Search Miller County Genealogy

Miller County genealogy records go back to 1856, the year this southwest Georgia county was created from Baker and Early counties. The Probate Court in Colquitt holds marriage licenses, wills, estate files, and guardianship records. Land deeds and court cases are at the Superior Court Clerk office. Miller County has a unique place in Georgia genealogy because it was one of the counties that kept birth records under the 1875 Vital Records Act, giving researchers rare pre-1919 vital records. This county offers solid documentation for tracing family lines in the lower Chattahoochee River valley.

Miller County Probate Court Records

The Miller County Probate Court in Colquitt is the main source for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses go back to 1856. Wills, letters of administration, guardianship papers, and estate inventories are also kept here. Under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-30, the Probate Court handles wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, and marriage licenses.

Visit the courthouse at 155 S. First Street in Colquitt to search records in person. Staff can guide your search. Mail requests are accepted with a search fee. Include the names and approximate dates you need. Regular copies are enough for genealogy work. Certified copies cost more but are required for legal matters. Call ahead to check current fees and hours.

Note: Pre-1900 Miller County records are also on microfilm at the Georgia Archives in Morrow, which is useful for out-of-state researchers.

Miller County 1875 Birth Records

Miller County is one of only eleven Georgia counties that kept birth records under the 1875 Vital Records Act. These records cover 1875 to 1876 and are held at the Georgia Archives on microfilm. This is a rare resource because Georgia did not start statewide birth registration until 1919 under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-9.

Most Georgia counties did not comply with the 1875 law, so these Miller County records are especially valuable. They may include the child's name, parents' names, date of birth, and sometimes the place of birth. If your ancestors were in Miller County during this period, check for these early birth records. They fill a gap that few other sources can cover. The Georgia Archives has them on microfilm, and some have been indexed on FamilySearch.

Miller County Superior Court Genealogy

The Superior Court Clerk in Colquitt holds land records, divorce files, and civil and criminal court cases from 1856 onward. Deed books show property transfers. Plat maps show land locations. These records help place your ancestors on the map in Miller County.

Divorce files often list children, property, and birth dates. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, most court records are public. Tax digests from Miller County list property owners each year. When census records are missing, these tax lists are a substitute. The 1890 federal census was destroyed nationally, so Miller County tax digests from that decade are an important alternative source for genealogy research.

Vital Records for Miller County Genealogy

Beyond the rare 1875-1876 birth records, Miller County follows the standard Georgia vital records timeline. Statewide registration began in 1919. The Miller County Health Department issues birth and death certificates from 1919 forward.

The Virtual Vault has death certificates from 1919 to 1943 online for free. FamilySearch 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 close family members and legal guardians. Death certificates are available to a wider group and serve as a good starting point for genealogy.

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

Miller County GAGenWeb Genealogy

The Miller County GAGenWeb page is a free volunteer-run genealogy site. It has cemetery transcriptions, census data, family trees, and records shared by people researching Miller County families.

Volunteers post records from courthouses and archives. You can submit your own findings. The site connects researchers working on the same Miller County family lines, which can save time and open new leads.

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 Miller County genealogy research.

Genealogy Tips for Miller County

Start with what you know. Names, dates, places. Then work backward. Census records are a good next step. Federal census data from 1860 to 1940 is available at the Georgia Archives through Ancestry.com (free in the search room). Miller County first appears in the 1860 census.

Miller County was formed from Baker and Early counties. For ancestors before 1856, search those parent counties. Georgia has 159 counties, and lines changed often. The Virtual Vault's "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" tool helps you figure out which county had jurisdiction over a specific area at any point in time. Seminole County was later carved from parts of Miller, Early, and Decatur counties, so if your family disappears from Miller County records, they may have ended up in Seminole County.

• Check cemetery records and tombstone inscriptions when vital records are missing
• Search church records for baptisms, marriages, and burials
• Look for the 1875-1876 birth records at the Georgia Archives
• Use tax digests to fill gaps left by the destroyed 1890 census

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 Miller County

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

Nearby Counties

These counties border Miller County. Check neighboring records if your ancestors lived near county lines or if your Miller County search reaches a wall.