The American History and Genealogy Project - Appling County, Georgia
Appling County was established by an act of the General Assembly on December 15, 1818 (Ga. Laws 1818, p. 27), making it Georgia’s 42nd county. The county was formed from Creek lands ceded in the Treaty of Fort Jackson (1814) and the Treaty of the Creek Agency (1818).
Named in honor of Colonel Daniel Appling (1787–1815), Georgia’s most distinguished hero of the War of 1812, the county originally encompassed all or parts of what are now Atkinson, Bacon, Brantley, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Echols, Jeff Davis, Pierce, Ware, and Wayne Counties.
On December 8, 1818, the Georgia Legislature allocated funds for the construction of the county’s first courthouse on land owned by Solomon Kennedy. The town of Holmesville grew around this courthouse, but the structure was destroyed by fire in the 1850s. In 1874, the county seat was relocated to Baxley, which was incorporated in 1875 and named after Wilson Baxley, one of the area’s early settlers.
Baxley later became known as the "Turpentine Capital of the World."
Other notable communities in Appling County include Surrency and Graham.
Over time, Appling County contributed to the creation of several other counties. Ware County was established from Appling in 1824, followed by Clinch (1850), Coffee (1854), Charlton (1854), Pierce (1857), Echols (1858), Jeff Davis (1905), Bacon (1914), Atkinson (1918), and Brantley (1920).
In an act passed on December 21, 1819, the General Assembly authorized the election of Appling County’s first justices of the inferior court, who were tasked with selecting a centrally located site for the county seat. However, they were unable to reach a decision. As a result, on December 21, 1820, the legislature appointed Henry Hagans, William Smith, Jacob Raulerson, Jesse Meazels, and Gabriel Tucker as courthouse and jail commissioners, giving them authority to choose a temporary county seat (Ga. Laws 1820, p. 28).
By 1824, the General Assembly restored the authority to select a permanent county seat and construct a courthouse to the justices of the inferior court (Ga. Laws 1824, p. 45). Until a courthouse was built, elections and court sessions were held at the home of William Carter, Jr.
Eventually, the justices selected a land lot where Solomon Kennedy resided as the site of the county seat. On December 8, 1828, the General Assembly officially designated this location as Holmesville (Ga. Laws 1828, p. 168). However, dissatisfaction with its location grew among residents. In response, a grand jury studied the matter and supported relocating the county seat. On December 24, 1836, the General Assembly appointed a seven-member commission to determine whether the courthouse should be moved and, if so, to select a new site and construct a new courthouse (Ga. Laws 1836, p. 106). Despite this effort, no immediate action was taken, and Holmesville remained the county seat for over three decades.
Ongoing dissatisfaction led to a legislative decision in August 1872 to hold a public vote on the matter. The election was held in September, and the winning side favored relocation. The appointed commissioners selected Baxley as the new county seat. In 1873, the General Assembly authorized the sale of the old courthouse in Holmesville to fund the construction of a new one in Baxley. A clerical error in the act mistakenly stated that the new courthouse would be built in Holmesville, but this was corrected in 1874.
Baxley emerged as a settlement when the Macon & Brunswick Railroad was built through Appling County in 1870. Initially known as Station Number 7, it was later named Baxley after William Baxley of North Carolina, one of its earliest settlers. After the 1872 election, construction of a new courthouse began, and by 1873 or 1874, county officials had relocated from Holmesville to Baxley. The town was officially incorporated by an act of the legislature on February 23, 1875.