Jeff Davis County Genealogy

Jeff Davis County genealogy records begin in 1905, the year the county was carved out of Appling and Coffee counties in southeast Georgia. The Probate Court in Hazlehurst holds marriage licenses, wills, estate files, and guardianship records from that year forward. The Superior Court Clerk keeps land deeds, divorce files, and court records. Because the county is relatively young by Georgia standards, most of its records are intact and well organized. For ancestors who lived in the Hazlehurst area before 1905, check Appling County and Coffee County records.

Jeff Davis County Probate Court Records

The Jeff Davis County Probate Court is the primary source for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses date from 1905 to the present. The court also keeps wills, letters of administration, guardianship records, estate inventories, and annual returns. These documents form the backbone of genealogy research in Jeff Davis County.

You can visit the courthouse in Hazlehurst to search records in person. Staff will help you find the indexes and record books you need. Mail requests are also accepted. Send a letter with the names and approximate dates, along with a check or money order for fees. Under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-30, the Probate Court has jurisdiction over wills, estates, guardianships, and marriage licenses. Standard copies are about $1 per page. Certified copies cost more. Call the courthouse before you send payment to confirm the fees.

Note: For ancestors living in the Hazlehurst area before 1905, check Appling County and Coffee County Probate Courts since Jeff Davis was formed from those two counties.

Jeff Davis County Superior Court Genealogy

The Superior Court Clerk in Jeff Davis County holds land deeds, divorce records, and civil and criminal case files from 1905 onward. Land records are very useful for genealogy work. Deed books show property transfers, and plat maps show where farms and homesteads were located. If your ancestors owned land in the Hazlehurst area, these records can help you follow their path through the county.

Divorce records often list children, divide property, and include ages or dates of birth. This kind of detail can confirm family connections. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, most court records in Georgia are open to the public. You can request copies from the Clerk of Superior Court in Hazlehurst. The Open Records Act under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71 caps standard copy fees at 10 cents per page for letter or legal size documents from public agencies.

Vital Records for Jeff Davis County Genealogy

Georgia began statewide vital records in 1919 under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-9. Since Jeff Davis County was formed in 1905, most of its existence overlaps with the state registration system. Birth and death certificates from 1919 forward are available through the Jeff Davis County Health Department or the Georgia Department of Public Health. Birth certificates cost $25 for the first copy and $5 for each extra copy. Death certificates are the same price.

For death records between 1919 and 1943, the Virtual Vault has them online for free. FamilySearch also has Georgia death records from 1914 to 1943. For the years between 1905 and 1919 when the county existed but the state did not register vital events, you will need to check church records, cemetery records, and newspaper obituaries instead.

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 for genealogy research.

Note: Check Appling County and Coffee County vital records if your ancestor lived in the area before 1905, since Jeff Davis County did not exist yet.

Jeff Davis County GAGenWeb Genealogy

The Jeff Davis County GAGenWeb page is a free genealogy resource run by volunteers. It has cemetery transcriptions, census data, family trees, and other records shared by researchers working on Jeff Davis County lines. You can connect with other people tracing families in the Hazlehurst area.

Volunteers post records found at courthouses, libraries, and state archives. You may discover Bible records, old photos, or transcribed documents not available elsewhere online.

Other free online resources for Jeff Davis County genealogy include FamilySearch (Georgia marriages 1754 to 1960, probate records 1742 to 1990) and the Georgia Historic Newspapers archive with over a million pages of old newspapers containing obituaries and legal notices.

Research Tips for Jeff Davis County

Start with what you know. List every name, date, and place you have for your Jeff Davis County family and work backward one generation at a time. Since the county was formed in 1905, your family may appear in the 1910 census as the first federal count taken for Jeff Davis County. The 1900 census would place them in Appling or Coffee County.

Federal census data from 1820 to 1940 is available at the Georgia Archives through Ancestry.com, which is free in the search room. The Georgia Archives is 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 available in the search room.

Because Jeff Davis County is younger than most Georgia counties, many of its records are still at the courthouse in Hazlehurst rather than on microfilm at the Georgia Archives. Call the Probate Court or Superior Court Clerk before visiting to confirm what records they have on hand and how to access them.

• Check cemetery records when vital records are missing
• Search Appling and Coffee county records for pre-1905 ancestors
• Review church records for baptisms, marriages, and burials
• Look at Family Bible records at the Georgia Archives
• Use the Vanishing Georgia collection for old photos

Georgia has 159 counties. Borders changed often. The Virtual Vault has "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" to help you track which county held your ancestors at any given time.

Cities in Jeff Davis County

Jeff Davis County includes the city of Hazlehurst, which serves as the county seat. All genealogy records for cities in Jeff Davis County are maintained at the Jeff Davis County Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Hazlehurst. No cities in Jeff Davis County meet the population threshold for a separate city page.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Jeff Davis County. Since the county was created from Appling and Coffee counties, records for ancestors before 1905 may be in those neighboring counties.