374 LIBERTY COUNTY. 



to learn, in a very bad state of preservation. The other So- 

 cieties are the " Auxiliary Bible Society," the " Female Edu- 

 cation Society," the " Ladies' Missionary Society," and the 

 " Association for the Religious Instruction of Negroes." An 

 Agricultural Society was organized in 1844, and holds an 

 annual fair on the 1st day of January. 



Improvement of Lands. — The planters have until lately 

 paid little or no attention to the preservation of their lands ; 

 the practice heretofore being to wear out the virgin soils, and 

 clear new lands. They are beginning, however, to find the 

 advantages of a system of manuring, and other recently intro- 

 duced improvements. On account of the low prices of the 

 Sea Island cotton, some of the planters are reclaiming the old 

 rice fields and swamps. 



Value of Town Lots. — The value of town lots is 

 $2,838. Stock in trade, $3,850. Money at interest, 856,573. 



Eminent Men. — This county claims some eminent men, 

 among whom the following may be named : 



Dr. Lyman Hall, who was one of the signers of the Declara- 

 tion of American Independence, resided for many years in this 

 county. 



Major Moses Jones, aid to General Lachlan Mcintosh, 

 was cut in two by a cannon ball, whilst planting the standard 

 of his country on the ramparts at Savannah. 



Doctors Dunwoody and Axon, were distinguished prac- 

 titioners of medicine. 



Benjamin Baker, at the age of 23, attended Gen. Oglethorpe 

 in his expedition against St. Augustine. During the Re- 

 volution he suffered many hardships. In 1776, " he was 

 engaged for almost a week in studying and writing for the 

 public, comparing several constitutions of government, and en- 

 deavouring from these to compile one suitable for the province 

 of Georgia." For more than twenty-seven years he was clerk 

 of the Medway church. At his death he left several volumes 

 of manuscripts. Colonels William and John Baker, his sons, 

 were active soldiers in the revolutionary war. 



General Stewart resided in this county. 



Dr. McWhir claims Liberty county as his residence. This 

 venerable man was born in Ireland, 1759, and came to Ame- 



