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Matthew Allbritton

Matthew Allbritton was a Baptist minister and an early resident of the part of Lowndes County that later became Brooks County. The original 1830 federal census places his household in Lowndes County on the same page as several other families associated with the future Brooks area.[1] A later index points to a Matthew Allbritton household in Lowndes in 1840, although that schedule image still needs direct review.[3]

Arrival and ministry

Folks Huxford placed the family's move from Bulloch County at about 1823–1824, while his early-settler roster used 1824–1825. No original record found in this review settles the difference. Huxford's church history provides the stronger chronological anchor: Matthew was already an ordained minister when Union Church was organized near present-day Lakeland in October 1825.[2]

Matthew served several early Baptist congregations. Huxford's transcriptions of church records identify him with the organization and ministry of Union, Bethel, Columbia, and Bethlehem churches. These were separate congregations spread across old Lowndes and neighboring Thomas County.[2]

Land, family, and death

Huxford wrote that Matthew owned and lived on Land Lot 446 in the 12th District in 1830. That lot later fell within Brooks County, but the original tax entry has not yet been inspected. Reconstructed Brooks County deed indexes contain later Allbritton estate and land entries, but their underlying deed pages were not inspected.[4]

Huxford reported that Matthew married Ann Bulloch, died in January 1850, and was buried at Bethany Church. The complete family list and estate details still depend on that compiled account and later deed-index locators. Matthew must also be kept separate from his son Matthew Henry Allbritton, born about 1826.

Connection to Barney

The surviving evidence places Matthew firmly in the early future-Brooks region. No reviewed deed, road, institution, residence, or descendant chain proves that he lived in or directly influenced the later town of Barney.

Evidence status

  • Verified: residence in Lowndes County in 1830.
  • Strong probable: presence in the region by October 1825 and the indexed 1840 household, pending image review.
  • Strong secondary or original-based: Lot 446 and the Union, Bethel, Columbia, and Bethlehem church roles described by Huxford.
  • Secondary-supported: arrival about 1823–1825, marriage to Ann Bulloch, family reconstruction, January 1850 death, and Bethany burial.
  • Not proved: a direct connection to Barney.

Sources

  1. 1830 U.S. census, Lowndes County, Georgia, p. 84, Matthew Allbritton household; NARA M19, roll 19; preserved image 4409522_00166.
  2. Folks Huxford, History of Brooks County, Georgia, 1858–1948 (Quitman, Ga., 1948), pp. 29–33, 303–309, 416–417.
  3. Lowndes County, Georgia, 1840 U.S. census index locator for “Mathus Albritton” or “Mathew Albritton”; Ancestry collection 8057, record 1792618, image 4411334_00499. The schedule image has not been independently reviewed.
  4. Brooks County reconstructed deed indexes, Allbritton entries in deed books A–B. The underlying deed pages were not inspected, and OCR readings are treated only as locators.