Houston County, Georgia Genealogy and History - Presented by Genealogy Trails History Group

Houston County

A county bearing this name was created by act of the Georgia legislature during the session of 1785-86. It was located in what is now northern Alabama. Immediately after the passage of the act about eighty men took possession and elected a member of the general assembly. The settlement was of short duration, however, as the Indian title to the lands had not been extinguished and the hostility of the natives soon drove the would-be settlers back to where there were a greater number of their own people.
The present county of Houston was organized in 1821 and was named for John Houston, governor of the state in 1778. Parts were taken to form the counties of Bibb and Crawford in 1822, part was set off to Pulaski in 1828, and another part was added to Crawford in 1830. It is located in the central part of the state and is bounded on the north by Bibb and Twiggs counties, on the east by Twiggs, on the southeast by Pulaski, on the south by Dooly, on the west by Macon and on the northwest by Crawford. The people of the county are somewhat proud of the fact that the first justice of the peace was Howell Cobb, afterward a prominent lawyer in Georgia. The Ocmulgee river flows along the eastern border and with its tributaries drains the land. The surface is level and the soil is fertile and easily worked, being a sandy loam with clay subsoil. Cotton, potatoes, the several kinds of peas and the cereals are the principal agricultural products. Dairy and truck farms are both numerous and remunerative. Houston county is more extensively engaged in peach culture than any other part of the United States. Apples, pears, plums and cherries are also grown in large quantities. From Fort Valley, which is the center of the fruit region, peaches to the value of $1,000,000, and other fruits in proportion, have been shipped in one season. There are several large canning establishments in the county, while some of the fruit farms have plants of their own for handling the crop. The timber supply is small, though some lumber is sawed every year. The principal mineral productions are marl, limestone and a superior quality of kaolin. Transportation facilities are all that could be desired. Two of the principal lines of the Central of Georgia railway form a junction at Fort Valley, a short line of the same system runs from that point to Perry, the Georgia Southern & Florida runs from north to south across the eastern part, one division of the Southern terminates at Fort Valley and another branch of that system runs along the eastern boundary for some distance, being separated from the county by the Ocmulgee river. Fort Valley is the largest city, Perry is the county seat, and Henderson, Powersville, Elko and Wellston are thriving towns. The population in 1900 was 22,641, an increase of 1,028 in ten years.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Kim Mohler)

Fort Valley, the largest town in Houston county, located at the junction of two branches of the Central of Georgia railway, was incorporated by act of the legislature in 1856. It is the largest peach growing county in the United States and much of its business is connected with the fruit industry. There have been shipped from this town in one season 850 car loads or 450.000 crates of peaches. There are three canning factories in Fort Valley that have put up 500,000 cans of fruits and vegetables in one season. Fort Valley has express and telegraph offices, water works, a money order post office with rural free delivery routes, two banks, a good hotel, an attractive business section with substantial brick stores, a knitting mill, a cotton gin, factories for turning out crates, baskets, plow handles and vehicles, and an iron foundry. The knitting mill makes ladies’ underwear exclusively. There is also a large flour mill, run by water power with patent roller process and having a capacity of forty barrels of flour a day. In addition to the two mail lines of the Central of Georgia railway, there is a short branch of the same road connecting Fort Valley with Perry, the county seat, and a branch of the Southern connecting it with Atlanta. This little city is well supplied with churches and schools. The large public school building has an elegant auditorium for lectures, concerts, etc. of the annual average receipts of cotton in Houston county, some 35,000 bales, the merchants and shippers of Fort Valley handle between 8,000 and 10,000. According to the census of 1900 the population of this city was 2,022 and the entire district including the city was 3,986.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Renae Donaldson)

Henderson, a post-village of Houston county, is located nine miles southeast of Perry and is the center of a fine agricultural district. It has a school, churches, stores with good local trade, and does considerable shipping. The population in 1900 was 127.
(Georgia: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form. VOL III Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Angelia Carpenter)

Kathleen, a village of Houston county, is on the Georgia Southern & Florida railway, about eight miles northeast of Perry. It has a money order postoffice, with rural free delivery, some mercantile interests, express and telegraph service, and is a shipping point of some importance to that section.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Tracy McAllister)

Myrtle, a post-village of Houston county, is on the short branch of the Central of Georgia railway system that runs from Fort Valley to Perry. The population is 1900 was 78.
[Source: Georgia Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Vol 2, Publ 1906. Transcribed by Renae Donaldson]