Georgia Archives

The Georgia Archives collects and preserves Georgia’s historical documents. Featured content include death records, land records, confederate enlistment and pension records, photograph collections and more.

Birth, Marriage, and Death Records

Birth Records

Bible Records Microfilm Index –The Bible Records Microfilm Index is the card catalog, compiled by Georgia Archives staff, of the Archives’ holdings of Bible records on microfilm. The cards have been scanned and saved in PDF format.

Church Records Microfilm Index –The Church Records Microfilm Index is the card catalog, compiled by Georgia Archives staff, of the Archives’ holdings of church records on microfilm. The cards have been scanned and saved in PDF format with one PDF for the cards for each county.

Marriage Records

Marriage Records from Microfilm –Marriage Records from Microfilm are records scanned from microfilm in the Georgia Archives. Most of the records are in the possession of the county court which produced the records. Some are in the possession of the Georgia Archives.

Death Records

Georgia Death Certificates –Georgia Death Certificates from 1919 through 1927. The collection also includes a number of certificates from 1914-1918, with the bulk dating from 1917 and 1918. The Georgia Archives would like to thank the Genealogical Society of Utah for their partnership in scanning and indexing these records.

Georgia Non-Indexed Death Certificates –This Death Certificate search system is provided as an interim solution until the records for 1928-1930 can be indexed and added to the Death Certificate Collection. Many users have asked for these records, so we are providing them with scanned images of the original Vital Records index.

Wills & Probate

Wilkes County Estate Records –Wilkes County Estate Records includes documents submitted to the Court of Ordinary for recording as the official records of estates probated in Wilkes County, Georgia

Colonial Will Books –Wills recorded in the Royal Colony of Georgia. These records are from Record Group 049-01-005, Colony of Georgia – Will Books. Historical Background After Georgia became a royal colony in 1754, the governor acted as ordinary or appointed an official to carry out such duties. The ordinary probated wills, provided instructions to administrators for the inventory and appraisal of an estate, and ensured that administrators followed all legal requirements in settling the estate. These wills are the official record copy transcribed into volumes by the Ordinary.

Colonial Wills –Wills probated in the Colony of Georgia. These records are from Record Group 049-01-002, Colony of Georgia — Wills. Historical Background There are thirty two wills from the Trustee period, 1733-1753. After Georgia became a royal colony in 1754, the governor acted as Ordinary or appointed an official to carry out the ordinary’s duties. The ordinary probated wills, provided instructions to administrators for the inventory and appraisal of an estate, and ensured that administrators followed all legal requirements in settling the estate. These documents are the copies submitted to the ordinary for transcription into volumes. The copy in the volume is the official record copy. The series includes wills in French and in German, some of which include English translations.

Colonial Estate Records –Estate records from estates probated in the Colony of Georgia, 1754-1777. These records are from Record Group 49-1-1, Colony of Georgia–Estate Records. Historical Background These documents are the copies submitted to the Ordinary for transcription into volumes. The Royal Governor served as Ordinary for the Colony of Georgia. Records submitted include letters of administration, administrators’ bonds, petitions for guradianship, guardians’ bonds, warrants of appraisem*nt, appraisals and inventories of estates, and accounts of the sales of estates.

Colonial Conveyances –The Colonial Conveyances (deeds) are the recorded property transactions between private citizens in the Colony of Georgia.

Chatham County Deed Books –Deeds books, 1785-1806, showing property transactions in Chatham County, Georgia. These are from Record Group 125-01-003, Chatham County, Superior Court, Deeds and Mortgages.

Georgia Archives Residence Records

Land Records

Colonial Plats and Warrants –Warrants of survey and plats of land grants recorded in the Colony of Georgia. These records are from Record Group 3-3-56, Surveyor General, Survey Records, Colonial Plats and Warrants. While Georgia was a Royal Colony, land grants were issued by the Royal Governor in the name of the King of Great Britain. A colonist submitted a petition to the governor with a general description of the land he wanted. The governor issued a warrant to the colonist. The warrant directed the surveyor general to have the tract surveyed. After the survey was completed, the governor issued a grant and plat. One copy of these documents went to the grantee, another copy was kept by the surveyor general and copied into a volume as the official record copy. These documents are the surviving copies submitted for transciptions into volumes and do not represent the entire series of colonial plats. The volumes are the official recorded copies of the plats.

Georgia Colonial and Headright Plat Index– Database of the 1859 index to Georgia’s recorded Colonial and Headright Plats.

Maps

County Maps –The County Map File consists of maps of Georgia’s 161 (now 159) counties collected by the Office of Surveyor General. Many of the maps in this collection were produced under the direction of the state between 1866 – 1935, including those created by Acts of the General Assembly and the State Highway Department; some maps were created in conjunction with the United States Post Office Department and the Department of Agriculture. The several types of county maps show cities, towns, roads and highways, watercourses, and other geographic and topographic features.

Historic Maps –The Historic Map File consists of maps collected by the Office of Surveyor General focusing on Georgia. They include maps of the State of Georgia, Georgia towns, and of the southeastern United States, dating from the 1740s. In addition to showing how Georgia has grown, the maps show how the state’s boundaries have changed over the years. Many of the colony and state maps were taken from atlases; the atlas is identified when it is known.

Georgia Archives Daily Life Records

Bible Records

Business & Companies

Western and Atlantic Railroad Records –The Western and Atlantic Railroad was a state owned and operated railroad created by an enabling act of the Georgia General Assembly in 1836. The route ran from Chattanooga to a spot near what is now Forsyth and Magnolia Streets in Atlanta. The state operated the railroad until December 1870, when operations were transferred to the Western & Atlantic Railroad Company for twenty years. Various other railroads have leased the line from the state to the present. The current leaseholder is CSX Transportation.

Trademark Registrations –These volumes are the recorded copy of official trademarks and union labels of goods sold or distributed in Georgia and represent their registration with the State of Georgia, 1894-1959. Included are early trademarks and logos of many familiar products such as Coca-Cola, Goodyear, Listerine, Canada Dry, Palmolive, Walgreen, Wonder Bread, Chanel No. 5, RCA, Dr. Scholl’s, Wheaties, Amoco, Snickers, Pyrex, Betty Crocker, and Krispy Kreme.

Georgia Power Photograph Collection –Photographs of lighting installations for businesses by Georgia Power. The 305 photographs from this collection are from Accession 1979-0071M, Georgia Power Company Collection.

Mines, Mining and Geology Photographs –Mines Mining and Geology Photographs contains approximately 4,000 images from the State Geologist Photographs and Negative Files, RG 50-2-33. The photographs were taken primarily by S.W. McCallie and R.W. Smith, Georgia State Geologists, and other staff members of the State Geological Survey, later known as the Department of Mines, Mining and Geology.

Church Records

Court Records

Wilkes County Court Records –Wilkes County Court Records includes documents from the Superior, Inferior and Ordinary Courts of Wilkes County, Georgia. The records from this collection are from accessions 1968-0162M and 1978-0528M, also known as the Toomey Collections of Wilkes County Records.

Government & Legal & Politics

Georgia Official and Statistical Register– Published biennially from 1923-1990 by the Georgia Archives, covers basic reference data on the state’s executive, legislative and judicial branches, on counties, and biographical data on elected and appointed state officials.

Finding Aids @ Georgia Archives– This database includes lists and descriptions of original records, many of them not available online but available for use in our Reference Room.

Book Catalog (GIL)– This database includes records of books, periodicals, manuscript collections, and selected microfilm, all of it available for use in our Reference Room.

Campaign Materials Collection –While many of our founding fathers disdained political campaigning it did not take long before campaigns including speeches, slogans, and songs became an important part of the American experience. Georgia was no exception and throughout its history many memorable campaigns have been run, won, and lost. This collection highlights the material produced during some of these campaigns from the ubiquitous buttons and bumper stickers to unique items such as a bag of “government” pork rinds.

Capitol Art Collection (Capitol Museum Collection) –In 1825, Georgia state government commissioned life-size portraits of James Oglethorpe, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Marquis de Lafayette to be displayed in the Milledgeville Capitol. These five paintings became the foundation of an art collection that now numbers close to 300 portraits, sculptures, and other memorials.

County Records Microfilm Index –The County Records Microfilm Index is the card catalog, compiled by Georgia Archives staff, of the Archives holdings of county records on microfilm. The cards have been scanned and saved in PDF format with one PDF for the cards for each county.

County Records on Microfilm –County Records on Microfilm are Georgia county records scanned from microfilm produced by the Georgia Archives and not available through other online collections. These records include tax digests, Superior Court records such as deed books, and probate records from the Inferior Court and Court of Ordinary.

Governors’ Letterbooks –This collection consists of fourteen letterpress copybooks of outgoing correspondence of Governors William Y. Atkinson, Allen D. Candler, Alfred H. Colquitt, John B. Gordon, Henry D. McDaniel, William J. Northen, James M. Smith, and Alexander H. Stephens. These books date from 1872 to 1899. This collection does not constitute the entire series of Governor’s Letterbooks of outgoing correspondence. The letterbooks which were kept on conventional paper are available on microfilm at the Georgia Archives. The letterpress copybooks were scanned for preservation purposes and are made available here.

Flag Collection (Capitol Museum Collection) –In 1905, Georgia Gov. Joseph Terrell announced that the U.S. War Department had returned twenty-six Civil War flags to Georgia. He requested state funds to preserve the collection. In 1916, the General Assembly mandated that the flags from the Civil War and Spanish American War “be preserved for all time in the Capitol of the State.” The law required the governor to accept “any such flag . . . offered to the State” and “to make such provision for its preservation as may be necessary. . . .” Thus began the Georgia Capitol flag collection.

Libraries, Museums, & Archives

Virtual Vault – This is your portal to some of Georgia’s most important historical documents, from 1733 to the present. The Virtual Vault provides virtual access to historic Georgia manuscripts, photographs, maps, and government records housed in the state archives. Use Advanced Search to search each collection.

State Agency Records Microfilm Index –The State Agency Records Microfilm Index is the card catalog, compiled by Georgia Archives staff, of the Archives’ holdings of state agency records on microfilm. The cards have been scanned and saved in PDF format with cards for each agency.

Ad Hoc Collection –Much of the scanning at the Georgia Archives is impromptu. A document may be digitized to fulfill a customer order, before being placed on exhibit, or for a class presentation, for example. We have gathered these random images together, called them the “ad hoc” collection, and make them available to you here. We hope you enjoy them.

File II Names –File II is an artificial record series created by Georgia Archives staff beginning in the 1930s and arranged for easy alphabetical access by personal name to Archives records. The series includes: original documents removed from their government record series; typed transcripts of original documents made during WPA transcription projects during the late 1930s and early 1940s; Archives reference correspondence; clippings; and printed secondary research material. This online collection includes only images of the original documents and transcripts. Because of the size of the collection, reference correspondence and secondary research material are not included.

File II Counties and Subjects –File II Subjects and Counties is an artificial record series created by Georgia Archives staff beginning in the 1930s and arranged for easy access by subject or county to Archives records. The series includes: original records and correspondence removed from their original government record series; typed transcripts of original documents made during WPA transcription projects during the late 1930s and early 1940s; clippings; and printed secondary research material. This online collection includes only images of the original documents and transcripts. Because of the size of the collection, secondary research materials are not included.

General Name File –The General Name File is a card index of personal names in state, local and personal records compiled by Georgia Archives staff.

Newspapers

Newspapers on Microfilm Index –The Newspapers on Microfilm Index is the card catalog, compiled by Georgia Archives staff, of the Archives’ holdings of newspapers records on microfilm. The cards have been scanned and saved in PDF format with one PDF for approximately 25 to 30 cards.

Photographs

Vanishing Georgia –The Vanishing Georgia Photographic Collection of almost 18,000 images is the result of a Georgia Archives project begun in the mid-1970s to locate and copy historically significant photographs held by individuals throughout Georgia. A National Endowment for the Humanities grant supported an expansion of the project from 1977-1979, and images continued to be added to the collection until 1996.

Virtual Georgia –This collection consists of historical and modern images documenting many aspects of everyday life in Georgia. These images were donated to the Archives by current Georgia residents and descendants of former Georgians from across the country. The collection is an extension of the Archives’ Vanishing Georgia collection.

Historic Postcard Collection –These 1,666 postcards, dating from the early 1900s through the 1970s, come from a variety of sources in the collections of the Georgia Archives. They depict many historical buildings and landmarks throughout the state. Of particular interest are postcards collected in the 1920s by the Georgia Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution of historical markers erected in Georgia by the D.A.R.

Historic Schools Photograph Collection –The Historic Schools Photograph Collection contains approximately 1,800 images taken by the Georgia Department of Education in the 1950s. The images show Georgia primary and secondary public schools that were scheduled for demolition. The collection includes both white and African American schools from across the state.

Lamar Q. Ball World War II Photograph Collection –This collection consists of photographs collected by Lamar Q. Ball for his multivolume history of World War II in Georgia. Only one volume of this history, Georgia in World War II: A Study of the Military and Civilian, vol. I, 1939, was published. These photographs date from 1934 to 1945.

Carnegie Family Photograph Albums –Photograph albums compiled by the family of Lucy Coleman Carnegie, whose family owned most of Cumberland Island, Georgia, from 1881 to 1972 when it was purchased by the National Park Service. The albums feature Lucy Carnegie’s children and grandchildren from 1888 to 1919. Prominent are albums compiled by or featuring Lucy Coleman Carnegie; Nancy Carnegie Rockefeller, daughter of Lucy Carnegie’s son Andrew Carnegie II; Nancy’s mother Bertha Sherlock Carnegie; and Lucy Carnegie’s son Frank Morrison Carnegie.

Small Print Collection –The Small Print Collection consists of photographs and visual images roughly 8×10 or smaller collected by the Georgia Archives. This selection from the Small Print Collection consists of images related to Georgia and includes street scenes, buildings, industrial and commercial sites, politicians, aerial views, and portraits of individuals.

Prisons & Prisoners

Leo Frank Clemency Application, 1915 –Material concerning the trial and appeals of Leo Frank. Included are his application file for executive clemency to commute his sentence from death to life imprisonment, plus evidence from the collection of Governor John M. Slaton. The clemency application file includes supporting documentation and the decision and executive order of Governor John M. Slaton in response to the application.

Societies

Historical Organizations Directory

Surnames & Names

General Name File –The General Name File is a card index of personal names in state, local and personal records compiled by Georgia Archives staff.

Travel & Tourism

Touring Georgia –As part of its mission to create jobs, and therefore economic well-being, through the promotion of Georgia as a business location or a tourist destination, the Georgia Department of Economic Development (formerly the Department of Industry, Trade, and Tourism) has produced many high quality photographs and slides for use in publications, brochures, and multimedia presentations. Approximately 50,000 of these slides were transferred to the Georgia Archives for permanent preservation in 2005. The images in this online collection are a representative sample of the slides now in the archives.

Georgia Archives Military Records

Confederate Muster Rolls –The majority of the company muster rolls in this series are from military organizations created by the State of Georgia during the Civil War for service within the state. These military organizations include the Georgia Army (1861), Georgia State Troops (September 1861- May 1862), the Georgia State Guards (August 1863-February 1864), and the Georgia State Line (1862-1865). Most units were later turned over to Confederate service. There are also nearly 250 muster rolls from Georgia Volunteer Infantry.These records were taken from Record Groups 22-1-63, Defense Dept., Adjutant General, Confederate Muster Rolls.

Confederate Enlistment Oaths and Discharges –Documents, encluding enlistment oaths, oaths of allegiance, discharges, and pay records, from troops recruited by the State of Georgia, either before the units were turned over to Confederate service outside of Georgia, or for units intended for service only within the state. These records were taken from Record Groups 022-001-069, Defense Dept., Adjutant General, Discharges, and 022-01-070, Defense Dept., Adjutant General, Georgia Army Enlistment Oaths. Historical Background Georgia Army Enlistment Oaths, Record Group 022-01-070, consists of enlistment oaths and oaths of allegiance signed by enlistees in the Georgia Army, created in January 1861 for defensive service within the state of Georgia. The two regiments of the Georgia Army were turned over to Confederate service, consolidated into the First Georgia Regiment, and transferred to Virginia in the summer of 1861.

Confederate Pension Application Supplements –Applications, supporting documentation, and correspondence for indigent or maimed Confederate veterans or indigent widows of Confederate soldiers. These records are from Record Group 058-01-001, Confederate Pensions and Records, Pension Office, Pension Applications. The original Confederate Pension Applications were microfilmed by the Georgia Archives in 1962. After the records were filmed, additional Pension Applications were discovered that had never been filed among the original applications. These records became “Pension Supplement 1” to the Confederate Pension Applications. Still later, additional records were discovered and these became “Pension Supplement 2.”

Confederate Pension Applications –Confederate Pension Applications, 1879-1960 Applications, supporting documentation, and correspondence for indigent or maimed Confederate veterans or indigent widows of Confederate soldiers. These records are from Record Group 058-01-001, Confederate Pensions and Records, Pension Office, Pension Applications. Historical Background The State of Georgia first began giving pensions to Confederate soldiers who had lost a limb in 1877. The law was gradually broadened to include soldiers who were disabled due to their military service and to indigent soldiers. Indigent widows of Confederate soldiers who died in service or as a result of their service began receiving pensions in 1890. Pension funds also paid medical expenses for final illnesses and funeral expenses for indigent soldiers and widows.

Spanish-American War Service Summary Cards –Georgia raised three militia regiments for service in the Spanish-American War (April-December 1898). All three regiments were sworn into service by mid-May, 1898. They were discharged from service on November 18, 1898.

Militia Enrollment Lists, 1864 –Enrollment Lists of all free white males between sixteen and sixty not serving in Confederate or State service, required under the Act of the Georgia General Assembly for re-organizing the Georgia Militia passed December 14, 1863. These records are from Record Group 022-01-004, Adjutant General, Militia Records. Each image has a “Cite as” field in the Document Description. Users can form a complete citation by combining the “Title,” “County,” and “Militia District” fields for the individual image.

World War I Casualties Scrapbooks –The documentation of every casualty from Georgia in the Great War was one of the first projects undertaken by the newly-created Georgia Dept. of Archives and History in 1919. Rosa Talbot Knight, wife of Archives Director Lucian Lamar Knight, combed newspaper clippings, biographical sketches, letters and memoranda furnished by relatives, and the records of the State Council of Defense to supplement the roster compiled by the federal government of all soldiers, sailors and marines who served.

Military Artifact Collection (Capitol Museum Collection) –Georgians have participated in every American conflict from the Revolutionary War to present day conflicts. The artifacts in this collection, from the mundane (canteens) to the ceremonial (medals) to the terrifying (gas masks) illustrate all facets of military life.

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Georgia Archives - OnGenealogy (2024)

The Georgia Archives collects and preserves Georgia’s historical documents. Featured content include death records, land records, confederate enlistment and pension records, photograph collections and more.

Georgia Archives

Birth, Marriage, and Death Records

Birth Records

Marriage Records

Death Records

Wills & Probate

Georgia Archives Residence Records

Land Records

Maps

Georgia Archives Daily Life Records

Bible Records

Business & Companies

Church Records

Court Records

Government & Legal & Politics

Libraries, Museums, & Archives

Newspapers

Photographs

Prisons & Prisoners

Societies

Surnames & Names

Travel & Tourism

Georgia Archives Military Records

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