Jones County, Georgia

Jones County is a county in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,347.^[1] The county seat is Gray.^[2] The county was created on December 10, 1807, and named after U.S. Representative James Jones.^[3]

Jones County, along with Morgan County, Putnam County, and Old Randolph, were established by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December 10, 1807, from land that had originally been part Baldwin County in 1803 and, earlier, part of the Creek Nation. Jones County was originally bounded by a line running north 56° east to Commissioners Creek, then north 15° west to Cedar Creek, then up the creek to corner Randolph County and Putnam County, then along a line to Ocmulgee River, then down the river to where the old county line between Wilkinson County and Baldwin County was.^[4] It excluded parts of what is now Bibb County east of the Ocmulgee River, including the location of Fort Benjamin Hawkins, as they were part of a reserve guaranteed to the Creek Nation. Those areas were later added to Jones County after the Treaty of Indian Springs.^[5]

During the initial months of the county's existence, a town known as Albany served as the county seat.^[6] The town was renamed Clinton^[7] and was established as the county seat by the Georgia General Assembly on December 22, 1808.^[8] Clinton was incorporated as in 1816.^[9] During the 1800s Clinton grew as a center of commerce and the cotton trade.^[6] Clinton remained one of the most populous cities in Georgia in the mid-1800s.^[7][10]

Among the earliest settlers of the county were Thomas White (1781–1830) and Elizabeth Haynes Clark (1788–1856), of Orange County, Virginia, who established a plantation a few miles north of Round Oak, before 1810.

In December 1810 Jones County gained a portion of Putnam County between Cedar Creek and their original border.^[11] In December 1822 Bibb County was established and Jones County lost some of its land to that county.

During the early 19th century, Jones County had a rapid population increase. The peak came around 1835, when the county ranked third or fourth among all of the state's counties in agricultural wealth. After 1835, soil erosion and lack of funds to develop property drove many farmers to newly opened land elsewhere in Georgia.^[12]

Before the American Civil War, a few factories sprang up in the county, including a cotton gin factory at Griswoldville in the southern portion of the county and a woolen factory at Wallace. Griswoldville was founded by Samuel Griswold in the 1850s. During the Civil War, the cotton gin factory was reformatted so it could produce pistols and other weapons for the Confederate Army. Griswoldville was located on the railway linking Macon to Savannah, and became a prime target in 1864 as the Union Army moved through Georgia. On November 20, 1864, the town and the factories in it were burned as part of Sherman's March to the Sea. Days later the Battle of Griswoldville took place in the area. The town of Griswoldville was not rebuilt.

Many other areas in Jones County were damaged by the Union Army during that time period. The Jarrell Plantation State Historic Site in Jones County showcases one of the few and well-preserved antebellum plantations in Georgia.

In the 1890s a railroad line owned by the Central of Georgia Railway named the Macon & Northern Railroad was built through the county and bypassed Clinton by a mile after citizens wanted the line to not pass through the town. By the early 1900s the population had shifted northeastward and the city of Gray was established. On June 27, 1905, the citizens of Jones County voted on the issues of moving the county seat from Clinton to Gray. The results were 1,289 votes in favor of moving the county seat to Gray and 51 votes for keeping the county seat at Clinton. On August 9, 1905, Gray became the new county seat of Jones County.^[13]

Father and son Alonzo and James D. Green were innocent African-Americans lynched near Round Oak and Wayside, Jones County in retaliation for the murder of popular white farmer Silas Hardin Turner on July 4, 1915. A third man, William Bostick, was also lynched on this day. None of those killed received a trial.^[14]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 395 square miles (1,020 km²), of which 394 square miles (1,020 km²) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) (0.4%) is water.^[15]

The western half of Jones County, west of Gray, is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The northeastern quarter of the county, north of Gray, is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin, while the southeastern corner of Jones County is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the larger Altamaha River basin.^[16]

• Ocmulgee River

• Jasper County - north
• Putnam County - northeast
• Baldwin County - east
• Twiggs County - southeast
• Wilkinson County - southeast
• Bibb County - south
• Monroe County - west

• Oconee National Forest (part)
• Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge (part)

• Gray (county seat)

• Bradley
• Clinton
• Fortville
• Haddock
• Round Oak
• Wayside

• Blountsville

As of the 2020 census, the county had 28,347 people, 10,623 households, and 7,670 families residing in the county.^[28][29] The median age was 41.1 years, 23.9% of residents were under the age of 18, and 18.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.5 males age 18 and over. 16.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 83.4% lived in rural areas.^[30]

The racial makeup of the county was 71.3% White, 23.9% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.7% from some other race, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.7% of the population.^[28]

There were 10,623 households in the county, of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.^[29]

There were 11,584 housing units, of which 8.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.2% were owner-occupied and 21.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.3%.^[29]

As of the 2020s, Jones County is a strongly Republican voting county, voting 68.85% for Donald Trump in 2024. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Jones County is part of Georgia's 8th congressional district, currently represented by Mike Collins. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Jones County is part of District 25.^[31] For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Jones County is part of districts 144 and 149.^[32]

• John T. Edge, writer, commentator, and former director of the Southern Foodways Alliance
• Terrance Gore, professional baseball player with the Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves and New York Mets
• William Lee, early Alabama politician; immigrated to Jones County from England
• Sadie Gray Mays (1900–1969), social worker and wife of college president Benjamin Mays; born in Gray
• Otis Redding, singer, lived on a ranch he owned in Jones County during the height of his music career. A marker in downtown Gray pays tribute to Redding.^[34]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Jones County, Georgia
• List of counties in Georgia

• Rogers, Eryn (February 11, 2019). "Jones Co. family wants to shed light on dark past". Macon, Georgia: WMAZ-TV. Retrieved July 10, 2021.

33°02′N 83°34′W / 33.03°N 83.57°W / 33.03; -83.57