Wheeler County Genealogy Search

Wheeler County genealogy records begin in 1912, the year the county was created from Montgomery County in southeast Georgia. The Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Alamo maintain marriage licenses, probate files, land deeds, and court records from 1912 to the present. As one of Georgia's younger counties, Wheeler has a shorter record span than many others, but the collections are well preserved. Birth and death certificates from 1919 onward are on file at the courthouse as well.

Wheeler County Probate Court Records

The Wheeler County Probate Court is the primary source for marriage and estate records used in genealogy research. Marriage licenses date to 1912. The court also keeps wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories. These records are essential for tracing family connections in Wheeler County.

You can visit the courthouse at 119 W. Pearl Street in Alamo to search records in person. The staff can help locate what you need. The court also accepts mail requests. Include the name and date range you are looking for, along with a check or money order for the search fee. Call ahead to confirm the cost. Under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-30, the Probate Court has jurisdiction over wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, and marriage licenses in Wheeler County.

Birth and death certificates from 1919 are available through the Probate Court. Certified copies cost $25 for the first copy. Each extra copy is $5. These fees are the same at all 159 Georgia county offices. For genealogy, a plain copy usually works fine.

Because Wheeler County was not formed until 1912, earlier records for this area are held by Montgomery County. If your ancestors were here before 1912, check Montgomery County first. That is where the records would have been filed.

Note: Wheeler County records on microfilm are also at the Georgia Archives in Morrow for pre-1960 materials.

Wheeler County Genealogy Records Online

The Wheeler County GAGenWeb page is a free volunteer-run site with genealogy data from the county.

This site has cemetery transcriptions, census extracts, family histories, and other records posted by researchers. You can also submit your own findings to help people working on Wheeler County lines.

The state's E-Access to Court Records system lets you search Wheeler County court data from home. Registration is free. Basic case information shows up at no cost. If you need document copies, the first page is $2.50 and each page after that costs $1.00. This tool saves a trip to Alamo when you just need to check if a record exists.

Other free resources include FamilySearch, which has Georgia marriages from 1754 to 1960 and death records from 1914 to 1943 indexed at no charge. The Virtual Vault at Georgia Archives has death certificates from 1919 to 1943 online for free. Since Wheeler County started in 1912, nearly all of its early records fall within the range these databases cover.

Wheeler County Superior Court Genealogy

The Wheeler County Clerk of Superior Court holds land records, divorce files, and civil and criminal case records from 1912 to the present. Land deeds are among the most useful genealogy records you can find. They show who sold land to whom, name neighbors, and reveal family connections that other records miss.

Divorce records are also valuable. They often list children by name, describe property, and give ages or birth dates. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, most court records in Georgia are open to the public. You can get copies in person or by mail from the clerk in Alamo. A per-page fee applies.

Civil case files from Wheeler County can help too. Lawsuits over land, estate disputes, and guardianship cases name several family members. When vital records are not available for the years you need, court records can fill the gap. Tax digests at the courthouse list property owners and values for each year, which is useful when census data is missing.

Keep in mind that Wheeler County land before 1912 was part of Montgomery County. Deed transfers from before that year are in the Montgomery County records. Check both counties if your family was here during the transition period.

Vital Records for Wheeler County Genealogy

Georgia began statewide vital records in 1919 under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-9. Birth and death certificates from 1919 forward are available from the Wheeler County Probate Court or the Georgia Department of Public Health. Certified copies cost $25 for the first and $5 for each additional copy.

Under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-26, certified birth certificates are restricted to the person named, parents, grandparents, adult siblings, adult children, spouses, or legal guardians. Death certificates have fewer restrictions. That makes them easier to get for genealogy work. For records before 1919, try church records, cemetery inscriptions, or Family Bible entries.

The Georgia Virtual Vault has death certificates from 1919 to 1943 free online. FamilySearch also has Georgia death records from 1914 to 1943 indexed at no cost. Since Wheeler County was formed in 1912 and statewide vital records began in 1919, there is only a seven-year gap where birth and death records may be hard to find at the county level.

Research Tips for Wheeler County

Start with what you know. Write down all names, dates, and places for your Wheeler County family. Work backward from there. Census records are a good next step. The 1920 census was the first to count Wheeler County as its own entity. For 1910 and earlier, look under Montgomery County.

The 1890 federal census for Georgia was destroyed. For that decade, use tax digests to find where your ancestors lived. The 1900 and 1910 censuses would still list this area under Montgomery County. Once you get to 1920, Wheeler County appears on its own. Keep in mind that the 1790, 1800, and 1810 Georgia censuses are also lost.

Wheeler County was carved from Montgomery County in 1912. If your family was in this area before that year, all their records, including marriage licenses, land deeds, and court cases, are filed in Montgomery County. Check both counties when working across that boundary. The Virtual Vault has "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" to help track where records were filed for any given year.

• Check cemetery records when vital records are not available for the years you need
• Search church records for baptisms, marriages, and burials in Wheeler County
• 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 when birth or death dates are unknown
• Check Montgomery County for all records before 1912

The Georgia Archives is at 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260. 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, the Open Records Act caps copy fees at 10 cents per page for standard documents from public agencies.

Note: Free Ancestry.com and FamilySearch access at the Georgia Archives in Morrow is available for Wheeler County genealogy research.

Cities in Wheeler County

Wheeler County includes the towns of Alamo and Glenwood. All genealogy records for these communities are maintained at the Wheeler County Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Alamo. None of these cities meet the population threshold for individual city pages.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Wheeler County or are nearby. If your ancestors moved around southeast Georgia, check neighboring county records too. County lines shifted over time, and records might turn up in an adjacent county.