Johnson County was created in 1858 from parts of Washington, Emanuel and Laurens counties. Its name honors Hershel V. Johnson, Georgia governor and Stephen Douglas' running mate in an unsuccess­ful bid against Abraham Lincoln in 1860. Wrightsville, the county seat, is thought to be named for John B. Wright, a pioneer resident. This coun­ty's irregular southern boundary was an accommodation for a citizen so irate with his county commissioner that he prevailed on his legislators to separate his land from Johnson County. The Jefferson/Johnson county line follows the route of the Old Sunbury Road, one of the longest thoroughfares of its time. It was laid out in the 1790s.