Clay County, Alabama Genealogy

United States

Alabama

Clay County

Guide to Clay 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: Ashland Organized: December 7, 1866 Parent County(s): Randolph, Talladega Neighboring Counties Cleburne  • Coosa  • Randolph  • Talladega  • Tallapoosa See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

The County was named after the statesman Henry Clay.The county is located in the east-central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Clay County Courthouse
25 County Square
P.O. Box 816
Ashland, AL 36251
Phone: 256-354-7926
Clay County Website

Probate Court has land records from 1861, probate records from 1865, marriage records from 1872. County Court has death records 1920-1940 and Voting Register 1903-1936.

Clay 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	1872	1920	1876	1861	1865	1816
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1908. General compliance for births by 1927 and for deaths 1925.

Record Loss

Clay County had a destructive courthouse fire in 1875.Clay County Alabama in AllFreeRecords.com (accessed 5 March 2014). 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

1866 Clay County was created 7 December 1866 from Randolph and Talladega Counties. County seat: Ashland 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 Clay County:

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

Cities
Lineville
Towns
Ashland (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
Barfield Berwick Bluff Springs Bowden Grove Brownsville Campbell Springs Campbells Crossroads Carr Mill Chambers Springs Clairmont Springs Cleveland Crossroads Concord Cooley Crossroads Corinth Cragford	East Mill Erin Gage Gibsonville Glades Gunthertown Harkins Crossroads Hatchet Creek Haynes Crossroad High Pine Highland Mellow Valley Midway Motley	Mount Moriah Needmore Pinkneyville Pyriton Rays Crossroads Roselle Shady Grove Shiloh Sikesville Skeggs Crossroads Springhill Union Watts Crossroads Weathers
Census-designated places
Delta	Hollins	Millerville

Resources

Biographies

• Biographies of many notable residents of Clay County were published in Memorial Record of Alabama (1893). Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library. Begins on page 644.
• Clay County Biographies at The USGenWeb Archives Project

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Clay, 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 Clay County cemeteries.

• Interment.net Alabama cemetery records by county.

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	9,560	—
1880	12,938	35.3%
1890	15,765	21.9%
1900	17,099	8.5%
1910	21,006	22.8%
1920	22,645	7.8%
1930	17,768	−21.5%
1940	16,907	−4.8%
1950	13,929	−17.6%
1960	12,400	−11.0%
1970	12,636	1.9%
1980	13,703	8.4%
1990	13,252	−3.3%
2000	14,254	7.6%
2010	13,932	−2.3%
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.

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Clay 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)
• 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- 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

Alabama Voting Registers for 1867 are available online at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Clay 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 - 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.

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 $
• 1802-1825 Index to Marriages 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
• 1872-1886, 1888–1892, 1936–1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800–1969 at Ancestry $
• 1872-1891 Alabama Marriages, 1809–1920at Ancestry ($). Contains about 150,000 records and the names of nearly 300,000 men and women.
• Clay County Marriages at ALGenWeb

Death

• 1881-1952 Alabama Deaths and Burials, 1881-1952 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1881-1974 Alabama, Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974 at Ancestry $
• 1908-1959 Alabama Deaths, 1908-59 at Ancestry $
• 1908-1974 Alabama, Deaths, 1908-1974 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1909 Clay County Death Records (index). Southeastern Genealogy ($)

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 Clay County. For state-wide library facilities, see Alabama Archives and Libraries.

Clay Ashland City Public Library
113 North 2nd Avenue, W
P.O. Box 296
Ashland, AL 36251-0296
Phone: 256-354-3427
Website

Public Library of Anniston - Calhoun County
108 E. 10th St.
Anniston, Alabama 36201
Phone: 256-237-8501
Website

Their Alabama Room collections include local history and genealogical records of Clay County.

Societies

Clay County Historical and Genealogical Society
P. O. Box 1849
West Point, MS 39773
Facebook

Northeast Alabama Genealogical Society
P. O. Box 8268
Gadsden, AL 35902
Publication Northeast Alabama Settlers
Publication

Clay County Historical Society
P. O. Box 998
Ashland, AL 36251
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.
• Clay County ALGenWeb ~ record transcriptions and information pertinent to the county.
• Clay 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.
• Clay County Alabama USGenWeb
• Clay Co. AL
• United States Resources: Alabama
• Al Gen Web

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.