Brantley County Genealogy Records

Brantley County genealogy records start in 1920, making this one of Georgia's youngest counties. It was formed from parts of Charlton, Pierce, and Wayne counties in southeast Georgia. The Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Nahunta hold marriage licenses, wills, land deeds, and court records. Researchers looking for family records before 1920 need to search the parent counties instead. Brantley County is a small, rural county near the Okefenokee Swamp, but its courthouse has over a century of records on file for genealogy research.

Brantley County Probate Court Genealogy

The Brantley County Probate Court is the main source for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses date to 1920. The court also holds wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories. These are key records for family research.

The courthouse is at 117 Brantley Street in Nahunta. The phone number is 912-462-5726. 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 Brantley County.

Birth and death certificates from 1919 forward are on file. Certified copies cost $25 for the first copy and $5 for each extra. Since Brantley County was formed in 1920, all its vital records overlap with the state registration system.

Note: For records before 1920, check Charlton County (records from 1854), Pierce County (records from 1857), and Wayne County (records from 1809).

Brantley County GAGenWeb Genealogy

The Brantley County GAGenWeb page is a free volunteer-run resource with cemetery transcriptions, census data, family trees, and shared research for Brantley County genealogy.

Volunteers post records from courthouses, cemeteries, churches, and old newspapers. This is a helpful resource for connecting with other researchers in the Brantley County area.

Brantley County Superior Court Records

The Clerk of Superior Court in Nahunta holds land records, divorce files, and court records from 1920. Land deeds trace property transfers and family ties. Divorce records list children and property. These records can confirm connections when other sources are thin.

Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, most court records 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 standard copy fees at 10 cents per page.

Civil case files are useful too. Lawsuits over land and estate disputes name multiple family members. Tax digests at the Superior Court fill gaps when census data is not available. The 1920 census is the first to list Brantley County as its own entity.

Vital Records for Brantley County

Georgia started statewide vital records in 1919 under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-9. The Georgia Department of Public Health handles state-level requests. You can also get copies from the Brantley County Probate Court.

Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-26, certified birth certificates are restricted. Death certificates are more open for genealogy work. The Georgia Virtual Vault has free death certificates from 1919 to 1943. FamilySearch has Georgia death records from 1914 to 1943 at no cost.

For vital records before 1919, check church records, cemetery inscriptions, and family Bibles. The parent counties of Charlton, Pierce, and Wayne may have older vital records for families who lived in what became Brantley County.

Brantley County Online Genealogy Resources

Search Brantley County genealogy records through the E-Access to Court Records system. Registration is free. Basic case data costs nothing. Documents are $2.50 for the first page and $1.00 for each page after.

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 digitized newspapers with obituaries and legal notices from across Georgia.

Research Tips for Brantley County

Start with what you know. Write down names, dates, and places. Then work backward. Because Brantley County started in 1920, earlier records are split across three parent counties. That is the biggest challenge for researchers here.

The Georgia Archives at 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260 has census records, microfilm, and other genealogy resources. 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 Charlton, Pierce, and Wayne counties for pre-1920 records
• Search cemetery records when vital records are missing
• Look at church records for baptisms, marriages, and burials
• Use tax digests to trace families between census years

The Virtual Vault has "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" to help track where your ancestors were counted before 1920.

Cities in Brantley County

Nahunta is the county seat of Brantley County. All genealogy records are held at the Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Nahunta. No cities in Brantley County meet the population threshold for a separate city page.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Brantley County. Charlton, Pierce, and Wayne are the parent counties with pre-1920 records.