Q: Past Actual Factual Georgia answers about the origins of city names in Georgia have spurred a couple more questions from readers wondering which ones were named for heroes of the War of 1812. Cynthia Rintye, director of the Lawrenceville Ghost Tours, asks if Decatur, both here and the one in Illinois, were named for naval captain Stephen Decatur. Another reader is curious about the Georgia towns of Bainbridge, Eatonton and Perry, since we’ve already learned that both Lawrenceville and McDonough were named for heroes of that war.
A: Early 19th century battles and wars had a huge impact on our state, giving new Georgia towns and counties plenty of people to name things after since Washington, Jefferson, Hancock and Franklin were in high demand. The folks forming Decatur County – which borders Florida in Southwest Georgia -- and its county of seat of Bainbridge, dipped into the War of 1812 pool for both. Decatur County was formed in 1823, land for the county seat was purchased in 1826, and Bainbridge – named for William Bainbridge, who was the captain of "Old Ironsides" herself, the USS Constitution – was incorporated in 1829. Stephen Decatur would have had a huge Twitter following if it had been around 200 years ago. He led a daring raid against the Barbary pirates in 1804, commanded ships in the War of 1812 and then helped defeat the Barbary pirates in 1815. Our Decatur and the one in Illinois are two of an estimated 46 communities in the U.S. named for Decatur, who survived several battles only to be killed in a duel with another naval officer when he was 41. Eatonton was named for William Eaton, an army officer who led a land expedition in the war against the Barbary pirates and Tripoli in 1804-05. Eaton's action spurred a line in the U.S. Marine hymn -- "From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli." Perry was initially called Wattsville, but it was renamed after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry defeated the British at the Battle of Lake Erie. I'm glad they went with Perry instead of Hazard, which only would have gotten confusing since Georgia already has a Hazzard County. I wonder how those Duke boys are doing, anyway.
Q: A recent Q&A on the News answer fueled responses from readers who helped me track down a few titles to this question: Is there a book that shows all the Civil War plaques in Georgia?
A: Chuck Misiaveg of Rome wrote that his aunt and uncle toured Georgia using a book called, "Confederate Monuments of Georgia," which was published by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1984. It's available in a few libraries around metro Atlanta. Carrollton's David N. Wiggins wrote "Georgia's Confederate Monuments and Cemeteries," which was published in 2006 and can be purchased through Amazon and Arcadia Publishing. Also, there's "Georgia Historical Markers: The Complete Texts of 1752 Markers," which was published in 1973. There were used copies for sale on Amazon. I've enjoyed reading through "Crossroads of Conflict: A Guide to Civil War Sites in Georgia," written by Barry L. Brown and Gordon R. Elwell, and which was released last year. It's thoroughly researched, well illustrated and includes GPS coordinates to help find some of those hidden gems. It's in bookstores and at Amazon and other online retailers.
What do you want to know?
If you're new in town or just have questions about this special place we call home, ask us! E-mail Andy Johnston at q&a@ajc.com.
About the Author
