Records that survive
These are the Chatham County record books the Georgia Archives has scanned and put online free in its Virtual Vault, grouped into series with the earliest and latest years. They're a selection: the archives' full index (linked below) lists every county record it has on microfilm.
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriage Book1826–1902
Deeds and land
- Index to Deed Book AAAA1868
Wills and estates
- Divisions of Estates1817–1860
- Estates Proceedings Docket1825–1828
- Ordinary Minute Book1839–1846
Tax records
- Tax Digest1793–1799
- City Hall Tax Digests1816–1832
- Tax Digests1837–1841
Records of free Black and enslaved people
- Register of Aliens and Free Persons of Color Register1824–1861
- Free Persons of Color Register1828–1847
Court records
- Superior Court Writs Index Book1799
- Inferior Court Issue Docket1812–1823
- Inferior Court Minutes1813–1822
- Superior Court Appearance1822–1825
- Superior Court Criminal Testimony1837–1875
- Superior Court Civil Minutes Book1841–1843
- Superior Court Proceedings1843–1844
- Superior Court Issue Docket1847–1855
- Superior Court Misdemeanor Sentences1902–1905
Other records
- Register of Aliens Exempt from Military Duty1824–1864
- Limited Partnerships1839–1897
- Adminstrators' Bonds1849–1855
- Recipients of Poor Fund Record1870–1873
Open the Georgia Archives' index of this county's microfilm
Source: Georgia Archives Virtual Vault (Marriage Records from Microfilm, and County Records from Microfilm). The microfilm index is a set of scanned catalog cards. Georgia's statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1919.
Where to find the records
- Chatham County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the probate court and the clerk of superior court, and any online record search the county offers.
- The probate court
Wills, estates, guardianships and marriage licenses. Until the 1970s it was called the Court of Ordinary, and older books carry that name.
- The clerk of superior court
Deeds and other land records, and civil and criminal court cases.
- The Georgia Archives
In Morrow, near Atlanta: microfilm of county records from before 1900, colonial and headright land records, the land lottery records, Confederate pension applications and tax digests.
- Georgia Archives: index to Chatham County records on microfilmfree
Scanned catalog cards listing the record books the archives has on microfilm for this county.
- Georgia Archives Virtual Vaultfree
Scanned marriage books, county records, colonial wills, Confederate pension applications and death certificates, searchable by name and county.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Georgia, Chatham" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Christ Church Parish and St. Philip Parish (one of Georgia's original counties)
Later formed partly from Chatham County: Bryan County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1777, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
Georgia gave away much of its land by lottery between 1805 and 1833, so if your ancestor was in Georgia then, look for their name in the land lottery lists as well as the county's deed books. Tax digests, which survive for many counties from the 1790s on, place a person in a county year by year.