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United States Georgia Walker County

Guide to Walker County Georgia genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

	Georgia Online Records

Walker County, Georgia_(state)
Map
Location in the state of Georgia_(state)
Location of Georgia_(state) in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	December 18, 1833
County Seat	Lafayette
Courthouse
Address	Walker County Courthouse] 103 S Duke Street Lafayette, GA 30728-0445 Phone: 706.638.1742  Walker County Website

County Courthouse

Walker County Courthouse
103 S Duke Street
Lafayette, GA 30728-0445
Phone: 706.638.1742 

Clerk Superior Court has divorce, court and land records from 1883;
Probate judge has marriage and probate records; County Health
Department has birth and death records^[1]

History

Parent County

1833--Walker County was created 18 December 1833 from Murray County. County seat: Lafayette ^[2]

Boundary Changes

In 1833 the territory of Walker included not only its present area, but all of Dade and a large part of Whitfield, Catoosa and Chattooga counties. In 1837 all of Walker's territory west of the top of Lookout Mountain was cut off and the county of Dade was established as the most northwestern county in the State. In 1838 another portion was cut off and the county of Chattooga was established. Then again in 1853, more territory was extracted and the county of Catoosa was formed. In 1853 and later in 1859 other portions of Walker County were used to make Whitfield County."--from The History of Walker County, Georgia by James Alfred Sartain. Published by A.J. Showalter Company, Dalton, Georgia, 1932

Record Loss

The courthouse in Walker County was burned in 1883. There are no county records available prior to that time.  Some people had their deeds re-recorded after 1883 but most other records were lost.  The above referenced book by James Sartain is a very good source.  The library in the county seat, Lafayette, has a genealogy section and the people there are very helpful.

Some people who lived close to the county borders went to other counties to record events.

Places/Localities

Populated Places

Neighboring Counties

• Catoosa
• Chattooga
• Dade
• DeKalb County, Alabama
• Gordon
• Hamilton County, Tennessee
• Whitfield

Resources

Cemeteries

Church

• Shiloh Baptist Church Minutes at Georgia Pioneers ($).
  

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

• Sartain, James Alfred. History of Walker County, Georgia. Dalton, Ga.: A.J. Showalter Co., 1932. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  

• Index for History of Walker County by James Alfred Sartain. Lafayette, Ga.: Cherokee Regional Library, 1978. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  

Maps

• Walker County Map at Georgia Pioneers ($).
  

Military

Civil War

Civil War Battle

The following Civil War battles were fought in Walker County.

• September 10-11, 1863 = Davis' Cross Roads, also known as Dug Gap^[3]
• September 18-20, 1863 = Chickamauga^[4]

Map showing Civil War battles in Georgia.

• Fitch, Michael Hendrick. The Chattanooga Campaign: With Especial Reference to Wisconsin's Participation Therein. Madison, Wisc.: Wisconsin History Commission, 1911. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  

Newspapers

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

• 1883-1917 - Index to Walker County, Georgia Wills, Volume I (1883-1917) at Georgia Pioneers ($).
  
• 1866-1887 (digital images) Georgia Pioneers

Additional Probate Records 

• 1883-1895 - Index to Walker County, Georgia Inventories and Appraisements Book A (1883-1895) at Georgia Pioneers ($).
  

• 1883-1892 - Index to Walker County Annual Returns and Vouchers Book A (1883-1888) and Book B (1888-1892) at Georgia Pioneers ($).
  
• 1883-1888 Index to Annual Returns, Vouchers, Book A Georgia Pioneers
• 1888-1892 Index to Annual Returns and Vouchers, Book B Georgia Pioneers

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.

Birth

• 1916-1921 - Walker County Births (1916-1921) at Georgia Pioneers ($).
  

Marriage

• 1882-1895 - Walker County Marriage Index 1882-1895. Batch M713891 at FamilySearch - free.^[5]

Vital Records Substitutes

• 1885-1886 - Walker County Marriages from Newspapers 1885-1886 at Georgia Pioneers ($).
  

Societies and Libraries 

Family History Centers

• Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Web Sites

• Walker County GeorgiaGenWeb
• US Genweb Archives for Walker County Georgia
• Family History Library Catalog
• Walker County, Georgia Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Georgia Pioneers Georgia Pioneers

References

1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Walker County, Georgia. Page 161 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
2. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
3. ↑ Heritage Preservation Services, Civil War Battle Summaries by State, (accessed 13 August, 2012)
4. ↑ Heritage Preservation Services, Civil War Battle Summaries by State, (accessed 13 August, 2012)
5. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/images/5/53/Igigeorgiamz.pdf.

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