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Georgia Archives Record Retrieval

The record you need sitting at the Georgia Archives? I can help!

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work with me

I’m at the Georgia Archives regularly, and I retrieve records for genealogists, family historians, and other researchers who can’t make the trip themselves. You get clear digital images of everything I find, plus a record of exactly where I looked.

Before I quote, I check whether you even need me.

A surprising number of Georgia records are already online for free. Before I send you a quote, I check whether what you’ve requested is available on FamilySearch, the Georgia Archives Virtual Vault, or other online sources. If it is, I’ll send you the link, and you won’t pay me a dime.

HOW IT WORKS

  1. Send your request. Tell me what record you need and any details you have (see “What to send me” below).
  2. I check online sources. If any of your records are already available online, I’ll point you to them.
  3. You get a quote. I’ll reply with my next Archives date, a time estimate, and a maximum cost.
  4. You approve. Reply “approved” with the maximum you’d like to authorize, and I’ll add you to my list for that trip.
  5. I pull your records. I photograph everything I find and document exactly what I searched.
  6. You pay, I deliver your document. Images go out as soon as payment is received.

Rates and policies

Rate: $75/hour, with a one-hour minimum. Most single-folder requests take an hour or less. Your quote will include an estimated time range and a maximum, so you’ll always know the most you could pay.

What’s included: Digital images of everything I find, both sides of each document, plus a note of exactly what I searched (collection, box, folder, or film).

If nothing turns up: The search time is still billable, but you’ll get that same record of what I checked, so you can confidently cross it off your list. In genealogy, knowing where a record isn’t is valuable too.

Paper or certified copies: The Archives charges for these, and I pay them directly, so I require a $25 deposit up front. If you only need digital images, no deposit is required.

Going over: I’ll stop at your approved limit and text you. I have other clients on Archives days, so if I don’t hear back within about half an hour, I may not be able to continue your search on that trip.

Payment: Venmo or PayPal, or a credit card invoice (card payment requires a $3 service fee.)

Delivery method: Email or Dropbox. Postal mail available upon request and with a deposit.

Why some records can only be estimated once I'm on site

Not every archival record is a neat stack of single pages. Sometimes the catalog can’t tell me how much material is in a box, or how it’s stored, until I’m looking at it.

Some examples of what can add time:

  • Folded packets. Many older court and estate records were folded into tight bundles. Unfolding, photographing, and refolding them carefully takes much longer than photographing loose sheets.
  • Unknown volume. A folder described in a catalog might hold five pages or five hundred.
  • Fragile materials. Brittle or damaged documents have to be handled slowly to protect them.
  • Unindexed records. If there’s no index, I may have to page through a volume to find your ancestor’s entry.

When I can’t tell in advance, I’ll say so in your quote. Once I see the material, I’ll work within your approved maximum, and if it looks like it will take more, I’ll text you before going further. I like surprises in your family history, not in your wallet.

What to send me

The more you can tell me, the faster (and cheaper) your search will be:

  • Your name, email, and a cell number for texts on Archives days
  • The record type (deed, will, estate file, court minutes, etc.)
  • The county, names, and approximate dates
  • The collection, box, folder, drawer, or film number, if you have it
  • Whether you need paper or certified copies
  • Where you found the reference (a citation, catalog entry, or footnote helps a lot)
  • Not that AI has been known to hallucinate references or entire documents. If you found this document via an AI search, please confirm it’s existence with the repository.

Ready to get that record off your wish list?

Send me your request in the form below, and I’ll get back to you with a quote and my next Archives date.