The City of Pearson, named for Benajah Pearson (1811-1885)  a wealthy and influential citizen of Coffee County who also served in the Indian War of 1838, was incorporated on Dec. 27, 1890 in what was then Coffee County .  The idea of the town was initiated by the railroad when tracks were laid in 1870 and 1871.  Pearson became Atkinsonʼs county seat in 1918, one year after the county was formed.   

Atkinson County,  created on August 15, 1917 and organized January 1, 1918 as the 151^st in order of Counties organized, consisted of 318 square miles taken from parts of Clinch and Coffee Counties and  was named for William Yates Atkinson (1854-1899), a State Representative who became Speaker of the House and eventually became governor of Georgia in 1894.  Representative Atkinson was also instrumental in establishing the Georgia Womenʼs College in Milledgeville , Georgia .   The first officers were J. M. Roberts, Ordinary; Wiley M. Sumner, Clerk of Superior Court; E. D. Leggett, Sheriff and Charles E. Stewart, Representative in the Georgia Legislature.  Members of the First Board of Commissioners, created in 1919 were Jeff Kirkland, David Weathers, and J. M. Roberts, Sr.  The first clerk to the Commissioner and County Attorney was L. A. Hargreaves.