Colbert County, Alabama Genealogy
Guide to Colbert County, Alabama ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Resources
- 2.1 Bible Records
- 2.2 Biographies
- 2.3 Business, Commerce, and Occupations
- 2.4 Cemeteries
- 2.5 Census Records
- 2.6 Church Records
- 2.7 Court Records
- 2.8 Directories
- 2.9 Emigration and Immigration
- 2.10 Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
- 2.11 Funeral Homes
- 2.12 Genealogies
- 2.13 Guardianship
- 2.14 Land and Property Records
- 2.15 Local Histories
- 2.16 Maps and Gazetteers
- 2.17 Migration
- 2.18 Military Records
- 2.19 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 2.20 Newspapers
- 2.21 Obituaries
- 2.22 Other Records
- 2.23 Periodicals
- 2.24 Probate Records
- 2.25 School Records
- 2.26 Social Security Records
- 2.27 Tax Records
- 2.28 Vital Records
- 3 Research Facilities
- 4 Societies
- 5 Websites
- 6 Research Guides
- 7 References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named in honor of brothers George and Levi Colbert, Chickasaw Indian chiefs.[2]The county is located in the northwest area of the state.[3]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Colbert County Courthouse
201 N Main St, Civil Office
Tuscumbia, AL 35674
Phone: 256-386-8511
Fax: 256-386-8505
Colbert County Website
Probate Judge has marriage records from 1877 land records from about 1867
Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records [4]
Colbert 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 |
| 1881 | 1867 | 1881 | 1867 | 1867 | 1861 | 1816 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
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 Colbert County:[7]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator.
| Cities | ||
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| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
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History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
- Biographies of many notable residents of Colbert 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 686.
- Northern Alabama, Historical and Biographical. Birmingham, Ala.: Smith and De Land, 1888. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library. Colbert County begins on page 103.
- Colbert County Biographies at The USGenWeb Archives Project
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
The following web site has additional information on Colbert county cemeteries.
- Interment.net Alabama cemetery records by county.
- Pickwick Landing Reservoir Cemeteries Douthat, James L. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press.
- Additional Colbert County cemeteries are included in Alabama Cemetery Records FamilySearch Digital Library-Vol. 1 and FamilySearch Digital Library-Vol. 4.
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1870 | 12,537 | — |
| 1880 | 16,153 | 28.8% |
| 1890 | 20,189 | 25.0% |
| 1900 | 22,341 | 10.7% |
| 1910 | 24,802 | 11.0% |
| 1920 | 31,997 | 29.0% |
| 1930 | 29,860 | −6.7% |
| 1940 | 34,093 | 14.2% |
| 1950 | 39,561 | 16.0% |
| 1960 | 46,506 | 17.6% |
| 1970 | 49,632 | 6.7% |
| 1980 | 54,519 | 9.8% |
| 1990 | 51,666 | −5.2% |
| 2000 | 54,984 | 6.4% |
| 2010 | 54,428 | −1.0% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
State Census
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.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
Colbert County, Alabama Online Historical Directories - identifies historical city, county, business and other directories available online on both and pay-to-access websites.
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
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 Colbert 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.
- Clary, Martin. The Facts about Muscle Shoals. New York: Ocean Pub. Co., 1924. Digital version at Ancestry $
- Leftwich, Nina. Two Hundred Years at Muscle Shoals: Being an Authentic History of Colbert County, 1700-1900: With Special Emphasis on the Stirring Events of the Early Times. Tuscumbia, Ala., 1935. 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
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Civil War
Regiments. Men in Colbert 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 Colbert County:
- - 4th Regiment, Alabama Cavalry (Roddy's), Company C
Online Records
- 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
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Alabama Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both and pay-to-access websites.
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Voting Records
Alabama Voting Registers for 1867 are available online at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Colbert County has two books listed, but only Book 1 is accessible at this time.
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
- Valley Leaves. 1966–. Published by the Tennessee Valley Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1568, Huntsville, Alabama 35807. FHL Book 976.19 B2v. Website identifies articles relating to Colbert County (click "Search by County").
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
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
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.
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 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[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 - How to Use this Collection
- 1816-1957 Alabama Marriages, 1816-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1870-1872, 1936-1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800–1969 at Ancestry $
- To 1825 Index to Marriages at Ancestry $
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1881-1974 Index to Deaths and Burials at Ancestry $
- 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 Index to Deaths recorded by the state of Alabama at Ancestry $
- 1908-1974 Alabama, Deaths, 1908-1974 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
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 Libraries
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Colbert County. For state-wide library facilities, see Alabama Archives and Libraries.
- In Colbert County there are five public libraries, bookmobiles, and library research services. These public libraries are located in Colbert County, Alabama. Choose a Colbert County County Library to see find the services provided, contact information as well as directions to the location.
- Cherokee Public Library
118 Church Street
Cherokee, AL 35616
Phone:256-359-4384
website
- Colbert Florence/Lauderdale Public Library
350 N. Wood Ave
Florence, AL 35630
Phone: 256-764-6564
Website
- Leighton Public Library
8740 Main Street
Leighton, AL 35646
Phone:256-446-5380
website
- Muscle Shoals Public Library
1918 East Avalon Avenue
Muscle Shoals, AL 35661
Phone: 256-386-9212
website
- Sheffield Public Library
316 North Montgomery Avenue
Sheffield, AL 35660
Phone: 256-386-5633
website
- Tuscumbia - Helen Keller Public Library
511 North Main Street
Tuscumbia, AL 35674
Phone: 256-383-7065
website
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Tennessee Valley Genealogical Society
P. O. Box 1568
Huntsville, Alabama
35807
Publication: Valley Leaves
Website
Natchez Trace Genealogical Society
P. O. Box 420
Florence, AL
35631
Publication: Natchez Trace Traveler
Website
Tennessee Valley Historical Society
P. O. Box 149
Sheffield, AL
35660
Publication: Journal of Muscle Shoals History
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.
- Colbert County ALGenWeb ~ record transcriptions and information pertinent to the county.
- Colbert 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.
- COLBERT COUNTY ALABAMA
- Colbert Co. AL
- United States Resources: Alabama
- Al Gen Web
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
- Inventory of the County Archives of Alabama: Colbert County. Birmingham, Ala.: The Survey, 1939. Digital version at Ancestry $
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Alabama.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Colbert County, Alabama Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ala/colbert/ 06/02/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Colbert, Alabama," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colbert_County,_Alabama 06/02/2017.
- ↑ 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), Alabama.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ 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, "Colbert County, Alabama," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colbert_County,_Alabama, accessed 8 October 2018.
