Guide
Georgia Genealogy Search at a Glance
Georgia family history has two distinctive record sets: the land lotteries of 1805 to 1833, which distributed former Creek and Cherokee lands to citizens whose names appear in the lottery lists, and the county records of 159 counties, more than any state but Texas, many of them formed from parent counties whose books hold the earlier entries. Statewide vital registration did not begin until 1919, so for most of Georgia's history the county ordinary, now the probate court, and the superior court clerk were the record keepers.
The Georgia Archives in Morrow holds the state's records and its Virtual Vault puts death certificates, Confederate pensions, marriage records and county maps online free.
Official sources on this page were checked on September 25, 2026.
Guide
Georgia Genealogy
Georgia statewide genealogy links
- Georgia Secretary of State Virtual VaultGeorgia Virtual Vault Archives
- Georgia Department of Community Health Vital RecordsObtain Georgia Vital Records
- Georgia State Archives and Libraries SearchGeorgia Archives and Libraries Search
- Ladson Genealogical Library in Vidalia GeorgiaLibrary Genealogical Resources
- USGenWeb Archives GeorgiaSearch Georgia GenWeb Archives
- National Archives Southeast Region in AtlantaGeorgia Genealogy Research at the National Archives
Guide
Vital records for Georgia family history
Georgia began statewide birth and death registration in 1919, with Atlanta, Savannah and Macon keeping records earlier, and the Georgia Department of Public Health's Vital Records office in Atlanta holds the certificates. Death certificates from 1919 to 1943 are digitized free on the Georgia Archives' Virtual Vault, and later death certificates are public through the state. Birth certificates are restricted for 100 years. Marriage licenses were issued by the county ordinary from each county's founding, with many digitized on the Virtual Vault, and divorce records sit with the superior court clerk.
- Georgia Archives Virtual VaultFree digitized death certificates 1919 to 1943, marriage records, pensions and maps, checked September 25, 2026
- Georgia Vital RecordsBirth, death, marriage and divorce certificates from 1919, checked September 25, 2026
- Georgia Vital Records guideHow to order certificates and what is public
Guide
Georgia archives, census and military records
The Georgia Archives holds the land lottery lists of 1805, 1807, 1820, 1821, 1827, 1832 and 1833, headright and bounty land grants from the 1750s, Confederate pension applications from 1879 onward, Confederate muster rolls, county tax digests from the 1780s, the 1838 Cherokee removal records and county records on microfilm. Georgia took no complete state censuses, so tax digests and the federal censuses from 1790, most of which survive only from 1820, carry the family forward. The National Archives at Atlanta holds Georgia's federal court, naturalization and Freedmen's Bureau records, and the University of Georgia's Hargrett Library and the Digital Library of Georgia hold manuscripts and free digitized newspapers.
- Georgia ArchivesLand lotteries, tax digests, pensions and county records, checked September 25, 2026
- Georgia Historic NewspapersFree digitized Georgia newspapers for obituaries and news, checked September 25, 2026
- National Archives at AtlantaFederal court, Freedmen's Bureau and military records for Georgia, checked September 25, 2026
- FamilySearch Georgia research guideFree indexed Georgia records and images, checked September 25, 2026
Guide
County courthouse records in Georgia
Georgia's probate courts, the former courts of ordinary, hold marriage licenses, wills, estates and guardianships from each county's founding, and the clerks of superior court hold deeds, mortgages, plats and civil and criminal case files. The Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority posts a statewide deed index online, and the Georgia Archives has microfilmed the older books of nearly every county. Courthouse fires took the early records of Baker, Campbell, Carroll, Clinch, Fannin and many other counties, so the land lottery lists, tax digests and the parent county's books are the substitutes.
Guide
Federal & National Authoritative Sources
These federal and national sources complement Georgia's state-level records. They are the authoritative sources you should cross-check when Georgia state records are incomplete or out-of-state activity matters.
NARA, National Archives The federal government's primary archive. Holds the U.S. census (1790, 1950), ship passenger lists, naturalization records, military service files, and land entry files.
FamilySearch Free online genealogy platform operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Digitized microfilm copies of many county and state records worldwide.
Library of Congress, Local History & Genealogy The LoC's research guides, city directories, newspapers, and Civil War records, most accessible free online through loc.gov.
Straight answers
Georgia Genealogy Search, questions
What were the Georgia land lotteries?
Drawings held in 1805, 1807, 1820, 1821, 1827, 1832 and 1833 that distributed former Creek and Cherokee lands to Georgia citizens. The lists of participants and winners, with county of residence, are held by the Georgia Archives.
Are Georgia death certificates online?
Death certificates from 1919 to 1943 are digitized free on the Georgia Archives' Virtual Vault. Later certificates are public and available from the state Vital Records office.
When did Georgia start keeping vital records?
Statewide registration began in 1919, late for the South. Marriage records go back to each county's founding, and tax digests from the 1780s substitute for the missing early censuses.