In 1803, a new law had been passed in the Georgia General Assembly, and native American land the state owned was laid out into counties. It was broken up into lots of 202.5 acres, and a lottery was held.
Blank slips of paper and slips representing the lots were placed in a box. Each citizen of Georgia could draw one slip; the head of the family could draw two. When natives gave up land, a new lottery was offered.
At the time, the state capitol was in Milledgeville, and the Liberty County seat was in Riceboro where rice and cotton plantations thrived.
In 1828, Charlton Hines had acquired land on which he built a plantation in Gravel Hill, now called Walthourville. That same year he was elected a state senator and eventually served eight terms.
The county seat was moved to Hinesville in 1837 and named for Charlton Hines who had done so much to make the move possible. He bought eight of the original lots and built a home on courthouse square in Hinesville, but kept his plantations, Cedar Hill in Riceboro and Sand Hills in Walthourville.
Charlton Hines was married to Mary Quarterman in 1806, to Ann Beard Bell in 1809, and Sarah Jane Way in 1855.
After leaving the Georgia Senate in 1845, he was appointed justice of the interior court. He died in 1887 and is buried in Liberty County.
Charlton’s son Robert Charlton “Charlie” Hines turned the family home into the Hines Hotel in the late 1800s which operated until the 1940s. The home was moved to a site behind the old Rogers store on Main Street, and currently serves as Claude Dryden’s offices.
Many of his descendants live in Hinesville today including: Carl I. Varnedoe Jr., Carla Varnedoe Standard, Marion Varnedoe Letnaunchyn, Patricia Varnedoe Edwards, Rebecca Edwards Smith, Pat Edwards, David Stafford Varnedoe Sr., Carl Robert Varnedoe, Harold N. "Hal" Stafford, Craig Stafford, Bessie Hines Morgan Bailey, Dottie Bailey Fermin, Sally Bailey Rollins, Joseph Harry "Joe" Patti, Jimmy Patti, Danny Norman, Julie Dawson, John C. Ryon, Bobby Ryon, and Rene Ryon Harwell.