By: Martha Acker, Pub. 1989, reprinted 2024, 330 pages, Index, Soft cover, ISBN #978-1-63914-224-8. Franklin County was created in 1784 and was considered the 8th county of the state. It is located in the northeastern portion of the state boarding South Carolina along the Savannah River. Early on, Franklin County boarded Wilkes and Greene Counties, Georgia and Pendleton District/County, South Carolina. Franklin County is the parent county in part or whole to: Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Hart, Jackson, Madison, Oconee, and Stephens. In Georgia this court formerly had exclusive and general jurisdiction over probate of wills; granting letters testamentary, or of administration, and revocation of same; management, disposition and distribution of estates of decedents, idiots, lunatics and insane persons and all such other matters and things as appertain or relate to same; appointment or removal of guardians of minors and persons of unsound mind and all controversies as the right of guardianship; receiving and hearing applications for homestead and exemption and granting same; jurisdiction in binding out if orphans and apprentices and all controversies between master and apprentice. This book has approximately 6,500 entries.

Few places in the United States feel the impact of courthouse disasters like the state of Georgia. Over its history, 75 of the state's counties have suffered 109 events resulting in the loss or severe damage of their courthouse or court offices. This book documents those destructive events, including the date, time, circumstance, and impact on records. Each county narrative is supported by historical accounts from witnesses, newspapers, and legal documents. Maps show the geographic extent of major courthouse fires. Record losses are described in general terms, helping researchers understand which events are most likely to affect their work.