Elbert, Samuel, 1740-1788.

Revolutionary soldier and merchant.

Samuel Elbert (1740-1788) was born in Prince William Parish, South Carolina. During the American Revolution he joined the Sons of Liberty. A member of the first Georgia Council of Safety (1775), he entered the Continental service as a lieutenant-colonel in 1776. Elbert was soon promoted to colonel and gained command of the Continental forces in Georgia as successor to Lachlan McIntosh. He commanded a brigade at Yorktown. On January 22, 1783, Elbert became a commissioner appointed to negotiate with the Creek and Cherokee tribes. He became governor of Georgia in July, 1785, after which he served as sheriff of Chatham County. Elbert died in Savannah on November 1, 1788.