Description

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The records in this book by Michael Ports are based upon an original Bibb County minute book for 1822-1842. Mr. Ports transcribed the contents from a microfilm copy photographed at the county courthouse in Macon, Georgia, on November 18, 1964, by the Genealogical Society of Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Georgia Department of Archives and History. Each case entry provides the names of the defendants and the specific charges alleged. Following the case citations are the actual bills of indictment, which include the names of the grand jurors, the names and residences of the defendants, the specific charges alleged, and the dates the crimes were committed. The bills of indictment often, but not always, include descriptions of where and how the crime was committed, some even providing lurid descriptions of beatings, other assaults, and murders; detailed descriptions of articles stolen; and physical descriptions of any slaves involved in the incidents. Each bill of indictment ends with the date of the court term, the name of the grand jury foreman, and the name of the individual who pressed the criminal charge. The records may also provide a list of witnesses, names of attorneys, nature of the defendant's plea, summaries of testimony, and more.