia. The author is very fortunate to have this heritage and in particular the heritage of so many Revolutionary War soldiers and early pioneer settlers of this great state and country.
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[1] Reverend James Creswell and Mary Elizabeth Garlington had son Col. David Cresswell who married Phoebe Talbot the daughter of John Williston Talbot and Phoebe Mosely. Phoebe Talbot Cresswell is the author's 1st cousin (7x removed) via the Talbot line. Rev. James Creswell was a noted minister in the Northern Neck of Virginia and he was known to George Washington. In addition, the Creswell family was living in the Saluda River area of South Carolina before the Revolutionary War and has ties to the author's maternal Mayson family of that area.
[2] Mathew Talbot and Mary Anne Williston had son Lt. James Talbot who married Elizabeth Smith who was the granddaughter of Captain John Smith and Mary Warner. Mary Warner was the daughter of Colonel Augustine Warner, Jr. and Midred Reade. Mathew Talbot and Mary Anne Williston are the author's 7th great-grandparents.
[3] Shadrack is the author's paternal 5th great-grandfather.
This page was created on 2/24/2025