Stephens County Genealogy Search

Stephens County genealogy records start in 1905, the year the county was formed from Franklin and Habersham counties in northeast Georgia. The Probate Court in Toccoa holds marriage licenses, wills, estate files, and guardianship papers from that year forward. Land deeds, court cases, and divorce records are at the Superior Court Clerk office. Since Stephens County is one of Georgia's newer counties, you will need to check Franklin and Habersham county records for ancestors who lived in this area before 1905. The courthouse in Toccoa is the main source for all records after that date.

Stephens County Probate Court Records

The Stephens County Probate Court handles marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses date to 1905. Wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories are held here too. 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 70 N. Alexander Street in Toccoa. The phone number is 706-886-2511. You can visit in person to search records. Mail requests are accepted. Include names, dates, and a check or money order for the search fee. Certified copies cost more than plain copies. Call ahead to verify fees and hours.

Because Stephens County was formed in 1905, the earliest records here are only about 120 years old. For ancestors before 1905, check Franklin County or Habersham County. Those parent counties have records going back to the late 1700s and early 1800s.

Note: The Court of Ordinary handled probate before 1974. All older records transferred to the Probate Court.

Stephens County Superior Court Genealogy

The Superior Court Clerk holds land records, divorce files, and court cases from 1905 onward. Deed books show property transfers. Plat maps show parcel locations in the county. These records help you find where your ancestors lived in the Toccoa area.

Divorce files 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. The clerk charges per-page fees for copies.

For land records before 1905, check Franklin and Habersham counties. Your ancestors may have owned land in the same spot for decades. The county just changed. Tax digests list property owners each year and help cover census gaps from destroyed records.

Vital Records for Stephens 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 Stephens County Probate Court or the Georgia Department of Public Health. Certified copies cost $25 for the first and $5 for each extra copy.

Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-26, certified birth certificates are only available to close family members. Death certificates are easier to get for genealogy. For records before 1919, try 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 useful starting points for Stephens County genealogy.

Stephens County GAGenWeb Genealogy

The Stephens County GAGenWeb page is a free volunteer-run genealogy resource with cemetery transcriptions, census data, family trees, and documents shared by researchers working on Stephens County families.

Volunteers post records from courthouses, libraries, and archives. You can add your own research too. The site connects people tracing the same Stephens County 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 Stephens County

Start with what you know. Write down names, dates, and places. Then work backward. For Stephens County, the key thing to remember is that the county did not exist before 1905. All records before that date are in Franklin or Habersham County.

Census records from 1910 to 1940 list Stephens County. For 1900 and earlier, look under Franklin or Habersham County in the census indexes. The Virtual Vault has "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" to help you track jurisdictions over time.

The Georgia Archives at 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260 has microfilm records for the area. Hours are 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. 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 Franklin and Habersham County records for ancestors before 1905
• Search cemetery records when vital records are missing
• Review church records for baptisms, marriages, and burials
• Use tax digests for years when census records were destroyed
• Look at the Vanishing Georgia photo collection for local images

Cities in Stephens County

Stephens County includes Toccoa, Martin, and Avalon. All genealogy records are maintained at the Stephens County Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Toccoa. No cities in this county meet the population threshold for individual pages.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Stephens County. If your ancestors lived near county lines, check neighboring records. Franklin and Habersham are parent counties with records predating 1905.