Talbot County was created by act of December 14, 1827, from Muscogee County and originally included part of Taylor County. It was named for Matthew Talbot (1767-1827), a member of the legislature, a member of the convention that framed the Constitution of Georgia, President of the State Senate, and Governor in 1819 after the death of Governor Rabun until the election of Governor Clark. The first officers of Talbot County, commissioned February 9, 1828, were Abraham Laurence, sheriff; Samuel C. Leech, clerk of the Superior Court; William S. Goss, clerk of the Inferior Court; Benjamin Loyd, surveyor; and Hubbard Brown, coroner.