On Monday, August 5, 1867, Hardy Shelton, along with many other formerly enslaved men, registered to vote in Floyd County's precinct 1120 in 
Georgia's 42nd Senatorial District (Bartow, Chattooga and Floyd counties). The Reconstruction Act of 1867 outlined the terms for readmission to representation of rebel states. Each state was required to write a new constitution, which needed to be approved by a majority of voters—including African Americans—in that state. In addition, each state was required to ratify the 13th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution. After meeting these criteria related to protecting the rights of African Americans and their property, the former Confederate states could gain full recognition and federal representation in Congress.
The act became law on March 2, 1867, after Congress overrode a presidential veto. The Rome Weekly Courier for May 31, 1867, included information about registration of voters in Georgia and Alabama. On August 9, 1867, a brief article gave the dates for registration for each district, as well as the names of the members of the Board of Registers (Wesley Shropshire, William L. Goodwin and W.B. Higginbotham*). Here, the precinct numbers are not given, but registration for the Flat Woods precinct was held August 5.
The family is enumerated in the 1870 census as living in Subdivision 49, also known as the North Carolina district or District 855. Hardy Shelton, 52, works on a farm and has a total personal estate (which excludes any real estate) of $200. While the 1870 census does not delineate family relationships, later documentation confirms that the family is Hardy's wife Mary and their nine children, Lucy, Frances, Aaron, Mary, Henry, Rhoda, Lula, Joel and William.
On Dec. 19, 1874 Hardy Shelton purchased 120 acres of land from J.R. Towers, part of Lot 59. Between 1872 and 1892, Hardy would own nearly 160 acres of Lot 59 – not including the land his descendants would own. All or a portion of Flatwoods would later become Berry College. The family would reside in Possum Trot until about 1924.
*William B. Higginbotham was a well-known free man of color from Rome.
"Violence, or threats of violence or any other oppressive means to prevent any person from registering his name, or exercising his political rights are positively prohibited"
William B. Higginbotham, a well-known free man of color from Rome, was appointed to the Board of Registrars for the 42nd Senatorial District, comprising Bartow, Floyd and Chattooga Counties.
The Civil War and Reconstruction Eras : documents decoded by While the decennial census is an official record of the United States government, it has limitations that should be taken into consideration when using and analyzing the information it provides.