Carroll County Genealogy Records

Carroll County genealogy records date back to 1826 when the county was formed from parts of the original Cherokee lands. The Probate Court in Carrollton holds marriage licenses, wills, and estate files. The Superior Court Clerk maintains land deeds, divorce records, and civil case files. Carroll County also has rare birth records from 1875 under Georgia's early Vital Records Act. The county seat of Carrollton, home to the University of West Georgia, has served as the center for all county record keeping since the beginning. These courthouse records are the foundation for any genealogy project in Carroll County.

Carroll County Probate Court Genealogy

The Carroll County Probate Court in Carrollton is the main source for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses go back to 1826. The court also holds wills, letters of administration, guardianship records, and estate inventories that span nearly two hundred years.

You can visit the courthouse at 323 Newnan Street, Carrollton, GA 30117. The phone number is (770) 830-5800. Staff can pull records if you provide names and approximate dates. Mail requests are also accepted. Include a written description of what you need along with a check or money order for the search fee. Copy fees are usually $1 per page for plain copies and more for certified copies.

Under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-30, the Probate Court has jurisdiction over wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, and marriage licenses. Carroll County also has birth records from 1875 because of the 1875 Vital Records Act. Only a handful of Georgia counties have these early birth records, making Carroll County special for genealogy research.

Note: The 1875 birth records for Carroll County are extremely rare and may be available on microfilm at the Georgia Archives. Contact the Archives to check availability before making a trip.

Carroll County Genealogy Online

The Georgia Probate Courts Directory lists contact information for the Carroll County Probate Court and all other county probate courts in the state.

Use this directory to find phone numbers and addresses. You can also search Carroll County genealogy records through the E-Access to Court Records system. Registration is free, and basic case data is available at no charge.

Free databases at FamilySearch include 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 a million pages of old newspapers with obituaries and legal notices useful for Carroll County genealogy.

Carroll County Land and Court Records

The Carroll County Superior Court Clerk maintains land records, divorce files, and court case records from 1826 to the present. Deed books are particularly valuable for genealogy. They show property transfers, name family members, and place ancestors in specific locations within Carroll County.

Divorce records often name children, list property, and give ages or birth dates. Court minutes from civil and criminal cases sometimes name witnesses and family members involved in disputes. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, most court records in Georgia are public and open to inspection. The Georgia 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 courts may set different fee structures.

Vital Records for Carroll County

Carroll County has a unique advantage for genealogy. The county has birth records from 1875 under the early Vital Records Act. This is decades before Georgia started statewide registration in 1919 under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-9. Few Georgia counties have these early records.

From 1919 forward, the county health department issues birth and death certificates. Certificates cost $25 for the first copy and $5 for additional copies. 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 are more open for genealogy research.

The Virtual Vault at the Georgia Archives has death certificates from 1919 to 1943 online for free. FamilySearch.org also has indexed Georgia death records from 1914 to 1943. Marriage records at the state level only cover 1952 to 1996. For all other years, contact the Carroll County Probate Court.

Note: For Carroll County records before 1919, also try cemetery transcriptions and church records. The Carroll County area had a number of Baptist and Methodist churches that kept detailed membership and event records.

Research Tips for Carroll County

Start by writing down what you know. Names, dates, places. Then work backward one generation at a time. Census records are a great next step. Federal census data for Carroll County is available from 1830 forward since the county was created in 1826.

The 1890 federal census for Georgia was destroyed. Use Carroll County tax digests for that gap period. The 1850 census was the first to list every person in a household by name and age. Pre-1900 Carroll County records are on microfilm at the Georgia Archives in Morrow at 5800 Jonesboro Road. 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 the 1875 birth records for Carroll County at the Georgia Archives
• Search cemetery records and tombstone inscriptions for missing dates
• Review church records for baptisms, marriages, and burials
• Look at Family Bible records (45 volumes on microfilm at Georgia Archives)

Cities in Carroll County

Carroll County includes Carrollton, Villa Rica, Whitesburg, Bowdon, Mount Zion, and Temple. All genealogy records are held at the Carroll County Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Carrollton.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Carroll County. If your ancestors moved within this area, check the neighboring county records as well. County boundaries in Georgia changed often in the 1800s.