A wise African woman once said, "if one is not careful, facts can obscure the truth." Facts speak to details, but the truth speaks to how those details unfolded. This book reveals the almost nonexistent public history of the African Americans who served in the Georgia Legislature in the 1800s. Fresh from the clutches of slavery to the highest offices in the state, these intentional men fused their voting power to impact legislation that delivered many things; among them, a county named Douglass.Tracy reveals the connection between the infamous expulsion of black legislators from office in 1868 to the eventual creation of what is now known as "Douglas" County, Georgia. She motions her readers to walk with her through the end of slavery and then directly through Reconstruction's door. Once inside, she puts forth compelling evidence that definitively ties the name Douglass (two s's) to the county created by Governor Rufus B. Bullock onOctober 17, 1870. After a series of twists and turns, she uncovers constitutional breaches that will have legal scholars across the nation debating whether some counties, to this day, are legally formed. The Ghosts of Douglass County is the intriguing untold story of murder, politics, betrayal, and the genius of African American survival in the midst of a nation's transformation.