Charlton County was created out of the western half of Camden County in 1854, voters selected Trader's Hill as the county seat, and court sessions became another focus of social and economic life in the town.
Center Village, a town downriver from Trader's Hill and established in 1800, was a border town devoted to defense and trade. Camp Pinckney housed border soldiers, and a ferry provided service across the St. Marys between Georgia and Florida and merchants. Tradesmen and other Crackers bartered, bought, and sold their wares on the town streets, settled disputes in public "fist and skull" fights, and wagered on horse racing. Waresboro, a hub for passenger, mail, and freight service on the Okefenokee's north side, was established in 1824. It was fairly isolated initially, depending on mail service from the distribution station at Camp Pinckney, but gained population and prominence as Ware County's seat during the antebellum period. All four of these towns faded away as the larger cities
of Folkston (Charlton County) and Waycross (Ware County) became rail-road junctions in the postbellum era. But in the years before 1860, they were thriving trading centers and sites of sociability for the area's white residents.

Charlton, a post-village in the southern part of Charlton county, is in the big bend of the St. Mary's river and in 1900 reported a population of 85. It is about seven miles southwest of Cutler, on the Georgia Southern & Florida, which is the nearest railroad station.'

Charlton County was created from Camden in 1854 and named for Judge T. U. P. Charlton, of Savannah. It lies in the southern portion of the state and is bounded on the north by Wayne, Pierce and Ware counties, on the east by Camden, on the south by Ware county and the state of Florida, and on the west by Ware. The county is very irregular in shape, one arm stretching to the southwest into Florida, and another to the northeast, between Pierce and Camden. The St. Mary's river rises in the Okefinokee swamp and outlines the portion which projects into Florida. All the streams have an abundance of fish, and game, such as deer, bear, turkeys, wood-cock, partridge and snipe is plentiful. The Okefinokee swamp, which covers much of the county, bears a heavy growth of timber, chiefly yellow pine and.cypress, and numerous sawmills are in operation near its margin, sawing lumber which is sent in immense quantities to St. Mary's. The lands between this swamp and the Florida line are fertile and melons, potatoes, long staple cotton, sugar-cane, tobacco, oranges and figs are raised in abundance. Outside of this district much of the land is wild and is devoted to stock-raising. The Georgia Southern & Florida and the Atlantic Coast Line railways furnish transportation. Folkston, the county seat, is near the Camden county line at the junction of two divisions of the latter system. Trader's Hill, the former county seat is on the St. Mary's river and has a large trade in lumber. The population in 1900 was 3,592, a gain of 357 in ten years.

Charlton, Robert Milledge, son of Thomas Usher Pulaski Charlton, a sketch of whose life is given in a following paragraph, well upheld the prestige of the honored name which he bore, having been an able lawyer, author and publicist and a man whose integrity of purpose was beyond cavil. He was born in the city of Savannah, Ga., Jan. 19, 1807, and died, in the same city, Jan. 18, 1854, beloved by all who had entered the sphere of his immediate influence. He was admitted to the bar of the eastern circuit before he attained his majority and rose to prominence and marked precedence in his profession. At the age of twenty-one years he was elected to represent his native county in the state legislature; at twenty-four was appointed district attorney, by President Andrew Jackson; at twenty-eight became judge of the eastern judicial circuit, making a notable record on the bench; he was thrice mayor of Savannah, and at the age of forty-four years he became United States senator, succeeding John MacPherson Berrien. Charlton county was named for him. He was a public-spirited citizen and devout Christian, having been a communicant of the Protestant Episcopal church and concerned with most of the charities of his section of the state. He was of a cheerful temperament, humorous, helpful, eloquent; kindly and tolerant in his association with his fellow men in all stations of life. He was a contributor to the magazines of the day, notably the "Knickerbocker," to which he contributed many sketches of Georgia life in his section of the state. He published a volume of Georgia reports, comprehending the decisions of the superior court of the eastern circuit prior to the establishing of the supreme court. He published a volume of poems, including a few contributed by his brother, Dr. Thomas Jackson Charlton, and the work was carried through a second edition. In politics he gave an unwavering allegiance to the Democracy. In 1829 Judge Charlton was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Shick, of Savannah, a daughter of Peter Shick, whose father, John Shick, was a Salzburger, losing one of his arms at the siege of Savannah, in 1779, while serving as a valiant soldier of the Continental line. Of the ten children of Robert M. and Margaret (Shick) Charlton five attained to years of maturity, namely: Mary Marshall, who married Julian Hartridge; Thomas Marshall, who died unmarried; Robert Milledge, Jr., who likewise died a bachelor, one month after the surrender of General Lee, having served as a loyal soldier of the Confederacy from the beginning to the end of the Civil war; Margaret, who married Charles P. Hansell, of Thomasville, Georgia; and Walter Glasco, who married Mary Walton Johnston, daughter of Richard Malcom Johnston.

Charlton, Thomas Usher Pulaski, who died in the city of Savannah, Dec. 14, 1835, left a definite impress upon the civic and public history of Georgia, having been a distinguished member of its bar and a citizen of exalted character. He was born in Camden, Kershaw county, S. C, in November, 1779, a son of Thomas and Lucy (Kenan) Charlton, the former born in Maryland and the latter in North Carolina. His ancestors in the agnatic line came from county Salop, or Shropshire, England, having been a branch of the Northumberland family of the name. The original American ancestors settled first in Maryland, representatives of the name having been participants in the colonial wars and controversaries and among those appointed by the governor of Maryland to hold the Mason and Bixon line against Pennsylvania. Dr. Thomas Charlton, eldest son of Arthur Charlton and father of the subject of this sketch, joined the Revolutionary forces of South Carolina in 1775 and was a lieutenant of the line as well as surgeon in his command. His health became greatly impaired through his military service, and after his retirement he became a member of the legislature of South Carolina. After his death his widow .removed to Savannah, Ga., in 1791. Thomas U. P. Charlton was reared to maturity in Georgia, having been afforded excellent educational advantages and was admitted to the bar of the eastern circuit of the state in 1800. At the age of twenty-one he was elected a member of the state legislature, and when but twenty-five years old he was chosen attorney-general. When twenty-nine years of age he was made judge on the bench of the eastern circuit. He was a close friend of Gen. James Jackson, whose literary executor he became, and also of Governor Milledge. He was six times mayor of Savannah; was chairman of the committee of public safety at the time of the war of 1812; was a member of the committee which compiled the statutes of Georgia in 1825; published a volume of Georgia reports, decisions of the eastern circuit, and a history of the life of Maj. Gen. James Jackson. He was a leader of the bar of eastern Georgia and an orator of great power. He was a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, and served as grand master of the grand lodge of the state. Judge Charlton was.twice married, the maiden name of his first wife having been. Emily Walter. She was a daughter of Thomas Walter, of South Carolina, author of the "Flora Caroliniana," a valuable work on southern botany. His second marriage was with Ellen Glasco. All of his children were born of the first marriage, and of the number only two attained to years of maturity—Thomas Jackson and Robert Milledge.

Source: Georgia: comprising sketches of counties, towns, events, institutions, edited by Allen Daniel Candler, Clement Anselm Evans


Charlton County was laid off from Camden in 1856 and named for Judge T. U. P. Charlton of Savannah. It is bounded by the following counties: Wayne, Pierce and Ware on the north, Camden on the east, and Ware on the west. The northeastern part of the county runs up between Camden on the east and Pierce on the west The southeastern part runs down in such a way as to have Florida on three sides of it. For some distance along its eastern border runs the Satilla. The St. Mary's river rising in the southern part of the county runs along the western, southern and eastern sides of that part of it which projects into Florida. Okefinokee Swamp occupies a large part of the county.

On the neck of land between Okefinokee Swamp and the Florida line melons, potatoes, long-staple cotton, sugar-cane and tobacco give good yields. Oranges and figs are plentiful. By far the greater portion of lands in this county are wild lands and are devoted to stock-raising. There is no section of the State better adapted to raising sheep, cattle and hogs at small cost.

Travel and transportation of products are over the Plant System, the Atlantic, Valdosta and Western.

Trader's Hill, about four miles from the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway of the Plant System, and also on the St Mary's river, is the county site. The lumber business of this town is considerable. The streams supply abundance of fish, and the wild lands afford game of every sort, such as deer, bear, turkey, wood-cock, partridge, snipe, etc.

The people of Charlton do not raise much cotton, as is shown by the statistics of the United States Department of Agriculture.

According to the United States census of 1900 the cotton ginned in  Charlton county for the season of 1899-1900, was 302 bales, all sea island.

By the census of 1890 there were 2,983 sheep with a wool-clip of 4,903 pounds, 9,255 cattle, 2,406 milch-cows, 831 working oxen, 7,094 hogs, 12,247 poultry of all kinds, 300 horses, 34 mules and 1 donkey.

Among the farm products were 63,017 gallons of milk, 9,045 pounds of butter, 5,556 pounds of honey, and 14,763 dozens of eggs.

The lumber business occupies the attention of many people in the neighborhood of the great Okefinokee Swamp, where millions of feet of yellow pine and cypress are to be obtained. Large sawmills are in operation near the edge of the Swamp.

This county has 24 schools for white and 4 for colored pupils, with an average attendance of 467 white and 118 colored.

The school fund as stated in the report of the State School Commissioner, rendered in 1900, was $2,902.95.

The area of Charlton county is 1,063 square miles, or 680,320 acres.

The population by the United States census of 1900 was 3,592, an increase of 257 in the last decade.

The following items are taken from the Comptroller-General's report for 1900: acres of improved land, 146,262; of wild land, 532,528; average value per acre of improved land, $0.68; of wild land, $0.14; city or town property, $4,415; money and solvent debts, $32,087; merchandise, $15,950; cotton manufactories, $6,000; household and kitchen furniture, $20,816; farm and other animals, $98,057; plantation and mechanical tools, $8,795; watches, jewelry, etc., $1,888; value of all other property, $22,818; real estate, $179,368; personal estate, $207,446. Aggregate value of whole property, $386,814.

Property returned by colored taxpayers: number of acres of land, 5,017; value of land, $4,502; household and kitchen furniture, $1,012; farm and other animals, $3,262; plantation and mechanical tools, $322.00; value of all other property, $190.00. Aggregate value of whole property, $9,783.

The tax returns for 1901 show an increase of $1,917 in the value of all property over that of 1900,

Population of Charlton county by sex and color, according to the census of 1900: white males, 1,468; white females, 1,381; total white, 2,849; colored males, 419; colored females, 324; total colored, 743.

Domestic animals in barns and enclosures, not on farms or ranges, June 1, 1900: 13 calves, 14 steers, 1 bull, 15 dairy cows, 6 horses, 10 mules, 86 swine.

Source: Georgia, historical and industrial By Obediah B. Stevens, Robert F. Wright, Georgia. Dept. of Agriculture