Georgia was founded in 1733 and consisted of 12 parishes at the time of the American Revolution.
Counties were not formed until 1777, covering at that time only a portion of Georgia's present jurisdiction. Eventually as Native American land was aquired, new counties were created. Land records were recorded with the Clerk of the Superior Court in each county. Probate records were recorded with the Clerk of the Ordinary Court, as were marriages. Most civil court cases were handled completely by the Superior Court.
Chosse a link above to learn more about the stated records. The Georgia Archives has nearly all of the state's pre-1900, bound, county records on microfilm and has several collections of loose, original records.
Georgia Census Records - Federal Population Schedules that exist for Georgia are 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. The 1820 census is the earliest enumeration of Georgia's population
to have survived, making it necessary to substitute other lists
for the missing censuses. Land lottery, military and tax lists, and other records, are available
as census substitutes and supplements for the 1820 and earlier
censuses.
See Also Researching in Census Records - What is the name, age, sex, color, occupation, and birthplace of each person residing in this house? Which of these individuals attended school or was married within the year? Who among them is deaf and dumb, blind, insane, “idiotic,” a pauper, or a convict? Is there anyone in the household over twenty years of age who cannot read and write? What is the name of the slave owner? How many slaves belong to the owner? What is the tribe of this Indian? What were the places of birth of the person’s parents? In what year did this person immigrate to the United States and, if naturalized, what was the year of naturalization? For answers to these and other questions, researchers look to census records......
The first three census schedules for Georgia (1790, 1800 & 1810) are missing. A total of seventeen volumes of 1790-1820 censuses were lost by the federal government, evidently before 1895, and the cause is unknown. Tax lists for various years for a few of the counties have been published.. These can be used as a substitution for the first three census schedules. Additionally, Wills, deeds, tax digests, court minutes, voter lists, and newspapers can be searched to locate ancestors during this period The 1820 schedules for Franklin, Rabun, and Twiggs Counties are missing.
Georgia conducted state censuses for various years from 1787 to
1866. Only a relatively few of these returns survive, and they
are only lists of heads of households with some minor statistical
information. The returns prior to 1852 have been published in
various sources. Later census returns, when they survive, are
almost all on microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History . The Georgia Census, 1790-1890 contains the following indexes: 1790 Tax Substitute Index; 1792-1819 Tax Lists Index; 1800 Oglethorpe County Territorial Census Index; 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860 & 1870 Federal Census Index; 1840 Pensioners List; 1838 & 1845 State Census Index; ,1860 Slave Schedule; 1890 Veterans Schedule.
There are many other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in the state of Georgia. There are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1850 & 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880.
The. Georgia Census, 1790-1890 contains the following indexes: 1790 Tax Substitute Index; 1792-1819 Tax Lists Index; 1800 Oglethorpe County Territorial Census Index; 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860 & 1870 Federal Census Index; 1840 Pensioners List; 1838 & 1845 State Census Index; ,1860 Slave Schedule; 1890 Veterans Schedule.
Excerpts From the Book "Family History Made Easy"
There are numerous ways to determine the location in which to concentrate research for an ancestor. One of the most popular and productive is the census.
Alice Eichholz, Ph.D.,
In Ancestry’s Red Book: American State,County and Town Sources
Since 1790, the U.S. government has taken a nationwide population count every ten years. Unique in scope and often surprisingly detailed, the census population schedules created from 1790 to 1920 are among the most used of records created by the federal government. Over the course of two centuries the United States has changed significantly, and so has the census. From the six basic questions asked in the 1790 census, the scope and categories of information have changed and expanded dramatically.
Early censuses were essentially basic counts of inhabitants; but as the nation grew, so did the need for statistics that would reflect the characteristics of the people. In 1850, the focus of the census was radically broadened. Going far beyond the vague questions previously asked of heads of households, the 1850 census enumerators were instructed to ask the age, sex, color, occupation, birthplace, and other questions regarding every individual in every household. Succeeding enumerations solicited more information; by 1920, census enumerators asked twenty-nine questions of every head of household and almost as many questions of everyone else in the residence. (Only a very small segment of the 1890 census remains; a fire in the Commerce Department destroyed the vast majority of the original records for that year. Because of privacy considerations, census records less than seventy-two years old are not available to the general public; thus, the 1920 census is the most recent available to the public.)
Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do the U.S. federal censuses. The population schedules are successive “snapshots” of Americans that depict where and how they were living at particular periods in the past. Once home sources and library sources have been exhausted, the census is often the best starting point for further genealogical research. Statewide indexes (see “Indexes,” below) are available for almost every census; they are logical tools for locating individuals whose precise place of residence is unknown. While some inaccuracies are to be expected in census records, they still provide some of the most fascinating and useful pieces of personal history to be found in any source. If nothing else, census records are important sources for placing individuals in specific places at specific times. Additionally, information found in the census will often point to other sources critical to complete research, such as court, land, military, immigration, naturalization, and vital records.
The importance of census records does not diminish over time in any research project. It is always wise to return to these records as discoveries are made in other sources because, as you discover new evidence about individuals, some information that seemed unrelated or unimportant in a first look at the census may take on new importance.
When you can’t find family, vital, or religious records, census records may be the only means of documenting the events of a person’s life. Vital registration—the official recording of births, deaths, and marriages—did not begin until around 1920 in many areas of the United States, and fires, floods and other disasters since have destroyed some official government records. When other documentation is missing, census records are frequently used by individuals who must prove their age or citizenship status (or that of their parents) for Social Security benefits, insurance, passports, and other important reasons.
How to Find Census Records
All available federal census schedules (those made from 1790 to 1920) have been microfilmed and are available at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.; at the National Archives’ regional archives; at the Family History Library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS church) in Salt Lake City and LDS family history centers throughout North America (see chapter 8, “The Family History Library and Its Centers”); at many large libraries; in genealogical society libraries; and through companies that lend microfilmed records. Some state and local agencies have census schedules for the state or area they serve. Generally, microfilm copies may be borrowed through interlibrary loan.
Starting With the Census
It is usually best to begin a census search in the most recently available census records (1920) and to work from what is already known about a family. With any luck, birthplaces and other clues found in these more recent records will point to locations of earlier residence.
Georgia Court & Probate Records - There is no effective substitute for an on-site search of county
courthouse records. County level records have not yet been centralized.
No single county's records have been significantly abstracted
or transcribed, making a courthouse visit essential. County
records vary widely from county to county in both quality and
quantity.
See Also Research In State Court Probate - Even today, few people escape mention in court records at some time during their lives as witnesses, litigants, jurors, appointees to office, or as petition signatories. However, Americans of a few generations ago also expected to attend local court proceedings when they were in session. It was a civic duty-and they could be fined if they did not attend......
Unfortunately, no colonial Georgia court records survive. Georgia's
state constitution provided for two county level courts to be
created in 1777. Superior courts were established at the county
level to hear cases dealing with divorce, civil and criminal
charges, naturalization, military discharges, homesteads, prisons,
and slaves. Simultaneously, courts of ordinary were created
to hear and record cases involving probate matters. It also
dealt with indentures, paupers, licenses, voting, and marriage.
Each court kept minutes, which are useful in genealogical research.
Inferior courts were created in 1798 and were responsible
for probate matters (until 1852), civil matters, and misdemeanor
type civil and criminal cases. Georgia's state supreme court
began in 1846, and the case files and records of this court
are in the Georgia Department of Archives and History . The decisions
of that court are published annually in the Georgia Reports.
With the exception of only the most recent records, the federal
district and circuit court records for Georgia are at the National
Archives-Southeast Region in East Point, Georgia.
Georgia's state prison and asylum records are housed
at the Georgia Department of Archives and History . These records
are open to researchers when over seventy-five years have passed
from the date of their creation.
The FHL has a broad collection of court records from each of Georgia's
courts at the county level, as well as the U.S. Circuit Court,
District of Georgia.
See Also Research In State Probate Records - Probate records include a variety of documents created to support court proceedings in the settlement of an individuals' estates. The number and type of probate records created may vary over time in different jurisdictions and due to the amount of real and personal property involved. The various documents generated in the probate process are rarely filed together......
The office of the probate judge is the county
office where the most significant genealogical records are created
and maintained in Georgia. A variety of records are housed in this
office.
In Georgia, estate records are produced by courts with jurisdiction
at the county level beginning in 1777 and with the creation
of the county ordinary courts. Prior to that date, most estate
matters were handled at the colonial capitol in Savannah. Most
all of Georgia's colonial estate, colonial deed, mortgage, and
deed of gift records survive at the Georgia Department of Archives and History .
County ordinary courts kept probate records from 1777–98
and began keeping them again in 1852. County inferior courts
were responsible for probate matters from 1798–1852. Almost
all pre-1900 county probate records are on microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History and the FHL.
The Archives also has many loose, original Georgia county records.
After 1900, probate records are in the county's ordinary court.
Excerpts From the Book "Family History Made Easy"
Even today, few people escape mention in court records at some time during their lives as witnesses, litigants, jurors, appointees to office, or as petition signatories. However, Americans of a few generations ago also expected to attend local court proceedings when they were in session. Arlene H. Eakle, Ph.D. “Research in Court Records”
In The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy
American court files mirror U.S. history. Buried away in courthouses and archives everywhere are the dreams and frustrations of millions of citizens. The chances are great that your ancestors have left a detailed record of at least some aspects of their lives in court records.
Most of us don’t think of court records as the rich source of personal history that they are. But America’s English heritage established a tradition of court processes in which the people have a right to participate actively—and we always have. With relative freedom from royal supervision and with court enforcement of religious as well as civil laws, American courts tried many matters that were not subject to court action in other parts of the British empire and that are now considered too minor to warrant criminal action.
When a person dies, every state has laws that provide for public supervision over the estate that is left, whether or not there is a will. The term “probate records” broadly covers all the records produced by these laws, although, strictly speaking, “probate” applies only when there is a will.
Family historians use probate case files far more than any other kind of court record. Probate case files are logical sources because they tend to include so much personal data, and because Americans have depended on the courts to settle their estates since North America was colonized. According to Val Greenwood in his Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, “All records which relate to the disposition of an estate after its owner’s death are referred to as probate records. These are many and varied in both content and value, but basically, they fall into two main classes: testate and intestate” (page 255). Probate case files generally provide names, addresses, and biographical data for the deceased, but frequently provide the same information for other relatives named in the papers. Relationships, maiden names of wives, married names of daughters, past residences, and place of origin in a native country are just a few of the details that can be discovered in probate files. And probate files can be found in courthouses and archives across the United States.
When requesting probate information from the county clerk, it is important not to limit yourself by asking for a person’s “will.” The clerk will usually take you at your word and not copy other papers in the probate file that may have equally important information if there is no will.
Even if your ancestor is not mentioned in a probate case, consider all of the other procedures which might have resulted in him or her appearing in court records:
Georgia Church & Cemetery Records - Few of Georgia's major religious groups maintained records rich in genealogical information. However, their historical records provide a deeper understanding of religious life in earlier times and document someone's residence when they are listed on membership rolls.
Georgia's major religious denominations include the
See Also Research In State Church & Cemetery Records - Church records rank among the most promising of genealogical records available. Indeed, for periods before the advent of civil registration of vital statistics (a very late development in many American states), church records rank as the best available sources for information on specific vital events: birth, marriage, and death. They are also among the most under-used major records in American genealogy. Part of the reason lies in the number of denominations-there are hundreds of them. Identifying and locating the records of these various churches makes even professional genealogists hesitate......
Other early denominations present in Georgia in fewer numbers include Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Congregationalists. While their respective repositories house historical records, the Georgia Department of Archives and History has a good collection of church records on microfilm. Consult the holdings of other major genealogical libraries with southern collections for additional sources, including the FHL.
No statewide systematic or comprehensive inventory of cemeteries or bibliography of published transcriptions have been compiled. Scattered volumes have been published by various patriotic, historical, and genealogical societies. Many individual cemetery transcriptions have been published in periodicals.
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and others have compiled
and published volumes of cemetery records. DAR publications include Bible, court,
and probate records in addition to cemetery inscriptions. Consult
holdings of the Georgia Department of Archives and History, Daughters
of the American Revolution Library (see page 6), and the FHL for major collections of published tombstone inscriptions. Other
public and private libraries may have smaller collections.
There is a online Cemetery database for the book 30,638 Burials in Georgia an list of 30,638 burials in the state of Georgia was copied over a 35-year period from headstones and markers in 600 cemeteries located in nearly 100 Georgia counties.
Cemetery records and gravestone inscriptions are a rich source of information for family historians. Cemetery and other sources of information associated with death include:
Georgia Land Records - Most surviving pre-1900 county land records, including
deeds and land court minutes, are on microfilm at the Georgia Department of Archives and History and the FHL.
Many of the mortgage and county plat books are not included
in the FHL's
microfilm collection. Where Georgians sold lots won in the lotteries, researchers
will find that deeds may be valuable sources of genealogical
information. Those deeds should have been recorded in the counties
where the land was located, but in some cases references may
be found in the counties where the owner resided. Land transaction
between private individuals are recorded with the clerk of superior
court in the appropriate county.
See Also Researching in Land Records - Land records provide two types of important evidence for the genealogist. Prior to the Civil War, more than eighty-five percent of all Americans owned or leased land. Therefore, almost every researcher, whether a seasoned professional or weekend hobbyist, has required land records to document the existence, association, or movement of an individual or ancestral family. Most beginning genealogists underestimate the importance of using land records to pin persons to specific locales. In the South, which has far fewer vital records than New England, the land records are even more crucial to genealogical success. For answers to these and other questions, researchers look to Land records......
Most land records will be found with the county Clerk of Superior Court. Despite their titles, deeds found in a county recorder’s office may include other legal documents of transfer, such as deeds in fee simple granting absolute ownership; mortgages transferring property rights as security for debts; dower releases waiving wives’ rights; quit-claim deeds releasing whatever title or right is held whether valid or not; deeds of gift transferring land without reciprocal consideration; powers of attorney appointing legal agents; marriage property settlements; bills of sale transferring property that is usually not land; and various forms of contracts, such as leases, partnerships, indenture papers, and other performance bonds. Deed books from before the Civil War and especially in colonial years were more miscellaneous in their contents, even including animal brands, occasional wills, slave manumissions, apprentice papers, petitions, depositions, tax lists, and whatever else the clerk decided to preserve on a convenient page. Through such records a researcher may trace the ownership of land, in some cases for two centuries or more.
Land
and property records, combined with tax digests, can be important
keys to successful research in Georgia. Surviving colonial and
state land grant records of Georgia, including loose, original
records not available on microfilm, are in the Georgia Surveyor
General Department, Floor 2V, Georgia Department of Archives and History .
The first effective legislation, dated 17 February 1783, concerning
land grants after Georgia became a state provided for headrights
and bounty-land grants. The law allowed each head of household
200 acres free as his own headright and fifty additional acres
for each member of his family and each slave at a cost of from
one to four shillings per acre. Grants were limited to 1,000
acres, and the grantee was responsible for paying survey and
grant fees. Those who had received grants under colonial jurisdiction
were entitled to the lands they occupied when the law went into
effect.
The 1783 act also provided for establishing a land court
in each county. A land grant applicant would appear before five
justices to swear under oath concerning the size of his family
and the number of slaves he owned to obtain a warrant of survey.
Once the county surveyor completed his layout of the applicant's
land, a copy of the plat of survey was forwarded to the surveyor
general, and the original was filed in the county. The applicant
was then required to live on the land for a year and cultivate
3 percent of the total acreage. After meeting those requirements,
the applicant could apply to the governor's office for his grant
and pay all fees. At that point the grant would be issued and
recorded. Headright grants were made in Bryan, Bullock, Burke,
Camden, Chatham, Clarke, Columbia, Effingham, Elbert, Emanuel,
Franklin, Glascock, Glynn, Greene, Hancock, Hart, Jackson, Jefferson,
Johnson, Laurens, Liberty, Lincoln, Madison, McDuffie, McIntosh,
Montgomery, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Richmond, Screven, Taliaferro,
Tattnall, Warren, Washington, and Wilkes counties.
Bounty-land grants were made to soldiers who served in
the Georgia military, civilian residents of 1781–82, and
Georgia citizens who went to other states during the Revolution
to continue the war. Most of the surviving Georgia Revolutionary
War bounty certificates (except for civilian residents) are
abstracted.
A second act of 25 February 1784 created new counties
and designated some of the area as bounty lands for Georgia
veterans who had served in the Continental Line or Navy. Most
of the area that later became Greene County was reserved for
bounty-land grants. The Georgia Department of Archives and History and the FHL have microfilm copies of original land grants.
Only Georgia has the distinction of distributing lands
by lottery. Lands given to Georgia citizens by lotteries from
1805 to 1833 are in the present western and northern three-quarters
of Georgia. Lotteries took place in 1805, 1807, 1820, 1821, 1827, and two in 1832. All Georgia citizens were eligible to
qualify for a lottery, although the 1820, 1827, and 1832 lotteries
also gave special consideration to war veterans. Published lottery
books are excellent sources for pinpointing where a Georgia
family lived when a lottery was held.
Where Georgians sold lots won in the lotteries, researchers
will find that deeds may be valuable sources of genealogical
information. Those deeds should have been recorded in the counties
where the land was located, but in some cases references may
be found in the counties where the owner resided. Land transaction
between private individuals are recorded with the clerk of superior
court in the appropriate county.
Seven times between 1805 and 1832 Georgia used a lottery system to distribute the land taken from the Cherokee or Creek Indians. These lotteries were unique to the state; no other state used a lottery system to distribute land. Lot size varied widely, even in the individual lotteries. The largest lots distributed were 490 acres in the 1805 and the 1820 land lottery. The smallest lots were the 40-acre gold lots distributed during the Gold Lottery of 1832.
Many people, including the state of Georgia, combine the Land Lottery of 1832 and the Gold Lottery of 1832 and represent it as a single lottery; however, both the enabling legislation and the drawings themselves were independent, hence there were seven lotteries, not six.
Prior to 1803 Georgia distributed land via a headright system. Designed to prohibit corruption, the system actually encouraged it. During early administrations the government abused this system and created what today is generally known as the Yazoo Land Fraud. These abuses led to the adoption of the lottery system in May, 1803 under governor John Milledge. The first lottery under the new system occurred in 1805.
Almost 3/4 of the land in present-day Georgia was distributed under this lottery system. During the 27 years that land was distributed under the system the rules and the methods of the lottery remained virtually unchanged. Applicants could be white males over 18 (or 21 depending on the lottery), orphans, or widows. Fees depended on the lottery and the size of the lot won, but in general they only covered the cost of running the lottery. The state did not profit from allocating these lands. Fractional lots were sold in each of the lotteries and some lands, especially those near major rivers, was exempt from the lottery. These were distributed by the state using alternate, frequently corrupt, methods
For each person subscribing to a lottery a ticket was placed in the barrel. Since each lottery was over-subscribed, blank tickets were added to compensate for the over-subscription. According to the state archives, no record remains of the people who drew the blank tickets after the 1805 lottery.
Eight times between 1805 and 1833 Georgia held lotteries to distribute land, the largest held in the United States. The lotteries followed a simple pattern:
The General Assembly passed an act that authorized the lottery and spelled out who would be eligible to participate and the grant fees that would apply.
Eligible citizens registered their names in their county of residence and paid a small fee. The names were sent to the governor’s office at the state capital. Beginning with the second lottery the names were copied onto slips of paper called “tickets” and placed in a large drum called a “wheel.”
The land to be distributed was surveyed and laid out in districts and lots. The surveyors sent the district and lot numbers to the governor’s office. These were placed in a separate wheel. (At first, blank tickets were added to this wheel, so that the number of tickets would equal the number of persons drawing.)
Commissioners appointed by the governor drew a name ticket from one wheel and a district/lot ticket from the other wheel. If the district/lot ticket was blank, the person received nothing. If the ticket contained a district/lot number, the person received a prize of that parcel of land. A ticket that contained a number was called a “Fortunate Draw.” With later lotteries (after 1820), when blank tickets were not added to the prize wheel, individuals whose names remained in the second wheel were considered to have drawn blanks.
Anyone who received a Fortunate Draw could take out a grant for the lot he drew, after paying the grant fee. If he did not take out a grant, the lot reverted back to the state to be sold to the highest bidder.
1805 Land Lottery:
Authority: Act of May 11, 1803
Date of Drawing: 1805
Counties
Baldwin: 5 Districts (1-5)
Wayne: 3 Districts (1-3)
Wilkinson: 5 Districts (1-5)
Size of Land Lots
Baldwin: 202 ½ acres
Wayne: 490 acres
Wilkinson: 202 ½ acres
Grant Fee
$ 8.10 per 202 ½ acre lot
$19.60 per 490 acre lot
Person Entitled to Draw
Bachelor, 21 years or over, 1 year residence in Georgia, citizen of United States – 1 draw
Married man with wife and/or child, 1 year residence in Georgia, citizen of United States – 2 draws
Widow with child under 21 years, 1 year residence in Georgia – 2 draws
Orphan or family of orphans under 21 years, with father dead and mother dead or remarried – 1 draw
Bachelor, 18 years or over, 3-year residence in Georgia, citizen United States – 1 draw
Soldier of Indian War, residence in Georgia during or since military service – 1 draw
Invalid or indigent veteran of Revolutionary War or War of 1812 – 2 draws
Invalid or indigent veteran of Revolutionary War or War of 1812 who was a fortunate drawer in either previous land lottery – 1 draw
Married man with wife or minor son under 18 years or unmarried daughter, 3-year residence in Georgia, citizen United States – 2 draws
Widow, 3-year residence in Georgia – 1 draw
Widow, husband killed in Revolutionary War, War of 1812 or Indian War, 3-year residence in Georgia – 2 draws
Family of one or two orphans under 21 years, father dead, mother living, 3-year residence in Georgia – 1 draw
Family of three or more orphans under 21 years, father and mother both dead, 3-year residence in Georgia – 2 draws
Family of one or two orphans under 21 years, father and mother both dead, 3-year residence in Georgia, 1 draw
Orphan under 21 years, father killed in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, or Indian War, 3-year residence in Georgia – 2 draws
Invalid or indigent officer or soldier in the Revolutionary Army who had been fortunate drawer in either previous lottery – 1 draw
Persons Excluded
Any fortunate drawer in either previous land lottery, except families of orphans consisting of more than one person and such other persons as indicated above.
Citizens of the state who were legally drafted in the War of 1812 or the Indian War and refused to serve a tour of duty in person or by substitute.
Any person who resided upon the lottery territory previous to the extinguishment of the Indian title to the same.
Date of Drawing: November 7, 1821-December 12, 1821
Counties
Dooly: 16 districts (1-16)
Fayette: 4 districts (6,7,9,14)
Henry: 18 districts (1-18)
Houston: 16 districts (1-16)
Monroe: 15 districts (1-15)
37 undrawn lots remaining from the 1820 lottery
Size of Land Lots: All new (1821) counties: 202 ½ acres
Grant Fee: $19.00 per Land Lot
Person Entitled to Draw
Bachelor, 18 years or older, 3-year residence in Georgia, 3-year citizen United States – 1 draw
Married man with wife or son under 18 years or unmarried daughter, 3-year residence in Georgia, 3-year citizen United States – 2 draws
Widow, 3-year residence in Georgia – 1 draw
Family of minor orphans, father dead, 3-year residence in Georgia – 1 draw
Family (one or two) of orphans under 21 years, father and mother dead – 1 draw
Family (three or more) of orphans under 21 years, father and mother dead – 2 draws
Widow, husband killed or died in Revolutionary War, War of 1812, or Indian War, 3-year residence in Georgia – 2 draws
Orphan, father killed or died in Revolutionary War, War of 1812, or Indian War – 2 draws
Child or family of children of a convict, 3-year residence in Georgia – entitled in the same manner as orphans
Persons Excluded
Any fortunate drawer in any previous land lottery.
Citizens of the state who volunteered or were legally drafted during the War of 1812 or Indian War and refused to serve a tour of duty in person or by substitute.
Bachelor, 18 years or over, 3-year residence in Georgia, citizen of United States - 1 draw
Married man with wife or son under 18 years or unmarried daughter, 3-year residence in Georgia, citizen of United States – 2 draws
Widow, 3-year residence in Georgia – 1 draw
Wife and/or child, 3-year residence in Georgia, husband and/or father absent from state for 3 years – 1 draw
Family (one or two ) of orphans under 18 years whose father is dead, 3-year residence in state or since birth – 1 draw
Family (three or more) of orphans under 18 years, 3-year residence in state or since birth – 2 draws
Widow, husband killed in Revolutionary War, War of 1812, or Indian War, 3-year residence in Georgia – 2 draws
Orphan, father killed in Revolutionary War, War of 1812 or Indian War - 2 draws
Wounded or disabled veteran of War of 1812 or Indian War, unable to work - 2 draws
Veteran of Revolutionary War – 2 draws
Veteran of Revolutionary War who had been a fortunate drawer in any previous Lottery – 1 draw
Child or children of convict, 3-year residence in Georgia – 1 draw
Male idiots, lunatics or insane, deaf and dumb, or blind, over 10 years and under 18 years, 3-year residence in Georgia – 1 draw
Female idiots, insane or lunatics, deaf and dumb, or blind, over 10 years, 3-year residence in Georgia – 1 draw
Family (one or two) of illegitimates under 18 years, residence since birth in Georgia – 1 draw
Family (three or more) of illegitimates under 18 years, residence since birth in Georgia – 2 draws
Child or children of a convict whose father had not drawn in any of the former land lotteries – entitled to a draw or draws in the same manner they would be entitled if they were orphans
Persons Excluded
Any fortunate drawer in any previous Land Lottery.
Citizens who volunteered or were legally drafted in the War of 1812 or the Indian War and who refused to serve a tour of duty in person or by substitute.
Anyone who may have deserted from military service.
Authority: Act of December 21, 1830; Act of December 24, 1831
Year of Drawing: 1832
Counties
The original Cherokee Indian territory became Cherokee County by an Act of December 26, 1831. A law passed on December 3, 1832, divided original Cherokee County into ten counties: Cass (renamed Bartow), Cherokee, Cobb, Floyd, Forsyth, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Murray, Paulding, and Union. In the drawing of tickets and in the granting of the land, the area was treated only as Cherokee territory. It was divided between land lots distributed by the sixth land lottery and “gold” lots that were distributed by the seventh land lottery.
Sections and Land Districts
The territory was so expansive that Cherokee County was divided into four sections, and each section was divided into districts. There were a total of 60 land districts, and each was divided into land lots. Fractional lots of 100 acres and more were counted as whole lots.
First Section:
Districts 6-10, 16-19.
Second Section:
Districts 4-14, 20, 22-27
Third Section:
Districts 5-16
Fourth Section:
Districts 4-15, 18-19
Size of Land Lots:160 acres
Grant Fee:$18.00 per Land Lot
Person Entitled to Draw
Bachelor, 18 years or over, 3-year residence in Georgia, citizen of the United States – 1 draw
Married man with wife and/or minor son under 18 and/or unmarried daughter, 3-year residence in Georgia, citizen of United States – 2 draws
Widow, 3-year residence in Georgia – 1 draw
Wife and/or child, 3-year residence in Georgia, of husband and/or father absent from state for 3 years – 1 draw
Family (one or two) of orphans under 18 years, residence since birth in state – 1 draw
Family (three or more) of orphans under 18 years, residence since birth in state – 2 draws
Widow, husband killed or died in Revolutionary War, War of 1812, or Indian Wars, 3-year residence in Georgia – 2 draws
Orphan, father killed in Revolutionary War, War of 1812, or Indian War – 2 draws
Wounded or disabled veteran of War of 1812 or Indian Wars, unable to work – 2 draws
Veteran of Revolutionary War – 2 draws
Veteran of Revolutionary War who had been a fortunate drawer in any previous lottery – 1 draw
Child or children of a convict, 3-year residence in Georgia – 1 draw
Male idiots, lunatics or insane, deaf and dumb, or blind, over 10 years and under 18 years, 3-year residence in Georgia – 1 draw
Female idiots, insane or lunatics or deaf and dumb or blind, over 10 years, 3-year residence in Georgia – 1 draw
Family (one or two) of illegitimates under 18 years, residence since birth in Georgia – 1 draw
Family (three or more) of illegitimates under 18 years, residence since birth in Georgia – 2 draws
Persons Excluded
Any fortunate drawer in any previous land lottery who has taken out a grant of said land lot.
Any person who mined—or caused to be mined—gold, silver, or other metal in the Cherokee territory since June 1, 1830.
Any person who has taken up residence in Cherokee territory.
Any person who is a member of or concerned with “a horde of Thieves known as the Pony Club.”
Any person who at any time was convicted of a felony in any court in Georgia.
Authority: Act of December 24, 1831
This act mandated that approximately a third of the 160-acre land districts to be laid out under the act of December 21, 1830, be designated as gold districts of 40 acres each and to be distributed in a separate lottery.
Date of Drawing: October 22, 1832-May 1, 1833
Counties
The original Cherokee Indian territory became Cherokee County by an Act of December 26, 1831. A law passed on December 3, 1832, divided original Cherokee County into ten counties: Cass (renamed Bartow), Cherokee, Cobb, Floyd, Forsyth, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Murray, Paulding, and Union. In the drawing of tickets and in the granting of the land, the area was treated only as Cherokee territory. It was divided between land lots distributed by the sixth land lottery and “gold” lots that were distributed by the seventh land lottery.
Sections and Land Districts
The territory was so expansive that Cherokee County was divided into four sections, and each section was divided into districts. There were 33 gold districts, and each was divided into gold lots.
First Section:
Districts 1-5, 11-15
Second Section:
Districts 1-3, 15-19, 21
Third Section:
Districts 1-4, 17-21
Fourth Section: Districts 1-3, 16-17
Size of Gold Lots: 40 acres
Grant Fee: $10.00 per lot
Person Entitled to Draw
Bachelor, 18 years or over, 3-year residence in Georgia, citizen of United States – 1 draw
Widow, 3-year residence in Georgia – 1 draw
Family of orphans, 3-year residence in Georgia, citizen of United States – 2 draws
Married man, head of family, 3-year residence in Georgia (officers in the army of navy of the United States, 3-year residence not required), citizen of United States – 2 draws
Persons Excluded
Any fortunate drawer in any previous land lottery who has taken out a grant of said land lot.
Any person who mined—or caused to be mined—gold, silver, or other metal in the Cherokee territory since June 1, 1830.
Any person who has taken up residence in said Cherokee territory.
Any person who is a member of or concerned with "a horde of Thieves known as the Pony Club."
Any person who at any time was convicted of a felony in any court in Georgia.
Date of Drawing of Land Lots: December 6 and 7, 1833
Date of Drawing of Gold Lots: December 9-13, 1833
Counties
Original Cherokee territory and a handful of land lots not placed in the prize wheels during earlier lotteries.
Sections and Districts
Fractional lots of fewer than 100 acres from the 60 land districts and 33 gold districts.
Twenty-two undrawn lots from the previous Cherokee lotteries.
Tickets representing lots and fractions from the 1832 Land Lottery were placed in the land wheel and those from the 1832 Gold Lottery in the gold wheel. They were distributed in separate drawings. It is likely that the whole lots from earlier lotteries also were placed in the land wheel.
Size of Land Lots and Gold Lots
Lots varied in size, but the fractional lots from the 1832 Land Lottery were fewer than the 100 acres specified in the laws authorizing that lottery. Fractions result from irregular boundaries that prevent measurements in square lots.
Grant Fee: $18.00 per lot
Person Entitled to Draw
The remaining tickets bearing participants’ names from the 1832 Land Lottery were drawn to match tickets drawn from the Land Wheel, and remaining tickets bearing participants’ names from the 1832 Gold Lottery were drawn to match tickets drawn from the Gold Wheel.
Prior to the Civil War, more than eighty-five percent of all Americans owned or leased land. Therefore, almost every researcher, whether a seasoned professional or weekend hobbyist, has required land records to document the existence, association, or movement of an individual or ancestral family. While many researchers may feel a sense of historical excitement when finding an ancestor in a land deed, many also fail to understand the importance of such a document and how land can be used to make vital links between generations; they are not aware that it can bridge distant origins and help solve even the most difficult problems. E. Wade Hone,
In Land and Property Research in the United States
The right to own land has always been one of the great incentives for living in the United States. Yet researchers often overlook the importance of land records as a source of family history information. Written evidence of people’s entitlement goes back in time further than virtually any other type of record family historians might use.
Land records meet the needs of researchers in different ways and contain a variety of genealogical and historical data. They are a major source of information for many family histories and provide primary source material for local history as well. They are closely related to probate and other official court records and should be investigated in connection with them. Land and property are leading issues in the settlement of estates, and the majority of civil cases in the courts deal with real and personal property. Although land records rarely yield vital statistics, in many instances they provide the only proof of family relationships. Often they include the names of heirs of an estate (including daughters’ married names and a widow’s subsequent married name) and refer to related probates and other court cases by number and court name. In some places where other records are scarce, the land records take on extra importance. Occasionally these documents disclose former residences and more often provide the new address of the grantors or heirs at the time of the sale of the property.
Land records provide two types of important evidence for the family historian. First, they often document family relationships. Second, they place individuals in a specific time and place, allowing the researcher to sort people and families into neighborhoods and closely related groups. One of land records’ most important qualities is that they are sometimes the only records that allow us to distinguish one person of a common name from another.
The National Archives has bounty-land warrant files, donation land entry files, homestead application files, and private land claim files relating to the entry of individual settlers on land in the public land states. There are no land records for the original thirteen states or for Maine, Vermont, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, and Hawaii. Records for these states are maintained by state officials, usually in the state capital. Searching for the record of a particular land grant from the federal government requires contacting both the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the National Archives (NARA).
Georgia Military Records - Georgia was founded to serve as a bulwark against the Spanish and French in the lands beyond the Carolinas, and as such, its men were called into service frequently during the colonial period. Unfortunately, few informative records remain to tell who was involved in what conflict.
See Also Researching in Military Records - The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest.......
Some military records for Georgia after the Civil War are in the Georgia Department of Archives and History as original records or as microfilm copies. Included are rosters of the Spanish American War, the Philippine Insurrection, and the Poncho Villa Campaign. The state archives also has on microfilm many county copies of service records for World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The National Archives-Southeast Branch has World War I draft registration records. Service records and photographs of Georgians who died in World War I were published in Bert E. Boss, Georgia Memorial Book (Macon, Ga.: Georgia Memorial Association, 1921).
The site U.S. Wars list conflicts dating from earliest to 1865. Wars covered that are availibele are:
Revolutionary War - Georgia's total population in 1776 numbered less than 20,000 people, of whom perhaps 3,500 men were eligible for military service when the Revolution began. Many of Georgia's soldiers were recruited from the Carolinas and Virginia; many were neutral or fought for the king. Some of the original service records for the Revolutionary War were destroyed. It is doubtful that a comprehensive list of Georgia veterans of this war exists. Georgia Revolutionary War rolls at the National Archives are published with other records in Robert S. Davis, Jr., Georgia Citizens and Soldiers of the Revolution (Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1979). See also Allen D. Candler, The Revolutionary Records of the State of Georgia, 3 vols. (Atlanta, Ga.: State Printer, 1906). Louise F. Hays, comp., Georgia Military Affairs, 1775–1842, 9 vols. (N.p., 1940), includes indexed, unpublished typescripts from the Georgia Department of Archives and History which cover a much broader period than the Revolution. This collection is an excellent people finder and census substitute and supplement.
Bounty-land warrants were issued to soldiers who served in the Georgia military, civilian residents of 1781–82, and Georgia citizens who went to other states during the Revolution to continue the war. After the war, soldiers who served in the Continental Line and others applied for a warrant and, when approved, received a certificate to be exchanged for a warrant. The land to be issued was in Georgia. See Marion R. Hemperley, Military Certificates of Georgia, 1776–1800 (Atlanta, Ga.: Georgia Surveyor General Department, 1983). The original records are in the Georgia Surveyor General Department.
Below is a list of online resources for Georgia in the Revolutionary War. Email us with websites containing information on Georgia in the Revolutionary War by clicking the link below:
Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 from the State of Georgia (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83 from Georgia.
War of 1812 - Information included in service records for the War of 1812 is similar to that in the same records of soldiers in the colonial wars and Revolutionary War. The National Archives records taken represents roughly one-fifth of the males of military age in Georgia during the War of 1812
Indian Wars, 1784–1811 and 1815–38; Mexican War, 1845–48. Georgia supplied thousands of soldiers for various federal campaigns. The genealogically significant bounty and pension files are in the National Archives.
Below is a list of online resources for Georgia in the War of 1812. Email us with websites containing information on Georgia in the War of 1812 by clicking the link below:
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Civil War - While the original Georgia pension records for Confederate veterans are at the Georgia Department of Archives and History , microfilm copies are at the FHL. Georgians also served in the Union Army.
The Georgia Department of Archives and History has extensive state records relating to the Civil War including militia rolls, salt lists, veterans censuses, to name only a few sources. The most valuable to researchers is an “Alphabetical Index” to Georgia Confederate records on microfilm at the Georgia Archives.
No comprehensive list of Georgia's Confederate or Union soldiers has been compiled. The site www.mycivilwar.com has a list of unit and histories for Georgia.
Below is a list of online resources for Georgia in the Civil War. Email us with websites containing information on Georgia in the Civil War by clicking the link below:
Southern Claims Commission from the State of Georgia (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
Military and pension records are among the most useful sources available to genealogists because of the detail they offer. These records are important because they may provide an ancestor’s date of birth, place of residence, the names and addresses of family members, and other details that can round out a picture of his or her life. Judith Prowse Reid,
Head, Local History and Genealogy, Library of Congress
Military records have originated at the federal, state, and local levels. Whether created in time of war or in time of peace, these records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served in the military forces of the United States. Almost every American family, in one generation or another, has seen one or more of its members serve in America’s armed forces. From regimental histories, which provide blow-by-blow accounts of a unit’s participation in military actions, to the personal details contained in the service and pension files of individual men and women, military records provide valuable information concerning a large and significant portion of the American population. And because military records have been preserved and made available at and through a number of research institutions, much information awaits the well-prepared researcher.
How to Find Military Records
To locate military records for any individual, it is essential to know when and where in the armed forces he or she served and whether that person served in the enlisted ranks or was an officer. (If you d
