Georgia Pioneers

Home of 8 Genealogy Websites! Ancestors
Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina
South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia!

Abstracts

  • Wills, Bk A, 1791-1795
  • Wills, Bk B, 1796-1801
  • Wills, Bk C, 1796-1801
  • Wills, Bk D, 1805
  • Wills, Bk EF, 1804-1809
  • Wills, Bk G, 1809-1812
  • Wills, Bk K, 1812-1816
  • Wills, Bk L, 1816-1826
  • Wills, Bk M, 1822-1823

Indexes to Probate Records

  • Will Bk 1835-1860
  • Misc. Wills, Inventories, Letters of Administration, Bk 1791-1806
  • Plats 1791-1860
  • Deeds 1822-1824
  • Land Grants 1825
  • Miscellaneous Deeds

Online Images of Wills, Records, Estates, Marriages

  • 1791-1803
  • 1828-1831
  • 1830-1835

    Online Images of Elbert County Wills 1836 to 1860

    Testators: Adams, James;Adams, Nicholas;Adams, Thomas;Adams, William; Alexander, George;Alexander, John B.;Alexander, Peter; Alexander, William;Alexander, William (2);Allen, Beverly; Allen, Singleton;Banks, James;Banks, James Jr.;Banks, Thomas A.; Blackwell, Joseph;Blackwell, Ralph;Bond, Daniel;Bond, Nathan; Booth, Gabriel;Bower, William;Brawner, Henry;Brawner, James; Brawner, Jemima;Brawner, Joseph;Brown, Benjamin;Brown, Elbert;Brown, James N.;Burch, Elizabeth;Burden, Clarey;Burton, Nicholas;Burton, Thomas;Carleton, Stephen;Carpenter, James; Carter, James;Cash, Moses;ason, Edward;Clark, David;Clark, James;Clark, Larkin;Colbert, Thomas;Cook, Beverly;Cook, George; Cook, Smith;Davis, John;Deadwyler, Lucinda;Deadwyler, Susan; Denney, Robert;Dickey, Polly;Dillard, James;Dye, Jane; Eavenson, Mary;Eaves, Rhody;Edwards, Felix;Faulkner, William; Fleming, Sarah;Fortson, Easton;Gaars, William;Gaines, William;Gapping, John;Ginn, Isaac;Goss, Horatio;Gray, John; Hall, Simon;Hansard, John;Haynes, Letty;Helms, Nathaniel; Higginbotham, Sarah;Hopper, Rolly;Hughes, Alexander; Huline, John;Hunt, Elijah;Hunt, Moses;Hunt, Nancy M.;Johnston, James;Jones, Emily;Jones, Solomon;Kelly, Barney;Kelly, William; Key, William Bibb;Lunsford, William;Mantz, William;Maxwell, Thomas;McCurry, Angus;McElroy, Henry;Merit, John;Mewbourne, Archibald;Middleton, Betsey;Middleton, James;Moore, Calvin; Moss, William;Nash, Alice;Nelms, Alice;Nelms, Jordan; Nunnalee, James;Oglesby, William;Oliver, James;Ozley, Jesse; Ozley, Larkin;Ozley, Zachariah;Parham, Isham;Parks, Abraham; Patterson, James;Patterson, William;Pledger, Thomas;Powell, William R.;Pulliam, William;Rice, Ann;Rice, Leonard;Rich, James; Rich, Sarah;Rich, William;Rich, William (2);Ridgway, James; Roebuck, William;Rowzee, Winslow;Rucker, Barden; Rucker, Joseph (estate); Scales, George;Shiflet, Picket;Skelton, John;Skelton, John (2);Smith, Drury;Smith, George C.;Smith, John;Smith, Margaret;Stiefel, James;Stinchcomb, Mary; Tate, Enos;Tate, Mary;Tate, Permelia; Teasley, Benager;Teasley, James;Terrell, William;Terry, Joseph;Thompson, Elizabeth;Thornton, Benjamin;Thornton, Daniel; Thornton, Daniel (2);Thornton, Reuben;Tyner, Harris; Upshaw, Leroy;Vasser, Samuel;Vawter, Richard;Vernon, Robert; Walton, Nancy;Wanslow, Thomas;Ward, William;White, Henry; Wilhite, Calvin;Wilhight, Philemon;Wilkins, Clement; Worrill, Eleanor;Wyche, George

    Marriages

    • 1817
    • 1812-1816
    • 1861-1821
    • 1822-1825
    • 1825-1829
    • 1828-1831
    • 1830-1835
    • 1836-1837
    • from newspapers 1885-1886

    Miscellaneous Wills & Estates

    Faulkner, John, LWT (1817) (Image)
    Faulkner, John, Annual Return (Image)
    Johnston, Philip (1818) (Image)
    Heard, Elizabeth, orphan of Stephen Heard, deceased (1818) (Image)
    Higginbotham, Benjamin, LWT (1791) (Image)
    Pendleton, William, Estate (1851) (Image)
    Ragland, Evan, Estate (1817) (Image)

    Military Records

    • Oaths of Allegiance to USA 1865
    • 1929-1931 Pension Rolls
    • Co. I, 18th Georgia Regiment
    • 1863 Georgia State Militia (includes age, where born)

    Vital Records

    • Deaths 1875-1878
    • Births 1875-1878
    • Births, Deaths, Marriages Register 1875-1878

    Traced Genealogies

    • Akin;Banks; Bond; Cleveland; Colley; Gunter; Hillhouse; Jones; Long; McDonald; Nunnalee; Oliver; Porch; Rogers; Shiflet; Stokes

    Complicated Kinships

    Genealogy Tips by Jeannette Holland Austin

    Seems like everyone searches some pretty tough genealogies. Sometimes it just takes reading every single old will ane estate in the counties where the ancestor resided. I found the will of a man who died before the birth of his son. And that the wife was already remarried and when she gave birth, gave the child the surname of her first husband as his first name. Harrison Acworth. I was previously perplexed by this name, as it did not fit the other Acworth children. Yet, the generation was correct. So now, instead of Harrison being the father of my ancestor, he was the half-brother! Thus, identifying the mother even though I did not locate the Acworth (second) marriage, clarified the situation. During the 17th and 18th centuries, after the death of a spouse, a remarriage was eminent. In fact, no sooner than a widow buried her husband, than suitors commenced calling. That is because times of the importance of maintaining the family home and raising the children. Many marriages went unrecorded at the court house because it was not required. That is why the details existing in the community must be seriously dwelt upon by the researcher.

Every Revolutionary War Pension has a Story

Genealogy Tips by Jeannette Holland Austin

Revolutionary War As the soldier tells his story of the events which occurred during the fight for freedom, he assumed that everyone knew the details of the battles, and its officers. In those days, they did. However, we can still learn about his exciting adventure. All that the genealogist need do is to review the historical accounts of the battles and follow the Generals and other officers under whom the ancestor served. In other words, the historical research of its leaders will not only provide a plethora of exciting battles, but also pinpoint dates and locations which the ancestor shared. That information will help to tell the story to the children and preserve the American heritage.

The Thrifty Baby-Boomer Generation (1940s-1960)

Genealogy Tips by Jeannette Holland Austin

1940s school dress This generation collected and saved the old family bible and other treasures past. They were the children raised during the Second World War, Korea and Vietnam. They knew relatives who served in WW I and WW II, part of the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression of the 1930s. It was an era which specialized in hard work, bravery and ambition to make it better for their children. The pay scale was something like $15 per week and people appreciated having a job. Children were taught to tell the truth, play in the yard, participate in sports, pray in school and to salute the American Flag. They attended school in clean, well-pressed clothes. The girls wore ballerina skirts and bobbie-socks. During the summer, children sold coat hangers for 1 cent each to local dry cleaners. There were no riots or demonstrations in the parks and streets. People raked their yards and picked up their own trash. A college education was not required to obtain a job. Although salaries were low, food was rationed and the imposition of income tax by the democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935 was a burden, people were thrifty and managed to live within their income. Yet despite the struggles of this era, families were free of debt and it was simplier times.

There were Two Margaret Hollands

spinsterThere were two Margaret Hollands in my lineage; one born in 1790 and the other one born in 1792 (according to census records). Because of the homes of certain family members, it occurred to me that this might be the same person. In fact, I was convinced of it until I went year-by-year in each census record and continued to see two separate entries. Actually, one was a widow and the other a spinster sister in the neighborhood. Now the problem was proving that the spinster residing alone in the same neighborhood was the sister of another family member near-age. As I continued the effort, I discovered tidbits of other information which helped to prove the relationship. The county records contained names of witnesses to deeds who were also purchasers from estate sales. In other words, the introduction of one fact usually establishes the need to clarify another situation. Such clues become invaluable over time.

The Alexander Cleveland House in Ruckersville

Alexander Cleveland HouseAlexander-Cleveland House is located near Ruckersville, Georgia. An old home from the early days. Many such dilapidated homes as this one are depicted in the Georgia countryside landscape. It it is worth the time and effort to take in hand an old county map and (using the legend) try and locate the old homeplace as well as cemeteries hidden in the grass.

Names of Families in Elbert County Wills, Estates, Marriages

Elberton, Georgia Elbert County, Georgia was created in 1790, and named for General Samuel Elbert [1740 to 1788], the famous Revolutionary War General who commanded his troops in Georgia and South Carolina. It was General Elbert who distributed county lands by land grants to his troops. The parent county from which Elbert County was organized is Wilkes. The county is bordered on the east by the Savannah River, and on the west by the Broad River. Earliest Settlers: William Wycock, Joseph Aken, James Adams, William T. Anderson, Garmon Burton, Edmond Brewer, William Blake, Nelson Barnett, James Cook, Benjamin Cook,Zachariah Colly, Christopher Clark, Samuel Crockett, M. P. Deadwyler, Solomon Dunnin, John Dudley, William Dixon, Dr. L. P. Eberhart, Stephen Ellington, Charles Easton, James Easter, L. A. Frost, Mathew Fulghum, Moses Fincher,John Filson, John Giles, Richard Gatewood, George A. Gaines, Nehemiah Howard, John Hubbard, Cuthbird Hudson, George Turman,and others. The County seat is Elberton. Many residents of Elbert County came from South Carolina across the Savannah River.

Why it is Important to Find Family Bibles

Genealogy Tips by Jeannette Holland Austin

The old family Bible seems to be a thing of the past. Yet, I have seen them in antique shops and on microfilm in State Archives. It is the perfect record for the genealogist because it provides accurate names, births, deaths, burials, and often clippings of obituaries. For this reason it is always a good idea to peruse the shelves at the Archives, public libraries, and anywhere and everywhere that you venture. Do not forget to ask the baby boomers as that generation has not quite passed and probably has an old bible or two. Also and has a fairly decent online collection available to members.

Finding Colonial Ancestors in Georgia

The primary research tool for the first settlers to Georgia is the Colonial Records of Georgia by Candler. As a result of this voluminous record, the biographies and genealogies of all of the first settlers are found on Georgia Pioneers in the Colonial Category. I became interested in what happened to the first voyagers; therefore, the biographies are records of the first settlers and their families and included the names of ships and passengers, civil servants, baptisms and deaths.

The Easier Road to Genealogy

scenic road An easier method of tracing ancestors is available should one study the history of the times. Sure, there are the standard history books. However, those books provided in schools, libraries and elsewhere do not begin to describe the history of any given era. Because it is the people themselves who make history. A few characters who fought in the Revolutionary War or made laws, does not begin to describe the real history! The key is to find the old neighborhood. In other words, where the families resided, neighbors and friends who witnessed their deeds, married their daughters, and labored on farms, developing a better way of life. One can learn the names of ancestors, but what did those people accomplish and who were they County records provide interesting answers but to glean the details one must examine every possible record!

Finding the Way Home

Somewhere there is a road to the old home place. It may be covered over with dirt or cement. We learn in archaeological digs that the past is not completely hidden. As erosion, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, storms, lava and fire help sweep away former times, we forget. As communities and villages disappear into towns and cities, the world turns. Somehow we think that we are the substance of all civilization. Yet the surface has not been touched so far as discovery is concerned. There still remains the written records which genealogists crave to help explain and complete their own history. Despite the loss of important documents, clues exist. A recent discovery of my own was that someone had shared a photograph of my great-grandfather over the internet. For years, I searched for this soldier who died during the Civil War. Seems that he was a surgeon who served in an Alabama regiment. Imagine the joy which I experienced in seeing this photograph! Did you realize that people hid important documents behind wooden walls, under floorboards and in wells?