birthday he tendered his services in defense of the Confederate cause. In May, 1862, he enlisted as a private in Company G, Fourth Georgia cavalry, with which he served, under Colonel Clinch, along the Georgia coast, and later was with General Wheeler in the memorable campaign around Atlanta, following Sherman to Savannah. The youthful but loyal soldier took part in a number of hotly contested engagements and continued with his command in active service until the close of the war. He had attended Blackshear academy prior to his enlistment, and after the close of the war he located in Homerville, Clinch county, where he was identified with mercantile pursuits until 1869, having in the meanwhile given careful attention to the study of law, and was admitted to the bar in that year. He then engaged in the practice of his profession in Homerville, where he remained until 1887, when he removed to Waycross, where he has since been actively and successfully engaged in the general practice of his profession, save as his official duties have placed demands upon his time and attention. Judge Sweat has ever been found aligned as a stanch supporter of the principles of the Democratic party, and in 1875-6 he was chief clerk of the house of representatives of Georgia; in 1880-81 he represented Clinch county in the state legislature, and was chosen as his own successor in 1882, thus serving two terms. He was judge of the superior courts of the Brunswick circuit for seven years and made an admirable record as a jurist. He retired from the bench on Jan. 1, 1899. He is attorney for the Atlantic & Birmingham Railway Company, the First National bank of Waycross, the Waycross Electric Light and Power Company and the South Atlantic Car and Manufacturing Company. He is identified with the lodge and chapter of the Masonic fraternity and with the United Confederate Veterans, and both he and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church South. On Jan. 10, 1869, Judge Sweat was united in marriage to Miss Margaret M. Hitch, daughter of Sylvanus and Annie A. (Nicholls) Hitch, of Homerville, and they became the parents of two children,-Lee L., who is now a practicing attorney in Waycross, and Lulu M., who died in young womanhood.

Sweden, a post-hamlet in the extreme northwest corner of Pickens county, is eight miles west of Talking Rock, which is the nearest railroad station.

Sweetgum, a post-village of Fannin county, with a population of 50 in 1900, is a station on the Murphy division of the Atlanta,

Knoxville & Northern railroad, and is not far from the North Carolina line.

Sweetwater Creek is a small stream in the southern part of Paulding and Cobb counties. As Hood was marching northward in the fall of 1864 there was skrimishing along this creek from October 1st to the 3rd, between the cavalry of Wheeler and Kilpatrick.

Swifton, a post-hamlet of Upson county, is about twelve miles southwest of Culloden, which is the most convenient railroad station.

Swindel, a post-village of Liberty county, reported a population of 100 in 1900. It is located on a branch of the Cannouchee river, twelve miles northwest of Hinesville, and is a trading center for that section of the county. The nearest railroad station is Moody, on the Glennville & Register road.

Sybert, a post-hamlet of Lincoln county, is near the headwaters of Soap creek, six miles west of Lincolnton. The most convenient railroad station is Washington.

Sycamore, a town of Turner county, was incorporated by act of the legislature on Sept. 29, 1891. It is located on the Georgia Southern & Florida railroad, about six miles southeast of Ashburn, and in 1900 had a population of 274. It has important mercantile and shipping interests, telegraph and express service, a money order postoffice, which supplies the adjacent rural districts with mail. through the medium of several free delivery routes, and good educational and religious advantages.

Sylvan Grove.-On the evening of Nov. 26, 1864, Murray's brigade went into camp at Sylvan Grove, about ten miles east of Gibson. The Eighth Indiana and Second Kentucky cavalry were posted at the forks of the road as a picket and about midnight were attacked by a detachment of Wheeler's cavalry. The fighting continued until daylight, when the two regiments were withdrawn under heavy fire, with a loss of 70 men, and the Federals took up the march toward Waynesboro.

Sylvania, the county seat of Screven county, is the terminus of a short railroad connecting it with the Central of Georgia at Rockyford. It was incorporated by act of the legislature in 1854, though it was the county seat long previous to that date. The militia district in which it is situated had in 1900 a population of 3,135, although the town proper contained only 545 inhabitants. It is an important shipping point for the county and handles large quantities of lumber, turpentine, cotton, sugar-cane, fruits and vege

tables. It has express and telegraph offices, a money order postoffice with rural free delivery, a bank, several successful mercantile houses, a lumber company, an oil mill and a court house and jail valued at $20,000.

Sylvester, the county seat of Worth county, is on the Atlantic Coast Line railway and was incorporated by act of the legislature in 1897. In 1900 it had in its corporate limits 552 inhabitants and 1,612 in its entire militia district. It has a money order postoffice, with rural free delivery, two banks, express and telegraph offices, saw-mills, two flour and grist mills and several stores doing a profitable business. About 3,000 bales of cotton are handled annually by the merchants and shippers of the town and the people have good school and church privileges.

T

Tailscreek, a post-hamlet of Gilmer county, is in the valley of the Cartecay river, eight miles west of Ellijay, which is the nearest railroad station.

Tait, Charles, was born in Louisa county, Va., in 1768. He received a liberal education, studied law and was admitted to the bar in Georgia. He was made judge of the superior court; was elected United States senator in 1809 to fill the unexpired term of John Milledge, and served until 1816. He then removed to Wilcox county, Ala., where he died Oct. 7, 1835.

Talbot county was laid out in 1827 and named for Hon. Matthew Talbot, for years a member of the Georgia legislature and governor of the state to succeed William Rabun. The county lies in the western part of the state and is bounded on the north by Meriwether county, on the northeast by Upson, on the east by Taylor, on the south by Taylor and Muscogee and on the west by Harris and Muscogee. The Flint river flows along the northeastern side and separates it from Upson. The surface is hilly, and the Oak Mountains cross the northern part of the county, where the soil is brown, with red clay subsoil, and covered with hardwood forests. In the south the soil is gray, sandy or gravelly and the growth is long-leaf pine. Corn, wheat, oats, field and ground peas, cotton and potatoes are the staple productions. Peaches, plums, apples, pears and cherries are the principal fruits raised. The Flint river and the tributaries of the Chattahoochee furnish water-power, part of which is utilized. The county is well supplied with facilities for travel and shipping. Talbotton is the county seat. Geneva is also a thriving town. The population, according to the census of

1900 was 12,197, a loss of 1,061 since 1890. The schools are good and at Talbotton there are two excellent private schools, the Collinsworth institute, and LeVert female college.

Talbot, Matthew, governor and legislator, was born in Virginia. He settled in Wilkes county, Ga., which he repeatedly represented in the legislature, but later removed to Oglethorpe county. In 1798 he was a member of the convention which drafted the state constitution; was elected state senator in 1808; president of the senate from 1818 to 1821 and became governor ex-officio on the death of Governor Rabun, in 1819. He died in Wilkes county, Sept. 17, 1827. Talbot county was named in his honor.

Talbotton, the county seat of Talbot county, was incorporated by act of the legislature in 1828 and in 1860 was reincorporated. It has a high location with invigorating air and good, cool water. By it flows Lazer creek. It has a court house worth $20,000, a bank, a money order postoffice with rural free delivery, express and telegraph offices, successful business houses, a cotton seed oil mill, many attractive residences and excellent schools. The LeVert female college, and the Collinsworth institute were noted institutions before the Civil war and are now a part of the public school system. The Masonic hall gives the town a good audience room for meetings and entertainments. Talbotton handles about 6,000 bales of cotton annually. The population of the entire Talbotton district in 1900 was 1,963, and of these 1,131 lived in the corporate limits of the town.

Talc. There are three principal varieties of this mineral, foliated, steatite and pseudomorphic,-with numerous subdivisions of each. The foliated variety is of little importance as a commercial product. Steatite, or soapstone as it is commonly called, is of compact massive form and is extensively used for lining stoves, furnaces, etc. Ground to a fine powder it is used as lubricator for reducing the friction in machinery, and by dealers in fitting shoes. and gloves. Mixed with cheap grades of soap it makes them as pleasant to the touch as the finest brands, and it frequently forms the basis of toilet and cosmetic powders. Cut into small blocks, it is sold as "French chalk," so largely used by tailors. When mixed with rubber it renders it more elastic and less liable to crack. It is also used as an ingredient in patent wall plaster, as a moulding sand, in the manufacture of wall paper, and for a number of other purposes. Talc is found in several places in Georgia along the line of contact between the Paleozoic and Crystalline areas. It has been mined in Fannin, Murray and Cherokee coun

ties, with more or less success, for a number of years. The most important deposit is probably at Mineral Bluff, Fannin county. The talc from these quarries is compact and of a dark gray or blue color. It occurs in veins ranging from a few inches to several feet in thickness. The Murray county deposits are similar, both in formation and character. White talc is found in the marble belt running from Fannin to Cherokee county and a beautiful light green variety is found near Spring Place in Murray. The product of the Georgia talc quarries amount to about $5,000 a year, though the possibilities exist for a much larger output. The pseudomorphic variety, like the foliated, is of comparatively little value.

Taliaferro, a post-hamlet of Chattooga county, is a station on the Central of Georgia railroad, about three miles south of Lyerly. Taliaferro, Benjamin, was a native of Virginia. His opportunities to acquire an education were limited, but he made the best of them. During the Revolutionary war he served under Morgan and was captured by the British at Charleston. After the war he settled in Georgia; was elected state senator; delegate to the constitutional convention of 1798; representative in Congress in 1798 and again in 1800; and later was judge of the superior court. He died in Wilkes county in 1821. Taliaferro county was named in his honor.

Taliaferro County was formed in 1825 from Wilkes, Warren, Hancock, Greene and Oglethorpe. It was enlarged by the addition of a part of Hancock in 1828, and by parts of Wilkes in 1828 and 1835. It was named for Col. Benjamin Taliaferro. It is situated in the eastern part of the state and is bounded on the north and northeast by Wilkes county, on the east and southeast by Warren, on the south by Hancock, on the west and southwest by Greene and. on the northwest by Oglethorpe. Little river and the North and South Forks of the Ogeechee cross the county, and the lands along the streams are very fertile. The staple productions are corn, wheat, oats, rye, barley, sweet and Irish potatoes, upland cotton, field and ground peas. Garden vegetables and the usual fruits are also raised. Crawfordville is the county seat. It is located near the center of the county on the line of the Georgia railroad. Nye, Sharon, Robinson and Hillman are the principal towns. The population in 1900 was 7,912, a gain of 621 during the decade.

Talking Rock, an incorporated town in the northern part of Pickens county, is a station on the Atlanta, Knoxville & Northern railroad, and in 1900 reported a population of 102. It has a money order postoffice, telegraph and express offices, some ship