SMARC: Court Records

Each state will have their own tier levels of court systems for county, state, regional courts called by different names. Understanding which courts have jurisdiction over the different types of cases will help genealogy researchers learn where to find specific information.

You'll find such things in transcribed county records as bread and salt lists, juror's lists, divorces, guardianships, estates and probate records, suits of paternity, etc.

Divorces were originally obtained from the state legislature, later the local or regional courts had jurisdiction over divorces. Divorce records are not considered 'vital records' even though you may find them mistakenly grouped under this term on other sites. Divorces are simply one type of legal case found in court records.

Church records may make mention of their congregation that were divorced or were seeking a divorce but those should be strictly treated as clues. Only if a divorce is found within court records can a researcher be certain that a divorce actually occurred.

We have linked below to those transcribed records on-line that are entitled 'court records'. It is up to each researcher to read these transcriptions in their entirety to locate specific lists and court proceedings. We have not attempted to give a capsule of what is contained in each transcription.

GA	NC	TN
Guide to GA Courts Brief History of GA Counties - by Ed Jackson Legislative Acts of GA: Divorces 1802-1892 by Linda Blum Barton	The NC Court System	Understanding Your TN Court System TN Court System Prior to 1870 Courts where TN cases were tried - @ TSLA Courthouse Fires & Disasters in TN
Name Changes in GA 1800-1856 Union GA by Linda Smith Murray includes Inferior Court 1860's and Ordinary Court Minutes 1891-1903 Lumpkin GA: Index to 1833 Minute Book - by Vince King Rabun GA: James M. Ritchie's Docket Book 1876-1879	Buncombe NC Court Minutes - courtesy of OBCGS Apr 1792 Jul 1794 Apr 1795 Jul 1795 Henderson NC Divorces 1842-1900 - author unknown Rutherford NC 1901 Names in Court Records - by Jeff Martin	Bradley - Circuit Court Cases 1880-1900 - by Barbara Fagan McMinn 1827 Court Proceedings Abstracted McMinn Court Minutes 1820-1872 - by Larry H. Baker Polk TN Court Minutes 1840-1844 Blount TN Court Minutes 1795-1804 Blount TN Court Records 1804-1807 Blount TN Court Records 1808-1811 Blount TN Court Minutes 1814-1817
There are many court records that have yet to be transcribed from either original books or microfiled records. If you are interested in seeing more court records on this web site, please contact us. We will help you locate the records for transcription. Thank you.