This book explores the families and lives of the first settlers of McDonough and Henry County, Georgia. As the home of the fictional "Tara" from "Gone With The Wind," the people of Henry County saw their homes and lives destroyed by the coming of the Civil War. This is the true story of the county and her people. Overview 11 Cities and Towns 18 Earliest Families 25 History of McDonough 31 Churches of Henry County 59 Shingleroof Campground 59 Minutes of the Flint River Association 66 Minutes of the Flint River Association 66 Teman Baptist Church 74 Minutes of the Towaliga Primitive Baptist Association 77 Minutes of the Eleventh Annual Session 89 Biographical Sketches 100 Morgan Bellah 100 William A. Callaway 107 James Carter 115 Henry Collins 119 John James 123 John Wesley Starr 126 Will of Margaret Barber 127 Will of Jesse Bentley 131 Caleb Key 136 James Stoddard Boynton (1833-1902) 137 Erasmus Williams Beck 140 James Walter Wise (1868 - 1925) 142 Will Of David Richardson 143 Will of John Smith 145 Will of Richard Sappington, Sr. 148 Will of Thomas Yarbrough 151 Bibliography 153