Walton County Named for One of Signers of Declaration of Independence

Did you know Walton County was named for George Walton, one of 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? 

On July 4, 1776, the document was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom from Great Britain as a sovereign nation. Here are more facts about the men who signed the historic document, courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston comprised the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration. Jefferson, regarded as the strongest and most eloquent writer, wrote most of the document.
• John Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress, was the first signer. This merchant by trade did so in an entirely blank space making it the largest and most famous signature — hence the term John Hancock, which is still used today as a synonym for signature.
• Benjamin Franklin, age 70, who represented Pennsylvania, was the oldest of the signers, and Edward Rutledge, age 26, of South Carolina was the youngest. 
• Two future presidents signed, John Adams, the second president, and Thomas Jefferson, the third president. Both died on the 50th anniversary of signing the Declaration on July 4, 1826.
• Representing Georgia in 1776 were Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall and George Walton. Gwinnett County, Hall County and Walton County were named for these signers.