Find Baldwin County Genealogy

Baldwin County genealogy records reach back to 1803, when the county was formed in central Georgia. Milledgeville, the county seat, served as the state capital from 1804 to 1868. That fact makes Baldwin County records especially rich for genealogy. The Probate Court holds marriage licenses, wills, estate files, and guardianship records spanning over two centuries. The Clerk of Superior Court maintains land deeds, divorce records, and civil case files. Researchers with roots in central Georgia often find Baldwin County records to be a key piece of their family puzzle.

Baldwin County Probate Court Genealogy

The Baldwin County Probate Court is the main source for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses go back to 1803. The court also holds wills, letters of administration, guardianship records, and estate inventories. Because Milledgeville was the state capital for decades, many prominent families left detailed estate and probate records here.

Under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-30, the Probate Court has jurisdiction over wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, and marriage licenses. You can visit the courthouse in Milledgeville in person. The court also takes mail requests. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope and payment by check or money order. Certified copies usually cost $2.50 for the first page and $0.50 for each page after. Call the courthouse to verify current fees.

Note: Georgia's Inferior Court handled probate functions before 1852, so very early Baldwin County estate records may be filed under that name.

Baldwin County Superior Court Records

The Clerk of Superior Court holds land records, divorce files, and civil and criminal case records from 1803. Land deeds are some of the most useful records in Baldwin County for genealogy because they show property transfers across generations. Divorce records list children, property, and ages. Civil case files sometimes reveal disputes over estates that help build a picture of family relationships.

Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, most court records in Georgia are open to the public. You can request copies in person or by mail. The Open Records Act under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71 sets copy fees at no more than 10 cents per page for standard documents, though court records may have different fees under local rules. Baldwin County tax digests are held by the Superior Court and fill in gaps for census years where data was lost. Georgia is missing census records for 1790, 1800, 1810, and 1890.

Vital Records for Baldwin County Genealogy

Georgia started statewide vital records in 1919 under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-9. For Baldwin County births and deaths before that year, check county-level sources like the Probate Court, church records, and cemetery transcriptions. Family Bibles are another good source for the pre-1919 period.

Birth and death certificates from 1919 onward are available through the Georgia Department of Public Health or the Baldwin County Health Department. The first copy costs $25, and each extra copy is $5. Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-26, certified birth certificates are only given to the person named, parents, grandparents, adult siblings, adult children, spouses, or legal guardians. Death certificates are more broadly available for genealogy use.

The Georgia Virtual Vault has death certificates from 1919 to 1943 online for free. FamilySearch.org has Georgia death records from 1914 to 1943 indexed at no cost. These free resources are strong starting points for Baldwin County genealogy.

Baldwin County GAGenWeb Resources

The Baldwin County GAGenWeb page offers free volunteer-run genealogy resources including cemetery transcriptions, census data, and family trees.

Volunteers on this site share records from courthouses, libraries, and archives. You can connect with other researchers working on Baldwin County family lines through the page.

Additional free resources include FamilySearch with Georgia marriages from 1754 to 1960 and probate records from 1742 to 1990. The Georgia Historic Newspapers archive has over one million pages of old Georgia newspapers with obituaries and legal notices useful for Baldwin County research.

Note: Because Milledgeville was Georgia's capital, state government records from 1804 to 1868 are connected to Baldwin County and may contain references to local families.

Research Tips for Baldwin County

Start with what you know. Write down all names, dates, and places for your Baldwin County family. Then work backward one generation at a time.

Census records are often the best next step. Federal census data from 1810 to 1940 is available at the Georgia Archives through Ancestry.com (free in the search room). The 1850 census was the first to name every person in the household with their age. For the years when Georgia census records are missing, use Baldwin County tax digests. The Georgia Archives is at 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260, open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Free access to Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and Fold3 is available in the search room.

• Check cemetery records when vital records are not available
• Search church records for baptisms, marriages, and burials
• Look at Family Bible records (45 volumes on microfilm at Georgia Archives)
• Use the Vanishing Georgia collection for historical Baldwin County photos
• Review estate records when birth or death dates are unknown

Baldwin County boundary changes matter for genealogy. Georgia has 159 counties, and borders shifted often in the 1800s. Baldwin County was created in 1803, and parts of it were later used to form other counties in central Georgia. The Virtual Vault has "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" to help you track which county your ancestors fell under at any given time.

Cities in Baldwin County

Milledgeville is the county seat and largest city in Baldwin County. All genealogy records for cities in this county are maintained at the Baldwin County Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Milledgeville. No cities in Baldwin County meet the population threshold for a separate city page.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Baldwin County. If your ancestors lived in central Georgia, they may appear in records from neighboring counties as well.