Georgia, Probate Records, 1742-1990

What is in This Collection?

This collection includes records of probate proceedings from Georgia counties. The records include estate files, inventories, wills, administrations, minutes, guardianships and other records related to probate. Probate records are used to legally dispose of a person’s estate after his or her death. The probate process transfers the legal responsibility for payment of taxes, care and custody of dependent family members, liquidation of debts, and transfer of property title. The transfer is to an executor or executrix if the deceased had made a will, to an administrator or administratrix if the deceased had not made a will, or to a guardian or conservator if the deceased had heirs under the age of twenty-one or if heirs were incompetent due to disease or disability.

Probate records fall into two general categories: wills and estate papers. Most records mention the names of heirs and frequently specify how those heirs are related. Names of children may be given, as well as married names of daughters. Probate records may not give an exact death date, but a death most often occurred within a few months of the date of probate. The exact contents of probate records vary greatly depending on the prevailing law and the personality of the record keeper.

The collection includes, Appling, Baker, Baldwin, Banks, Bartow, Berrien, Bibb, Brooks, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Butts, Calhoun, Camden, Campbell, Catoosa, Charlton, Chatham, Chattahoochee, Chattooga, Cherokee, Clarke, Clay, Clayton, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Coweta, Crawford, Dade, Dawson, Decatur, DeKalb, Dodge, Dooly, Dougherty, Douglas, Early, Echols, Effingham, Emanuel, Fannin, Fayette, Floyd, Forsyth, Franklin, Fulton, Gilmer, Glascock, Glynn, Gordon, Greene, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Hancock, Harris, Hart, Heard, Henry, Huston, Irwin, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnston, Jones, Laurens, Lee, Liberty, Lincoln, Lowndes, Lumpkin, Macon, Marion, McDuffie, McIntosh, Meriwether, Miller, Milton, Mitchell, Monroe, Montgomery, Monroe, Murry, Muscogee, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Paulding, Pickens, Pierce, Pike, Polk, Pulaski, Putnam, Rabun, Randolph, Richmond, Rockdale, Schley, Spaulding, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taliaferro, Tattnall, Taylor, Telfair, Terrell, Thomas, Towns, Troup, Twiggs, Union, Upson, Walker, Walton, Ware, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, White, Whitfield, Wilcox, Wilkes, Wilkinson, and worth countis.

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

To Browse This Collection

What Can These Records Tell Me?

Exact content varies with each probate case, the information generally includes:

• Name of testator or deceased
• Names of heirs such as spouse, children, and other relatives or friends
• Names of witnesses
• Residence of testator
• Lists of belongings, property, and so forth
• Document and recording dates (Sometimes the date of death will be given. Recording dates are also used to approximate event dates, i.e. a letter of administration was usually written shortly after the time of death.)

Collection Content

Sample Image

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  1821 Probate Record