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Twiggs 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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Twiggs County was created from Wilkinson County on Dec. 14, 1809, by an act of the General Assembly. According to that act, Twiggs County's boundaries were specified as:

. . . beginning on the Ocmulgee river, where the upperl line of said county of Wilkinson strikes the river; thence on the said upper line of said county to where the same crosses the main south fork of commissioners creek; thence a straight line to the first branch, which the present line crosses, dividing Pulaski and Wilkinson, on a south west direction from the corner that divides Laurens and Pulaski counties, and lower line of Wilkinson; thence with said line as it now runs, until it strikes the ocmulgee river; thence up the meanders thereof to the place of beginning of said river; and all that part of Wilkinson county, comprehended within the lines aforesaid . . . .

Georgia's 37th county was named for Revolutionary War general John Twiggs. A portion of Twiggs County was used to created Bibb County on Dec. 9, 1822.

The act creating Twiggs County named commissioners with authority to select the site of the county seat and build a courthouse. They selected land lot 55 in the 25th district and gave the lot's owner a deposit for purchasing the land. However, in an act of Dec. 8, 1810, the legislature directed that the courthouse be erected at or near Joiner's Spring above Savage's Creek, on land lot 73, in the 25th district of the new county . On Dec. 15, the legislature provided that until a courthouse was built, court sessions and county elections would be held at the house of John Harden.

By 1811, land lot 73 had been laid out and was named Marion, after Revolutionary War hero Gen. Francis Marion. That year, the legislature incorporated Marion, though the town's charter was repealed two decades later.

On Feb. 11, 1850, the legislature authorized a referendum on removal of the county seat from Marion to a site on land formerly owned by Henry Solomon, as designated by the Twiggs County inferior court. Whether the referendum was held in not known, but if it was, voters turned down removal. In an act of Dec. 10, 1866, the legislature authorized a referendum on moving the county seat from Marion to Jeffersonville, providing the citizens of Jeffersonville would fund construction of a courthouse and jail at no expense to the county. The referendum was held the first Wednesday in January of 1867, and voters approved making Jeffersonville the new county seat. Apparently, Jeffersonville residents were either unable or willing to finance construction of a new courthouse, so Marion continued to serve as county seat. Finally, in May 1868, the old courthouse in Marion was dismantled and moved by wagon six miles to Jeffersonville.

Jeffersonville had been first settled in the 1820s and was initially known as Rain's Store. In 1849, the town's name was changed in recognition of the Jefferson family, which had played an important role in the county's early settlement. Jeffersonville was not incorporated until Nov. 29, 1901.

In an act of Dec. 8, 1810, the legislature named John Harden, Jacob Ricks, William Davis, Lovet B. Smith and James McCormick as courthouse and jail commissioners and authorized them to purchase between 75 and 200 acres of land in land lot 73 in the 25th and contract for construction of a courthouse and other public buildings. The legislature also provided that until a courthouse was built, court sessions and county elections would be held at the house of John Harden.Twiggs County's first courthouse -- a two-story wooden building -- in 1812 on land lot 73, which was now known as Marion. When Jeffersonville became county seat in 1868, the old courthouse in Marion was dismantled and taken on a six-mile trip by wagon to the new county seat, where it was reassembled. It is not clear whether other courthouses succeeded the 1812 structure. In 1901, Twiggs County's courthouse was destroyed by fire. Construction of the present courthouse began in 1902 and was completed in 1904. The courthouse was renovated in 1979, followed by a major renovation and substantial expansion of the structure begun in 1996 and completed in 2003.

Cities and Towns Includes the cities of Danville and Jeffersonville. The Official County Government Website is located at http://www.twiggscounty.us/

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Twiggs County Court, Probate and Tax Records

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

Twiggs County Clerk of Superior Court has Court Records from 1901 and Land Records from 1901 and is located at 952 E. Main St., P.O. Box 234, Jeffersonville, GA 31044; Phone: (478) 945-3350, Fax: (478) 945-6751 . 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.

Twiggs County Clerk of Probate Court has Marriage Records from 1901 , Probate Records from 1901 and is located at PO Box 307, Jeffersonville, GA 31044-0307; 478-945-3390/F 945-6070 . 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 Twiggs County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Twiggs County Court Records by clicking the link below:

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Twiggs County Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records

See Also Vital Records in Georgia

Twiggs County Health Department has Birth and Death Records since January 1919 and is located at 301 Main Street, P.O. Box 293, Jeffersonville, Georgia 31044; (478) 945-3351. 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 Twiggs County Court Records for Address and Phone number) in the county where divorce was granted, and Contact Probate Judge For County Marriage Records (See Twiggs 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 Twiggs County Probate office for marriages in Twiggs 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 Twiggs County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Twiggs County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

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

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Twiggs County Military Records

See Also Research In Military Records or Military Records in Georgia

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

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Twiggs County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Georgia Genealogical Addresses

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

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Twiggs County Cemeteries & Graveyards

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

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

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