This land was ultimately ceded to the US Government by the Indians under a new treaty and Irwin County came into being. The land around the Big Bend became the 433rd Militia District, with Nat Statham commissioned as its first Captain on 6 Oct 1820. The site where the Battle of Breakfast Branch occurred lies between Abbeville and Bowen's Mill in what is now Wilcox County, created in 1857 from parts of Dooly, Irwin and Pulaski Counties.
In the 1820 census, Nat (as Thomas M. Statum) was a head of household in Irwin County, living alone, aged 16-26 and engaged in Agriculture. His father, Nathaniel, was also living in Irwin for that census. Nat's wife Sarah Fitzgerald's family came to this area in 1823, after her father drew a lot of land there in the 1820 Georgia land lottery.
Nat served in a variety of capacities in early Irwin County, including Traverse or Petit Jury in 1820 and Grand Jury in 1833, probably in many cases alongside his future father-in-law John Fitzgerald.
Nat and Sarah married in 1828, and appear in the 1830 census with their first child. Nat's neighbors include John Fitzgerald (Sarah's father); David Fitzgerald (Sarah's brother); Miles Adams (Sarah's maternal uncle); and Nathaniel Statham (Nat's father).
In 1840 Nat and Sarah were living in Stewart County, as was Nat's father Nathaniel. In 1836, Nat had served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Mounted Stewart Rangers under Capt. Jernigan, which may account for his residence there. They were back in Irwin County as of the 1850 census.
Aside from the detour to Stewart County, Nat and Sarah appear to have stayed mostly in Irwin County, in an area that became part of Wilcox County when it was created in 1857, and were shown living there in the 1860 and 1870 censuses.
Sarah died on 25 Nov 1875, according to the grave marker placed by her son-in-law Hezekiah Anderson in 1880. I wasn't able to find Nat on the 1880 census, perhaps he was traveling between visits with his grown children.
Nat Statham is specifically mentioned in this United States Senate report dated June 3, 1890, regarding pensions for those who served in the Indian wars between 1832 and 1842. From the earlier US House of Representatives report of 7 April 1890: "The claimant served as a second lieutenant in Captain Jemigan's company of 'Mounted Stewart Rangers,' Georgia Volunteers, from June 20, 1836, to September 8, 1836, in the Florida Indian War." This item about the bill appeared in the 6 June 1890 Atlanta Constitution.
Nat had just turned 97 when he died on 26 Jun 1892 at the home of his daughter and son-in-law, Sarah Jane and Hezekiah Anderson. Nat's death notice appeared in the Macon Telegraph on 29 Jun 1892:
A VETERAN GONE: One Who Fought in 1812 and in Indian War of 1836. Abbeville, June 27 - Capt. T. N. Statham, a citizen of this county, died at his son in-law's in Laurens County yesterday, aged 97 years. He was in the war of 1812 and the Indian war of 1836. He was in Gen. Andrew Jackson's command, which drove the Indians from this country. He was a remarkable man and possessed wonderful powers of endurance. He fought Indians all over this country. In a fight several miles below this place many long years ago a Mr. Wilcox (sic) was wounded, and would have been scalped by the Indians but for Capt. T. N. Statham, who carried him a distance of (four?) miles, part of the way through the Ocmulgee swamp, on his back to a place of safety. For this kind act the Wilcox family offered to care for him in his old age, but he kindly declined. Mr. Wilcox has a daughter, Mrs. A. (?), of this place. Capt. Statham was (pilot of ?) the first boat that ever went to Macon many, many long years ago.
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Other newspaper pieces about Nat Statham
From the Hawkinsville Dispatch (Pulaski County) 18 Mar 1886:
Last Monday, at Abbeville, Wilcox County, we met Mr. Nat Statham, who is one of the oldest men in Georgia, and was among the first settlers of Western Georgia when the country was inhabited by the Indians. Mr. Statham was born in Washington County, Ga., on the 20th of June, 1795... sixty-eight years ago he was engaged in a battle with the Indians on the west side of the Ocmulgee river, at a point a few miles below Abbeville... Speaking of him a few years ago the late Gen. Eli Warren, of Houston, said that Nat Statham in his younger days was one of the stoutest men he ever knew, and was not afraid of any man in a rough and tumble knock-down fight... Mr. Statham will be ninety-one years old on the 20th day of June next. He told us last Monday that his memory is good, and that he is as competent to attend to his business as he ever was. He has had three sets of natural teeth... A few years ago 'Uncle Nat' told the editor of the Dispatch that he had never taken a dose of medicine in his life except a drink of whiskey. Last Monday we asked him if he had yet taken any medicine. 'No', said he, 'I never take any medicine except a little whiskey, and occasionally a dose of Dr. Tutt's pills to act upon my liver.'...
The same piece, with a few subtractions and additions, appeared in the Macon Telegraph on March 26, 1886, with this addition: "The burning of Roanoke and the bloody battle with the Indians on the Chattahoochee are still fresh in the memory of Uncle Nat Statham."
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From the Hawkinsville Dispatch (Pulaski County) 18 Mar 1886:
We clip the following from the Weekly (Fla.) Tallehassean, whose editor, Mr. R. Don McLeod, visited this section a few days ago: 'During our brief stop in Georgia we were glad to meet our old friend Capt. Nat Statham of Wilcox county. The Captain is now in his 92d year, and looks about the same as he did twenty years ago. He is still quite sprightly and reads fine print without glasses. In the early settlement of this county, which was then Gadsden, Captain Statham came to Florida as a carpenter. He helped build the first frame house ever erected in Tallahassee, and also helped to build the first State House Florida had. It was a frame wooden building, and stood somewhere near the southwest corner of the present State House square. Capt. Statham was a gallant Indian fighter in the struggle between the Whites and the Indians, both in Georgia and Florida.'
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From the Atlanta Constitution, 3 Jan 1889 :
ANOTHER OLD PATRIARCH. From the Hawkinsville, Ga., Dispatch. Uncle Nat Statham, of Wilcox county, is a remarkable old man. He says he is ninety-four years of age the 20th of next June. He is active for one of his years, can walk ten miles a day, if necessary, and does walk from four to six miles nearly every day. He says he landed the first steamboat that ever went to Macon, acting as pilot. A gentleman by the name of Salter was the captain. The boat was loaded with salt and other goods, and was loaded at Darien. The boat was named North Carolina. The boat, he says, landed in Macon, as above stated, between 1820 and 1825. He says he never has had any fever, has never been sick as much as a week in all the sickness he has ever had, has never had a doctor with him, and could always see without glasses as well as he could with them, and can see well enough to read any ordinary print. He went in the Indian War in 1812, under General John Floyd, of McIntosh county. He was in two engagements while with General Floyd, near Roanoak now Stewart county. There were no counties laid off in that section then. The next engatgement was in what is now Barbour county, Alabama. He says he helped with the Indians in both fights. He was in the Indian war in 1836.
- John Alexander Statham, b. ca 1829; m. Nancy Jane Bowen
- Charles A. Statham, b. ca 1831
- David Statham, b. ca 1835; d 13 Jul 1862
- Thomas John Statham, b. ca 1839; d. 27 Jul 1861
- William Statham, b. ca 1844; m. Martha Turner
- Sarah Jane Statham, b. 25 Jul 1845; m. Hezekiah "HK" Anderson
David Statham was a Private with Co. H, 10th Regiment GA Infantry, enlisted 14 Feb 1862. On register of Chimborazo Hospital, No. 1, Richmond, Virginia with Rubeola. Admitted 25 May 1862, transferred 12 Jun 1862 to Petersburg. Died 13 Jul 1862 in Richmond. Thomas J. Statham was also a Private with Co. H, 10th GA Infantry, enlisted 20 May 1861, Abbeville, Georgia. Died 27 Jul 1861 at camp near Williamsburg, Virginia; cause of death not indicated. Claim submitted 9 Nov 1863 by their father Thompson N. Statham. Affidavit by TN Statham in Wilcox County 29 Oct 1863 confirming that he is the father of David and Thomas J. Statham, with testimony from Smith Turner (father-in-law of Nat's son William). Nat was the administrator for David's estate according to this legal notice.
William Statham (as Stateham) was working as a farm laborer in the household of Thomas Mitchell in 1860 Wilcox County. He fought with Co H, 10th Georgia Regiment. He applied for pension benefits in 1904 (downloadable from Georgia's Virtual Vault), which his widow Martha Statham applied to continue receiving in 1916.
