Cleburne County, Alabama Genealogy

United States

Alabama

Cleburne County

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

County Facts County seat: Heflin Organized: December 6, 1866 Parent County(s): Calhoun, Randolph, Talladega Neighboring Counties Calhoun  • Carroll (GA)  • Clay  • Haralson (GA)  • Polk (GA)  • Randolph  • Talladega See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

The County was named after Confederate Army Major General Patrick Ranoyne Cleburne.The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

County Courthouse

Cleburne County Courthouse
120 Vickery Street, Room 202
Heflin, AL 36264
Phone: 256-463-2651
Cleburne County Website

Probate Judge has birth and death records 1911-1921, marriage and probate records from 1867 and land records from 1884.

Cleburne 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
1911	1867	1911	1872	1884	1867	1816
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1908. General compliance for births by 1927 and for deaths 1925.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

1866 Cleburne County was created 6 December 1866 from Calhoun, Randolph and Talladega Counties. County seat: Heflin 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 Cleburne County:

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

Cities
Heflin (county seat)
Towns
Edwardsville Fruithurst	Ranburne
Unincorporated communities
Abel Abernathy Ai Arbacoochee Bell Mills Belltown Bethel Borden Springs Borden Wheeler Springs Chulafinnee Cleburne	Coldwater Five Points Gold Hill Grantley Hightower Hopewell Lebanon Lecta Liberty Hill Macedonia	Mars Hill Micaville Mount Pleasant Muscadine Oak Level Palestine Piney Woods Plainview Trickem Union Hill
Census-designated places
Hollis Crossroads

Resources

Biographies

• Biographies of many notable residents of Cleburne County were published in Memorial Record of Alabama (1893). Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library. Begins on page 651.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Cleburne, 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
See Alabama Cemeteries for more information

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

• Interment.net Alabama cemetery records by county.

Census Records

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

Cleburne County, Alabama
Year	Pop.	%±
1870	8,017	—
1880	10,976	36.9%
1890	13,218	20.4%
1900	13,206	−0.1%
1910	13,385	1.4%
1920	13,360	−0.2%
1930	12,877	−3.6%
1940	13,629	5.8%
1950	11,904	−12.7%
1960	10,911	−8.3%
1970	10,996	0.8%
1980	12,595	14.5%
1990	12,730	1.1%
2000	14,254	12.0%
2010	14,972	5.0%
Sources: "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml.  through 1960

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.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

• 1867-1881, 1936-1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800–1969 at Ancestry $

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 Cleburne 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)

Military Records

Civil War

• 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

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

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
• 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 $
• 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 FamilySearch Historical Records Collection
• To 1825 Index to Marriages at Ancestry $
• 1867-1893, 1938-1954 Cleburne County, Alabama Colored Marriage Books A-E, 17-21 in "Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950," at FamilySearch
• 1867-1880 Alabama Marriages, 1809-1920 at Ancestry $
• 1867-1881, 1936-1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800–1969 at Ancestry $

Death

• 1881-1952 Alabama Deaths and Burials, 1881-1952 at FamilySearch
• 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 FamilySearch Historical Records Collection
• 1911-1913 Cleburne County Death Index 1911-1913. Batch B593045 at FamilySearch

Research Facilities

Archives

Alabama Department of Archives and History
P.O. Box 300100
624 Washington Ave.
Montgomery, AL 36130
Phone: 334-242-4435
website

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

Libraries

Cleburne Lucile L. Morgan Public Library
541 Ross St
Heflin, Alabama 36264
Phone: 256-463-2259
Facebook

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

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

Societies

Cleburne County Historical Society
120 Vickery St.
St. Heflin, AL 36264

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.
• Cleburn County ALGenWeb ~ record transcriptions and information pertinent to the county.
• Cleburne 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.
• Cleburne County, Alabama
• Cleburne Co. AL
• United States Resources: Alabama
• Al Gen Web