History of old Walton County Georgia
In 1802 the Act of Cession and the Yazoo Land Fraud presented an orphaned strip of land in what is today North Carolina's Jackson and Transylvania Counties, which is near Brevard in the upper French Broad River Valley, with a small section in Henderson County, NC.
Neither NC, SC or GA would claim this strip of land. Then in 1803, Northeast Georgia established it as Walton County, Georgia and then elected officials. John Akins Sr and John Nicholson both served as Representatives to the Georgia Legislature in Milledgeville, which was the capitol of Georgia during that time period. John Akins Sr. moved to Union County, GA and died there in 1863.
North Carolina soon saw the possibilities of this strip of land, and sent in troops to claim it December 1810. This action started what is known as the Walton War. By January 1811, the battle was over with the result being the loss of many lives and POW's. From January 1811 on this land was considered to be a part of North Carolina in what at the time was Buncombe Co.
Although old Walton County was only a part of Georgia for 8 years, it is still a vital link for Northeastern GA researchers. In 1818 in the central part of Georgia, another county was formed and named Walton County which is still in existence today. Both counties were named for Georgia Governor George Walton, but there is no connection between them other than their name. Please don't confuse the two counties in your Georgia research.
Books Relating To Old Walton County
In Transylvania Beginnings: A History, Mary Jane McCrary. (1984) Contains 105 pages. Easley, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, Inc. This is a very good summary of the people and the events surrounding The Walton War. It includes transcriptions of documents surrounding the conflict and includes the 1804 Walton County Census and petitions from residents. This book is out of print.
Reidinger, Martin. 1981. The Walton War and the Georgia-North Carolina Boundary Dispute. A copy is located at the Transylvania County Joint Historic Preservation Commission Archives. This is a well researched report on the events surrounding the Walton War.
Davis, Robert Scott, Jr. 1984. The Settlement at the Head of the French Broad River or The Bizarre Story of the First Walton County, Georgia
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