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Fulton County records

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.MSSFultonCounty

Scope and Contents

This collection contains records from Fulton County Board of Tax Assessors, Board of County Commissioners (known as Board of Commissioners of Roads and Revenues prior to 1968), Court of Ordinary, and Financial Department. The bulk of the records are from the Board of Tax Assessors, most of which are residential property record cards and real estate plat books that depict property dimensions, tax payments, and owner names. Also from the Board of Tax Assessors are tax reports; minutes from the Board of Tax Assessors, the Joint Board of City and County Tax Assessors, and the Tax Committee; and tax assessments.

Most of the material from the Board of County Commissioners of Roads and Revenues are minute books from regular and special sessions that document resolutions, committee management, and petitions. There are also subject files collected by the clerk to the commission, county publications, roads and bridges construction documentation, two audio reels of Board of Commissioner meetings, and specifications for the construction of East Point Health Center.

Records from the Court of Ordinary include record books that list property exempt from sale, inventory and appraisement property books, transcripts of estate papers, docket books of official court proceedings, and annual and final returns books of estates filed and audited. There are also financial records from the departments of Parks and Recreation; Department of Public Welfare; Inferior Court, Superior Court, Ordinary Court, and Juvenile Courts; Roads and Revenue; Board of Commissioners; and Justice of the Peace. These financial records include treasurer accounts books and reports, audits, accounts payable volumes, audits of sale of condemned autos, warrant registers, and additional journals and ledgers.

In addition, there are financial and court records from Campbell County and Milton County. From Campbell County there are annual returns books, ledgers, and minute books that document the Sheriff's office, Court of Ordinary, and Inferior Court. And from Milton County there are books of return, court proceeding minutes, ledgers, and treasurer books.

Dates

  • 1831-1998, undated

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted through the Kenan Research Center.

Biographical / Historical

The Georgia General Assembly established Fulton County in 1853 out of DeKalb County land. They named the county after Robert Fulton (1765-1815), the owner of the first successful steamboat. In 1932, financial difficulties caused by the Great Depression resulted in Campbell and Milton counties being added to Fulton County, as well as the annexation of the city of Roswell. Under the 1952-1953 annexation program, known as "The Plan of Improvement," duplicate services between Fulton County and City of Atlanta were consolidated.

A Board of Commissioners, which consists of seven elected members, governs the county under the leadership of an elected chairman of the board. The board started appointing a county manager in 1947, and also appoints a county attorney, county clerk, and county auditor, and elects a vice chairman. The county manager supervises executive functions such as overseeing roads and utilities, public safety, courts, social services, health, planning, business development, and tax assessment and collection. County jurisdiction also includes eight justice agencies, a tax commissioner, a tax assessor, and an elections director.

As of 2023, there are 15 cities within Fulton County: Alpharetta, Atlanta (which is the county seat), Chattahoochee Hills, College Park, East Point, Fairburn, Hapeville, Johns Creek, Milton, Mountain Park, Palmetto, Roswell, Sandy Springs, South Fulton, and Union City, as well as unincorporated land in the area of Fulton Industrial Boulevard. As of the the 2020 census, Fulton County is the most populous county in the state.

Extent

1004 linear ft. (575 volumes, 113 boxes, and 110 drawers)

Language

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into six series: Series 1: Board of Tax Assessors; Series II: Board of County Commissioners; Series III: Court of Ordinary; Series IV: Financial Department; Series V: Campbell County; and series VI: Milton County.

Series I is subdivided into five sub-series: Sub-series 1: Residential property record cards; Sub-series 2: Fulton County Board of Assessors real estate plat books; Sub-series 3: Tax reports; Subseries 4: Minutes; and Subseries 5: Assessments.

Series II is subdivided into three subseries: Sub-series 1: Minutes; Sub-series 2: Subject files; and Sub-series 3: Miscellaneous.

Series III is subdivided into six subseries: Sub-series 1: Exemptions; Sub-series 2: Inventory and appraisement books; Subseries 3: Transcripts of estate papers transferred from outside Fulton County; Subseries 4: Docket books; Sub-series 5: Probate court annual and final returns books; and Subseries 6: Miscellaneous.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, 1979, with subsequent additions.

Bias in Description

As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information. We choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, and bias is reflected in our descriptions, which may not accurately convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materials. Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment. In working with this collection, we often re-use language used by the former owners of the material. This language provides context but often includes bias and prejudices reflective of the time in which it was created. The Kenan Research Center’s work is ongoing to implement reparative language where Library of Congress subject terms are inaccurate and obsolete.

Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. If you encounter harmful, offensive, or insensitive terminology or descriptions, please let us know by emailing reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.

Processing Information

This collection was processed in 2023.

Title
Fulton County records
Author
Leah lefkowitz
Date
December 2020
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

Contact:
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta GA 30305
404-814-4040