Polk County, Georgia Genealogy

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



Description
The County was named for James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th President of the United States (1845–1849). The County is located in the northwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Polk County Courthouse PO Box 268 Cedartown, GA 30125-0268 Phone: 770-749-2100 Polk County Website Probate Court has birth, marriage, death and probate records. Clerk Superior court has divorce, court and land records from 1852.

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:

Bible Records

 * Polk County Bible Records at Georgia USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Polk County Bible Records at Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society Archives

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 * Polk

Court Records

 * 1852-1901 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1853-1912 (*); Court of Ordinary and Inferior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1865-1910 (*); Minutes, 1865-1910 at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Funeral Homes

 * Alvis Miller and Son Funeral Home and Crematory in and Rockmart
 * Freeman Harris Funeral Home in Rockmart
 * Harden Funeral Home in Cedartown
 * Lester C. Litesey Funeral Home in Cedartown
 * Olin L. Gammage and Sons Funeral Home in Cedartown
 * Smith and Miller Funeral Home in Cedartown
 * Wingfield Funeral Home in Cedartown (Facebook)

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1735-1866 Georgian Colonial and Headright Plat Index, 1735-1866 at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - alpha index
 * 1783-1909 Headright and Bounty Plats, 1783-1909 at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images with alpha index
 * 1805-1833 District Plats of Survey at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images organized by county and district
 * Colonial Plats and Warrants at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images with alpha index
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
 * 1740s-? Historic Map File at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images
 * 1866 - 1935 County Map File at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images
 * Maps of Georgia (1758-1932)

Military Records

 * Georgia USGenWeb Archives Project

Civil War 

Online Records
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch — index
 * 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)
 * 1861-1865 Confederate Enlistment Oaths and Discharges at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault- images and alphabetical index
 * 1861-1865 Confederate Muster Rolls at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault- images; filter by commanding officer, service branch and regiment
 * 1861-1865 Confederate Pension Application Supplements - images and alphabetical index; filter by county
 * 1864 Militia Enrollment Lists, 1864 - images; filter by county
 * 1867-1868  at FamilySearch — index
 * 1879-1920  at FamilySearch — index
 * 1879-1960 Confederate Pension Applications - images and alphabetical index; filter by county


 * - 20th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Company D
 * - 21st Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate), Company D


 * Carter, Larry D. 2012. Polk County, Georgia the first one-hundred years. [S.l.]: L.D. Carter. (page 227-328; 581-638)

Spanish-American War
 * 1898 Spanish-American War Service Summary Cards - images and alphabetical index; filter by residence, muster location and unit

World War I World War II
 * 1914-1918 World War I Casualties Scrapbooks - images and alphabetical index
 * 1920-1929 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1940-1942 Georgia World War II Draft Registration Cards 1940-1942 at findmypast - index ($))

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * Georgia Historic Newspapers at Digital Library of Georgia

Other Records
Voting Records 
 * 1867-1868  at FamilySearch — index

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1733-1753 Colonial Wills at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images with alpha index
 * 1742-1990 (*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1742-1992 Georgia Wills and Probate Records 1742-1992 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
 * 1754-1776 Colonial Will Books at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images with alpha index
 * 1848-1936 Names of Families in Polk County Wills, Estates, Marriages at Georgia Pioneers ($)
 * 1851-1963 (*); Court of Ordinary at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1865-1910 (*); Court of Ordinary at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * 1895-1912 (*); Court of Ordinary at FamilySearch Catalog — index and images
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

 * 1787-1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection, index and images

Birth

 * 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  at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1785-1950  at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1787-1962  at FamilySearch — index
 * 1808-1967  at FamilySearch — index
 * 1824-1850 Marriages 1824-1850 Georgia Pioneers ($)
 * 1828-1978 Georgia Marriage Records from Select Counties 1828-1978 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
 * 1852-1888 Polk County Marriage Books A and B Index 1852-1888. Batch  at FamilySearch
 * 1884-1895 Polk County Marriage Books C and D Index 1884-1895. Batch  at FamilySearch
 * 1885-1886 Marriages from Newspapers Georgia Pioneers ($)
 * 1891-1895 Polk County Marriage Book D Index 1891-1895. Batch  at FamilySearch

Death

 * 1870-1960 at FamilySearch — index, and some images
 * 1914-1927 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1919-1998 Georgia Deaths 1919-1998 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1919-1930 Georgia Death Certificates at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - index and images
 * 1928-1930 Georgia Non-Indexed Death Certificates at Georgia Archives Virtual Vault - images
 * 1928-1942 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1933-1998 at FamilySearch — index

Voter Records

 * 1856-1941 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection, index and images

Archives
Georgia Archives University System of Georgia 5800 Jonesboro Road Morrow, GA 30260 678-364-3700 Website Facebook

Societies
Aragon Historical Society 105 New Prospect Road PO Box 333 Aragon, GA 30104 470-206-1019 Email: [mailto:info@aragonhistory.org info@aragonhistory.org] Facebook

Georgia Genealogical Society PO Box 550247 Atlanta, Georgia 30355-2747 Email: [mailto:publicity@gagensociety.org publicity@gagensociety.org] Website Facebook Georgia Historical Society Street address: 501 Whitaker Street Mailing address: 104 W Gaston Street Savannah, GA 31401 912-651-2125, 877-424-4789 Email: [mailto:webmaster@georgiahistory.com webmaster@georgiahistory.com] Website Facebook Northwest Georgia Historical and Genealogical Society PO Box 5063 Rome, Georgia 30162-5063 Email: [mailto:patmillican@yahoo.com patmillican@yahoo.com] Website Polk County Historical Society 11 West Avenue PO Box 203 Cedartown, GA 30125-2603 770748-4828 Email: [mailto:polkgahistory@gmail.com polkgahistory@gmail.com] Website Facebook Southern Appalachian Genealogy Email: [mailto:genealogicalme@gmail.com genealogicalme@gmail.com] Facebook

Websites

 * Polk County GAGenWeb
 * Georgia Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
 * Polk County, Georgia Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Georgia Pioneers ($)
 * - 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