Chatham County, Georgia Genealogy

United States   Georgia    Chatham County

Guide to Savannah and Chatham County Georgia genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Courthouse
Chatham County Courthouse 124 Bull Street Savannah, GA 31401-3230 Phone: 912.652.7127 Probate Court has birth, marriage, death and probate records; Clerk Superior Court has divorce and court records from 1783, land records from 1785 and naturalization records from 1801.

History
There were no counties prior to 5 February 1777. The settlement areas were mostly near the coastline and were organized as church-governmental parishes. See Chatham County History at GAGenWeb Project.

Parent County

 * 1777-Chatham County was created 5 February 1777 from St. Phillip and Christ Church Parishes. County seat: Savannah

Boundary Changes
See Georgia Counties: Their Changing Boundaries  (Georgia Archives)

Populated Places

 * Incorporated Cities: Bloomingdale . Garden City . Pooler . Port Wenworth . Savannah . Thunderbolt . Tybee Island . Vernonburg


 * Communities: Georgetown . Hunter Army Airfield . Isle of Hope . Montgomery . Pin Point . Skidaway Island . White Bluff . Whitemarsh Island . Wilmington Island

Neighboring Counties

 * Beaufort County, South Carolina
 * Bryan
 * Effingham
 * Jasper County, South Carolina

African Americans

 * Look Back, Ponder, and Move on:Glimpses of the African American Experience in Savannah 1750-1900 (The King-Tisdell Cottage Foundation)
 * Savannah, Georgia, Slave Manifests, 1811-1860 ($) - via Ancestry.com. This is a database of manifests for slaves arriving in Savannah, Georgia from 1811-1860. The manifests include: Name of ship, Master, Port of departure, Port of destination, List of slaves on board. The slave information includes: First name, Sex, Age, Stature, Name of shipper/owner, Shipper/owner’s place of residence.

Cemeteries

 * Belmont Cemetery
 * Bethel Cemetery
 * Blessed Sacrament Church
 * Bonaventure Cemetery
 * Bonaventure/Greenwich Section
 * Brickyard Cemetery
 * Bull Street Cemetery
 * Cathedral Cemetery
 * Catholic Cemetery
 * Cedar Grove Cemetery
 * Chapel of the Little Sister's of the Poor
 * Cherokee Hill Cemetery
 * Colonial Park Cemetery
 * Corinth - Leefield Cemetery
 * Crest Lawn Memory Gardens
 * Dalton Baptist Church Cemetery
 * Douglas Cemetery
 * East Savannah Cemetery
 * Elkens Cemetery
 * Elkins Cemetery
 * Ennis Cemetery
 * Ephesus Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
 * Eugenia Cemetery
 * Evergreen Cemetery
 * Fairlawn Cemetery
 * Forest Lawn Memory Gardens
 * Forsythe Park
 * Fort Pulaski Prisoner Burial Ground
 * Foxfield Cemetery
 * Friendship Baptist Church
 * God's Acre
 * Gravel Hill Cemetery
 * Greenwich Cemetery
 * Gun Hill Cemetery
 * Halladay Family Cemetery in the Woods
 * Heart Of Jesus Cemetery
 * Hester Plantation
 * Hillcrest Abbey East Cemetery
 * Hillcrest Abbey West Cemetery
 * Hopeton Plantation Cemetery
 * Horning Memorial
 * Houston Baptist Church Cemetery
 * Johnson Square
 * Laurel Grove Cemetery North
 * Laurel Grove Cemetery South
 * Laurel Grove North Cemetery
 * Laurel Grove South Cemetery
 * LDS Cemetery Records: Vol. 1, page 1 - Grave Hill, near Pooler
 * Lepageville Memorial Cemetery
 * Lincoln Memorial Cemetery
 * Macedonia Baptist Church Cemetery
 * Magnolia Memorial Gardens
 * Magnolia Memorial Park
 * McNish Cemetery
 * Memorial Gardens Eighth Air Force Museum
 * Messiah Lutheran Church Gardens
 * Monterey Square
 * Mordecai Sheftall Cemetery
 * New Guinea Cemetery
 * New Hope United Methodist Church Cemetery
 * New Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church
 * Newton Cemetery
 * Oak Grove Cemetery
 * Oak Hill Cemetery
 * Old Church Cemetery
 * Old Jewish Cemetery
 * Pet Cemetery
 * Piney Grove Baptist Church Cemetery
 * Pooler City Cemetery
 * Richmond Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery
 * Saint Francis Memorial Garden
 * Saint Thomas Episcopal Church Gardens
 * Sand Hill Cemetery
 * Skidaway Island Methodist Church Memorial Garden
 * Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church
 * Tarrytown Cemetery
 * Turner Cemetery
 * Tybee Memorial Cemetery
 * Waldburgh Cemetery
 * West Crest Abby
 * Westside Memorial Gardens
 * White Bluff Presbyterian Church Cemetery
 * Wild Heron Cemetery
 * Wild Horn Cemetery
 * Woodstock Cemetery
 * Woodville Cemetery
 * Wormsloe Family Burial Ground
 * Wright Cemetery
 * Wright Square
 * Zion White Bluff

Church Records
St. John's Church, Savannah


 * 1846-1885 - St. John's Church, Savannah, Baptism Index 1846-1885. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1846-1903 - St. John's Church, Savannah, Marriage Index 1846-1903. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Baptist

 * Thomas, Edgar Garfield. The First African Baptist Church of North America. Savannah, Ga.: unknown, 1925. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

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


 * Savannah

Episcopal
St. Paul's, Savannah


 * 1883-1911 - St. Paul's Church, Savannah, Baptism Index 1883-1911. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1892-1911 - St. Paul's Church, Savannah, Marriage Index 1892-1911. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Presbyterian
Independent Presbyterian Church, Savannah


 * 1805-1850 - Chatham County Marriages (white 1805-1850) Independent Presbyterian Church of Savannah
 * 1828-1866 - Savannah Independent Presbyterian Church Baptism Index 1828-1866. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1829-1866 - Savannah Independent Presbyterian Church Marriage Index 1829-1866. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Land and Property
Deeds and Probate Records


 * The Georgia historical quarterly
 * Georgia. Superior Court (Chatham County) are available on microfilm through a local Family History Center.
 * Chatham County Deed Books (1785-1806), index and images online at the Georgia Virtual Vault.

Grants


 * Court of Ordinary (Effingham County)
 * Bryant, Pat
 * Hemperley, Marion R.

Headright Surveys:

Public land given to the head of a household or to an individual who paid another person's passage to America. Headright grants were given to early colonists of America and to early citizens of Texas. See.

Homestead Records (See also Probate Records)

Superior Court (Chatham County)

Land Lottery


 * Learn more about Land Lotteries here: Land Lottery (Georgia Archives)
 * Surveyor General

Oyster Leases


 * (Chatham County)
 * County Commissioners

Mortgages

Superior Court (Chatham County)

Pony Homestead Records

Court of Ordinary (Chatham County)

Local Histories

 * Gamble, Thomas. Bethesda: An Historical Sketch of Whitefield's House of Mercy in Georgia, and of the Union Society, His Associate and Successor in Philanthropy. Savannah, Ga.: Morning News Print, 1902. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Gamble, Thomas. Savannah Duels and Duellists, 1733-1877. Savannah, Ga.: Review Pub. &amp; Print. Co., 1923. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Granger, Mary. . Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Harden, William. A History of Savannah and South Georgia. Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1913. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Harden, William. Recollections of a Long and Satisfactory Life. New York: Negro Universities Press, 1968, c1934. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Jones, Charles Colcock. History of Savannah, Ga.: From Its Settlement to the Close of the Eighteenth Century. Syracuse, N.Y.: D. Mason &amp; Co., 1890. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Lattimore, Ralston B. Fort Pulaski National Monument, Georgia. Washington, D.C.: G.P.O., 1954. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Lee, F. D. Historical Record of the City of Savannah. Savannah Ga.: Printed and published by J.H. Estill, Morning News Steam-powered Press, 1869, c1868. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Lichtenstein, Gaston. Early History of Tarboro, North Carolina: Also, Collated Colonial Public Claims of Edgecombe County, and Easter Sunday in Savannah, Ga. Richmond: W.E. Jones, Book and Job Printer, 1908. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Piechocinski, Elizabeth Carpenter. . Includes marriages and other vital records for Island residents, family history information for Island residents, listings of Island-born Blacks, gravesites, victims of hurricans, Union soldiers involved in the skirmish on Whitemarch Island, plantation owners, and freed Blacks who obtained land in the Islands.


 * Savannah. Savannah, Ga.: Review Print. Co., 1937. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Sholes, A. E. Chronological History of Savannah: From Its Settlement by Oglethorpe Down to December 31, 1899: Together with a Complete Record of the City and County, and Savannah's Roll of Honor, A Roster of the Soldiers Who Have in Three Wars Gone Forth at Their Country's Call, from This City. Savannah, Ga.: Morning News Print., 1900. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Wilson, Adelaide. Historic and Picturesque Savannah. Boston: Published for the subscribers by the Boston Photogravure Co., 1889. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Maps

 * Map of Chatham County Georgia Pioneers ($)
 * Map of the Savannah River Plantations Georgia Pioneers ($)

Directories

 * 1888 - Savannah, GA, 1888. Savannah, GA: The Morning News Print, 1888. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * 1889 - Savannah, GA, 1889. Savannah, GA: The Morning News Print, 1889. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * 1890 - Savannah, GA, 1890. Savannah, GA: The Morning News Print, 1890. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * 1891 - Savannah, GA, 1891. Savannah, GA: The Morning News Print, 1891. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * 1898 - Savannah City Directory Georgia Pioneers ($)


 * 1899 - Savannah City Directory Georgia Pioneers ($)

Miscellaneous Records

 * Chatham County - City Clerk (City of Savannah) - Letters to the Mayor, 1844-1890 | Georgia Archives
 * Chatham County - Misc. County Offices - Misc. Records, 1813-1952 | Georgia Archives, 1832-1900, Estate Papers, Promissory Notes, Marriage Announcement, Deed Records
 * Chatham County - City Clerk (City of Savannah) - Voters Registration Books, 1867-1867| Georgia Archives

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battle was fought in Chatham County.


 * April 10-11, 1862 = Fort Pulaski


 * Map showing Civil War battles in Georgia.

Immigration
Inward and outward slave manifest lists:


 * Savannah, Georgia: Coastwise Slave Manifests, 1801-1860. ARC 1151775, U.S. Customs Service, Record Group Number 36. National Archives Southeast Region, Morrow, Georgia. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Chatham County for European settlers included:


 * Atlantic Ocean 1733
 * Savannah River 1733
 * Charleston-Savannah Trail late 1730s (an extension of the King's Highway)
 * Augusta-Savannah Trail 1739
 * Savannah-Jacksonville Trail 1740s

Newspapers
Newspapers Extracts and Abstracts

Savannah Morning News (Live Oak Public Libraries)


 * The Bull Street Branch has the Savannah Morning News from 1763-present in microfilm.
 * The Georgia Room has the index to this paper for 1763-1986 except: 1846-1849; 1892-1895 (spotty); 1896-1929.
 * The Georgia Death Index (1919-1994) is available at Ancestry.

Probate Records

 * Complete Card Index File (digitized) of all Wills and Estates in Chatham County, alphabetical by surname. Georgia Pioneers ($)
 * Wills 1781-1824 (abstracts) Georgia Pioneers ($)
 * Will Book B 1777-1787 (digital images). See list of names. Georgia Pioneers
 * Will Book C 1788-1791 (digital images). See list of names. Georgia Pioneers
 * Will Book D 1801-1807 (digital images). See list of names. Georgia Pioneers
 * Will Book E 1791-1801 (digital images) . See list of names. Georgia Pioneers
 * Will Book F 1801-1807 (digital images. See list of names. Georgia Pioneers
 * Will Book I 1827-1840 (digital images) See list of names. Georgia Pioneers
 * Will Book K 1839-1852 (digital images). See list of names. Georgia Pioneers
 * Will Book L 1850-1861 (digital images). See list of names.  Georgia Pioneers
 * Index to Estates, Inventories 1783-1788 (digital image). See list o names. Georgia Pioneers
 * Index to Estates, Inventories 1794-1805 (digital image). See list o names. Georgia Pioneers
 * Index to Chatham Will Book A 1775-1801 (digital) . See list of names. Georgia Pioneers
 * Index to Chatham Will Book B 1777-1787 (digital). See list of names. Georgia Pioneers
 * Chatham County - Probate Court - Marriage Licenses, 1866-1924| Georgia Archives
 * Chatham County - Probate Court - Misc. Records, 1860-1899 | Georgia Archives, 1860-1899, Homestead files, Case files, Lunacy files, Petitions, Wills, Other Estate records
 * Chatham County - Probate Court - Proceedings and Declarations Indexes, 1845-1845 | Georgia Archives

Taxation
Chatham County Tax Digest for 1793 (digital images) Georgia Pioneers ($)

Chatham County - Tax Collector - Tax Digests, 1837-1978 | Georgia Archives

Birth Records

 * 1862-1865 - Chatham County Birth Index. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

The City of Savannah (Chatham County) has birth records beginning in 1890. They were recorded state-wide beginning in 1919.

Chatham County Health Department P. O. Box 14257 Savannah, GA, 31416. Telephone: 912-356-2138

Marriage Records

 * 1805-1836 - Chatham County Marriage Index 1805-1836. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1808-1967 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Georgia.
 * 1827-1837 - Chatham County Marriage Index 1827-1837. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1830-1842 - Chatham County Marriage Index 1830-1842. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1838-1852 - Chatham County Marriage Index 1838-1852. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1842-1861 - Chatham County Marriage Index 1842-1861. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1852-1861 - Chatham County Marriage Index 1852-1861. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1862-1866 - Chatham County Marriage Index 1862-1866. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1877-1878 - Chatham County Marriage Book A Index 1877-1878. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1878-1882 - Chatham County Marriage Books B and C Index 1878-1882. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1882-1884 - Chatham County Marriage Book D Index 1882-1884. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1884-1886 - Chatham County Marriage Book E Index 1884-1886. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1886-1887 - Chatham County Marriage Book F Index 1886-1887. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1887-1889 - Chatham County Marriage Book G Index 1887-1889. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1889-1891 - Chatham County Marriage Book H Index 1889-1891. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1891-1892 - Chatham County Marriage Book I Index 1891-1892. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1892-1894 - Chatham County Marriage Book J Index 1892-1894. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1894-1895 - Chatham County Marriage Book K Index 1894-1895. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and Family History Centers.

Death Records

 * 1849-50, 1879-80 - Mortality Schedules at Ancestry ($).


 * 1914-1927 - Name index and images of Georgia statewide deaths.


 * 1928-1930 - Name Index and images of Georgia statewide deaths. Original records are arranged chronogically by year and then by certificate numbers.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Chatham County, Georgia Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Documenting Family History in Georgia I Georgia Archives
 * Lane Library Digital Collections (Armstrong Atlantic State University)
 * Georgia Pioneers Georgia Pioneers ($)
 * Georgia Pioneers Georgia Pioneers ($)