Banks County, Georgia Wills, Estates, Marriages
Find your Ancestors in the Georgia Bible Records
Banks County was created in 1858. It was named for Dr. Richard E. Banks, a circuit-riding physician who treated the settlers and Native Americans of northern Georgia and South Carolina. The early economy in Banks County was based on cotton and corn, but this gave way to beef and poultry production in the 1920s and textile manufacturing and poultry feeds by the 1960s. Today Banks County is proliferating thanks to the increase in the retail and tourism industries at Banks Crossing (Exit 149, I-85 & US 441). The County was created by an act of the General Assembly signed by Gov. Joseph E. Brown on Dec 11, 1858. According to that legislation, the county was to be laid out from portions of Franklin and Habersham counties on Feb. 1, 1859, with county officers elected the next month. Georgia’s 129th county was named for Dr. Richard Banks, a noted Gainesville physician and surgeon who died three years earlier. The first county courthouse was completed in 1863. It was constructed of hand-made bricks in the Greek Revival style. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and now serves as a museum and office space.
Banks County was created in 1858. It was named for Dr. Richard E. Banks, a circuit-riding physician who treated the settlers and Native Americans of northern Georgia and South Carolina. The early economy in Banks County was based on cotton and corn, but this gave way to beef and poultry production in the 1920s and textile manufacturing and poultry feeds by the 1960s. Today Banks County is proliferating thanks to the increase in the retail and tourism industries at Banks Crossing (Exit 149, I-85 & US 441). The County was created by an act of the General Assembly signed by Gov. Joseph E. Brown on Dec 11, 1858. According to that legislation, the county was to be laid out from portions of Franklin and Habersham counties on Feb. 1, 1859, with county officers elected the next month. Georgia’s 129th county was named for Dr. Richard Banks, a noted Gainesville physician and surgeon who died three years earlier. The first county courthouse was completed in 1863. It was constructed of hand-made bricks in the Greek Revival style. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and now serves as a museum and office space.
Names of Families in Banks County Wills, Estates, Guardanships, Vouchers
Banks County Records Available to Members of Georgia Pioneers
Last Wills and Testaments
- Wills (1858 to 1879) (abstracts)
- List of Unbound Arranged Wills of the Probate Court (1853 to 1946)
- Thompson, J. K. estate (1902)
Indexes to Probate Records
- Miscellaneous Estates (1858 to 1857)
- Inventories, Annual Returns, Receipts and Appraisements (1866-1871)
- List of Unbound Wills in Probate Court 1853-1946
Marriages
- Licenses 1859 to 1873
- Licenses 1874 to 1878
- Licenses 1877 to 1889
- Marriages from newspapers 1885 to 1886
Cemeteries
- Broad River Baptist Church
- Indian Creek Baptist Church
- Lines Baptist Church
Traced Genealogies:Banks County Families : Key
Frame Houses First Built in America
How to Find the Children of the Intestate Ancestor
Tips by Jeannette Holland Austin
It is frequently challenging to locate the names of the children of persons who died intestate (without a last will and testament). One method is to examine the details of his estate, viz: annual returns, estate sales, vouchers, etc. Also, deed records. It was and is a common practice to make a Gift Deed to the children before death. For persons with small estates, this method is the simple division of different tracts of land. Other items consisting of furniture etc., were usually given to the daughters. The Gift Deed is proof of descent. There are many reasons to search the deed records and take note of the activities. (1) Relatives and in-laws were frequent witnesses to transactions. (2) To determine the period of residency by particular counties. (3) The place of birth of the children can be determined by when and where the ancestor resided. (3) The approximate death date can be determined by the date of the last deed transaction and place of burial. Simultaneously, tracking the ancestor via Tax Digests is also important.
