Greene County Genealogy Search

Greene County genealogy records reach back to 1786, making it one of Georgia's oldest counties. The Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk at 113 N. Main Street in Greensboro hold marriage licenses, wills, estate files, land deeds, and court records spanning over two centuries of family history. Greene County was part of the early settlement of Georgia's piedmont region, and its records reflect the agricultural families who built the area. Land grants, tax digests, and estate files from the late 1700s provide a deep well of genealogy material for researchers with roots in this part of the state.

Greene County Probate Court Records

The Greene County Probate Court is the main source for marriage and estate records in the county. Marriage licenses go back to the late 1700s. The court also holds wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories. These records are critical for anyone tracing family connections in Greene County.

You can visit the courthouse at 113 N. Main Street in Greensboro to search in person. Staff can help with lookups. For mail requests, send a written letter with the full name and approximate date of the record you need. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope and payment. Under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-30, the Probate Court has jurisdiction over wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, and marriage licenses. Greene County has some of the oldest probate records in the state, which is a real advantage for genealogy research.

Note: Greene County's earliest records from the 1780s and 1790s are fragile, so microfilm copies at the Georgia Archives may be easier to access.

Greene County GAGenWeb Genealogy

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

Volunteers post records from courthouses, libraries, and archives. You can find links to census transcriptions, local history, and family information that helps put your ancestors in context. This is a good starting point for anyone new to Greene County genealogy.

Free online resources also 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 over one million pages of old newspapers with obituaries, legal notices, and family announcements.

Greene County Superior Court Genealogy

The Greene County Superior Court Clerk holds land records, divorce files, and civil and criminal case records going back to 1786. Land deeds are among the most valuable genealogy sources in this county. They document property ownership, family connections, and the movement of early settlers across the Georgia piedmont. Deed books, plat maps, and headright grants can tell you where your ancestors lived and who their neighbors were.

Divorce records are also kept here. These files often list children, property, ages, and birth dates. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, most court records in Greene County are open to the public. You can get copies in person or by mail for a per-page fee. Early land grants and headright records are also available at the Georgia Archives.

Note: Greene County was formed from Washington County in 1786, so records before that year may be filed under Washington County.

Vital Records for Greene County Genealogy

Georgia began statewide vital records in 1919 under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-9. Birth and death certificates from 1919 on are available from the Greene County Health Department or the Georgia Department of Public Health. For records before 1919, check the Probate Court, church records, cemetery inscriptions, or Family Bible records.

Birth certificates cost $25 for the first copy and $5 for each additional one. Death certificates are the same price. Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-26, certified birth certificates are limited to the person named, parents, grandparents, adult siblings, adult children, spouses, or legal guardians. Death certificates are easier to obtain for genealogy purposes. The Georgia Virtual Vault has death certificates from 1919 to 1943 online for free.

FamilySearch.org also has Georgia death records from 1914 to 1943 indexed at no cost. These free databases are strong starting points for Greene County genealogy research, especially when you cannot visit the courthouse in person.

Genealogy Research Tips for Greene County

Start with what you know and work backward. Census records are the natural next step. Federal census data from 1820 to 1940 is available at the Georgia Archives. The 1790, 1800, 1810, and 1890 censuses for Georgia were destroyed. Use Greene County tax digests for those missing years. The 1850 census was the first to name everyone in the household.

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

• Check cemetery records and tombstone inscriptions when vital records are missing
• Search church records for baptisms, marriages, and burials
• Review Family Bible records on microfilm at the Georgia Archives
• Look at estate records when birth or death dates are unknown
• Use the Vanishing Georgia photo collection for historical images from Greene County

Greene County has seen boundary changes over the years. The Virtual Vault has "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" to help you track where your ancestors were counted. 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.

Cities in Greene County

Greene County includes the cities of Greensboro, Union Point, White Plains, Siloam, and Woodville. All genealogy records are maintained at the Greene County Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Greensboro. No cities in Greene County meet the population threshold for individual city pages.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Greene County. Families in the Georgia piedmont moved across county lines regularly, so check neighboring records for more complete research.