Georgia, Reconstruction Registration Oath Books - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Georgia

What is in the Collection?
This collection consists of registration oath books created in the state of Georgia during reconstruction after the Civil War. The collection covers the years 1867 to 1868.

Collection Content
Georgians wishing to vote for delegates to the 1867 state constitutional convention were required to swear that they had not been disenfranchised for participating in the Civil War against the United States government before they could register to vote.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
The oath books contain: The oath books were created so people could state their allegiance to the Union.
 * The names of individuals.
 * The city and county where the person lived.
 * The race of the individual.

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The place where your ancestor lived.

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor in the registration of oath books, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the information found in the oath books to locate your ancestor in census records.
 * Use the information found in the oath books to locate your ancestor in land records.
 * Use the information found in the oath books to locate your ancestor in additional state and county records.
 * Use the information found in the oath books to locate your ancestor in the Freedmen’s Bureau Records.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation: