Butler County, Alabama Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
Courthouse burned April 1853 Probate Judge has birth and death records 1894-1919 Marriage, probate and land records

Description
The County was named in honor of Captain William Butler, who was born in Virginia, fought in the Creek War, and who was killed by native Americans near Butler Springs on the morning of 20 March 1818. The County has Greenville as its seat and the County was created December 13, 1819. The County is located in the south central area of the state.

Parent County
1819--Butler County was created 13 December 1819 from Conecuh and Monroe Counties. County seat: Greenville

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
1853 Butler County had a destructive courthouse fire in 1853. See Research in Alabama: A Genealogical Guide  page 25 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

 * Conecuh
 * Covington
 * Crenshaw
 * Lowndes
 * Monroe
 * Wilcox

African American
The following have information concerning African American research. Both should be used:


 * African American Research (US) has more information about the kinds of records


 * Alabama Minorities has information specific to Alabama African Americans.

Biography

 * Little, John Buckner. The History of Butler County, Alabama: From 1815 to 1885: With Sketches of Some of Her Most Distinguished Citizens and Glances at Her Rich and Varied Resources. Cincinnati: Elm St. Print. Co., 1885. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Butler County Biographies at The USGenWeb Archives Project - free.

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


 * Interment.net Alabama cemetery records by county.


 * FamilySearch Digital Library-Alabama Cemetery Records may have additional Butler County cemeteries.

Census
State Census


 * 1866 - at FamilySearch — index

Land and Property
To place a grant or deed on a map within context of see:


 * Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Butler County, Alabama: with Homesteads, Roads, Waterways, Towns, Cemeteries, Railroads, and More. Norman, Okla.: Arphax Pub. Co., 2006. This is a definitive work and can be used as an index to land grants. Digital version at HistoryGeo.com ($). Website includes free surname index..

Local Histories

 * Little, John Buckner. The History of Butler County, Alabama 1815 to 1885. Cincinnati, Ohio: Elm St. Printing, 1885. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Little, John Buckner. The History of Butler County, Alabama: From 1815 to 1885: With Sketches of Some of Her Most Distinguished Citizens and Glances at Her Rich and Varied Resources. Cincinnati: Elm St. Print. Co., 1885. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Maps

 * Maps of Alabama (1799-1980)
 * Family Maps of (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Civil War
Civil War service men from Butler 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 Butler County.


 * - 1st Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company E "J. Powell's Dragoons"
 * - 1st Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company H "Sandy Williams' Guards"
 * - 1st Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company I
 * - 2nd Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company E
 * - 7th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F
 * - 8th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F "Greenville Guards"
 * - 9th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G "Jeff Davis Rangers"
 * - 17th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B and K
 * - 17th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C (Butler Rifles)
 * - 18th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F (Tom Watts Rifles)
 * - 33rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C, D and H
 * - 58th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E
 * - 59th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H and I
 * - 60th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H
 * - 61st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C

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

World War II

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Probate Records
Online Probate Records
 * 1753 – 1999 Alabama Wills and Probate Records 1753-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1809 – 1985 at FamilySearch — images

Taxation

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

Vital Records
See also How to order Alabama Vital Records

Birth

 * 1894-1920 - Butler County Marriage Index 1894-1920 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1881–1930 - at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1881-1930 - at FamilySearch — index

Marriage

 * 1733-2013 - Alabama, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * To 1825 Index to Marriages at Ancestry– ($); Index. 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.


 * 1853–1870, 1913, 1936–1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800-1969 at Ancestry– ($); Index. 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.


 * 1853–1870 "Alabama Marriages, 1809-1920"at Ancestry– ($); Index. This database is a collection of marriage records from the state. Researchers will find the names of both bride and groom along with the marriage date. The county where the ceremony was performed is also provided. Containing about 150,000 records and the names of nearly 300,000 men and women.


 * 1853-1929 - Butler County Marriage Books 1-6, K-O Index 1853-1929 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.


 * Marriages at ALGenWeb - free.


 * 1809 – 1950 at FamilySearch.org — index/images


 * 1816 – 1957 at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1800 – 1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800-1969 at Ancestry.com — index $


 * 1809 – 1920 Alabama Marriages, 1809-1920 (Selected Counties) at Ancestry.com — index $

Death

 * 1881–1974 Index to Deaths and Burials at Ancestry– ($); Index. Volunteers extracted the details in this index from microfilmed copies of church, civil, family, and other records of Alabama deaths and burials. details vary depending on the original record. Note that 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.


 * 1894-1920 - Butler County Marriage Index 1894-1920 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1906-1910 - Greenville Death Index 1906-1910. Batch at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1908-1914 - Greenville Death Index 1908-1914. Batch at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1908–1959 Index to Deaths recorded by the state of Alabama at Ancestry– ($); Index. 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


 * Deaths at ALGenWeb - free.


 * 1881 – 1952 at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1908 – 1974 at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1881 – 1974 Alabama, Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974 at Ancestry.com — index $


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


 * 1908-59] at Ancestry.com — index $

Vital Record Substitutes
A free collection of obituaries and death notices from various funeral homes in the Butler County area has been put together by GenealogyBuffs:


 * Butler County, Alabama Obituary and Death Notices Collection at ALGenWeb - free

Voting Registers
Alabama Voting Registers for 1867 are available online at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Butler County has one book.

Societies and Libraries
Butler County Historical and Genealogical Society Inc. P. O. Box 561 Greenville, AL 36037 334-383-9564 Publication: Quarterly historyroom@alaweb.com The Butler County Historical & Genealogical Society, Inc.

The Butler County Historical & Genealogical Society Research Room

Butler County Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc. P. O. Box 561 Greenville, AL 36037 334-383-9564 Publication: Quarterly historyroom@camelliacom.com

Butler Greenville-Butler County Public Library 334-382-3216 Website


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


 * Welcome to Butler County, Alabama


 * Butler Co. AL


 * United States Resources: Alabama


 * Al Gen Web

Family History Centers
Family History Centre Locator

Websites

 * Butler 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.
 * Butler County ALGenWeb~ record transcriptions and information pertinent to the county.
 * Butler County, Alabama Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Butler County, Alabama Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)