Towns County Genealogy Records

Towns County genealogy records date back to 1856, when the county was carved from Rabun and Union counties in the north Georgia mountains. The Probate Court in Hiawassee holds marriage licenses, wills, estate files, and guardianship records spanning more than 160 years. The Clerk of Superior Court keeps land deeds, divorce files, and civil case records. Towns County is one of the smaller mountain counties, and its records reflect a close-knit community with deep family roots. Researchers tracing ancestors in this part of the Blue Ridge region will find the Hiawassee courthouse a key stop.

Towns County Probate Court Records

The Towns County Probate Court is the main source for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses go back to 1856. The court also keeps wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories. These are key documents for tracing family lines in Towns County.

You can visit the courthouse at 48 River Street in Hiawassee to search in person. Staff can help you find what you need. The court also takes requests by mail. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope and payment by check or money order. Under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-30, the Probate Court has jurisdiction over wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, and marriage licenses. Certified copies cost $2.50 for the first page and $0.50 for each page after that. Call ahead to confirm fees.

Birth and death certificates from 1919 forward are also available through the Probate Court. The first copy costs $25. Each extra copy is $5. These fees are the same at all 159 Georgia county offices.

Towns County Superior Court Genealogy

The Towns County Clerk of Superior Court holds land records, divorce files, and civil case records from 1856 to the present. Land deeds show property transfers between family members. They can tell you who sold land to whom, who lived next door, and how families were linked through real estate. Deed books in Towns County are useful for tracking the settlement of the mountain region.

Divorce records often list children, property, and ages. That detail helps confirm family connections when other sources are thin. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, most court records in Georgia are open to the public. You can request copies in person or by mail from the courthouse in Hiawassee.

Civil case files are worth checking too. Lawsuits over property or estate disputes often name several family members. Tax digests from the Superior Court can fill gaps where census records are missing. Georgia lost its 1790, 1800, 1810, and 1890 federal census data, so Towns County tax records from those periods are valuable alternatives.

Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, the Open Records Act caps copy fees at 10 cents per page for standard documents.

Vital Records for Towns County Genealogy

Georgia did not start statewide vital records until 1919 under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-9. For Towns County births and deaths before that year, you need county-level sources. Church records, cemetery transcriptions, and family Bibles are good alternatives for pre-1919 data.

Birth certificates from 1919 onward are available from the Georgia Department of Public Health or the Towns County Probate Court. 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 have fewer restrictions and are easier to get for genealogy research.

The Georgia Virtual Vault has death certificates from 1919 to 1943 online for free. FamilySearch.org also has Georgia death records from 1914 to 1943 indexed at no cost. These are solid starting points for Towns County research.

Towns County GAGenWeb Resources

The Towns County GAGenWeb page is a free volunteer-run genealogy resource with cemetery transcriptions, census data, and family trees shared by other researchers.

This site connects you with other people working on Towns County family lines. Volunteers post records they have found at courthouses, libraries, and archives across Georgia.

Other free online resources for Towns 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, legal notices, and family announcements that may help with Towns County research.

Genealogy Research Tips for Towns County

Start with what you know. Write down all the names, dates, and places you have for your Towns County family. Then work backward one generation at a time.

Census records are often the best next step. Federal census data from 1860 to 1940 covers Towns County (since the county was created in 1856). The 1850 census would list your ancestors under Rabun or Union County. 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.

You can also search Towns County records through the state's E-Access to Court Records system. Registration is free. Basic case data costs nothing. If you need actual documents, the first page is $2.50 and each page after that is $1.00.

• Check cemetery records when vital records are missing
• Search church records for baptisms, marriages, and burials
• Look at Family Bible records on microfilm at the Georgia Archives
• Use the Vanishing Georgia photo collection for historical images
• Review estate and guardianship records for family details

Towns County boundary changes matter for genealogy. The county was formed from parts of Rabun and Union counties. If your ancestors lived here before 1856, check those parent counties. The Virtual Vault has a free resource called "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" that shows where your family was counted for any given year.

Note: Pre-1900 Towns County records are available on microfilm at the Georgia Archives in Morrow. Post-1900 records are only at the courthouse in Hiawassee.

Cities in Towns County

Hiawassee is the county seat and largest city in Towns County. Young Harris is also located here. All genealogy records for cities in this county are maintained at the Towns County Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Hiawassee. No cities in Towns County meet the population threshold for a separate city page.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Towns County. If your ancestors moved within the north Georgia mountains, check neighboring county records as well. County lines changed as new counties were formed throughout the 1800s.