Alabama Vital Records

Research Alabama Vital Records Online

The online information super highway allows a family history researcher to find information in seconds that may have taken months to find 20 years ago. Modern research is faster and easier than ever before. Online vital record resources are a fast and easy way to find indexes and extracts of birth, marriage, death and divorce records. While the internet can deliver almost instantaneous results, original records should always be consulted.

Introduction, Why Vital Records Were Created

To learn more about vital records: United States Vital Records

Locating: United States Vital Records

Record Coverage

          time and place

Birth and Death Records

County Records

Beginning in 1881, counties were required to record births and deaths, though records do not exist for every county. The county death records specify name, age, gender, race, date, place, and cause of death.

State Records

In Alabama statewide registration of births and deaths began in January,1908 and was generally complied with by 1927. The Bureau of Vital Statistics / Center for Health Statistics Record Servies has Alabama birth and death records from 1908 to the present.

The Family History Library has microfilms of statewide death records and death indexes for 1908 to 1972:

Alabama. Department of Health (Montgomery, Alabama). Deaths, 1908–1972; Index to Deaths, 1908–1969. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1993.

Marriage Records

County Records

Before statewide registration of marriages, the clerk of the probate court in each county issued licenses and recorded marriages. These records usually begin within 10 years of the creation of the county. By 1900 ?????, marriage certificates listed the names of the bride and groom, date of marriage, bondsmen, and licensed officiant. The records may include the names of parents and their ages, occupations, and number of previous marriages for each spouse.

The Family History Library has microfilms of the county marriage records for most Alabama counties.

State Records

Statewide registration of marriages began in August,1936. The statewide marriage records are located at the State Department of Public Health / Center for Health Stat.....(see address above).

The Family History Library has films of the statewide marriage records from 1936 to 1992 and indexes from 1936 to 1959:

Alabama. Department of Health. (Montgomery, Alabama). Marriage Certificates, 1936–1992; Index, 1936–1959. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1993.

Alabama Marriage Collection, 1800-1969

Alabama Marriages to 1825

Alabama Marriages, 1809-1920<br>

<br>

Important Dates

Pre 1881 Vital Records

1702 Settlement of Alabama began (obtain and link to map showing settlement patterns)&nbsp;

1795-1810&nbsp;Alabama was a&nbsp;part of Mississippi (obtain and link a map)

---

Alabama a part of Florida (obtain and link to a map)

1817 Alabama became a territory of the United States (what other areas did the territory include -&nbsp; link to a map)

1819 Alabama achieved Statehood (62 years until counties required to record BMD)

Lost / Missing Records

Some counties may have lost records due to fire, flood, military actions or other events.

SEE Also: Alabama Burned Counties

Burned Counties Research

To learn of lost records search for&nbsp;the particular county you are intereded in.

The list below indicates some of the known record loss for Alabama counties.

(Butler county courthouse burned April 1853,Calhoun rec loss 1861 &amp; 1865, &nbsp;Cherokee records burned in 1882, Clay rec loss 1875, Coffee/Elba rec loss 1877, Conecuh rec loss 1868,1875,1885,1895, Coosa rec loss 1900,Covington rec burned 1895,Dale rec los 1895, Escambia rec loss 1868, Fayette rec loss 1866 &amp; 1916, &nbsp;Franklin rec burned 1890,Geneva rec loss 1898, Green rec loss 1868, Jackson rec loss 1864, 1920, Jefferson rec loss 1870, Limestoone rec loss 1862, Marengo rec loss 1848, 1965, &nbsp;Marion rec burned 1883, 1887, Mobile rec loss 1823,1840,1872, &nbsp;Monroe burned prior to 1833, rec loss 1832,&nbsp;Pickens rec loss 1864, 1876, Pike rec loss 1830, Randolph rec loss 1896, Sumpter rec loss 1901, &nbsp;Walker rec burned 1865,1877, 1886, 1932)

ADD an INTERACTIVE county map of Alabama showing counties with records loss.

Where to Get the Record,

For information about county birth and death records, write to the county health department. Learn when the county was created.

Addresses for county offices may to located by:

• On Line
  *Reference Aids: HandyBook for Genealogist, Ancestry's Red Book, and others

<br>For copies of birth and death registrations after 1908, write to:

Center for Health Statistics Record Services<br>State Department of Public Health <br>P.O. Box 5625 <br>Montgomery, AL 36103 <br>Telephone: 334-206-5418 <br>Fax: 334-262-9563 <br>Internet address: RSA Tower <br>201 Monroe St., Suite 1150 <br>Montgomery, AL 36104

For current fees for obtaining copies of the state’s records contact the state office or visit their Web site.

Alabama Vital Records

Alabama Statewide Death Certificate: A free internet index and images to the Alabama Statewide Death Certificates can be viewed on the FamilySearch Record Search&nbsp;website. For a description of the collection see Alabama Statewide Death Certificates

Alabama Death, 1908-1959<br>

Finding aids

Indexes<br>

There are several statewide indexes:

Early Alabama Marriages 1810–1850: Many Continue or End Between 1850 to 1900, a Few Continue Through from 1900–1936. San Antonio, Texas: Family Adventures, 1991. There are indexes for grooms and brides. This same information is published in Early Alabama Marriage Records.&nbsp; These volumes were also published in 1991.

Alabama Marriages Early to 1825: A Research Tool. Bountiful, Utah: Precision Indexing, 1991. Over 6,000 marriages are listed alphabetically with the name of the couple and their date and county of marriage.

Marriage Records [Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina]. Orem, Utah: Automated Archives, 1994. (FHL compact disc Series 9 number 3.) The dates of the records for each county vary. The earliest records begin in 1807 and the latest extend to 1902.

Early (time coverage????)&nbsp;marriage records are also included in the Gandrud and Jones Alabama Records Collection (see the "Genealogy" section of this outline).<br>

Record Content

Birth records: date and place&nbsp;of birth, name of child, name of parents. may include:&nbsp;parents place of birth, sibling numbers, multiple birth<br>

Death records: date&nbsp;and place of death, name of deceased, may include: name of spouse, birth date and place,name&nbsp;of parents,&nbsp;occupation, cause of death, burial place, church affiliation

Marriage records: name of bride and groom, date and place of marriage may include: witnesses, parents names, name of officiator

Record Reliability

The information given on a birth or death certificate is given by an informant.&nbsp; Learn the relationship of the informant to determine accuracy.

Tips

If you are unable to locate a vital records recorded by civil governments; search for a church record of christening, marriage, burial or death. A Family Bible may have been used to record family birth, marriages and deaths.

If you are of African American desent the records for your ancestors may be in separate vital records&nbsp;with separate&nbsp;indexes.

See Also

Subtitute Records

Church Records

Federal census:&nbsp; ........1850-1880; 1900-1930......

Alabama Census

<br>

MOVE chart to census

Head of Household | |- | &nbsp;1831 and 1832 | Alabama | Every name | |- | &nbsp;1833 | Alabama | Head of Household | |- | &nbsp;1834,1835,1836,1837,1838 and 1839 | Alabama | Every Name | |- | &nbsp;1855,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865 and 1866 | Alabama | Head of Household | |- | | | | |} Cemetery Records: Newspapers: obituary, announcemnets, Military Records: pension, elistment<br> Divorce Records Alabama Divorce Index, 1950-1959 Adoption Records http://adph.org/vitalrecords/ Vital Records and Privacy Laws Privacy laws restrict access to the records of living individuals, the individual must apply for their records, parents may be permitted to obtain a records for a child. <br> <br> Vital records are listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under: ALABAMA- VITAL RECORDS ALABAMA, [COUNTY]- VITAL RECORDS ALABAMA, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- VITAL RECORDS Web Sites http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#start *http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/alabama.htm *http://home.att.net/~wee-monster/deathrecords.html *http://www.ancestry.com/ *http://www.ancestryinstitution.com/ http://www.50states.com/vitalrecords/alabama.htm &nbsp; *http://www.daddezio.com/records/room/RR-AL-NDX.html *http://www.deathindexes.com/alabama/index.html

Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)