Brief Chronology of Gwinnett County History

1818
On December 15, by an act of the Georgia Legislature, the county of Gwinnett is created. It is named for Button Gwinnett, signer of the Declaration of Independence, President of Georgia, and Georgia colonial leader. All courts and elections are to be held at the home of Elisha Winn, near the Appalachee River, until a suitable site for a county courthouse can be found.

1821
Elisha Winn, after being authorized by the Superior Court of the young county, buys land lot no. 146, consisting of 250 acres, from John Breedlove of Hancock County. The land, bought for the sum of $200, will become the county seat of Gwinnett County.

1821
On December 15, the third anniversary of the birth of Gwinnett County, the Georgia Legislature charters the city of Lawrenceville and names it the permanent county seat. It is named by William Maltbie, for Captain James Lawrence, naval hero of the War of 1812.

1824
The first permanent courthouse is built in Lawrenceville. Built by Major George Grace of South Carolina for $4,000, the courthouse is made of wood and brick.

1826
The Gwinnett County Academy is established as the county academy and the first public school in Gwinnett County. Dr. John S. Wilson is the first superintendent of the school. Subjects taught include reading, writing, arithmetic, Latin, Greek, grammar, surveying, rhetoric, and geography.

1820 - 1830
The population of Gwinnett County increases rapidly. Within 10 years, the number of citizens of this county jumps from 4,589 to 13,289. People from Georgia and all over the South make their homes in the area.

1836
Gwinnett Countians, under the command of Captain Hammond Garmany, form a mounted troop for the 45th Georgia Militia, for service in the Creek Indian War. Eight of the company are killed in battle with the Indians at Shepherd’s Plantation in South Georgia. In 1840 a marble monument to the memory of these dead and also James C. Winn and Anthony Bates, two men who died while fighting for the independence of Texas from Mexico, is erected on the courthouse square. The eight soldiers are buried in the courthouse square. They are I.S. Lacy, James C. Martin, James H. Holland, James M. Allen, Robert T. Holland, 1.A.V. Tate, William M. Sims, and Henry W. Paden.

1830 - 1840
The population of Gwinnett drops from 13,829 to 10,804. The same speculation and land-fever that caused the rapid growth of the county’s population causes its decline. The county begins to put its industrial emphasis on agriculture, and many landowners prosper. One of these is Robert Craig, who owns a huge estate three miles west of Lawrenceville. It is called "Little Egypt" because of its productivity, and the estate’s grains literally feed the county.

1849
The Inferior Court of the county makes a "strange transaction" with four young lawyers of Lawrenceville. Charles H. Smith, Nathan L. Hutchins, James P. Simmons, and T. W. Alexander are each given a corner lot on the courthouse square on which to build a law office. In return for the office space, they erect an 8-foot high fence to keep the livestock from entering the square. Animals have been a problem; on at least one occasion, a goat has ambled into the courtroom while court has been in session!

1840 - 1850
The population increases little by little, from 10,804 in 1840 to 11,257 in 1850. There are over 2,000 slaves owned by Gwinnett Countians. Many citizens of the county become prominent both socially and politically.

1850 - 1860
On the eve of the War Between the States, Gwinnett County boasts a population of over 12,000. There are over 2,500 slaves in the county, and 133 plantations with over 500 acres. The largest landowner in Gwinnett County in 1860 is Evan Howell of the Pickneyville District, who owns 3,000 acres.

1861
On January 19, Georgia secedes from the Union, and joins the Confederate States of America. Gwinnett responds to the call for troops with 18 companies: one artillery unit, five calvary units, and 12 infantry units, comprising almost 2,000 of the finest men of Gwinnett County.. Among the officers include Nathan L. Hutchins, Jr., William E. Simmons, Tyler M. Peeples, Lovick P. Thomas, Samuel J. Winn, B. P. Weaver, Moses K. Richardson, Henry P. Thomas, John H.F. Mattox, J. T. McElvany, A.K. Richardson, A.A. Dyer, David A. Lee, and D. A. Camp. Many of these Gwinnett Countians will be killed, wounded, or captured while fighting under the Stars and Bars.

1862
On September 17, Company F, 24th Georgia Infantry, from this county, fought bravely at the Battle of Sharpsburg and suffered heavy casualties. On December 13, at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Cobb’s Brigade, of which Companies H and I, 16th Georgia Infantry, are a part, wins great fame by holding off repeated Union attacks at Marye’s Heights.

1863
At the Battle of Gettysburg, the most famous battle of the war, fought on July 1-3, 1863, the Companies F and H, 35th Georgia Infantry, from Gwinnett County, performed with special gallantry and sustained serious losses.

1864
At the Battle of Atlanta on July 22, Companies A and B, 42nd Georgia Infantry, made up of Gwinnett Countians, capture the cannons of Battery H, 1st Illinois Artillery, U.S.A. This capture of DeGress’ battery is depicted in the famous Cyclorama painting of the battle in Atlanta. During the summer of 1864, various detachments from the army of Union General William T. Sherman enter Gwinnett County on foraging expeditions. The "Home Guard," as the cavalry militia protecting this area was known, skirmished the Yankees several times with few losses.

1865
After the surrenders of Generals Robert E. Lee and Joseph E. Johnson m April, and the collapse of the Confederacy, the men who have led Gwinnett Countians in war return to their homes to lead Gwinnett County in peace. It is largely through the fight against Reconstruction by these Confederate veterans that the county rebuilds itself.

1871
In September, the courthouse burns down, supposedly the work of an arsonist. Not only the building, but valuable county records are lost in the fire. A new courthouse is built in early 1872.

1871
The Southern Railroad lays its tracks through this county. Towns grow up along the tracks, such as Buford, Duluth, Norcross and Suwanee, and become commercial centers of the county. Slowly but surely Gwinnett County is recovering from the War Between the States.

1870 - 1880
The population increases greatly as Gwinnett County becomes one of the reasons Georgia is once again an agricultural leader in the South and the nation. The increase is one of over 7,000, jumping from 12,431 in 1870 to 19,531 in 1880.

1888
A group of the small farmers of Gwinnett County band together and form a Farmer’s Alliance. This group promotes the hard work of the individual farmer and will become a strong political power in the nation. Gwinnett sends its delegates to the Georgia alliance, and Georgia sends its delegates to the national alliance. The Populist Party is an outgrowth of the Farmer’s Alliance.

1880 – 1890
The county continue to grow, although not as greatly as in past years. Agriculture in Gwinnett County has become a good business for many of its citizens.

1891
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad completes its line through Gwinnett County. At various points along the road, depots are constructed and these depots attract settlers and become the towns of Dacula, Gloster, Grayson, Lilburn and Luxomni.

1890 – 1908
Because of the advent of the railroad through the county, the population increases by over 5,000. More and more people are settling in the county yearly.

1915
Automobiles are rapidly replacing the horse and buggy, and by 1915, over 300 Gwinnett Countians own an automobile, whether it is a Buick, Cadillac, Chalmers, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Haynes, Hudson, Maxwell, Oakland, Olds, Overland, Rambler, Reo or Studebaker.

1900 – 1910
The population increases a little, but the residents of Gwinnett are enjoying an era of prosperity and good feeling. Baseball games, Fourth of July picnics, election speeches, band concerts on the square, and church socials are popular.

1917
The United States enters World War I, and nearly 700 of the young men of the county are enlisted into the army. Many of them fight with the expeditionary forces in France. Two soldiers, Private Henry Kelley and Emory Mahaffey, are awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for conspicuous bravery in battle.

1910 – 1920
The population increases, but not because of prosperity. Disease and insect pests hit the agriculture industry of Gwinnett County, and business slumps.

1930 – 1935
The nationwide depression affects Gwinnett County. Under the New Deal program of Franklin D. Roosevelt, America gradually builds itself up to heights of new prosperity.

1941 – 1945
Men and women from Gwinnett County enter the United States Armed Services during World War II. An auxiliary naval ship, the U.S.S. Gwinnett is commissioned and named for Gwinnett County. There is great rejoicing and thanksgiving on V-E Day and V-J Day in 1945.

1945 – Present
Gwinnett County becomes one of the fastest growing areas in the state. Many large businesses and companies locate in "Growing Gwinnett." The population booms as people move to this county’s mixture of the country and the city life. Subdivisions and shopping centers rise in many areas of the county. Residents of Atlanta and Fulton and DeKalb Counties migrate in great numbers to the promising future that is Gwinnett County in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

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