This county was named after Lieutenant-Colonel John Laurens, who was killed in the Revolutionary War, near Combahee, South Carolina, 27th of August, 1782. It was laid out in 1807, and portions of it added to Pulaski in 1808-9. Length, 32 m.; breadth, 22 m.; area square miles, 704.

    Extract from the last Census. - White males, 1,740; white females, 1,719; free coloured males, 3; free coloured females, 6. Total free population, 3,468; slaves, 2,974. Deaths, 54. Farms, 328; manufacturing establishments, 6. Value of real estate, $464,181; value of personal estate, $1,171,164.

    The Oconee is the chief stream.

    There are numerous creeks, such as Deep, Okeewalkee, Tickee Hachee, Palmetto, Turkey, Hunger, Hardship, Shaddock, Pues, and Whitewater.

    The climate is considered as pleasant as any in the United States.

    DUBLIN, the county seat, is situated half a mile from the Oconee River, forty-six miles from Milledgeville, sixty from Macon, and one hundred and twenty from Savannah.

    The public places are, Thomas' Cross Roads, Hampton's Mills, Laurens Hill, and Buckeye.

    The face of the country is rolling. The soil has a clay foundation with sand and vegetable mould in the pine, and a good mixture of lime, with mould and sand, in the oak lands.

    The oak and hickory lands constitute one-third of the cultivated portion of the county; the remainder are, for the greater part, the open pine woods and wire-grass. The wire-grass lands are very susceptible of improvement; a little manure is sufficient to give from ten to twelve bushels of corn, ten to twelve of wheat, and two hundred bushels of sweet potatoes. The wire-grass itself is valuable. There is no other known grass in the South which resists the cold and furnishes food to cattle, sheep, and hogs, and in the spring or early summer, to the table of the farmer the finest butter, rich in flavour and beautiful in colour. It is true that, as the season advances and winter approaches, this grass, like every perennial, becomes coarser and tougher, and is therefore less relished; but never so coarse or tough as not to afford aliment sufficient to sustain life. Besides the wire-grass, there is the lightwood, the poor man's fuel, and charcoal - a fire kindled in three minutes for warmth, cooking, and for every household purpose. Should the time ever come when steam shall be found to be cheaper for every mechanical operation, upon an extensive scale, than waterpower, the pine forests will be invaluable. Every material for building, of excellent quality, and abundant, is furnished by these forests. Tar and turpentine might now be made to great advantage. Such a combination of advantages makes this county, as well as others in the same parallel, a garden spot to the poor man, and a wide field to the manufacturer of cotton and wool, whenever he shall find it in his interest to prefer steam to water-power.

    Among the early settlers were, General BLACKSHEAR, Colonel McCORMICK, Mr. JONATHAN SAWYER, Colonel HAMPTON, the ROBINSON family, and others.

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DISTINGUISHED MEN.

    General DAVID BLACKSHEAR was born in Jones County, North Carolina, January 31st, 1764. At an early age he took an active part against the Tories. He moved to Georgia in 1790, and settled in Laurens County, near the Oconee River, which was then the dividing line between the whites and Indians. Here he was engaged in several battles with the savages, and earned a high reputation for his intrepidity. Prior, we think, to 1813, he was elected Brigadier-General and had the immediate command of a line of forts in Twiggs, Pulaski, and Telfair Counties. In 1814, in consequence of the disability of General Floyd to take the field, he was offered the command, by General Early, of the army in the service of the United States, against the hostile Creek Indians. General Floyd, however, recovering his health, General Blackshear was placed in command of the army under Major-General John McIntosh, and ordered to rendezvous at Fort Hawkins. This order was obeyed. The force raised amounted to 2,500 men, and was intended to join General Jackson near Mobile, being marched first to Hartford and thence to Fort Early, on the Flint River. Here he received orders to conduct his force to Darien, McIntosh County. The road from Fort Early to Darien was opened at that time, and is still known as "Blackshear's Road." In 1815, a vote of thanks was given to Generals McIntosh and Blackshear by the Legislature of Georgia for their faithful services. In various ways, General Blackshear served the State of Georgia. He represented Washington County first, and afterwards Laurens, for a number of years. He was one of the electors who voted for Mr. Jefferson, and again when General Jackson was elected. He was the honoured friend of some of Georgia's noble sons, such as Governors Early, Troup, Floyd, &c. This good man died on the 4th of July, 1837, at his residence in Laurens County in the seventy-fourth year of his age.

    The Hon. GEORGE M. TROUP, so conspicuous in the annals of our State, is a resident of this county.

Laurens County transcribed by Jerri Eoff Sudderth - November, 2003.
 

First put online 5 Jan 2004.