Berrien County Genealogy Records

Berrien County genealogy records date back to 1856, the year this south Georgia county was formed from parts of Coffee, Irwin, and Lowndes counties. The Probate Court in Nashville holds marriage licenses, wills, estate files, and guardianship records from 1856 forward. The Clerk of Superior Court keeps land deeds, divorce records, and court files from the same year. Berrien County sits in the coastal plain region of south Georgia, and its courthouse records cover more than 160 years of family history. If your ancestors lived in this part of the state, the Nashville courthouse is where you need to start your search.

Berrien County Probate Court Records

The Berrien County Probate Court is the main office for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses go back to 1856. The court also holds wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories. These records are key for tracing family lines in Berrien County.

You can visit the courthouse at 201 N. Davis Street in Nashville. The phone number is 229-686-5421. For mail requests, send a self-addressed stamped envelope with payment by check or money order. Under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-30, the Probate Court has jurisdiction over wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, and marriage licenses in Berrien County. Certified copies of probate records cost $2.50 for the first page and $0.50 for each extra page.

Birth and death certificates from 1919 forward are also on file here. Certified copies cost $25 for the first copy and $5 for each additional copy. These fees are the same at all 159 Georgia county offices.

Note: Berrien County was formed from Coffee, Irwin, and Lowndes counties. For records before 1856, check those parent counties.

Berrien County GAGenWeb Genealogy

The Berrien County GAGenWeb page is a free volunteer-run site with cemetery transcriptions, census data, family histories, and shared research for Berrien County genealogy.

Volunteers post records from courthouses, cemeteries, churches, and old newspapers. This is a solid resource for connecting with other researchers who have Berrien County roots.

Berrien County Superior Court Records

The Clerk of Superior Court in Nashville holds land records, divorce files, and civil and criminal case records from 1856. Land deeds show property transfers, neighbors, and family ties. They are one of the best genealogy sources in any county. Divorce records name children and list property. They can confirm family connections when other records are missing.

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 caps copy fees at 10 cents per page for standard documents from public agencies. Tax digests at the Superior Court can fill gaps when census records are missing.

Civil case files are also worth a look. Lawsuits over property and estate disputes often name several family members. These records can help when vital records are not available for the years you need.

Vital Records for Berrien County

Georgia started statewide vital records in 1919 under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-9. Birth and death certificates from that year forward are available from the Berrien County Probate Court or the Georgia Department of Public Health. Certified copies cost $25 for the first and $5 for each extra.

Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-26, certified birth certificates are restricted to the person named, parents, grandparents, adult siblings, adult children, spouses, or legal guardians. Death certificates have fewer limits. That makes them easier to get for genealogy work.

The Georgia Virtual Vault has free death certificates from 1919 to 1943 online. FamilySearch also has Georgia death records from 1914 to 1943 at no cost. For records before 1919, check church records, cemetery inscriptions, and family Bibles in the Berrien County area.

Berrien County Online Genealogy Resources

You can search Berrien County genealogy records through the state's E-Access to Court Records system. Registration is free. Basic case data costs nothing. If you need documents, the first page is $2.50 and each page after is $1.00.

Free online resources include FamilySearch with Georgia marriages from 1754 to 1960, probate records from 1742 to 1990, and death records from 1914 to 1943. The Georgia Historic Newspapers archive has over one million pages of old newspapers with obituaries and legal notices from across the state.

Research Tips for Berrien County

Start with what you know. Write down names, dates, and places. Then work backward one generation at a time. Census records are a good next step. Federal census data from 1860 to 1940 is at the Georgia Archives in Morrow. The 1790, 1800, 1810, and 1890 censuses for Georgia were destroyed.

Pre-1900 Berrien County records are on microfilm at the Georgia Archives at 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260. Hours are 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 missing
• Search church records for baptisms, marriages, and burials
• Use tax digests for years when census data is lost
• Review Family Bible records on microfilm at the Georgia Archives
• Look at estate and guardianship records for family details

Berrien County boundary changes matter for genealogy. The county was carved from Coffee, Irwin, and Lowndes in 1856. The Virtual Vault has "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" to help track where your ancestors were counted. For pre-1856 records, check those parent counties.

Cities in Berrien County

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

Nearby Counties

These counties border Berrien County. If your ancestors moved in south Georgia, check neighboring county records too.