Papers of the Continental Congress, Georgia State papers
Descriptive Summary
Repository: Georgia Historical Society Creator: United States. National Archives and Records Administration. Title: Papers of the Continental Congress, Georgia State papers Dates: 1775-1788 Extent: 0.04 cubic feet (2 microfilm boxes) Identification: MS 5918
Biographical/Historical Note
The Continental Congress (1774-1789) served as the first national government of the United States. It included representatives from each of the thirteen colonies.
Scope and Content Note
This collection consists of a microfilm copy of the Georgia State papers, 1775-1788 from the National Archives and Records Administration's collection "Papers of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789." The papers contain letters from the state of Georgia to the Continental Congress and include such subjects as Native American wars in the interior of Georgia, the arrest and confinement of George McIntosh on the charge of selling rice to the British in East Florida, the unsuccessful expedition against East Florida led by Button Gwinnett, Gwinnett's death in a duel with General Lachlan McIntosh, the planning and execution of subsequent military actions against East Florida, the need for constructing two galleys to defend the harbors and rivers of Georgia, the recruitment of foot soldiers and cavalry troops, reports of disaffection among inhabitants of the state, and warfare and negotiations with the Creek Indians. Also included are memorials and petitions from the inhabitants of certain countries urging the removal of General George McIntosh from the state. Among the enclosures are resolutions of the state assembly, copies of letters from General Robert Howe and form the widow of Button Gwinnett, and an intercepted letter from the British Governor Tonyn of East Florida to Lord George Germain, British Secretary of State of the Colonies.
Roll 1 contains correspondence from Georgia to the Continental Congress, 1775-1788. An inventory of letters appears at the start of the roll and shows the date of the letter, when it was read, and the subject of the letter.
Roll 2 contains Official letters received by the President of the Continental Congress from various officials in Georgia, including Button Gwinnett; John A. Treutlen; John Houstoun; George Walton Lyman Hall; Samuel Elbert; Edward Telfair; George Mathews; and George Handley. These letters are arranged in chronological order.
The materials on roll 1 were microfilmed by the National Archives and Records Administration in 1959; the materials on roll 2 were microfilmed by the Library of Congress for Lilla M. Hawes in 1949.
Index Terms
East Florida. Elbert, Samuel, 1740-1788. Georgia--History--Revolution, 1775-1783. Gwinnett, Button, approximately 1735-1777. Hall, Lyman, 1724-1790. Handley, George. Houstoun, John, 1744-1796. Howe, Robert, 1732-1786. Indians of North America--Georgia. Letters (correspondence) Mathews, George, 1739-1812. McIntosh, George, 1739-1779. McIntosh, Lachlan, 1725-1806. Microfilms. Telfair, Edward, approximately 1735-1807. Treutlen, John Adam, 1733-1782. United States. Continental Congress. United States. National Archives and Records Administration. Walton, George, 1749 or 1750-1804.
Location of Originals
Original records in the National Archives.
Technical Access Restrictions
A microfilm reader is required to access this collection.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
[item identification], Papers of the Continental Congress, Georgia State papers, MS 5918, Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia.
Acquisition Information
Unknown.
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the Georgia Historical Society. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Division of Library and Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Georgia Historical Society as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
Published Descriptions
National Archives and Records Administration. Papers of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789. Washington, D.C.: NARA, 1971.
Sponsorship
Encoding funded by a 2012 Documenting Democracy grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Container List
roll
1 X-5918-01. Georgia State papers, 1775-1788
roll
2 X-5918-02. Georgia State papers, 1777-1788