Berrien County Wills and Estates

Berrien County was created in 1856 from Coffee, Irwin, and Lowndes counties. The county was named for US Senator, John McPherson Berrien, who also served as Andrew Jackson's Attorney General. The old Coffee Road was one of the State's earliest post roads and was used as early as 1823 to transport crops into Florida.

Earliest Settlers: Amos Bullard, Wilie Clements, Henry Hutchinson, James Goodman, Dr. William Harrell, John Lee, Thomas Mobley,John McDermits, and Thomas Ray.

Genealogy Tips

Berrien County is located in the area known as "Wiregrass Georgia". The first land lottery which was held in 1805, included 490-acre plots in Wayne County and 202-1/2 acres in Baldwin and Wilkinson counties. For a fee of four cents an acre, common Georgians could amass a sizeable land holding. When you see 202-1/2 acres on a deed or tax digest, this fact established that the land was drawn in the land lottery.