While the state established and instituted Talbot County, the responsibility of organizing the county in finite detail was delegated to the 5 Justices of the Inferior Court. Their job was to select and establish the county seat, appoint the County officials, the Justices of the Peace, town commissioners, order surveys, set the militia districts, establish committees to oversee specific road and bridge building, set specific ferry fees, and enter into contracts per County business. In short, to bring the new county into a cohesive body of government, accepting responsibility for every facet of its residents' overall health and welfare.

The first Justices of the Inferior Court were: John P. Blackmon, Ichabod Cox, W. M. Perry, John Pratt and Wright Sherrard.

There were several suggestions made as to just where the new county seat would be located, such as Talbotton, a site on the Trice plantation, or Centreville, about 5 miles east of Talbotton. In fact, Centreville was initially laid out to be the county seat with a lot reserved for the courthouse.

Meanwhile, the justices decided that the public business for the county was to be conducted at the home of Robert Brooks, at LL #80 in the 23rd LD, Valley GMD 902.

When the Justices of the Inferior Court opted on Talbotton as the new County Seat, Land Lot #266, in the 16th Land District was selected as the site of the new courthouse. On May 12, 1828, William Gilbert, who had drawn that lot in the 1827 Land Lottery, sold the lot to the Justices for $700.

The first courthouse was of temporary construction and made of logs and was situated on the NW corner of courthouse square. In 1831, the first permanent courthouse was erected by the brothers Charles Clay Birch and John Neville Birch. Of brick construction, the two story building was of the popular Georgian design, measured roughly 40 ft by 50 ft and was similar to the Meriwether County Courthouse built in 1830. The building burned in February 1892 and the present courthouse was erected. In 1980, the Courthouse was listed in the "National Register of Historical Places".

The Birch brothers also constructed the County Jail, Square D lot #16, about 1831. The building was noted for its structural style and intrinsic detail. It is still standing and in use for other city purposes at last report.

Built about the same time were the Masonic Hall, the Baptist, Methodist, and Episcopal churches, a male academy and a separate female academy.

Ichabod Cox from the Centreville area and Zachariah White of the Talbotton area ran for election of the new county’s first senator. Cox won the seat. Zachariah White succeeded him in 1829, serving two terms. White was succeeded by George W. B. Towns, who was later to become Governor of Georgia, who served 3 terms.

Other Senators following, were: Henry Mims in 1834, Norborn B. Powell 1835-1837, William Drane 1838-1839, Hamilton P. Snead in 1840, Peter Flournoy Mahone in 1841, Daniel Weathers in 1842 and Robert H. Dixon in 1843.

Those serving in the House of Representatives 1828 - 1860: Zachariah White, George W. B. Towns, James L. Burkes, Charles L. Pope, Joseph Riley, William Drane, Chappel Cox, Bailey C. Duke, Hamilton P. Snead, Robert H. Dixon, Milton Williams, Benjamin T. Emanuel, William T. Burke, Alexander K. Leonard, E. B. Smith, E. C. Butt, S. K. Croll (Crall), Edmond H. Worrill, Allen F. Owen, William B. Marshall, Allen F. Owen, J. Carter, Daniel Weathers, Cyrus Robinson, J. H. Wallace, James W. Castens, John H. Walton, B. Maxwell, J. D. Owen, J. Brown, William Smith, Lewis Wimberly, Jonathan B. McCrary, and Thomas R. Lumsden.

Talbot County became part of the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit when it was created in 1827 along with the newly organized counties of Carroll, Coweta, Lee, Muscogee & Troup, together with the older counties, DeKalb and Fayette.

Jurisdiction of all types of law cases in Talbot County was vested in the Justice of the Peace courts, the Superior Court, the Court of Ordinary and the Mayors Court in various towns in the county.

Early Superior Court Judges 1827-1869: Walter T. Colquitt, Griggs E. Thomas, Alfred Iverson, Joseph Sturgis, Marshall I. Wellborn, Robert B. Alexander, Martin J. Crawford, and Edward H. Worrill.

Abraham Laurence was the first sheriff of the newly organized county. The second sheriff-elect was John H. Long who was killed in one of the local taverns in 1832, and became the first burial in Oak Hill Cemetery. Some of those following were William Fleming, Green L. Stillwell, and James Foster.

Some of the early County Clerks were: Samuel S. Leech, S. C. Luck, F. A. Bailey, C. R. Wynn, George N. Forbes, George N. Forbes and George G. Cobb.