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Screven 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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Screven County was created from Burke and Effingham counties on Dec. 14, 1793, by an act of the General Assembly. Portions of Screven County were used to create Bulloch County (1796) and Jenkins County (1905).

Georgia's 14th county was named for American Revolutionary War Brig. Gen. James Screven, who was mortally wounded in battle at Sunbury in Liberty County on Nov. 22, 1778. After his death two days later, Screven was buried in Midway Cemetery.

Sylvania. The home of Benjamin Lanier on the Ogeechee River served as Screven's first county seat. In 1797, the General Assembly designated the village of Jacksonborough as county seat. Jacksonboro [as it soon was spelled] was named for then-U.S. Sen. James Jackson. Located near the confluence of Beaverdam and Brier Creeks, it had been settled in 1794 as a coach stop on the road between Augusta and Savannah. Jacksonboro developed a bad reputation because of rowdiness and drinking, leading a Methodist minister to place a curse on the town (which some attribute as the reason it later burned and never was rebuilt). In any event, the General Assembly in 1847 moved the county seat from Jacksonboro six miles to the southwest to the village of Sylvania. The name, which is derived from the Latin word for forest, was suggested by Screven County poet Cuyler Young. Although the date of Sylvania's first settlement is not known, the village was incorporated as a town by the General Assembly on Feb. 20, 1854.

After Screven County's creation in Dec. 1793, court was held in the home of Benjamin Lanier in Rocky Ford on the Ogeechee River and in the home of Benjamin Warren near Beaverdam Creek. In 1797, the legislature designated Jacksonboro as county seat, and a small courthouse was built here (though no description of it remains). In 1832, a new courthouse was built in Jacksonboro. In 1847, the county seat was moved to Sylvania, where a new courthouse was built. This building was burned by Union forces in 1864. A new wooden courthouse was built in 1869 in the downtown square. Later, a one-story brick addition was built for housing the superior court clerk and county records. In 1896, a fire swept the city of Sylvania and destroyed the county courthouse (though the clerk's office and county records survived). In 1897, county officials contracted with Algernon Blair of Montgomery, Ala. to build a new 2-story brick courthouse for $15,000 over the site of the former courthouse. To stay within his budget, Blair dropped plans to have a clock on the courthouse tower (though a clock was added in later years). Instead, county officials used the tower as a jail. This courthouse continued in use until 1963, when county officials directed that it be torn down, to be replaced by a newer building west of downtown. [The clerk's office adjacent to the courthouse was spared and became the home of the Screven County Chamber of Commerce.] In 1964, the current courthouse was completed.

Cities and Towns Includes the cities of Newington, Oliver, Rocky Ford and Sylvania. The Official County Government Website is located at http://www.screvencounty.com/

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Screven County Court, Probate and Tax Records

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

Screven County Clerk of Superior Court has Court Records from 1811 and Land Records from 1794 and is located at 216 Mims Rd., P.O. Box 156, Sylvania, GA 30467; Phone: (912) 564-2614, Fax: (912) 564-2622. 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.

Screven County Clerk of Probate Court has Marriage Records from 1817 , Probate Records from 1790 and is located at 216 Mims Road, Sylvania, GA 30467-2062; 912-564-2783 / FAX 564-2562. 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 Screven County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Screven County Court Records by clicking the link below:

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Screven County Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records

See Also Vital Records in Georgia

Screven County Health Department has Birth and Death Records since January 1919 and is located at 416 Pine Street, Sylvania, Georgia 30467; (912) 564-2190. 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 Screven County Court Records for Address and Phone number) in the county where divorce was granted, and Contact Probate Judge For County Marriage Records (See Screven 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 Screven County Probate office for marriages in Screven 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 Screven County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Screven County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

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Screven 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 Screven County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Screven County Census Records by clicking the link below:

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Screven County Military Records

See Also Research In Military Records or Military Records in Georgia

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

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Screven County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Georgia Genealogical Addresses

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

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Screven County Cemeteries & Graveyards

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

There are many churches and cemeteries in Screven County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Screven 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 Screven County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Screven 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 Screven County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Screven County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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