Search Randolph County Genealogy

Randolph County genealogy records date to 1828, when the county was formed from Lee County in southwest Georgia. The Probate Court in Cuthbert holds marriage licenses, wills, estate files, and guardianship records from that year forward. Land deeds, court cases, and divorce files are at the Superior Court Clerk office. Randolph County was a major cotton-producing area before the Civil War, and its courthouse records reflect the planters, farmers, and families who shaped this part of the state for nearly two hundred years. Researchers with roots in southwest Georgia will find a solid set of primary records at the courthouse.

Randolph County Probate Court Records

The Randolph County Probate Court is the main source for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses date to 1828. The court holds 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.

The courthouse is at 93 Front Street in Cuthbert. The phone number is 229-732-2216. Visit in person to search records or send a mail request with names, dates, and a check or money order for the search fee. Certified copies cost more than plain copies but are needed for legal use. Call ahead for current fees and hours.

Estate records from Randolph County are strong genealogy sources. Wills name heirs and describe property. Inventories list holdings at death. For the antebellum period, estate files sometimes include lists of enslaved people, which are important for African American genealogy research in this part of Georgia.

Note: Before 1974, the Court of Ordinary handled these records. All older files were transferred to the Probate Court.

Randolph County Superior Court Genealogy

The Superior Court Clerk holds land records, divorce files, and court cases from 1828 onward. Deed books show property transfers. Plat maps show parcel locations. These records help you trace where your ancestors lived in Randolph County and who owned land near them.

Divorce records are a good genealogy source. They often list children, property, ages, and birth dates. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, most court records are open to the public. You can request copies in person or by mail.

Tax digests list property owners each year. Georgia lost the 1790, 1800, 1810, and 1890 censuses. Tax records fill those gaps. Randolph County also gave land to form parts of Quitman, Clay, and Terrell counties, so check those counties if your family seems to disappear from Randolph records.

Vital Records for Randolph County Genealogy

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

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 limits and are easier to get for genealogy. For records before 1919, check church records, cemetery inscriptions, or Family Bible entries.

The Virtual Vault has death certificates from 1919 to 1943 online for free. FamilySearch has Georgia death records from 1914 to 1943 at no cost. These free databases are good starting points for Randolph County research.

Randolph County GAGenWeb Genealogy

The Randolph County GAGenWeb page is a free volunteer-run genealogy resource. It has cemetery transcriptions, census data, family trees, and records shared by researchers working on Randolph County families.

Volunteers post records from courthouses, libraries, and archives. You can add your own findings. The site connects people tracing the same Randolph County family lines.

Other free resources 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 newspapers with obituaries and legal notices.

Research Tips for Randolph County

Start with what you know. Write down names, dates, and places. Then work backward one generation at a time. Census records from 1830 to 1940 cover Randolph County and are at the Georgia Archives through Ancestry.com (free in the search room).

Randolph County was formed from Lee County in 1828. Parts of it later became Clay, Quitman, and Terrell counties. If your ancestors vanish from Randolph County at some point, check those newer counties. The Virtual Vault has "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" to help you track where your family was counted.

The Georgia Archives at 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260 has pre-1900 Randolph County records on microfilm. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. You can also use the E-Access to Court Records system. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, copy fees are capped at 10 cents per page.

• 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 tax digests for years when census records were destroyed
• Look at Clay, Quitman, and Terrell County records for families after 1858

Cities in Randolph County

Randolph County includes Cuthbert, Shellman, and Coleman. All genealogy records are maintained at the Randolph County Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Cuthbert. No cities in this county meet the population threshold for individual pages.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Randolph County. If your ancestors lived near county lines, check neighboring records. Several of these counties were formed from Randolph County land.