18 April 2012

Georgia Voter Records on Ancestry.com

     A new database was published last week on Ancestry.com: Georgia, Returns of Qualified Voters and Reconstruction Oath Books, 1867-1869.  In conjunction to passing the 14th Amendment, Georgia re-registed elegible voters, both black and white.  This database contains lists of those eligible to vote, as well as oaths taken by each registrant, pledgeing their loyalty to the United States.  This database might be of particular interest to those researching black Georgians.  For a short period of time, until Jim Crow became king, men of all races were seen as equal under the law.

     These records lack certain identifying pieces of information, such as age and familial relationships. However, used in conjunction with the 1870 census, researchers should be able to identify their ancestors.  I was able to find a few of my ancestors, though one, a known politician before the Civil War, does not seem to be listed. He might have lost his eligibility to vote based on his political activity during the war.

     Here's an example of the type of documents found in this database. These are the Return and Oath for Tilman Albea, my 4x Great Grandfather:



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