Access Tift County Genealogy Records

Tift County genealogy records start in 1905, when the county was formed from Berrien, Irwin, and Worth counties in south-central Georgia. The Probate Court in Tifton 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 Tift County is one of Georgia's newer counties, researchers need to check Berrien, Irwin, and Worth county records for ancestors who lived in this area before 1905. The courthouse in Tifton is the main source for all records from that date onward.

Tift County Probate Court Records

The Tift County Probate Court handles marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses date to 1905. Wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories are held at the courthouse. 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 225 Tift Avenue N in Tifton. The phone number is 229-386-7800. You can visit in person to search records. Mail requests are accepted too. Include names, dates, and a check or money order for the search fee. Certified copies cost more than plain copies. Call ahead to check current fees and hours.

Because Tift County was not created until 1905, the earliest records here are only about 120 years old. For ancestors in this area before 1905, you need to look at Berrien, Irwin, and Worth counties. Those parent counties have records going back to the early and mid-1800s.

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

Tift County Superior Court Genealogy

The Superior Court Clerk holds land records, divorce files, and court cases from 1905 onward. Deed books track property changes over time. Plat maps show parcel locations. These records help find where your ancestors lived in the Tifton area.

Divorce records 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 get copies in person or by mail. The clerk charges per-page fees.

Tax digests list property owners each year. For land records before 1905, check the parent counties. Your ancestors may have owned the same land for decades. Only the county name changed when Tift was formed.

Vital Records for Tift 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 Tift 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 close family members. Death certificates are easier to get. 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 good starting points for Tift County genealogy research.

Tift County Genealogy Records Online

The Georgia Probate Courts Directory lists contact details and services for the Tift County Probate Court and every other probate court in the state.

Use this directory to find phone numbers, addresses, and office hours for all Georgia probate courts.

You can also search Tift County records through the state's E-Access to Court Records system. Registration is free. Basic case data is available at no charge. If you need documents, the first page costs $2.50 and each page after that is $1.00.

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 Tift County

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

Census records from 1910 to 1940 list Tift County. For 1900 and earlier, look under the parent counties. The Virtual Vault has "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" to help track jurisdictions.

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. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, copy fees are capped at 10 cents per page.

• Check Berrien, Irwin, and Worth 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 Tifton images

Cities in Tift County

Tift County includes Tifton, Omega, and Ty Ty. All genealogy records are maintained at the Tift County Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Tifton. No cities in this county meet the population threshold for individual pages.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Tift County. Berrien, Irwin, and Worth are parent counties with older records for this area.