1805 Georgia Land Lottery (First)
Georgia created a Headright Grant system of distributing land after the American Revolution, but due to rampant fraud, that system was abandoned. In 1803, the legislature created the first of several Land Lotteries by which land was distributed to qualifying “Fortunate Drawers.” Every qualifying person was assigned a number of draws. Each parcel or lot of land being distributed was written on a card and placed in a barrel. Blank cards were added to bring the total number of cards to equal the total number of draws. “Unfortunate Drawers” were those who drew blank cards, and “Fortunate Drawers” were those who drew cards with a lot number. All subsequent Land Lotteries in Georgia followed similar patterns.
The records of 1805 Lottery are invaluable because all of the records have been preserved, providing a virtual replacement for the 1800 census in Georgia. In all subsequent Lotteries, only the records of the “Fortunate Drawers” have been preserved.
Qualifications
- Bachelor, 21 years or over, 1 year residence in Georgia, citizen of United States – 1 draw
- Married man with wife and/or child, 1 year residence in Georgia, citizen of United States – 2 draws
- Widow with child under 21 years, 1 year residence in Georgia – 2 draws
- Orphan or family of orphans under 21 years, with father dead and mother dead or remarried – 1 draw
Acquisition Fees and Locations
- Baldwin County: 202.5 acres, $8.10 per lot
- Wayne County: 490 acres, $19.60 per lot
- Wilkinson County: 202.5 acres, $8.10 per lot
Farrs Who Participated
- Sarah Farr (Unfortunate)
- Jacob Pharr (1 lot)
- Jane Pharr (1 lot)
- Jonathan Pharr (2 lots)