Schley County got its territory from the division of Marion, Macon and Sumter counties in 1857. It is named for William Schley, jurist, congress­man and governor of Georgia. The county seat, Ellaville, is named for the daughter of the man who sold land for the town site. It was incor­porated in 1859, but the nearby community of Pond Town had been settled since 1812.