GENEALOGICAI.nL RESEARCH GEORGIA Prepared by the Georgia Department of Archives and History A Division of the Office of Secretary of State Ben W. Fortson,J~ This paInphlet is designed to give a brief introduction to the genealogical Inaterials in the Georgia DepartInent of Archives and History and to present a short outline of the early history of the State. This is a revision of the publication "Historical and Genealogical Research in Georgia" originally cOInpiled by the forIner Director, Mrs. Mary Givens Bryan. Archives Publication No.1, May 1966. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND G e 0 r g ia, the last of the British colonies established in America, was founded in 1733. The Charter, granted by George II, created a board of trustees called "The Trustees for Establishing the Colony of Georgia in America" for a term of 21 years. The first setUement was made at Savannah, and the colony grew until in 1741 it was divided into two counties: Savannah and Frederica. The latter never functioned as a government and two years later its affairs were placed under the jurisdiction of the Savannah officials. Until the adoption of the first State constitution during the Revolution, there was but one county. The trustees surrendered their charter in 1752 and Georgia became a royal colony. A statute of 1758 divided the province into eight parishes: Christ Church, St. Matthew, St. Andrew, St. .John, St. George, St. Paul, St. Phillip, and St. .James. In 1765 four additional parishes were created: St. David, St. Patrick, St. Thomas and St. Mary. Administration of the affairs of the province assumed a mixed character of civil and ecclesiastical authority until the adoption of the State Constitution of 1777, when seven counties were created from the parishes. Wilkes, the eighth county also created in 1777, was made from previously unincorporated territory. There were only six colonies of immigrants of any size to enter the province of Georgia: (1) those corning with Oglethorpe in 1733, (2) the Salzburgers in 1734, (3) the Moravians in 1735, (4) the Scottish Highlanders in 1736, (5) the second bands of Salzburgers and Moravians in 1736, and (6) the Dorchester, S. C. , people in 175l. List of Early SetUers of Georgia, edited by E. Merton Coulter and Albert B. Saye, is a valuable source of information about these early setUers. The Colonial Records of Georgia, vol. X, edited by Allen D. Candler, relates the originof the Quaker setUement of old Wrightsboro. The small .Jewis group that arrived in Savannah in 1733 should not be overlooked. The best bibliography on Georgia is A Catalogue of the Wimberly .Jones DeRenne Georgia 1 Library in three volumes. This library was purchased by the University of Georgia and is now housed there in Athens. Two other bibliographies a~e of note: "Ella May Thornton'eh~tnding List of Books and Pamphlets Relating to Georgia and Georgians, and a chapter "Select Bibliography - - Note on Sources," in the second revised edition of E. Merton Coulter's Georgia: A Short History. For a general background of Georgia history the Coulter volume is recommended. The Georgia Historical Soceity in Savannah has published since 1917 the Georgia Historical Quarterly, which is devoted primarily to historical articles, although the documents, diaries, etc., appearing from time to time often provide information for the genealogist. Collections of the Georgia Historical Society have been published since 1840. For the names of North and South Carolina and Virginia people corning to Georgia between 1733 and 1775, a valuable source is the "Land Court Journal to Ceded Lands, 1773-1775." The original is in the Georgia Archives, but it was copied and published in Grace Gillam Davidson's Early Records of Georgia, Wilkes County, vol. I, pp. 4-29. COLONIAL RECORDS Savannah was the scene of much upheaval during the Revolutionary War and many of the colonial records were scattered and destroyed. It thus became necessary for Georgia to have transcripts made of her records that are filed in the British Public Records Office in London. Volumes 1-19 and 21-26 of the Colonial Records of Georgia, edited by Allen D. Candler have been published under the authority of the Georgia Legis1ature. Volumes 20 and 27 -39 have been transcribed, typed and indexed, but are not published. They are, however, available on microfilm. A general index to Candler's published volumes was prepared in typescript form in 1937. Duplicate copies of all typewritten volumes are filed in the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah and the University of Georgia Library in Athens. Historical Collections of the Joseph Habersham Chapter, Daughters of the American Revo~, vol. ill, ,pp. 161-172. lists approximately 2 ~ I 402 of Georgia's colonial wills, 1734-1779, either recorded or in original form on file at that time in the Office of the Secretary of State of Georgia. These original and recorded wills (Books A and AA) are on file in the Georgia Archives. Abstracts were published in 1962 by the Colonial Dames of America as Abstracts of the Colonial Wills of the State of Georgia, 1733-1777. Copies may be purchased from the Georgia Department of Archives and History for $5.10. Other volumes of original manuscript material from the colonial period in the Georgia Archives include nine volumes of bonds, bills of sale, deeds of gift, powers of attorney, 17551813; eight volumes of conveyances, 1751-1802; seven volumes of estate records 1755-1778; and five volumes of mortgages, 1755-1822, all of which are available on microfilm. The DeRenne Library at the University of Georgia and the Georgia Historical Society also have considerable collections of colonial manuscript materials. Some of the most important colonial church records are the original "Ebenezer Church Records" listing baptisms, marriages, burials of the Effingham County Sa1zburgers. The original manuscript in German is in the Library of Congress, but it was translated in 1929 by A. G. Voigt and published under the title of Ebenezer Record Book. The Register of Midway Congregational ChUrch, 1754-1788, gives births, baptisms, and marriages of the Dorchester people in Liberty County. The original is in the Georgia Historical Society and the Georgia Archives has a typescript. Newspapers are a valuable source for this early period. The first newspaper in the colony, the Georgia Gazette, appeared on April 7, 1763. The Georgia Historical Society and the University of Georgia Library both contain an extensive collection of early Georgia newspapers. There is a general index to the Savannah, Georgia, newspapers, 1763-1845, in the Georgia Historical Society. Typescripts of the index are on file there, in the Savannah Public Library and the Georgia Archives. STATE RECORDS Although county records are generally more 3 valuable than State records for genealogical research, a detailed study of some types of State records may reveal information of importance. Deposited'in the Georgia Archives are--fhe following records which may be useful: correspondence of the governo,rs, appointments of the governors, commissions recorded by the secretaries of state, records of the adjutants general, original legislative bills and journals of the general assembly, state censuses and tax digests. State Records--Land Office Records There are two kinds of land grants in Georgia: one known as headrights and the other known as lottery. Headrights were first allotted or leased in tail male by the Trustees, under the authority of the king, then granted in fee simple by the royal governors, beginning in 1756, and then by the State from 1783 until the Act of August 13, 1909, repealed all laws relating to headrights. The area generally east of the Oconee River was settled by the headright and bounty grants. This area contains the earliest counties of the State. Records of these grants show only the name of the grantee, the number of acres, the county in which the grant was located and the date of the grant. Bounty grants in addition show only the words "on bounty." No military record is given. The grants in the remaining area of the State are called "lottery grants" since this area was settled by six land lotteries held in 1805, 1807, 1820, 1821, 1827 and 1832. The last lottery had two parts, the Land lottery and the Gold lottery, since part of the area supposedly contained gold. These grants give the name of the grantee, the county of residence at the time he drew the lot, the number of the land lot and district, and the date of the grant. No family data or military service is given. "Hall's Original County Map of Georgia," showing present and original counties and land districts, is very useful and can be purchased from the 2eorgia Archives for one dollar. Also available for $1. 25 is the booklet, "Authentic List of All Land Lottery Grants Made to Veterans of the Revolutionary War by the State of Georgia" by Alex M. Hitz. 4 S. G. McLendon's History of the Public Domain of Georgia and Lucian Lamar Knight's Revolutionary Records of the State of Georgia, vol. IV titled Roster of the Revolution, pp. 193-7 quote pertinent sections of the Acts governing headright and lottery grants. There is also available at no cost from the Georgia Archives a pamphlet which lists the original counties settled by the lotteries and the date when settled. This also contains the classification of persons entitled to dr.aw in each lottery. There are general indexes to the headright and bounty grants and the 1805, 1827 and 1832 lotteries. The 1807, 1820 and 1821 land lotteries and the 1832 gold lottery are indexed by the county of residence of the drawer. These indexes and all the manuscript records relating to land grants are in custody of the Surveyor General Department in the Georgia Archives building. An index titled 1805 Georgia Land Lottery compiled by Virginia S. and Ralph V. Wood from records in the Georgia Archives lists aU persons who registered to draw in this lottery State Records--Passports There is a volume of Passports, 1785-1820, issued to citizens traveling through Georgia to the Indian territory directly west. There are over 2, 5eO entries in the typescript volume compiled from original manuscripts in the Georgia Archives. These passports have been published in "Passports Issued by the Governors of Georgia, 1785-1789," and "Passports Issued by the Governors of Georgia, 1810-1820," by Mrs. Mary Givens Bryan in Special Publications of the National Genealogical Society, Nos. 21 and 28 respectively. State Records--Military Most military records for aU wars from thr Revolution to the present are preserved in the National Archives, to whom an application for search may be made on Form NA-288, available from there or from the Georgia Department of Archives and History. Selective service 5 draft registration records of all soldiers of World War I are available at the Federal Records Center, 221 St. J~sephls.Avenue, East Point, ..georgia. Available at the Georgia Department of Archives and History are the following records of the Georgia militia and Georgia soldiers: 1. Lucian Lamar Knight's Revolutionary Records of the State of Georgia, vol. IV, Roster of the Revolution. 2. Mrs. Howard H. McCall's Roster of Revolutionary Soldiers in Georgia. 3. Ten volumes of typescripts taken from Georgia militia records, 177 5 -1842. 4. Georgia militia commissions, 1789-1868. These commissions are indexed in the general name file in the Search Room. 5. Microfilm copies purchased from the National Archives of the "Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Georgia. " 6. Records of the Georgia Adjutant General, 18611865. 7. Records of the Governor's Office, 1861-1865. 8. Records of the Georgia Soldier Roster Commission containing an index of Confederate soldiers. State Records - -Pensions The State of Georgia did not pay pensions to soldiers of the Revolution, War of 1812, Indian Wars, Mexican War, Spanish-American War. If you wish a pension record for service in any of these wars, write the National Archives, Washington, D. C. All the records of the Georgia Confederate Pensions Department, including applications for pensions paid to Confederate soldiers and their widows, are deposited in the Georgia Archives. Soldiers were granted pensions after 1879 and widows after 1891. These pension applications and supporting papers have been microfilmed. They are listed by county and then alphabetically by name of soldier. Information about these records can be found in the booklet, "Civil War Records in the Georgia Department of Archives and History" which is available at no cost from the Archives. 6 State Records--Vital Statistics No births or deaths were recorded by the State of Georgia prior to January 1, 1919. For records since that date address the Public Health Department, Vital Records Service, Health Building, 47 Trinity Ave., S.W., Atlanta, 30334. The City of Atlanta began recording births in 1887 and deaths in 1896. These records are on file in the Fulton County Health Department, 99 Butler Street, S.E., Atlanta. Savannah has births recorded from 1890 and deaths from 1803. Inquiries should be addressed to Cnatham County Health Department, P.O. Box 6148, Savannah, Georgia, 31400. COUNTY RECORDS G e 0 r g ia county records after 1777 are, for the most part, on file in the individual counties except where they have been lost or destroyed by neglect, carelessness, or one of the 43 courthouse fires. In 1951 the Georgia Archives and the Genealogical Society of Salt Lake City, Utah, began a joint program of microfilming a selected group of county records. The historical and genealogical records being filmed include wills, marriages, administrations of estates, all from the office of the Ordinary; and deeds and minutes from the office of the Superior Court. The records of over 100 of Georgia's 159 counties have been filmed from the date of the creation of the county to the year 1900. Histories have been published for a number of the counties, and many of these have included some source material such as marriage and cemetery records or abstracts of wills. Publications of local historical societies likewise contain such records. A useful article entitled "A Checklist of Source Materials for the Counties of Georgia," by W. S. Yenawine appeared in the April 1948 issue of the Georgia Historical Quarterly. A supplement to the Yenawine list has been compiled by Miss Carroll Hart, Director of the Georgia Department of Archives and History and is available from the Department free of charge. 7 To secure iDforInation on or copies of records that have not been filmed or published, the "Georgia Directory of S~teand County Officers" give a useful list of-names and addre.sses. This is revised yearly and distributed by the Hon. Ben W. Fortson, Jr., Secretary of State, 214 State Capitol, Atlanta, Georgia, 30334. CENSUS RECORDS The Georgia Archives has purchased from the National Archives microfilm copies of all available Georgia population schedules of the U. S. Census. Censuses have been taken each 10 years beginning in 1790, but the census records of Georgia prior to 1820 and for 1890 are not available. The Georgia Archives has many early property tax digests by county for the years between 1790 and 1820 which help to supplement the lack of census data. The alphabetical index to the 1805 land lottery (see above) is another supplemental source. The Georgia Archives also has microfilm copies of the Georgia mortality schedules for 1850-1880. These schedules, except for 1880, are indexed. The Georgia Archives also has the 1850 and 1860 slave and agricultural schedules of the census for Georgia on microfilm. PRIVATE AND MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS In the Georgia Department of Archives and History are numerous miscellaneous collections of records that are extremely valuable for genealogical research in Georgia. The G e 0 r g ia Society, D. A. R., has deposited its library with the Archives. This collection includes copies of Bible records, abstracts of marriages, cemetery records, church records, wills, estate papers, deeds, genealogical charts and similar Inaterial. There is a catalogue, now out of print, to this collection compiled by Mrs. Mary Givens Bryan and Mrs. Harry E. Talmadge. A copy is available in the Search Room of the Georgia Department of Archives and History. Other patriotic societies in Georgia have deposited similar material with the Archives. 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - --- At the Georgia Archives is a collection of published and unpublished family histories and genealogies as well as a manuscript collection of miscellaneous records arranged alphabetically by name, containing genealogical information. In the microfilm library of the Archives are church records, family Bible records, cemetery records, newspapers and private papers that have been loaned by the owners for filming. 9