Often, history and myth walk side by side.
The lines between fact and folklore can blur, especially when few sources exist and oral tradition has shaped the narrative over time. While the intent isn’t always deceptive, these fictional blends of tall tales and truth can distort the record — and cause a real history headache.
A good local case in point is the much-recounted story of Ellick Austin. According to an 1883 article in the Gwinnett Herald written by Judge Richard D. Winn, Ellick was an enslaved man living in Gwinnett County in the 1840s. Winn recounts that one evening, Ellick’s enslaver, Colonel James Austin, became “deeply intoxicated” and behaved inappropriately toward Ellick’s wife…