Mobile County, Alabama Genealogy

United States

Alabama

MobileCounty

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

Mobile County, Alabama
Map
Location in the state of Alabama
Location of Alabama in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	August 1, 1812
County Seat	Mobile
Courthouse
Address	Mobile County Courthouse 109 Government Street Mobile, Al 36602- 3108 Phone: 334-690-8700 County Website

County Information

Mobile County, Alabama Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major Records
Birth	Marriage	Death	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1871	1813	1820	1814	1813	1812	1816
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1908. General compliance for births by 1927 and for deaths 1925.

County Courthouse

Probate Judge has marriage records from 1813
Probate Records  from 1812 and land records from 1813

Description

The County was named in honor of the indigenous Maubila tribe. The County has Mobile as its seat and the County was created December 18, 1812. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

History

Mobile initially fell within the bounds of Mississippi Territory.

Parent County

1812--Mobile County was created 1 August 1812 from West Florida.
County seat: Mobile

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

Mobile County had destructive courthouse fires in 1823, 1840, and 1872.

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:

• Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill. Online at: Family History Circle.
• When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle. Online at: Tennessee Genealogy Blog.
• Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.

Mobile, Alabama Wind Storm

July 5, 1916

1916-MOBILE IS SWEPT BY 85-MILE-AN-HOUR WIND . . The county courthouse was severely damaged, and faces of the clock on all four sides were blown off. . . The courthouse tower was wrecked and rain poured into the court rooms. . .
(source:GenDisasters)

Places/Localities

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 Mobile County:

Cities
Bayou La Batre Chickasaw Citronelle	Creola Mobile (county seat) Prichard	Saraland Satsuma Semmes
Towns
Dauphin Island	Mount Vernon
Unincorporated communities
Alabama Port Cloverdale Coden Crawford Eight Mile Fernland Heron Bay	Irvington Kushla Le Moyn Lloyds Mauvilla Mon Louis	Pennsylvania St. Elmo Toulminville Union Church Whistler Wilmer
Census-designated places
Alonzo Thomas Store Andrew Malones Axis Bayou La Batre Beards Mill Belle Fontaine Bryants Place Bucks Calvert Carvers	Chunchula Coden Crichton Dawes Grand Bay Gulfcrest Henry Pierces McGills Movico	Oak Grove Plateau Prichard Spring Hill Steeleys Theodore Tillmans Corner Toulminville Wheelerville
Ghost towns
Beaver Mills

Neighboring Counties

Baldwin | Clarke | Washington | Mississippi counties: George | Greene  | Jackson

Resources

African American

• 1865-1930s - Mobile County, Alabama Colored Marriage Books 1-39 in "Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950," at FamilySearch.org - free. (skips books 5 and 38)

• 1865-1891 - Mobile County Marriage Books 1-10 Index 1865-1891 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.</ref>
• Africantown, U.S.A. : A Pictorial History of Plateau and Magazine Point (Mobile County) Alabama / [story narrative, John H. Smith]. - Mobile, Ala: American Ethnic Science Society, c. 1981  65 p.: ill.  F334.M6 A6 1981

Biography

• Mobile County Biographies at The USGenWeb Archives Project - free.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Mobile, 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
See Alabama Cemeteries for more information

• 1911-1965 - Alabama, Friends of Magnolia Cemetery, Funeral Books, 1911-1965 at FamilySearch — index and images

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

• Interment.net Alabama cemetery records by county.

• Magnolia Cemetery, Mobile, AL

• Additional Mobile County cemeteries may be included in Alabama Cemetery Records Vol. 1 and Vol. 5 at FamilySearch Digital Library - free.

Census

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	2,672		—
1830	6,267		134.5%
1840	18,741		199.0%
1850	27,600		47.3%
1860	41,131		49.0%
1870	49,311		19.9%
1880	48,653		−1.3%
1890	51,587		6.0%
1900	62,740		21.6%
1910	80,854		28.9%
1920	100,117		23.8%
1930	118,363		18.2%
1940	141,974		19.9%
1950	231,105		62.8%
1960	314,301		36.0%
1970	317,308		1.0%
1980	364,980		15.0%
1990	378,643		3.7%
2000	399,843		5.6%
2010	412,992		3.3%
Est. 2011	412,577		3.2%

For tips on accessing Mobile County, Alabama Genealogy census records online, see: Alabama Census.

State Census

• 1866 - Alabama State Census, 1866 at FamilySearch — index

Church Records (Rural)

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.

Notre Dame du Fort Conde de la Mobile, Mobile

• 1704-1764 - Notre Dame du Fort Conde de la Mobile, Mobile Baptism Index 1704-1764. Batch C594181 at FamilySearch - free.

• 1704-1764 - Notre Dame du Fort Conde de la Mobile, Mobile Marriage Index 1704-1764. Batch M594181 at FamilySearch - free.

Directories

• Mobile County, Alabama Online Historical Directories - identifies historical city, county, business and other directories available online on both free and pay-to-access websites.
• 1890-1892 - Mobile, Alabama City Directories, 1890-92 at Ancestry ($). Includes 1890, 1891, and 1892 directories.

Land and Property

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.

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Mobile County, Alabama Genealogy. County 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.

• Bi-centennial Celebration, May 26-28, 1911, of the Founding of Mobile by Jean Baptiste de Bienville, 1711. Mobile: Commercial Print. Co., 1912. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

• Craighead, Erwin. Mobile: Fact and Tradition, Noteworthy People and Events. Mobile, Ala.: Powers Print. Co., 1930. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

• Delaney, Caldwell. Remember Mobile. Mobile, Ala., 1948. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

• Hamilton, Peter J. Colonial Mobile: An Historical Study, Largely from Original Sources, of the Alabama-Tombigbee Basin and the old South West from the Discovery of the Spiritu Santo in 1519 Until the Demolition of Fort Charlotte in 1821. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1910. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

• Hamilton, Peter J. Mobile of the Five Flags: The Story of the River Basin and Coast about Mobile from the Earliest Times to the Present. Mobile: Gill Print. Co., 1913. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Alabama (1799-1980)

Military

Civil War

Civil War service men from Mobile 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 Mobile County.

- 1st Battalion, Alabama Artillery, Company A

- 1st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D (Red Eagles)

- 2nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F, G, H and I

- 3rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A "Mobile Cadets

- 3rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B "Gulf City Guards"

- 3rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E "Washington Light Infantry"

- 3rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company K "Mobile Rifles"

- 3rd Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company E, Mobile Humphries Dragoons [formerly Co. "D", Wirt Adams' Cavalry]

- 8th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C "Alex Stephens' Guards"

- 8th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E "Hamp Smith Rifles"

- 8th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G "German Fusileers

- 8th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H "Mobile Independent Scouts"

- 8th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I "Emerald Guards"

- 9th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A "Beauregard Rifles"

- 12th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A "Lafayette Guards"

- 12th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C "Independent Rifles

- 12th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I "Southern Foresters"

- 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A "Washington Light Infantry"

- 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D "Mobile Battle Guards:

- 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E "Chamberlain Rifles or Woodruff Rifles"

- 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G

- 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H "Swanson Guards or French Guards"

- 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I "Independence Rifles or United Rangers"

- 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company K "Mobile Cadets"

- 22nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H "Sam Cooper Rifles"

- 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A "Washington Guards"

- 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B "Emmett Guards"

- 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D "Beulah Guards"

- 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F "Alabama Guards"

- 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G

- 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I "Confederate Guards"

- 32nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B, C, F, I and K

- 36th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E

- 38th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G and K

- 40th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F, H, I and K

- 42nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I

- 43rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F

- 51st Regiment, Alabama Partisan Rangers, Company K

Online Records

• 1861-1865 - Alabama Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
• 1861-1865 - Alabama Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 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 - Alabama, Southern Claims Commission Approved Claims, 1871-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 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 — images

Civil War Battle Fought in Mobile County

• Mobile Bay, also known as Passing of Forts Morgan and Gaines, August 2-23, 1864 (partly fought in Baldwin County)

Battle information from Civil War Battle Summaries by State, by the Heritage Preservation Services.

Map showing Civil War battles in Alabama, by the Heritage Preservation Services.

World War I

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

World War II

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

Newspapers

Finding More Alabama Newspapers

Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Mobile County, Alabama Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Do a Mobile County, Alabama Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

Alabama Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both free and pay-to-access websites.

Probate Records

Online Probate Records

• 1753 – 1999 Alabama Wills and Probate Records 1753-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
• 1809 – 1985 Alabama Probate Records, 1809-1985 at FamilySearch — images
• 1812 – 1837 Images of Wills. Southeastern Genealogy ($)

Taxation

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.

• 1814 - Territorial Tax Rolls, courtesy: FamilySearch - free. (browse under Hancock, Jackson, Mobile)

• 1816-1817 - Territorial Tax Rolls, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.

• 1816 - Inhabitants of Alabama in 1816. Broken Arrow Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, 1955. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library - free. Includes Mobile County.

• 1865-1866 - U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 at Ancestry ($). Autauga 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. See also How to order Alabama Vital Records

Birth Records

• 1881-1930 - Alabama Births and Christenings, 1881-1930 at FamilySearch.org — index
• 1881-1930 - Alabama, County Birth Registers, 1881-1930 at FamilySearch — index

Marriage Records

• 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.
  

• 1813-1821, 1823-1825, 1827-1840, 1844, 1846-1849, 1851-1853, 1878, 1924, 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.
  

• 1813-1929 - Mobile County, Alabama Marriage Books 12-58, Licenses, Bonds in "Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950," at FamilySearch.org - free.

• 1813-1855 - King, Clinton P. and Merlem A. Barlow. Marriages of Mobile County Alabama, 1813-1855. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 1985. Free Name Search; publisher's bookstore: Genealogical.com ; FHL Book 976.122 V2km.

• 1823-1891 - Mobile County Marriage Books 1-28 Index 1823-1891 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

• 1878 "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.
  

• Before 1821 Marriages at ALGenWeb - free

• Marriages A-C at ALGenWeb - free

• Marriages D–R at ALGenWeb - free

• Marriages S–Z at ALGenWeb - free

• County Marriages by Groom at ALGenWeb - free

• Mobile County Marriages by Bride at ALGenWeb - free

• 1809 – 1950 Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950 at FamilySearch.org — index/images

• 1816 – 1957 Alabama Marriages, 1816-1957 at FamilySearch.org — index

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

• 1809 – 1920 [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=4192 Alabama Marriages,

• 1809-1920 (Selected Counties)] at Ancestry.com — index $

Death Records

• 1881-1952 - Alabama, Deaths and Burials, 1881-1952 at FamilySearch Historical Records Collection - free

• 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.
  

• 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 - Alabama, Deaths, 1908-1974 at FamilySearch Historical Records Collection - free

• 1881 – 1952 Alabama Deaths and Burials, 1881-1952 at FamilySearch.org — index

• 1908 – 1974 Alabama Deaths, 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 $

Societies and Libraries

Mobile Genealogical Society, Inc
P. O. Box 6224
Mobile, AL
36660-6224
251- 432-MGS-4
Publications: Deep South Genealogical Quarterly MGS Newsletter
Link

Mobile Municipal Archives
457 Church St.
P. O. Box 1827
Mobile, AL
36633
251-208-7736
Link

Historic Mobile Preservation Society
300 Oakley Place
Mobile, AL
36604
251-432-6161
Link

Mobile County Probate Court Archives
P. O. Box 7
Mobile, AL
36601
251-574-4941
Link

The Museum of Mobile
111 South Royal St.
Mobile, AL
36602
251-434-7569
Link

• List of Alabama Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies

Library

Mobile Public Library
Local History Dept.
704 Government Street
Mobile, AL 36602-149
Telephone: 334-208-7093

Collections include local histories, newspaper clippings, city directories, censuses, probate index, military records, and more.

Family History Center

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

• For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map

• Introduction to Family History Centers
• Mobile Alabama
  • 5520 Ziegler Blvd
    Mobile, Mobile, Alabama, United States
    Phone: 251-344-9270
    Hours: M - F: 10 am - 12 pm;
    Th: 6 pm - 8 pm.
    Closures: May 30;
    Jul 4;
    Sep 5;
    Nov 21 - 25;
    Dec 23 - Jan 6
    Family History Center Locator

Mobile County Alabama Genealogy Websites

• Mobile 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.

• FamilySearch Catalog

• USGenWeb Archives Project ~ contains record transcriptions from Bibles, obituaries, court records and more.

• Mobile County ALGenWeb ~ record transcriptions and information pertinent to the county.

• Mobile County, Alabama Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)

• Mobile Co. AL

• United States Resources: Alabama

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.