Find McIntosh County Genealogy

McIntosh County genealogy records stretch back to 1793, making it one of the oldest counties in Georgia. The county seat is Darien, a historic port town on the Altamaha River. The Probate Court holds marriage records, wills, estate inventories, and guardianship files that span over 230 years. The Superior Court Clerk maintains land deeds, divorce records, and court cases. McIntosh County's long history ties into the colonial era, the rice plantation period, and the timber industry along the Georgia coast, giving researchers a deep well of records for tracing family lines.

McIntosh County Probate Court Records

The McIntosh County Probate Court in Darien is the primary source for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses date back to the late 1700s. Wills, letters of administration, guardianship papers, and estate inventories are also held here. These are essential records for tracing families in this coastal Georgia county.

Visit the courthouse in Darien to search records in person. Staff can help with your search. Mail requests are accepted too. Include the names and dates you need, along with the required search fee. Under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-30, the Probate Court has full jurisdiction over wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, and marriage licenses in McIntosh County. Call ahead to confirm fees. Regular copies are enough for genealogy work. Certified copies cost more but are needed for legal purposes.

McIntosh County's early probate records are especially valuable because they cover the colonial and early American periods. Estate inventories from this era list household items, farm equipment, and sometimes the names of enslaved people. These records are an important resource for African American genealogy in the coastal Georgia region.

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

McIntosh County Superior Court Genealogy

The Superior Court Clerk in Darien holds land records, divorce files, and court cases from 1793 to the present. Deed books and plat maps from McIntosh County show property transfers going back to the earliest days of the county. These records can help you find where your ancestors lived and what land they owned along the Georgia coast.

Divorce files often list children, property, and ages or birth dates. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, most court records are public. Tax digests from McIntosh County are held at the courthouse and at the Georgia Archives. They list property owners each year. Since the 1790, 1800, 1810, and 1890 federal censuses for Georgia were destroyed, tax records are even more critical for McIntosh County genealogy. Some of the earliest tax digests in Georgia come from coastal counties like McIntosh.

Vital Records for McIntosh County Genealogy

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

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 restricted to the person named, parents, grandparents, adult children, adult siblings, spouses, and legal guardians. Death certificates are easier to get for genealogy research.

For records before 1919, check church records, cemetery transcriptions, and estate files. Darien has some of the oldest churches in Georgia, and their records can go back to the 1700s. These church records sometimes include baptisms, marriages, and burials that predate the county's official record-keeping system.

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

McIntosh County GAGenWeb Genealogy

The McIntosh 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 McIntosh County family lines.

Volunteers post records they find at courthouses, libraries, and archives. The site connects researchers working on the same McIntosh County families. You can also share your own findings to help others.

Other free resources include FamilySearch with Georgia marriages from 1754 to 1960 and probate records from 1742 to 1990. The Georgia Historic Newspapers archive has over one million pages of old newspapers with obituaries and legal notices useful for McIntosh County genealogy.

Genealogy Tips for McIntosh County

Start with what you know and work backward. Census records are a good next step. Federal census data from 1820 to 1940 is available at the Georgia Archives through Ancestry.com (free in the search room). McIntosh County appears in the 1820 census and every subsequent decade.

Since McIntosh County was created in 1793 from Liberty County, check Liberty County records for earlier ancestors. The county's coastal location means that many early settlers came by ship, and port records can sometimes supplement courthouse records. The Georgia Archives holds colonial-era documents that cover this region, including headright grants and land lottery records from the Virtual Vault.

• Check cemetery records when vital records are not available
• Search church records in Darien for baptisms, marriages, and burials
• Review estate inventories for details on household members
• Use the Vanishing Georgia photo collection for McIntosh County images

The Georgia Archives is at 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. 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 McIntosh County

McIntosh County includes Darien and a few small communities along the coast. All genealogy records are maintained at the McIntosh County Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Darien. No cities in this county meet the population threshold for individual pages.

Nearby Counties

These counties border McIntosh County. Check neighboring records if your family lived near county lines or if you reach a dead end in McIntosh County.