Franklin County dates to 1784 when its territory covered that of the future counties of Banks, Jackson, Barrow, Clarke, Oconee and Stephens counties plus parts of Hart, Madison, Hall and Gwinnett. Veterans of the War of 1812 were given land grants as bounty warrants, but Franklin County was so remote, few exercised their rights of owner­ship. It is named, of course, for Benjamin Franklin, author, statesman, diplomat, philosopher and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Carnesville, the county seat, is named for Thomas B. Carnes, a member of the Third Congress of the United States.