History
Montgomery County is named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec City, Canada. It was created on December 19, 1793, from a southern portion of Washington County, Georgia. [3]
Arthur Lott's Plantation was designated the first county seat in 1797.
In 1801, Tattnall County, Georgia was formed from the southern part of Montgomery County. The dividing line between Tatnall and Montgomery ran from the mouth of Limestone Creek on the Oconee River, just below modern Mount Vernon, Georgia, to the mouth of Wolf Creek on the Canoochee River below Metter, Georgia.
The Great Revision
On December 11, 1811, the county lines between Washington County, Montgomery County, and Laurens County were adjusted by the Georgia General Assembly. The northern section of Montgomery between the Oconee River and the Ohoopee River was transferred to Laurens. On December 10, 1812, the county line of Montgomery was significantly adjusted as part of the creation of Emanuel County. Its new boundaries became from the then Laurens and Telfair county line on the Oconee River to the north prong of the Little Ocmulgee River (near present Chauncey, Dodge County, Georgia) down the Little Ocmulgee River as it meanders to its confluence with the Ocmulgee River then downstream as it meanders to the Oconee River, then North 30 degrees to Milligan's Creek in Tatnall County, and then with it to the Montgomery County line. [4] Pendleton Creek (in modern Treutlen and Toombs counties) was used as the border between Montgomery and Emanuel. Because of these transitions Montgomery regained part of the land it had lost in the creation of Tatnall County in 1801 (land along the lower Oconee River), but also lost land along the upper Oconee River to Laurens County.
The creation of Emanuel County put the old county seat within Emanuel's border. On December 12, the Georgia General Assembly appointed the justices of the inferior court of Montgomery county to a commission to designate a new county seat and called for county business to be held until then at the home of James Alston. In 1813, the General Assembly recognized Mount Vernon as the new county seat.
The county line between Telfair County and Montgomery was adjusted once again in 1820 by the Georgia Genera Assembly. The new line differed in the upstream portion of the Little Ocmulgee River and better defined the line and gave Montgomery a small border with Pulaski County, Georgia and Telfair County some land on the northeast side of the Little Ocmulgee River. The line was to go upstream to its fork then to Browning's mill, a straight line to the mouth of Joiner's Creek (Near modern McRae, Georgia) at the second fork of the Little Ocmulgee River, and then up the second prong to Pulaski County Line. [5]
The land gained by Telfair County from Montgomery County on the northeast side of the Little Ocmulgee River was reversed by the Georgia General Assembly on December 18, 1833. [6]
American Civil War
At the time of the 1850 United States Census, Montgomery had 1,541 whites, 613 slaves. By the 1860 census, there were 2,014 whites, 977 slaves, and 6 Free people of color. The pine barrens and soil quality outside of the river lands made the area unsuitable for slave-heavy cotton producing plantation culture. Montgomery's status as a majority white county led the region developing different attitudes about secession from other areas of Georgia.
On January 22, 1861, Montgomery County representatives, Thomas M. McRae and Solon Homer Latimer, were among the 89 delegates who voted no to Georgia's immediate secession from the Union at the state secession convention. In addition, McRae and Latimer were among the 6 delegates who voiced their protest by against the Ordinance of Secession in the published document.
In the interior of the county around Gum Swamp (Modern Chauncey, Georgia) near the Pulaski County, Telfair County, and Montgomery County lines a deserter gang fought against Confederate forces. [7]
Modern
More recently, the county was noted for its practice of organizing segregated proms, a practice that had continued since integration of its schools in the 1970s. [8] [9] [10] Following publicity about this practice, Montgomery County students took the initiative to integrate the prom in 2010. [11]
Demographics
Historical population| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|
| 1800 | 3,180 | | — |
|---|
| 1810 | 2,954 | | −7.1% |
|---|
| 1820 | 1,869 | | −36.7% |
|---|
| 1830 | 1,269 | | −32.1% |
|---|
| 1840 | 1,616 | | 27.3% |
|---|
| 1850 | 2,154 | | 33.3% |
|---|
| 1860 | 2,997 | | 39.1% |
|---|
| 1870 | 3,586 | | 19.7% |
|---|
| 1880 | 5,381 | | 50.1% |
|---|
| 1890 | 9,248 | | 71.9% |
|---|
| 1900 | 16,359 | | 76.9% |
|---|
| 1910 | 19,638 | | 20.0% |
|---|
| 1920 | 9,167 | | −53.3% |
|---|
| 1930 | 10,020 | | 9.3% |
|---|
| 1940 | 9,668 | | −3.5% |
|---|
| 1950 | 7,901 | | −18.3% |
|---|
| 1960 | 6,284 | | −20.5% |
|---|
| 1970 | 6,099 | | −2.9% |
|---|
| 1980 | 7,011 | | 15.0% |
|---|
| 1990 | 7,163 | | 2.2% |
|---|
| 2000 | 8,270 | | 15.5% |
|---|
| 2010 | 9,123 | | 10.3% |
|---|
| 2020 | 8,610 | | −5.6% |
|---|
| 2024 (est.) | 8,566 | [14] | −0.5% |
|---|
|
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 8,610, 3,157 households, and 2,102 families. The median age was 39.2 years, 21.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 104.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 104.5 males age 18 and over. 1.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 98.7% lived in rural areas. [25] [26] [27]
The racial makeup of the county was 67.2% White, 24.8% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.8% from some other race, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.6% of the population. [27]
There were 3,157 households in the county, of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 28.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. [26]
There were 3,740 housing units, of which 15.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.4% were owner-occupied and 27.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.9%. [26]
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