Lawrence County, Alabama Genealogy

United States

Alabama

Lawrence County

Guide to Lawrence 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: Moulton Organized: February 6, 1818 Parent County(s): Cherokee, Chickasaw (MS), Choctaw Neighboring Counties Colbert  • Cullman  • Franklin  • Lauderdale  • Limestone  • Morgan  • Winston See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

The County was named is in honor of J. Lawrence, a captain in the United States Navy from Vermont. The County is located in the northwest area of the state.

County Courthouse

Lawrence County Courthouse
14451 Market St, Ste 300
Moulton, AL 35650
Phone: 256-974-2432
Fax: 256-974-1118
Lawrence County

Probate Judge has marriage, divorce, probate and land records from 1810
Clerk Circuit Court has court records

Lawrence 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	1810	1881	1828	1810	1810	1816
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1908. General compliance for births by 1927 and for deaths 1925.

Record Loss

Lawrence County had a destructive courthouse fire in 1859. 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

1818-- Lawrence County was created 6 February 1818 from the Cherokee, Chickasaw (MS) and Choctaw Cession of 1816. County seat: Moulton 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 Lawrence County:

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

Cities
Moulton (county seat)
Towns
Courtland Hillsboro	North Courtland Town Creek
Unincorporated communities
Brides Hill Caddo Chalybeate Springs Concord Courtland Downs Edmond Fairfield Fish Pond Five Points Flat Rock Flower Hill Freeman Acres Harmony Hepsidam	Hickory Grove Jerusalem Jesseton Kitchens Mill Landersville Lennon Hill Loosier Lovettville Masterson Mill Mount Hope Mount Moriah Mountain Home Muck City Ne Smith	Needmore Oakville Piney Grove Pinhook Pittsburg Red Bank Rigdom Speake Terrytown Wheeler Wolf Springs Wren Youngtown
Census-designated places
Hatton

Resources

Biographies

• Northern Alabama, Historical and Biographical Birmingham, Ala.: Smith and De Land, 1888. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library. Lawrence County begins on page 66.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Lawrence, 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 Lawrence county cemeteries.

• Interment.net Alabama cemetery records by county.
• Indexes for Lawrence County Cemetery Records at Lawrence County, Alabama Archives
• Cemetery Records: Barbour County with Cherokee & Lawrence Counties Alabama, Vol. 3 1966. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library. Includes Hickory Grove Cumberland Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Mt. Hope Methodist Church Cemetery, Owens Cemetery, Rock Springs Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Smith Cemetery, Templeton Cemetery, Wear Cemetery, and Young Town Cemetery.
• Douthat, James L. Wheeler Reservoir Cemeteries Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press. Mountain Press.$$

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1830	14,984	—
1840	13,313	−11.2%
1850	15,258	14.6%
1860	13,975	−8.4%
1870	16,658	19.2%
1880	21,392	28.4%
1890	20,725	−3.1%
1900	20,124	−2.9%
1910	21,984	9.2%
1920	24,307	10.6%
1930	26,942	10.8%
1940	27,880	3.5%
1950	27,128	−2.7%
1960	24,501	−9.7%
1970	27,281	11.3%
1980	30,170	10.6%
1990	31,513	4.5%
2000	34,803	10.4%
2010	34,339	−1.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

State Census

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

For individual censuses, see:

• Parsly, Mrs. Lewis F. 1820 Census Lawrence County Alabama Territory n.d. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library
• 1820 State Census of Lawrence County, Alabama Huntsville, Ala.: The Tennessee Valley Genealogical Society, Inc., 1977. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library

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
  

Index for Lawrence County Churches at Lawrence County, Alabama Archives

Court Records

• 1818-1850 Indexes for Lawrence County Minute Books 1818-1850 at Lawrence County, Alabama Archives

Genealogies

Index for Lawrence County Family Files at Lawrence County, Alabama Archives

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.

• 1818-1850 Indexes for Lawrence County Deed Books 1818-1850 at Lawrence County, Alabama Archives

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Lawrence 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.

• Gentry, Dorothy. Life and Legend of Lawrence County Alabama Tuscaloosa, Ala., 1962. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Alabama (1799-1980)
• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

Revolutionary War

• Revolutionary War to World War II - Indexes for Lawrence County Military Records at Lawrence County, Alabama Archives

Civil War

• 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 Civil War Service Database at Alabama Department of Archives and History - index
  
• 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. 1880-1930s at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
• 1907, 1921, 1927 Alabama, Census of Confederate Veterans, 1907, 1921, 1927 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• Alabama Civil War and Reconstruction Newspapers at Alabama Department of Archives and History

Regiments. Men in Lawrence 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 Lawrence County:

- 4th Regiment, Alabama Cavalry (Roddy's), Company A and B

- 4th Regiment, Alabama Cavalry (Roddy's), Company D

- 5th Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company C

- 9th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C "Pope Walker Guards"

- 16th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B, F and I

- 27th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D and I

- 35th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C and H

World War I

• 1917-1919 Alabama, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1917-1918 Alabama World War I Service Records at Alabama Department of Archives and History - alpha index by name and images
  
• 1917-1918 Alabama World War I Gold Star Files at Alabama Department of Archives and History - alpha index by name and images
  

World War II

• 1940-1945 Alabama, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
• 1940-1966 Alabama Active Military Service Reports at Alabama Department of Archives and History - alpha index by name and images
  

Newspapers

• 1855-1905 Indexes for Lawrence County Newspapers (Mostly Obituaries) 1855-1905 at Lawrence County, Alabama Archives
• Alabama Civil War and Reconstruction Newspapers at Alabama Department of Archives and History
• Lawrence County, Alabama Obituary and Death Notices Collection by GenealogyBuffs.com - collection of obituaries and death notices from various funeral homes in the Lawrence County area

Obituaries

• Lawrence County, Alabama Obituary and Death Notices Collection by GenealogyBuffs.com - collection of obituaries and death notices from various funeral homes in the Lawrence County area

Other Records

Voting Records

Alabama Voting Registers for 1867 are available online at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Lawrence County has one book.

Periodicals

• Valley Leaves. 1966–. Published by the Tennessee Valley Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1568, Huntsville, Alabama 35807. FHL Book 976.19 B2v. Website identifies articles relating to Lawrence County (click "Search by County").

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
• 1818-1850 Indexes for Lawrence County Inventory and Will Books 1818-1850 at Lawrence County, Alabama Archivese. Note: these will books are not at the Family History Library.
• 1866-1880 Index to Wills of Lawrence Co., Alabama at USGenWeb.org. Contributed by Sandra Beaver.

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.

• 1848-1849 Indexes for Lawrence County Tax Records 1848-1849 at Lawrence County, Alabama Archives
• 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

• 1881-1900 Lawrence County Birth Index 1881-1900. Batch C747647 at FamilySearch
• 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

Marriage

• 1733-2013 Alabama, United States Marriages at FindMyPast $
• 1800-1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800-1969 at Ancestry $
• 1808, 1818-1884, 1888-1889, 1936–1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800–1969 at Ancestry $
• 1809-1920 Alabama Marriages,1809-1920 (Selected Counties) at Ancestry $
• 1816-1957 Alabama Marriages, 1816-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1818-1884 "Alabama Marriages, 1809-1920" at Ancestry $
• 1818-1947 Indexes for Lawrence County Marriage Books 1818-1947 at Lawrence County, Alabama Archives
• 1828-1928 Lawrence County Marriage Books L-Q Index 1828-1928 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• To 1825 Index to Marriages at Ancestry $
• Marriages at ALGenWeb

Death

• 1881-1952 Alabama Deaths and Burials, 1881-1952 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 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 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Research Facilities

Archives

Lawrence County Archives
698 Main St.
PO Box 728
Moulton, AL 35630
Phone: 256-974-1757
Website

Indexes for Lawrence County Loose Case Papers at Website

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 Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

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

Lawrence County Public Library
401 College Street
Moulton, Alabama 35650
Telephone: 256-974
Website

Societies

Tennessee Valley Genealogical Society
P. O. Box 1568
Huntsville, Alabama 35807
Website

Publication: Valley Leaves

Lawrence County Historical Commission, Inc
P. O. Box 728
Moulton, AL 35650-0728
Phone: 256-974-1757
Website

Publication: Old Lawrence Reminiscences

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