Treutlen County was created by act of Aug. 21, 1917, from Emanuel and Montgomery Counties. It was named for Gov. John Adam Treutlen (1726-1782), called “one of the foremost revolutionists.” Elected governor over Button Gwinnett in 1777, he was declared a “rebel governor” by the royal government and is believed to have been murdered by Tories in Orangeburg, S.C. The first officers of Treutlen County, commissioned Dec. 9, 1918, were M.B. Ware, sheriff; N.L. Gillis, ordinary; J.F. Mullis, clerk of superior court; J.E. Thorpe, tax receiver; W.M. Courson, tax collector; J.B. Dukes, surveyor; A. Gillis, treasurer; B.X. Watkins, coroner; and R.E. Ward, Sr., school superintendent.