Georgia Vital Records

Birth and Death Records

Statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1919 and was generally complied with by 1928 for births and by 1922 for deaths. Birth records are available only to the individual or his legal representative. Birth and death records can be obtained by writing to:

Georgia Department of Human Resources
Vital Records Unit
47 Trinity Avenue, S.W., Room 217-H
Atlanta, GA 30334-1201
Telephone: 404-679-4702
Internet: http://www.50states.com/vitalrecords/georgia.htm

The current fees for obtaining copies of the state's records are listed at www.vitalrec.com .

Atlanta birth records since 1887 and death records since 1896 are available from:

Fulton County Health Department
141 Prior Street
Atlanta, GA 30303
Telephone: 404-730-4000
Internet: http://www.co.fulton.ga.us/departments/health.html

Savannah birth records from 1890 to the present and death records from 1803 to 1947 are available from:

Chatham County Health Department
2011 Eisenhower Drive
P.O. Box 14257
Savannah, GA 31406
Telephone: 912-356-2441
Internet: http://www.gachd.org/

Macon birth records since 1891 and death records since 1882 are available from:

Bibb County Health Department
770 Hemlock Street
Macon, GA 31201
Internet: http://health.state.ga.us/regional/bibb/index.asp

A few counties started recording vital events in the post-Civil War era. The Family History Library has microfilmed some county birth, death, and delayed birth registrations.

Marriage Records

Marriage records are kept by the individual counties. Records often date back to the time of county organization. By 1805 licenses were often granted by a court of ordinary in the county where the bride resided, or marriage banns were published at a nearby church. You can write to the clerk of the court of ordinary for copies.

Many county marriage records dated prior to 1900 are at the Georgia Department of Archives and History. The Family History Library has microfilm copies of marriage records for some counties up to the early 1900s. From the court of ordinary of Chatham County, for example, the library has:

Marriage records, 1830 to 1902, and an index, 1806 to 1950 (22 microfilms)
License stubs, 1888 to 1901 (11 films)
Marriage records and index, 1805 to 1866 (5 films)
Licenses, 1805 to 1866 (5 films)

Over 100,000 early Georgia marriages have also been published in:

Maddox, Joseph T., and Mary Carter. 37,000 Early Georgia Marriages. N.p., 1975. (FHL book 975.8 V2m; film 928351 item 3; fiche 6046751.) Covers 29 counties; names are from Georgia Pioneers magazine.

Maddox, Joseph T., and Mary Carter. 40,000 Early Georgia Marriages. N.p., 1976. (FHL book 975.8 V2me; film 982486 item 2; fiche 6051217.) Covers 21 counties.

Maddox, Joseph T. Early Georgia Marriage Roundup. Irwinton, Georgia: J. Maddox, 1980. (FHL book 975.8 V2mj 1980; 1976 ed. on film 1036679 item 3; fiche 6049619.) Covers 18 counties.

Maddox, Joseph T. Early Georgia Marriages. Irwinton, Georgia: J. Maddox, 1981. (FHL book 975.8 V2eg Volume 4; film 1033953 item 2.)

Divorce Records

The county superior courts have had jurisdiction over divorce proceedings and records. Divorces in Georgia were allowed as early as 1793 but had to be approved by the state legislature until 1832. Information about these approvals can be found in the Name File Index at the Georgia Department of Archives and History.

Websites:

Georgia Death certificates 1919-1927: http://content.sos.state.ga.us/cdm4/gadeaths.php

Georgia Death indexes: http://www.deathindexes.com/georgia/

Georgia Marriages 1699-1944: www.ancestry.com ($)