History
 
 
Cobb County

Cobb County was created from Cherokee County on Dec. 3, 1832 by an act of the General Assembly (Ga. Laws 1832, p. 56). According to that act:

. . . the first, sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth districts of the second section, and so much of the first, second and third districts, as lies east of a line to be run, commencing at the centre of the north line of the third district in said third section and running due south to the south line of the first district in said section, shall form and become one county, to be called Cobb.

In way of background, by 1830, the Cherokee Nation consisted of most of northwest Georgia plus adjoining areas in Alabama, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Even while Cherokee Indians remained on their homeland in Georgia, the General Assembly on Dec. 21, 1830 enacted legislation claiming "all the Territory within the limits of Georgia, and now in the occupancy of the Cherokee tribe of Indians; and all other unlocated lands within the limits of this State, claimed as Creek land" (Ga. Laws 1830, p. 127). The act also provided for surveying the Cherokee lands in Georgia; dividing them into sections, districts, and land lots; and authorizing a lottery to distribute the land. On Dec. 26, 1831, the legislature designated all land in Georgia that lay west of the Chattahoochee River and north of Carroll county as "Cherokee County" and provided for its organization (Ga. Laws 1831, p. 74). However, the new county was not able to function as a county because of its size and the fact that Cherokee Indians still occupied portions of the land. On Dec. 3, 1832, the legislature added areas of Habersham and Hall counties to Cherokee County, and then divided the entire area into nine new counties -- Cass (later renamed Bartow), Cobb, Floyd, Forsyth, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Murray, Paulding, and Union -- plus a reconstituted and much smaller Cherokee County. Georgia's 84th county was named for former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and Georgia superior court judge Thomas W. Cobb. In 1857, part of Cobb County was used to create Milton County.

 
 
DeKalb County

DeKalb was established as Georgia's 56th county and is situated on a natural ridge that runs between Atlanta and Athens, the Continental Divide. The southern boundary is the South River and the northern boundary is the Hightower Trail, a trading path used by Indians. The county has 269 square miles. DeKalb was established from parts of Henry, Fayette and Gwinnett Counties with the General Assembly of the State of Georgia appointing five commissioners who picked land lot 246 in the 15th militia district as the county site. The county was named after Baron Johann de Kolb, a native of Germany and self proclaimed baron who aided the colonists in their fight for independence. The county seat land lot 246 was named for Stephen Decatur, a naval hero in the War of 1812. DeKalb was already organized into militia districts with justices of the Inferior Courts and justices of the peace retained their offices. Captains of the militia districts often served as judges and tax collectors for the districts as well. Some of these early militia districts included the Diamond District, the Browning District and the Shallowford District. The City of Atlanta, in its infancy and until 1853 when Fulton County was created, was entirely in DeKalb County.

The early settlers of DeKalb were of English, Scotch and Irish descent coming from Virginia and the Carolinas, poor, not highly educated but hardworking, small farmers living in log cabins and owning few slaves, most of them owning no slaves at all. The few DeKalb residents who did own slaves had them to work cotton and food crops; very few households had house servants. DeKalb was never a plantation system, and in fact, the two DeKalb Delegates to the convention on secession voted no on secession.
In July of 1864, DeKalb had its first taste of the war; much of the battle of Atlanta actually took place in DeKalb County along DeKalb Avenue.

Chief of the industries during the early years in DeKalb were granite quarrying, farming, dairy farming and cotton mills and grain mills. Land near the South River produced 1000 or more pounds of cotton per acre, and the county was one of the largest milk producers in the southeast. Large truck farms supplied vegetables throughout the region. Development in DeKalb in the early years was along the rivers and along the railroads from the county site, Decatur, east to Stone Mountain and south east to Lithonia. The first three cities were Decatur, Stone Mountain and Lithonia.

 
 
Bartow County

Cass County was created from a portion of Cherokee County by an Act of the Georgia Legislature on December 3, 1832, and was first called "Cass" County in honor of General Lewis Cass of Michigan. Later, the views of Gen. Cass on the issue of slavery caused a change of feeling, and on December 6, 1861, the name of the county was changed to "Bartow" in honor of the "illustrious hero of Manassas," Colonel Francis S. Bartow.

DeSoto's explorations in 1540 found this area of North Georgia already rich in Indian culture and outstanding natural resources. The Etowah River Valley, under cultivation by prehistoric Native Americans, then later pioneer settlers, played an important role in the Civil War when "Cotton was King."
 
While there were no major battles between the forces of the North and South in Bartow County during the Civil War, troops of General William T. Sherman's Army, after being completely re-organized at Kingston, spread to all corners of the county, destroying or capturing practically everything of value except a few buildings and homes which were ordered spared by Sherman.

After the war, southern mansions as well as log cabins were restored and continue to stand today as a reminder of the heritage and human sacrifice of early historic preservation. The determination of Bartow County families to rebuild and preserve is also visible in the beautiful gabled Victorian homes of the Post-Reconstruction period. Also intermingled in the county are sprawling country houses with wrap-around porches and bungalow-style homes so popular prior to World War II. Mining, natural resources, and agriculture brought many families to this area -- a sense of community and progressiveness keeps them here. 

 
Forsyth County 

Forsyth County was created from Cherokee County on Dec. 3, 1832 by an act of the General Assembly (Ga. Laws 1832, p. 56). [Click here for complete text of legislation.] According to that act, Forsyth County was formed from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 14th districts in the first section of Cherokee County

In way of background, by 1830, the Cherokee Nation consisted of most of northwest Georgia (see map), plus adjoining areas in Alabama, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Even while Cherokee Indians remained on their homeland in Georgia, the General Assembly on Dec. 21, 1830 enacted legislation claiming "all the Territory within the limits of Georgia, and now in the occupancy of the Cherokee tribe of Indians; and all other unlocated lands within the limits of this State, claimed as Creek land" (Ga. Laws 1830, p. 127). The act also provided for surveying the Cherokee lands in Georgia; dividing them into sections, districts, and land lots; and authorizing a lottery to distribute the land. On Dec. 26, 1831, the legislature designated all land in Georgia that lay west of the Chattahoochee River and north of Carroll county as "Cherokee County" (see map) and provided for its organization (Ga. Laws 1831, p. 74). However, the new county was not able to function as a county because of its size and the fact that Cherokee Indians still occupied portions of the land. On Dec. 3, 1832, the legislature added areas of Habersham and Hall counties to Cherokee County, and then divided the entire area into nine new counties -- Cass (later renamed Bartow), Cobb, Floyd, Forsyth, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Murray, Paulding, and Union -- plus a reconstituted and much smaller Cherokee County.

Georgia's 81st county was named for former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and U.S. Ambassador to Spain, U.S. Secretary of State, and Georgia Governor John Forsyth (1780-1841). In particular, it was Forsyth's insistence that Cherokee lands fell under the jurisdiction of Georgia state law that helped force the removal of the Cherokees to the West and the opening up their lands (including those from which Forsyth County was created) to white settlement.
In 1857, portions of Forsyth County were used to help create Milton County.