Moving West (Georgia and Alabama, 1850-1880)

By 1850, Elbert County, Ga., had nearly 13,000 citizens split roughly 50-50 between free whites and black slaves. In general, the Webbs did not appear to be big slaveholders. For example, the 1830 census for Walton Polk Webb's residence lists one female slave, aged 10-24, but none were identified in the 1840 or 1850 censuses. It's possible that the family's rapidly growing size made slaveowning unnecessary, as there were plenty of children of both sexes to do chores. Elbert County families also had a tendency to own fewer slaves, and were less likely to have a slave to begin with, than did whites in other parts of the South, particularly those whites who farmed areas that required large numbers of laborers.
By the late 1840s, one would think that Walton and Susannah could be safely described as settled down. After all, in 1848 Walton purchased 216-1/4 acres of land on Falling Creek from a Valentine H. Deadwyler. And by the 1850 census, he and Susannah had 12 children in the house, from 22-year-old Jane to 3-year-old Victoria. But in the mid-1850s, something happened that caused Walton and Susannah to leave town.
On Feb. 18, 1855, this appears in the minutes for Dove's Creek Baptist Church: "Cald conference. Application made for letters of dismission from Bro. W.P. Webb and sister Susan T. Webb and Jane M. Webb, all of which was granted." That same year, the land that Walton had purchased in 1848 was sold to Ira Christian.
Why would a man and wife pull up stakes when they are in their mid-40s? The more cold-blooded in the genealogy game might suggest a scandal of some sort. Certainly, given that daughter Jane was in her early 20s and mother Susannah in her mid-40s when Americus was born, it's possible that Jane was the real mother and that the family was leaving town to avoid gossips. On the other hand, a variety of records taken down 50 and even 75 years ago don't vary in suggesting that Walton and Susannah were Americus' parents. In addition, family history experts say a lot more women in their 40s had children in those days than we might expect.
And there's another reason: lots of other people were leaving Elbert County aside from the Webbs. Land grants in newly opened central Georgia counties that were given to Revolutionary War soldiers had long served to limit Elbert County's population to modest levels. Then, between 1850 and 1860, the county's population dropped about 19%. Perhaps by then the topsoil had been drained of nutrition by tobacco. And the ground wasn't really all that fertile anyway; Elbert County eventually became known as the Granite Capital of the World.

New Country
Walton was likely to have been inspired by stories from his relatives regarding what they were finding even further out West than central Georgia. In 1826, a treaty with 13 Creek Indian chiefs ceded all lands east of the Chattahoochee River (which forms part of the Georgia-Alabama border) to the United States. In April 1839, Rock Springs Baptist Church was founded in Chambers County, Ala., near the Georgia border. One of its 12 charter members was Abner Webb of Elbert County, a cousin of Walton. In addition, the 1850 census for Harris County, Ga., pretty much across the line from Chambers County, Ala., shows Walton's brother John B. Webb Jr. as a resident.
In 1860, Walton and family were listed in the decennial census as living in Chambers County, Ala. This is the first census in which Americus Stephens appears. Considering that he was born in January 1856 and his birthplace is listed as Georgia, it's probable that he was born in Elbert County before the family went west.
They didn't stay too long, however. Walton's granddaughter Gertrelle Webb Crews said in her various records that the family owned a farm in Harris County that was touched by the Civil War. This suggests a move back into Georgia in the early 1860s. By the 1870 census, Walton was listed as living in Harris County on real estate worth $4,500 and with property worth $675. He was 61 and Susannah was 60. Only four children remained at home, but son Fortunatus was next door, sons Joseph and Alexander were two doors down, and son Philip Elcain (identified then as Elkana) was three doors away.
Age no doubt was beginning to take its toll on Walton. On March 9, 1878, W.P. Webb sold 100 acres of land to P.E. Webb for $500. (P.E. is probably Philip Elcain Webb, his son.) The land is described as "lying east of the said lot that Grew S. Duke's grist mill is on and south side of said lot the Mulberry Creek running through the same there being one hundred acres of it." According to Philip's direct descendant, Earnest Deadwyler, this is probably part of a 334-acre spread in the area that came to be known as Benshoe. Philip Elcain held the land until his death in 1914. If there ever was a Webb family farm that a Webb acquired rather than inherited or took in by marriage, this was it.
After selling his land, Walton and Susannah (along with Jeptha, a lifelong bachelor) moved in with Walton and Susannah's daughter Victoria and new husband James Moultrie into a house in the Blue Springs District of Harris County. Blue Springs is believed to be one of the areas that later formed Callaway Gardens, a 14,000-acre resort. At 72, Walton quite likely was the oldest Webb in the entire state, and Susannah at 71 years old vied for No. 2.
We don't know when and where Walton and Susanah died or where they are buried. One guess is in a county north of Harris, because Victoria and James Moultrie eventually moved there. The 1890 census is no help because it was destroyed by fire. It does appear clear, however, that given their long lives and ability to survive war, disease and tough farming conditions--and produce 15 children along the way--Walton and Susannah Webb are marvels to contemplate.