Seminole County Genealogy Records

Seminole County genealogy records begin in 1920, the year the county was created from parts of Decatur and Early counties. The Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Donalsonville hold marriage licenses, wills, estate files, land deeds, and court records. Seminole County sits in the far southwest corner of Georgia near the Florida border, and its records cover families who settled in this agricultural region during the early twentieth century.

Seminole County Probate Court Records

The Seminole County Probate Court at 200 S. Knox Avenue, Donalsonville, GA 39845 is the main source for marriage and estate records. Call 229-524-2525 for record requests. Marriage licenses date from 1920. The court also keeps wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories. Under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-30, the Probate Court handles wills, estates, guardianships, and marriage licenses for Seminole County.

Visit the courthouse in Donalsonville during business hours to search records in person. Staff can look up names and give a cost estimate. Copies cost about $1 per page. Certified copies run around $11 each. For mail requests, send the full name, approximate date, and record type you need, along with a check or money order. The clerk will tell you what they found and the total cost of copies.

Because Seminole County was carved from Decatur and Early counties in 1920, records before that year for this area are in those parent counties. This is especially important for genealogy work since the county is relatively new by Georgia standards. Families living in the Donalsonville area before 1920 will appear in Decatur or Early county records.

Note: Pre-1920 records for the Seminole County area are split between Decatur County and Early County courthouses.

Vital Records for Seminole County Genealogy

Georgia started statewide vital records in 1919 under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-9, just one year before Seminole County was created. Birth and death certificates from 1919 to the present are on file at the Seminole County Health Department. Since the county started in 1920, you actually have near-complete vital records coverage from the very beginning of the county's existence.

Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-26, certified birth certificates are only available to the person named, parents, grandparents, adult siblings, adult children, spouses, or legal guardians. Death certificates are more widely available and generally easier to get for genealogy purposes. The fee is $25 for a birth or death certificate, plus $5 for each extra copy. Order from the Georgia Department of Public Health or the local health department in Donalsonville.

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.

Seminole County Land and Court Genealogy

The Seminole County Superior Court Clerk holds land records, divorce files, and civil and criminal case records from 1920 forward. Land deeds show where your ancestors lived and who their neighbors were. They often name family members in the transaction. Deed books and plat maps are open to the public under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70.

Divorce records can also be useful for genealogy. These files often list children, property, ages, and birth dates that help confirm family links. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, the Georgia Open Records Act caps copy fees at 10 cents per page for standard documents from public agencies. Court records may have slightly different fee structures, so ask the clerk before placing a large order.

Tax digests are another good source. They list heads of household with property values and can fill in gaps when census records are missing or damaged. For pre-1920 land records in this area, check Decatur and Early county records at those courthouses or on microfilm at the Georgia Archives.

Note: Seminole County is part of the Pataula Judicial Circuit, which also includes Clay, Early, Miller, and Quitman counties.

Seminole County Genealogy Online Resources

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

Use this directory to find addresses, phone numbers, and office hours before visiting or writing to the Seminole County Probate Court in Donalsonville.

Other free resources for Seminole 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 a million pages of old Georgia newspapers with obituaries and legal notices. The Virtual Vault from the Georgia Archives has death certificates from 1919 to 1943 for free online searching.

Research Tips for Seminole County Genealogy

Start with what you know. Write down all names, dates, and places you have for your Seminole County family. Then work backward one generation at a time. Census records are the best next step once you have basic facts gathered.

Federal census data is at the Georgia Archives through Ancestry.com, free in the search room. The 1790, 1800, 1810, and 1890 federal census records for Georgia were destroyed. Since Seminole County did not exist until 1920, you need to check Decatur and Early county census records for the 1900 and 1910 censuses. The 1920 census would be the first to list Seminole County by name. The 1850 census was the first to name every person in the household.

The Georgia Archives at 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260 is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Free access to Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and Fold3 is available in the search room. For records after 1920, contact the courthouse in Donalsonville directly.

• Check cemetery records when vital records are not available
• 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

Note: Always check the parent counties of Decatur and Early for any Seminole County family research that goes back before 1920.

Cities in Seminole County

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

Nearby Counties

These counties border Seminole County in the far southwest corner of Georgia. Families in this area often crossed county lines, so check neighboring records. Decatur and Early counties are the parent counties and hold pre-1920 records for the area.