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Georgia · East Georgia · #674
Jenkins County, Georgia
On the Ogeechee River in east Georgia's coastal plain, Millen's Magnolia Springs State Park holds the clearest natural springs in Georgia - and the site of Camp Lawton, the largest Confederate prisoner-of-war camp ever constructed, which was abandoned after only six weeks when Sherman's approach made it indefensible.
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Office: Jenkins County Sheriff’s Office – 124 Magnolia Avenue, Millen, GA 30442 | (478) 982-4211 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Robert Oglesby. The office patrols unincorporated areas of the county and handles legal judgments including repossessions, foreclosures, and tax delinquencies.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-25 serves Millen, the county seat and largest city, strategically located between Augusta and Savannah, near the Ogeechee River. Millen has been a transportation hub since the railroad arrived in 1854.
Notes: Jenkins County was created August 17, 1905, from portions of Bulloch, Burke, Emanuel, and Screven Counties, Georgia’s 140th county. The original proposed name was “Dixie,” but the legislature ultimately named it for Charles Jones Jenkins, the state’s 44th governor during Reconstruction. Millen’s location split awkwardly between four large surrounding counties led local residents, frustrated by jurisdictional confusion and county seats averaging 20 miles away, to petition the legislature in 1905 for a new county centered on their town, an effort spearheaded by Robert Gray Daniel and backed by the local Millen News Publishing Company.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Jenkins County Courthouse – Courthouse Square, Millen, GA (built 1910, Neoclassical Revival, architect L.F. Goodrich; National Register of Historic Places since 1980), genuinely unusual among Georgia courthouses of its era for standing three stories tall.
Notes: Big Buckhead Baptist Church, constituted in 1787, is one of the oldest Baptist churches in Georgia; the current sanctuary, the fourth structure on the site, was built in 1830.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Jenkins County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via jenkinscountyga.com.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Jenkins County Public Library (Millen) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Magnolia Springs State Park, located between Millen and Perkins, is famous for its crystal-clear natural springs, which release an estimated nine million gallons of water daily. Big Buckhead Baptist Church, one of Georgia’s oldest, is a notable local historic site.
Notes: The Jones House, a stagecoach stop more than a century old at the time, was looted and burned by General Sherman’s troops during the Civil War.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Jenkins County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via jenkinscountyga.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via jenkinscountyga.com; Jenkins County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Jenkins County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via jenkinscountyga.com.
NOTES: Jenkins County is the eighty-fourth county completed in Georgia’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The determined local campaign that led to Jenkins County’s creation, and the natural beauty of Magnolia Springs State Park, are among the standout local facts covered in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Jenkins County
Jenkins County’s Magnolia Springs State Park is one of Georgia’s most distinctive state parks – not for dramatic scenery but for the clarity and volume of its natural springs, which discharge 7 million gallons of crystal-clear 68°F water daily into a spring basin that supports an abundance of native fish visible in extraordinary detail. The park’s boardwalk over the springs is one of the most genuinely beautiful short walks in Georgia.
Camp Lawton, constructed in 1864 as a replacement for the overcrowded Andersonville prison and built to hold 40,000 Union prisoners in a site near Millen, was abandoned after only six weeks when Sherman’s forces approached. The partially completed prison camp is now an archaeological site within the park, and the earthworks are among the best-preserved Confederate prison camp remains in the country. Jenkins County’s agricultural economy is tobacco, cotton, timber, and peanuts in the Ogeechee River plain.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Georgia assesses property at 40% of fair market value. Property owners have 45 days from the notice of assessment to appeal. Georgia has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
Jenkins County Probate Court: 109 Cotton Street, Millen, GA 30442 | (478) 982-4683. The Probate Court handles estate administration and guardianship.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT (Records, Marriage Licenses)
524 Cotton Ave., Millen, GA 30442
(478) 982-2563
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Jenkins County Probate Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Jenkins County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Jenkins County Probate Court 611 East Winthrope Avenue, Millen, GA 30467 Judge: Hon. Wanda Burke.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Georgia is NOT a Uniform Probate Code state and doesn’t use a simple dollar-threshold “small estate affidavit” like many states. Instead it offers several distinct shortcuts, each suited to a different situation:
Banking Affidavit – for intestate estates with less than $15,000 in bank deposits and no other assets requiring administration. No court filing needed at all.
No Administration Necessary (Standard Form 9) – available when all heirs agree on how to divide the property and there are no debts (or all creditors consent). Can transfer real estate without full administration, but requires unanimous heir agreement – any disagreement forces the estate into formal probate.
Year’s Support (Standard Form 10, O.C.G.A. Chapter 53-3) – a distinctively Georgia protection: the surviving spouse and minor children can petition for property sufficient to maintain their standard of living for 12 months from the date of death. This takes priority over virtually all creditor claims and even most specific bequests in the will. Must be filed within 24 months of death. No bond, no inventory filing, no creditor claims period required – the fastest and simplest path when it applies.
Formal Administration – Petition to Probate Will (Common Form or Solemn Form) or Petition for Letters of Administration, when none of the above shortcuts fit.
COMMON FORM VS. SOLEMN FORM (a distinctively Georgia choice)
Common Form: the executor files the will with supporting evidence and the court admits it without notifying all heirs – faster and cheaper, but leaves a 4-year window during which interested parties can challenge the will.
Solemn Form (Standard Form 5): requires notice to all heirs; once granted, it’s final and binding much sooner, closing off future challenges.
If formal administration is needed
File the appropriate petition with the Jenkins County Probate Court – Petition to Probate Will (Common or Solemn Form) if there’s a will, or Petition for Letters of Administration if not.
The court issues a citation, published in the county’s legal organ once a week for four weeks (O.C.G.A. § 53-5-2), giving interested parties a chance to object.
After the publication period, attend the hearing for appointment as personal representative.
Once appointed, the court issues Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (without one).
Send certified copies of the death certificate and Letters to all banks, brokerages, insurers, and retirement custodians; request date-of-death valuations and begin marshaling assets.
Obtain an EIN via IRS Form SS-4 and open an estate checking account.
Prepare an inventory of assets with date-of-death fair market values; the court may require this under O.C.G.A. § 53-7-30.
Pay debts and expenses in Georgia’s priority order (see below), then distribute remaining assets per the will or intestacy law.
What it costs
No Georgia state estate tax or inheritance tax.
Court filing fees typically range $100–$300 depending on the county.
Certified copies of Letters typically cost around $10 each.
Indigent petitioners may file an Affidavit of Indigency to request a fee waiver.
E-filing is available and encouraged statewide through platforms like PeachCourt or Odyssey eFileGA.
DEBT PRIORITY ORDER IF THE ESTATE CAN’T PAY EVERYTHING (O.C.G.A. §§ 53-3-1, 53-7-40)
Year’s Support for surviving spouse and minor children under 18.
Funeral expenses.
Costs of probate administration.
Expenses of the decedent’s last illness.
Taxes.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
524 Cotton Ave., Millen, GA 30442
(478) 982-4211
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / VOTER REGISTRATION
524 Cotton Ave., Millen, GA 30442
(478) 982-4408
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
GA Dept of Public Health — East Central
(478) 982-2631
GA DFCS — Jenkins
(478) 982-2523
GA Medicaid
(800) 869-1150
Jenkins County Medical Center
jenkinshospital.org (Millen)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Jenkins County Health Department – confirm current contact via jenkinscountyga.com.
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Editorial Trust
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Millen
Population: 8,500
Area: 350 sq mi
Established: 1905
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Jenkins County facilities via Amazon.
