Decatur County Genealogy Records

Decatur County genealogy records date back to 1823, when the county was carved from Early County in southwest Georgia. The Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Bainbridge hold marriage licenses, wills, estate papers, land deeds, and court case files that help trace family roots in this part of the state. Bainbridge sits along the Flint River, and many early settlers came here for the rich farmland. If you are looking for ancestors who lived in the lower Chattahoochee Valley or the Florida border region, Decatur County records are a key starting point for your search.

Decatur County Probate Court Genealogy

The Decatur County Probate Court is the main source for marriage and estate records used in genealogy work. This office holds marriage licenses from 1823 to the present. It also keeps wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories. These records are vital for tracing family lines in Decatur County because they often list names, dates, and relationships that other sources miss.

You can visit the courthouse in Bainbridge to search records in person. Staff can help you find the files you need. The court also takes requests by mail. Send a written request with the names and dates you are looking for, along with the search fee. Copies cost a small amount per page, and certified copies cost more. Under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-30, the Probate Court has jurisdiction over wills, estates, guardianships, and marriage licenses in Decatur County. This means the Probate Court is where you go first for most genealogy records in the county.

Note: Call ahead to check current fees before you visit, as costs for copies and searches can change from year to year.

Decatur County Superior Court Records

The Decatur County Clerk of Superior Court holds land records, divorce records, and civil and criminal case files going back to 1823. These are useful for genealogy because they show property transfers, legal disputes, and family ties that probate records may not cover. Deed books and plat maps can help you figure out where your ancestors lived and what land they held in Decatur County.

Divorce records are another important source. The Superior Court has handled divorce cases since 1823. These files often name children, list property, and give ages or birth dates. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, most court records in Georgia are open to the public. You can request copies in person or by mail from the Clerk of Superior Court in Bainbridge.

Land records in Decatur County are especially helpful for the early 1800s. Before statewide vital records began in 1919, land deeds and tax digests were sometimes the only way to track where a family lived. Georgia used a land lottery system in the early decades, and Decatur County was part of the 1820 land lottery. Check the Georgia Archives Virtual Vault for lottery records that may name your ancestors.

Vital Records for Decatur County Genealogy

Georgia did not start keeping statewide birth and death records until 1919 under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-9. For Decatur County, that means pre-1919 vital records are sparse. You may find some early records at the Georgia Archives on microfilm. The county vital records office in Bainbridge can issue birth and death certificates from 1919 to the present.

Birth certificates cost $25 for the first copy and $5 for each extra copy. Death certificates are the same price. Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-26, certified birth certificates are only available to the person named, parents, grandparents, adult siblings, adult children, spouses, or legal guardians. Death certificates are more widely available and often useful for Decatur County genealogy research.

For records before 1919, check the Georgia Virtual Vault for death certificates from 1919 to 1943. FamilySearch also has Georgia death records from 1914 to 1943 indexed at no cost. These free sources can save you time and money when you are just starting out.

Note: Marriage records from 1952 to 1996 were also filed at the state level with the Georgia Department of Public Health, so you can try that office if the county records are hard to get.

Decatur County GAGenWeb Genealogy

The Decatur County GAGenWeb page is a free volunteer-run genealogy resource. It has cemetery transcriptions, census data, family trees, and other records shared by researchers working on Decatur County lines.

This site connects you with other people who are researching Decatur County families. Volunteers post records they find at courthouses, libraries, and archives. You might find exactly what you need here, or at least a lead to follow up on.

Other free online resources for Decatur County genealogy include FamilySearch, which has 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 over a million pages of old Georgia newspapers with obituaries, legal notices, and family announcements that can help with Decatur County research.

Genealogy Research Tips for Decatur County

Start with what you know. Write down all the names, dates, and places you have for your Decatur County family. Then work backward one generation at a time. Census records are often the best next step. Federal census data is available from 1830 to 1940 for Decatur County at the Georgia Archives through Ancestry.com (free in the search room).

Keep in mind that the 1790, 1800, 1810, and 1890 federal census records for Georgia were destroyed. For those gaps, use Decatur County tax digests to find where your ancestors lived. The 1850 census was the first to list every person in the household by name and age, which makes it a big step up from earlier censuses that only named the head of household.

Pre-1900 Decatur County records are available on microfilm at the Georgia Archives in Morrow. For records after 1900, contact the courthouse in Bainbridge. The Georgia Archives address is 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260. They are open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Free access to Ancestry.com and Fold3 is available in the search room.

• Check cemetery records when vital records are missing
• Search church records for baptisms, marriages, and burials
• Look at Family Bible records at the Georgia Archives
• Use the Vanishing Georgia collection for old photos from Decatur County
• Review estate records when birth or death dates are unknown

County boundary changes matter for genealogy. Georgia has 159 counties, and borders shifted often in the 1800s. Decatur County was formed from Early County in 1823. Some of the land was later used to create Grady County in 1905 and Seminole County in 1920. If your ancestors lived near those borders, check those county records too. The Virtual Vault has a free resource called "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" that shows which county your ancestors were counted in for any given year.

Note: Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, the Georgia Open Records Act caps copy fees at 10 cents per page for standard letter or legal size documents from public agencies.

Cities in Decatur County

Decatur County includes Bainbridge, Climax, and Brinson. All genealogy records for these cities are maintained at the Decatur County Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Bainbridge. None of these cities meet the population threshold for a separate city page on this site, but the county records cover all of them.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Decatur County. If your ancestors moved within this area, check neighboring county records as well. County lines changed often in Georgia, so an ancestor counted in Decatur County one decade might appear in a different county the next.