Wilkinson County, Georgia Genealogy

United States

Georgia

Wilkinson County

Guide to Wilkinson County, Georgia ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Facts County seat: Irwinton Organized: May 11, 1803 Parent County(s): Creek Indian lands Neighboring Counties Baldwin  • Bleckley  • Johnson  • Jones  • Laurens  • Twiggs  • Washington See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

The County was named for General James Wilkinson (1757-1825). The County is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Wilkinson County Courthouse
PO Box 250
Irwinton, GA 31042
Phone: 478-946-2221
Wilkinson County Website

Clerk Superior Court has some divorce records and land records from 1852.

Wilkinson County, Georgia Record Dates

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.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1919	1854	1919	1855	1852	1854	1820
Statewide registration of births and death began in 1919. General compliance for births by 1928 and deaths by 1922.

Record Loss

1828 The courthouse at Irwinton burned on 16 March. All of the county courthouse records were lost. 1854 The courthouse burned down on 7 February and all county records were destroyed. 1864 During the American Civil War sometime between 23 and 26 November 1864 Wilkinson County's courthouse was razed. Very few of the county's probate records dating before the Civil War are available; however, some other types of records survived (for example, deeds starting in 1854). Superior Court minutes begin in 1864. 1924 Fire burned the courthouse on 15 February, destroying some records. There are significant gaps in Wilkinson County's records between 1864 and 1924. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill. Online at: Family History Circle.

Boundary Changes

1803 Wilkinson County was created 11 May 1803 from Creek Indian lands. County seat: Irwinton 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

The following are locations in Wilkinson County, Georgia:

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Wilkinson, Georgia online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com GAGenWeb GAGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project Billion Graves
TombstoneTranscriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com Billion Graves Wilkinson County Cemeteries Georgia Cemetery Records
See Georgia Cemeteries for more information

The following web site may have additional information on Wilkinson County cemeteries.

• Interment.net Georgia cemetery records

Church Records

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.

Land and Property Records

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.

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Wilkinson 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.

• Davidson, Victor. History of Wilkinson County. n.p.: John Ball Chapter, D.A.R., c1930. Digital version at Ancestry ($)

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Georgia (1758-1932)

Military Records

• Georgia USGenWeb Archives Project

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)
• 1867-1868 Georgia, Reconstruction Registration Oath Books, 1867-1868 at FamilySearch — index
• 1879-1920 Georgia, Confederate Pension Rolls, 1879-1920 at FamilySearch — index

Regiments. Service men in Wilkinson 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 Wilkinson County:

- 3rd Battalion, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Companies F and I

- 3rd Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Companies F and I

- 14th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Company B

- 49th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Company A

- 57th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Companies D, I and K

World War I

• 1920-1929 Georgia, World War I, Statement of Service Cards, 1920-1929 at FamilySearch — index and images

Other Records

Voting Records

• 1867-1868 Georgia, Reconstruction Registration Oath Books, 1867-1868 at FamilySearch — index

Probate Records

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 Records

• 1742-1990 Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1742-1992 Georgia Wills and Probate Records 1742-1992 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• 1817-1860 Wilkinson County, Georgia Wills 1817-1860 (abstracts) at Georgia Pioneers ($)
• 1820-1853 Index to Wilkinson County, Georgia Annual Returns and Estates 1820-1853 at Georgia Pioneers ($)

Tax Records

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.

Vital Records

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.

Marriage

• 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 — index
• 1828-1978 Georgia Marriage Records from Select Counties 1828-1978 at Ancestry — index and images ($)

Death

• 1914-1927 Georgia Deaths 1914-1927 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1919-1998 Georgia Deaths 1919-1998 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1928-1942 Georgia Deaths, 1928-1942 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1933-1998 Georgia Death Index 1933-1998 at FamilySearch — index

Research Facilities

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

• Introduction to Family History Centers

Societies

• Wilkinson County Historical Society
  PO Box 1076
  Gordon, GA 31031-1076
  Phone: 478-946-2723
  Website
• Savannah River Valley Genealogical Society
  c/o Hart County Library, Benson St.
  Hartwell, GA 30643
  Website
• Wiregrass Genealogical Society
  45 25th Ave.
  Eastman, GA 31023
  Website

Websites

• Wilkinson County GAGenWeb
• Wilkinson County, GA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Georgia Genealogy Network Community on Google+
• Georgia Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
• Wilkinson 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