My family and Atlanta go back before the founding of the city to the days of Cherokee and Creek trails, such as Standing Pitchtree. This trade route became Peachtree Street, the major artery into the new city.
Below is an amazing survival from the burning of Atlanta during the Civil War in 1862. This is the second oldest house in Atlanta, after the Lemuel Grant House of Grant Park. The Grant house became a partial survival, having lost major sections of floorplans.
My great-great-great grandfather, Meredith Collier, built this substantial homeplace for his family above Clear Creek in what developed into Ansley Park and Sherwood Forest. The neighborhood was laid out around Collier’s house on the hill. The brothers and my great-great grandmother grew up on this last undeveloped land lot in what became Atlanta.
The house was sacked and burned in 1862, but was rebuilt accurately and was restored to the family. Great-great-great grandparents, Meredith and Elizabeth Collier were later buried at this homeplace by son, George Washington Collier. When Westview Cemetery was developed, they were reinterred there. The heirs divided slaves and land when Meredith Collier’s will was settled. Elizabeth Collier married Thomas Haney Liddell of Gwinnett County and settled with her slave inheritance into the 1840 plantation home where the family would remain for 135 years.
The Clear Creek property was sold out of the family and was developed as upscale Ansley Park and Sherwood Forest housing developments. The Meredith Collier house was professionally restored by a noted architect and lived in for many years by a politician, James Bentley. The Collier land holdings were developed, making the family some of Atlanta’s richest and most influential citizens. The remaining Collier sons’ land holdings became Collier Woods.
G. W. Collier served as grocer and postmaster in Five Points in Atlanta. He developed a large land holding into the famed, luxurious Aragon Hotel in Five Points.
The first photograph is the Meredith Collier Clear Creek Homeplace on Lady Marian Lane in Sherwood Forest, Atlanta, Ga.
The second photograph is of Elizabeth Collier Liddell and great-great grandmother of the author. The third photograph is of the 1840 plantation home of Thomas Haney Liddell and Elizabeth Collier Liddell. The fourth photograph is a portrait of Thomas Haney Liddell of Gwinnett County. The last photograph is of my mother, Charlotte Ann Liddell Green (May 2, 1932- September 17, 2012) who was born and raised in the Gwinnett Plantation home.
Mike Green
December 24, 2012
seizethedaymike 
I Mike,
This is a very interesting documentary of your family history and how their lives tied in to the development of a well known area of Atlanta. I LOVED reading about it because I’m not from Atlanta. I have similar family stories about how Connersville and Noblesville were established in Indiana thanks to my mother’s father’s great grandfather. The impact of our families and how they helped to shape our world and lives is a testament to one reason why America is what she is!
I hope all you had a great Christmas day, as you have continued to be in my thoughts and prayers!
Love to all,
Mary Ursits
Hi Mary!
How did you know that I’ve just been thinking about you?!
I hope you have had some wonderful family time and just pure, deserved relaxation during this holiday season. I know that your Dad’s energy was all around you. Our loved ones vested so much energy in us, energy is never destroyed, they are with us on some plane, if not traditional ones. I’m probably preaching to the choir, here. I hope that your sister’s health is improving.
I am producing the blogs, as a remembrance for the boys and friends who like that sort of thing. It’s productive and fun. I am so glad you enjoyed them and interested that you made a similar family history connection with their pioneer, civic efforts. Those folks would never give up, just pick themselves up by their boot strings, dust-off, and start over. I believe we can both identify with that philosophy, eh?
We had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas 2012!
All the best for you in 2013! Love and best wishes!
Mike
Sent from my iPad