Search Screven County Genealogy

Screven County genealogy records go back to 1793, when the county was one of the early formations in Georgia's expansion into the interior. The Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Sylvania maintain marriage licenses, wills, estate files, land deeds, and court records. Located between Savannah and Augusta in east Georgia, Screven County holds important records for tracing families who settled along the Ogeechee and Savannah river corridors in the late 1700s and early 1800s.

Screven County Probate Court Genealogy

The Screven County Probate Court in Sylvania is the main source for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses date back to the late 1700s. The court also 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, and marriage licenses in Screven County.

You can visit the courthouse in Sylvania during business hours to search records. Staff can look up specific names and give you a cost estimate before you pay. Copies run about $1 per page, and certified copies cost around $11 each. For mail requests, include the full name, approximate date, and type of record you need along with a check or money order for the search fee. The Probate Court staff will respond with what they find and the total cost.

Screven County is one of the older counties in Georgia. Its early records are valuable for tracing families who lived in east Georgia during the period right after the American Revolution. Many land grants and early deeds in this area tie back to veterans of the Revolutionary War who received land bounties.

Note: Pre-1900 Screven County probate records are on microfilm at the Georgia Archives in Morrow.

Vital Records for Screven County Genealogy

Georgia began statewide vital records in 1919 under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-9. Birth and death certificates from 1919 to the present are on file at the Screven County Health Department. Before 1919, there are no systematic birth or death records for this county. You will need census data, church records, cemetery inscriptions, and family Bibles to fill in dates from earlier years.

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 are more widely available for genealogy research. The fee is $25 for a birth or death certificate, plus $5 for each extra copy. Order through the Georgia Department of Public Health or visit the health department in Sylvania.

Free online death records from 1919 to 1943 are in the Georgia Archives Virtual Vault. FamilySearch also has Georgia death records from 1914 to 1943 indexed at no cost. These two sources are a strong starting point for early twentieth-century Screven County genealogy research.

Note: Marriage records from 1952 to 1996 were filed at the state level with the Georgia Department of Public Health, so there are two possible places to check for records from that period.

Screven County Land and Court Records

The Screven County Superior Court Clerk holds land records, divorce files, and civil and criminal case records from 1793 forward. Land deeds are among the most useful genealogy records. They show where ancestors lived, who their neighbors were, and often name family members in the deed. Deed books and plat maps are open to the public under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, the Georgia Open Records Act.

Divorce records are on file here too. These can list children, property, ages, and birth dates that confirm family connections. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, copy fees from public agencies are capped at 10 cents per page for standard documents. Court records may follow different local fee rules, so ask the clerk about costs before placing a large request.

Property tax digests held by the Superior Court list heads of household with land and personal property values. These are especially useful for the years when census records were lost or destroyed. Early tax digests from 1785 to 1799 for Georgia are available in the Virtual Vault online.

Screven County Genealogy Online Resources

The Georgia Probate Courts Directory lists contact information for the Screven County Probate Court and all other Georgia probate courts.

Use this directory to find phone numbers, addresses, and office hours for the Screven County Probate Court before making a trip to Sylvania.

Other free online tools for Screven 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 and legal notices. The Virtual Vault has death certificates from 1919 to 1943 available for free.

Research Tips for Screven County Genealogy

Start with what you know. Write down all the names, dates, and places for your Screven County family and then work backward one generation at a time. Census records are usually the best next step.

Federal census data from 1820 to 1940 is at the Georgia Archives through Ancestry.com, free in the search room. The 1790, 1800, 1810, and 1890 census records for Georgia were destroyed. Use Screven County tax digests to locate ancestors during those missing years. The 1850 census was the first to list every household member by name and age, which makes it a key record for mid-1800s research in this county.

Pre-1900 Screven County records are on microfilm at the Georgia Archives, 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260. The Archives is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with free access to Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and Fold3. For records after 1900, contact the Sylvania courthouse directly.

• Check cemetery records and tombstone inscriptions when vital records are missing
• Search church records for baptisms, marriages, and burials
• Look at Family Bible records on microfilm at the Georgia Archives
• Review estate records when birth or death dates are unknown
• Use the Vanishing Georgia photo collection for historical images

Note: Georgia has 159 counties, and borders shifted often. Use the Virtual Vault resource "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" to check which county your family was in at any given time.

Cities in Screven County

Screven County's main town is Sylvania, the county seat. All genealogy records for the county are held at the Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Sylvania. No cities in Screven County meet the population threshold for a separate city page.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Screven County. Families in east Georgia often moved between these counties, so check neighboring records when your trail goes cold. Burke and Effingham counties are particularly relevant for early Screven County research.