Forsyth County was another division of the original Cherokee County, this one created by legislative act in 1832. It is named for John Forsyth, attorney general of Georgia, member of both houses of Congress and U. S. secretary of state under Presidents Jackson and Van Buren. As minister to Spain, it was Forsyth who negotiated the purchase of Florida. Cumming the county seat, is named for William Cumming of Augusta, a colonel in the War of 1812. He became an advocate of states' rights versus a strong central government.