Access Coffee County Genealogy

Coffee County genealogy records date back to 1854, when the county was formed from parts of Clinch, Irwin, Telfair, and Ware counties in south-central Georgia. The Probate Court in Douglas holds marriage licenses, wills, estate files, and guardianship records from that year. The Clerk of Superior Court maintains land deeds, divorce records, and court files from 1854. Coffee County is a mid-sized county in the southern part of the state, and Douglas is the county seat and largest city. The courthouse has over 170 years of genealogy records for researchers tracing family lines in this area.

Coffee County Probate Court Records

The Coffee County Probate Court is the main office for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses go back to 1854. The court holds wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories. These records are vital for tracing family lines in Coffee County.

The courthouse is at 101 S. Peterson Avenue in Douglas. The phone number is 912-384-4200. 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. These are standard state fees at all Georgia counties.

Note: Coffee County was formed from Clinch, Irwin, Telfair, and Ware counties. For records before 1854, check those parent counties.

Coffee County GAGenWeb Genealogy

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

Volunteers post courthouse records, cemetery records, church records, and old newspaper extracts. This is a good starting point for anyone with Coffee County ancestors.

Coffee County Land and Court Records

The Clerk of Superior Court in Douglas holds land records, divorce files, and civil and criminal case records from 1854. Land deeds show property transfers and family ties. In a county built on farming, land records often trace families across generations. Divorce records list children and property.

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 request copies in person or by mail.

Coffee County has been a parent county itself. Berrien County and other nearby counties were formed in part from Coffee County land. If you cannot find an ancestor in Coffee County records, the family may have been in an area that was later carved off into a different county. Check the Virtual Vault for boundary maps.

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

Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-26, certified birth certificates are restricted to close family members. Death certificates are more broadly available for genealogy research. Certificates cost $25 for the first copy and $5 for each additional.

The Georgia Virtual Vault has free death certificates from 1919 to 1943 online. FamilySearch 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 Coffee County area.

Coffee County Online Genealogy Resources

Search Coffee 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 additional page.

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 from across Georgia with obituaries and legal notices.

Research Tips for Coffee County

Start with what you know. Write down names, dates, and places. Then work backward one generation at a time. Census records for Coffee County are available from 1860. The 1890 census was destroyed.

Pre-1900 Coffee 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 near Douglas and surrounding communities
• Search church records for baptisms, marriages, and burials
• Use tax digests for years when census data is missing
• Look at Clinch, Irwin, Telfair, and Ware counties for pre-1854 data
• Review estate and guardianship records for family details

Coffee County boundary changes are important. Parts of the original territory were later given to Berrien, Atkinson, and Jeff Davis counties. The Virtual Vault has "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" to help track where your ancestors were counted in different time periods.

Cities in Coffee County

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

Nearby Counties

These counties border Coffee County. Several were parent counties or were formed from Coffee County land.