Butts County Genealogy Records

Butts County genealogy records date back to 1825, when the county was formed from Henry and Monroe counties in central Georgia. The Probate Court in Jackson holds marriage licenses, wills, estate files, and guardianship records from 1825. The Clerk of Superior Court maintains land deeds, divorce records, and court files from the same year. Butts County is a small county south of Atlanta along the route to Macon, and its courthouse has nearly two centuries of genealogy records on file. Indian Springs State Park in Butts County was one of Georgia's earliest resort areas.

Butts County Probate Court Genealogy

The Butts County Probate Court is the main office for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses go back to 1825. The court also holds wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories. These records are vital for tracing family connections in Butts County.

The courthouse is at 25 3rd Street in Jackson. The phone number is 770-775-8200. For mail requests, include a self-addressed stamped envelope and 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.

Birth and death certificates from 1919 forward cost $25 for the first copy and $5 for each extra copy. These are standard state fees at all Georgia county offices.

Note: Butts County was formed from Henry and Monroe counties. For records before 1825, check those parent counties.

Butts County GAGenWeb Genealogy

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

Volunteers post records from courthouses, cemeteries, churches, and old newspapers. This is a good place to start if you have Butts County ancestors.

Butts County Land and Court Records

The Clerk of Superior Court in Jackson holds land records, divorce files, and civil and criminal case records from 1825. Land deeds trace property transfers between family members. Divorce records list children and property. These records can fill gaps when vital records are not available.

Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, most court records in Georgia are open to the public. The Open Records Act under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71 caps copy fees at 10 cents per page for standard documents. You can get copies in person or by mail.

Civil case files and estate disputes often name several family members. Tax digests at the Superior Court can also help. They fill in gaps when census data is lost. Georgia lost its 1790, 1800, 1810, and 1890 federal census records.

Vital Records for Butts 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 Butts County Probate Court or the Georgia Department of Public Health.

Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-26, certified birth certificates are restricted to certain family members. Death certificates are more open. 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 transcriptions, and family Bibles in the Butts County area. The Indian Springs area has several old cemeteries with inscriptions going back to the early 1800s.

Butts County Online Genealogy Resources

Search Butts County court 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 old newspapers from across Georgia with obituaries and legal notices.

Research Tips for Butts County

Start with what you know. Write down names, dates, and places. Then work backward one generation at a time. Census records are available from 1830 for Butts County.

Pre-1900 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 near Indian Springs and Jackson
• Search church records for baptisms, marriages, and burials
• Use tax digests for years when census data is missing
• Review estate and guardianship records for family details
• Check Henry and Monroe counties for pre-1825 records

The Virtual Vault has "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" to help track where your ancestors were counted. For Butts County, check Henry County (records from 1821) and Monroe County (records from 1821) for earlier data.

Cities in Butts County

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

Nearby Counties

These counties border Butts County. Henry and Monroe are the parent counties with pre-1825 records.