Washington County, Georgia Genealogy
Guide to Washington County, Georgia ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for Revolutionary War general (and later President of the United States) George Washington. The County is located in the central area of the state.[2]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Washington County Courthouse
PO Box 271
Sandersville, GA 31082-0271
Phone: 912-552-2325
Washington County Website
Probate Court has birth, marriage and probate records.
Clerk Superior Court has divorce, court and land records from 1865.[3]
Washington County, Georgia Record Dates[edit | edit source]
Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1919 | 1865 | 1919 | 1865 | 1865 | 1865 | 1820 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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1855 The town and courthouse at Sandersville burned on 24 March. The courthouse records were moved ahead of the fire, but that building was also destroyed. County courthouse records were a total loss.[5]
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Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
For animated maps illustrating Georgia county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Georgia County Boundary Maps" (1758-1932) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website. |
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[7]\
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
- Washington County Bible Records at Georgia USGenWeb Archives Project
- Washington County Bible Records at Georgia Genealogy Trails
- Washington County Bible Records at Genealogy Trails History Group - transcriptions
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1790 | 4,552 | — |
| 1800 | 10,300 | 126.3% |
| 1810 | 9,940 | −3.5% |
| 1820 | 10,627 | 6.9% |
| 1830 | 9,820 | −7.6% |
| 1840 | 10,565 | 7.6% |
| 1850 | 11,766 | 11.4% |
| 1860 | 12,698 | 7.9% |
| 1870 | 15,842 | 24.8% |
| 1880 | 21,964 | 38.6% |
| 1890 | 25,237 | 14.9% |
| 1900 | 28,227 | 11.8% |
| 1910 | 28,174 | −0.2% |
| 1920 | 28,147 | −0.1% |
| 1930 | 25,030 | −11.1% |
| 1940 | 24,230 | −3.2% |
| 1950 | 21,012 | −13.3% |
| 1960 | 18,903 | −10.0% |
| 1970 | 17,480 | −7.5% |
| 1980 | 18,842 | 7.8% |
| 1990 | 19,112 | 1.4% |
| 2000 | 21,176 | 10.8% |
| 2010 | 21,187 | 0.1% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- 1890 - Georgia, Washington County, Federal Census, 1890 — at FamilySearch — index and images
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Georgia denominations, see the Georgia Church Records wiki page.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Baptist[edit | edit source]
- Bethlehem - Minutes, financial records, etc. (1791-1912) available on microfilm at the University of NC Davis Library (Serial 1-1265 1791-1912).
Court Records[edit | edit source]
- 1849-1906 Court Minutes for Ordinary Court, 1849-1906(*); Court of Ordinary at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1865-1902 Court Minutes for Superior Court, 1865-1902(*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1880 Habeas Corpus, 1880(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1880-1900 Incapacitated Adults, 1880-1900(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1882-1900 Court Records Marked "Original Papers", Containing Indentures, Will, Divorce Actions, some Deeds, etc., 1882-1900(*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
Directories[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
- L.M. Pierce Funeral Home Inc. in Sandersville
- May and Smith Funeral Directors in Sandersville
- M.C. Smith Funeral Home, Inc. in Sandersville
- Wheeler's Funeral Home in Sandersville
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See Georgia Land and Property for additional information about early Georgia land grants from the government. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions (generally buying and selling deeds) were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.
- 1735-1866 Georgian Colonial and Headright Plat Index, 1735-1866 at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - alpha index
- 1783-1909 Headright and Bounty Plats, 1783-1909 at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images with alpha index
- 1805-1833 District Plats of Survey at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images organized by county and district
- Colonial Plats and Warrants at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images with alpha index
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Washington County, Georgia Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Georgia Local Histories.
- Mitchell, Ella. History of Washington County. Atlanta, Ga.: Byrd Print. Co., 1924. Digital version at Ancestry ($)
- Origins of Early Settlers to Washington County at Georgia Pioneers ($)
- Washington Notes by Jeannette Holland Austin at Georgia Pioneers ($)
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
- 1740s-? Historic Map File at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images
- 1866 - 1935 County Map File at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images
- Maps of Georgia (1758-1932)
- Map of Washington County at Georgia Pioneers ($)
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
- Georgia USGenWeb Archives Project
- Washington County Court. Soldier's & widows pensions, 1899-1921 : Civil War, Spanish-American and Mexican Wars FamilySearch Catalog
Civil War
Online Records
- 1861-1865 Georgia Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
- 1861-1865 Georgia Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
- 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
- 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
- 1861-1865 Confederate Enlistment Oaths and Discharges at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault- images and alphabetical index
- 1861-1865 Confederate Muster Rolls at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault- images; filter by commanding officer, service branch and regiment
- 1861-1865 Confederate Pension Application Supplements - images and alphabetical index; filter by county
- 1864 Militia Enrollment Lists, 1864 - images; filter by county
- 1867-1868 Georgia, Reconstruction Registration Oath Books, 1867-1868 at FamilySearch — index
- 1879-1920 Georgia, Confederate Pension Rolls, 1879-1920 at FamilySearch — index
- 1879-1960 Confederate Pension Applications - images and alphabetical index; filter by county
Regiments. Service men in Washington County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Washington County:
- - 1st Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Ramsey's) (Confederate), Company E
- - 8th Regiment, Georgia Cavalry (Confederate) , Company F
- - 12th Battalion, Georgia Light Artillery (Confederate), Reorganized Companies B and E, Possibly Company D
- - 12th Battalion, Georgia Infantry (Confederate) , Company B and F
- - 32nd Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Company E
- - 49th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Company C and H
- - 51st Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate)
- - 57th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Company G
- - 59th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Company B and D
Spanish-American War
- 1898 Spanish-American War Service Summary Cards - images and alphabetical index; filter by residence, muster location and unit
World War I
- 1914-1918 World War I Casualties Scrapbooks - images and alphabetical index
- 1920-1929 Georgia, World War I, Statement of Service Cards, 1920-1929 at FamilySearch — index and images
World War II
- 1940-1942 Georgia World War II Draft Registration Cards 1940-1942 at findmypast - index ($))
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
- 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
- Georgia Historic Newspapers at Digital Library of Georgia
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Voting Records
- 1867-1868 Georgia, Reconstruction Registration Oath Books, 1867-1868 at FamilySearch — index
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Colonial courts kept some early probate records. From 1777 to 1798 and since 1852, the court of ordinary or register of probates has kept probate and guardianship records. The inferior court handled probate and guardianship matters from 1798 to 1852.
Many probate records to the 1930s and 1940s are at the Georgia Department of Archives and History and the Family History Library on microfilm.
Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, marriage, adoption, and birth and death records (not all years).
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1733-1753 Colonial Wills at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images with alpha index
- 1742-1990 Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990(*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1742-1992 Georgia Wills and Probate Records 1742-1992 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
- 1754-1776 Colonial Will Books at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images with alpha index
- 1829-1876 Index to Washington County Letters of Guardianship and Apprenticeships, Vol. A (1829-1876) at Georgia Pioneers ($)
- 1829-1876 Washington County Divisions of Estates, Letters of Administration, Guardianship, Book A (1829-1876) at Georgia Pioneers ($)
- 1829-1876 Washington County Letters of Administration, Testamentary, Guardianship, Book A, partial transcription (1829-1876) at Georgia Pioneers ($)
- 1829-1963 Probate records, 1829-1963(*); Georgia. Court of Ordinary (Washington County) at FamilySearch Catalog — Index and images
- 1843-1890 Index to Washington County Annual Returns, Book B (1843-1852), Book C (1851-1855), Book E (1856-1858), Book F (1858-1866), Book G (1866-1878), Book H (1878-1890) at Georgia Pioneers ($)
- 1846-1862 Index to Washington County Inventories, Vol. A, 1846-1862 at Georgia Pioneers ($).
- Washington County Estates (Misc.) at Georgia Pioneers ($)
- 1852-1903 Wills, 1852-1903(*); Georgia. Court of Ordinary (Washington County) at FamilySearch Catalog — Index and images
- 1855-1927 Estate papers, 1855-1927(*); Georgia. County Court (Washington County) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1882-1900 Court records marked "original papers", containing indentures, will, divorce actions, some deeds, etc., 1882-1900(*); Georgia. Superior Court (Washington County) at FamilySearch Catalog — Index and images
School Records[edit | edit source]
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
Taxes were levied on free white males over 21 and all slaves up to age 60. These persons are referred to as "polls." Tax listings, or digests, of a county generally list the taxable landowners and other polls and the amount of tax. The records for each county are divided by militia district.
- 1787-1900 Georgia, Tax Digests, 1787-1900 at FamilySearch — How to use this collection, index and images
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Georgia State Department of Health , the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred or order electronically online.
For some online statewide indexes, see the FamilySearch Historical Record Collections for Georgia.
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1870-1960 Georgia, County Delayed Birth and Death Records, 1870-1960 at FamilySearch — index, and some images
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1560-1993 Georgia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index ($)
- 1699-1944 Georgia Marriages 1699-1944 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1754-1960 Georgia Church Marriages, 1754-1960 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1785-1950 Georgia County Marriages 1785-1950 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1787-1962 Georgia, Church Marriages, 1787-1962 at FamilySearch — index
- 1808-1967 Georgia Marriages 1808-1967 at FamilySearch.org — index
- 1828-1851 Washington County Marriages 1828-1851 at Georgia Pioneers ($)
- 1828-1860 Washington County Marriage Books A and B Index 1828-1860. Batch M713921 at FamilySearch[8]
- 1828-1885 Washington County Marriages from Newspapers 1828-1885 at Georgia Pioneers ($)
- 1828-1978 Georgia Marriage Records from Select Counties 1828-1978 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
- 1860-1879 Washington County Marriage Books C and D Index 1860-1879. Batch M713922 at FamilySearch
- 1879-1885 Washington County Marriage Book E Index 1879-1885. Batch M713923 at FamilySearch
- 1885-1890 Washington County Marriage Book F Index 1885-1890. Batch M713924 at FamilySearch
- 1890-1895 Washington County Marriage Book G Index 1890-1895. Batch M713925 at FamilySearch
- 1895 Washington County Marriage Book H Index 1895. Batch M713926 at FamilySearch
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1870-1960 Georgia, County Delayed Birth and Death Records, 1870-1960 at FamilySearch — index, and some images
- 1914-1927 Georgia Deaths 1914-1927 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1919-1998 Georgia Deaths 1919-1998 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1919-1930 Georgia Death Certificates at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - index and images
- 1928-1930 Georgia Non-Indexed Death Certificates at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images
- 1928-1942 Georgia Deaths, 1928-1942 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1933-1998 Georgia Death Index 1933-1998 at FamilySearch — index
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Washington County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Georgia Archives and Libraries.
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Washington County. For state-wide library facilities, see Georgia Archives and Libraries.
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Washington County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Georgia Societies.
Washington County Historical Society
129 Jones St
Sandersville, GA 31082
Washington County Historical Society
Washington Township Historical Society
308 E Robert Toombs Ave
Washington, GA 30673-2038
Central Georgia Genealogical Society
PO Box 2024
Warner Robins, GA 31099-2024
Central Georgia Genealogical Society
Central Georgia Genealogical Society Facebook
Georgia State Archives
5800 Jonesboro Road
Morrow, GA 30260
Phone: 678-364-3700
Georgia State Archives
Georgia State Archives Facebook
Georgia Historical Society
Street address: 501 Whitaker Street
Mailing address: 104 W. Gaston Street
Savannah, GA 31401
Phone: 912-651-2125
Toll Free: 877-424-4789
Email: ghslib@georgiahistory.com
Georgia Historical Society
Georgia Genealogical Society
PO Box 550247
Atlanta, Georgia 30355-2747
Georgia Genealogical Society
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Washington County GAGenWeb
- Georgia Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
- Washington County, Georgia Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- Georgia Pioneers ($)
- FamilySearch Catalog - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
- De Lamar, Marie. Records of Washington County, Georgia. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2000. Digital version at Ancestry ($)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Georgia.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Washington County, Georgia" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County,_Georgia accessed 6 Nov 2018
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Georgia.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Washington County, Georgia. Page 151-163 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 155-160.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Paul K. Graham, Georgia Courthouse Disasters (Decatur, Georgia: Genealogy Co., 2013), 57-58. At various libraries (WorldCat).
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Georgia.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Washington _County,_Georgia," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County,_Georgia, accessed 15 October 2019.
- ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/5/53/Igigeorgiamz.pdf.
