Elbert County, Georgia, Inferior Court Minutes, February 4, 1791-July 14, 1801

On December 10, 1790, the Georgia General Assembly created Elbert County, from a portion of Wilkes County, making Elberton the seat of its new government. The Inferior Court, made up of five justices of the peace for the county, tried any civil case except those involving title to land. The Inferior Court had jurisdiction over county business matters, such as care for the poor, building and maintaining the courthouse and jail, building and maintaining roads and bridges, establishing ferries, issuing licenses to sell liquor, appointing guardians, nominating justices of the peace and constables, authorizing indentures, and maintaining a register of wills. The Clerk of the Inferior Court kept minutes of its various proceedings. The first volume of Inferior Court Minutes begins February 4, 1791 and continues through July 14, 1801. The following transcription comes from the microfilm of the original record book made in 1960 for the Genealogical Society of Salt Lake City, Utah and the Georgia Department of Archives and History.