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Chatham County, Georgia

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Robert Paul Darsey (1892 - 1976)
Belle M. Darsey (1890 - 1931)
Walter Hazel Sanders, Sr. (1921 - 1991)
Charles E. "Charlie" Sikes (1928 - 2009)
Charles E. Sikes, age 81, died Thursday, February 26, 2009 at Memorial Health University Medical Center after a long illness. He was a native of Tattnall County and lived the past 55 years in Liberty ...
Jess Rowland (deceased)
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Please add profiles of those who were born, lived or died in Chatham County, Georgia.

Official Website

History

One of the original counties of Georgia, Chatham County was created February 5, 1777, and is named after William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham. it was formed out of Christ Church Parish and St. Phillip Parish.

Although Georgia was originally planned as a colony with no slaves, Savannah and Chatham County became a port for the importing of slaves after 1750. The port of Savannah was also used to ship cotton, naval stores, and other trade goods.

Chatham County was occupied by the British in 1778, during the American Revolution (1775-83). In October 1779 the British successfully defended Savannah from the colonial and French armies during the Siege of Savannah. After the war Chatham County grew in population along with Savannah, which became one of the South's most important ports.

During the Civil War (1861-65), Chatham County became an important center of trade for the Confederacy, as the multitude of creeks and rivers in the area made the total blockade of the port of Savannah difficult for the Union. Other than the brief attack on Fort Pulaski in April 1862, and a minor skirmish on Whitmarsh Island, the war bypassed Chatham County until the very end, when Union general William T. Sherman occupied the area in December 1864 at the conclusion of his march to the sea. Sherman issued his famous "Forty Acres and a Mule" Field Order No. 15 here on January 16, 1865.

Modern Chatham County is an important industrial and transportation center. Major companies like International Paper and Kerr-McGee have plants in the county. The Savannah–Hilton Head International Airport serves both coastal Georgia and South Carolina and is home to Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation.

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