History of Meriwether County, Ga.
and Georgia GenWeb

Meriwether history "between the rivers"
Meriwether County, Georgia, located in the west central part of the state, was created in 1827. Meriwether and its parent county, Troup, were included in the last territory ceded by the Creek Indians to the United States government. The area is called the "Land Between the Rivers," named for the Flint River which forms Meriwether's eastern boundary and the Chattahoochee which delineates Georgia from Alabama. 

Text of the Meriwether County plaque
placed by the Georgia Historical Commission
"Meriwether County, 'Second Home' of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt and birthplace of three Ga. Governors -- Joseph M. Terrell, William Y. Atkinson and John M. Slaton -- was created by Act of Dec. 14, 1827 from Troup County. It was named for Gen. David Meriwether (1755-1823), Revolutionary soldier, legislator, Congressman. Representing the government in various negotiations with the Indians, he had unusual influence with their Chiefs. First officers of Meriwether County, commissioned Feb. 7, 1828, were: Joseph Weaver, Sheriff; Hugh W. Ector, Clk. Sup. Ct.; A. M. Weathers, Clk. Inf. Ct.; Joseph Crockett, Surveyor; John Edmonds, Coroner."

Early Settlers
Early settlers of Meriwether County, according to George White, author of Statistics of Georgia, and Georgia historian Lucian L. Knight, were Abner Durham, Levi Adams, Gen. Hugh Ector, Thomas E. Hardaway, B. Gates, D. C. Rose, William Harris, G. Talbot, David Keith, William Bowles, Joseph Sentell, John H. Jones, J. A. Perdieu, Colonel Welborn, Marshall Martin, David Williams, Dr. Andrew Park, Freeman W. Blount, W. D. Alexander, William Harris, Henry Harris Sr., Isaac Thrash, Allen Rowe, Georgia C. Heard, William Gill, Lewis Pyron, John P. Thompson, J. Hodnett, E. Peavy, Simon Petit, John Jones, Charles B. Harris, C. Campbell, Major Kendall, John H. Jones, E. Bradley, Austin V. Corley, William Sasser, Thomas Clark, Henry G. Clark, Cyprain Bulloch Sr., Catlett Campbell, John L. Dixon, W. P. Norris, William Dunn, William Florence, J. C. Freeman, George Caldwell, John Slaton, and Columbus Gray.

Cities and Towns
The county seat of Meriwether County is Greenville. Other significant towns and cities in Meriwether, in addition to Greenville, are Luthersville, Rocky Mount, Alvaton, Lone Oak, Primrose, Wooster, Saint Marks, Oakland, Gay, Woodbury, Odessadale, Stovall, Harris City, Raleigh, Durand, White Sulphur Springs, Warm Springs and Manchester. Warm Springs, in south central Meriwether, is where President Franklin D. Roosevelt came to soak in the healing waters and to retreat from the pressures of government life. The Little White House Museum is a popular tourist attraction.

Georgia GenWeb History
In March and April, 1996, a group of genealogists organized the Georgia Comprehensive Genealogy Database. The idea was to provide a single entry point for all counties in Georgia, where collected databases would be stored. In addition, the databases would be indexed and cross-linked, so that even if an individual were found in more than one county, they could be located in the index.   At the same time, volunteers were found who were willing to coordinate the collection of databases and generally oversee the contents of the web page. Vivian Price Saffold is the person responsible for Meriwether County. She lives in Chamblee, DeKalb County, Ga. Her mother, Frances McGraw Price, was born in Meriwether County, and her maternal ancestors have lived there since the county's founding in 1827. If you suggestions or contributions for this page, please let her know. Vivian also provides information for the DeKalb County, Ga. GenWeb page. She is the author of the new book, The History of DeKalb County, Ga. 1822-1900.  

copyright Vivian Price Saffold 2001-current