Mobile County, Alabama Genealogy
Guide to Mobile County, Alabama ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named in honor of the indigenous Maubila tribe.[2]The county is located in the southwest area of the state.[3]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Mobile County Courthouse
205 Government Plaza #913
Mobile, Al 36644-2936
Phone: 251-574-8786
Mobile County Website
Probate Judge has marriage records from 1813
Probate Records from 1812 and land records from 1813[4]
Mobile County, Alabama Record Dates[edit | edit source]
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.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1871 | 1813 | 1820 | 1814 | 1813 | 1812 | 1816 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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Mobile County had destructive courthouse fires in 1823, 1840, and 1872.[6] For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:
7/5/1916 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. . . |
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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Populated Places[edit | edit source]
The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in Mobile County:[8]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator.
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
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| Ghost towns | ||
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
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Census Records[edit | edit source]
| 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% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
State Census
- 1855 Alabama State Census, 1855 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1866 Alabama State Census, 1866 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1907, 1921, 1927 Alabama, Census of Confederate Veterans, 1907, 1921, 1927 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Church Records[edit | edit source]
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.
- 1831-1994 Alabama, Church Records, 1831-1994 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
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.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Notre Dame du Fort Conde de la Mobile, Mobile
- 1704-1764 - Notre Dame du Fort Conde de la Mobile, Mobile Marriage Index 1704-1764. Batch M594181 at FamilySearch
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
- Mobile County, Alabama Online Historical Directories - identifies historical city, county, business and other directories available online on both and pay-to-access websites.
- 1890-1892 - Mobile, Alabama City Directories, 1890-92 at Ancestry ($). Includes 1890, 1891, and 1892 directories.
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
African American
- 1865-1872 Alabama, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only
- 1865-1930s Mobile County, Alabama Colored Marriage Books 1-39 in "Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950," at FamilySearch.org[10] (skips books 5 and 38)
- 1865-1891 Mobile County Marriage Books 1-10 Index 1865-1891 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
- 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. 198165 p.: ill.F334.M6 A6 1981
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Mobile 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.
- 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 and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Maps of Alabama (1799-1980)
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
- Alabama Maps and Blueprints Collection at Alabama Department of Archives and History – maps can be browsed by location or subject
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Multiple Wars
- ca.1918-ca.1962 Alabama, Military Discharge Records, ca.1918 - ca.1962 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Civil War
- 1861-1865 Alabama Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index, images at partner site
- 1861-1865 Alabama Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index, images at partner site
- 1861-1865 Civil War Service Database at Alabama Department of Archives and History - index
- 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; index and images
- 1880-1930 Alabama, Confederate Pension Applications, ca. 1880-1930's at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1907, 1921, 1927 Alabama, Census of Confederate Veterans, 1907, 1921, 1927 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and 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.
Regiments. Men in Mobile 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 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
World War I
- 1917-1919 Alabama, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1917-1918 Alabama World War I Service Records at Alabama Department of Archives and History - alpha index by name and images
- 1917-1918 Alabama World War I Gold Star Files at Alabama Department of Archives and History - alpha index by name and images
me and images
World War II
- 1940-1945 Alabama, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1940-1966 Alabama Active Military Service Reports at Alabama Department of Archives and History - alpha index by name and images
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
- Alabama Civil War and Reconstruction Newspapers at Alabama Department of Archives and History
- Alabama Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both and pay-to-access websites.
- 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Voter Registration
- 1834-1981 Alabama Voter Registration and Poll Tax Cards, 1834-1981 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection; index and some images
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1753–1999 Alabama Wills and Probate Records 1753-1999 at Ancestry
- 1809–1985 Alabama Probate Records, 1809-1985 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1812-1837 Images of Wills at Southeastern Genealogy ($)
- 1830-1976 Alabama Estate Files, 1830-1976 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
School Records[edit | edit source]
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
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: FamilySearche. (browse under Hancock, Jackson, Mobile)
- 1816-1817 Territorial Tax Rolls, courtesy: FamilySearch
- 1816 Inhabitants of Alabama in 1816. Broken Arrow Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, 1955. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library. Includes Mobile County.
- 1865-1866 U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 at Ancestry ($). Autauga County is in District 2.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
- 1881-1930 Alabama, Births and Christenings, 1881-1930 *1881-1930 Alabama Births and Christenings, 1881-1930 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection; index
- 1881-1930 Alabama, County Birth Registers, 1881-1930 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and some images
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 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.org - How to Use this Collection; index and some images
- 1813-1821, 1823-1825, 1827-1840, 1844, 1846-1849, 1851-1853, 1878, 1924, 1936–1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800–1969 at Ancestry– ($);
- 1813-1855 King, Clinton P. and Merlem A. Barlow. Marriages of Mobile County Alabama, 1813-1855. [Free Name Search]Genealogical.com ; FHL Book 976.122 V2km.
- 1813-1929 Mobile County, Alabama Marriage Books 12-58, Licenses, Bonds at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; index and some images
- 1816–1957 Alabama Marriages, 1816-1957 at FamilySearch.org- How to Use this Collection; index
- 1818-1936 Alabama County Marriages, 1818-1936 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
- 1823-1891 Mobile County Marriage Books 1-28 Index 1823-1891 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
- To 1825 Index to Marriages at Ancestry– ($); . contains over 12,000 names.
- 1878 "Alabama Marriages, 1809-1920" at Ancestry– ($); Containing about 150,000 records and the names of nearly 300,000 men and women.
- Before 1821 Marriages at ALGenWeb
- Marriages A-C at ALGenWeb
- Marriages D–R at ALGenWeb
- Marriages S–Z at ALGenWeb
- County Marriages by Groom at ALGenWeb
- Mobile County Marriages by Bride at ALGenWeb
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1881-1952 Alabama, Deaths and Burials, 1881-1952 at FamilySearch Historical Records Collection
- 1881–1974 Index to Deaths and Burials at Ancestry – ($); copies of church, civil, family, and other records of Alabama deaths and burials. varies depending on the original record. incomplete
- 1908-1959 Index to Deaths Recorded by the State of Alabama at Ancestry– ($);
- 1908-1974 Alabama, Deaths, 1908-1974 at FamilySearch Historical Records Collection
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Mobile Municipal Archives
457 Church St.
Mobile, AL 36602
Phone: 251-208-7740
Mailing address:P. O. Box 1827
Mobile, AL 36633-1827
Website
Mobile County Probate Court Archives
P. O. Box 7
Mobile, AL 36633
251-574-4941
Website
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- 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.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Mobile County. For state-wide library facilities, see Alabama Archives and Libraries.
Mobile Public Library
Local History Dept.
700 Government Street
Mobile, AL 36602-1403
Phone: 251-340-1535
Website
- Collections include local histories, newspaper clippings, city directories, censuses, probate index, military records, and more.
Museums[edit | edit source]
The Museum of Mobile
111 South Royal St.
Mobile, AL 36602
Phone: 251-434-7569
Website
Societies[edit | edit source]
Mobile Genealogical Society, Inc
P. O. Box 364
Saraland, AL 36571
Email: mgs@mobileroots.org
Website
Facebook
Historic Mobile Preservation Society
300 Oakleigh Place
Mobile, AL 36604
Phone: 251-432-1281
Email: hmps@bellsouth.net
Website
Websites[edit | edit source]
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, "Mobile County, Alabama Genealogy and History", http://genealogytrails.com/ala/mobile/ 6/13/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Mobile, Alabama," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_County,_Alabama 6/013/2017.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Alabama.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Mobile County, Alabama. Page 37 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 33.
- ↑ Alabama Counties: Mobile County in Alabama Department of Archives and History (accessed 16 March 2014).
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Alabama.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Mobile County, Alabama," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_County,_Alabama, accessed 23 October 2018.
- ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/c/cf/Igialabamals.pdf.
- ↑ Coverage Table, "Alabama County Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)," FamilySearch Research Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Alabama_County_Marriages_(FamilySearch_Historical_Records), accessed 6 August 2012.
