Heard County 's territory was taken from Carroll, Coweta and Troup counties in 1830, and named for Stephen Heard of what is now Richmond County. He had been a relentless fighter against Tories dur­ing the Revolutionary War and at one time was acting governor of Georgia. When Tories captured the new state capital at Augusta, Heard moved the government and its documents to Heard's Fort. He was captured at the Battle of Kettle Creek, tried and condemned for sedition, but escaped jail with assistance from a family servant. The county seat, Franklin, is named for Benjamin Franklin.