Trustee Period and Royal Period Timeline

By a8z

  • Charter of 1732

    When King George 2 signed the charter establishing the colony and creating its board of 21 Trustees

  • City of Savannah

    James Oglethorpe and a party of settlers crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the ship Anne to begin settlement of the colony of Georgia. They first arrived off the coast of Carolina, then negotiated permission to settle from Yamacraw Chief Tomochichi. The settlement they founded was named Savannah.

  • Jewish Settlement

    On July 11, a group of 42 Jewish settlers arrived in Georgia. The Trustees had earlier decided not to allow Jews in the colony, but James Oglethorpe allowed them to land - largely because one of them was a doctor - Samuel Nunes. While there was some controversy amongst the Trustees regarding the new settlers, they were ultimately allowed to remain in Georgia.

  • Salzburgers arrive

    A group of German Salzburgers arrived in the colony of Georgia. They were led by Pastor Johann Martin Boltzius, and established the settlement of Ebenezer.

  • James Oglethorpe built a fort

    James Oglethorpe and over 200 new colonists departed England for Georgia, with instructions to build a fort on St. Simons Island. A group of Scot Highlanders sailed from Inverness, Scotland bound for Georgia. They would settle on the Altamaha River, where they founded New Inverness, later named Darien.

  • Highland Scots arrive

    Fort Frederica was built on St. Simons Island. John Wesley arrived in Georgia to serve as minister to the colonists; his brother Charles arrived at Frederica to serve as James Oglethorpe's secretary. The Scot Highlanders who had sailed the previous year arrived in Georgia. After the building of Frederica, James Oglethorpe returned to England to report to the Georgia Trustees in person.

  • James Oglethorpe goes back to England

    James Oglethorpe arrived in England in January to attempt to get money and men from Parliament for the defense of Georgia at Fort Frederica. He was successful in gaining funds and 600 soldiers, and while in England was named “Colonel of the Regiment of Foot for the Defence of His Majesty’s Plantations in America.” He sailed back to Georgia in July.

  • Malcontents arrive and slavery is allowed

    In December a group of Georgia settlers - who came to be known as “Malcontents” - petitioned the Georgia Trustees to allow slavery in the colony. Their efforts were opposed by James Oglethorpe.

  • War of Jenkin's Ear 1739 to 1741

    Tomochichi died. He was buried in Percival (later renamed Wright) Square in Savannah; James Oglethorpe served as one of his pallbearers.The Georgia Trustees granted George Whitefield 500 acres of land for establishing an orphan house in Savannah.The War of Jenkins’ Ear, between England and Spain, was officially declared; several conflicts between the combatants would take place in colonial Georgia.

  • James Oglethorpe captured one fort on St. Simon's island

    James Oglethorpe led an invasion force of Georgia and South Carolina settlers, and some Indians, to attempt to capture Spanish St. Augustine. They captured one fort, then tried to lay siege to St. Augustine before being attacked at Fort Mose, where he lost a significant number of his men. He subsequently returned to St. Simons Island.

  • Battle of Bloody Marsh

    The major Georgia-related event of the war with Spain occurred on July 7 - the Battle of Bloody Marsh - where James Oglethorpe and a group of men, largely Scot Highlanders, repulsed an attempted invasion of St. Simons Island by Spanish forces from St. Augustine.

  • James Oglethorpe left Georgia

    On July 23, 1743 James Oglethorpe left Georgia. He had borrowed heavily against his family estate to help fund the new colony, and needed to see to his finances at home. He may not have realized it at the time, but he would not return to the colony he founded and supported in it’s first decade of existence.

  • Slavery was officially allowed in Georgia as of Jan. 1, 1751

  • Trustee's give up the Georgian Charter/ Georgia becomes a Royal Colony

  • Georgia becomes a Royal Colony

  • John Reynolds was appointed as Georgia’s first royal governor.

  • John Reynolds has to resign

    John Reynolds had been appointed as royal governor - Georgia’s first - in 1754. But he was frequently at odds with the General Assembly, and did not get along with many colonists. This led to a number of complaints about him with the British government. In 1756 he was recalled to England to respond to the complaints, though he did not yet resign his position.

  • Henry Ellis became governor

  • Georgia was divided into eight parishes

    Christ Church, St. Matthews, St. George, St. Paul, St. Philip, St. John, St. Andrew, and St. James.

  • James Wright becomes governor

  • The Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War

  • The Sugar Act of 1764 was passed by the British Parliament.

  • The British Parliament passed the Stamp Act.

  • Declaratory Act

  • Townsend Acts

  • Townshend Acts

  • Slave Code is passed

    A harsh slave code was passed, declaring (among other items) that children of slaves were also slaves and the personal property of their owners; slaves could be whipped for traveling outside a town or plantation without special permission, and anyone teaching a slave to read and write would face a heavy fine.

  • Boston Massacre

  • The Tea Act was passed by Parliament.

    This act created a monopoly on selling tea in the colonies for the British East India Company, bypassing colonial merchants. Resistance to the Tea Act would eventually lead to the Boston Tea Party.

  • Massachusetts rebels against Parliament

  • The Intolerable Acts are passed.

  • The Second Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia

  • George Washington takes command of American troops outside Boston

  • The Continenal Congress adopts the Olive Branch petition, which declares Americans' loyalty but repeats grievances

  • The 1st Continental Congress is in Philadephia

  • King George 3 declares the Americn colonies in rebellion.

    This declaration authorizes the British government to use force.

  • Governor from Virginia makes former slaves fight for the British

    Lord Dunmore forms a regiment of former slaves to fight for the British by promising them freedom after their service. News reaches to the colonies that King George has declared all the colonies in rebellion

  • An attempted American invasion of Quebec is defeated; Canada remains under the British control

  • Massachusetts Provincial Congress asks the towns to gather military supplies

  • Battle of Lexington and Concord

    In April the Battles of Lexington and Concord took place in Massachusetts.

  • Thomas Paine's pamphlet Common Sense is published.

    It strongly influences American colonists to favor independence from Great Britain.

  • Americans think it was Dunmore's fault of burning the city of Norfolk

    Though American troops are mostly to blame, virtually all Americans believe that Virginia's royal governor Lord Dunmore's troops burn the city of Norfolk

  • American troops outside Boston force the withdrawal of British troops under General William Howe.

    Howe sails for Nova Scotia; hundreds of loyal citizens leave with him.

  • The Continental Congress recommends that the colonies form new governments.

    France begins secretly sending money and supplies to the rebellious colonies.

  • Independence day

  • Admiral Richard, Lord Howe, the appointed commander in chief of British forces in North America, arrives off of New York.

    He carries royal commissions for himself and his younger brother, General Howe, to reconcile rebellious colonists with Britain and reinstitute royal government

  • British forces commanded by General William Howe defeat American troops at Long Island, New York.

    British forces commanded by General William Howe defeat American troops at Long Island, New York. Hundreds of American troops are killed and captured, including two generals. Two days later, American troops successfully evacuate in the presence of overwhelming British force

  • Captured American general John Sullivan agrees to carry a message suggesting peaceful reconciliation with Britain from Admiral Howe to the Continental Congress.

  • The Congress sends John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Edward Rutledge to attend a peace conference at the British headquarters on Staten Island, but the conference breaks up without result.

  • General Howe attacks American troops on Manhattan.

    British troops occupy New York City. The Continental army retreats to a tenuous foothold in New York at Fort Washington. Coincidentally, around the same time American forces retreat, fire devastates New York City.

  • General Howe captures Fort Washington.

    The Continental army escapes to New Jersey, where British forces harry its retreat.Admiral Howe issues a proclamation in New Jersey offering protection to anyone who takes an oath of loyalty to the British Crown. More than five thousand civilians present themselves to British officers to obtain “protection papers.”