Marthasville, Georgia

Marthasville was an early name for Atlanta, Georgia. Marthasville was named for Governor Wilson Lumpkin's daughter, Martha; it was officially incorporated on December 23, 1843. Prior to the name "Marthasville," the town was called Terminus (as in, end of the railroad).

Two years later, the name of the town was changed to Atlanta, by Act 109 of the Georgia General Assembly, which was approved December 26, 1845, and signed into law three days afterward. In the same act, the election precinct known as the Whitehall precinct (in the home of Charner Humphries) was also changed to Atlanta. In 1847, the city's charter was approved, elections were held; and the first slate of councilmen and the mayor took office in January 1848.

Note that Georgia's capital city at that time was Milledgeville. Atlanta was not designated the capital until after the Civil War.

Act

AN ACT to change the name of Marthasville, in DeKalb county, to that of Atlanta; also, to change the election precinct now held at the house of Charner Humphries, known as the Whitehall precinct, to Atlanta.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Georgia, in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That from and after the passage of this act, the name of Marthasville, in DeKalb county, shall be changed to that of Atlanta.
SEC. 2. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the election precinct now established by law at the house of Charner Humphries, known as the Whitehall precinct, be and the same is hereby changed to Atlanta.
SEC. 3. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That all laws and parts of laws militating against this act, be and the same are hereby repealed.
Approved, December 26, 1845

References

http://neptune3.galib.uga.edu/ssp/cgi-bin/legis-idx.pl?sessionid=8b4c8044-1150273861-9789&type=law&byte=22825318 The text of act 109.
http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/felton/felton.html#felton50 Rebecca Latimer Felton, "Country Life in Georgia in the Days of My Youth: Electronic Edition", University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1997 (memories of Marthasville at p. 50).