Julie Turner, in "Harlem, Georgia: Influences on Early Development and Growth," in Richmond County History, Vol. 16, No. 2 (Summer 1984), 11-20, says local tradition has it that the name Harlem was suggested about 1866 by a relative of Newnan Hicks, the leading resident of the area. The relative was from New York and thought the name would present the town as a fashionable and exclusive location attractive to the elite. Certainly, it was an improvement over the older location of Sawdust, a mile away. Russell