Our names are Hank Burnham and Dr. James Burnham and we are the persons responsible for Dodge County. If you would like to contribute your information to this page, please let us know. If you would like to host a county, contact Tim Stowell GeorgiaGenWeb State Coordinator.

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Hank Burnham and Dr. James Burnham County Coordinators

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Dodge Co. History
Dodge County was created on Oct. 26, 1870 by an act of the General Assembly (Ga. Laws 1870, p. 18). Formed from portions of Montgomery, Pulaski, and Telfair counties, Dodge County’s original boundaries were defined as:

That there shall be a new county laid out and formed of the thirteenth, (13th) fourteenth, (14th) fifteenth, (15th) sixteenth, (16th) nineteenth (19th) and twentieth (20th) land districts of originally Wilkinson county, (except that portion of said land districts numbers thirteen, (13) sixteen (16) and nineteen (19) which now lie in and constitute a part of Laurens county) now forming parts of the counties of Pulaski, Telfair and Montgomery; that said new county shall be called the county of Dodge. . . .

Dodge County’s borders with Pulaski and Telfair counties were adjusted in 1872, 1874, 1875, and 1876.

Georgia’s 136th county was named for former New York congressman Industrialist, and lumberman William E. Dodge (1805-1883) who owned large areas of the forest lands and who persuaded Congress to remove taxation from “the great staple of our state.” After the Civil War, Dodge served one term in Congress and then began purchasing large amounts of land in the area that would become Dodge County. Here, he established a number of lumber mills and is credited as one of the pioneers of Georgia’s timber industry.
After the county creation, William Dodge had a two-story frame courthouse built at his expense—presumably in appreciation for the county having been named in his honor. In 1906 or 1907, this courthouse was torn down and replaced by the current two-story brick courthouse. The current courthouse was recently renovated by the county.
The first County Officers included: Superior Court Judge J.R. Alexander, Clerk of Superior Court Ruben A. Harrell, Sheriff Jordan Brown, Tax Collector T.P. Willcox, Tax Receiver Jno. W. Bohannon and Ordinary S.W. Burch.

Eastman, Ga. the County Seat

The act creating Dodge County directed that its county seat would be station No. 13 on the Macon & Brunswick Railroad, which the act also recognized as being known as Eastman. The community that would eventually become Eastman was first settled around 1840. When the route of the Macon & Brunswick Railroad came through after the Civil War, the settlement became a train depot known as Station No. 13. In 1870, the town was named for William P. Eastman, a business associate of William Dodge who settled here that year. Eastman was incorporated on Oct. 27, 1870 by an act of the General Assembly (Ga. Laws 1870, p. 187).

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Cities/Communities of Dodge Co., GA

Eastman, Chester, Chauncey, and Rhine

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Dodge County Links

The Dodge Co. News
The Political Grave Yard
Wiregrass Genealogical Society

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CSA Resources

United Daughters of the Confederacy
Sons of Confederate Veterans
Confederate Resource Page
Georgia Confederate Pension Applications

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Revolutionary War Resources

National Society, Sons of the American Revolution
Georgia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution - Georgia Organization
National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution
National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution- State and Chapter Sites- Georgia
Revolutionary War Flags
American Revolution.Org

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Other Georgia Links

Georgia Vital Records Information
1895 Georgia Maps
Georgia County Map Northern Counties are shown in various colors.
Georgia County Map Southern Counties are shown in various colors.
Georgia Genealogical and Historical Societies
Georgia Maps

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Other Genealogical Links

RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative
Cyndy's List of Genealogical Sites on the Internet
Genforum Surname Query Board
Internet FamilySearch
Census Online
Old Jacksonville, Ga.

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Hank Burnham - County Coordinator

Dr. James Burnham - County Coordinator

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Copyright 1998-2004
Hank Burnham and Dr. James Burnham

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