Search Wilkes County Genealogy

Wilkes County genealogy records reach back to 1777, making this one of Georgia's oldest counties. It was one of the original eight counties created when Georgia adopted its first constitution. The Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Washington hold marriage records, wills, estate files, land deeds, and court cases that span nearly 250 years. These are some of the earliest county-level records in the entire state. Researchers looking for colonial-era and Revolutionary War-era family connections in Georgia will find Wilkes County to be one of the most important starting points.

Wilkes County Probate Court Records

The Wilkes County Probate Court is the primary source for marriage and estate records. Marriage licenses date to the late 1700s. The court also holds wills, letters of administration, guardianship files, and estate inventories. Under O.C.G.A. § 15-9-30, the Probate Court has jurisdiction over wills, estates, guardianships, and marriage licenses in Wilkes County. The age of these records sets Wilkes County apart from most Georgia counties.

Wilkes County records from the 1700s are among the oldest in Georgia. Some early documents survived fires, floods, and wartime disruption. The Probate Court in Washington can help you locate what you need if you give them enough detail. Visit in person, call, or send a written request by mail. Include the full name of the person you are researching, the type of record, and the approximate date range. Copy fees are typically $1 per page. Certified copies cost more. Always call first to check current fees. Because the records go so far back, older documents may take extra time to pull and review.

Estate records from the late 1700s and early 1800s are especially rich in Wilkes County. Wills from this era often list enslaved persons, livestock, and household goods. They also name children, sons-in-law, and grandchildren in ways that help build family trees back to the colonial period.

Note: Wilkes County was one of Georgia's original eight counties. Its records from 1777 are among the earliest in the state and are heavily used by genealogists.

Wilkes County Online Genealogy Records

The Wilkes County GAGenWeb page is a free volunteer genealogy resource with cemetery transcriptions, census extracts, family histories, and other shared records.

This site lets you connect with other people working on Wilkes County family lines. Volunteers post records from courthouses, libraries, and archives. Because of the county's age, the GAGenWeb page for Wilkes County tends to have more contributed material than many smaller counties.

The E-Access portal from the Georgia court system lets you search court records from participating counties online. Check this portal for Wilkes County records before making a trip to Washington. Not all records are digitized, but the database continues to expand.

Free online tools include FamilySearch, which has Georgia marriages from 1754 to 1960, probate records from 1742 to 1990, and death records from 1914 to 1943. The early date ranges on these collections are especially relevant for Wilkes County, since records here go back to the 1700s. The Georgia Historic Newspapers archive has over one million pages of old Georgia newspapers with obituaries, legal notices, and family announcements.

Wilkes County Superior Court Genealogy

The Superior Court Clerk holds land records, divorce files, and civil and criminal case records from 1777 forward. Deed books in Wilkes County are some of the oldest in Georgia. They show property sales, grants, and transfers that go back to the colonial period. Land records name neighbors and adjoining property owners, which helps place families in specific locations during specific time periods.

Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, most court records in Wilkes County are open to the public. The clerk's office is in the courthouse on Court Street in Washington. Wilkes County land records are especially valuable because they cover the period of the original Georgia land grants. Many early settlers received headright grants that are recorded in the Wilkes County deed books. These documents give the grantee's name, the acreage, and sometimes the names of neighboring landowners.

Divorce records from the Superior Court are another genealogy tool. They often list children by name, give ages or birth dates, and describe property. Tax digests in Wilkes County go back to the late 1700s. These list property owners each year and serve as a census substitute for years when federal census records are missing. The 1790 federal census for Georgia was destroyed, so Wilkes County tax digests from that era are one of the few ways to document who lived there.

Vital Records for Wilkes County

Statewide vital records in Georgia did not begin until 1919 under O.C.G.A. § 31-10-9. For Wilkes County births and deaths before that year, you need church registers, cemetery records, and family Bibles. The Virtual Vault has death certificates from 1919 to 1943 available online for free.

Birth certificates cost $25 for the first copy and $5 for each additional copy. Death certificates have the same price. 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 are available to a wider range of people, making them more accessible for genealogy research. The Georgia Department of Public Health handles state-level vital record requests.

Wilkes County marriage records date to the 1700s. The Probate Court holds these. State-level marriage records exist only for 1952 to 1996. For marriages before or after that window, contact the county. Because Wilkes County is so old, its marriage records cover a span that few other Georgia counties can match.

Research Tips for Wilkes County

Start with what you know. List all names, dates, and places for your Wilkes County family and work backward. Census records are typically the next step. Federal census data for Wilkes County starts with the 1800 count, since the 1790 Georgia census was lost. Tax digests from the 1780s and 1790s fill part of that gap.

Wilkes County was one of Georgia's original eight counties in 1777. It once covered a massive territory. Over the decades, pieces were carved off to create Lincoln, Elbert, Oglethorpe, Taliaferro, and other counties. If your family was in this area in the late 1700s, they were almost certainly in Wilkes County. As new counties formed, your ancestors may appear in different counties without ever moving. The Virtual Vault has a free tool called "Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries" that tracks which county covered a specific location in any given year.

The Georgia Archives in Morrow holds pre-1900 Wilkes County records on microfilm. The collection includes marriage records, estate files, deed books, and court minutes. The search room gives free access to Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and Fold3. Staff can help you find the right microfilm reels. The archives are at 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260, open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, public record copy fees are capped at 10 cents per page for standard documents at public agencies. The Georgia Archives follows this fee structure for most research copies.

• Check cemetery records and tombstone inscriptions when vital records are not available
• 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 Wilkes County images
• Review headright land grants for colonial-era family connections
• Check Revolutionary War pension and bounty land files for Wilkes County soldiers

Cities in Wilkes County

Wilkes County includes Washington, the county seat, along with smaller communities like Tignall, Rayle, and Danburg. All genealogy records for these areas are maintained at the Wilkes County Probate Court and Superior Court Clerk in Washington. No cities in this county meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Wilkes County. Many were carved from the original Wilkes County territory, so records for the same family may appear in multiple counties depending on the time period.