Find Lee County Genealogy Records

Lee County genealogy records date to 1826, the year the county was formed from land ceded by the Creek Nation. The Probate Court in Leesburg holds marriage licenses, wills, estate files, and guardianship records from that year. Land deeds and court records also start in 1826. The courthouse at 100 Leslie Highway in Leesburg is the main place to search for family records. Lee County sits in southwest Georgia near Albany, and its records are valuable for tracing families in this part of the state.

Lee County Probate Court Records

The Lee County Probate Court is the primary source for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses date to 1826. The court also keeps wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories. Under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-30, the Probate Court has jurisdiction over wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, and marriage licenses in Lee County.

Visit the courthouse at 100 Leslie Highway in Leesburg to search in person. The phone number is 229-759-6018. Mail requests are accepted. Send a written request with the names and dates you need, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and a check or money order for fees. The staff can do basic lookups but may not handle extended research by mail.

Birth and death certificates from 1919 forward are on file at the Probate Court. Certified copies cost $25 for the first and $5 for each additional copy. These fees are standard at all Georgia counties.

Lee County was formed from Creek cession land. Many early settlers came from older Georgia counties to the east. If your trail starts in Lee County, trace it back to where the family came from.

Lee County Genealogy Records Online

The Georgia Probate Courts Directory lists contact details and office information for every county probate court in the state, including Lee County.

From this directory you can confirm the current address, phone, and office hours for the Lee County Probate Court in Leesburg.

You can also search Lee County court records through the state's E-Access to Court Records system. Registration is free. Basic case data costs nothing. Document viewing is $2.50 for the first page and $1.00 after that. This is a good way to search from home.

Lee County Superior Court Genealogy

The Lee County Clerk of Superior Court holds land records, divorce files, and civil and criminal case records from 1826. Land deeds are a key genealogy source. They show property transfers, name neighbors, and often list family members. Deed books in Lee County cover the full history of the county from settlement to present.

Divorce records from the Superior Court 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 in Leesburg.

Civil lawsuits, estate disputes, and guardianship cases often name multiple family members. These records fill gaps when vital records are not available for the years you need.

Vital Records for Lee County Genealogy

Georgia started statewide vital records in 1919 under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-9. Birth and death certificates from 1919 forward are available from the Lee County Probate Court or the Georgia Department of Public Health. Certified copies cost $25 for the first and $5 for each extra copy.

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 inscriptions, 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. These are good starting points for Lee County genealogy.

Research Tips for Lee County

Start with what you know and work backward. Census records are a natural next step. Federal census data for Lee County starts in 1830. The 1890 census was destroyed. Tax digests fill that gap.

Pre-1900 Lee 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, and Fold3 is available in the search room. For post-1900 records, contact the courthouse in Leesburg.

• Check cemetery records when vital records are missing
• Search church records for baptisms, marriages, and burials
• Review Family Bible records at the Georgia Archives
• Use the Georgia Historic Newspapers for obituaries and legal notices
• Look at estate and guardianship records for family details

Lee County is next to Dougherty County, home of Albany. Many families had ties to both counties. The Virtual Vault has "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" to help track boundary shifts. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, copy fees from public agencies are capped at 10 cents per page for standard documents.

Cities in Lee County

Lee County includes Leesburg, Smithville, and several smaller communities. All genealogy records are maintained at the Lee County Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Leesburg. No cities in Lee County meet the population threshold for individual city pages.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Lee County. Families in southwest Georgia often moved between counties, so check neighboring records when your search stalls.