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Franklin County Wills and Estates
Franklin was created in 1784 and named for Benjamin Franklin. The original territory was ceded by the Cherokees in the Treaty of Long Swamp in 1782 and by the Creeks at the Treaty of Augusta in 1783. At that time it included all of Barrow and Jackson Counties and portions of Oconee, Clarke, Madison,Banks, Hart, Stephens, Gwinnett, Hall and Habersham counties, as well as the northwestern corner of South Carolina (present-day Pickens, Oconee and Anderson counties). Researchers should also research these South Carolina counties where many of the first residents of Franklin were located. The court house was constructed in 1788.This land was among the last land in Georgia to be distributed under the headright system. In 1789 the headright system passed from state to county government, and the state began to grant hugh tracts of land to speculators. These policies ended with the Pine Barrens Scandal and the Yazoo Land Fraud of 1795-1796. In 1803, the headright system was replaced by the 1803 land lottery. County business was conducted in the home of Warren Philpot in (Sweet) Gum Log on the Tugaloo. George Walton, signer of the Declaration of Independence, was the first chief justice. In 1788 a courthouse was approved by the state legislature but was not built until 1794. It was constructed on the old John Mullins' Ford on the Tugaloo River. Later, in 1806 a courthouse was completed in downtown Carnesville. Franklin Springs was a popular stop with early visitors and by 1800 a fledgling tourist industry of sorts began to develop, although the land was still remote. A popular tavern and resort was Traveller's Rest. When Carnesville was established in 1811 and became the county seat, another court house was built there in 1826, adjacent to the old one. This building was torn down to make way for a new court house in 1906.
Genealogy Tips
No wills or estates exist for this county at the Franklin County Court House prior to 1899. The early wills and deeds are probably located at the local historical society in Carnesville. People who resided in Franklin County are also found in the Jackson County records.
Marriage Records (Abstracts)
Drawers in Land Lotteries
Digital Images of Franklin County Wills
Indexes to Probate Records
Loose Records
Indexes
Miscellaneous Records
Early Settlers
Military Records
Georgia Militia Records
Militia
Revolutionary War
Confederate Pensions
Tax Digests
