List of Participants

Except for certain individual counties, Georgia’s 1790, 1800, and 1810 U.S. Federal Censuses are lost to history. Despite this, Georgia has unique records that operate as substitutes for the loss of census data. Among these sources is the list of people who registered for the 1805 Georgia Land Lottery.

The “List of Persons Entitled to Draws” for the 1805 Land Lottery contains the names of almost 24,000 participants and more than 500 additional named persons, including guardians, parents, and spouses. Statistically, this list represents every head of household in the state of Georgia during the registration period from May 1803 to March 1, 1804. To register, participants had to have been residents of Georgia from May 1802.

This list contains the names of men 21 years or older, widows with minor children, and orphans. To register, participants were required to pay 12.5 cents per draw. Registration was completely voluntary. Some people did not register.

To determine if your ancestors are on the list, click on the letters of their surnames. This list of names includes the name of each participant along with descriptive remarks. The number in parenthesis denotes the number of times the name appears on the list. The published book includes additional data: county of residence, draw result (blank or prize), and a description of the prize.