Dawson County Genealogy Records

Dawson County genealogy records date to 1857, the year the county was formed from Gilmer and Lumpkin counties. The Probate Court in Dawsonville holds marriage licenses, wills, estate files, and guardianship records from 1857 forward. Land deeds and court records at the Clerk of Superior Court also begin in 1857. Dawson County sits in the north Georgia mountains, an area that saw gold mining in the 1830s and settlement by families drawn to the foothills. Researchers tracing family lines in this mountain region will find over 160 years of records at the courthouse in Dawsonville.

Dawson County Probate Court Records

The Dawson County Probate Court is the main source for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses date to 1857. The court also keeps wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories. These are core records for family research in north Georgia.

The courthouse is at 25 Tucker Avenue in Dawsonville. The phone number is 706-344-3500. 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.

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. These fees match the statewide schedule.

Dawson County Genealogy Records Online

The Dawson County GAGenWeb page is a free volunteer-run site with cemetery records, census data, family files, and shared research for Dawson County genealogy.

Volunteers post courthouse transcriptions, cemetery readings, and old newspaper clippings from the Dawsonville area. This is a good resource for connecting with other researchers in north Georgia.

You can also search Dawson County 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 page after that.

Dawson County Superior Court Records

The Clerk of Superior Court holds land deeds from 1857, divorce records, and civil and criminal case files. Land deeds trace property transfers and family connections in the mountain communities. Divorce records list children, ages, and property.

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 sometimes reveal estate disputes and guardianship cases that name family members not found in other records.

Dawson County deed books from the 1850s and 1860s record the earliest property sales in the area. The gold rush era of the 1830s brought settlers to Lumpkin and Gilmer counties, and many of those families ended up in what became Dawson County. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, the Open Records Act caps copy fees at 10 cents per page for standard documents.

Vital Records for Dawson County Genealogy

Statewide vital records began in 1919 under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-9. Birth and death certificates from that year forward are available from the 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, try church records, cemetery readings, and Family Bible records.

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.

Research Tips for Dawson County

Start with what you know. Write down names, dates, and places. Then work backward. Census records from 1860 to 1940 cover Dawson County. The 1890 census for Georgia was destroyed. Use tax digests for gap years.

Pre-1900 Dawson 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 in the search room.

Mountain families in Dawson County sometimes moved back and forth between counties and even states. Check Gilmer, Lumpkin, and Forsyth county records for nearby families. The Georgia Historic Newspapers archive has digitized pages from north Georgia newspapers.

• Check cemetery records when vital records are missing
• Search church records for baptisms and burials
• Look at Gilmer and Lumpkin County records for pre-1857 ancestors
• Use gold lottery and land lottery records at the Georgia Archives
• Review estate and guardianship files for family details

Dawson County was formed from Gilmer and Lumpkin counties in 1857. For ancestors in this area before that date, check those parent counties. The Virtual Vault has "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" to help track county lines over time.

Cities in Dawson County

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

Nearby Counties

These counties border Dawson County. Gilmer and Lumpkin counties are the parent counties with pre-1857 records for this area.