An In-Depth Look at Georgia’s Boundaries Reveals the Fascinating Story of How the State Was Shaped
More than mere lines on a map, the boundaries of present-day Georgia reflect centuries of wars, treaties, political maneuvering, litigation, heroic actions, and even human error.
William J. Morton, MD, JD, has written a well-researched book discussing the boundaries of his home state in the context of the events and the personalities of those that helped to determine them.
Throughout The Story of Georgia’s Boundaries: A Meeting of History and Geography, Morton sprinkles anecdotes that illuminate the facts. For example, he introduces readers to the brilliant Andrew Ellicott, foremost surveyor of his time and associate of Washington, Jefferson and Franklin. Morton observes, “Ellicott’s knowledge of astronomy, mathematics, and surveying instruments provided measurements that have proven to be extremely accurate even today,” then contrasts him with the bumbling James Camak, whose incompetent surveys “haunt Georgians to this day.” Morton also recounts details of James Oglethorpe’s life when he returned to England after establishing the Colony of Georgia.
In addition, Morton examines every lawsuit affecting the common boundaries between Georgia and its neighbors and explains the resulting opinions rendered by the U.S. Supreme Court and others.
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Numerous maps and illustrations in the book span from the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 to Georgia in 2009, including the boundaries after the Revolutionary War in 1783, as described in the state’s constitution in 1798, and more.
The Georgia Humanities Council president, Jamil Zainaldin, enthusiastically endorses the book for all students of history.
Awards, Reviews & Media Coverage
Georgia Historical Society 2010 Lilla M. Hawes Award
best book in Georgia local or county history published 2008-2009
Nominated for 46th annual Georgia Author of the Year Award
Nominated for Society for Historians of the Early American Republic (SHEAR) Book Prize
Nominated for Southern Historical Association Charles S. Snydor Award
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Living section • Jan 3, 2010
Times-Georgian (Carroll County, GA) • Jan 10, 2010
"Dr. William Morton’s book, 'The Story of Georgia’s Boundaries,' should be of great interest to the local genealogy and history communities with which the library has enjoyed long-standing partnerships. … [T]his author has done the kind of research that is vital to the continued historical study of Georgia families and communities."
— Martha Goodson, Special Projects Librarian, West Georgia Regional Library
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Living section: Genealogy • Jan 10, 2010
"The book is a good and interesting story about how Georgia got to its present configuration and gives just enough information in each area and era to keep one's attention without being overwhelming."
— Kenneth H. Thomas Jr.
Georgia Historical Society, press release • Apr 23, 2010
Georgia Historial Society
adds New Board Members, Presents Various Awards, and Hosts Garden Party at its 171st Annual Meeting
About the Author
William J. Morton is a board-certified urological surgeon who practiced in Atlanta for 30 years. He is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Medicine and did his post-graduate urology training at the Emory-Grady Residency Program in Atlanta. He served as a medical officer in the U.S. Air Force, sat on numerous hospital committees, has published over two dozen articles in medical journals, and is also the author of Medical Malpractice: Handling Urology Cases.
Bill received his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree in 1985 and has been a member of the State Bar of Georgia since that time. He has taught courses, written papers and made presentations on medico-legal topics throughout the United States. He is also a part-time Magistrate Court judge in Fulton County, Ga.
His wide interests include history, astronomy, ornithology and photography, and he holds private pilot and U.S. Coast Guard captain licenses. He has already started doing research on his next book, a biography of Andrew Ellicott.
Bill and his wife, Monna, both passionate about fly fishing, live in Atlanta and in Ennis, Montana.
For detailed professional information, visit www.wjmortonmdjd.com.
Table of Contents
List of Maps & Illustrations
Introduction
I: Setting the Stage
The early explorers, Spain and Portugal
France
England
Virginia
The Plymouth Company
Jamestown
Carolina
The Intercolonial Wars
Native Americans
Important Dates I
II: Georgia, the Thirteenth Colony
The five early attempts
The Trustees of Georgia
The new colony
Relations with the Creek
First settlements
Dissent and the Malcontents
The War of Jenkins’ Ear and Oglethorpe
The Intercolonial Wars continue
The Royal Period of Georgia
Important Dates II
III: The Birth of a State and a Nation
The Proclamation Line and the Florida colonies
Unrest in the colonies
The path to independence
Georgia’s signers
Georgia’s constitution
The fight for independence
A new nation emerges
Western expansion
The Beaufort Convention
Establishing a government
The birth date of Georgia
Important Dates III
IV: Defining Georgia
Surveying
Latitude and longitude
The Pinckney Treaty
Andrew Ellicott
The Yazoo Land Fraud
Tennessee
Mississippi
Georgia land cession
The “nonexistent land”
Alabama, Tennessee, and Montgomery’s Corner
James Camak
Florida
The Trail of Tears
Important Dates IV
V: Georgia’s Boundary Disputes
The legal boundaries of Georgia
Resolving disputes between states
Georgia and Florida boundary disputes
Georgia and Alabama boundary disputes
Georgia and Tennessee boundary disputes
Georgia and North Carolina boundary disputes
Georgia and South Carolina boundary disputes
Conclusion
Important Dates V
Epilogue
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Bibliography
Index
Resources
author photo: headshot (high resolution, 3.5 MB)
author photo: alternate (high resolution, 3.7 MB)
poster (1/8" bleed, enlarge 300%, 13.3 MB)
Ellicott's Rock photo gallery
Ellicott's Mound photo gallery
"A Walk Through the Woods and a Swamp"
ACMS Bulletin, Feb 2010
American Congress on Surveying & Mapping