Coosa County, Alabama Genealogy

United States

Alabama

Coosa County

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

Alabama Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Rockford Organized: December 18, 1832 Parent County(s): Creek Cession Neighboring Counties Chilton  • Clay  • Elmore  • Shelby  • Talladega  • Tallapoosa See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

The County name derives from a town of the Creek tribe.The county is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Coosa County Courthouse
9709 US Hwy 231
PO Box 98
Rockford, AL 35136
Phone: 256-377-4988
Coosa District Court
9709 US Hwy 231
PO Box 115
Rockford, AL 35136
Phone: 256-377-4957
Coosa County Website

Probate Records Office has a few birth and death records 1920-1945, marriage, probate, land and military records from 1834. Circuit Court Records from 1834.

Coosa County, Alabama Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1920	1834	1920	1834	1834	1834	1816
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1908. General compliance for births by 1927 and for deaths 1925.

Record Loss

Coosa County had destructive courthouse fires in 1900 and 1925. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.

Boundary Changes

Coosa County was formed from the Creek Cession of 1832 so does not have a parent county. County seat: Rockford Interactive Map of Alabama County Formation History (1799-1980) - animated maps illustrating Alabama county boundary changes Alabama Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

Populated Places

The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in Coosa County:

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator.

Towns
Goodwater Kellyton	Rockford (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
Bentleyville Blue Springs Bradford Cottage Grove Crewsville Dollar Equality Fishpond Gold Branch Hanover Hatchet Hidden Valley	Hillwood Holman Crossroads Jon Kellys Crossroads Keyno Lyle Marble Valley Moriah Nixburg Parkdale Pentonville	Quinsey Richville Schley Sehoya Socapatoy Soleo Speed Strickland Crossroads Travelers Rest Unity Welona
Census-designated places
Hissop Mount Olive	Ray Stewartville	Weogufka

Resources

Biographies

• Biographies of many notable residents of Coosa County were published in Memorial Record of Alabama (1893). Digital version at [ https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/381418-memorial-record-of-alabama-a-concise-account-of-the-state-s-political-military-professional-and-industrial-progress-together-with-the-personal-memoirs-of-many-of-its-people-vol-1?offset=1 FamilySearch Digital Library]. Begins on page 722.
• Coosa County Biographies at The USGenWeb Archives Project

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Coosa, Alabama online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com ALGenWeb ALGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project Billion Graves
TombstoneTranscriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com Billion Graves Alabama Cemeteries FamilySearch Places
See Alabama Cemeteries for more information

The following web site has additional information on Coosa county cemeteries.

• Interment.net Alabama cemetery records by county.
• Additional Coosa County cemeteries are included in Alabama Cemetery Records FamilySearch Digital Library-Vol. 1, FamilySearch Digital Library-Vol. 2, and FamilySearch Digital Library-Vol. 6.
• Ivison, Hazle R. Collins. Index to Alabama Cemeteries: Blount County, Coosa County, St. Clair County, Talladega County, Winston County. n.d. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1840	6,995	—
1850	14,543	107.9%
1860	19,273	32.5%
1870	11,945	−38.0%
1880	15,113	26.5%
1890	15,906	5.2%
1900	16,144	1.5%
1910	16,634	3.0%
1920	14,839	−10.8%
1930	12,460	−16.0%
1940	13,460	8.0%
1950	11,766	−12.6%
1960	10,726	−8.8%
1970	10,662	−0.6%
1980	11,377	6.7%
1990	11,063	−2.8%
2000	12,202	10.3%
2010	11,539	−5.4%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

State Census

• 1866 Alabama State Census, 1866 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Church Records

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Alabama denominations, view the Alabama Church Records wiki page.

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Land and Property Records

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Alabama Land and Property for additional information about early Alabama land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse, where records are currently housed.

To place a grant or deed on a map within context of Coosa County see:

• Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Coosa County, Alabama: with Homesteads, Roads, Waterways, Towns, Cemeteries, Railroads, and More. Norman, Okla.: Arphax Pub. Co., 2008. This is a definitive work and can be used as an index to land grants. Digital version at HistoryGeo.com ($). Website includes surname index. FHL Book 976.159 E7b.

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Coosa County. The histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Alabama Local Histories.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Alabama (1799-1980)
• Family Maps of Coosa County (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

Civil War
Regiments. Men in Coosa County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (part of a large regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Coosa County:

- 2nd Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company G

- 3rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I "Wetumpka Light Guards"

- 8th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B "Governor's Guards"

- 12th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B "Coosa Volunteers"

- 13th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H

- 18th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D (Coosa Farmers)

- 34th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B and C

- 46th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A

- 46th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B

- 47th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H

- 59th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C and K

- 60th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B

• 1861-1865 Alabama Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1861-1865 Alabama Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry $
• 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry $
• 1871-1880 Alabama, Southern Claims Commission Approved Claims, 1871-1880 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1880-1930 - Alabama, Confederate Pension Applications, ca. 1880-1930's at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
• 1907, 1921, 1927 Alabama, Census of Confederate Veterans, 1907, 1921, 1927 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

World War I

• 1917-1919 Alabama, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

World War II

• 1940-1945 - Alabama, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Other Records

Voting Records

• 1834-1981: Alabama Voter Registration and Poll Tax Cards, 1834-1981 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection, index and images

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

Probate Records

Online Probate Records

• 1753-1999 Alabama Wills and Probate Records 1753-1999 at Ancestry $
• 1809-1985 Alabama Probate Records, 1809-1985 at FamilySearch
• Hull, Edward F. Early Records of Coosa County, Alabama, 1832-1860: Wills, Administrations and Marriage Records. n.d. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library. - How to Use this Collection

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records

Alabama tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information, see the wiki page Alabama Taxation.

• 1865-1866 U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 at Ancestry $. Coosa County is in District 2.

Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Alabama State Department of Health , the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred or order electronically online $.

For some online statewide indexes, see the FamilySearch Historical Record Collections for Alabama.

Birth

• 1881-1930 Alabama, Births and Christenings, 1881-1930 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1881-1930 - Alabama, County Birth Registers, 1881-1930 at FamilySearch — index, and some images - How to Use this Collection

Marriage

• 1733-2013 Alabama, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($)
• 1800-1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800-1969 at Ancestry $
• 1809-1920 Alabama Marriages, 1809-1920 (Selected Counties) at Ancestry $
• 1809-1950 Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1816-1957 Alabama, Marriages, 1816-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• To 1825 Index to Marriages at Ancestry $
• 1834-1847; 1878–1900 Alabama Marriages, 1809–1920 at Ancestry $
• 1834-1848, 1878–1901, 1936–1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800–1969 at Ancestry $
• Early Records of Coosa County, Alabama, 1832-1860: Wills, Administrations and Marriage Records. By Edward F. Hull. n.d. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Death

• 1881-1952 Alabama, Deaths and Burials, 1881-1952 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1881-1974 Index to Deaths and Burials at Ancestry $
• 1908-1959 Index to Deaths recorded by the state of Alabama at Ancestry $
• 1908-1959 Alabama Deaths, 1908-59 at Ancestry $
• 1908-1974 Alabama, Deaths, 1908-1974 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Research Facilities

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Libraries

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Coosa County. For state-wide library facilities, see Alabama Archives and Libraries.

Coosa Rockford Public Library
110 Main St
Rockford, Alabama 35136
Phone: 256-377-4911
Facebook

Goodwater Public Library
36 Weogufka St
Goodwater, Alabama 35072
Phone: 256-839-5741
Facebook

Horseshoe Bend Regional Library
205 N West Street
Dadeville, Alabama 36853
Phone: 256-825-9232
Website

Societies

Coosa County Historical Society
P. O. Box 5
Rockford, AL 35136
Library Phone: 256-377-4911
website
Publication: Coosa Heritage

Websites

• 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.
• Coosa County ALGenWeb ~ record transcriptions and information pertinent to the county.
• Coosa County, Alabama Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.
• Coosa County, Alabama
• Kissin' Cuzens of Coosa
• United States Resources: Alabama

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