Rev. Matthew Albritton, one of the first Baptist ministers to settle in South Georgia, was born in Effingham County around 1785. He was the son of John Albritton, a Revolutionary War soldier. Raised in Bulloch County, which was partially formed from Effingham, he married Ann Bulloch around 1805. Ann, the daughter of James and Diana Bulloch, was born in Bulloch County on 12 Jan 1792 and passed away in Brooks County in 1871.
Following their marriage, Matthew and Ann lived in Bulloch and Bryan counties before relocating to Laurens County. After several years, they returned to Bulloch, where they appeared in the 1820 census. Around 1824–25, they moved to Irwin County, which later became part of Lowndes County. In 1826, Matthew Albritton was appointed one of the first five Justices of the Inferior Court of Lowndes County, serving until 1827. The 1830 tax digest of Lowndes County records him as the owner and resident of Lot 446 in the 12th district, now part of Brooks County.
A deed appears of record in Bulloch County, in deed book 5, page 41, from Matthew Albritton “of Lowndes County, state aforesaid,” to Edmund Burnsides, dated 23 Jan 1827, conveying 398 acres “where the grantor formerly lived” on Ash’s Branch in Bulloch County.
Children by Ann Bulloch:
- Abigail Albritton, born 20 May 1805, married Cornelius English, son of Cornelius English. Moved to Florida, where she died in Plant City, 22 Aug 1868. She is buried in Matthews Cemetery in Seffner, Florida, with her daughter Susannah. They had 10 children.
- Jesse Jefferson Albritton, born 1810, married Catherine Holloway, daughter of William Holloway. Died on 15 Aug 1864 in Cedar Key, Florida.
- James Bulloch Albritton, born 1813, married Mariah English, daughter of Cornelius and Nancy English. She was born 13 Mar 1813.
- George Washington Albritton, born 1815, married Jane Allen, daughter of Isaac and Easter Allen. Fought in the Civil War with CSA, Co. E, 1st Georgia Reserves. Died 6 Jan 1865 at Hilton Head Island in the Union Federal Prison to which he had been taken after he was captured in battles around Atlanta.
- William Thomas Albritton, born 9 Apr 1823, married Adeline Griffin, daughter of John C. and Frances Ann (Ball) Griffin. Died 1 Sep 1904 and is buried in Redland Baptist Church Cemetery in Lowndes County.
- Matthew Henry Albritton, born 1826, married c1846 Mary Amanda Turner. He removed from Lowndes County to Taylor County, Florida. Died sometime prior to 19 Jul 1890 when his widow filed for a pension under his name.
- Martha Ellen Albritton, born 21 Nov 1832, married (1) _____ Woods; (2) John Wesley Allen. Died 26 Mar 1873 in Dixie, Georgia and was buried in the John Wesley Allen Homeplace Cemetery in Dixie.
- Sophronia Albritton, born 1834, married Willet Francis Marion Kirkland from Florida. She died 27 Mar 1902 and is buried in the Union Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery in Colquitt, Georgia.
Some researchers have used the same dates of birth for Jesse and James, 10 Aug 1810. There is nothing in the records to indicate they are twins.
Religious Leadership and Church Involvement
Elder Albritton initially joined a Baptist church in either Bulloch or Bryan County. He participated in organizing Poplar Springs Baptist Church in Laurens County in 1807, where his father also became a charter member and served as moderator at its first conference on 22 Aug 1807. On 26 Aug 1809, the church property deed was made in the names of Matthew Albritton and Joseph Yarbrough, as deacons (recorded in Deed Book “A,” page 207, Laurens County).
The old minutes of Poplar Springs Baptist Church in Laurens County, examined by Folks Huxford in May 1953, shows that Elder Albritton and his wife were constituted 22 Aug 1807; it was not shown where they were formerly members. At the time he was a layman. On 7 Nov 1812, he was livensed to preach by Poplar Springs, and on the same date he and his wife were granted letters of admission.
On 01 Oct 1825, Elder Albritton was part of the presbytery that organized Union Church, the first Baptist church in old Lowndes County. He became its first pastor, a role he held until his death in Jan 1850. His wife, Ann, was a charter member of Union Church and later transferred her membership to Bethel Baptist Church in Sep 1826. By Feb 1829, she was dismissed by letter from Bethel to help constitute Bethany Church at “Albritton’s Meeting-house,” near their home.
In Oct 1827, the Piedmont Baptist Association received a request from seven newly formed Baptist churches, spanning from the Alapaha River to the Flint River and into Florida, seeking to establish a new association. Elders Albritton and Fleming Bates were appointed to organize this body, which was officially established at Bethel Church (now in Brooks County) on 17 Nov 1827, and named the Ocklochnee Baptist Association. Union Church, where Albritton served as pastor, was the only one among the petitioning churches previously affiliated with the Piedmont Association and was granted a letter of dismissal to join the new association.
Bethel Primitive Baptist Church, the second Baptist Church to be organized in the area of old Lowndes County, was constituted 2 Sep 1826. The organizing Presbytery were: Elders Benjamin Manning, Matthew Albritton and Henry Melton., with Deacon William A. Knight. Charter members of Bethel Church were: Elder Melus Thigpen and his wife, Sarah; Archibald Strickland and his wife, Luander; Henry C. Tucker and his wife, Sarah. Elder Thigpen served as supply pastor until 1828, when the Rev. Matthew Albritton was called to the charge of Bethel Church.
Ministry and Influence
A widely respected Baptist minister, Elder Albritton was known for his strong preaching and commitment to spreading the faith. He played a significant role in establishing new churches and was an influential leader within the Ocklochnee Baptist Association, serving as its moderator for several years. His pastoral work extended across Lowndes, Ware, and Thomas counties, as well as into Florida. Among his long-term pastorates were Columbia Church (from its founding in 1833 until 1847), Bethel Church, and Bethany Church—all now located in Brooks County.
During the division within the Baptist community in the late 1830s and 1840s over missions, Sunday schools, and state conventions, Elder Albritton aligned with the anti-missionary faction, later known as the Primitive Baptists.
Death and Legacy
Elder Albritton continued his ministry until his death from Pneumonia in Nov 1849 in Lowndes County. His passing was widely mourned among his brethren. He was likely buried at Bethany Church, where his grave was once marked by a brick enclosure, though no other marker currently remains. Some have claimed him buried in Beasley Cemetery in Brooks County, but there is no evidence of this, and no grave remains there. His wife, Ann, survived him by 21 years and passed away in 1871. She spent her final years with Mr. and Mrs. John W. Allen (her daughter and son-in-law) and was buried on their property, one mile east of Dixie, Georgia, called the John Wesley Allen Homeplace Cemetery. Located in that cemetery is a pile of stacked bricks. Are these the bricks which use to surround Matthews grave at Bethany Church, and was he reinterred here after his wife’s death?
Matthew and Ann Albritton’s sons, Matthew H. and Jesse J. Albritton, administered their father’s estate, which was appraised in Apr 1850 by Jeremiah Wilson, Wilson Johnson, and Thomas E. Hardee.
Records from Bryan County indicate that in 1809, Ann Albritton, along with her mother, Dinah Bulloch, and her sister, Abigail Hilliard, executed a deed transferring 100 acres of land in Bryan County originally granted to her father, James Bulloch.
Huxford sources Matthew to the 1820 census of Bryan County. There is a listing in Bryan County for his older sibling, Thomas Henry and his family. While the 1820 Bryan County census is clear, that cannot be said for the 1820 Laurens County census which is where I would expect to find Matthew based on historical knowledge. The scans of this census show pages torn, deteriorated, and bleeding through. There were two Albrittons residing there that could be seen, his brother Henry was one. The other merely shows Albriton with a first name that appears to be Levi, but that does not fit any known Albritton, and the tick marks would certainly not reflect Matthew’s family at the time. There is an entry for a Matthew Albritton in Waynesboro, Burke County, Georgia in 1820, but this is certainly the Matthew, son of Georgia and Lydia Albritton, who married Susan Littleton.
Note: Some records refer to Ann Albritton as “Nancy,” while others use “Ann.”
Sources
- Huxford, Folks, Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia, vol. 1, p. 2-4, vol 2. p.297, Jacksonville, Florida : Cooper Press, 1951.
- Huxford, Folks, History of Brooks County, Georgia, 1858-1948, p. 416-417, Quitman, Georgia : Hannah Clarke Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, 1948.
- William and John Holloway Family Bible
- “United States, Census, 1830”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHGB-ZHQ : Sun Jul 14 15:07:22 UTC 2024), Entry for Matthew Allbritton, 1830. See James Albritton’s listing beneath his father too.
- “United States, Census, 1840”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHBN-637 : Sat Mar 09 03:17:04 UTC 2024), Entry for Mathew Albritton, 1840.
- “United States Census (Mortality Schedule), 1850-1880,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6569-YKM : 1 April 2016), Georgia > Lowndes > Lowndes county > image 1 of 2; citing NARA microfilm publication T655 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).