Vital Records Death Index Now at Georgia Archives

September 18th, 1994

VITAL RECORDS DEATH INDEX NOW AT ARCHIVES

The index to Georgia’s vital records death index has, at long last, been made available to the general public by the recent transfer of a copy of the index, covering deaths in Georgia from 1919-1993, to the Georgia Department of Archives and History, 330 Capitol Ave., Atlanta, 30334. 656-2350. This long-awaited move also included the index to marriages (1964-1992) and divorces (1965-1992). The birth index was not transferred, since access is limited by law to the subject of the certificate or their parent.

The Georgia Genealogical Society and the Georgia Professional Genealogists as well as other individuals and groups have long sought the transfer of the death index in order to have greater access. The national trend among vital records offices was to make the indexes available, and luckily Georgia’s Vital Records Office joined the trend. The information in on microfiche.

Researchers should be aware that the indexes are separate for each year, thus for the 70-odd years of the death index that was transferred, there are 70 separate indexes, with anywhere from 3 to 7 fiche per year. Georgia did not do so well at the beginning of the official state recording of vital records and thus many early deaths will not be found. For each death, there is the name of the deceased “as given”, in other words the long-forgotten first name of grandma may have been used, the county, date of death and the number of the certificate. One still must order a copy of the certificate from the Vital Records office to see it, and the cost is $10 each. Another copy of the three indexes was donated to the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah. The official announcement concerning the purchasing of additional copies reads as follows: “For information about purchasing copies of the Death (1919-1993), Marriage (1964-1992) or Divorce (1965-1992) Microfiche, please send your request in writing to Mr. Michael R. Lavoie, Director, Vital Records Service, 47 Trinity Ave. S.W., Rm. 217-H, Atlanta, Ga. 30334. The price for each set of microfiche is $50 each.”

Classes/Seminars

“Intermediate Genealogy”. Frances Beckemeyer, lecturer. 1PM-3:30 PM Sept. 26-Nov. 14, eight Mondays. $55. Clayton State College, Morrow, Ga., off I-75 south. 961-3550. Includes intermediate topics and field trips to the University of Georgia, Washington Memorial Library in Macon, the Georgia Archives, the National Archives in East Point, and a county courthouse.

“Tracing Your Family Tree: Beginning Genealogy”. Frances Beckemeyer. 6:30 -9:30 PM, nine Wednesdays Oct. 5-Dec. 7th (no class Nov. 23). $75. Georgia State University, North Metro Center, 1140 Hammond Dr., off Peachtree-Dunwoody Rd. 651-3456.

“Beginners in Genealogy”. Rita B. Worthy. 10 AM-12 Noon. Three Saturdays Oct. 8-22, with Oct. 15 meeting at National Archives, East Point, from 10-4. $40 members, $45 non-members. Atlanta History Center, 130 West Paces Ferry Rd., NW, Atlanta. 814-4040. Class is limited to 25.

Note: With this column, September 18, 1994, the column began to once again appear four times a month.