Sumter County, Alabama Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Livingston
Organized: December 18, 1832
Parent County(s): Choctaw Cession[1]
Neighboring Counties
Choctaw • Greene • Kemper (MS) • Lauderdale (MS) • Marengo • Noxubee (MS) • Pickens
See County Maps
Courthouse
Sumter County, Alabama Courthouse.jpg
Location Map
Sumter County Alabama.png

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

Sumter County was created on 18 December 1832 and was named for General Thomas Sumter, of South Carolina.[2] Its county seat is Livingston.[3] It is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Sumter County Courthouse
115 Franklin St
PO Box 936
Livingston, AL 35470
Phone: 205-652-2291
Fax: 205-652-1010
Sumter County Website

Probate Judge has a few birth records from 1888-1918, marriage and probate record from 1833, land records and historical voters maps [4]

Sumter County, Alabama Record Dates[edit | edit source]

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[5]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1888 1833 1881 1876 1825 1833 1816
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1908. General compliance for births by 1927 and for deaths 1925.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

Sumter County had a destructive courthouse fire in 1901.[6]
For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:


Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in Sumter County:[8]

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

Cities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
  • Bluffport
  • Boyd
  • Brewersville
  • Brownstown
  • Derby
  • Dove
  • Dug Hill
  • Fair Oaks
  • Gaston
  • Hall Creek
  • Hamner
  • Hixon
  • Intercourse
  • Kinterbish
  • Lilita
  • McCainville
  • McDowell
  • Millville
  • Old Bluffport
  • Parker
  • Payneville
  • Persimmon Grove
  • Scratch Hill
  • Siloam
  • Ward
  • Warsaw
  • Whitfield
Census-designated places


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Sumter, 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

State Census[edit | edit source]

Church Records[edit | edit source]

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

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

African American

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

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.

To place a grant or deed on a map within context of Sumter County see:

  • Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Sumter County, Alabama: with Homesteads, Roads, Waterways, Towns, Cemeteries, Railroads, and More. Norman, Okla.: Arphax Pub. Co., 2007. This is a definitive work and can be used as an index to land grants. Digital version at HistoryGeo.com ($). Website includes surname index. FS Library Book 976.141 E7b.

Online Land Indexes and Records


Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Local histories are available for Sumter 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.

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

PickensGreeneMarengoChoctawLauderdale County, MSKemper County, MSNoxubee County, MSAL SUMTER.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Multiple Wars

Civil War

Regiments. Men in Sumter 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 Sumter County:

- 5th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B
- 5th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F "Cahaba Rifles"
- 36th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A
- 40th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A and C

World War I

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Voter Registration

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Online Probate Indexes and Records


School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Death[edit | edit source]

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

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

FamilySearch Centers[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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

Hightower Memorial Library
630 Avenue A
York, AL 36925
Phone: 205-392-2004
Email: hmlibrary28@gmail.com
Facebook

Julia Tutwiler Library
UWA Station 12
100 US Highway 11
Livingston, AL 35470
Phone: 205-652-3613
Email: uwalibrary@uwa.edu
Website
Facebook

Ruby Pickens Tartt Public Library
201 Monroe St
Livingston, AL 35470
Phone: 205-652-2349
Email: rptlibrary@bellsouth.net
Website
Facebook

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

Sumter County Historical Society
207 N Washington St
PO Box 213
Livingston, AL 35470
Phone: 205-652-4015
Facebook

Websites[edit | edit source]

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Sumter, Alabama," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumter_County,_Alabama 6/26/2017.
  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. ↑ 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.
  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. ↑ Alabama Counties: Sumter County in Alabama Department of Archives and History (accessed 16 March 2014).
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Sumter County, Alabama," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumter_County,_Alabama, accessed 26 October 2018.
  9. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/c/cf/Igialabamals.pdf.
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