John Batts

John Batts
Justice of the Georgia Inferior Court
In office
August 9, 1858 – January 10, 1861
Member of the Georgia State Senate
In office
1859–1860
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from Lee County
In office
1857–1858
Justice of the Georgia Inferior Court
In office
1856–1857
Personal details
Born(1814-09-11)September 11, 1814
Jefferson County, Georgia, U.S.
DiedMay 19, 1878(1878-05-19) (aged 63)
Smithville, Georgia, U.S.
Resting placeSmithville Cemetery
PartyDemocratic
SpouseMary Livingston
Children13
Occupationplanter
politician

John A. Batts (September 11, 1814 – May 19, 1878) was an American planter, slaveowner, and politician. He sat in the Georgia General Assembly and was an inferior court judge.

Career

Batts was a wealthy planter who enslaved at least 35 people on his plantation in Lee County, Georgia. He owned 2,250 acres of land, making him one of the largest landholders in the county.

In the late 1840s, Batts served on a regional committee to develop plans to construct a railroad through Lee County to the Georgia Central Line in Macon.

He served in the Georgia General Assembly, first as a representative of Lee County in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1857 to 1858 and then as a member of the Georgia State Senate from 1859 to 1860. He was a member of the senate when the state seceded from the Union but was not a member of the secession convention.

Batts was also a justice of the Georgia Inferior Court from 1856 to 1857 and again from 1858 to 1861. He also served as a delegate to a Democratic convention in Milledgeville to endorse John C. Breckinridge for president.

Personal life

Batts was a Baptist.

He was married to Mary Livingston and had thirteen children. His son, William, served in the 12th Georgia Infantry Regiment of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and was killed at the Battle of Cedar Mountain. Following the war, Batts applied for a presidential pardon from President Andrew Johnson after emancipating his slaves and swearing allegiance to the United States.

He died by suicide, shooting himself in the head with a pistol, on May 19, 1878, after suffering from depression.

References

  1. 1 2 "Paula Deen reads about the horrors of war through her ancestor's letters..." Who Do You Think You Are?. 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Given Her Family History, Paula Deen Should Know Better". St. Louis Magazine. St. Louis, Missouri. June 26, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Hall, Andy (July 5, 2013). "The White Lies of Paula Deen". Dead Confederates. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Paula Deen Discovers Her Ancestors Were Slave Owners On 'Who Do You Think You Are?' (VIDEO)". HuffPost. May 21, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 "Chef Paula Deen learns about her Politician 3 time Great Grandfather!". Who Do You Think You Are?. 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Suicide of Judge John Batts". Weekly Sumter Republican. Sumter, Georgia. May 24, 1878. p. 3.
  7. ↑ Peacock, Jane Bonner (1966). "A FOOT SOLDIER'S ACCOUNT: LETTERS OF WILLIAM BATTS, 1861-1862". JSTOR. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Paula Deen discovers a heart-wrenching event that deeply affected her family during the Civil War!". Who Do You Think You Are?. 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2026.