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Baker County, in southwest Georgia, was formed from Early County in 1825. Before the Civil War (1861-65) parts of Baker in turn formed all or parts of Calhoun, Dougherty, Miller, and Mitchell counties. The county was named for Colonel John Baker, a Puritan and hero of the Revolutionary War (1775-83). In 1828 the settlement of Byron (near Albany) was designated the first county seat, but residents complained that the location was too close to the Lee County border. Subsequently, the county seat was moved to Newton in 1831. Newton, named for another Revolutionary War hero, Sergeant John Newton, was incorporated in 1872.