Early County Georgia Court Records

What Kinds of Court Records Are Available?

In early county Georgia there were a few courts which stored their records in the same place. This was especially true in the lower northern portion of the state. There were no official court houses or record offices in these areas. The courts and legal directories were not included in any of the property records. These were therefore all stored in the same places as they were recorded.

The earliest type of court records were court minutes, which were published for the general public. This was a record of minor proceedings and were used for personal reasons such as checking on the status of an applicant for county or state office, or for verifying that the ancestry of a person living at that particular address was legitimate. This particular type of court records in early Georgia occurred when the country was still new and no official record keeping offices had yet been established. In addition, these were all small towns with just a few residents.

Court transcriptions were also kept for some cases. This type of court document was used for official court proceedings and to track down errant citizens. It is also used today to track down someone who has disappeared and needs to be found.

Another early type of court records in Georgia was the Record of Matrimonial decree. This decree would grant the right to a particular man or woman to get married. It also stated that the marriage would be valid in the eyes of the law. This decree was also recorded in the court rooms of the courts. This would allow people to view the marriage certificate and thereby verify that it was indeed the couple’s marriage which was mentioned in the document.

Court reports are also types of court records. This kind of document was mainly utilized for personal purposes. It records the court case which a certain person had to attend. In some instances, this record is also utilized as a kind of background information on the person in question. The purpose here is to verify if they are telling the truth when they tell their wedding stories. It is also useful for employers who are hiring people and want to make sure that they only hire those with clean background records.

The court records in Georgia started a hundred and fifty years ago. At that time, the state would utilize the method of mails and letters to transmit the files. However, with the advent of the digital age, most states have already switched to online filing. Today, you simply have to fill up an application form online and you would be notified if your records are available.