Choctaw County, Alabama Genealogy

United States

Alabama

Choctaw County

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

County Facts County seat: Butler Organized: December 29, 1847 Parent County(s): Washington, Sumter Neighboring Counties Clarke (MS)  • Lauderdale (MS)  • Marengo  • Sumter  • Washington  • Wayne (MS) See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

The County was named for the Choctaw tribe of American Indians.The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

County Courthouse

Choctaw County Courthouse
117 S. Mulberry Ave Ste 16
Butler, AL 36904
Phone:(205) 459-2155
Choctaw County Website

County Clerk has marriage probate and land records from 1873
Clerk Circuit Cout has court and divorce records.

Choctaw 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
1881	1873	1881	1871	1873	1873	1816
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1908. General compliance for births by 1927 and for deaths 1925.

Record Loss

Choctaw County had destructive courthouse fires in 1859 and 1871. See Research in Alabama: A Genealogical Guide page 26 for suggested alternative sources to overcome this loss. 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.

Boundary Changes

1847--Choctaw County was created 29 December 1847 from Washington and Sumter Counties. County seat: Butler 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 Choctaw County:

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

Towns
Butler (county seat) Gilbertown Lisman	Needham Pennington	Silas Toxey
Unincorporated communities
Aquilla Ararat Barrytown Bladon Springs Brightwater Chapel Hill Chappell Hill Choctaw City Contwell Cromwell Cyril Deas Edna Eiler Emory Evansboro Flatwood Hinton Hodgewood	Indian Springs Isney Jachin Jackson Spur Land Lavaca Little Walker Lou Lusk Melvin Mollie Morgan Chapel Mount Sterling Naheola Oakchia Okatuppa Old Samuel Paragon Pelham	Pleasant Hill Pushmataha Red Springs Rescueville Riderwood Robjohn Rock Springs Slater Souwilpa Spring Hill Thornton Springs Tompkinsville Turner Water Valley West Butler Wimbly Womack Hill Yantley
Census-designated places
Cullomburg

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Choctaw, Alabama online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com ALGenWeb ALGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project Alabama Gravestones 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

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

• Interment.net Alabama cemetery records by county.
• FamilySearch Digital Library Cemetery Records of Choctaw County, Alabama. 1945.

Census Records

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

Choctaw County, Alabama
Year	Pop.	%±
1850	8,389	—
1860	13,877	65.4%
1870	12,676	−8.7%
1880	15,731	24.1%
1890	17,526	11.4%
1900	18,136	3.5%
1910	18,483	1.9%
1920	20,753	12.3%
1930	20,513	−1.2%
1940	20,195	−1.6%
1950	19,152	−5.2%
1960	17,870	−6.7%
1970	16,589	−7.2%
1980	16,839	1.5%
1990	16,018	−4.9%
2000	15,922	−0.6%
2010	13,859	−13.0%
Sources:

State Census

• 1866 Alabama State Census, 1866 at FamilySearch

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.

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 Choctaw 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.

• Alokoli: The Choctaw County Bicentennial Book. Butler, Ala.: Choctaw County Bicentennial Commission, 1976. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Librarye; FHL Book 976.1395 H2a.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Alabama (1799-1980)

Military Records

Civil War
Regiments. Men in Choctaw 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 Choctaw County:

- 3rd Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company A, Ruffin Dragoons

- 22nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C "Brownrigg Warriors"

- 23rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G

- 32nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F

- 40th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D, E and F

- 54th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C (formerly Co. "B", 1st AL, TN, and MS Infantry)

- 54th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F (formerly Co. "F", 1st AL, TN, and MS Infantry)

Online Records

• 1861-1865 Alabama Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch
• 1861-1865 Alabama Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch
• 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
• 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

World War I

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

World War II

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

Other Records

Voting Records

Alabama Voting Registers for 1867 are available online at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Choctaw County has two books:

• Book 1
• Book 2

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
• Wills, Choctaw County, Alabama at USGenWeb.com Includes Indexes to Will Book A, B and C beginning in the year 1871.

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.

• 1865-1866 U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 at Ancestry $

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

• Birth and Death Index ALGenWeb
• 1881-1930 Alabama Births and Christenings, 1881-1930 at FamilySearch

• 1881-1930 - Alabama, County Birth Registers, 1881-1930 at FamilySearch — index, and some images

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$. 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.
  
• 1809-1920 Alabama Marriages, 1809-1920 (Selected Counties) at Ancestry $
• 1809-1950 Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950 at FamilySearch
• 1816-1957 Alabama Marriages, 1816-1957 at FamilySearch
• 1936-1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800–1969 at Ancestry $
• Marriage Index at ALGenWeb- free

Death

• 1881-1974 Index to Deaths and Burials at Ancestry $
• 1881-1952 Alabama Deaths and Burials, 1881-1952 at FamilySearch
• 1908-1959 Index to Deaths recorded by the state of Alabama at Ancestry $
• 1908-1974 Alabama, Deaths, 1908-1974 FamilySearch Historical Records Collection
• 1908-1959 Alabama Deaths,1908-59 at Ancestry $
• Birth and Death Index at ALGenWeb- free

Research Facilities

Family History Centers

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

Toxey Alabama Family History Center
21290 Highway 17
Gilbertown, Choctaw, Alabama, United States
Phone: 205-673-2344
Website

Libraries

Choctaw Choctaw County Public Library
124 N Academy Ave
Butler, Alabama 36904
205-459-2542
Facebook

Museums

Choctaw County Historical Museum
P O Box 162
40 Melvin Rd
Gilbertown, Alabama 36908
Phone:251-843-2501
Facebook Page
Website

Societies

Choctaw County Genealogical Society
4244 County Rd. 43
Butler, AL 36904
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.
• Choctaw County ALGenWeb ~ record transcriptions and information pertinent to the county.
• Choctaw 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.
• Choctaw County, Alabama
• Choctaw Co. AL
• United States Resources: Alabama
• Al Gen Web