Early Streetmans in Georgia
In an attempt to find out when and where the Streetmans came to Georgia,
this information on various early families, is not necessarily connected to our
William Geter Streetman's line. However all is connected to either close or distant related Streetmans.
According to one historian, this is the tale:
Streetman: The Streetman family are found in the same areas as the Street family. In 1782,
John Streetman was taxed in Pittsylvania Co,. VA and Elizabeth, apparently a widow of
Martin Streetman, was in Loudon Co., VA. Martin Streetman died there circa 1778. Three
Streetman girls, two identified as daughters of an Elizabeth, were married in Pittsylvania Co.,
Virginia in the period 1789-1791. The Streetman sisters who married in Pittsylvania County,
VA were: Rebecca who married James Scott Dec 10 1789 and Sarah who married Anderson
Watson in 1791. Also, in the 1782 enumeration of Pittsylvania Co., we have John Streetman
listed as a head of household with 8 white souls.
Source: Stewart, William C. (compiler). (1965). "Gone to Georgia" Jackson and Gwinnett Counties
and Their Neighbors in the Western Migration. Washington D.C.: National Genealogical Society.
Is this John Streetman a father or a brother of these Streetman sisters? I don't think that the
Sarah Streetman of Burke County GA was the Sarah of Pittsylvania Co., VA. Why would she
use her maiden name for records two years after her marriage? Also, if this is the same Sarah
Streetman, this would have been just 2 years after her marriage, and ths seems to be a widow's
grant of land.
p. 629 grantee: Sarah Streetman in Burke Co., Grant Bk: CCCC p. 101; acres granted: 200; year: 1793.
Sarah Streetman is listed in the 1793 Georgia Headright/ Bounty Land Grant Book.
And a Jane Streetman listed as the widow of a Revolutionary War soldier having aquired a
land lottery in Twiggs County, GA. Who were these Streetman widows?
The first effective legislation, dated 17 February 1783, concerning land grants after Georgia became a state provided for headrights and bounty-land grants. The law allowed each head of household 200 acres free as his own headright and fifty additional acres for each member of his family and each slave at a cost of from one to four shillings per acre. Grants were limited to 1,000 acres, and the grantee was responsible for paying survey and grant fees. Headright grants were made in Bryan, Bullock, Burke, Camden, Chatham, Clarke, Columbia, Effingham, Elbert, Emanuel, Franklin, Glascock, Glynn, Greene, Hancock, Hart, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Laurens, Liberty, Lincoln, Madison, McDuffie, McIntosh, Montgomery, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Richmond, Screven, Taliaferro, Tattnall, Warren, Washington, and Wilkes counties. Bounty-land grants were made to soldiers who served in the Georgia military, civilian residents of 1781–82, and Georgia citizens who went to other states during the Revolution to continue the war. Most of the surviving Georgia Revolutionary War bounty certificates (except for civilian residents) are abstracted.
Only Georgia has the distinction of distributing lands by lottery. Lands given to Georgia citizens by lotteries from 1805 to 1833 are in the present western and northern three-quarters of Georgia. Lotteries took place in 1805, 1807, 1820, 1821, 1827, and two in 1832. All reputable Georgia citizens were eligible to qualify for a lottery, although the 1820, 1827, and 1832 lotteries also gave special consideration to war veterans. These records are great substitutes for the lost 1790, 1800, and 1810 federal census records. The following Streetmans who were winners of land lotteries, have the correct name and date and county to have been our Streetman ancestors. There were a great many more Streetmans who were "fortunate drawers", as they were labeled back then, of land in these lotteries. The William Streetman in Jackson County (1805) and Martin Streetman in Madison County (1820) and John W. in Madison County (1820) I believe were our ancestors and I have found them as of this date 2002 in the following documents. I'm sure as this work progresses I will find more records of documentation. I have tried to research every name, date, and entry concerning our direct ancestors, as it is so easy to make one mistake or one wrong name or date that will change a whole family lineage!
William Streetman - 1805 land lottery, 1820, 1830 Federal census
Martin Streetman - 1820, 1830 Madison County census. 1805, 1827 Georgia land lottery, enumerated 1819
John W. Streetman - 1820 Madison county census, 1827 land lottery, enumerated 1819The following copies of winners of land lotteries are reprinted from Ancestry. Com. For each person subscribing to a lottery a ticket was placed in the barrel. Since each lottery was over-subscribed, blank tickets were added to compensate for the over-subscription. According to the state archives, no record remains of the people who drew the blank tickets after the 1805 lottery.
REPRINT of OFFICIAL REGISTER
of LAND LOTTERY OF GEORGIA 1827
56th DAY'S DRAWINGS-May
10
MADISON.
page 175
Fortunate Drawers:
John W. Streetman,
Captains District: Bones
Number: 214
District: 22
County: Muscogee County
REPRINT of OFFICIAL REGISTER
of LAND LOTTERY OF GEORGIA 1827
42d DAY'S DRAWING-April
24.
CRAWFORD.
page 129
Fortunate Drawers:
William Streetman,
Captains District: Ellis
Number: 206
District: 4
County: Lee County
From 1733, when the Colony of Georgia was first founded, until 1752 all lands were
granted to the settlers by "Tale Male." This meant that lands were allotted to male
heirs only, and were not to be sold or mortgaged or willed to any persons except
a male heir. ' If there were no male heir, then, lands reverted back to the Trustees
who established the colony.
There is a book titled "Whites Among the Cherokee." I don't remember the author, but there are several mentions of Alfred Street in this book. There is a Sarah Street, born 1814 in South Carolina. Virdie Lee Streetman b. ca 1890 and md. to B.J. Musgrove, b. 29 Apr 1891 in Laurel, Jasper, MS. She was suppose to be from Indian origin. Possible Cherokee or Choctaw. This was posted in a forum by Carol Mauzy
There are three Streetmans listed on the Dawes Commission report as Cherokees?
Susie J. Streetman case # 3547
Jason D. Streetman case # 3508
Onie Streetman case # 4232
Records show that a William Streetman bought land on Long Creek Sept. 12, 1787, in Wilkes County. This is the only reference to a Streetman I have found in Wilkes County GA records.
partial map of Georgia counties
So, to answer the question about who was the first Streetman in GA, it looks like William Streetman of Wilkes Co circa 1787 wins. But as of this writing, I'm not sure he is the William Streetman from which we directly descend. I'm sure we are a relative, but possibly not a direct descendent. But who knows? I think every one of the Streetmans had a son named William or John!
