Lynching Victims

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George Nelson | February 2, 1861

George Nelson was enslaved to Abel Nelson, and hired out to John Middlebrooks. He was charged on little evidence and in doubtful circumstances with attempted rape. He was taken by a mob from Hamilton jail and burned to death nearby. He protested innocence to the end. Many tried to stop the lynching on both moral and monetary grounds and were accused by the mob of “unmanliness.” None were charged. (see newspaper article below)

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Nelson Jordan | April 1866

Nelson Jordan, a freedman, was found dead, hanging by the neck. It was reported to the Freedmen’s Bureau, Columbus, by Harris County FB Agent H.D. Williams. This lynching and other reports of Harris County violence caused the Freedmen’s Bureau to threaten to return the county to martial law. No charges were ever filed against the perpetrators.

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James Clemens | September 7 1868

James Clemens, a freedman, was murdered by four disguised white men for sending his son away to avoid a whipping.

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Isaac Smith | October 25 1868

Isaac Smith, a freedman, was murdered near Whitesville by a party of three white men.

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Arthur McCauly | July 29, 1902

Arthur McCauly was taken by a mob from the Hamilton jail while being held for murder. He was lynched near Chipley. His death was reported in the Atlanta Constitution 8/3/1902. Nothing is known of his life. Research is underway.

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