History and Giving Context for Atlanta Demographics  adding numbers to population chart While Fulton County did not encompass all of what is in the Atlanta SMSA today I think it is misleading to provide only Atlanta City population numbers in the midth c While it was established as a railroad terminus it didnt exist by itself  In  Fulton County had a total of  people  There were  enslaved AfricanAmericans  of the population  While much of north GA had mostly yeoman farmers both Cobb and Fulton County also had planters defined by historians as holding  or more slaves who held slaves for labor on large cotton plantations   I know more about Roswell in Cobb county than Fulton but the origins of major planters and the slaves they brought with them are likely similar Roswell King and planters he invited to join him in his enterprise at what became Roswell were from the coast King brought  slaves from his coastal plantation and bought another  at Darien GA to take with him to work on building his house the mill and supporting buildings Archibald Smith brought  slaves with him from his coastal plantations in St Marys County and created a acre cotton plantation in Roswell Kings idea was to have cotton production AND  processing in the same place The forced migration of slaves from the coast to north GA meant they brought their unique Geechee culture and language with them  Where slaves were held in larger numbers on plantations its likely they kept their culture and traditions going   Atlanta and Fulton County in fact more than doubled in population from  to  People rushed to rebuild the city  In a pattern typical of other areas many newly freed AfricanAmericans left plantations to move to town to work at trades or crafts to have safety in numbers and to try to set up lives apart from white control    By  Fulton County had grown to  people  Among them were  colored as defined by the census  of the population   NOTEWORTHY CITIZENS Atlanta boasts two Nobel Prize winners Rev Martin Luther King the youngest man to receive the Nobel Prize and President Jimmy Carter  Each were awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace