Freeman's Mill History

Freeman's Mill History

At Freeman's Mill, we recognize and appreciate the fact that what we have today we owe to those who have gone before us. As with most any old southern families, traditions, stories, and our heritage have been passed down to us through the years. Without ever laying our eyes on pictures or documents, we know certain things about our ancestors by what has been passed down to us through stories. Such is the case with two of our ancestors Quency Allen Bishop and Clarence Freeman.

Q.A. Bishop on left standing in front of his store

Quency Allen Bishop (1890-1964) was the father of Lila Irene Bishop Boyett (1915-1986) who is the mother of Myra J. Boyett Freeman who is our mother and "Nanny" to the little ones in the "Freeman Bunch". At the turn of the 20^th Century, Allen owned a country store in Emanuel County, Ga. in which he sold goods to the folk in the neighborhood as well as had a Grits Mill attached to the store which he and his family operated for many years. He also farmed to supplement the store.

Clarence Freeman (1893-1970) was the father of Harry M. Freeman (September 15, 1932-August 25, 2002) who was our beloved father, mentor, and friend. We know very little of Clarence for shortly after Daddy and his youngest sister (Aunt Lucile Hendley) were born, Clarence left Bulloch County for South Carolina leaving his family behind. Between approximately 1910 and 1930, Clarence and our Grandmother Mamie Wynn Freeman (Aug. 9, 1894-May 1973) operated a very successful farm that eventually reached a size of approximately 900 acres. Besides farming, Clarence was a well known and highly sought out carpenter, brick mason, and mill-wright. He was also sought out as a very capable cotton gin operator, sawyer, and was also known to be a very good grits mill operator.

Harry Freeman (Daddy) on the family's B John Deere. (About 1942-43)

Daddy and Grandma Freeman on the farm. App 1948

It has always been "second nature" for us to be very comfortable working on things. As we have heard all of our life "you have it in your blood!" which definitely fits us when it comes to milling, agriculture, and many related areas of interest.

In about 1989, we realized that finding someone to grind corn into grits and meal was becoming increasingly difficult. After calling several folks about grinding corn for us, we contacted Mr. Carl Hendrix from Portal. Mr. Carl also has deep roots in milling: his father operated a blacksmith shop and had a grits mill on the side that as a boy, Mr. Carl was often required to run. His grandfather also owned and operated a steam powered saw mill in the Portal area.

Mr. Carl was very willing to grind our corn and was very instrumental in helping us set up and learn the fine art of milling. Mr. Carl remains a very good friend who when I need the direction of a "master miller" is always willing to share his wisdom and knowledge from many years of experience.

We started grinding grits and meal for ourselves in a room on the side of our syrup shed. With time, folks began to want to buy our grits and meal, which we have been able to offer for several years now.

To be sure, the future is NOT in our hands! As long as The Lord allows us to remain on the earth, we will strive to help folks understand and enjoy the rich heritage that we have and try to pass on that heritage to the next generation.

God Bless!

The Harry Freeman Family

The Next Generation of Freemans
(Sitting) Erin, Riley, Matthew Witt
(Standing) Jonathan Witt, Joshua and Anna Freeman

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Freeman's Mill, 518 Country Club Road, Statesboro, Ga. 30458, Phone: 912-852-9381
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