Telfair County was created by act of December 10, 1807, from Wilkinson County and originally contained parts of Coffee and Dodge Counties. It was named for Gov. Edward Telfair (1735-1807), who was born in Scotland, settled in Savannah in 1766, strongly supported the American cause in the Revolution, served as a member of the Council of Safety, was a delegate to the Continental Congress, and was Governor from 1786 to 1787 and from 1790 to 1793. The first officers of Telfair County, commissioned December 20, 1808, were Duncan Curry, Clerk of Superior and Inferior Courts; Cullen Edwards, Sheriff; and Benjamin M. Griffin, Coroner.