Macon County was created from Houston and Marion counties on Dec. 14, 1837 by an act of the General Assembly. According to that legislation, the new county's boundaries were defined as:
Beginning on Flint river, at the corner of Houston and Dooly counties, running thence East, on the line between Houston and Dooly, to the corners of the 14th and 15th Districts of Houston county; thence due North on the line between the 14th and 15th Districts, and between the 8th and 9th Districts of Houston county, to the let of land in the 8th District, whereon James A. Everett, Esq. now resides; thence around the Southern, Western and Northern boundary of said lot of land, to the said dividing line, between the said 8th and 9th Districts; thence due North again along said line, to the line between Houston and Crawford counties; thence South-westwardly along said county line, to Flint river; thence across said river and up the same to the line between Marion and Talbot counties; thence westwardly along said line, to the second East meridian of the 13th District, of originally Muscogee, now Marion county; thence due South along said meridian line, to the line dividing the counties of Sumter and Marion; thence Eastwardly on said line, between Sumter and Marion, to the Flint river; and thence up and along said river, to the beginning.
Georgia's 91st county was named for North Carolina politician Nathaniel Macon (1757-1837), who served in both houses of Congress (including six years as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives). Six months after his death, the Georgia legislature named a new county in his honor.
Portions of Macon County were used to create Taylor County (1852) and Peach County (1924).
The act creating Macon County authorized the justices of the county's inferior court to select the site for the county seat, purchase land, lay the site out into town lots, sell lots, and use the proceeds to construct a courthouse and jail. Until this was done, county business was to take place at the house of Walter L. Campbell. The inferior court selected the town of Lanier to serve as county seat, and on Dec. 29, 1838, the General Assembly designed Lanier as permanent county seat and incorporated it as a town. Reportedly, Lanier was named for Clement S. Lanier. In the early 1850s, the Central of Georgia Railroad was built through Macon County. Its route missed Lanier but went through the town of Oglethorpe six miles to the south. As a result, many of Lanier's residents moved to Oglethorpe to be near the railroad. Subsequently, a number of Macon County residents began a campaign to have Oglethorpe declared county seat. In Feb. 1854, the General Assembly passed legislation calling for a referendum on removal of the county seat . Either the election failed or never was held, for on Feb. 28, 1856, the legislature passed another act calling for a referendum on removal of the county seat. Apparently, this election was held and resulted in Oglethorpe being designated the new county seat. First settled around 1840, Oglethorpe was named for Georgia founder James Oglethorpe and incorporated as a town on Dec. 14, 1849.
The 1837 act creating Macon County directed that until a county seat was selected, county business would take place at the house of Walter L. Campbell. In 1837, the first courthouse was built in Lanier. This courthouse burned in 1857 just after a referendum was approved to move the county seat to Oglethorpe. The 1856 act calling for the referendum authorized the county to levy a special tax to build a new courthouse. Details about Macon County's second courthouse are unclear, but it was probably completed in the late 1850s. This building was replaced in 1894 by the present courthouse.
Andersonville National Cemetery and park is in the southwest tip of Macon County. Approximately 45,000 Union soldiers were imprisoned here during the Civil War, with 13,000 perishing from hunger and disease.
Cities and Towns Includes the cities of Ideal, Marshallville, Montezuma and Oglethorpe. See Extended History for More information. The Official County Website is located at ?
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PLEASE READ FIRST!!!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.
Macon County Clerk of Superior Court has Court Records from 1856 and Land Records from 1857 and is located at 121 N. Sumter St., P.O. Box 337, Oglethorpe, GA 31068; Phone: (478) 472-7661, Fax: (478) 472-4775 . 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. The County Courthiuse was destroyed by fire in 1857, destroying all records.
Macon County Clerk of Probate Court has Marriage Records from 1858 , Probate Records from 1857 and is located at P.O. Box 216, Oglethorpe, GA 31068-0216; 478-472-7685/F 472-5643 . 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. The County Courthiuse was destroyed by fire in 1857, destroying all records.
Below is a list of online resources for Macon County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Macon County Court Records by clicking the link below:
Macon County Health Department has Birth and Death Records since January 1919 and is located at P.O. Box 729, 110 Chatham Street, Oglethorpe, Georgia 31068; (478) 472-8121. 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 Macon County Court Records for Address and Phone number) in the county where divorce was granted, and Contact Probate Judge For County Marriage Records (See Macon 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:
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". Credit Cards may be uses by using VitalChek services. 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 Macon County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Macon County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
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 Macon County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Macon County Census Records by clicking the link below:
Maps are an invaluable part of family history research, especially if you live far from where your ancestor lived. Because political boundaries often changed, historic maps are critical in helping you discover the precise location of your ancestor's hometown, what land they owned, who their neighbors were, and more.
Georgia Antique Maps & Atlases has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Georgia and other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for Georgia showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for Georgia showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries . You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps. The Georgia Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches, cemeteries, roads, ect... free for viewing or download here
Below is a list of online resources for Macon County Maps. Email us with websites containing Macon County Maps by clicking the link below:
The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.
Below is a list of online resources for Macon County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Macon County Military Records by clicking the link below:
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.
The Georgia Department of Archives and History has other tax digests for 17891817 which are not included in the above publication. A complete set of originals for the years 1872 to the present is at the Georgia Department of Archives and History . Some earlier digests are on microfilm at the Georgia Archives and the FHL.
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Below is a list of online resources for Macon County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Macon County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.
Below is a list of online resources for Macon County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Macon County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.
There are many churches and cemeteries in Macon County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Macon 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.
Early denominations present in Georgia in fewer numbers include Baptist, Methodist, Lutherans, Catholics, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Congregationalists. While their respective repositories house historical records, the Georgia Department of Archives and History has a good collection of church records on microfilm. Consult the holdings of other major genealogical libraries with southern collections for additional sources, including the FHL.
There is a online Cemetery database for the book 30,638 Burials in Georgia an list of 30,638 burials in the state of Georgia was copied over a 35-year period from headstones and markers in 600 cemeteries located in nearly 100 Georgia counties
Below is a list of online resources for Macon County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Macon County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.
When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Macon County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Macon County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
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