Walker County, Georgia Genealogy

United States Georgia  Walker County

County Courthouse
Walker County Courthouse 103 S Duke Street Lafayette, GA 30728-0445 Phone: 706.638.1742 Clerk Superior Court has divorce, court and land records from 1883; Probate judge has marriage and probate records; County Health Department has birth and death records

Parent County
1833--Walker County was created 18 December 1833 from Murray County. County seat: Lafayette

Boundary Changes
In 1833 the territory of Walker included not only its present area, but all of Dade and a large part of Whitfield, Catoosa and Chattooga counties. In 1837 all of Walker's territory west of the top of Lookout Mountain was cut off and the county of Dade was established as the most northwestern county in the State. In 1838 another portion was cut off and the county of Chattooga was established. Then again in 1853, more territory was extracted and the county of Catoosa was formed. In 1853 and later in 1859 other portions of Walker County were used to make Whitfield County."--from The History of Walker County, Georgia by James Alfred Sartain. Published by A.J. Showalter Company, Dalton, Georgia, 1932

Record Loss
The courthouse in Walker County was burned in 1883. There are no county records available prior to that time. Some people had their deeds re-recorded after 1883 but most other records were lost. The above referenced book by James Sartain is a very good source. The library in the county seat, Lafayette, has a genealogy section and the people there are very helpful.

Some people who lived close to the county borders went to other counties to record events.

Neighboring Counties

 * Catoosa
 * Chattooga
 * Dade
 * DeKalb County, Alabama
 * Gordon
 * Hamilton County, Tennessee
 * Whitfield

Church

 * Shiloh Baptist Church Minutes at Georgia Pioneers ($).

Local Histories

 * Sartain, James Alfred. History of Walker County, Georgia. Dalton, Ga.: A.J. Showalter Co., 1932. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Index for History of Walker County by James Alfred Sartain. Lafayette, Ga.: Cherokee Regional Library, 1978. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Maps

 * Walker County Map at Georgia Pioneers ($).

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battles were fought in Walker County.


 * September 10-11, 1863 = Davis' Cross Roads, also known as Dug Gap
 * September 18-20, 1863 = Chickamauga


 * Map showing Civil War battles in Georgia.


 * Fitch, Michael Hendrick. The Chattanooga Campaign: With Especial Reference to Wisconsin's Participation Therein. Madison, Wisc.: Wisconsin History Commission, 1911. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Wills

 * 1883-1917 - Index to Walker County, Georgia Wills, Volume I (1883-1917) at Georgia Pioneers ($).
 * 1866-1887 (digital images) Georgia Pioneers

Additional Probate Records



 * 1883-1895 - Index to Walker County, Georgia Inventories and Appraisements Book A (1883-1895) at Georgia Pioneers ($).


 * 1883-1892 - Index to Walker County Annual Returns and Vouchers Book A (1883-1888) and Book B (1888-1892) at Georgia Pioneers ($).
 * 1883-1888 Index to Annual Returns, Vouchers, Book A Georgia Pioneers
 * 1888-1892 Index to Annual Returns and Vouchers, Book B Georgia Pioneers

Birth

 * 1916-1921 - Walker County Births (1916-1921) at Georgia Pioneers ($).

Vital Records Substitutes

 * 1885-1886 - Walker County Marriages from Newspapers 1885-1886 at Georgia Pioneers ($).

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Web Sites

 * Walker County GeorgiaGenWeb
 * US Genweb Archives for Walker County Georgia
 * Walker County, Georgia Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Georgia Pioneers Georgia Pioneers
 * Georgia Pioneers Georgia Pioneers