Find Cook County Genealogy

Cook County genealogy records begin in 1918, the year the county was formed from Berrien County. The Probate Court in Adel holds marriage licenses, wills, estate files, and guardianship records from 1918 forward. Land deeds and court records at the Clerk of Superior Court also start in 1918. Cook County is one of Georgia's newer counties, but records here still span over a century. Researchers tracing family lines in south Georgia before 1918 need to check Berrien County for earlier records.

Cook County Probate Court Records

The Cook County Probate Court is the main office for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses date to 1918. The court also holds wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories. These records help trace family ties in the Adel area.

You can visit the courthouse at 212 N. Hutchinson Avenue in Adel. The phone number is 229-896-7717. 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 in Cook County.

Birth and death certificates from 1919 forward are available from the Probate Court. Since Cook County was formed in 1918 and statewide registration started in 1919, almost all vital records in this county fall within the state system. Certified copies cost $25 for the first and $5 for each extra.

Note: For records before 1918, check Berrien County, the parent county. Berrien County records begin in 1856.

Cook County Genealogy Records Online

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

Volunteers post courthouse records, cemetery readings, church records, and old newspaper clippings. This site is a solid place to start your Cook County research.

You can also search Cook County records through the E-Access to Court Records system. Registration is free. Basic case data costs nothing. If you need actual documents, the first page is $2.50 and each page after that is $1.00.

Cook County Superior Court Records

The Clerk of Superior Court holds land deeds from 1918, divorce records, and civil and criminal case files. Land deeds show property transfers and family connections. Divorce records list children, property, and sometimes ages. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, most court records in Georgia are open to the public.

Civil case files may reveal estate disputes and guardianship cases that name family members. These records can fill gaps when vital records are not available for the dates you need. The Open Records Act under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71 caps copy fees at 10 cents per page for standard public documents.

For land records in the Cook County area before 1918, check Berrien County deed books. Early deeds often name wives and children. They also note neighbors, which can help place families in specific communities.

Vital Records for Cook County Genealogy

Georgia started statewide vital records in 1919 under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-9. Birth and death certificates from 1919 forward are available from the Cook County Probate Court or the Georgia Department of Public Health. Certified copies cost $25 for the first and $5 for each extra.

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 have fewer restrictions. For records before 1919, check church records, cemetery inscriptions, and Family Bible records in the Adel area.

The Georgia Virtual Vault has death certificates from 1919 to 1943 online for free. FamilySearch also has Georgia death records from 1914 to 1943 at no cost. The Georgia Historic Newspapers archive has digitized pages with obituaries and legal notices from south Georgia newspapers.

Research Tips for Cook County

Start with what you know. Write down names, dates, and places for your Cook County family. Then work backward. Because Cook County was formed in 1918, the 1920 census is the first to list it separately. For earlier census records, search Berrien County.

The Georgia Archives at 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260 has census data from 1800 to 1940 through Ancestry.com (free in the search room). Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. FamilySearch.org and Fold3 are also free at the Archives.

• Check Berrien County for records before 1918
• Search cemetery records when vital records are not available
• Look at church records for baptisms and burials
• Use tax digests for gap years when census data is missing
• Review Family Bible records at the Georgia Archives

Cook County was carved from Berrien County in 1918. For ancestors in this area before that date, Berrien County is your main source. The Virtual Vault has "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" to help you track which county held your family at any point in time.

Cities in Cook County

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

Nearby Counties

These counties border Cook County. Berrien County is the parent county. If your family was in the Cook County area before 1918, check Berrien first.