Marion County, Georgia African American Records

About the GAGenWeb Project

Recognizing the difficulties involved in tracing African American family history before 1865, this page was created to facilitate the exchange of records relating to Marion County's early African American residents.

If you have records, such as deeds or wills that give names, relationships, etc. of slaves or free persons of color, please share them here. Be sure to include names and all pertinent information about the parties involved, as well as the date and source. Suggestions for improving this section are welcome, also.

Earliest Recorded Marriages

Marriage records for African Americans begin in 1866, with the designation "colored" appearing after the names of the parties until the early 1870's. The first recorded African American marriages are as follows:

Thos. LUMPKIN to Elizabeth WEBB 13 May 1866 p. 367
John POLOR(?) to Julia A. STANFORD 10 June 1866 p. 372
Alexander WOODING to Margiann WEBB 27 June 1866 p. 368
Israel MONTFORD to Caroline TAYLOR 10 July 1866 p. 370
Prinus SLOVER to Winney TAYLOR 13 July 1866 p. 369
Jerry STEVENS to Rachael ADAMS 13 July 1866 p. 371
Ross WILLIAMS to Adaline PARKER 13 July 1866 p. 371
Bedford BROWN to Sarah (????) 22 July 1866 p. 376
Joseph MCKINNEY to Patience MCKINNEY 29 July 1866 p. 372
Samuel GIBSON to Adaline BATTLE 12 August 1866 p, 375
Dock JERNIGAN to Mariah HART 28 August 1866 p. 376
Luke SAMPSON to Jane CRASSIM 7 September 1866 p. 373

---

African American Genealogical Information
Extracted from Wills, Deeds, and Other Sources

Most deeds involving the transfer of slaves are not indexed in the grantor/grantee index books, but ARE indexed at the beginning of each individual deed book prior to the end of the Civil War.

Will of Eliza SMITH dated 8 July 1846
Will Book A, page 5
Negro man named Sunday and negro girl named Martha to son Robert BURTON
Negro girl named Mathilda to grandson Homer BURTON, son of Robert BURTON

---

Mortgage Deed from Elizabeth ADAMS to Zachariah PROCTOR dated 7 January 1857
Deed Book D pages 177-178
Negroe Slave black complexion named John
Negroe Slave yellow complexion named Silas

---

Gift Deed from Elizabeth ADAMS to her son James M. ADAMS dated 2 December 1856
Deed Book D page 142
Negro girl named Frances about twelve years old
Negro boy named Hal about six years old

---

Gift Deed from Elizabeth ADAMS to her son Robert F. ADAMS dated 25 June 1861
Deed Book E pages 229-230
Negro woman named Mary about twenty years old
Mary's child John about three years old
Mary's child Lucy about nine months old

---

Newspaper Item:
Buena Vista Argus Wed. Nov 20, 1878
"Uncle Jack" SAMPSON, (colored) known before war as Jack BURKHALTER
died a week ago yesterday, aged 53. His wife died a few weeks ago. He was the father of 13 sons.

---

Newspaper Item:
Buena Vista Argus Wed. Aug 13, 1879 and Wed. Aug 20, 1879
Sally GLAZE died Monday last (Aug 11, 1879). She married young, had 22 children, 20 living.
19 of them live in Marion County and attended her burial.

---

Book: Bullwhip Days The Slaves Remember [from 1930's WPA Interviews with former slaves]
Ed. by James Mellon, Avon Books 1988
p. 115 Jack and Rosa MADDOX
Jack belonged to Judge MADDOX, who moved to Buena Vista when Jack was a small child. His mother was named Lucindy and died when he was very young. His father had been a blacksmith, and belonged to the BURKHALTER family. Judge MADDOX moved to Texas, taking Jack with him, before the Civil War.

---

Court Records:
Superior Court Minutes February Term 1853
Volume 2, p. 76
Mitchel BOARD, a free person of color, requests Edward B. OXFORD be appointed his guardian, March 7, 1853.

---

Many thanks go to Mary Kathryn Kozy, Virginia Crilley, Harris Hill, Carla Miles & Angela Covington for their work on the site over the years.