Macon County Genealogy Records

Macon County genealogy records date back to 1837, the year the county was formed in central Georgia. The Probate Court in Oglethorpe holds marriage records, wills, estate files, and guardianship documents that help trace family lines through this part of the state. Land deeds and court records are kept at the Superior Court Clerk office. Macon County sits in an area that was once Creek Indian territory, so early records connect to Georgia's land lottery system and the settlement period that followed removal. These collections give researchers a solid base for tracing roots in this rural county.

Macon County Probate Court Records

The Macon County Probate Court is the main source for marriage and estate records used in genealogy. This court has marriage licenses from 1837 to the present. It also keeps wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories. These records are vital for tracing family lines in Macon County. The Probate Court took over duties from the old Court of Ordinary in 1974, but the records go back to the year the county was formed.

You can visit the courthouse in person at 121 N. Sumter Street in Oglethorpe. Staff can help you find what you need. The court also takes mail requests. Include a search fee with your letter and specify the type of record you want. Copies cost varies, so call ahead. Under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-30, the Probate Court has full jurisdiction over wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, and marriage licenses in Macon County. Certified copies are available for legal use, and regular copies work fine for genealogy research.

Note: Pre-1900 Macon County records are also available on microfilm at the Georgia Archives in Morrow.

Macon County Superior Court Genealogy

The Macon County Superior Court Clerk holds land records, divorce files, and civil and criminal case records going back to 1837. These records are useful for genealogy because they show property transfers, legal disputes, and family connections that other records might miss. Deed books and plat maps can help you figure out where your ancestors lived and what land they owned in Macon County.

Divorce records are another key source. The Superior Court has handled divorce cases since the county was created. These files often list children, describe property, and give ages or birth dates that help confirm family ties. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, most court records in Macon County are open to the public. You can request copies in person or by mail from the Clerk of Superior Court in Oglethorpe.

Tax digests from Macon County are also held at the courthouse and at the Georgia Archives. These records list property owners and the value of their holdings each year. For years when census records are missing or damaged, tax digests can fill in gaps. The 1790, 1800, 1810, and 1890 federal censuses for Georgia were destroyed, making tax records even more important for Macon County genealogy.

Vital Records for Macon County Genealogy

Macon County vital records follow the same pattern as most Georgia counties. Statewide birth and death registration began in 1919 under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-9. Before that year, few official vital records exist at the county level. The Macon County Health Department can issue birth and death certificates from 1919 to the present.

For records before 1919, check the Georgia Archives for microfilmed Macon County records. The Virtual Vault has death certificates from 1919 to 1943 available online for free. FamilySearch also has Georgia death records from 1914 to 1943 indexed at no cost. 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 broadly available and are a good starting point for Macon County genealogy.

Note: Marriage records from 1952 to 1996 were also filed at the state level with the Georgia Department of Public Health.

Macon County GAGenWeb Genealogy

The Macon 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 Macon County genealogy.

This site connects you with other people researching Macon County family lines. Volunteers often post records they have found at courthouses, libraries, and archives. You can also submit your own research to help others.

Other free online resources for Macon 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 one million pages of old Georgia newspapers with obituaries, legal notices, and family announcements useful for Macon County genealogy.

Genealogy Research Tips for Macon County

Start with what you know. Write down all the names, dates, and places you already have for your Macon County family. Then work backward one generation at a time. Census records are often the best next step. Federal census data is available from 1820 to 1940 at the Georgia Archives through Ancestry.com, which is 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 Macon County tax digests to find where your ancestors lived. The 1850 census was the first to list every person in a household by name and age. Before that, only the head of household was named. Macon County was formed in 1837 from Houston and Marion counties, so check those parent counties for earlier records.

• Check cemetery records and tombstone inscriptions when vital records are missing
• Search church records for baptisms, marriages, and burials
• Look at Family Bible records at the Georgia Archives (45 volumes on microfilm)
• Use the Vanishing Georgia collection for historical photos from Macon County
• Review estate records when birth or death dates are unknown

The Georgia Archives is at 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260. They are open 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. Pre-1900 Macon County records on microfilm are a great place to start if you cannot make the trip to Oglethorpe.

Note: Georgia has 159 counties, and borders shifted often in the 1800s, so check the Virtual Vault's "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" resource to verify the right county for any given year.

Macon County Records at Georgia Archives

The Georgia Archives in Morrow holds microfilmed Macon County records from before 1900. These include marriage records, estate files, deeds, court minutes, and tax digests. The Archives also has statewide collections that cover Macon County, such as Confederate pension applications, military service records, and property tax digests from 1874 to 1890.

You can search the Virtual Vault online for free. It has death certificates, Confederate records, colonial documents, and historical photos from across Georgia. The Vanishing Georgia collection includes photographs from Macon County that show people, places, and events from the past. These images can add context to your genealogy research even when they do not provide names or dates directly.

Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, the Georgia Open Records Act sets copy fees at 10 cents per page for standard documents from public agencies. Court records may have different fees set by local rules. If you plan to request many records from Macon County, call the courthouse first to get a cost estimate.

Cities in Macon County

Macon County includes the towns of Oglethorpe, Ideal, Marshallville, and Montezuma. All genealogy records for these communities are maintained at the Macon County Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Oglethorpe. None of these cities meet the population threshold for individual city pages.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Macon 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 Macon County one decade might appear in a different county the next.