Queensborough Township: Scotch-Irish Emigration and the Expansion of Georgia, 1763-1776

Abstract

B] Y the treaty signed at Augusta on November i0, 1763, the Creek Indians transferred a great tract of land to the colony of Georgia, and it was this territory, lying roughly southeast of Little River and between the Savannah and the Great Ogeechee rivers, which was to become the first Georgia frontier.' Few barriers to expansion into the back country by then remained. The original character of the colony had disappeared with the surrender of the charter in 1752, and even before then the trustees had been forced to give way on such matters as slavery and the ownership of land. With Florida in British hands and French power gone from the Mississippi Valley, there was little external danger other than from Indians. James Wright, the governor of Georgia, was anxious to extend the area of the colony and to attract settlers. On his appointment in late 1760, he had at once urged a policy of expansion on the home government. The Board of Trade, while encouraging him to acquire territory, advised that nothing should be done about settlement.2 Unaware that this reply indicated a significant change in official policy, Governor Wright went ahead with his plans.