Walker County, Georgia Genealogy



Walker County was formed in 1833 from Murray County, at this time the territory of Walker included not only it's present area, but all of Dade and a large part of Whitfield, Catoosa and Chattooga counties. In 1837 all of Walker's territory west of the top of Lookout Mountain was cut off and the county of Dade was established as the most northwestern county in the State. In 1838 another portion was cut off and the county of Chattooga was established. Then again in 1853, more territory was extracted and the county of Catoosa was formed. In 1853 and later in 1859 other portions of Walker County were used to make Whitfield County."--from The History of Walker County, Georgia by James Alfred Sartain. Published by A.J. Showalter Company, Dalton, Georgia, 1932

The courthouse in Walker County was burned in 1883. There are no county records available prior to that time. Some people had their deeds re-recorded after 1883 but most other records were lost. The above referenced book by James Sartain is a very good source. The library in the county seat, Lafayette, has a genealogy section and the people there are very helpful. Some people who lived close to the county borders, went to other counties to record events.

Research Links:

Walker County GeorgiaGenWeb

US Genweb Archives for Walker County Georgia