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Irwin County, Georgia
Genealogy, Facts and Records Resources

County Court, Probate, Land & Tax Records  •  County Census Records
County Birth Records, Marriage Records, Divorce Records and Death Records
County Cemeteries & Graveyards  •  County Church & Bible Records
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Irwin County was one of seven counties created on Dec. 15, 1818, by an act of the General Assembly. Irwin, Appling, and Early counties extended across south Georgia and were created from Creek lands acquired in 1814 by the Treaty of Fort Jackson.

Irwin, Appling, and Early counties were organized by an act of Dec. 21, 1819, which provided for election of county officials in each county.

From 1825 to 1906, portions of Irwin Counties original boundaries were used to create the following counties: Lowndes and Thomas (1825), Worth (1853), Coffee (1854), Berrien (1856), Wilcox (1857), Tift and Turner (1905), and Ben Hill (1906).

Georgia's 41st county was named for former Georgia governor Jared Irwin (1750-1818).

The Dec. 21, 1819 act organizing Irwin County authorized the five justices of the county's first inferior court to select the location of the county's seat of government, which was to be "as near the centre thereof as convenience will admit". Until a county seat was selected and a courthouse built, county courts were to meet in the home of David Williams. Irwin County's inferior court was unable to decide on where the county seat should be located, so on Dec. 21, 1820, the legislature authorized the inferior court to select a temporary county seat until a permanent one could be designated. What happened next is unclear. Maps of Georgia published in 1822 and 1823 show a site in north Irwin County marked "C.H." -- which indicates the location of the courthouse. However, Irwin County did not yet have an official county seat. On Dec. 13, 1823, the legislature vested William Foulsom, James Crum, Sellaway McCall, Joshua Griffin, and Alexander McDaniel as courthouse and jail commissioners with the authority formerly delegated to the inferior court.

On Dec. 24, 1825, the legislature authorized the five courthouse commissioners named above to also select a county seat for Irwin County and to purchase land, have lots laid off, and sell the lots. The act further provided that once a county site had been chosen, the inferior court was then responsible for contracting to have a courthouse and jail built. However, the commissioners could not agree on where to locate Irwin's county seat -- so on Dec. 19, 1827, the legislature appointed Cornelius Tison, Lott Whitten, Jonathan Smith, Miles Adams, James L. Wilcox, Ludd Mobly, and Jacob Paulk as new commissioners to select a county seat.

On Dec. 23, 1830, the legislature finally stepped in and designated the location of Irwin County's seat of government as land lot 225 in the fourth district of the county. If that lot could not be purchased, the act authorized the purchase of any lot within two miles of lot 225 for use as the county seat. The legislature also directed that the county seat be named Irwinsville.

For whatever reason, the legislature on Dec. 22, 1831 changed the location of Irwin's county seat to land lot 39 in the third district, though again directing that it be named Irwinsville. The act named Robert H. Dixon, Jacob Young, William Bradford, Daniel Look, and Reuben Marsh as commissioners with authority to lay out and sell town lots and to contract for building a courthouse and jail. On Dec. 22, 1857, the legislature incorporated Irwin County's seat of government as "Irwinville" -- and not "Irwinsville" as directed in the 1830 and 1831 acts.

Around 1880, a community named Ocilla developed around 10 miles southeast of Irwinville. (The name Ocilla was of Creek origin, believed to be the name of an Indian town or chief.) Built around timber and turpentine, Ocilla grew rapidly after a railroad from Fitzgerald was completed in 1897. That same year, the legislature incorporated Ocilla on Nov. 24.

Soon afterwards, the railroad was extended southward, connecting Ocilla to major railroads. Within 10 years, the town's population tripled. Meanwhile, Irwinville declined as residents and businesses moved to Ocilla and Fitzgerald.

On April 29, 1907, a petition to change the county seat from Irwinville to Ocilla signed by two-fifths of the voters of Irwin County was submitted to the county ordinary (probate judge). That same day, the ordinary directed that an election be held on June 12, 1907. In that election, over two-thirds of the vote supported removal of the county seat, so on Aug. 19, 1907, the legislature designated Ocilla as the new county seat of Irwin County. A new courthouse in Ocilla was not completed until 1910, so Irvinville may have continued as de facto county seat from 1907 to 1910 due to the fact that the county courthouse was located there.

Cities and Towns Includes the cities of Abba, Holt, Irwinville, Mystic, Ocilla, Osterfield, Waterloo, and Wray. The Official County Government Website is located at ?

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Irwin County Court, Probate and Tax Records

See Also Georgia Court, Land, Tax & Probate Records and Marriage Records

Irwin County Clerk of Superior Court has Court Records from 1820 and Land Records from 1821 and is located at Courthouse, 113 N. Irwin Ave., OCILLA, GA 31774; Phone: (229) 468-5356, Fax: (229) 468-9753 . The Superior Court, Georgia's general jurisdiction trial court, has exclusive constitutional authority over felony cases, cases regarding title to land and equity, declaratory judgments, habeas corpus, mandamus, adoptions, name changes, divorces, child custody, and child support enforcement. The clerk is responsible for recording deeds and maintaining the chain of title to all property in the county.

Irwin County Clerk of Probate Court has Marriage Records from 1838 , Probate Records from 1821 and is located at 202 S. Irwin Avenue, Ocilla, GA 31774; 229-468-5138/F 468-5702 . The jurisdiction of Probate Court are all legal proceedings that deal with Wills, Estates, Guardianships of minor children, Involuntary Committals Hearings, Filing of Wills for saf, Issuance of Marriage License, ect... The office of the probate judge is the county office where the most significant genealogical records are created and maintained in Georgia.

None of Georgia's colonial tax records have survived. Surviving Georgia tax records begin on a county basis in the late 1780s. By 1783 Georgia tax laws provided for taxing land according to its quality and quantity, and male polls were white males over twenty-one. Other taxes were imposed on town lots, slaves, and free persons of color, buildings and improvements, merchandise, lawyers, and doctors. The poll tax on all adult males made Georgia tax digests good census substitutes and supplements.

Below is a list of online resources for Irwin County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Irwin County Court Records by clicking the link below:

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Irwin County Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records

See Also Vital Records in Georgia

Irwin County Health Department has Birth and Death Records since January 1919 and is located at P.O. Box 2, 407 West 4th Street, Ocilla, Georgia 31774; (912) 468-5003. You may go to any county health department in the State of Georgia to obtain a certificates can be issued while you wait. Contact Clerk of Superior Court For County Divorce Records (See Irwin County Court Records for Address and Phone number) in the county where divorce was granted, and Contact Probate Judge For County Marriage Records (See Irwin County Court Records for Address and Phone number) in county where license was issued.

Georgia State Vital Records, Center for Health Statistics Office is located at State Dept of Human Resources, 2600 Skyland Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30319-3640 (404) 679-4730 info, (877) 572-6343; Fax: (404) 524-4278. They have the following records:

  • Birth & Death Certificates: Birth records are available from 1919 to the present. For earlier records in Atlanta or Savannah or other cities or counties, write to the Vital Records Office (see above) in county where event occurred. Fees are listed below. You can download an application online for Birth Certificates.
  • Death Certificates: Certified copies of death records are available from 1919 to the present. Death certificates are available to the general public. For earlier records in Atlanta or Savannah or other cities or counties, write to the Vital Records Office (see above) in county where event occurred. Fees are listed below. You can download an application online for Death Certificates. Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index
  • Marriage Certificates: Centralized State records since June 9, 1952. Certified copies of marriage documents up to 1966 are issued at State office. Contact the Irwin County Probate office for marriages in Irwin County occurring before June 9, 1952, and all other counties will be forwarded to appropriate Probate Judge in county where license was issued.The state office does no record marriage license or applications after July 1, 1997.

Ordering Vital Records - You can also order Order Electronically Online or You can download an application for Birth, Marriage, Divorce or Death Certificates to mail. Order Birth Records, Marriage Records, Divorce Records or Death Records.

Ordering Vital Records by Mail -The fee to search for a birth, Marriage or Death certificate is $10.00, which includes one certified copy of the certificate or a "Certificate of Failure to Find." For each additional copy of the certificate ordered at the same time, the fee is $5.00. Make certified checks and money orders should be made payable to "Vital Records, GA. DHR". Please do not send cash or checks. Fees are non refundable. Additional fees are required for expedited service. Mail all Applications to:Vital Records, 2600 Skyland Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30319-3640. You can download an application online for Birth Certificates or Death Certificates.

Below is a list of online resources for Irwin County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Irwin County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

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Irwin County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records & Statewide Census Links for Georgia

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.

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.

Below is a list of online resources for Irwin County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Irwin County Census Records by clicking the link below:

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Irwin County Military Records

See Also Research In Military Records or Military Records in Georgia

Below is a list of online resources for Irwin County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Irwin County Military Records by clicking the link below:

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Irwin County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Georgia Genealogical Addresses

Below is a list of online resources for Irwin County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Irwin County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

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Irwin County Cemeteries & Graveyards

See Also Research In Cemetery Records or Statewide Cemetery Links for Georgia

There are many churches and cemeteries in Irwin County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Irwin County Tombstone Transcription Project.

The Georgia Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches and cemeteries free for viewing or download here.

Below is a list of online resources for Irwin County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Irwin County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

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County Church & Bible Records

See Also Research In Church Records or Statewide Church & Bible Links for Georgia

 

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Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

 

Below is a list of online resources for Irwin County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Irwin County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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