Find Crisp County Genealogy Records

Crisp County genealogy records date to 1905, the year the county was formed from Dooly County. The Probate Court in Cordele holds marriage licenses, wills, estate files, and guardianship records from 1905 forward. Land deeds and court records at the Clerk of Superior Court also begin in 1905. Cordele sits in south-central Georgia at the crossroads of several major routes. Researchers tracing family lines in this area before 1905 will need to check Dooly County for earlier records.

Crisp County Probate Court Records

The Crisp County Probate Court is the main office for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses date to 1905. The court also holds wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories. These records help trace family ties in the Cordele area.

The courthouse is at 510 N. 7th Street in Cordele. The phone number is 229-276-2670. You can search in person or send a mail request with a self-addressed stamped envelope and 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 Crisp County.

Birth and death certificates from 1919 forward are available from the Probate Court. Certified copies cost $25 for the first and $5 for each extra. Since Crisp County was formed in 1905, some vital events in the county predate the 1919 statewide system. For those early years, church records and cemetery inscriptions may be your best sources.

Note: For records before 1905, check Dooly County. Dooly County records begin in 1847.

Crisp County Genealogy Resources Online

The Georgia Probate Courts Directory provides current contact information for the Crisp County Probate Court and all other Georgia probate courts.

This statewide directory is useful for confirming phone numbers, addresses, and office hours before you contact the Crisp County courthouse in Cordele.

You can also search Crisp County records through the E-Access to Court Records system. Registration is free. Basic case data is at no charge. If you need actual documents, the first page costs $2.50 and each page after that is $1.00. This lets you search from home without a trip to Cordele.

Crisp County Superior Court Records

The Clerk of Superior Court holds land deeds from 1905, divorce records, and civil and criminal case files. Land deeds trace property transfers and family connections. Divorce records list children, property, and sometimes ages and birth dates.

Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, most court records in Georgia are open to the public. You can get copies in person or by mail. Civil case files can reveal estate disputes and guardianship cases that name family members. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, the Open Records Act caps copy fees at 10 cents per page for standard documents from public agencies.

For land records in the Cordele area before 1905, check Dooly County deed books. Early deeds often name wives and children. They can help place families in specific communities within what later became Crisp County.

Vital Records for Crisp County Genealogy

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 Crisp 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 Cordele area.

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

Research Tips for Crisp County

Start with what you know. Write down names, dates, and places for your Crisp County family. Then work backward. Because Crisp County was formed in 1905, the 1910 census is the first to list it as a separate entity. For earlier census data, search Dooly County.

The Georgia Archives at 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260 has census records through 1940 via 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 Dooly County for records before 1905
• Search cemetery records when vital records are not available
• Look at church records for baptisms and burials
• Use tax digests to fill in gap years
• Review estate and guardianship files for family details

Crisp County was carved from Dooly County in 1905. For ancestors in this area before that date, Dooly County is your primary source. The Virtual Vault has "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" to help track which county held your family at any given time.

Cities in Crisp County

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

Nearby Counties

These counties border Crisp County. Dooly County is the parent county with pre-1905 records for this area.