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Mobile County, Alabama Genealogy

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Guide to Mobile County, Alabama ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Mobile[1]
Organized: August 1, 1812
Parent County(s): West Florida
Neighboring Counties
Baldwin • Clarke • Washington • George (MS) • Greene (MS) • Jackson (MS)
See County Maps
Courthouse
Mobile County, Alabama Courthouse.jpg
Location Map
Mobile County Alabama.png

County Information

Description

Mobile County was created on 1 August 1812 and was named for the indigenous Maubila tribe.[2] Its county seat is Mobile.[3] It is located in the southwestern area of the state.[4]

County Courthouse

Mobile County Courthouse
205 Government Plaza
Mobile, Al 36644-2936
Phone: 251-574-8786
Mobile County Website

Probate Judge has marriage records from 1813
Probate Records from 1812 and land records from 1813[5]

Mobile County, Alabama Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[6]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1871 1813 1820 1814 1813 1812 1816
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1908. General compliance for births by 1927 and for deaths 1925.

Record Loss

Mobile County had destructive courthouse fires in 1823, 1840, and 1872,[7] and was damaged by a severe windstorm in 1916.

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:


Boundary Changes

Populated Places

The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in Mobile County:[9]

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator.

Cities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places
Ghost towns


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Mobile, Alabama online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Alabama Cemeteries for more information

Census Records

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1820 2,672 —
1830 6,267 134.5%
1840 18,741 199.0%
1850 27,600 47.3%
1860 41,131 49.0%
1870 49,311 19.9%
1880 48,653 −1.3%
1890 51,587 6.0%
1900 62,740 21.6%
1910 80,854 28.9%
1920 100,117 23.8%
1930 118,363 18.2%
1940 141,974 19.9%
1950 231,105 62.8%
1960 314,301 36.0%
1970 317,308 1.0%
1980 364,980 15.0%
1990 378,643 3.7%
2000 399,843 5.6%
2010 412,992 3.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

State Census

Church Records

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Alabama denominations, view the Alabama Church Records wiki page.

Church Records (Rural)
Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Alabama denominations, view the Alabama Church Records wiki page.

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Notre Dame du Fort Conde de la Mobile, Mobile

  • 1704-1764 - Notre Dame du Fort Conde de la Mobile, Mobile Baptism Index 1704-1764. Batch C594181 at [10]
  • 1704-1764 - Notre Dame du Fort Conde de la Mobile, Mobile Marriage Index 1704-1764. Batch M594181 at FamilySearch

Court Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African American

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Alabama Land and Property for additional information about early Alabama land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse, where records are currently housed.

Online Land Indexes and Records


Local Histories

Local histories are available for Mobile County. The histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Alabama Local Histories.

  • Colonial Mobile: An Historical Study. By Peter J. Hamilton. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1910. Online at: Ancestry ($).
  • Mobile of the Five Flags. By Peter J. Hamilton. Mobile, AL: Gill Printing Co., 1913. Online at: Ancestry ($).
  • The Founding of Mobile, 1702-1718: Studies in the History of the First Capital of the Province of Louisiana. By Peter J. Hamilton, LLD. Monroe: Commercial Printing Co., 1911. Online at: Ancestry ($).
  • Bi-centennial Celebration, May 26-28, 1911, of the Founding of Mobile by Jean Baptiste de Bienville, 1711. Mobile: Commercial Printing Co., 1912. Online at: Ancestry ($).
  • Highlights of 75 Years in Mobile. By C.E. Matthews. Mobile: Gill Printing and Stationary Co., 1940. Online at: Ancestry ($).
  • Mobile: Fact and Tradition, Noteworthy People and Events. By Erwin Craighead. Mobile, Ala.: Powers Printing Co., 1930. Online at: Ancestry ($).
  • Remember Mobile. By Caldwell Delaney. Mobile, Ala: Gill Printing and Stationary Co., 1948. Online at: Ancestry ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

WashingtonBaldwinJackson County, MSGeorge County, MSGreene County, MSAL MOBILE.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

Multiple Wars

Civil War

Regiments. Men in Mobile County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (part of a large regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Mobile County:

- 1st Battalion, Alabama Artillery, Company A
- 1st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D (Red Eagles)
- 2nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F, G, H and I
- 3rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A "Mobile Cadets
- 3rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B "Gulf City Guards"
- 3rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E "Washington Light Infantry"
- 3rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company K "Mobile Rifles"
- 3rd Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company E, Mobile Humphries Dragoons [formerly Co. "D", Wirt Adams' Cavalry]
- 8th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C "Alex Stephens' Guards"
- 8th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E "Hamp Smith Rifles"
- 8th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G "German Fusileers
- 8th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H "Mobile Independent Scouts"
- 8th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I "Emerald Guards"
- 9th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A "Beauregard Rifles"
- 12th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A "Lafayette Guards"
- 12th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C "Independent Rifles
- 12th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I "Southern Foresters"
- 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A "Washington Light Infantry"
- 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D "Mobile Battle Guards"
- 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E "Chamberlain Rifles and Woodruff Rifles"
- 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G "Spanish Guards and Swanson Guards, No. 1
- 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H "Swanson Guards, No. 2 and French Guards"
- 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I "Independence Rifles and United Rangers"
- 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company K "Mobile Cadets"
- 22nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H "Sam Cooper Rifles"
- 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A "Washington Guards"
- 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B "Emmett Guards"
- 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D "Beulah Guards"
- 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F "Alabama Guards"
- 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G
- 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I "Confederate Guards"
- 32nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B, C, F, I and K
- 36th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E
- 38th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G and K
- 40th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F, H, I and K
- 42nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I
- 43rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F
- 51st Regiment, Alabama Partisan Rangers, Company K
  • Mobile Confederates From Shiloh to Spanish Fort: The Story of the 21st Alabama Infantry Volunteers. 2012. by Arthur E. Green. Westminster, MD: Heritage Books, Inc. Online at: HathiTrust — index & images
  • Alabama Civil War and Reconstruction Newspapers at Alabama Department of Archives and History.

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War Battle was fought in Mobile County.[12]

  • August 2-23, 1864 - Mobile Bay, also known as Passing of Forts Morgan and Gaines (partly fought in Baldwin County).
  • Battles of the American Civil War maps - filter by state or by battle name.

World War I

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

Obituaries

Other Records

Voter Registration

Periodicals

Probate Records

Online Probate Indexes and Records


School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

Alabama tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information, see the wiki page Alabama Taxation.

Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Alabama State Department of Health , the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred or order electronically online $.

For some online statewide indexes, see the FamilySearch Historical Record Collections for Alabama.

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

Alabama Department of Archives and History
624 Washington Ave
PO Box 300100
Montgomery, AL 36104
Phone: 334-242-4435
Email: mark.palmer@archives.alabama.gov
Website
Facebook

Mobile County Probate Court Archives
Mobile County Government Center Annex
151 Government Street
PO Box 7
Mobile, AL 36601
Phone: 251-574-6070
Email: probatecourt@probate.mobilecountyal.gov
Website

Mobile Municipal Archives
457 Church St
PO Box 1827
Mobile, AL 36633
Phone: 251-208-7740
Email: archives@cityofmobile.org
Website

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Mobile County. For state-wide library facilities, see Alabama Archives and Libraries.

Mobile Public Library
Local History Dept.
753 Government Street
Mobile, AL 36602-1403
Phone: 251-494-2190
Email: mainlhg@mplonline.org
Website
Facebook
Collections include local histories, newspaper clippings, city directories, censuses, probate index, military records, and more. The Local History & Genealogy Library specializes in the history of Mobile and the greater Gulf Coast region, including genealogical records for the Southeastern U.S. with emphasis on migration paths into Alabama.

The Jack Friend Research Library
History Museum Of Mobile
111 South Royal Street
Mobile, AL 36652-2068
Phone: 251-301-0275
Email: torrey@historymuseumofmobile.com

Museums

History Museum of Mobile
111 South Royal Street
PO Box 2068
Mobile, AL 36652
Phone: 251-208-7569
Email: museumrelations@historymuseumofmobile.com
Website
Facebook

Societies

Alabama Genealogical Society
Samford University
P.O. Box 293921
800 Lakeshore Drive
Birmingham, AL 35229
Email: info@algensoc.org
Website
Facebook

Mobile Genealogical Society, Inc
5555 Grelot Road
Mobile, AL 36609
P.O. Box 364
Saraland, AL 36571
Email: mgs@mobileroots.org
Facebook

Historic Mobile Preservation Society
300 Oakleigh Place
P.O. Box 6711
Mobile, AL 36604
Phone: 251-432-1281
Email: hmps@bellsouth.net
Website
Facebook

Mobile Creole Cultural & Historical Preservation Society (MCCHPS)
P.O. Box 7326
Mobile, AL 36670
Email: mobilealabamacreoles@gmail.com
Website
Facebook

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
  2. ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, "Mobile County, Alabama Genealogy and History", http://genealogytrails.com/ala/mobile/ 6/13/2017.
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Alabama.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Mobile, Alabama," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_County,_Alabama 6/013/2017.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Alabama.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Mobile County, Alabama. Page 37 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 33.
  7. ↑ Alabama Counties: Mobile County in Alabama Department of Archives and History (accessed 16 March 2014)
  8. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Alabama.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  9. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Mobile County, Alabama," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_County,_Alabama, accessed 23 October 2018.
  10. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/c/cf/Igialabamals.pdf.
  11. ↑ Coverage Table, "Alabama County Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)," FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Alabama_County_Marriages_(FamilySearch_Historical_Records), accessed 6 August 2012.
  12. ↑ National Park Service, Civil War Battles. Filter by state or battle name.
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