Georgia Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death records, also known as vital records, provide details about important events in your ancestors life. They can include information like the event date and place, parents’ names, occupation and residence. The cause of death is also included in most Georgia death records. Georgia vital records are a cornerstone of Georgia family history research because they were typically recorded at or near the time of the event, making the record more likely to be accurate. This page includes links that can help you request copies from Georgia state and county vital records keepers.Like in most other states, marriage records in Georgia are created at the county level. Some Georgia counties kept early marriage bonds before 1805; however, Georgia law did not require marriage licenses to be recorded until 1805. Officials were careless in adhering to the law and some marriages were consequently not recorded. Some records were also lost in various courthouse fires.
In 1919 Georgia law required the registration of all births and deaths but few major cities required birth and death registration before this:
- Atlanta—births, 1896; deaths, 1887.
- Columbus—births, 1869; deaths, 1890.
- Gainesville—births, 1865; deaths, 1909.
- Savannah—births, 1890; deaths, 1803.
- Macon—births, 1891; deaths, 1882.
How to Order Georgia Birth , Marriage, Divorce and Death Records
Georgia Department of Health files, stores, and issues certified copies of vital records including birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates for events that occurred in Georgia.
- Physical Address: Georgia Division of Public Health, Vital Records, 2600 Skyland Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30319; (404) 679-4702; Fax: (404) 679-4730
- Website Address: http://health.state.ga.us/
- Birth and Death Records: since Jan 1919
- Marriage Records: June 9, 1952 to 1996 (If the records are not available from the State office, they should be available from the Probate Judge in county where the marriage license was issued.)
- Divorce Records: index since June 9, 1952 (Certified copies or divorce records are not issued at State office. They are available from the Clerk of Superior Court in county where the marriage license was issued.)
- Ordering Vital Records Online - get the certificates within 2-5 days with a credit or debit card from USAVital.com
or VitalChek.com
- Ordering Vital Records by Mail: You can download an application online for Georgia Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Divorce Certificate, Death Certificate Application
- Georgia Vital Records Description - from Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.
Links For Georgia Birth Records
- Order Georgia Birth Records Online (archives.com)
- Order Birth Certificates Online. (vitalchek.com)
- Georgia, Births and Christenings, 1754-1960 (familysearch.org)
Links For Georgia Marriage Records and Divorce Records
- Order Georgia Marriage Records or Georgia Divorce Records Online. (archives.com)
- Order Marriage Certificates or Divorce Certificates Online. (vitalchek.com)
- Marriage Records from Microfilm (sos.state.ga.us) Marriage Records from Microfilm are records scanned from microfilm in the Georgia Archives. Most of the records are in the possession of the county court which produced the records. Some are in the possession of the Georgia Archives.
- Georgia Marriages, 1699-1944 (search.ancestry.com)
- Georgia Marriages to 1850 (search.ancestry.com)
- Georgia Marriages, 1851-1900 (search.ancestry.com)
- Georgia, Marriages, 1808-1967 (familysearch.org)
- Georgia Marriages Project (usgenweb.org) – Name index to marriage records from the state of Georgia.
Links For Georgia Death Records
- Order Georgia Death Records Online. (archives.com)
- Order Death Certificates Online. (vitalchek.com)
- Georgia Death Certificates, 1919-1927 (sos.state.ga.us) Georgia Death Certificates from 1919 through 1927. The collection also includes a number of certificates from 1914-1918, with the bulk dating from 1917 and 1918.
- Georgia Non-Indexed Death Certificates, 1928-1930 (sos.state.ga.us) This Death Certificate search system is provided as an interim solution until the records for 1928-1930 can be indexed and added to the Death Certificate Collection. Many users have asked for these records, so we are providing them with scanned images of the original Vital Records index.
- Georgia Deaths, 1914-1927 (familysearch.org)
- Georgia Deaths, 1928-1930 (familysearch.org)
- Georgia, Death Index, 1933-1998 (familysearch.org)
- Georgia Deaths, 1919-98 (search.ancestry.com)
- Georgia, Deaths Index, 1914-1927 (search.ancestry.com)
- Find Obituaries in The World’s Largest Newspaper Archive (newpaperarchive.com) Find thousands of Georgia obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a Georgia newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers from Georgia.
- Search America’s Obituaries (1985 to current) (genealogybank.com) Obituaries contain helpful information such as names, dates, places of birth, death, marriage and family information. Over 28 million obituaries make this the most complete collection from the 20th and 21st centuries – includes over 1,100 U.S. newspapers. New content added daily!
