Ethan struggled to control his anger. He knew that all the families had a collective voice, but he also realized that in a showdown, the Quaker families would all stand together. He saw no need to involve anyone else in the affair.

“I am not disputing that, Mr. Maddock, but do not forget what I have said. If you have anything to say to my family, let it be to me.”

From then on, although both tried to forgive the other, there was a coolness between the two men.

CHAPTER 10

Life on the Frontier

In Augusta, with Maddock’s help, the four families filled out the necessary papers and each obtained what seemed to be a clear title to a certain amount of land, but without the exact location specified. They learned that about twelve thousand acres had been granted for the entire Quaker community and that Maddock was in charge of allocating a specific tract to each family. This would be done for the newcomers after they arrived at their destination. They all made final purchases of supplies, camped one night on the outskirts of the small town, and the next day were eager to see their new lands.

They traveled northwestward for about forty miles and then stopped at what Maddock said was his land, where he had built a gristmill near the center of the land grant. He had a map on the wall, on which he pointed out that the Quaker tract was bounded roughly by Little River to the east, Briar Creek to the southwest, the Ogeechee River to the west, and on the north by Indian territory as defined by the treaty of 1763.

At the settlement area, the Pratts found the Quakers involved in establishing the small town of Wrightsborough, named for Governor James Wright, who had issued the land grant in 1767. The meetinghouse was located on the edge of a plantation owned by the governor.

Since the first group of forty families had come down from North Carolina with Maddock that year, some of the Quaker settlers had become dissatisfied with pioneer life, or were afraid of threats from the nearby Creek Indians. A few had already moved back to one of the northern colonies, and now about ten other families had decided to give up farming and seek a more close-knit community where security would be better, a permanent meetinghouse could be established, and tradesmen could capitalize on their skills. It was not difficult for the four newly arrived families to trade the packhorses they had purchased for use during the trip. Ethan swapped his four brood sows with one of the families who was leaving, and supplemented his woodworking and blacksmithing tools with a few purchases.