| Sorted by Alabama census & voter lists | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Alabama, U.S., State Census, 1820-1866Free | 478,375 |
| U.S., Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820 | 171,563 |
| U.S., Indexed Early Land Ownership and Township Plats, 1785-1898 | 165,796 |
| Alabama, U.S., Voter Registration, 1867 | 164,041 |
| Alabama, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1890 | 40,948 |
| View all Alabama census & voter lists (9) |
| Sorted by Alabama birth, marriage & death | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Alabama, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1805-1967 | 5,117,756 |
| U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970 | 4,566,787 |
| U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800-1947 | 3,655,095 |
| Alabama, U.S., Select Marriage Indexes, 1816-1942 | 2,858,848 |
| Alabama, U.S., Marriage Index, 1800-1969 | 2,404,099 |
| View all Alabama birth, marriage & death (27) |
| Sorted by Alabama military | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 | 54,144,553 |
| U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 | 2,049,383 |
| Alabama, U.S., Confederate Pension and Service Records, 1862-1947 | 1,950,072 |
| U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 | 837,569 |
| U.S., Lists of Men Ordered to Report to Local Board for Military Duty, 1917–1918 | 613,480 |
| View all Alabama military (30) |
| Sorted by Alabama immigration & emigration | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| U.S., Applications for Seaman's Protection Certificates, 1916-1940 | 320,331 |
| Alabama, U.S., Naturalization Records, 1888-1991 | 190,969 |
| U.S., Southeast Coastwise Inward and Outward Slave Manifests, 1790-1860Free | 77,894 |
| Alabama, U.S., Arriving Passenger Lists, 1904-1962 | 62,254 |
| View other immigration & emigration collections related to Alabama (47) |
| Sorted by Alabama newspapers & periodicals | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Alabama, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-current | 289,543,473 |
| Alabama newspapers and periodicals | 40 |
| View other newspapers & periodicals collections related to Alabama (27) |
| Sorted by Alabama pictures | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| There are no pictures collections unique to Alabama | |
| View other pictures collections related to Alabama (15) |
| Sorted by Alabama directories & member lists | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Web: Alabama, U.S., Episcopal Church Registers Index, 1832-1972Free | 14,276 |
| Web: Alabama, U.S., Coal Mine Fatalities, 1898-1938Free | 2,204 |
| Alabama, U.S., Revolutionary War Residents, 1776-1783Free | 842 |
| A history of Methodism in Alabama | 760 |
| History of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Alabama : 1763-1891 | 313 |
| View all Alabama directories & member lists (9) |
| Sorted by Alabama court, land, wills & financial | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Alabama, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1753-1999 | 673,824 |
| Alabama, U.S., Homestead and Cash Entry Patents, Pre-1908 | 256,621 |
| U.S., Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820 | 171,563 |
| U.S., Indexed Early Land Ownership and Township Plats, 1785-1898 | 165,796 |
| Alabama, U.S., Convict Records, 1886-1952Free | 115,408 |
| View all Alabama court, land, wills & financial (19) |
| Sorted by Alabama dictionaries, encyclopedias & reference | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Notable men of Alabama : personal and genealogical, with portraits | 939 |
| The Scenic resources of the Tennessee Valley : a descriptive and pictorial inventory | 243 |
| Spanish and British Land Grants in Mississippi Territory, 1750-1784 | 151 |
| Alabama Notes, Vol. II | 124 |
| Alabama Notes, Vol. I | 123 |
| View all Alabama dictionaries, encyclopedias & reference (8) |
| Sorted by Alabama maps, atlases & gazetteers | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| U.S., Indexed Early Land Ownership and Township Plats, 1785-1898 | 165,796 |
| View other maps, atlases & gazetteers collections related to Alabama (8) |
| Sorted by Alabama stories, memories & histories | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Alabama, U.S., Surname Files Expanded, 1702–1981Free | 885,843 |
| Alabama, U.S., Surname Files, 1901–2005 | 6,256 |
| Memorial record of Alabama | 2,134 |
| Notable men of Alabama : personal and genealogical, with portraits | 939 |
| Civil War and Reconstruction in Alabama | 841 |
| View all Alabama stories, memories & histories (97) |
A genealogical history
Statehood: 14 December 1819 (22nd State)
Capital: Montgomery
Largest City: Birmingham
Counties: 67
State motto: Audemus Jura Nostra Defendere (We Dare Maintain Our Rights)
State nickname: While it doesn’t have an official nickname, it has been called The Heart of Dixie, The Yellowhammer State, and The Cotton State
Neighboring states: Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi
Government St., Mobile, Alabama, c. 1906
Interesting facts
- Founded in 1901, the Alabama Department of Archives and History was the first state department of archives and history in the United States.
- Between 1790 and the 1820s, Old Saint Stephens was home to a Spanish fort, an American fort, and was Alabama's first territorial capital (1817-19). In 1820 the capital moved to Cahawba, and from 1826 to 1846 it was Tuscaloosa before moving to the current capital of Montgomery.
- Native American tribes of Alabama included the Alabama, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Koasati/Coushatta, and Muskogee (Creek).
Featured Alabama collections
Famous people
Help and advice
- Alabama Family History Research
- Counties of Alabama
- Research in the Deep South
- Why Southern Research Is Different,
Part I and Part II - The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands
Resources
Alabama Census Research
Alabama became a state in 1819. Pre-statehood censuses have been reconstructed through the use of other sources, including an 1810 census which was taken from the Mississippi Territory enumeration. Early Spanish censuses and fragments of state censuses also exist for random counties for various years.
Federal census records for Alabama were taken every ten years beginning in 1820. The 1820 census records for Alabama were lost or destroyed; however, County assessor’s lists have helped reconstruct the 1820 census for the counties of Baldwin, Conecuh, Dallas, Franklin, Limestone, St. Clair, Shelby, Wilcox, and portions of Lawrence.
Surviving Federal census records begin in 1830 for Alabama and continue through the present. The 1890 U.S. Federal Census was destroyed, and only portions of Perryville (Beat No.11) and Severe (Beat No. 8) of Perry County survive for Alabama.
Alabama state censuses were taken in 1855 and 1866, though they are not considered complete.
Alabama Vital Records
State-level registration of births and deaths in Alabama began January 1st, 1908. However, compliance was intermittent until the mid-1920s.
- Alabama Department of Public Health – Vital Records: Holds records of births and deaths since 1908; marriages since 1936; and divorces since 1950. Some earlier records may be available at the county level; however, many records are not complete due to intermittent reporting compliance and courthouse fires.
Birth and Death records are closed for 125 years except to family. Marriage and divorce records are not confidential.
Alabama Research Resources
The organizations listed below provide information about Alabama history and genealogy. In addition to these state-level resources, many counties and towns maintain important genealogical collections in local libraries, genealogical societies, or historical societies, so check for a local resource when researching.
Statewide Research Resources
- Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH): The Research section of the website provides information on the Research Room in Montgomery, and includes a tutorial on family research at ADAH. The catalog of the Archives’ extensive holdings is available on the Collections page, which also includes links to digital collections. Some highlights include the History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography; an Alabama Civil War service card file; and an 1867 list of voters from some Alabama counties.
- Alabama Genealogical Society, Inc.: The Society publishes the AGS Magazine and holds two annual seminars. The website contains searchable resources, including names indexed from selected books and records.
- Alabama GenWeb: Provides historical information and guidelines for genealogy research in Alabama and includes links to county genealogy pages, local genealogical societies, and digital archives.
- RootsWeb Alabama Resources: Contains links to Alabama genealogy resources, including state and county-level websites; societies and organizations; and personal and miscellaneous web sites related to Alabama research.
- Alabama Mosaic: This digital archive provides a single point of access to digital collections about Alabama people, places, history, and culture. Collections containing text and photographs from universities, public libraries, archives are included.
- Alabama Historical Association: The web site includes a listing of local historical and genealogical societies.
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM) General Land Office Records: The BLM administers Federal Land for public land states, including Alabama, and maintains records of land patents which granted land from the Federal Government to individuals. Use the Land Patent Search to locate records of land grants by name. Many record images are available on the web site. See the FAQ for more information on how to locate and use land patents.
- National Archives at Atlanta: Holds records covering Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The holdings include census, land, military, immigration, naturalization, and court records.
Specialty and Regional Research
- Birmingham Public Library: The Library’s Genealogy page describes the resources available in the Southern History department, including local indexes and a list of surnames in the family files. The Library’s Digital Collections also contain information of interest to genealogists, including digitized newspapers, yearbooks, and maps.
- Mobile Public Library – Local History and Genealogy: specializes in the history of Mobile, Alabama along the coast from Pensacola to Pascagoula, and in genealogical records for the southeastern U. S.