Oglethorpe County, the fifth county created in Georgia on Dec. 19, 1793, was named for James Edward Oglethorpe, founder and first governor of Georgia. Born in London on Dec. 22, 1696, Oglethorpe spent his early life in Godalming, England. He was a philanthropist, soldier, and member of the House of Commons. He arrived with the first Georgia colonists at Yamacraw Bluff on Feb. 12, 1733, and began the settlement of Savannah. As war threatened between England and Spain, he defeated the Spaniards at the Battle of Bloody Marsh in July 1742. He died in Cranham, England, on June 30, 1785, and is buried within All Saints Parish church.