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Incorporated
Cities
Bloomingdale -- Garden City -- Pooler -- Port Wentworth -- Savannah
Thunderbolt -- Tybee Island -- Vernonburg
Unincorporated Census
DesignatedPlaces Georgetown -- Isle of
Hope -- Montgomery -- Skidaway Island --
Whitemarsh Island -- Wilmington Island
Brief History
The first people to settle in and around Savannah were the Yamacraws, a
Native American tribe. In the 18th century under their leader
Tomochici, they met the newly arriving European settlers. In November
1732, the ship Anne sailed from Britain carrying 114 colonists,
including General James Oglethorpe. On February 12, 1733, Oglethorpe
and his settlers landed at Yamacraw Bluff and, in an example of some of
the earliest "Southern hospitality", were greeted by Tomochici, the
Yamacraws, and John and Mary Musgrove, Indian traders. (Mary Musgrove
often served as a translator.) The city of Savannah was founded on that
date, along with the colony of Georgia. Because of the friendship
between Oglethorpe and Tomochici, Savannah was able to flourish
unhindered by the warfare that marked the beginnings of many early
American colonies.
The name "Savannah" means "Shawnee"; it derives from a Muskoghean
Indian word—a variant of Sawanoki, the native name of the Shawnees.
Georgia colonists adopted this name for the Savannah River and then for
the city.
In 1738, Jews from Spain and Portugal arrived in Savannah.
In 1740, George Whitefield founded the Bethesda Orphanage, which is now
the oldest extant orphanage in the United States.
Silk and indigo production, both in demand in England, were early
export commodities; by 1767 almost a ton of silk was exported annually
to England
During the American Revolutionary War, Savannah came under British and
Loyalist control in 1778. At the Siege of Savannah in 1779, American
and French troops (the latter including a company of free blacks from
Haiti) fought unsuccessfully to retake the city.
On January 27, 1785, members of the State Assembly gathered in Savannah
to found the nation's first state-chartered, public university—the
University of Georgia (in Athens).
The First Byran Baptist Church is an African-American church that
started in 1788. The original church building was built in 1793 on land
that was owned by African-Americans. In 1832 a split in the
congregation occurred, producing the First African Baptist Church,
Franklin Square; which was built in 1859 by its members, most of whom
were slaves.
In 1818 shipping and business stopped when the city fell under
quarantine due to a yellow fever epidemic. Many ships never came back
to Savannah, dealing a harsh blow to the local cotton industry.
Savannah Facts
Savannah is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia
Savannah was the first colonial and state capital of Georgia. It was
founded by General James Oglethorpe in 1733
It is the primary port on the Savannah River and is located along the
U.S. Intracoastal Waterway.
Savannah's architecture and history are internationally known, as is
its reputation for Southern charm and hospitality. The city prides
itself as the "Hostess City of the South."
Savannah houses the nation's most valuable living collection of 18th
and 19th century architecture. It encompasses six Historic
Neighborhoods and each spring Savannahians open their doors to visitors
during the Savannah Tour of Homes and Gardens.
Savannah's downtown area is the largest National Historic Landmark
District in the United States.
Residents of Savannah are known as Savannahians .
Tybee Island, formerly known as "Savannah Beach", is the site of the
Tybee Island Light Station, the first lighthouse on the southern
Atlantic coast.
Updates:
Nov 2009: KOLLOCK biography Oct 2009: CHARLTON biography Sep 2009:
Marriage Announcements; Obits for MAXWELL, FREEMAN, MITCHELL,
BEVILL Previous Updates:Runaway Slave News; Confederate Burials in
Laurel
Grove Cemetery; Death Notices News Item,County
history,Forsyth Obit, Duel Story,
Weather Story Savannah Mexican War Soldiers;
Chatham County Will Abstracts, Christenings, Births, Marriages- School
Georgia
Genealogy
Trails,
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