Covington County, Alabama Genealogy
United States 
Alabama, United States Genealogy Covington County
Guide to Covington County, Alabama ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Covington County, Alabama | |
| Map | |
 Location of Alabama in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | December 7, 1821 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Andalusia |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
| Address | Covington County Courthouse 1 Court Square Andalusia, AL 36420 Phone (334) 428-2520 County Website |
Contents
- 1 County Courthouse
- 2 History
- 3 Places/Localities
- 4 Resources
- 5 Societies and Libraries
- 6 Web Sites
- 7 References
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Records burned 1895
Probate Judge has marriage, probate and land records
Clerk Circuit Court has court and divorce records [1]
History[edit | edit source]
Covington county was formed from Henry County, was called Jones County from August 1868 until October 1868, abolished: December 3, 1867, re-established: December 1, 1868.
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1821--Covington County was created 7 December 1821 from Henry County.
County seat: Andalusia [2]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
Covington County had destructive courthouse fires in 1839, 1878, and 1895, and was destroyed by flood in 1847. See Research in Alabama: A Genealogical Guide page 26-27 for suggested alternative sources to overcome this loss.[3]
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.
For a list of record loss in Alabama counties see: Alabama Counties with Burned Courthouses
Places/Localities[edit | edit source]
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
- Butler
- Coffee
- Conecuh
- Crenshaw
- Escambia
- Geneva
- Okaloosa County, Florida Genealogy
- Walton County, Florida Genealogy
Resources[edit | edit source]
Biography[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
- Able Cemetery
- Adellum Cemetery
- Andalusia Memorial Garden
- Beda Cemetery
- Bethany Cemetery
- Bethel Cemetery
- Bethlehem Cemetery
- Beulah Cemetery
- Bozeman Cemetery
- Brooks Cemetery
- Bryant Cemetery
- Bushfield Cemetery
- Carolina Cemetery
- Carter Cemetery
- Cedar Grove Cemetery
- Chapel Hill Cemetery
- Covington Memorial Gardens
- Fairmount Cemetery
- Feagin Cemetery
- Five Runs Cemetery
- Friendship Community Cemetery
- Gantt Cemetery
- Garwin Cemetery
- Henderson Cemetery
- Hillside Memorial Gardens
- Johnson Memorial Gardens
- Judson Cemetery
- Kervin Cemetery
- Lockhart Cemetery
- Magnolia Cemetery
- Mancill Cemetery
- Marshall Memorial Cemetery
- Mitchell Cemetery
- Mount Carmel Cemetery
- New Home Cemetery
- Newell Cemetery
- North Creek Cemetery
- Oakey Ridge Cemetery
- Peaceful Acres Memorial Gardens
- Pilgrim Rest Cemetery
- River Falls Cemetery
- Rose Hill Cemetery
- Sanford Baptist Church Cemetery
- Shiloh Cemetery
- Smith Cemetery
- Southside Cemetery
- Stewart Cemetery
- Sweet Home Cemetery
- Odom, Edith. Covington Co., AL, Bushfield Cemetery. McKenzie, Ala., 1966. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
Additional Covington County cemeteries are included in Alabama Cemetery Records Vol. 1 at FamilySearch Books Online - free.
Census[edit | edit source]
| Covington County, Alabama | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | %± |
| 1830 | 1,522 | — |
| 1840 | 2,435 | 60.0% |
| 1850 | 3,645 | 49.7% |
| 1860 | 6,469 | 77.5% |
| 1870 | 4,868 | −24.7% |
| 1880 | 5,639 | 15.8% |
| 1890 | 7,536 | 33.6% |
| 1900 | 15,346 | 103.6% |
| 1910 | 32,124 | 109.3% |
| 1920 | 38,103 | 18.6% |
| 1930 | 41,356 | 8.5% |
| 1940 | 42,417 | 2.6% |
| 1950 | 40,373 | −4.8% |
| 1960 | 35,631 | −11.7% |
| 1970 | 34,079 | −4.4% |
| 1980 | 36,850 | 8.1% |
| 1990 | 36,478 | −1.0% |
| 2000 | 37,631 | 3.2% |
| 2010 | 37,765 | 0.4% |
| Sources: "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml. through 1960 | ||
For tips on accessing Covington County, Alabama Genealogy census records online, see: Alabama 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.
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
Covington County, Alabama Online Historical Directories - identifies historical city, county, business and other directories available online on both free and pay-to-access websites.
Land and Property[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]
Maps[edit | edit source]
Military [edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Civil War service men from Covington 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 Covington County.
- - 18th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B (Covington Hunters)
- - 25th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A
- - 40th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Finding More Alabama Newspapers[edit source]
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Covington County, Alabama Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Covington County, Alabama Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
- 1865-1866 - U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 at Ancestry ($). Covington County is in District 1.
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Taxation[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 $.
For some online statewide indexes, see the FamilySearch Historical Record Collections for Alabama. See also How to order Alabama Vital Records
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1903-1913 - Covington County Birth Index 1903-1913 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.[4]
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- To 1825 Index to Marriages at Ancestry– ($); 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.
- To 1825 Index to Marriages at Ancestry– ($); Index. contains over 12,000 names. Each entry includes groom, bride, marriage date, county, and state. Every name is indexed so you can search for one name, or two names that are linked.
- 1895-1942 - Covington County Marriage Books A-J Index 1895-1942 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.[4]
- 1936–1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800–1969 at Ancestry– ($); 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.
- 1936–1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800–1969 at Ancestry– ($); Index. This collection is comprised of indexes created by several agencies - the Alabama Center for Health Statistics, Jordan Dodd of Liahona Research, and Hunting For Bears.
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1881–1974 Index to Deaths and Burials at Ancestry– ($); 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.
- 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).
- 1908–1959 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 FamilySearch Historical Records Collection - free
Vital Record Substitutes[edit | edit source]
A free collection of obituaries and death notices from various funeral homes in the Covington County area has been put together by GenealogyBuffs.com:
Voting Registers[edit | edit source]
Alabama Voting Registers for 1867 are available online at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Covington County has one book.
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers
[edit | edit source]
Web Sites[edit | edit source]
- Covington 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.
- USGenWeb Archives Project ~ contains record transcriptions from Bibles, obituaries, court records and more.
- Covington County ALGenWeb ~ record transcriptions and information pertinent to the county.
- FamilySearch Catalog
- Covington County, Alabama Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Covington County p. 36. ; .
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Marilyn Davis Barefield, Researching in Alabama: a Genealogical Guide (Birmingham, Alabama : Birmingham Public Library, 1998), 26-27. At various libraries (WorldCat). FHL Book 976.1 D27b 1998.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/images/8/8d/Igialabama.pdf.
