Alabama Occupation and Business Records

Alabama's Child Labor Affidavits and Child Labor Registers offer an unique record from which to acquire a birth date and place for persons born around the 1890's.

The Code of Alabama, Adopted by Act of the Legislature of Alabama; approved July 27th, 1907, yeilded to societial pressures of the day regarding child labor. Children were being used extensively in manufacturing in the United States. Southern states employed children at more than double the rate of northern industrial states.

Chapter 184 of the 1907 Alabama code sought to regulate the employment of child labor in mills, factories and manufacturing establishments. It provided that no child under the age of 12 should be employed in manufacturing. Cotton mills used child labor extensively in Alabama in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

The law also provided that it was unlawful to employ anyone under the age of 18 without first requiring the child to present on a blank provided by the employer, an affidavit in parent or guardian or other person standing in parental relation, stating the date and place of birth of the child. The blank was then to be filed by the employer within ten days of the employment of the child in the office of the probate judge of the county.

The Family History Library has acquired Child Labor Affidavits and Registers for 10 of Alabama's 67 counties; Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Marengo, Mobile, Perry and Tallapoosa.

The above sources are listed in the Key Word Search of the Family History Library Catalog under "Child Labor." They can also be found in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

Alabama, Autauga - Court records Alabama, Barbour - Court records Alabama, Bullock - Court records Alabama, Dallas - Court records Alabama, DeKalb - Court records Alabama, Elmore, Tallassee - Business records and commerce Alabama, Marengo - Probate records Alabama, Mobile - Occupations Alabama, Perry - Court records Alabama, Perry, Ellawhite - Court records Alabama, Perry, Uniontown - Court records Alabama, Tallapoosa - Court records