The Shelton Family of Rome, Georgia
Hardy and Mary Bearden Shelton
Origins
Hardy and Mary Bearden Shelton met while enslaved in Georgia, likely in Coosa near Rome, or possibly in Coweta County. Hardy was born between 1815 and 1818 in North Carolina and was brought to Georgia, seemingly as an enslaved person. Mary was born around 1832 or 1835 in either Clark or Coweta County, Georgia, and later brought to Floyd County, specifically the Rome area, during her enslavement.
During his lifetime, Hardy was a farmer and, at one point, owned at least 160 acres of land. After emancipation, during Reconstruction, Hardy and Mary established their first known homestead in Coosa, Georgia, which is near Rome, where many family members served as farm laborers on the land. In 1874, Hardy purchased 120 acres of land in the Flatwoods area, in an area known as Pleasant Hill and later as Possum Trot, which is now part of the present-day campus of Berry College. This landholding would eventually expand to at least 160 acres. The family’s settlement in Pleasant Hill/Possum Trot would grow to over 500 acres of land as more of Hardy and Mary’s children and their spouses established farms in the area. Together, they raised twelve known children: Laura, Lucy, Frances (Fannie), Aaron Hardy, Mary, Lula, Henri, Joel, William, Rhoda, Matilda, and Judy. Of these twelve, five were born free: Lula, Joel Lee, William, Judy, and Matilda.
According to Mary’s 1907 application for Eastern Cherokee designation, she stated her mother’s name was Lucy, and Lucy’s parents were Jerry and Matilda. Mary also mentioned her siblings were Sam, Bob, and Matilda.
(Source: This information is based on research compiled by Karen Stewart-Ross. Key sources include census records, Floyd County court records, Guion Miller Commission Rolls, and additional archival materials.)
The Enslavement of Mary’s Family
Though research is ongoing, it’s possible Lucy may have been enslaved by the Bearden family of Caroline County, Virginia, many of whom would allegedly leave Virginia during the Colonial era following an alleged incident involving one of their ancestors.
According to testimony from a 1907 application submitted by Mary to the Guion Miller Commission in Rome, Georgia, in which she sought Eastern Cherokee designation for herself and her children, Lucy had been enslaved in Virginia before being transported and sold in Georgia.
Evidence suggests that Mary’s mother, Lucy—who is recorded with the surnames Bierdan and Spullock in the application and is believed to have passed, according to Mary, in 1848—may have had a significant connection with the family of James Monroe (J.M.) Spurlock/Spullock of Clark County, Georgia based on information within and circumstances surrounding the application.
Additional evidence suggesting a deeper relationship between the Spullock and Shelton families includes deed transactions between the two families involving the land where Possum Trot is located. The Spurlocks/Spullocks appear to have moved to Flatwoods sometime prior to the Civil War. (Source: This information is based on research compiled by Karen Stewart-Ross. Key sources include census records, Floyd County court records, Guion Miller Commission Rolls, and additional archival materials.)
Source: Guion Miller Rolls, 1907-1909
An Evolution of Identity
Between 1870 and 1900, Mary’s racial classification on the census records would change three times - from white to mulatto to black. In her application to the Guion Miller Commission, she indicated that her grandfather was half-Cherokee and likely resided in the Cherokee nation in Virginia. (Source: This infomation is based on research compiled by Karen Stewart-Ross. Key sources include census records, Floyd County court records, Guion Miller Commission Rolls, and additional archival materials.)
Source: Guion Miller Commission Rolls