Choctaw County, Alabama Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
County Clerk has marriage probate and land records from 1873 Clerk Circuit Cout has court and divorce records.

Description
The County was named for the Choctaw tribe of American Indians. The County has Butler as its seat and the County was created December 29, 1847. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

Parent County
1847--Choctaw County was created 29 December 1847 from Washington and Sumter Counties. County seat: Butler

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Alabama county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Alabama County Boundary Maps" (1799-1980) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
Choctaw County had destructive courthouse fires in 1859 and 1871. See Research in Alabama: A Genealogical Guide  page 26 for suggested alternative sources to overcome this loss.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Neighboring Counties

 * Clarke County, Mississippi
 * Lauderdale County, Mississippi
 * Marengo
 * Sumter
 * Washington
 * Wayne County, Mississippi

Cemeteries
The following web site has additional information on Choctaw county cemeteries.


 * Interment.net Alabama cemetery records by county.


 * Cemetery Records of Choctaw County, Alabama. 1945.

Census
State Census


 * 1866 - at FamilySearch — index

Local Histories

 * Alokoli: The Choctaw County Bicentennial Book. Butler, Ala.: Choctaw County Bicentennial Commission, 1976. Digital version at - free;.

Maps

 * Maps of Alabama (1799-1980)

Civil War
Civil War service men from Choctaw County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies or regiments that were formed from men of Choctaw County.


 * - 3rd Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company A, Ruffin Dragoons
 * - 22nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C "Brownrigg Warriors"
 * - 23rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G
 * - 32nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F
 * - 40th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D, E and F
 * - 54th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C (formerly Co. "B", 1st AL, TN, and MS Infantry)
 * - 54th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F (formerly Co. "F", 1st AL, TN, and MS Infantry)

Online Records
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1871-1880 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1880-1930 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1907, 1921, 1927 - at FamilySearch — images

World War I

 * 1917-1919 - at FamilySearch — index

Probate Records

 * Wills, Choctaw County, Alabama at USGenWeb.com Includes Indexes to Will Book A, B and C beginning in the year 1871.

Online Probate Records
 * 1753 – 1999 Alabama Wills and Probate Records 1753-1999 at Ancestry $
 * 1809 – 1985 at FamilySearch

Taxation

 * 1865-1866 - U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 at Ancestry $. Choctaw County is in District 1.

Vital Records
See also How to order Alabama Vital Records

Birth

 * Birth and Death Index ALGenWeb


 * 1881 – 1930 at FamilySearch

Marriage

 * 1733-2013 - Alabama, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * To 1825 Index to Marriages at Ancestry$. contains over 12,000 names. Each entry includes groom, bride, marriage date, county, and state. Every name is indexed so you can search for one name, or two names that are linked.


 * 1936–1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800–1969 at Ancestry$. This collection is comprised of indexes created by several agencies - the Alabama Center for Health Statistics, Jordan Dodd of Liahona Research, and Hunting For Bears.


 * Marriage Index at ALGenWeb- free


 * 1809 – 1950 at FamilySearch
 * 1816 – 1957 at FamilySearch.org
 * 1800 – 1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800-1969 at Ancestry $
 * 1809 – 1920 Alabama Marriages, 1809-1920 (Selected Counties) at Ancestry $

Death

 * 1881–1974 Index to Deaths and Burials at Ancestry $. The number of available records can vary widely by county, and this database does not necessarily represent a comprehensive set of death records for the state during this time.


 * 1908–1959 Index to Deaths recorded by the state of Alabama at Ancestry$. The index includes name of the deceased, county of death, date of death, and the state certificate number (volume and page).


 * 1908-1974 - FamilySearch Historical Records Collection - free


 * Birth and Death Index at ALGenWeb- free


 * 1881 – 1952 at FamilySearch — index


 * 1908 – 1974 at FamilySearch — index


 * 1881 – 1974 Alabama, Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974 at Ancestry $


 * 1908 – 1959 [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=5188 Alabama Deaths,

1908-59] at Ancestry $

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


 * Book 1
 * Book 2

Societies and Libraries
Choctaw County Genealogical Society 4244 County Rd. 43 Butler, AL  36904 The Choctaw County Genealogical Society

Choctaw County Historical and Genealogical Society & Choctaw County Historical Museum P. O. Box 162 Gilbertown, AL 36908 205-459-3888

Choctaw Choctaw County Public Library 205-459-2542 Facebook Choctaw County, Alabama Some Sources For Research


 * List of Alabama Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies


 * Choctaw County, Alabama
 * Choctaw Co. AL


 * United States Resources: Alabama


 * Al Gen Web

Family History Center

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Toxey Alabama

Find a Family History Center
 * Family History Center
 * 21290 Highway 17 Gilbertown, Choctaw, Alabama, United States Phone: 205-673-2344 Hours: W 10am-3pm; and by appointment. Closed: Weeks of major holidays.

Websites

 * Choctaw County, AL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * USGenWeb Archives Project ~ contains record transcriptions from Bibles, obituaries, court records and more.
 * Choctaw County ALGenWeb ~ record transcriptions and information pertinent to the county.
 * Choctaw County, Alabama Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Choctaw County, Alabama Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)