Wilkes County, Georgia Genealogy

United States

Georgia

Wilkes County

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

Georgia Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Washington Organized: February 5, 1777 Parent County(s): Creek and Cherokee Indian lands Neighboring Counties Elbert  • Lincoln  • McDuffie  • Oglethorpe  • Taliaferro  • Warren See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption Adopt-a-wiki page This page adopted by: Hidden Ancestors who welcome you to contribute. User:Evancol Adopt a page today

Old Wilkes County Courthouse

County Information

Description

The County was named for British politician and supporter of American independence, John Wilkes. The County is located in the east central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Wilkes County Courthouse
23 E. Court Street, Rm 205
Washington, GA 30673-1570
Phone: 706-678-2423
Wilkes County Website

Probate Court has birth, marriage, death and probate records from 1792.
Clerk Superior Court has divorce and court records from 1778, land records from 1777 and military discharge records.

Wilkes 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
1792	1792	1792	1778	1777	1792	1820
*Statewide registration of births and death began in 1919. General compliance for births by 1928 and deaths by 1922.

Record Loss

1958 The courthouse at Washington burned 24 December 1958. Except for papers in courthouse offices, most historic county records were preserved in fire-proof vaults.

Boundary Changes

1777 Wilkes County was created 5 February 1777 from Creek and Cherokee Indian lands as an original county. County seat: Washington 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

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
Washington
Towns
Rayle	Tignall
Unincorporated communities
Adasburg Aonia Centerville	Danburg Delhi	Mallorysville Metasville
Ghost towns
Armstrong

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Wilkes, 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 Georgia Cemetery Records FamilySearch Places
See Georgia Cemeteries for more information

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

• Interment.net Georgia cemetery records

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	31,500	—
1800	13,103	−58.4%
1810	14,887	13.6%
1820	17,607	18.3%
1830	14,237	−19.1%
1840	10,148	−28.7%
1850	12,107	19.3%
1860	11,420	−5.7%
1870	11,796	3.3%
1880	15,985	35.5%
1890	18,081	13.1%
1900	20,866	15.4%
1910	23,441	12.3%
1920	24,210	3.3%
1930	15,944	−34.1%
1940	15,084	−5.4%
1950	12,388	−17.9%
1960	10,961	−11.5%
1970	10,184	−7.1%
1980	10,951	7.5%
1990	10,597	−3.2%
2000	10,687	0.8%
2010	10,593	−0.9%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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.
List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places

Baptist

• Philip's Mill - records (1785-1948) available on microfilm at the University of NC Davis Library (Serial 1-1262 1785-1948).
• Sardis
  • Minutes and membership rolls (1803-1852) available on microfilm at the University of NC Davis Library (Serial 1-1264 1803-1852).
  • Members of Sardis Baptist Church Members in 1805 at Georgia Pioneers ($)

Methodist
Washington Station Methodist Church

• 1865-1885 Washington Station Methodist Church Baptism Index 1865-1885. Batch C714001 at FamilySearch
• 1865-1895 Washington Station Methodist Church Marriage Index 1865-1895. Batch M714001 at FamilySearch

Genealogies

• Wilkes County Family Group Sheets Individual Family Group Sheets submitted by individual researchers and volunteers.
• Origins of Early Settlers to Wilkes County at Georgia Pioneers ($).
• [Huskey] Reagan, Donald B. Smoky Mountain Clans. 3 vols. Knoxville, Tenn.: D.B. Reagan, 1978-1983. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273R22b 1978. [The Huskey family is discussed in Vol. 1.]
• [Pope] Johnston, F. Claiborne. "The Tangled Trail of Two John Popes: Colonel John Pope of Amherst County and John Pope of Prince William County and Wilkes County, Georgia," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 50, No. 1 (Feb. 2012):45-64.

The following were published in The Virginia Genealogist, and digital images may be searched at American Ancestors, using their Search Form. Select Virginia Genealogist, The from the Database listing, then enter the desired volume and page. Note: a login account is free but required to view search results. These are also available at the FHL (see links below).

• [Cheatham] Dennstedt, Alberta Marjorie. "The Cheatham Family of Colonial Virginia." The Virginia Genealogist: Vol. 27, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1983):163-173; Vol. 27, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1983):273-279; Vol. 28, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1984):38-43; Vol. 28, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1984):102-112; Vol. 28, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1984):209-216; Vol. 28, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1984):293-297; Vol. 29, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1985):32-40; Vol. 29, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1985):123-127; Vol. 29, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1985):179-185; Vol. 29, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1985):262-265; Vol. 30, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1986):17-23; Vol. 30, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1986):99-104. FHL Book 975.5 B2vg v. 27 (1983)-v. 30 (1986).
• [Darricott] Bell, John C. "Bickleys of the Pamunkey River Watershed of Virginia in the 18th Century." The Virginia Genealogist: Vol. 27, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1983):32-49; Vol. 27, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1983):90-104; Vol. 27, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1983):179-189; Vol. 27, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1983):259-264; Vol. 28, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1984):19-32; Vol. 28, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1984):88-98; Vol. 28, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1984):169-186; Vol. 28, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1984):261-274. FHL Book 975.5 B2vg v. 27 (1983)-v. 28 (1984).
• [Jackson] Brandenberger, Evelyn Duke. "The Jacksons of Lower Virginia." The Virginia Genealogist: Vol. 30, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1986):163-169; Vol. 30, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1986):288-295; Vol. 31, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1987):11-18; Vol. 31, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1987):101-111; Vol. 31, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1987):195-204; Vol. 31, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1987):269-278; Vol. 32, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1988):49-57; Vol. 32, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1988):119-130; Vol. 32, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1988):185-192; Vol. 32, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1988):259-263; Vol. 33, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1989):34-44; Vol. 33, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1989):135-143; Vol. 33, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1989):204-207; Vol. 33, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1989):295-304. FHL Book 975.5 B2vg v. 30 (1986)-v. 33 (1989).

Guardianship

• Wilkes County Guardianship Records Partial list of Individual Guardianship Records.

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.

• Wilkes County Revolutionary Land Grants Authentic List of All Land Lottery Grants made to Veterans of the Revolutionary War By the State of Georgia
• Wilkes County 1803 Land Lottery Complete list of the 1803 Land Lottery for Wilkes County, GA
• Wilkes County 1806 Land Lottery Complete list of the 1806 Land Lottery for Wilkes County, GA
• Wilkes County 1819 Land Lottery Complete list of the 1819 Land Lottery for Wilkes County, GA
• Wilkes County 1821 Land Lottery Complete list of the 1821 Land Lottery for Wilkes County, GA
• Wilkes County 1827 Land Lottery Complete list of the 1827 Land Lottery for Wilkes County, GA
• Wilkes County 1832 Land Lottery Complete list of the 1832 Land Lottery for Wilkes County, GA
• Wilkes County Maps & Land Plats List of Land Plats with owner names and maps for Wilkes County, GA
• Land Records of Wilkes County Transcribed Land Records submitted & donated to Wilkes County, GAGenWeb Site.

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Wilkes 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.

• An Overview of Local History by Robert Willingham
• The Story of Washington-Wilkes. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1941. Digital version at Ancestry ($)

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
• Maps of Georgia (1758-1932)
• Wilkes County Maps & Land Plats List of Land Plats with owner names and maps for Wilkes County, GA
• Also at Family Search asNew century map of Wilkes County, Georgia.

At Georgia Pioneers ($) you can find:

• Map of Wilkes County, 1955
• Map of Original Wilkes County
• Map of Wilkes County Settlers

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)
• 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 Wilkes 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 Wilkes County:

- 9th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Company A

- 15th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Company A

- 37th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Company H; Company E, 9th Battalion

- 61st Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Company G

- Ritter's Company, Georgia Light Artillery (Confederate)

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 ($))

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 ($)
• 1786-1806 Digital Images of Wilkes County, Georgia Wills, Book C (1786-1806) at Georgia Pioneers ($)
• 1794-1819 Index to Wills: 1794-1819 at Strictly By Name. Free online indexes to early Wilkes County probate records. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee.
• 1836-1839 Images of Wills, Estates, Inventories, Appraisements, Sales 1836-1839 at Georgia Pioneers ($)
• General Index of Wilkes County, Georgia Estates at Georgia Pioneers ($)
• Index to Wilkes County Wills and Estates (by surnames) Georgia Pioneers ($)
• Wilkes County Estate Records. Partial list of Individual Estate Records.
• County Deeds. Partial list of Deed Books and Individual Deeds.
• Wilkes County Guardianship Records Partial list of Individual Guardianship Records.

Social Security Records

• 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

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

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

• 1870-1960 Georgia, County Delayed Birth and Death Records, 1870-1960 at FamilySearch — index, and some images

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
• 1790-1832 Wilkes County Marriage Index 1790-1832. Batch M713991 at FamilySearch
• 1808-1967 Georgia Marriages 1808-1967 at FamilySearch — index
• 1828-1978 Georgia Marriage Records from Select Counties 1828-1978 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• 1836-1871 Wilkes County Marriage Index 1836-1871. Batch M713992 at FamilySearch
• 1871-1882 Wilkes County Marriage Index 1871-1882. Batch M713993 at FamilySearch
• 1875-1882 Wilkes County Marriage Index 1875-1882. Batch M713995 at FamilySearch
• 1882-1895 Wilkes County Marriage Index 1882-1895. Batch M713994 at FamilySearch
• 1882-1895 Wilkes County Marriage Index 1882-1895. Batch M713996 at FamilySearch
• 1885-1886 Wilkes County, Georgia Marriages from Newspapers 1885-1886 at Georgia Pioneers ($)

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 ($)
• 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

Voter Records

• 1856-1941 Georgia, County Voter Registrations, 1856-1941 at FamilySearch — How to use this collection, index and images

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Wilkes County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Georgia Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers

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.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Wilkes County. For state-wide library facilities, see Georgia Archives and Libraries.

Societies

Listed below are societies in Wilkes County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Georgia Societies.

• Savannah River Valley Genealogical Society
  c/o Hart County Library, Benson St
  Hartwell, GA 30643
  Website
  
• Central Georgia Genealogical Society
  PO Box 2024
  Warner Robins, GA 31099
  Website
  
• Washington Township Historical Society
  308 E. Robert Toombs Ave
  Washington, GA 30673-2038
  Website

Websites

• Wilkes County, GA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Georgia Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• GAGenWeb Wilkes County
• Wilkes County, Georgia Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Wilkes County Georgia Genealogy
• 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

Research Guides

• Wilkes County Resources for Local Research

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

Family History Library