Chattooga County was created by act of December 28, 1838, from Floyd and Walker Counties. It was named for the river that flows through the county, called Chattooga by the Cherokee Indians. Sequoyah, also known as George Guess or Gist, inventor of the Cherokee alphabet, was born and lived for some time near Alpine in Chattooga County. The first county officers, commissioned February 5, 1839, were G.T. Hopkins, Clerk Superior Court; I.N. Bibb, Clerk Inferior Court; W.T. Kellet, Sheriff; and I. McNeally, Coroner.