Governor Peter Early

Governor Peter Early is a Georgia historical marker in Greene County, dedicated 1986.

Located at the Early family plot in Greensboro City Cemetery.

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Peter Early served as Georgia governor from 1813 to 1815, during the War of 1812 with Great Britain and the Creek War of 1813-1814. Born in Virginia in 1773, he graduated from Princeton and moved to Georgia in 1795 to practice law, settling in Greene County in 1800. He served as U.S. Congressman, Superior Court judge, state senator, and trustee of the University of Georgia. As governor, Early supported Andrew Jackson's federal military campaign against the Creeks, forcing them to cede 22-million acres separating southern Georgia from Florida. Removal of the Creeks enlarged the state's boundaries, eventually expanding both cotton production and slavery. Early died on August 15, 1817, and was buried on his plantation near Scull Shoals. His family moved his remains here to the Greensboro City Cemetery in 1914. Early County is named in his memory.

Maps this old were drawn largely by eye, so places on them can sit miles from where they really are. The pin is ours and marks the marker's location today.

TodayHistorical map

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library

Historical maps covering this location

1776 · A general map of the southern British colonies in America comprehending North and South… (Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library)
1795 · State of South Carolina. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1816 · Georgia. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1816 · Georgia (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1824 · Georgia. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

Georgia, 1816, covering the location of Governor Peter Early, with a pin at the marker's coordinates — Georgia, 1816, covering this location. David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

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What that marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years there.

From one family's 77-marker roster

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This historical marker is part of the Georgia Historical Marker Program and was erected by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Marker texts and locations come from the Society's own marker database.

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