Marion County Genealogy Lookup

Marion County genealogy records date back to 1827, when this southwest Georgia county was formed from Lee and Muscogee counties. The Probate Court in Buena Vista holds marriage records, wills, estate inventories, and guardianship files. Land deeds and court cases are at the Superior Court Clerk office. Marion County covers a rural stretch of western Georgia along the Flint River, and its records reflect the agricultural families that settled this area in the early 1800s. Researchers can find nearly two centuries of documents useful for tracing family lines in this part of the state.

Marion County Probate Court Records

The Marion County Probate Court is the primary source for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses go back to 1827. The court also keeps wills, letters of administration, guardianship papers, and estate inventories. Under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-30, the Probate Court has full jurisdiction over these record types in Marion County.

Visit the courthouse at 100 W. Broad Street in Buena Vista to search records in person. Staff can help you locate what you need. You can also send mail requests with a search fee. Include the names and approximate dates you are looking for. Certified copies cost more than regular copies, but regular copies work fine for genealogy purposes. Call ahead to confirm current fees and office hours before making the trip.

Note: The Probate Court took over from the Court of Ordinary in 1974, but all older records were transferred and remain available at the courthouse.

Marion County Superior Court Genealogy

The Superior Court Clerk in Buena Vista maintains land records, divorce files, and civil and criminal court cases from 1827 forward. Deed books track property transfers between families. Plat maps show where land was located. These records help you find where your ancestors lived in Marion County.

Divorce records from the Superior Court are useful for genealogy. They often include names of children, property descriptions, and ages or birth dates. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, most court records in Marion County are public. You can request copies in person or by mail. Tax digests held at the courthouse and at the Georgia Archives list property owners each year. When census records are destroyed or missing, these tax lists serve as a replacement. Georgia lost the 1790, 1800, 1810, and 1890 federal censuses, so tax digests fill critical gaps.

Vital Records for Marion County Genealogy

Georgia started statewide birth and death registration in 1919 under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-9. Before that, few official vital records exist for Marion County at the county level. The Marion County Health Department issues certificates from 1919 onward.

For older records, the Virtual Vault at the Georgia Archives has death certificates from 1919 to 1943 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 restricted to certain family members and legal guardians. Death certificates are available to a broader group, which makes them easier to get for genealogy research. For Marion County ancestors before 1919, look at church records, cemetery inscriptions, and estate files to find birth and death information.

Note: Marriage records from 1952 to 1996 were filed with both the county and the Georgia Department of Public Health.

Marion County Genealogy Resources Online

The Georgia Probate Courts Directory lists contact details for every probate court in the state, including Marion County. This is a good first stop when planning research by phone or mail.

The directory lets you find the exact address, phone number, and judge for the Marion County Probate Court. This saves time when you need to make requests from out of state.

Other free online tools for Marion County genealogy 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 Georgia newspapers. Obituaries, legal notices, and family announcements in these papers often contain details that courthouses do not have. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, copy fees for public records are capped at 10 cents per page for standard sizes.

Genealogy Tips for Marion County

Write down what you know first. Names, dates, places. Then work backward one generation at a time. Census records are a strong next step for Marion County research. Federal census data from 1830 to 1940 is free at the Georgia Archives through Ancestry.com in the search room.

Marion County was created from Lee and Muscogee counties. For ancestors who lived here before 1827, search those parent counties. Also keep in mind that parts of Marion County later became Chattahoochee, Schley, Taylor, and Webster counties. If your family disappears from Marion County records at some point, they may have ended up in one of those newer counties without ever moving. The Virtual Vault has "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" to help sort this out.

• Search cemetery records when vital records are not available
• Check church records for baptisms, marriages, and burials
• Review Family Bible records on microfilm at the Georgia Archives
• Use estate records when birth or death dates are missing

The Georgia Archives is at 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Pre-1900 Marion County records on microfilm are available there.

Cities in Marion County

Marion County includes Buena Vista and a few small communities. All genealogy records are maintained at the Marion County Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Buena Vista. No cities in Marion County meet the population threshold for individual pages.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Marion County. Ancestors who lived near county lines often appear in records from more than one county. Check neighboring records if your Marion County search hits a dead end.