Gray, Georgia, was named for James Madison Gray, regarded as Jones County's most outstanding citizen. He clothed the Gray Infantry, Company F, 45th Georgia Regiment, C.S.A., and during the Civil War fed soldiers and homeless families from his own smokehouses. At his death he left the bulk of his estate to Mercer University as the Gray Fund to provide a better college for local boys. The railroad ran through the center of Gray's property surrounding the present town. Though he never married, he was liked by all, slaves, sharecroppers, and plantation owners alike.