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Monroe County, Alabama Genealogy

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

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County Facts
County seat: Monroeville
Organized: June 29, 1815
Parent County(s): Creek Cession, Washington[1]
Neighboring Counties
Baldwin  • Butler  • Clarke  • Conecuh  • Escambia  • Wilcox
See County Maps
Courthouse
Monroe County, Alabama Courthouse.jpg
Location Map
Monroe County Alabama.png
Adoption

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The County was named in honor of James Monroe, fifth President of the United States.[2]The county is located in the southwest area of the state.[3]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Monroe County Courthouse Square
65 North Alabama Avenue
Monroeville, AL 36460
Phone: 251-743-2283
Fax: 251-575-5933
Monroe County Website

Courthouse Fire destroyed all records prior to 1833
Probate Judge has marriage probate and land record from 1832[4]

Monroe 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.

Known Beginning Dates for Major Records[5]
Birth Marriage Death Court Land Probate Census
1881 1832 1908 1833 1832 1832 1816
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1908. General compliance for births by 1927 and for deaths 1925.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

Monroe County had a destructive courthouse fire in 1833. See Research in Alabama: A Genealogical Guide page 28 for suggested alternative sources to overcome this loss.

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:


Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

  • 1815--Monroe County was created 29 June 1815 from Washington County and the Creek Cession of 1814.
  • When created, Monroe County comprised all the Creek Indian lands ceded by the treaty of Fort Jackson in 1814. It was reduced in size by the creation of the Alabama counties of Montgomery County, Conecuh County, and Wilcox County. This particular county was named in honor of James Monroe (1758-1831), 5th U.S. President.
  • County seat: Monroeville[6]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in Monroe County:[7]

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

Cities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places
Ghost towns


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Monroe, Alabama online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
TombstoneTranscriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Alabama Cemeteries for more information

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

Census Records[edit | edit source]

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

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
18208,838
—
18308,782−0.6%
184010,68021.6%
185012,01312.5%
186015,66730.4%
187014,214−9.3%
188017,09120.2%
189018,99011.1%
190023,66624.6%
191027,15514.7%
192028,8846.4%
193030,0704.1%
194029,465−2.0%
195025,732−12.7%
196022,372−13.1%
197020,883−6.7%
198022,6518.5%
199023,9685.8%
200024,3241.5%
201023,068−5.2%

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.

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

  • See obituary abstracts from the African-American newspaper, The Eagle, in the Newspaper section below.  Section below also contains community news, marriage and birth announcements.
  • Slaves and owners recorded in the Philadelphia Baptist Church Minutes, Tunnel Springs, Monroe Co, AL - 1840-1899.

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.

To place a grant or deed on a map within context of Monroe County see:

  • Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Monroe County, Alabama: with Homesteads, Roads, Waterways, Towns, Cemeteries, Railroads, and More. Norman, Okla.: Arphax Pub. Co., 2009. This is a definitive work and can be used as an index to land grants. Digital version at HistoryGeo.com ($). Website includes surname index. FHL Book 976.125 E7b.

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Local histories are available for Monroe 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.

Early Settlers Along the Old Federal Road in Monroe Conecuh Counties This book includes Monroe county genealogy and history, and Conecuh county genealogy.

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

WilcoxButlerConecuhEscambiaBaldwinClarkeAL MONROE.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Civil War
Regiments. Men in Monroe 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 Monroe County:

- 1st Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company E "J. Powell's Dragoons"
- 1st Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company H "Sandy Williams' Guards"
- 2nd Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company H
- 2nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C
- 3rd Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company B [formerly, Co. "M", Wirt Adams' Cavalry]
- 4th Regiment, Alabama Cavalry (Russell's), Company A [formerly 3rd TN Cavalry]
- 5th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D "Monroe Guards"
- 17th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H
- 23rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E
- 36th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F and G
- 42nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A and H
- 42nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H


World War I

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Online Probate Records

School Records[edit | edit source]

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.

  • 1816 Inhabitants of Alabama in 1816. Broken Arrow Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, 1955. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Librarye. Includes Monroe County.
  • 1865-1866 - U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 at Ancestry ($). Monroe County is in District 1.

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]

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Death[edit | edit source]

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 and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.


Monroe Alabama Family History Center
430 Goodway Road
Goodway, Monroe, Alabama 36445-7133
Phone: 251-862-2937
Website

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Monroe County Public Library
121 Pineville Road
Monroeville, Alabama 36460
Phone: 251-743-3818
Website

Museums[edit | edit source]

Monroe County Heritage Museum
31 N. Alabama Ave.
Monroeville, AL 36460
251-575-7433
Website

Monroe County Heritage Museums
P. O. Box 1637
31 North Alabama Avenue
Monroeville, Alabama 36460
Phone: 344-575-7433
Website

Publication: Quarterly Newsletter

Societies[edit | edit source]

Websites[edit | edit source]

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Alabama.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, "Monroe County, Alabama Genealogy and History", http://genealogytrails.com/ala/monroe/ 6/13/2017.
  3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Monroe, Alabama," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_County,_Alabama 6/013/2017.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Alabama.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Monroe County, Alabama. Page 39 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 34.
  6. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Alabama.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  7. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Monroe County, Alabama," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_County,_Alabama, accessed 23 October 2018.
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