Cobb County, Georgia Genealogy

United States

Georgia

Cobb County

Guide to Cobb County, Georgia ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Georgia Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Marietta Organized: December 3, 1832 Parent County(s): Cherokee Neighboring Counties Bartow • Cherokee • Douglas • Fulton • Paulding See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Cobb County was named for Thomas W. Cobb and is located in the northwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse

Cobb County Courthouse
100 Cherokee Street
Marietta, GA 30060
Phone: 770-528-3300
Cobb County Website

Probate Court has marriage, death and probate records from 1865.
Clerk Superior Court has land and divorce records.
Magistrate Court has court records.

Cobb County, Georgia Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1919	1865	1865	1865	1865	1865	1820
*Statewide registration of births and death began in 1919. General compliance for births by 1928 and deaths by 1922.

Record Loss

1864 During the American Civil War, many courthouse records were destroyed. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki. List of counties in the United States with Record Loss

Boundary Changes

1832 Cobb County was created 3 December 1832 from Cherokee County. County seat: Marietta Georgia Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county Georgia Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating Georgia county boundary changes

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cities
Acworth Austell	Kennesaw Marietta (county seat)	Powder Springs Smyrna
Unincorporated communities
Blackwells Chattahoochee Plantation Clarkdale Cumberland Due West East Cobb	Lost Mountain Macland Mount Bethel Marlanta Milford Millridge	Noonday Powers Park Shadowwood Springbrook Spring Hill Town Center
Census-designated places
Fair Oaks Mableton	Vinings

Resources

Bible Records

• Cobb County Bible Records at Georgia USGenWeb Archives Project
• Cobb County Bible Records at Rootsweb

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

• Georgia, State Employees at MyHeritage — index ($)

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Cobb, Georgia online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Find a Grave BillionGraves USGW Tombstone Transcription Project Interment.net
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch Catalog WorldCat.org
List of Cemeteries in the County	Find a Grave BillionGraves FamilySearch Places
See Georgia Cemeteries for more information

The following web site may have additional information on Cobb County cemeteries.

• The Marietta National Cemetery by Findagrave.com is the grave site for 10,172 officers and soldiers who died in defense of the Union 1861 to 1865. This site has the photos of headstones at the graves.
• Marietta, Georgia, Marietta National Cemetery, 1866-2010. Digital version at Ancestry ($)
• Mars Hill Presbyterian Church Registry, Acworth, Georgia, 1837-1874 Georgia Pioneers ($)

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1840	7,539	—
1850	13,843	83.6%
1860	14,242	2.9%
1870	13,814	−3.0%
1880	20,748	50.2%
1890	22,286	7.4%
1900	24,664	10.7%
1910	28,397	15.1%
1920	30,437	7.2%
1930	35,408	16.3%
1940	38,272	8.1%
1950	61,830	61.6%
1960	114,174	84.7%
1970	196,793	72.4%
1980	297,718	51.3%
1990	447,745	50.4%
2000	607,751	35.7%
2010	688,078	13.2%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Georgia denominations, see the Georgia Church Records wiki page.
List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places

Court Records

• Genealogical Resources in the Atlanta Area. 1994. By Gary M. Palgon. Atlanta, GA : Custom Enterprises, Ltd. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

The Brantley Association of America Project has digitized and indexed many records from the Cobb County Courthouse including:

• Marriage Records, 1865-1
• Homestead Book, 1866-1
• Estate Records, 1866-1
• Wills, 1866-1
• Minute Books, 1865-1
• Minute Book A, 1865-1871 (digital images) Georgia Pioneers ($)
• Confederate Pensions, 1891-1

Directories

• 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African Americans

• 1874-1943 Cobb County Colored Marriage Licenses and Old Affidavits Index 1874-1943. Batch M002535 at FamilySearch
• 1879-1905 Cobb County Colored Marriage Books A thru C Index 1879-1905. Batch M002533 at FamilySearch
• 1905-1935 Cobb County Colored Marriage Books C thru E Index 1905-1935. Batch M002534 at FamilySearch

Funeral Homes

• Carmichael Funeral Home in Marietta and Smyrna
• Davis-Struempf Funeral Home and Crematory in Austell
• Greener Pastures Funeral Home in Powder Springs
• Georgia Funeral Care and Cremation Services in Acworth
• Hanley-Shelton Funeral Home in Marietta
• Heritage Funeral Home and Chapel in Marietta
• H.M. Patterson and Son-Canton Hill Chapel in Marietta
• Marietta and Collins Funeral Homes and Crematory in Acworth and Marietta
• Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home and Crematory in Marrietta and Powder Springs
• Medford-Peden Home and Crematory in Marietta
• Southern Cremations and Funerals in Marietta

Land and Property Records

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.

Online Land Indexes and Records

• 1735-1866 Georgian Colonial and Headright Plat Index, 1735-1866 at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - alpha index
  
• 1783-1909 Headright and Bounty Plats, 1783-1909 at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images with alpha index
  
• 1805-1833 District Plats of Survey at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images organized by county and district
  
• Colonial Plats and Warrants at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images with alpha index
  
• Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Cobb County, Georgia Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Georgia Local Histories.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
• 1740s-? Historic Map File at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images
• 1866 - 1935 County Map File at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images
• Maps of Georgia (1758-1932)

Military Records

• Georgia Georgia USGenWeb Archives Project

Civil War

Online Records

• 1861-1865 Georgia Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index — How to Use this Collection
• 1861-1865 Georgia Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index — How to Use this Collection
• 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
• 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry— index (free)
• 1861-1865 Confederate Enlistment Oaths and Discharges at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault- images and alphabetical index
• 1861-1865 Confederate Muster Rolls at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault- images; filter by commanding officer, service branch and regiment
• 1861-1865 Confederate Pension Application Supplements - images and alphabetical index; filter by county
• 1864 Militia Enrollment Lists, 1864 - images; filter by county
• 1867-1868 Georgia, Reconstruction Registration Oath Books, 1867-1868 at FamilySearch — index — How to Use this Collection
• 1879-1920 Georgia, Confederate Pension Rolls, 1879-1920 at FamilySearch — index — How to Use this Collection
• 1879-1960 Confederate Pension Applications - images and alphabetical index; filter by county

Regiments. Service men in Cobb County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Cobb County:

-7th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate) , Companies D, H, and I

-18th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate) , Company A

- 23rd Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate) , Companies F and H

- 41st Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate) , Companies B and C

- 56th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate) , Company F

• Confederate pensioners of Cobb County, Georgia. 1989. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah.1655003 item 6
• Temple, Sarah Blackwell Gober. 1935. The first hundred years; a short history of Cobb county, in Georgia. Atlanta: Walter W. Brown Pub. Co. (chapter 16-24) 975.8245 H2t also digital version

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battles were fought in Cobb County.

• June 9-July 3, 1864 - Marietta (Operations), also known as Marietta Operations.
• June 22, 1864 - Kolb's Farm.
• June 27, 1864 - Kennesaw Mountain.
• Battles of the American Civil War maps - filter by state or by battle name.

Spanish-American War

• 1898 Spanish-American War Service Summary Cards - images and alphabetical index; filter by residence, muster location and unit

World War I

• 1914-1918 World War I Casualties Scrapbooks - images and alphabetical index
• 1920-1929 Georgia, World War I, Statement of Service Cards, 1920-1929 at FamilySearch — index & images — How to Use this Collection

World War II

• 1940-1942 Georgia World War II Draft Registration Cards 1940-1942 at findmypast - index ($))

World War II

• World War II Military Registrants Georgia Pioneers ($)

Newspapers

• 1800s-Current Georgia, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
• Georgia Historic Newspapers at Digital Library of Georgia
• The Atlanta Weekly Intelligencer and Cherokee Advocate (1855-later 1800s) — sixteen issues available from 1855
  • This newspaper covered Atlanta, Fulton County and Marietta, Cobb County

Other Records

Voting Records

• 1867-1868 Georgia, Reconstruction Registration Oath Books, 1867-1868 at FamilySearch — index — How to Use this Collection

Probate Records

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 FamilySearch 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).

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1733-1753 Colonial Wills at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images with alpha index
• 1742-1990 Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990(*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1742-1992 Georgia Wills and Probate Records 1742-1992 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1754-1776 Colonial Will Books at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images with alpha index
• 1857-1925 Family Names in Cobb County Wills, Estates, Marriages, Divorces, Minute Book at Georgia Pioneers ($)
• Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information — How to Use this Collection.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

Taxes were levied on free white males over 21 and all slaves up to age 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.

• 1787-1900 Georgia, Tax Digests, 1787-1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection, index & images

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 , the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred or order electronically online.

For some online statewide indexes, see the FamilySearch Historical Record Collections for Georgia.

Birth

• 1870-1960 Georgia, County Delayed Birth and Death Records, 1870-1960 at FamilySearch — index, and some images — How to Use this Collection

Marriage

• 1560-1993 Georgia, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
• 1699-1944 Georgia Marriages 1699-1944 at Ancestry — index $
• 1754-1960 Georgia Church Marriages, 1754-1960 at FamilySearch — index & images — How to Use this Collection
• 1785-1950 Georgia County Marriages 1785-1950 at FamilySearch — index & images — How to Use this Collection
• 1808-1967 Georgia Marriages 1808-1967 at FamilySearch — index — How to Use this Collection
• 1828-1978 Georgia, U.S., Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
• 1865-1886 (from newspapers) Georgia Pioneers ($)
• 1865-1890 Cobb County Marriage Books A thru C Index 1865-1890. Batch M002530 at FamilySearch
• 1865-1937 Index to Groom Names Georgia Pioneers ($)
• 1890-1911 Cobb County Marriage Books D and E Index 1890-1911. Batch M002531 at FamilySearch
• 1911-1926 Cobb County Marriage Books F thru H Index 1911-1926. Batch M002532 at FamilySearch

Death

• 1870-1960 Georgia, County Delayed Birth and Death Records, 1870-1960 at FamilySearch — index, and some images — How to Use this Collection
• 1914-1927 Georgia Deaths 1914-1927 at FamilySearch — index & images — How to Use this Collection
• 1914-1927 Georgia Death Certificates at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - index & images
• 1919-1998 Georgia Deaths 1919-1998 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1928-1930 Georgia Non-Indexed Death Certificates at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images
• 1928-1942 Georgia Deaths, 1928-1942 at FamilySearch — index & images — How to Use this Collection
• 1933-1998 Georgia Death Index 1933-1998 at FamilySearch — index — How to Use this Collection

Divorce

• 1885-1886 Divorces at Georgia Pioneers ($)

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Cobb County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Georgia Archives and Libraries.

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
• FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• Atlanta Georgia FamilySearch Center
• Marietta Georgia East FamilySearch Center
• Powder Springs Georgia FamilySearch Center
• Roswell Georgia FamilySearch Center

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Cobb County. For state-wide library facilities, see Georgia Archives and Libraries.

Societies

Listed below are societies in Cobb County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Georgia Societies.

Cobb County Genealogical Society
PO Box 1413
Marietta, GA 30061-1413
Email: ccgs@cobbgagensoc.org
Website
Facebook

Cobb Landmarks and Historical Society
80 N Marietta Parkway NW
Marietta, GA 30060
678-594-4994
Email: executive.director@cobblandmarks.com
Website
Facebook

Seven Springs Historical Society
3901 Brownsville Road
Powder Springs, Georgia 30127
678-567-5611
Website

Smyrna Historical & Genealogical Society
2861 Atlanta Road
Smyrna, GA 30082-3305
678-631-5423
Email: smyrnahistoricalsociety@gmail.com
Website
Facebook

Vinings Historical Preservation Society
3010 Paces Mill Road SE
Atlanta, Georgia, 30339
770-432-3343
Email: info@vinings.org
Website
Facebook

Websites

• Georgia Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• Cobb County, Georgia project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
• GAGenWeb Archives
• Cobb County, Georgia Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Georgia Pioneers ($)
• FamilySearch Catalog - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records