Madison County, Alabama Genealogy

United States   Alabama    |Madison County

County Courthouse
Madison County Alabama 100 North Side Square Huntsville, Al 35801-4820 Phone: 256-532-3327

Probate Judge has marriage probate and land records from 1809 Clerk Circuit court has divorce and Court Records County Courthouse has death and buried records

Parent County
13 December 1808: Madison County was created from the Cherokee and Chickasaw Cession of 1806-1807.

Neighboring Counties
Jackson | Limestone | Marshall | Morgan | Franklin County, Tennessee

Cities
Gurley | Huntsville | Madison | New Hope| Owens Cross Roads| Triana

Census Designations
Harvest | Hazel Green| Meridianville | Moores Mill| New Market| Redstone Arsenal

Cemeteries
BillionGraves:


 * Maple Hill Cemetery, Huntsville
 * Brown Cemetery, New Hope
 * Ryland Cemetery, Huntsville one of two cemeteries at Ryland Pike and Dug Hill Road. The Ryland Cemetery is on both sides of Ryland Pike with another cemetery south of it.
 * Valhalla Memorial Gardens, Huntsville

General cemetery sites and listings:


 * Madison County Cemetery Listing by Surname ~  ALGenWeb

Census

 * 1809 Census of Madison County ~  ALGenWeb
 * 1830 Census Index and Transcription ~  USGenWeb Archives Project
 * 1840 Census Index and Transcription ~  USGenWeb Archives Project
 * 1850 Census Index and Transcription ~  USGenWeb Archives Project
 * 1860 Census Index and Transcription ~  USGenWeb Archives Project
 * 1900 Census Index and Transcription ~  USGenWeb Archives Project

Minute Books
Court Records of Madison County, Alabama ALGenWeb (Varied records, including: Minute Book, Naturalization, Probate Index)

Chancery and Circuit Court
Madison County Chancery and Circuit Court Records are available for free online at FamilySearch. This collection contains records of disputed estates and divorces.


 * Alabama Madison County Chancery and Circut Court Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)..
 * This collection has two parts to it. First it contains the Chancery Court Case Files from 1841+ (Case No. 173+), and second, it contains the Circuit Court Divorce and Disputed Estate files from ca 1907+

Orphan Court

 * [1810-1817] Johnson, Dorothy Scott. Madison county, Alabama Orphans Court Minutes 1810-1817. FHL US/CAN Book 976.197 P2j
 * [1824+] See Alabama State Archives

Genealogy

 * Madison county Public Library has surname vertical file material. In 1978 this was microfilmed and is available on film at the FHL.
 * Madison County, AL Genealogy Forum

Immigration
Early settlers came primarily from Tennessee, Georgia and Virgina.

Court Records of Madison County, Alabama ALGenWeb (Varied records, including: Minute Book, Naturalization, Probate Index)

Land and Property
Grants

"The original land office for Madison county, Mississippi Territory was established in Nashville, Tennessee on Mar 3, 1807 and was moved to Huntsville in 1811. In 1807 Thomas Freeman, Government Surveyor, was assigned to survey the the lands in the “Triangle” which became Madison Co., Mississippi Territory on Dec 13, 1808. A census of the inhabitants was taken by him in January 1809. Subsequently, acting as Registrar, he received the “squatters” applications to buy their land. After a fee was paid, permission was granted then to remain as “tenants at will” on their land with rights to purchase at auction at a Public Land Sale. This sale took place at Nashville in August 1809 and fee simple land titles were established. (Less than half of the men who made application appear in the Tract Book.)"

There were no land grants given for military service in Madison county until after the Mexican war.


 * Cowart, Margaret Matthews . Old land records of Madison County, Alabama. FHL US/CAN BOOK 976.197 R2c. See catalog for scope description. Has index and map of original "triangle" that was Madison county.

Deeds


 * [1810-1819] Johnson, Dorothy Scott. Madison County, Alabama deed books A, B, C, D, E, 1810-1819 (territorial) : a synopsis of every instrument recorded in deed books A through E, which covers the period Madison County was a part of the Mississippi and Alabama territories from July, 1810 through November, 1819. (Huntsville, Alabama : Johnson Historical Publications (AL), c1976 ) FHL US/CAN Book 976.197 R2j.
 * [1810-1886] FHL has direct and reserve index on film. Also deed books on film.

Timeline

 * Madison County was established on December 13, 1808 by the Governor of the Mississippi Territory.
 * The county is named in honor of James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America, and the first to visit the state of Alabama.
 * It is recognized as the "birthplace" of Alabama,which was founded there on December 14 1819.
 * The economy of Madison county revolved mainly around agriculture, being recognized as one of the largest cotton-producing counties in the state. This all changed in 1950.
 * In 1950, a group of German rocket scientists, led by Wernher von Braun, came to Redstone Arsenal and developed, among others, the Redstone rocket, which was modified to launch the first two Americans into space.
 * Tens of thousands of jobs came to the area as a result of the Space Race.
 * The population of Madison County in 1950 was 72,903.
 * The population rose to 298,192 in 2005.
 * The population according to the 2010 Census was 334,811.
 * The County seat is Huntsville.

Wikipedia

Newspapers

 * Madison county newspapers - a listing of newspapers published in the county &amp; libraries that hold them; via the Library of Congress.

Obituaries

 * Huntsville Obituary Index - searchable database of obits done by the Huntsville Madison County Public Library *Madison County, Alabama Obituary and Death Notices Collection - A free collection of obituaries and death notices from various funeral homes in the Madison County area has been put together by GenealogyBuffs.com.

Probate Records

 * Partlow, Thomas E. Franklin County, Tennessee Wills, 1808-1876 &amp; Deeds, 1801-1840 (Southern Historical Press, Inc. Greenville, SC, 1991) FHL US/CAN Book 976.863 P2pt.
 * Court Records of Madison County, Alabama ALGenWeb (Varied records, including: Minute Book, Naturalization, Probate Index)

Vital Records
Compendiums


 * Madison County, Alabama Vital Records
 * Nearly 21,000 Madison County births (1881-1930) and 44,000 marriages (1816-1957) are indexed in the database at FamilySearch.org. See Alabama Births and Christenings (FamilySearch Historical Records for more information about this database.

Births

Marriages

Deaths

See also 'obituaries'.

Archives, Libraries, and Museums

 * Huntsville Madison County Public Library

Courthouses
County Courthouse 700 100 Northside Sq., Huntsville, AL 35801

Family History Center

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Byrd Springs Alabama Family History Center
 * 2110 Byrd Spring Rd Huntsville, Madison, Alabama, United States Phone: 256-881-4461 Hours: W-T 9am-12pm

Wednesday 6:30pm-8:30pm Thursday 6:30 - 9:00 pm by appt any day Closed: Closed the last two weeks of December.


 * Huntsville Alabama
 * 1804 Sparkman Dr Huntsville, Madison, Alabama, United States Phone: 256-721-0905 Hours: Wednesday 10am-1pm or by Appointment. Closures: Week of Thanksgiving and Christmas
 * Madison-Harvest Alabama
 * 1297 Slaughter Rd Madison, Madison, Alabama, United States Phone: 256-722-9450 Hours: T-W 6:30 pm-8:30pm; Th 10am-12pm. Closures: December 15-January 4, 2012; closed if there is accumulated snow or tornadic weather

Web Sites

 * Madison County, ALGenWeb - free genealogy resources; part of the national USGenWeb Project
 * Madison County, Alabama Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Madison County, Alabama Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)