Taylor County Genealogy Records

Taylor County genealogy records date back to 1852 when the county was formed from parts of Macon, Marion, and Talbot counties. The Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Butler hold marriage records, wills, estate files, land deeds, and court cases for family history research. Taylor County sits in west-central Georgia, and its records cover nearly 175 years of family data. The courthouse in Butler is the main place to start your search for ancestors in this part of the state.

Taylor County Probate Court Records

The Taylor County Probate Court is where you find marriage and estate records for genealogy. This court holds marriage licenses from 1852 to the present. It also keeps wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories. For most family history research in Taylor County, the Probate Court is the first stop.

Visit the courthouse in Butler to search these records in person. Staff there can help you locate specific files. You can also send a mail request with the full names and approximate dates you need, along with payment for the search fee. Under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-30, the Probate Court holds jurisdiction over wills, estates, guardianships, and marriage licenses. Call the courthouse to check current fees before sending a request.

Note: Taylor County is a small rural county, so the Probate Court may have limited staff and slower response times for mail requests.

Taylor County Superior Court Genealogy

The Taylor County Superior Court Clerk holds land records, divorce files, and civil and criminal case documents from 1852 forward. Deed books and old court minutes show property transfers and legal matters involving your ancestors. These records are useful when vital records are not available or do not have the details you need.

Divorce records can be especially helpful. They often name children, list ages, and describe property holdings. The Superior Court has handled divorce cases since the county was formed. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, most court records in Taylor County are open to the public. You can visit the clerk's office in Butler or send a written request by mail. Land records from the 1850s and 1860s can help place your ancestors geographically when census records are thin.

Property tax digests are another tool. They list landowners and personal property values for each year. When census records are missing or damaged, tax digests can confirm that a person lived in Taylor County during a given period.

Vital Records for Taylor County Genealogy

Statewide vital records began in 1919. Birth and death certificates from that year forward are available from the Georgia Department of Public Health or the Taylor County vital records office in Butler. Birth certificates cost $25 for the first copy and $5 for extras. Death certificates cost the same amount.

Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-26, only certain people can get a certified birth certificate. The list includes the person named, parents, grandparents, adult siblings, adult children, spouses, and legal guardians. Death certificates have fewer restrictions and are a better option for genealogy research. For records before 1919, the Georgia Archives in Morrow has microfilmed county records. The Virtual Vault has free access to death certificates from 1919 to 1943.

Note: For ancestors in this area before 1852, check Macon, Marion, or Talbot County records since Taylor was carved from those counties.

Taylor County Genealogy Online

The Georgia Probate Courts Directory lists contact information for the Taylor County Probate Court and every other probate court in the state. This is a handy reference for phone numbers and office hours.

From this directory you can find the right office to call or write to when requesting Taylor County genealogy records.

Free online resources for Taylor 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 newspapers with obituaries, legal notices, and family announcements. Both sites are free to use.

The Georgia E-Access system at georgiacourts.gov also provides online access to some court records. Registration is free, and basic case information is available at no charge. Document viewing costs $2.50 for the first page and $1.00 for each page after that.

Genealogy Research Tips for Taylor County

Start with the information you already have. Write down names, dates, and places for your Taylor County family. Then work backward one generation at a time. Census records are a strong next step. Federal census data from 1860 to 1940 covers the period after Taylor County was formed. The 1850 census was the first to list every person by name, but Taylor County did not exist until 1852, so the 1860 census is your earliest full listing for this county.

Georgia has 159 counties, and boundaries shifted throughout the 1800s. Taylor County was cut from Macon, Marion, and Talbot counties. If you cannot find an ancestor in Taylor County for a given year, check records in those parent counties. The Virtual Vault has a tool called "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" that shows county lines for any year. This is a free resource that can save you hours of searching in the wrong place. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, public record copy fees are capped at 10 cents per page for standard documents.

Pre-1900 Taylor County records are on microfilm at the Georgia Archives, 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260. The archives are open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with free access to Ancestry.com and FamilySearch in the search room.

Cities in Taylor County

Taylor County includes the city of Butler, which serves as the county seat, along with Reynolds and other small communities. All genealogy records for these areas are at the Taylor County Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Butler. No cities in this county meet the population threshold for a separate city page.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Taylor County. Checking neighboring county records can help when your ancestors moved across county lines or when boundary changes affected which county they were in.