Find Clarke County Genealogy

Clarke County genealogy records go back to 1801, when the county was formed from Jackson County in northeast Georgia. The Probate Court in Athens holds marriage licenses, wills, estate files, and guardianship records from 1801. The Clerk of Superior Court maintains land deeds, divorce records, and court files. Athens and Clarke County merged into a unified government in 1991, but the courthouse records remain intact and unchanged. Clarke County is home to the University of Georgia, and its Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library holds important genealogy collections for northeast Georgia researchers.

Clarke County Probate Court Genealogy

The Clarke County Probate Court is the main source for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses date to 1801. The court holds wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories. These are core records for family research in Clarke County.

The courthouse is at 325 E. Washington Street in Athens. The phone number is 706-613-3190. You can visit in person or send a mail request with 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 are available. Certified copies cost $25 for the first and $5 for each extra copy.

Clarke County GAGenWeb Genealogy

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

Volunteers post records from courthouses, cemeteries, churches, and old newspapers. This is a strong resource for anyone tracing Clarke County roots.

Clarke County Superior Court Records

The Clerk of Superior Court in Athens holds land records, divorce files, and court records from 1801. Land deeds are one of the most valuable genealogy sources in any county. They show property transfers, family connections, and neighbor relationships. Divorce records list children, property, and ages.

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. Civil case files are worth checking. Lawsuits about property and estates name multiple family members.

Athens was a center of commerce and education from the early 1800s. Court records from this era often involve prominent Georgia families. The University of Georgia was chartered in 1785, and many early faculty and staff families appear in Clarke County records.

Vital Records for Clarke 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 Clarke County Probate Court or the Georgia Department of Public Health. Certified copies cost $25 for the first and $5 for each additional.

Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-26, certified birth certificates are restricted to close family members. Death certificates are more broadly available. The Georgia Virtual Vault has free death certificates from 1919 to 1943. FamilySearch has Georgia death records from 1914 to 1943 indexed at no cost.

For vital records before 1919, check church records, cemetery inscriptions, and family Bibles. The Athens area has several old cemeteries including Oconee Hill Cemetery with burials dating to the early 1800s.

University of Georgia Genealogy Resources

The Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia in Athens holds important genealogy collections. The library has personal papers, family records, and local history documents for northeast Georgia counties. Access is free and open to the public.

The UGA Law Library also has historical Georgia legal records that can be useful for genealogy. Court reports, legislative acts, and session laws from the 1800s document family names and property transactions. The Athens-Clarke County Heritage Room at the local public library is another resource for Clarke County genealogy.

Clarke County Online Genealogy Resources

Search Clarke County records through the E-Access to Court Records system. Registration is free. Basic case data costs nothing. Documents cost $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 and death records from 1914 to 1943. The Georgia Historic Newspapers archive has digitized Athens newspapers with obituaries and legal notices.

Research Tips for Clarke County

Start with what you know. Write down names, dates, and places. Then work backward. Census records for Clarke County are available from 1810 forward (though the 1810 and 1890 censuses were destroyed).

Pre-1900 Clarke 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.

• Visit the Hargrett Library at UGA for rare family papers
• Check Oconee Hill Cemetery for early Athens burials
• Search church records for baptisms, marriages, and burials
• Use tax digests when census data is missing
• Look at Jackson County for pre-1801 records

The Virtual Vault has "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" to help track where your ancestors were counted. Clarke County was formed from Jackson County in 1801. For earlier records, check Jackson County (records from 1796).

Cities in Clarke County

Athens is the county seat and the only major city in Clarke County. Athens and Clarke County operate as a unified government. All genealogy records are at the courthouse on Washington Street.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Clarke County. Jackson County is the parent county with pre-1801 records for this area.