Charles Lewis Munnerlyn

Charles Lewis Munnerlyn
(8 Apr. 1787 - 8 Nov. 1857)

Charles Lewis Munnerlyn, born in South Carolina on 8 April 1787 was the son of Captain John Munnerlyn, one of the Revolutionary War Munnerlyn brothers, and his wife, Sarah Keene. Charles married first Susan Buchanan about 1811 in South Carolina. Charles and Susan had at least two children who both died young, a girl and a boy. The boy Robert Francis Withers Munnerlyn born Sept. 11, 1812, died on Oct. 16, 1819 in Georgetown, SC. Charles' wife Susan died in 1817 in Georgetown, SC. Before Charles married a second time, he fathered a child with one of his slave women in 1818. He named this child Henry Screen, and raised him as a house servant. Charles was married the second time at Prince George Parish Church, Georgetown, South Carolina to Hannah White Shackelford on 13 of May 1819. Hannah was the daughter of James Shackelford, Sr. and Elizabeth Cogdell. Charles was recorded in the Membership Roster of the Georgetown Methodist Episcopal Church in SC until 1831.
A short time after 1831 Charles moved his family to Florida and settled in Gadsden County, near Quincy. Over the next few years, Charles had purchased land in Decatur County Georgia near Bainbridge. It is not exactly known why he moved from Florida to Georgia, but it is speculated it may have been because of a threat of the Creek and Seminole Indians in the area. By 1837 he had moved his family to their new home in Decatur County, GA. Charles had built a large mansion on his property, situated on Lot 349, District 20. The big plantation home became known as "Refuge". The plantation was nearly self-sufficient. They produced staple crops, raised livestock, had fruit orchards and a boat landing (Munnerlyn's Landing) on the Flint River. The primary cash crops such as cotton were prepared for market at a cotton gin and press on the property then shipped to market from Munnerlyn's Landing by steamboat. He also had his own steamship named “The Munnerlyn” which could be used to deliver goods to and from the plantation. Charles brought with him several slaves from South Carolina. Before the Civil War, the slaves numbered over 200, which made the Munnerlyns the wealthiest family in Decatur County. Several slave settlements were on the property, each with it's own overseer. A large settlement on the road leading to Munnerlyn's Landing almost resembled a small town. The Munnerlyns prospered on their plantation, and shortly after the time of his death, the property consisted of 3,333 acres according to the Tax Digest 1860, cited by Frank S. Jones in his HISTORY OF DECATUR COUNTY, p 254. Charles died on 8^th of November 1857 in Georgia, and was buried on his property near his home in the Munnerlyn Cemetery. The only child of Charles Lewis and Hannah Shackelford Munnerlyn was a son, Charles James Sr. (b. 1822).

Descendant Relation:
James Sr.>Capt. John>Charles Lewis MUNNERLYN

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