Wayne County (Georgia)

Wayne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 30,099. The county seat is Jesup.Wayne County comprises the Jesup, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area.HistoryAt the time of European contact, the area of what would become Wayne County was settled by the Guale people. Being close to the coast and bordered by the Altamaha River, Wayne County's history includes occupation by Spanish missionaries at the time of the settlement of Saint Augustine as well as short-lived French occupation. The flags of France, Spain, England, and the Confederate States of America all flew over Wayne with little success.Early yearsSeventy years after General James Oglethorpe settled the colony of Georgia and 27 years after that colony became one of the 13 original states, Wayne County came into being. The county was named for Mad Anthony Wayne whose military career had made him a well-known hero. When he surprised the British garrison at Stony Point on July 15, 1779, he acquired the nickname “Mad” Anthony. From one siege to another, he was a vital member of General George Washington’s staff serving well under General Nathanael Greene and coming to Georgia in 1781 in his service during the American Revolution.