Sumter County, Alabama Genealogy

United States

Alabama

Sumter County

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

Alabama Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Livingston Organized: December 18, 1832 Parent County(s): Choctaw Cession Neighboring Counties Choctaw  • Greene  • Kemper (MS)  • Lauderdale (MS)  • Marengo  • Noxubee (MS)  • Pickens See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

The County was named in honor of General Thomas Sumter, of South Carolina. The county is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Sumter County Courthouse
115 Franklin St
PO Box 936
Livingston, AL 35470
Phone: 205-652-2291
Fax: 205-652-1010
Sumter County Website

Probate Judge has a few birth records from 1888-1918, marriage and probate record from 1833, land records and historical voters maps

Sumter 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
1888	1833	1881	1876	1825	1833	1816
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1908. General compliance for births by 1927 and for deaths 1925.

Record Loss

Sumter County had a destructive courthouse fire in 1901. 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.

Boundary Changes

1832--Sumter County was created 18 December 1832 from the Choctaw Cession of 1830. County seat: Livingston 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 Sumter County:

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

Cities
Livingston (county seat) York
Towns
Cuba Emelle	Epes Gainesville	Geiger
Unincorporated communities
Bluffport Boyd Brewersville Brownstown Derby Dove Dug Hill Fair Oaks Gaston	Hall Creek Hamner Hixon Intercourse Kinterbish Lilita McCainville McDowell Millville	Old Bluffport Parker Payneville Persimmon Grove Scratch Hill Siloam Ward Warsaw Whitfield
Census-designated places
Bellamy Panola

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Sumter, 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 FamilySearch Places
See Alabama Cemeteries for more information

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

• Interment.net Alabama cemetery records by county.
• Additional Sumter County cemeteries are included in Alabama Cemetery Records FamilySearch Digital Library-Vol. 1.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1840	29,937	—
1850	22,250	−25.7%
1860	24,035	8.0%
1870	24,109	0.3%
1880	28,728	19.2%
1890	29,574	2.9%
1900	32,710	10.6%
1910	28,699	−12.3%
1920	25,569	−10.9%
1930	26,929	5.3%
1940	27,321	1.5%
1950	23,610	−13.6%
1960	20,041	−15.1%
1970	16,974	−15.3%
1980	16,908	−0.4%
1990	16,174	−4.3%
2000	14,798	−8.5%
2010	13,763	−7.0%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

State Census

• 1866 Alabama State Census, 1866 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection

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.

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places

Court Records

Alabama, Sumter County Circuit Court Files, 1840-1950
The collection consists of circuit court civil case files for the years 1840 to 1950. A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:
Alabama, Sumter County Circuit Court Files - FamilySearch Historical Records

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African American

• 1867-1895 Sumter County Colored Marriage Books 2-7 Index 1867-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch

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.

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

• Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Sumter County, Alabama: with Homesteads, Roads, Waterways, Towns, Cemeteries, Railroads, and More. Norman, Okla.: Arphax Pub. Co., 2007. 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 976.141 E7b.

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Sumter 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)
• Family Maps of Sumter County (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

Civil War
Regiments. Men in Sumter 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 Sumter County:

- 5th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B

- 5th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F "Cahaba Rifles"

- 36th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A

- 40th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A and C

• 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 - 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

Other Records

Voting Records

• 1834-1981: Alabama Voter Registration and Poll Tax Cards, 1834-1981 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection, index and images

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 - How to Use this Collection

Social Security Records

• 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

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 ($). Sumter County is in District 2.

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 - How to Use this Collection
• 1881-1930 - Alabama, County Birth Registers, 1881-1930 at FamilySearch — index, and some images - How to Use this Collection
• 1913-1919 - Sumter County Marriage Index 1913-1919 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• Dec 1916–May 1918 Index for White Birth Records in the Alabama State Archives found at ALGenWeb

Marriage

• 1733-2013 Alabama, United States Marriages at FindMyPast $
• 1800–1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800-1969 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
• 1833-1895 - Sumter County Marriage Books 1-6 Index 1833-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• 1833-1838, 1847-1901, 1936–1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800–1969 at Ancestry– ($); . 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.
  
• 1847-1900 "Alabama Marriages, 1809–1920" at Ancestry– ($); . This database is a collection of marriage records from the state. Researchers will find the names of both bride and groom along with the marriage date. The county where the ceremony was performed is also provided. Containing about 150,000 records and the names of nearly 300,000 men and women.
  
• Marriages at ALGenWeb
• To 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.
  

Death

• 1881–1952 Alabama Deaths and Burials, 1881-1952 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1881-1974 Index to Deaths and Burials at Ancestry– ($); . 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– ($); . 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 at FamilySearch Historical Records Collection. - How to Use this Collection
• 1913-1918 - Sumter County Death Index 1913-1918 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• Sumter County Deaths at ALGenWeb

Research Facilities

Family History Centers

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.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Libraries

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Sumter County. For state-wide library facilities, see Alabama Archives and Libraries.

Hightower Memorial Library
630 Ave. A
York, Alabama 36925
Phone: 205-392-2004
Facebook

Ruby Pickens Tartt Public Library
201 Monroe St.
Livingston, Alabama 35470
Phone: 205-652-2349
Website

Societies

Sumter County Historical Society
P.O. Box 213
207 N Washington St
Livingston, Alabama 35470
Phone: 205-652-4015
Facebook

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.
• Sumter County ALGenWeb ~ record transcriptions and information pertinent to the county.
• Sumter 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.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.