Decatur County, GeorgiaEdit This Page
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Georgia Decatur County
Guide to Decatur County Georgia genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Decatur County, Georgia | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Georgia | |
 Location of Georgia in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | December 8, 1823 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Bainbridge |
| Courthouse | |
| Address | Decatur County Courthouse 1400 E Shotwell Street PO Box 735 Bainbridge, GA 31717-0735 Phone: 229.248.3030 Decatur County Website |
Decatur County Georgia Courthouse
Probate Court has marriage records from 1823
and probate records; Clerk Superior Court has
divorce, court and land records from 1823[1]
Decatur County Georgia History
The county is named after U.S. naval officer Stephen Decatur (1779-1820).[2]
Parent County
1823--Decatur County was created 8 December 1823 fromEarly County.
County seat: Bainbridge [3]
Boundary Changes
Record Loss
Decatur County Georgia Places/Localities
Populated Places
Neighboring Counties
Decatur County Georgia Genealogy Resources
Cemeteries
Church
Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Georgia denominations, see the Georgia Church Records wiki page.
Court
Land
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See Georgia Land and Property for additional information about early Georgia land grants from the government. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions (generally buying and selling deeds) were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Decatur County, Georgia. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Georgia Local Histories.
Maps
Marriages
- 1885-1886 (from newspapers) Pioneers $
- Index to Decatur County Marriage Licenses 1824 to 1841 (Grooms) Georgia Pioneers $
- Index to Decatur County Marriage Licenses 1837-1869 Georgia Pioneers $
- Index to Decatur County Marriage Licenses 1868-1896 Georgia Pioneers $
Military
Newspapers
Newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Decatur County, Georgia newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Family History Library Catalog. Do a Place search for Decatur County, Georgia to find these and other records in the Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search).
Probate
Colonial courts kept some early probate records. From 1777 to 1798 and since 1852, the court of ordinary or register of probates has kept probate and guardianship records. The inferior court handled probate and guardianship matters from 1798 to 1852.
Many probate records to the 1930s and 1940s are at the Georgia Department of Archives and History and the Family History Library on microfilm.
Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, marriage, adoption, and birth and death records (not all years).
- Wills 1828-1838 (digital images). See names of Testators Georgia Pioneers
- Wills 1839-1865 (digital images). See names of Testators. Georgia Pioneers $
- Wills 1828-1838 (abstracts) Georgia Pioneers$
- Index to Minute Books A and B (includes some wills) Georgia Pioneers$
- Index to Will Book A 1828-1838 Georgia Pioneers $
- Index to Will Book B 1839-1873 Georgia Pioneers $
- Index to Will Book C 1873-1913 Georgia Pioneers $
- Index to Appraisements, Sales, 1828-1833 Georgia Pioneers $
- Index to Journal (estates) 1834-1848 Georgia Pioneers $
- Index to Annual Returns 1835-1850 Georgia Pioneers $Georgia Pioneers $
- Index to Vouchers, Returns 1829-1837
Taxation
Taxes were levied on free white males over 21 and slaves aged 21 to 60. These persons are referred to as "polls." Tax listings, or digests, of a county generally list the taxable landowners and other polls and the amount of tax. The records for each county are divided by militia district.
Vital Records
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Georgia State Department of Health or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred.
For some online statewide indexes, see the FamilySearch Historical Record Collections for Georgia.
Marriage
- 1824-1841 - Decatur County Marriage Book AA Index 1824-1841. Batch M712651 at FamilySearch - free.[4]
- 1837-1869 - Decatur County Marriage Book A Index 1837-1869. Batch M712652 at FamilySearch - free.[4]
- 1868-1895 - Decatur County Marriage Book B Index 1868-1895. Batch M712653 at FamilySearch - free.[4]
- 1895 - Decatur County Marriage Book D Index 1895. Batch M712654 at FamilySearch - free.[4]
Death
- 1859-60, 1879-80 - Decatur County, Georgia Mortality Schedules at Ancestry ($).
Decatur County Georgia Genealogy Societies and Libraries
Family History Centers
Decatur County Georgia Genealogy Websites
- USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
- Family History Library Catalog
- Decatur County, Georgia Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- Georgia Pioneers Georgia Pioneers$
Decatur County Georgia Genealogy References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Decatur County, Georgia. Page 154 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ "List of counties in Tennessee", Wikipedia.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/images/0/09/Igigeorgiaad.pdf.
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- This page was last modified on 30 May 2013, at 00:29.
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