Descriptive Summary | |
Repository: | Georgia Historical Society |
Creator: | Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Georgia. |
Title: | Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Georgia collection on John Lucas and George Washington |
Dates: | 1784-1791 |
Extent: | 0.05 cubic feet (1 folder) |
Identification: | MS 1195 |
Created by Major General Henry Knox, the Society of the Cincinnati formed in 1783 as a means of continuing fellowship among the officers of the Continental Army after the army was disbanded shortly after the Revolutionary War. The society also provided funds to assist the families of original Society members. Within the General Society, thirteen State Societies formed, along with a society in France. Membership consisted of leading officers of the Continental Army and their heirs (although the society only recognizes the eldest male in each generation as eligible for membership). In 1854, the Society created a membership allowance for those officers and their heirs who could have become Original Members, but did not. George Washington served as the first president of the General Society of the Cincinnati from 1783 until his death in 1799.
The Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Georgia held its first meeting on August 18, 1893 at the home of Captain John Lucas. General Lachlan McIntosh served as the Georgia society's first president; other famous presidents include Joseph Habersham (1794) and Major John Macpherson Berrien (1795). In 1822, the last meeting of the original Georgia society was held; it was not until 1899 when descendants of the original members met that the society again began to flourish in Georgia. Historically, the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Georgia has supported the Anderson House Museum and been involved in the Georgia Day celebrations.
This collection consists of photocopies of certificates, receipts, lists, and letters pertaining to Major John Lucas and George Washington. These papers come from the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Georgia's archives. Included are: a list of the members of the Cincinnati of Georgia who have paid Major John Lucas for their diplomas (Lucas was the society's treasurer), signed by General Washington; a receipt to Lucas signed by John Habersham, who was the society's secretary; an inventory of the effects of Major Jon Lucas, taken by James Jackson in 1789; a letter from the society to George Washington, congratulating Washington on his safe arrival in Georgia, and a letter from George Washington to the members of the Society of the Cincinnati in Georgia.
Original letter from the Society of the Cincinnati to George Washington in the Library of Congress.
Custodial History
Material was acquired from the collector.
Preferred Citation
[item identification], Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Georgia collection on John Lucas and George Washington, MS 1195, Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia.
Acquisition Information
Gift of the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Georgia, date unknown.
Collection is open for research.
Copyright has not been assigned to the Georgia Historical Society. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Division of Library and Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Georgia Historical Society as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
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1 | Item 2: Receipt to Major John Lucas for a certificate taken from the Treasurer. Signed Michael Rudulph, 1785 August 8 ( 1.0 p. ) | ||||||||||||
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1 | Item 3: A list of the members of the Cincinnati of Georgia who have paid Major John Lucas, Treasurer, for their diplomas signed by Genl. Washington, Undated ( 1.0 p. ) | ||||||||||||
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1 | Item 4: Receipt to Major John Lucas, Treasurer, for certificates received from him, signed by John Habersham, Secretary. Savannah, 1789 May 20 ( 1.0 p. ) | ||||||||||||
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1 | Item 5: Inventory of the effects of Major John Lucas, deceased, taken by James Jackson at New York, 1789 August 18 ( 3.0 p. ) | ||||||||||||
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1 | Item 7: George Washington to the Members of the Society of the Cincinnati of the State of Georgia, 1791 May 14 ( 1.0 p. ) | ||||||||||||
Reply to above. | |||||||||||||