One of the little known, but most controversial figures in Hall County history was a lawyer named William H. Underwood. He gained popularity among some but unpopularity among many because he was a lead lawyer in defending the Cherokee Indians in their trials and tribulations with the white man, who was encroaching upon and trying to, and eventually did, take over their territory in North Georgia. Underwood was born in Virginia in 1779, but as a boy moved with his family to Elbert County in 1790.