Historic House
Edward Thomas Watson was born on September 5, 1856, to John and Ann Maddox Watson of Thomson, Georgia. His family was descended from Georgia's early Quaker residents who had settled in 1768 in the Wrightsboro community, what would become Thomson, Georgia, and, eventually, the seat for McDuffie County. Tom Watson was raised just outside of Thomson during the Civil War and the early years of Reconstruction. One of his uncles was wounded in the Civil War, the other killed in battle; Tom's father was twice wounded in the War.
Young Tom left Thomson in 1872 to attend Mercer College, where he distinguished himself in studies of oratory and history. He spent one year teaching school outside of Macon, Georgia and then later in Screven County.