Webster County, Georgia Genealogy

United States

Georgia

Webster County

Guide to Webster 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: Preston Organized: December 16, 1853 Parent County(s): Stewart Neighboring Counties Chattahoochee • Marion • Randolph • Stewart • Sumter • Terrell See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

The county was named for Daniel Webster, U.S. representative of New Hampshire and U.S. representative and U.S. senator of Massachusetts. The county is located in the west central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Webster County Courthouse
Washington Street and Hwy 280
PO Box 29
Preston, GA 31824
Phone: 229-828-3525
Webster County Website

Probate Court has birth, marriage, death, burial and probate records.
Clerk Superior Court has divorce, court and land records.

Webster 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	1878	1919	1854	1860	1854	1820
*Statewide registration of births and death began in 1919. General compliance for births by 1928 and deaths by 1922.

Record Loss

1914 The courthouse at Preston burned 27 September 1914. Many, but not all, county 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

1853 Webster County was created 16 December 1853 from Stewart County. County seat: Preston For animated maps illustrating Georgia county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Georgia County Boundary Maps" (1758-1932) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

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:\

Unincorporated communities
Archery Preston	Weston

Resources

Bible Records

• Webster County Bible Records at Georgia USGenWeb Archives Project

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

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

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Webster, 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

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	5,030	—
1870	4,677	−7.0%
1880	5,237	12.0%
1890	5,695	8.7%
1900	6,618	16.2%
1910	6,151	−7.1%
1920	5,342	−13.2%
1930	5,032	−5.8%
1940	4,726	−6.1%
1950	4,081	−13.6%
1960	3,247	−20.4%
1970	2,362	−27.3%
1980	2,341	−0.9%
1990	2,263	−3.3%
2000	2,390	5.6%
2010	2,799	17.1%
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

• 1903-1913 Court Minutes, Book 3, 1903-1913(*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

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 Webster 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 USGenWeb Archives Project

Civil War

Online Records

• 1861-1865 Georgia Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
• 1861-1865 Georgia Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
• 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
• 1879-1920 Georgia, Confederate Pension Rolls, 1879-1920 at FamilySearch — index
• 1879-1960 Confederate Pension Applications - images and alphabetical index; filter by county

Regiments. Service men in Webster 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 Webster County:

- 17th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Companies A and K

- 46th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Company F

Webster County (Georgia). Superior Court Clerk. 1966. Military records, 1944-1964: confederate muster roll, for Webster and Stewart Counties; World War I service records, compiled under sponsorship of the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary by the Veterans Service Office; and discharge records. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah. Film 431391

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 and images

World War II

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

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

Other Records

Voting Records

• 1867-1868 Georgia, Reconstruction Registration Oath Books, 1867-1868 at FamilySearch — index

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 and images
• 1742-1992 Georgia Wills and Probate Records 1742-1992 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• 1754-1776 Colonial Will Books at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images with alpha index
• 1854-1907 Estray Records, 1854-1907(*); Court of Ordinary at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1854-1914 Court Minutes, Book A-B, 1854-1914(*); Court of Ordinary at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
• 1854-1914 Probate Records, 1854-1914 : Letters of Administration, Testamentary and Guardianship; Administrators and Guardians Bonds; Inventories, Appraisements, Returns and Sales, Vouchers and Wild Land Tax Digest(*); Court of Ordinary at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
• 1854-1965 Will Records, 1854-1910, 1914-1965(*); Court of Ordinary at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
• 1873-1906 Mixed Estate Records, 1873-1906(*); Court of Ordinary at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 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.
• 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 and 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

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 and images
• 1785-1950 Georgia County Marriages 1785-1950 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1808-1967 Georgia Marriages 1808-1967 at FamilySearch — index
• 1828-1978 Georgia Marriage Records from Select Counties 1828-1978 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• 1878-1883 Webster County Marriage Index 1878-1883. Batch M713951 at FamilySearch

Death

• 1870-1960 Georgia, County Delayed Birth and Death Records, 1870-1960 at FamilySearch — index, and some images
• 1914-1927 Georgia Deaths 1914-1927 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1919-1998 Georgia Deaths 1919-1998 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1928-1942 Georgia Deaths, 1928-1942 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1933-1998 Georgia Death Index 1933-1998 at FamilySearch — index

Research Facilities

Archives

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

Georgia Archives
University System of Georgia
5800 Jonesboro Road
Morrow, GA 30260
678-364-3700
Website
Facebook

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

• Columbus Georgia FamilySearch Center

Libraries

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

Societies

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

Georgia Genealogical Society
PO Box 550247
Atlanta, Georgia 30355-2747
Email: publicity@gagensociety.org
Website
Facebook

Georgia Historical Society
Street address: 501 Whitaker Street
Mailing address: 104 W Gaston Street
Savannah, GA 31401
912-651-2125, 877-424-4789
Email: webmaster@georgiahistory.com
Website
Facebook

Southwest Georgia Genealogical Society
PO Box 4672
Albany, GA 31706
Email: Freddypage@aol.com
Website
Facebook

Websites

• Georgia Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
• Webster County, Georgia Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• 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