[5] Danielsville was named for General Allen Daniel (1772–1836),[6] major-general of the Fourth Division of Georgia Militia 1812-17 and both state senator and representative from Elbert and Madison counties.

His father was at one time thought to be a Captain Allen Daniel of Virginia, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, but this has been disproved.

In the meantime, the county sheriff began rounding up deputies and called in nearby National Guard soldiers.

Judge Mosely ordered the sheriff to take Shaw to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.

When the National Guard soldiers arrived, they backed a truck up to the jail and sped away to Athens before the mob could react.

In April 1936, in the middle of the night, the mob stormed the jail, shot Shaw multiple times, and lynched him, leaving his hanging body to be found later.

Images of the lynching, featuring Shaw's battered corpse flanked by his attackers, were printed extensively by the national press including the Atlanta Daily World, The Crisis, The New York Times, and other newspapers.

Photographs of the lynching are also featured in author Richard Wright's landmark book, 12 Million Black Voices.

To date, none of Shaw's murderers have been publicly identified or brought to justice, though many of their faces are clearly displayed in photos of the lynching.

[14] The city lies 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Athens and the same distance southwest of Royston along U.S. Route 29.