Escambia County, Alabama Genealogy

United States

Alabama

Escambia County

Guide to Escambia 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: Brewton Organized: December 10, 1868 Parent County(s): Baldwin, Conecuh Neighboring Counties Baldwin  • Conecuh  • Covington  • Escambia (FL)  • Monroe  • Okaloosa (FL)  • Santa Rosa (FL) See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

The County was named is in honor of General John A. Elmore. The county is located in the southwest area of the state.

County Courthouse

Escambia County Courthouse
314 Belleville Ave.
Brewton, AL 36426
Phone: 251-867-0305
Fax: 251-867-0379
PO Box 856
Brewton, AL 36427
Escambia County Website

County Clerk has marriage records from 1897 and probate and land records from 1869.

Escambia 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
1909	1897	1909	1882	1869	1869	1816
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1908. General compliance for births by 1927 and for deaths 1925.

Record Loss

1868 Courthouse burned and many records were damaged. 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

1868--Escambia County was created 10 December 1868 from Baldwin and Conecuh Counties. County seat: Brewton 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 Escambia County:

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

Cities
Atmore Brewton (county seat)	East Brewton
Towns
Flomaton Pollard	Riverview
Unincorporated communities
Barnett Crossroads Booneville Boykin Bradley Canoe Dixie Dixonville Ewing Farms Foshee Freemanville Hammac Huxford Keego	Kirkland Little Rock Malta Marietta Martinville Mount Gillis Nokomis Old Bratt Road Estates Osaka Parker Springs Pea Ridge Pineview Pleasant Hill	Poarch Roberts Robinsonville Rock Creek Rock Hill Sardine Spring Hill Stanley Crossroads Wahl Wallace Wawbeek Welka
Census-designated places
Jack Springs Macedonia	Owen Parker	Pine Grove Wilsons

Indian reservation

• Poarch Creek Indian Reservation

Resources

Biographies

• Biographies of many notable residents of Escambia County were published in Memorial Record of Alabama (1893). Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library. Begins on page 951.
• Escambia County Biographies at The USGenWeb Archives Project

Cemeteries

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

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

• Interment.net Alabama cemetery records by county.

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	4,041	—
1880	5,719	41.5%
1890	8,666	51.5%
1900	11,320	30.6%
1910	18,889	66.9%
1920	22,464	18.9%
1930	27,963	24.5%
1940	30,671	9.7%
1950	31,443	2.5%
1960	33,511	6.6%
1970	34,912	4.2%
1980	38,440	10.1%
1990	35,518	−7.6%
2000	38,440	8.2%
2010	38,319	−0.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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.

Ward and Branch Records (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

• Olive

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places

Directories

Escambia County, Alabama Online Historical Directories - identifies historical city, county, business and other directories available online on both and pay-to-access websites.

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 Escambia County see:

• Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Escambia 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 ($). Website includes surname index. FHL Book 976.1265 E7b.

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Escambia 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 Escambia County HistoryGeo ($). Free surname search.
• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

Civil War

• 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
• 1880-1930 - Alabama, Confederate Pension Applications, ca. 1880-1930's at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1907, 1921, 1927 Alabama, Census of Confederate Veterans, 1907, 1921, 1927 at FamilySearch

World War I

• 1917-1919 Alabama, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch

World War II

• 1940-1945 - Alabama, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images

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

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.

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
• 1881-1930 - Alabama, County Birth Registers, 1881-1930 at FamilySearch — index, and some images

Marriage

• 1733-2013 Alabama, United States Marriages FindMyPast ($)
• 1800-1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800-1969 Ancestry ($)
• 1809-1920 Alabama Marriages, 1809-1920 (Selected Counties)Ancestry ($)
• 1809-1950 Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950 at FamilySearch
• 1816-1957 Alabama Marriages, 1816-1957 at FamilySearch
• To 1825 Index to Marriages Ancestry ($)
• 1860, 1879-1892, 1936-1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800-1969 Ancestry ($)
• 1879-1892 Alabama Marriages, 1809-1920 Ancestry ($)

Death

• 1881-1952 Alabama Deaths and Burials, 1881-1952 at FamilySearch
• 1881-1974 Alabama, Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974 Ancestry ($)
• 1908-1959 Alabama Deaths, 1908-1959 Ancestry ($)
• 1908-1974 Alabama, Deaths, 1908-1974 at FamilySearch Historical Records 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

• Atmore Alabama Family History Center
  

Libraries

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

Escambia Brewton Public Library
206 West Jackson Street
Brewton, AL 36426
Phone: 251-867-4626
Facebook

Atmore Public Library
700 E. Church Street
Atmore, AL 36502
Phone: 251-368-5234
Facebook

Flomaton Public Library
608 Mccurdy Street
Flomaton, AL 36441
Phone: 251-296-3552
Facebook

Museums

The Thomas E. McMillan Museum
220 Alco Drive
Brewton, AL 36426
website
The Museum is located in the Fine Arts Center on the Brewton campus of Coastal Alabama Community College.

Societies

Escambia County Genealogical Society
P. O. Box 161
Brewton, AL 36427-0161
251-867-3155
Website

Escambia County Historical Society
P.O. Box 276
220 Alco Drive
Brewton, AL 36427
Phone: 251-867-4832
website

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.
• Escambia County ALGenWeb ~ record transcriptions and information pertinent to the county.
• Escambia 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.
• Escambia Co. AL
• United States Resources: Alabama
• Al Gen Web

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.