Treutlen County got its lands from Emanuel and Montgomery counties in 1917. Its earliest settlers are thought to have come in 1784. The county bears the name of John Adam Treutlen who served in the Provincial Congress of 1775 and who became Georgia's first governor. While visiting in Orangeburg, South Carolina, Treutlen was murdered, allegedly by Tories. Soperton, the county seat, is named for a prominent local citizen. From its inception, Treutlen's wealth has been primarily its pine forests.