Walker County, Alabama Genealogy

United States

Alabama

Walker County

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

Alabama Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Jasper Organized: December 26, 1823 Parent County(s): Marion, Tuscaloosa Neighboring Counties Blount • Cullman • Fayette • Jefferson • Marion • Tuscaloosa • Winston See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Walker County was created on 26 December 1823 and named after Senator John Walker, who represented the state of Alabama in the U.S. Senate from 1819 until 1822. Its county seat is Jasper. It is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Walker County Courthouse
1801 3rd Avenue, #205
Jasper, AL 35501
Phone: 205-384-7268
Fax: 205-384-7271
Walker County Website

Records burned 1877
Probate Judge has marriage and probate records

Walker 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
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1929	1877	1890	1877	1877	1877	1816
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1908. General compliance for births by 1927 and for deaths 1925.

Record Loss

Walker County had destructive courthouse fires in 1865, 1877, 1886, and 1932. See Research in Alabama: A Genealogical Guide page 29 for suggested alternative sources to overcome this loss. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki. List of counties in the United States with Record Loss

Boundary Changes

1823--Walker County was created 26 December 1823 from Marion and Tuscaloosa Counties. County seat: Jasper Alabama Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county Alabama Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating Alabama county boundary changes

Populated Places

The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in Walker County:

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

Cities
Carbon Hill Cordova	Dora Jasper (county seat)	Sumiton
Towns
Eldridge Kansas	Nauvoo Oakman	Parrish Sipsey
Unincorporated communities
Argo Benoit Boldo Burnwell Coal Valley Corinth Corona Curry	Dogtown Empire Goodsprings Hilliard Lupton Manchester McCollum	Mount Hope Quinton Saragossa Slicklizzard Spring Hill Townley Union Chapel

Resources

Bible Records

• Walker County, Alabama Bible Records at Access Genealogy
• Walker County, Alabama Bible Records at Alabama Genealogy
• Walker County Bible Records at USGenWeb Archives Project
• Palmer Family Bible at Rootsweb

Biographies

• Northern Alabama, Historical and Biographical. Birmingham, Ala.: Smith and De Land, 1888. Pg. 171. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Walker, Alabama online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Find a Grave BillionGraves USGW Tombstone Transcription Project Interment.net Ancestry.com Cemetery Records of Jefferson and Walker Counties, Alabama. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Society, 1945. Digital version, ($) Photos of Manasco Cemetery
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch Catalog WorldCat.org
List of Cemeteries in the County	Find a Grave BillionGraves FamilySearch Places
See Alabama Cemeteries for more information

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1830	2,202	—
1840	4,032	83.1%
1850	5,124	27.1%
1860	7,980	55.7%
1870	6,543	−18.0%
1880	9,479	44.9%
1890	16,078	69.6%
1900	25,162	56.5%
1910	37,013	47.1%
1920	50,593	36.7%
1930	59,445	17.5%
1940	64,201	8.0%
1950	63,769	−0.7%
1960	54,211	−15.0%
1970	56,246	3.8%
1980	68,660	22.1%
1990	67,670	−1.4%
2000	70,713	4.5%
2010	67,023	−5.2%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

State Census

• 1855 Alabama State Census, 1855 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1866 Alabama State Census, 1866 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1907, 1921, 1927 Alabama, Census of Confederate Veterans, 1907, 1921, 1927 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

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.

• 1831-1994 Alabama, Church Records, 1831-1994 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places

Court Records

• Walking Back in Time, v.15 ; (Walker County Genealogical Society : Alabama). 2004. By Walker County Genealogical Society (Jasper, Alabama). Jasper, Alabama : Walker County Genealogical Society, Inc. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Walking Back in Time, v.16 ; (Walker County Genealogical Society : Alabama). 2005. By Walker County Genealogical Society (Jasper, Alabama). Jasper, Alabama : Walker County Genealogical Society, Inc. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Walker County, Alabama Loose Papers at Alabama Genealogical Society – index; links to FamilySearch images

Directories

• 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

• 1865-1872 Alabama, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only

Funeral Homes

• Collins-Burke Funeral Home in Jasper
• Freeman Hood Funeral Services in Jasper
• Kilgore Green Funeral Home in Jasper
• New Horizon Memorial Funeral Home and Garden in Dora

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.

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

• Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Walker 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 976.176 E7b.

Online Land Indexes and Records

• Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Walker 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.

• History of Walker County: Its Towns and Its People. By John Martin Dombhart. Thornton, Ark.: Cayce Pub. Co., 1937. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Alabama (1799-1980)
• Family Maps of Walker County (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
• Alabama Maps and Blueprints Collection at Alabama Department of Archives and History – maps can be browsed by location or subject

Military Records

Multiple Wars

• ca.1918-ca.1962 Alabama, Military Discharge Records, ca.1918 - ca.1962 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

Civil War

• 1861-1865 Alabama Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index, images at partner site
• 1861-1865 Alabama Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index, images at partner site
• 1861-1865 Civil War Service Database at Alabama Department of Archives and History - index
  
• 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
• 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
• 1871-1880 Alabama, Southern Claims Commission Approved Claims, 1871-1880 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1880-1930 Alabama, Confederate Pension Applications, ca. 1880-1930's at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1907, 1921, 1927 Alabama, Census of Confederate Veterans, 1907, 1921, 1927 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images;
• Alabama Civil War and Reconstruction Newspapers at Alabama Department of Archives and History

Regiments. Men in Walker 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 Walker County:

- 4th Regiment, Alabama Cavalry (Roddy's), Company K

- 22nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A

- 28th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E, F and L

- 43rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H, I and K

- 50th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company K, formerly Co. "?", 5th Battalion

World War I

• 1917-1919 Alabama, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1917-1918 Alabama World War I Service Records at Alabama Department of Archives and History - alpha index by name and images
  
• 1917-1918 Alabama World War I Gold Star Files at Alabama Department of Archives and History - alpha index by name and images
  

World War II

• 1940-1945 Alabama, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1940-1966 Alabama Active Military Service Reports at Alabama Department of Archives and History - alpha index by name and images
  

Naturalization and Citizenship

• 1855-1969 Alabama, U.S. District Court Naturalization Records, 1855-1969 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Northern and Southern Districts of Alabama

Newspapers

• 1800s-Current Alabama, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

• 1916-1921 Walker County Messenger, 1916-1921. n.d. by Jeannette Holland Austin. Riverdale, GA: J.H. Austin. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

• Alabama Civil War and Reconstruction Newspapers at Alabama Department of Archives and History

Other Records

Voter Registration

• 1834-1981 Alabama Voter Registration and Poll Tax Cards, 1834-1981 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and some images

Alabama Voting Registers for 1867 are available online at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Walker County has two books:

• Book 1
• Book 2

Periodicals

• Walking Back in Time. Publication of the Walker County Genealogical Society. Digital versions at: FamilySearch Digital Library-Vol. 15, FamilySearch Digital Library-Vol. 16.

Probate Records

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1753–1999 Alabama Wills and Probate Records 1753-1999 at Ancestry ($)
• 1809-1985 Alabama Probate Records, 1809-1985(*) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images; coverage may vary
• 1830-1976 Alabama Estate Files, 1830-1976(*) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images; coverage may vary
• Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

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.

• 1847 1840's Walker County tax record, digitized at FamilySearch Digital Library-Vol. 15.
• 1865-1866 U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 at Ancestry ($). Walker County is in District 3.

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

• 1881-1930 Alabama, Births and Christenings, 1881-1930 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
• 1881-1930 Alabama, County Birth Registers, 1881-1930 at FamilySearch — index, and some images - How to Use this Collection; index and some images
• Walker County Births at ALGenWeb.

Marriage

• 1733-2013 Alabama, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($)
• 1800-1969 Alabama, U.S., Marriage Index, 1800-1969 at Ancestry ($)
• 1802-1825 Alabama, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1802-1825 at Ancestry ($)
• 1809-1920 Alabama, U.S., Compiled Marriages from Selected Counties, 1809-1920 at Ancestry ($)
• 1809–1950 Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and some images
• 1816-1957 Alabama Marriages, 1816-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
• 1818-1936 Alabama County Marriages, 1818-1936 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
• 1875–1895 Walker County Marriage Index 1875-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• Walker County Marriages at ALGenWeb

Death

• 1881–1952 Alabama, Deaths and Burials, 1881-1952 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
• 1881-1974 Alabama, U.S., Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974 at Ancestry ($)
• 1908-1959 Alabama, U.S., Death Index, 1908-1959 at Ancestry ($)
• 1908–1974 Alabama, Deaths, 1908-1974 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
• Walker County Deaths at ALGenWeb

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

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

• Birmingham Alabama FamilySearch Center
• Gardendale Alabama FamilySearch Center
• Jasper Alabama FamilySearch Center
• Birmingham Public Library - an affiliate library
• Wallace State College - an affiliate library

Libraries

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

Carl Elliott Regional Library
98 18th St East
Jasper, AL 35501
Phone: 205-221-2584
Email: contact@carlelliottregionallibrary.com
Website
Facebook

Includes the following branch locations, among others:

Carbon Hill Public Library
215 2nd Street NW
PO Box 116
Carbon Hill, AL 35549
Phone: 205-924-4254
Facebook

Jasper Public Library
98 18th Street East
Jasper, AL 35501
Phone: 205-221-2584
Facebook

Sumiton Public Library
416 State Street
PO Box 10
Sumiton, AL 35148
Phone: 205-648-7451
Facebook

Societies

Walker County Genealogical Society
PO Box 3408
Jasper, AL 35502-3408
Facebook

Websites

• USGenWeb project may have maps, name indexes, history, or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
  
• USGenWeb Archives Project. Record transcriptions from Bibles, obituaries, court records and more.
• Walker County ALGenWeb. Record transcriptions and information pertinent to the county.
• Walker County, Alabama Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

This table contains the dates the local or state government began recording in the county or county equivalent. Use substitute records for earlier dates. If you believe there is an error, email us at wikisupport@familysearch.org.

County boundary maps are currently unavailable. Download information instead.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

Users should verify which locations and dates are included in this collection.

“Current” indicates records are available as recently as privacy laws allow. This date can change from year to year. To determine the exact dates available, contact the respective organization/repository.

Due to contractual agreements, some images and/or databases on FamilySearch.org may only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center or FamilySearch Affiliate Library.

FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.