Chatham County, Georgia Genealogy

United States

Georgia

Chatham County

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

County Facts County seat: Savannah Organized: February 5, 1777 Parent County(s): St. Phillip and Christ Church Parishes Neighboring Counties Beaufort (SC)  • Bryan  • Effingham  • Jasper (SC) See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

The County was named for William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham. The County is located in the Atlantic coast area of the state.

County Courthouse

Chatham County Courthouse
124 Bull Street
Savannah, GA 31401-3230
Phone: 912-652-7127
Chatham County Website

Probate Court has birth, marriage, death and probate records.
Clerk Superior Court has divorce and court records from 1783, land records from 1785 and naturalization records from 1801.

Chatham 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	1806	1919	1783	1785	1777	1820
Statewide registration of births and death began in 1919. General compliance for births by 1928 and deaths by 1922.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

1777 Chatham County was created 5 February 1777 from St. Phillip and Christ Church Parishes. County seat: Savannah 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. See Georgia Counties:Their Changing Boundaries

Populated Places

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:

Cities
Bloomingdale Garden City	Pooler Port Wentworth	Savannah (county seat) Tybee Island
Towns
Thunderbolt Vernonburg
Unincorporated communities
Beaulieu Bethesda	Buckhead Pin Point	Sandfly
Census-designated places
Dutch Island Georgetown Henderson	Isle of Hope Montgomery Skidaway Island	Talahi Island Whitemarsh Island Wilmington Island
Historic African American communities
White Bluff

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Chatham, 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 Chatham County Cemeteries Georgia Cemetery Records
See Georgia Cemeteries for more information

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

• 1852-1942 - Georgia, Chatham, Savannah, Laurel Grove Cemetery Record Keeper's Book (colored), 1852-1942 at FamilySearch — index
• 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.

St. John's Church, Savannah

• 1846-1885 St. John's Church, Savannah, Baptism Index 1846-1885. Batch C712431 at FamilySearch.
• 1846-1903 St. John's Church, Savannah, Marriage Index 1846-1903. Batch M712431 at FamilySearch.

Baptist

• Thomas, Edgar Garfield. The First African Baptist Church of North America. Savannah, Ga.: unknown, 1925. Digital version at Ancestry

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

• Savannah

Episcopal
St. Paul's, Savannah

• 1883-1911 St. Paul's Church, Savannah, Baptism Index 1883-1911. Batch C723251 at FamilySearch.</ref>
• 1892-1911 St. Paul's Church, Savannah, Marriage Index 1892-1911. Batch M723251 at FamilySearch.

Presbyterian
Independent Presbyterian Church, Savannah

• 1805-1850 Chatham County Marriages (white 1805-1850)Independent Presbyterian Church of Savannah
• 1828-1866 Savannah Independent Presbyterian Church Baptism Index 1828-1866. Batch C712411 at FamilySearch.</ref>
• 1829-1866 Savannah Independent Presbyterian Church Marriage Index 1829-1866. Batch M712411 at FamilySearch.

Colonial Records

• 1738 Savannah Residents; 1735-1738 Savannah Baptisms; 1738 List of Savannah Malcontents; Savannah Town Lots 1745-1747; 1756; Savannah Town Lots at Yamacraw Bluff 1760; Savannah Wharf Lots 1759 Georgia Pioneers $

Directories

• 1888 Savannah, GA, 1888. Savannah, GA: The Morning News Print, 1888. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• 1889 Savannah, GA, 1889. Savannah, GA: The Morning News Print, 1889. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• 1890 Savannah, GA, 1890. Savannah, GA: The Morning News Print, 1890. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• 1891 Savannah, GA, 1891. Savannah, GA: The Morning News Print, 1891. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• 1898 Savannah City Directory Georgia Pioneers ($)
• 1899 Savannah City Directory Georgia Pioneers ($)
• 1898 and 1899 Savannah City Directory Georgia Pioneers $

Emigration and Immigration

Inward and outward slave manifest lists:

• Savannah, Georgia: Coastwise Slave Manifests, 1801-1860. ARC 1151775, U.S. Customs Service, Record Group Number 36. National Archives Southeast Region, Morrow, Georgia. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African Americans

• Savannah, Georgia, Slave Manifests, 1811-1860 at Ancestry ($). This is a database of manifests for slaves arriving in Savannah, Georgia from 1811-1860.The manifests include: Name of ship, Master, Port of departure, Port of destination, List of slaves on board. The slave information includes: First name, Sex, Age, Stature, Name of shipper/owner, Shipper/owner’s place of residence.
• Perdue, Robert Eugene. The Negro in Savannah, 1865-1900. New York, Exposition Press, [1973]. 156 p. (An Exposition university Book) F294.S2 P47
• Savannah, Georgia, Registers of Free Persons of Color, 1817-1864 available at Ancestry ($)
• Georgia, Chatham, Savannah, Laurel Grove Cemetery Record Keeper's Book (colored), 1852-1942 — index

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.

Deeds and Probate Records

• Appendices to articles in Georgia Historical Quarterly: March 1939 - June 1939, on the history of Causton's Bluff, Deptford, Brewton Hill The Georgia historical quarterly
• Deeds, 1785-1900; index to deeds, 1784-1910 Georgia. Superior Court (Chatham County) are available on microfilm through a local family history center.
• Chatham County Deed Books (1785-1806), index and images online at the Georgia Deed Books.

Grants

• Effingham County grants, also some Chatham County, Georgia, 1771-1801 Georgia. Court of Ordinary (Effingham County)
• English crown grants for islands in Georgia, 1755-1775 Bryant, Pat
• English crown grants in Christ Church parish in Georgia, 1755-1775 Hemperley, Marion R.

Headright Surveys:

Public land given to the head of a household or to an individual who paid another person's passage to America. Headright grants were given to early colonists of America and to early citizens of Texas. See Headright surveys, plat books D and E for Camden, Glynn, Liberty, Chatham and Effingham counties, 1784-1793.

Homestead Records (See also Probate Records)

Homestead records, 1868-1902 Georgia. Superior Court (Chatham County)

Land Lottery

• Learn more about Land Lotteries here: Land Lottery (Georgia Archives)
• List of those entitled to draw in land lottery of 1832 Georgia. Surveyor General

Oyster Leases

• Oyster leases 1890-1901, Chatham County, Georgia Georgia. Superior Court (Chatham County)
• Oyster leases 1890-1911, Chatham County, Georgia Chatham County (Georgia). County Commissioners

Mortgages

Mortgages, 1871-1900 Georgia. Superior Court (Chatham County)

Pony Homestead Records

Pony homestead records, 1876-1922 Georgia. Court of Ordinary (Chatham County)

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Chatham 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.

• Gamble, Thomas. Bethesda: An Historical Sketch of Whitefield's House of Mercy in Georgia, and of the Union Society, His Associate and Successor in Philanthropy. Savannah, Ga.: Morning News Print, 1902. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• Gamble, Thomas. Savannah Duels and Duellists, 1733-1877. Savannah, Ga.: Review Pub. & Print. Co., 1923. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• Granger, Mary. Savannah River Plantations. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• Harden, William. A History of Savannah and South Georgia. Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1913. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• Harden, William. Recollections of a Long and Satisfactory Life. New York: Negro Universities Press, 1968, c1934. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• Jones, Charles Colcock. History of Savannah, Ga.: From Its Settlement to the Close of the Eighteenth Century. Syracuse, N.Y.: D. Mason & Co., 1890. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• Lattimore, Ralston B. Fort Pulaski National Monument, Georgia. Washington, D.C.: G.P.O., 1954. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• Lee, F. D. Historical Record of the City of Savannah. Savannah Ga.: Printed and published by J.H. Estill, Morning News Steam-powered Press, 1869, c1868. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• Lichtenstein, Gaston. Early History of Tarboro, North Carolina: Also, Collated Colonial Public Claims of Edgecombe County, and Easter Sunday in Savannah, Ga. Richmond: W.E. Jones, Book and Job Printer, 1908. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• Piechocinski, Elizabeth Carpenter. Once Upon an Island: The Barrier and Marsh Islands of Chatham County, Georgia. Includes marriages and other vital records for Island residents, family history information for Island residents, listings of Island-born Blacks, grave sites, victims of hurricanes, Union soldiers involved in the skirmish on Whitemarch Island, plantation owners, and freed Blacks who obtained land in the Islands.
• Savannah. Savannah, Ga.: Review Print. Co., 1937. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• Sholes, A. E. Chronological History of Savannah: From Its Settlement by Oglethorpe Down to December 31, 1899: Together with a Complete Record of the City and County, and Savannah's Roll of Honor, A Roster of the Soldiers Who Have in Three Wars Gone Forth at Their Country's Call, from This City. Savannah, Ga.: Morning News Print., 1900. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• Wilson, Adelaide. Historic and Picturesque Savannah. Boston: Published for the subscribers by the Boston Photogravure Co., 1889. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Georgia (1758-1932)
• Map of Chatham County Georgia Pioneers ($)
• Map of the Savannah River Plantations Georgia Pioneers ($)

Migration

Early migration routes to and from Chatham County for European settlers included:

• Atlantic Ocean 1733
• Savannah River 1733
• Charleston-Savannah Trail late 1730s (an extension of the King's Highway)
• Augusta-Savannah Trail 1739
• Savannah-Jacksonville Trail 1740s

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
• 1863-1864 Wayside Poor Home Georgia Pioneers $

Regiments. Service men in Chatham 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 Chatham County:

- 1st Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Olmstead's) (Confederate), Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and K

- 8th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Company B

-11th Battalion, Georgia Infantry (State Guards) (Confederate), Company E

- 25th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Companies H and I

- 29th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Company F

- 31st Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Company C

- 35th Battalion, Georgia (Confederate), Company C

- 47th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Companies A and E

- 54th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Company F

- 63rd Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate) , Companies B, F and K

- Wheaton's Company, Georgia Artillery (Chatham Artillery) (Confederate)

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battle was fought in Chatham County.

• April 10-11, 1862 Fort Pulaski
• Map showing Civil War battles in Georgia.

World War I

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

Naturalization and Citizenship

• Savannah, Georgia, Naturalization Records, 1790-1910 available at Ancestry ($)

Newspapers

Savannah Morning News Live Oak Public Libraries

• The Bull Street Branch has the Savannah Morning News from 1763-present in microfilm.
• The Georgia Room has the index to this paper for 1763-1986 except: 1846-1849; 1892-1895 (spotty); 1896-1929.
• The Georgia Death Index (1919-1994) is available at Ancestry ($)

Other Records

Jail Records

• 1855-1873 Georgia, Savannah City Jail Registers, 1855-1873 at FamilySearch — index and images

Voting Records

• 1867-1868 Georgia, Reconstruction Registration Oath Books, 1867-1868 at FamilySearch — index
• 1856-1909 Georgia, County Voter Registrations, 1856-1909 at FamilySearch — index and images

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 ($)
• 1775-1801 Index to Chatham Will Book A (digital) . See list of names Georgia Pioneers ($)
• 1775-1927 Chatham County Georgia list of will book testators SAMPUBCO - Browsable index of testators of wills. - free
• 1777-1787 Will Book B (digital images). See list of names Georgia Pioneers ($)
• 1777-1787 Index to Chatham Will Book B (digital). See list of names Georgia Pioneers ($)
• 1781-1824 Wills (abstracts) Georgia Pioneers ($)
• 1783-1788 Index to Estates, Inventories (digital image. See list o names Georgia Pioneers ($)
• 1788-1791 Will Book C (digital images). See list of names Georgia Pioneers ($)
• 1791-1801 Will Book E (digital images) . See list of names Georgia Pioneers ($)
• 1794-1805 Index to Estates, Inventories (digital image). See list of names Georgia Pioneers ($)
• 1801-1807 Will Book D (digital images.See list of namesGeorgia Pioneers ($)
• 1801-1807 Will Book F (digital images. See list of names Georgia Pioneers ($)
• 1817-1827'Online images of Will Bk H Georgia Pioneers $
• 1827-1840 Will Book I (digital images) See list of names Georgia Pioneers ($)
• 1839-1852 Will Book K (digital images). See list of names Georgia Pioneers ($)
• 1850-1861 Will Book L (digital images). See list of names. Georgia Pioneers ($)
• Complete Card Index File (digitized) of all Wills and Estates in Chatham County, alphabetical by surname. Georgia Pioneers($)
• Complete Card Index File (typed) of all Wills, Estates, etc. 1733-1838, Georgia Pioneers $
• Chatham County - Probate Court - Marriage Licenses | Georgia Archives
• Chatham County - Probate Court - Misc. Records | Georgia Archives: Homestead files, Case files, Lunacy files, Petitions, Wills, Other Estate records
• Chatham County - Probate Court - Proceedings and Declarations Indexes | Georgia Archives

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.

• Chatham County Tax Digest for 1793 (digital images) Georgia Pioneers ($)

• Tax Records, Georgia Archives
• Images of Tax Records for 1793 and 1798 Georgia Pioneers $

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.

• 1803-1966 - Savannah, Georgia, Vital Records, 1803-1966 available at Ancestry ($)
• 1828-1991 - Georgia, Church Vital Records, 1828-1991 at FamilySearch — index

Birth

• 1862-1865 Chatham County Birth Index. Batch C712395 at FamilySearch.
• 1870-1960 Georgia, County Delayed Birth and Death Records, 1870-1960 at FamilySearch — index, and some images

The City of Savannah (Chatham County) has birth records beginning in 1890. They were recorded state-wide beginning in 1919.

Chatham County Health Department
P. O. Box 14257
Savannah, GA 31416
Phone: 912-356-3438

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
• 1805-1836 Chatham County Marriage Index 1805-1836. Batch M712391 at FamilySearch.
• 1808-1967 Georgia Marriages, 1808-1967 Name index to marriage records from the state of Georgia.
• 1808-1967 Georgia Marriages 1808-1967 at FamilySearch — index
• 1827-1837 Chatham County Marriage Index 1827-1837. Batch M712392 at FamilySearch.
• 1828-1978 Georgia Marriage Records from Select Counties 1828-1978 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• 1830-1842 Chatham County Marriage Index 1830-1842. Batch M712396 at FamilySearch.
• 1838-1852 Chatham County Marriage Index 1838-1852. Batch M712393 at FamilySearch.
• 1842-1861 Chatham County Marriage Index 1842-1861. Batch M712397 at FamilySearch.
• 1852-1861 Chatham County Marriage Index 1852-1861. Batch M712394 at FamilySearch.
• 1862-1866 Chatham County Marriage Index 1862-1866. Batch M712395 at FamilySearch.
• 1877-1878 Chatham County Marriage Book A Index 1877-1878. Batch M712398 at FamilySearch.
• 1878-1882 Chatham County Marriage Books B and C Index 1878-1882. Batch M712399 at FamilySearch.
• 1882-1884 Chatham County Marriage Book D Index 1882-1884. Batch M712401 at FamilySearch.
• 1884-1886 Chatham County Marriage Book E Index 1884-1886. Batch M712402 at FamilySearch.
• 1886-1887 Chatham County Marriage Book F Index 1886-1887. Batch M712403 at FamilySearch.
• 1887-1889 Chatham County Marriage Book G Index 1887-1889. Batch M712404 at FamilySearch.
• 1889-1891 Chatham County Marriage Book H Index 1889-1891. Batch M712405 at FamilySearch.
• 1891-1892 Chatham County Marriage Book I Index 1891-1892. Batch M712406 at FamilySearch.
• 1892-1894 Chatham County Marriage Book J Index 1892-1894. Batch M712407 at FamilySearch.
• 1894-1895 Chatham County Marriage Book K Index 1894-1895. Batch M712408 at FamilySearch.

Death

• 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 ($)
• 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.

• For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map

Societies

• Savannah History Association
  303 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
  Savannah, GA 31401-4217
  
• Savannah Area Genealogical Association
  P.O. Box 15385
  Savannah, GA 31416
  
• Georgia Historical Society in Savannah Georgia
  501 Whitaker Street
  Savannah, GA 31401
  Phone: 912-651-2125 or Toll Free 877-424-4789
  Library & Archives Phone: 912-651-2128
  Website

Websites

• Chatham County, GA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Georgia Genealogy Network Community on Google+
• Georgia Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• USGenWeb Chatham County, Georgia project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
• GAGenWeb Archives
• Chatham County, Georgia Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Lane Library Digital Collections (Armstrong Atlantic State University)
• Georgia Pioneers 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