MINE OUR HISTORY
Sometimes you just have to dig into the original documents, or at least as close as you can get. This collection of historic documents relating to Isle of Hope includes primary source materials, such as original land grants, colonial journal entries, personal letters, and censuses, as well as selected summaries and articles about those documents.
Ann Parker’s 1757 Land Grant, Transcription, and Council Minutes
On December 10, 1757, Ann Parker, wife of Henry Parker, one of Isle of Hope’s three original settlers, received a land grant of 500 acres on northern Isle of Hope. Ann and Henry had settled on that land in 1736 but did not own the land until this land grant from King George the Second over twenty years later. Ann received the land grant after her husband’s death. A land grant to a woman in colonial Georgia was quite rare.
Noble Jones’ 1756 Land Grant for Wormsloe, Transcription, and Council Minutes
On December 24, 1756, Noble Jones received a land grant from King George the Second for 500 acres in southern Isle of Hope that comprised the Wormsloe plantation. This grant came twenty years after Jones first settled this land. Prior to this time, Jones had a lease to the property. Portions of the land grant are still owned by the Jones family, who have held property under an original land grant longer than any family in Georgia.
Noble Jones’ 1763 Land Grant for Wymberly, Transcription, and Council Minutes
On November 5, 1763, Noble Jones received another land grant from King George the Third to 500 acres in the center of Isle of Hope. These 500 acres were originally settled in 1736 by John Fallowfield, who left Georgia in 1742 voluntarily for South Carolina after being fired from his positions in the colonial government because of his opposition to the policies of the Trustees. Fallowfield’s claim to the land was forfeited and Jones was given this grant over twenty years later.
Noble Jones’ Last Will and Testament
Noble Jones’ extensive land and personal property was distributed under his Last Will and Testament, including giving his daughter, Mary Jones, the 500 acres of “Wormslow” during her life, and on her death, giving the land to his son, Noble Wimberly Jones. Under his will, Noble Jones also gave this son the 500 acres of adjoining land in central Isle of Hope that would become Wymberley.
Thomas Causton’s February 19, 1741 Letter Describing Isle of Hope
In this long letter, Thomas Causton writes from Savannah and provides the Trustees of Georgia in London with a comprehensive report about all parts of the colony. This letter was included in General Oglethorpe’s Georgia, a collection of colonial letters. On the highlighted section of page 559, Causton describes the three original Isle of Hope settlements of Noble Jones, John Fallowfield, and Henry Parker five years after Isle of Hope was first settled.
William Stephens’ April 23, 1740 Journal Entry with His First Reference to Isle of Hope
William Stephens, the Trustees of Georgia’s onsite secretary, kept a journal of activities in the colony which he regularly forwarded to London. His first reference to Isle of Hope by name relates to a meeting of dissident colonists on the island at the plantation of John Fallowfield in present day Wymberley.
William Stephens’ July 14, 1740 Journal Entry Describing Settlement of Isle of Hope by Jones, Fallowfield, and Parker
The best contemporaneous description of the original settlement of Isle of Hope is found in this entry from the journal of William Stephens, onsite secretary to the Trustees of Georgia.
Isle of Hope 1880 Federal Census
The 1880 federal census was the first census to specifically identify Isle of Hope residents. In 1880, just over ten years after the railroad had reached Isle of Hope, there were exactly 300 residents on the island. There was an almost equal number of men and women on Isle of Hope, with women making up 52% of the population. The 300 residents lived in 64 households. Sixteen of the these households were headed by women. The majority of people living on Isle of Hope were white, with 55% of the Isle of Hope residents being white and 45% being people of color. Isle of Hope was not a haven for immigrants at this time. Three-quarters of the Isle of Hopers were born in Georgia. There were only 17 immigrants out of the 300 residents, making up approximately 6% of the population. With 1 resident born in Africa, 1 in England, 2 in France, 4 in Germany, 7 in Ireland, and 1 in Scotland, Isle of Hope did not have a heavy concentration of any one immigrant group.
Isle of Hope 1900 Federal Census
No federal census is available for 1890 for Isle of Hope or most other locations in the United States due to a fire at the United States Commerce Department. The next available federal census for Isle of Hope is the 1900 census. There were exactly 350 residents on the island at that time, an increase of 16%, or 50 people, since 1880. Men and women are again equally divided with women making up 51% of the population. The 350 residents lived in 91 households, an uptick of 42%, or 27 households, over twenty years. Twelve of the households were headed by women, decreasing from 16 in 1880. In a change from 1880, white people were no longer the majority on Isle of Hope. In 1900, 54% of the residents were African American or mulatto. Over three-quarters of the Isle of Hopers were born in Georgia, as in 1880. Approximately 6% of the resident population, or 21 people, were immigrants. They immigrated from Canada (1), England (9), Germany (4), Ireland (5), Norway (1), and Scotland (1). Notably there were no immigrants from France living on Isle of Hope in 1900 after years of French immigrant representation on the island by the Dupon, Bonaud, and other families.
Isle of Hope 1910 Federal Census
The 1910 federal census for Isle of Hope strangely shows exactly 500 residents on the island, increasing by 43%, or 150 people, in ten years. The number of men and women stayed roughly equal. However, the number of white Isle of Hope residents increased dramatically from 162 to 292, while the number of people of color only increased from 188 to 208. Whites now outnumbered people of color 3 to 2. The 500 total residents lived in 107 households, an increase of 16 households. Twenty-three households were headed by women, up from the 12 in 1900. Three-quarters of the Isle of Hopers were born in Georgia, as in both prior censuses. The number of immigrants remained low and shrinking, with only 17 out of 500 residents, approximately 3%, born in another country. The immigrant residents of Isle of Hope at this time originated from Canada (1), Denmark (1), England (4), Germany (8), and Ireland (3).
Isle of Hope Pamphlet From 275th Anniversary Celebration
For Isle of Hope’s 275th anniversary in 1986, Elizabeth Chaplin Lindsey and Albert Sidney Britt Jr. of the Isle of Hope Historical Association prepared a pamphlet that included a comprehensive history of the island, a map, and photographs.
“History of Fort Wimberly” by Lewis Strickland
Longtime Isle of Hope resident and historian Lewis Strickland provides a comprehensive history of Fort Wimberly, the Civil War era earthwork battery located at the Wormsloe Historic Site on southern Isle of Hope. Strickland gives a detailed survey of all aspects of Fort Wimberly, including its construction, likely in 1861, and all its wartime activities until the conclusion of the war.
A List of Early Settlers of Georgia (Original Handwritten)
Sir John Percival, Earl of Egmont and President of the Trustees of Georgia, kept a handwritten list of the 2973 settlers in Georgia up until September 29, 1741, including their ages, occupations, dates of embarkation and arrival, lands, and deaths or departure from the colony. It includes entries for members of the families of Isle of Hope’s three original settlers, Noble Jones, Henry Parker, and John Fallowfield.
A List of Early Settlers of Georgia (As Published)
The Earl of Egmont’s handwritten List of the Early Settlers of Georgia was later purchased by the University of Georgia and published in typewritten form. The entries were split between those settlers whose costs for passage were paid by the Trustees and those who paid their own way. The Jones and Parker families had their costs paid; John Fallowfield paid his own way.
James Richmond’s 1947 “Wymberley” Sales Brochure
In 1946, James Richmond purchased the Carsten Hall estate with plans to develop a “subdivision of taste and discrimination.” Richmond’s vision included 150 households living on spacious lots in a wooded coastal setting with homes inspired by the architecture of Bermuda, Nassau, Natchez, New Orleans, and Palm Beach. This sales brochure contained Richmond’s sales pitch, which included historical tidbits, Shakespearean quotes, glossy pictures, and enough puffery to propel the largest sailboat on the Skidaway River. Richmond was very successful in building and selling Wymberley.
Ford Times, “My Favorite Town – Isle of Hope”
In December of 1949, Isle of Hope was featured as “My Favorite Town” in an article by Arthur Gordon in Ford Times, a promotional magazine of the Ford Motor Company. Gordon’s account of his time on Isle of Hope describes a close-knit community full of concerned neighbors and quiet optimism. Illustrations by Charleston artist William Halsey capture the quaint beauty of coastal life on the island.
1978 Day on the Island Calendar
“A Day on the Island” was an annual tour of homes and bazaar sponsored by the Isle of Hope Methodist Church. In 1978, a calendar was created and distributed featuring artwork of Isle of Hope landmarks by Isle of Hope artists Charley Bland, Charles DePue, Nancy Hughes, Beth Steinbeck, and Barbara Strickland.
1939 New Yorker Article “Mr. Barbee’s Terrapin”
On October 28, 1939, The New Yorker magazine published an article by noted writer Joseph Mitchell about Isle of Hope entitled, “Mr. Barbee’s Terrapin”. The article describes Will and Rose Barbee’s terrapin farm and all the health benefits of terrapin stew.