Gwinnett County was established on Dec. 15, 1818 by an act of the General Assembly (Ga. Laws 1818, p. 27). That legislation created Gwinnett, Habersham, and Hall counties from lands ceded by the Cherokee Indians on July 8, 1817 in the Treaty of the Cherokee Agency and by the Creek Indians on January 22, 1818 in the Treaty of the Creek Agency. Both treaties were necessary because the traditional boundary between the Creeks and Cherokees ran through present-day Gwinnett County. Four days after the creation of Gwinnett County, the legislature added a portion of western Jackson County.

Georgia's 44th county was named for provisional Georgia governor and signer of the Declaration of Independence Button Gwinnett (1735-1777).

Portions of Gwinnett County were used to create DeKalb County (1822) and Barrow County (1914). Additionally, between 1819 and 1875, portions of Gwinnett were transferred to the following counties: Hall (1819), Jackson (1819), DeKalb (1823, 1828, and 1829), Walton (1820), and Rockdale (1875). [Click here and here for more information on the history of Gwinnett County.]

Historical Maps

 

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© Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia

Go to Historical Atlas of Georgia Counties

Go to Gwinnett County Courthouse page