Court records, at any level, can be a very valuable source for genealogists.
They should not be overlooked, because they may not be the first books abstracted, published or digitized. Sometimes, they never are.
But, times are changing, and some court records are slowly becoming more available.
In Georgia, the courthouse was the place where the Inferior Court/Court of Ordinary met (later called Probate Court), both for ordinary purposes and for county purposes, the latter similar to today’s county commission. Two separate sets of minutes were usually made.
The other half of a Georgia courthouse is the Superior Court, and its minutes include lawsuits, divorces, murders and all sorts of things. They provide a rich record.
Georgia also has Supreme Court records since 1846, and the best place to research them is at the Georgia Archives.
In other states, the courts dealt with the same issues, but under different titles, with things sorted out a bit differently, so you should research ahead of time the types of court records that were created, what they covered, and the names of the courts and where they are — in a courthouse or on microfilm.
Jefferson County records
“Jefferson County, Georgia, Inferior Court Minutes” is a series recently abstracted by Michael A. Ports of Jacksonville. So far, he has produced five volumes, reprinting abstracts from the original volumes from July 1797 to July 1820 (through original minute book 8).
Each volume has a separate, new full-name index. There is no overall index.
The volumes are $15 each ($75 total), plus postage, from the Genealogical Publishing Co., 3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211, or from genealogical.com or 1-800-296-6687.
Alabama records
Alabama's courthouse records slowly are becoming more available as they are digitized, appearing on ancestry.com under Alabama Wills and Probate Records, as well as some on familysearch.org, at the bottom of the Alabama records, under their Images Only section.
Check both sites, but be aware that those that are producing these records never leave a place holder that says “more to come” or “look at this other site, they are more complete.” You have to be vigilant to know what exists at a courthouse, what is online, and what still must be researched at the courthouse or on microfilm, either at the state archives or your local Family History Center.
About the Author
