"Where did the name Georgia Come from?"
Ans:  Georgia was named to honor King George II  of England who signed the
Royal Charter which established the colony of Georgia in 1732  ( Source:
Krakow, Kenneth, Georgia Place Names, Macon, GA: Winship Press, 1994)

Georgia didn't actually have counties until 1777.  Georgia was originially
divided into districts and towns from 1732 to 1758.  From 1758 to 1777,
Georgia was divided into twelve parishes.  These twelve parishes 
became the original seven counties of Georgia, which include: Burke 
(St George Parish), Camden (St Thomas and St Mary Parish), Chatham 
(St  Phillips and Christ Church Parish), Effingham (St Matthew and St 
Phillip Parish), Glynn (St David and St Patrick Parish, Liberty (St John, 
St Andrew and St James Parish), and Richmond (ST Paul Parish).  
Wilkes County was the eighth county created on Feb 5, 1777 in the 
Georgia Constitution; however it was originally created on June 1, 1773
from the Treaty of Augusta, when Cherokee and Creek Indians ceded the 
land.
(Source: Bryant, Pat. Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundries. Atlanta
State Printing Office, 1983)


Georgia expanded as lands became available with Treaties, etc.  
County development went by "needs & population".  We need our own 
courthouse, the district is too big.   We petition the Honorable _________ 
for the formation of a new county, etc.  Politics was around in those days 
and "power" was often in the hands of the affluent.  

Georgia 

1.	 Up to 1863 most of the land that we now call Georgia, South
Carolina, North Carolina, etc. were British Colonies.  Spanish 
Florida may have intruded in to what we now call South Georgia.  

2.  	Spanish Florida extended all the way to New Orleans.  Orleans 
and the Gulf Coast have had many "flags" with my area being under 
"8 flags".

3. 	From 1863 to 1782, the major changes was the British took over 
more territory.  The coastal regions from the Atlantic to New Orleans 
became British East Florida & British West Florifda.  Spain was 
eliminated.

4. 	From 1782 to 1795, We had the establishment of the United 
States and this land along the coastal regions was once again 
Spanish East Florida & Spanish West Florida.  Spain lay to much 
of what was to become the Mississippi Territory.

5.  	From 1795 to 1803, the United States formed the Territory of 
Mississippi that extended from the East Coast to the Mississippi 
River with the southern boundary being on a line just above Mobile 
and Pensacola, etc.  Below that we now had Spanish West & 
Spanish East Florida. The new Mississippi Territory was huge 
encompassing Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and looks like parts 
of Tennessee, etc.  
Natchez became the "capital or seat of Government" as the western 
limit of the US. 

6.  	I am telling this because "Land Grants, purchases and 
lotteries" were executed for this region as Treaties opened up 
new land.  Georgia was also a huge land mass extending from  
almost from Chattanooga & Huntsville to the South. The formation 
of the Mississippi Territory produced the first boundary for 
Mississippi and it was from the 31 degrees to 32.28 degrees 
north. The time period was 1798 to 1804.  

Tennessee came next and extended from 32.28 degrees northward 
into what became Tennessee and North Alabama.  Georgia became 
smaller and ranged westward to the Chattahoochie River. Time 
period from 1804 to 1813.  Jefferson's purchase of Orleans, etc. 
gave the US lower Louisiana, Mobile, and Florida in 1813.  

7. 	 Up to 1813 there were various men who ventured into these 
lands with some settling and some laying claim to certain property.  
Some even negotiated "land deals" with the Spanish, Indians, and 
French.  When the US expanded into this coastal area some folks 
were disfranchised as land owners and some got disturbed.  Some 
Wards (family) burned a governmental office because of this action.

8.  	Meanwhile, back to Georgia and county development. Before 
that we have to keep in mind that the Savannah River was a 
prominent boundary as the States were formed.  On north bank 
(SC side) until after 1808 South Carolina had "Districts"... 
The Ninety Six included what would become Pendleton (NW), 
Greenville (N), Spartanburg (N), Union, Laurens, Abbeville, 
Newberry, and Edgefield.   Most every settler from the 96th 
went through "Augusta" to move southward. The Orangeburg 
District included Lexington (N), Lewisburg, Orange, and Winton.  
Once again most of this area migrated through Augusta..  The 
Beaufort District was next to Georgia in the South East corner 
of South Carolina.  

	Georgia had the following counties in 1790. From the 
north down the Savannah River to Savannah. Franklin, Wilkes 
(boarded river), Greene (east of Wilkes), Richmond (Augusta), 
Burke (south of Augusta on River), Washington (east of Richmond 
& Burke), Effingham (south of Burke and on River), and Chatham 
(barbering the lower Savannah and the Atlantic.  Liberty, Glynn 
and Camden in that order extended from the Effingham & Chatham 
borders and were coastal to the Atlantic.

	Georgia expanded from a 11 counties to 24 counties by 
1800.  Now we get Screven County which was located on the River 
and between Effingham and Burke with Bulloch (newly formed) 
on its east side.  During this time period the majority of Georgia 
was Indian Territory.  If you think about it and study this develop-
ment you can see how South Carolina & Georgia were co-dependant. 
It makes sense that land acquisitions were close to the river.  	
The Georgia Lotteries was one way to populate and expand the 
territory.  Most of us will find relations on either side of the 
River in South Carolina or Georgia.  Georgia was indeed a 
primitive State.

9.	Two major things happened after 1813 and that was the 
Indian Cessation Treaties and the development of the "Federal 
Road".  The movement increased with Lotteries, Rev War Grants, 
etc.  So much movement that by 1819 & 1820 Mississippi & 
Alabama would be formed. Most of this movement was down the 
Federal Road to Macon and Columbus Georgia.  Some of the 
migrants moved towards Tennessee via the Cisca & St. Augustine 
Trail that lead from Augusta to Chattanooga. The Cisca & St. 
Augustine went through Athens.   (Don Logan)

Geographic Names Information System
Davidson Place names in Georgia

Feature Name        St County         Type   Latitude Longitude 7.5' x 7.5' Map
------------------- -- -------------- ------ -------- --------- ---------------
Davidson Church     GA Troup          church 325243N  0850700W  Cannonville        
Davidson Creek      GA Stephens       stream 343956N  0832149W  Tugaloo Lake       
Davidson Hill       GA Chattahoochee  summit 322116N  0845529W  Fort Benning       
Davidson Lake Dam   GA DeKalb         dam    334342N  0840548W  Conyers            
 One
Davidson Lake Dam   GA DeKalb         dam    334354N  0840548W  Conyers            
 Two
Davidson Lake One   GA DeKalb         reserv 334342N  0840548W  Conyers            
Davidson Lake Two   GA DeKalb         reserv 334354N  0840548W  Conyers            
Davidson Lakes      GA DeKalb         reserv 334353N  0840549W  Conyers            
Davidson Landing    GA Brantley       locale 310351N  0815557W  Boons Lake         
Davidson Lookout    GA Laurens        tower  322051N  0825537W  Five Points        
 Tower
Davidson School     GA Brantley       school 310457N  0815605W  Boons Lake         
 (historical)
Davidsons Academy   GA Twiggs         school 324042N  0833039W  Warner Robins N    
 (historical)

              Mary Bonsal