Cherokee County, Georgia Genealogy

United States

Georgia

Cherokee County

Guide to Cherokee County, Georgia ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Facts County seat: Canton Organized: December 26, 1831 Parent County(s): Cherokee lands Neighboring Counties Bartow  • Cobb  • Dawson  • Forsyth  • Fulton  • Gordon  • Pickens See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

The County was named for the Cherokee people. The County is located in the north central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Cherokee County Courthouse
90 N Street
Canton, GA 30114-2794
Phone: 770-479-1953
Cherokee County Website

Clerk Superior Court has divorce, court and land records from 1833.
Probate Court has birth, marriage, death, burial and probate records.

Cherokee County, Georgia Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1919	1841	1919	1833	1833	1833	1820
Statewide registration of births and death began in 1919. General compliance for births by 1928 and deaths by 1922.

Record Loss

1864 During the American Civil War the courthouse was destroyed about 30 October. The earliest marriage and probate records were apparently lost at that time. Significant county records including deeds survived. 1927 Fire destroyed the courthouse on 10 March, but county records were carried to safety. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill. Online at: Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle. Online at: Tennessee Genealogy Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.

Boundary Changes

1831 Cherokee County was created 26 December 1831 from Cherokee lands. County seat: Canton For animated maps illustrating Georgia county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Georgia County Boundary Maps" (1758-1932) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cities
Ball Ground Canton (county seat) Holly Springs	Mountain Park Nelson	Waleska Woodstock
Unincorporated communities
Batesville Buffington ree Home Gold Ridge Hickory Flat	Keithsburg Lake Arrowhead Lebanon {Toonigh) Macedonia Oak Grove	Orange Sixes Sutallee Towne Lake Univeter

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Cherokee, Georgia online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com GAGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project Billion Graves ALGenWeb
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com Billion Graves Cherokee County Cemeteries Georgia Cemetery Records
See Georgia Cemeteries for more information

The following web site may have additional information on Cherokee County cemeteries.

• Interment.net Georgia cemetery records

Church Records

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Georgia denominations, see the Georgia Church Records wiki page.

Land and Property Records

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Georgia Land and Property for additional information about early Georgia land grants from the government. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions (generally buying and selling deeds) were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.

Scanned land records from 1832 onward can be searched online at the Cherokee County Georgia Index Search. Real Estate Index 1832-1898 and indexes from July 1979 - December 1988 are available for viewing. Years 1899 - 1979 indexes are currently in the process of being preserved and scanned.

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Cherokee County, Georgia Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Georgia Local Histories.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Georgia (1758-1932)

Military Records

• Georgia USGenWeb Archives Project

Mexican War

Cherokee County Soldiers in the Mexican War Georgia Pioneers ($).

Civil War

Online Records

• 1861-1865 Georgia Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
• 1861-1865 Georgia Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
• 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
• 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry— index (free)
• 1867-1868 Georgia, Reconstruction Registration Oath Books, 1867-1868 at FamilySearch — index
• 1879-1920 Georgia, Confederate Pension Rolls, 1879-1920 at FamilySearch — index
• Online Images of Civil War Pensions Georgia Pioneers ($)

Regiments. Service men in Cherokee County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Cherokee County:

- 2nd Battalion, Georgia Infantry (Confederate) , Company F

- 14th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate) , Company B

- 34th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Company B

- 36th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Broyles') (Confederate) , Company A and E

- 41st Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Company C

- 43rd Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate) , Company A and B

• Index to Georgia's Confederate Pension Supplements. compiled by Ted O. Brook and Linda Woodward Geiger, 1999. 210 pages
• Cherokee County Heritage Book Committee (Cherokee County, Ga.). 1998. The heritage of Cherokee County, Georgia, 1831-1998. [Cherokee County, Ga.]: Cherokee County Heritage Book Committee. (page 63-64) 975.8253 H2h
• Marlin, Lloyd G. 1932. The history of Cherokee County. Atlanta: Walter W. Brown Pub. Co. (page 65-83) FHL Collection
• Cherokee County Heritage Book Committee (Cherokee County, Ga.). 1998. The heritage of Cherokee County, Georgia, 1831-1998. [Cherokee County, Ga.]: Cherokee County Heritage Book Committee. (page 2-24) 975.8253 H2h

World War I

• 1920-1929 Georgia, World War I, Statement of Service Cards, 1920-1929 at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

• Legal Advertising 1868-1873 Georgia Pioneers ($).

Obituaries

• Annotated Obituaries from the Cherokee Advance, Canton, Georgia, 1880-1938. by John Carver, 2003. Over 600 pages.

Other Records

Voting Records

• 1867-1868 Georgia, Reconstruction Registration Oath Books, 1867-1868 at FamilySearch — index

Probate Records

Colonial courts kept some early probate records.  From 1777 to 1798 and since 1852, the court of ordinary or register of probates has kept probate and guardianship records.  The inferior court handled probate and guardianship matters from 1798 to 1852.

Many probate records to the 1930s and 1940s are at the Georgia Department of Archives and History and the Family History Library on microfilm.

Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.

Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, marriage, adoption, and birth and death records (not all years).

Online Probate Records

• 1742-1990 Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1742-1992 Georgia Wills and Probate Records 1742-1992 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• 1847-1921 Abstracts of Cherokee County, Georgia, Wills and Bonds, 1847-1921. by John Carver 2005 Over 350 pages.
• 1848-1852 Index to Cherokee County Inventories, Appraisements, Vouchers, Sales, Annual Returns 1848-1852 Georgia Pioneers ($)
• 1848-1866 Index to Cherokee county Will Bk B 1848-1866 Georgia Pioneers ($)
• Wills, Administrator's Bonds, Guardianships (digital images) Georgia Pioneers ($)
• Images of Will Book A, 1848-1854; Book B, 1848-1866; Book C, 1866-1921. Georgia Pioneers ($)

Tax Records

Taxes were levied on free white males over 21 and all slaves up to age 60. These persons are referred to as "polls." Tax listings, or digests, of a county generally list the taxable landowners and other polls and the amount of tax. The records for each county are divided by militia district.

Online Records

• Tax Digest - 1849, all districts (Images)Georgia Pioneers ($)

Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Georgia State Department of Health , the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred or order electronically online.

For some online statewide indexes, see the FamilySearch Historical Record Collections for Georgia.

Birth

• 1870-1960 Georgia, County Delayed Birth and Death Records, 1870-1960 at FamilySearch — index, and some images

Marriage

• 1560-1993 Georgia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index ($)
• 1699-1944 Georgia Marriages 1699-1944 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1754-1960 Georgia Church Marriages, 1754-1960 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1785-1950 Georgia County Marriages 1785-1950 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1787-1962 Georgia, Church Marriages, 1787-1962 at FamilySearch — index
• 1808-1967 Georgia Marriages 1808-1967 at FamilySearch — index
• 1828-1978 Georgia Marriage Records from Select Counties 1828-1978 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• 1841-1870 Cherokee County Marriage Book D Index 1841-1870. Batch M712471 at FamilySearch.
• 1841-1910 Cherokee County Marriages 1841-1910. compiled by John Carver 2002.Groom & Bride lists. 320 pages
• 1870-1884 Cherokee County Marriage Book E Index 1870-1884. Batch M712472 at FamilySearch.
• 1884-1895 Cherokee County Marriage Books F and G Index 1884-1895. Batch M712473 at FamilySearch.
• Online Images 1841-1849; 1849-1858; 1854-1870. Georgia Pioneers ($)

Death

• 1870-1960 Georgia, County Delayed Birth and Death Records, 1870-1960 at FamilySearch — index, and some images
• 1914-1927 Georgia Deaths 1914-1927 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1919-1998 Georgia Deaths 1919-1998 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1928-1942 Georgia Deaths, 1928-1942 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1933-1998 Georgia Death Index 1933-1998 at FamilySearch — index

Divorce

• 1885-1886 Divorces, Georgia Pioneers ($)

Research Facilities

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

• For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map

Societies

• Cherokee County Historical Society
  RR 2, Box 126
  Canton, GA 30114
  Website
• Ball Ground (Georgia) Historical Society
  Ball Ground City Hall
  215 Valley Street
  Ball Ground, GA
  Facebook

Websites

• Cherokee County, GA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Ball Ground (Georgia) Historical Society
• Georgia Genealogy Network Community on Google+
• Georgia Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• GAGenWeb Archives
• Cherokee County, Georgia Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Georgia Pioneers Georgia Pioneers ($)
• FamilySearch Catalog - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records