George, when Georgia was first settled in 1733, Oglethorpe requested that slavery be made illegal, and it was made so in 1735. By 1749, after borrowing slaves from South Carolina, the colony asked the king to make slavery legal. This was granted in 1749, effective January 1, 1751. See http://ourgeorgiahistory.com/ogh/Slavery_in_Georgia

"Many misconceptions exist about the institution of slavery in North Georgia. One is that a significant number of North Georgians owned slaves. The most accurate figure is about 7% of North Georgians owned slaves at the time of the Civil War. That percentage was significantly lower (3%) in the mountains of North Georgia, and higher in the eastern piedmont area (almost 10% in some places). Only in the larger cities of Rome, Athens, and Lawrenceville did ownership exceed 10%. Slaves were a sign of wealth. Most slaves were owned by planters and, to a much less extent, professionals." http://ngeorgia.com/history/antebel.html Stan