Habersham County Genealogy Search

Habersham County genealogy records date to 1818, the year the county was created from Cherokee and Franklin counties. The Probate Court in Clarkesville holds marriage licenses, wills, estate files, and guardianship records from 1818 forward. Land deeds and court records at the Clerk of Superior Court also begin in 1818. Habersham County sits in the northeast Georgia mountains near the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River. Over 200 years of records are at the courthouse in Clarkesville.

Habersham County Probate Court Records

The Habersham County Probate Court is the main office for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses date to 1818. The court also holds wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories. These records are critical for tracing family lines in the northeast Georgia mountains.

The courthouse is at 295 Llewellyn Street in Clarkesville. The phone number is 706-839-0300. 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 Habersham 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. For vital events before 1919, try church records, cemetery readings, and Family Bible records.

Note: Habersham County was once much larger. Parts were carved out to create White, Towns, Stephens, and other counties. If your ancestor was in Habersham County before those splits, their records may still be in Clarkesville.

Habersham County Genealogy Records Online

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

Volunteers post courthouse transcriptions, cemetery readings, and old newspaper clippings from the Clarkesville area. Mountain families in northeast Georgia often stayed in one area for generations, so these volunteer records can be very detailed.

You can also search Habersham 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.

Habersham County Superior Court Records

The Clerk of Superior Court holds land deeds from 1818, divorce records, and civil and criminal case files. Land deeds are especially useful for Habersham County genealogy. Mountain land was passed down through families over generations. Deed books show transfers from parents to children, between siblings, and to in-laws.

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. You can get copies in person or by mail. Civil case files reveal estate disputes and guardianship cases.

The earliest Habersham County deeds reflect land grants from the state of Georgia. Grant records are also at the Georgia Archives. 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.

Vital Records for Habersham 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 Habersham 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.

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. These are strong starting points for Habersham County genealogy.

Research Tips for Habersham County

Start with what you know. Write down names, dates, and places. Then work backward. Census records from 1820 to 1940 cover Habersham County. The 1890 census for Georgia was destroyed. Tax digests fill in that gap year.

Pre-1900 Habersham 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.

The Georgia Historic Newspapers archive has digitized pages from northeast Georgia newspapers. Obituaries and legal notices are useful genealogy sources for the Clarkesville area.

• Check cemetery records when vital records are missing
• Search church records for baptisms and burials
• Look at White, Towns, and Stephens county records for families that were in Habersham before those splits
• Use tax digests for census gap years
• Review estate and guardianship files for family details

Habersham County was formed in 1818 and was much larger than it is now. Several counties were carved from it over the years. The Virtual Vault has "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" to help track these changes and find where your ancestors were counted at any given time.

Cities in Habersham County

Clarkesville is the county seat. Cornelia and Demorest are also in Habersham County. All genealogy records for cities in this county are maintained at the Habersham County Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Clarkesville. No cities in Habersham County meet the population threshold for a separate city page.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Habersham County. Several were once part of Habersham before being split off. If your ancestors were in this area, check all neighboring counties.