Cohutta Springs West (Waterhouse, Colvard's)

The place name of Cohutta Springs appears on Murray County maps in at least three locations, not including North Cohutta Springs, which makes a fourth. It can become quite confusing for researchers. Genealogists whose families were listed at Cohutta Springs in the 1860s should look closely at this "other" Cohutta Springs, in the Tenth District, Third Section of Murray County (I'll call it Cohutta Springs West, to clarify ).

THE "OTHER" COHUTTA SPRINGS:

This Cohutta Springs is southwest of Cisco, Georgia in the Tenth District, Third Section of Murray County. It is west of the community of Fairy. "Oakwood," a privately owned antebellum plantation sits at the crossroad of what is now Halls Chapel Road and Georgia Highway 225. At various times in its history, the plantation and the area around it was known locally as Waterhouse's farm, McCroskey's, or Colvard's plantation. The area on old maps was designated long ago as Cohutta Springs, as it appears on very early state and county maps. It also had a well spring where people came to draw drinking water. The spring eventually ran dry and was filled with dirt.

Waterhouse's farm is mentioned in Civil War correspondence as a place where Union scouts rendezvoused while scouting the Confederate-held Spring Place, just before the Atlanta Campaign. During or after the Civil War, a Confederate, Major M.D.L. McCroskey, bought the Waterhouse plantation. His name appears on this map, on land lot 96 in the Tenth and Third, just east of the five-way intersection.

Mail delivery was spotty in the early history of Murray County. Callaway Campbell, a resident of this Cohutta Springs area that is west of Cisco (land lot 82 on map), has difficulty getting mail when he first moves into Murray, before the Civil War. Later, mail delivery became easier after a post office opened in his area. Cal Campbell's land is to the north west, almost cater-cornered, and shows a mill (land lot 82). In the 1860s, folks in Cisco and west of there were listed in census as residing in the Tenth District, Cohutta Springs. In other census years, it may show Tenth District, 874, and other designations. Much later, it became known as Colvard's, after a physician who owned the plantation and ran a store at the crossroads. There was also a big spring, which became known as Colvard's spring.

Residents of the Cisco area, at least those west of the ridge, were listed in 1860 census as residing in the Tenth District, Cohutta Springs. In the 1880s, some of them file pension applications, listing Cohutta Springs as their address.

Cohutta Springs near Loughridge

Halls Chapel Road runs between Georgia Highway 225 to U.S. Highway 411. At one time, the communities on both ends of that road were designated as Cohutta Springs. Cohutta Springs (west) has been described in another post. It was designated on the map as a post office.

Cohutta Springs itself is on the eastern end of Halls Chapel Road. It was designated as a town or community on the old Murray County map, near an old post office called Loughridge. It was probably north of today's intersection of Loughridge Road and Highway 411. After Loughridge post office closed, the old Cohutta Springs post office (which had also closed) reopened here. It is long gone. Neither of those places is a town anymore, and the area is generally known now by the community name of Fairy. Fairy Valley Church sits at the southern end of Halls Chapel Road, at its intersection with U.S. Highway 411. This area is between the old post office (at Colvard's south of Cisco), and Cohutta Springs Conference Center near the old mineral Springs. That area is now served by Crandall, Georgia's, postal delivery. This map shows Cohutta Springs (as a community or town):

This may have been considered town center of Cohutta Springs, or it may have simply been the location of the second post office. It is closer to the little town (also long gone) that grew up around the mineral springs, which is just east of this area, at the on what is now Cohutta Springs Road.

Deed: Tenth District, Third Section, Murray

(Deed transactions between Calloway and Leach): Sometimes when I look at old deeds and records, I can't read between the lines to know the full story. I don't have the expertise to know all about the different types of deeds: transfer, easement, etcetera. One of my notes is a brief extract of a transaction that took place in Murray County on the eve of the Civil War. It is a trustee situation--yet the parties seem to deed the same amount to each other. Maybe one of my readers can help with the 'legalese' on this one. If I extracted correctly, here's the data:

On 7 May 1862, Thomas H. Calloway makes a deed to Thomas Leach, of lots 46, 47, 48, 49, 60, 61, 84, and 85 in the tenth district, third section, of Murray County. [Rf.: Deed Book L, page 104, Murray County, Georgia]. $20,000 paid to Calloway. I didn't make a note as to type of deed--it's probably a property deed, since I have no note to say otherwise.

On the same date, there is a deed from Thomas Leach to Thomas H. Calloway--Trustee, of lots 46, 47, 48, 49, 60, 61, 84, and 85 (same lots, same district and section as above). Then my note says $20,000 paid to Leach, "for the sole and separate use and maintenance of Mrs. Cornelia F. Waterhouse the wife of Euclid Waterhouse during her natural life not subject to her husband's debts or liabilities of any character whatever..." At her death, it is to be settled/executed at her direction.

I understand that someone can be a trustee, but am not sure why Leach would pay $20,000 to Calloway, then Calloway would pay the same amount to Leach--or did I misunderstand and extract it incorrectly? Do they just go through the legal motions so that the other person is legally responsible, to prevent malfeasance? Or maybe it means $20,000 of land from one, in receipt of which $20,000 in cash was paid to the other, for the support of Mrs. Waterhouse? I may even have a mistake in my extract. Also, the fact that this happened in 1862 made me wonder if the transaction was war related.


Note: Thomas Leach is probably Dr. Leach--at least, I've concluded that he is the same as the physician who attended Jacob Headrick (Jr.) of Cohutta Springs (west 10th/3rd--Waterhouse area), after the Civil War.

Blog Beginning

Cohutta Springs Maps is a sub-section of Cohutta Springs History. The Cohutta Springs place name is not as prominent as it once was. It's no longer a town. It is a thriving community, though. Businesses in the area still use the name of Cohutta Springs, though their mail delivery comes through Crandall or Chatsworth. It's interesting to look back at a little town that thrived for a time and then disappeared into the forest. At various times there were towns, resorts, popular minerals springs, Civil War rendezvous spots, streams, and mineral springs that used the name of "Cohutta Springs." This blog will focus on the maps and physical descriptions of Cohutta Springs. It may be of some help to genealogists and other researchers.