The Reconstruction Acts of 1867 required Southern states to ratify the 14th Amendment, draft new state constitutions, and register voters, both black and white. In order to vote, men had to swear an oath of allegiance to the United States, and some were disqualified for their participation in Confederate government posts.[--Begin Transcription--]
COUNTY OF Rabun } PERSONALLY APPEARED before me this 7th day of ___ 1867, Thomas I. Ledbetter who states that he resides in the 636 Election Precint of Rabun COUNTY, GEORGIA, and who makes the oath as follows:
"I, Thomas I. Ledbetter do solemnly swear in the presence of Almighty God, that I am a citizen of the STATE OF GEORGIA; that I have resided in said State for twelve months next preceding this day, and now reside in the County of Rabun in said State; that I am 21 years old; that I have not been disfranchised for participation in any rebellion or civil war against the United States, nor for felony committed against the laws of any State or the United States; that I have never been a member of any State Legislature, nor held any executive or judicial office in any State, and afterwards engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof; that I have never taken an oath as a member of Congress of the United States, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State Legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, and afterwards engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or given aid and comfort to the enemies thereof; that I will faithfully support the Constitution and obey the laws of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, encourage others so to do. So help me, God."
|T. I. Ledbetter signature|
Thomas Ledbetter was born 2 September 1817 in South Carolina. By 1850, he was residing in Gilmer County, Georgia with wife Elender (b. 16 August 1825) and a couple of children. In 1860 and afterwards, he could be found farming in Rabun County. Elender passed on 29 November 1897, and Thomas followed 25 March 1889. They both were laid to rest side by side in the graveyard of Blue Heights Baptist Church at Mountain City, Rabun County, Georgia.
|Thomas Ledbetter (b. Sept 2, 1817, d. Mar 25, 1889)|
Elender Ledbetter (b. Aug 16, 1825, d. Nov 29, 1897)
Our loved ones have gone home.
Photo © 2011 - 2013 S. Lincecum
Complete source for above:
Ancestry.com. Georgia, Returns of Qualified Voters and Reconstruction Oath Books, 1867-1869 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: Georgia, Office of the Governor. Returns of qualified voters under the Reconstruction Act, 1867. Georgia State Archives, Morrow, Georgia. Georgia, Office of the Governor. Reconstruction registration oath books, 1867, Georgia State Archives, Morrow, Georgia.