Washington County was created in 1783 and named for the first president. Early settlers were veterans of the Revolutionary War who were given land grants, but the treaty whereby Georgia had acquired this territory was repudiated by the Creek Indian leader, Alexander McGillivray. A resultant dispute grew into the Oconee War which kept the frontier uneasy for 20 years thereafter. Sandersville, the county seat, is named for a local merchant who had donated land for a courthouse. Somewhere in the early recordings, the correct spelling of his name, Saunders, was overlooked.