Original Records

The Georgia Archives primarily houses official state government records and a significant collection of local government records. Most of these are unpublished, original source materials maintained in their original format or on microfilm, all stored in a climate-controlled environment. Archival holdings also include non-governmental documents of cultural and historical value. Included in these manuscript collections are family letters and papers, business records and account books and materials such as minutes and reports of social, professional, and other organizations. Georgia Archives is actively entering descriptions of these records into Finding Aids @ Georgia Archives. The Georgia Archives produces a Descriptive Inventory (formerly known as "PDIs") for each government record series in its collection. Each Descriptive Inventory includes information about the agency that created the series, the date span of the records, what information is found in the records, a list of folder titles in the series (in most cases), and related information.

Microfilm/Microfiche

Georgia Archives' microfilm library contains nearly 30,000 reels available for public use. This includes Georgia governmental records, selected U.S. records, Georgia county records, tax digests, private papers, church records, cemetery records, newspapers, genealogical records, Bible records, books and periodicals, selected out-of-state and foreign records, and a few municipal records. Some of the material that is most frequently referenced includes the Federal census schedules; Georgia Confederate Service and Pension Records; Colonial and Headright and Bounty land grants; Land Lottery and Georgia county records.

Maps

Georgia's official land and cartographic records are a significant part of the Georgia Archives' holdings. By law, county boundary changes and municipal annexations, are filed with the Secretary of State's Office in the Archives. In addition, holdings include the State's original Surveyor General collection, which includes over 10,000 county and state maps. Also available for research are microfilm copies of 1.5 million land grants and plats from 1755 to 1909.

Books and Periodicals

Georgia Archives' collection of secondary sources supplements the holdings of original records. All published materials are cataloged in our on-line catalog.  They include (but are not limited to) Georgia county histories and record abstracts, compiled bibliographies, various indexes, genealogy guidebooks, guides to the collection of other institutions, and patriotic lineage society publications such as the Georgia State Society, Daughters of the American Revolution Collection. Additionally, there are sources on the Atlantic coastal states and the southeastern United States that include general state histories, county histories, abstracts of county records, and newspaper indexes and abstracts. There are also compiled histories of Georgia families, often including information on branches in other states, as well as current loose issues and bound volumes of periodicals relating to history and genealogy. However, Georgia Archives does not participate in Interlibrary Loan. You can search for a particular book or periodical in our online catalog, GIL (Galileo Interconnected Libraries).

General Name File Cards

This collection, unique to the Georgia Archives, consists of a card file of various names that began as a WPA project in the 1930s. It is predominantly an index to pre-civil war military records, such as muster rolls and commission books, and civil commissions such as Justice of the Peace and Justice of the Inferior Court. Also contained in this collection are a wide variety of information sources, including biographical questionnaires, memorials found in Georgia Bar Association Reports, 1904-1962, and some typescripts of original Georgia governmental records.

Vertical Files

These files include miscellaneous information on a variety of topics. The most heavily used are our genealogical folders, arranged by surname. Also available is the Church and Cemetery File, which includes transcriptions of tombstone data and histories of churches and/or lists of early members, arranged by county name. Additionally, we have Subject Files on a variety of topics in Georgia history.

Historic Photographs

There are three main collections of photographs. The largest is the Vanishing Georgia collection, which originated from a historic photograph project. It mainly contains non-portrait materials, such as houses, businesses, and street scenes. We also have the Large and Small Print collections, which are primarily portrait collection. In addition, there are photographs available in some state agency records and private collections.