Coffee County, Alabama Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
Probate Judge has marriage records from 1877 and land records from early 1800's Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records

Description
The County was named after John R. Coffee, a hero in the Creek War of 1813—14. The County has Elba as its seat and the County was created December 29, 1841. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

Parent County
Coffee County was formed December 29, 1841 from Dale County. Dale was formed in 1824 from Covington and Henry Counties. Covington was formed from Henry in 1821 and Henry was formed from Conecuh in 1819. Conecuh was formed from Monroe in 1818 and Monroe was the original County formed from Washington County (Mississippi Territory) and the Creek cession in 1815.

County seats: Elba and Enterprise

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Alabama county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Alabama County Boundary Maps" (1799-1980) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
Coffee County had destructive courthouse fires in 1851, 1863, and 1877. See Research in Alabama: A Genealogical Guide  page 26 for suggested alternative sources to overcome this loss.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Neighboring Counties

 * Covington
 * Crenshaw
 * Dale
 * Geneva
 * Pike

Biography

 * Clay County Biographies at USGenWeb Archives Project - free.

Cemeteries
The following web site has additional information on Coffee county cemeteries.


 * Interment.net Alabama cemetery records by county.

Census
State Census


 * 1866 - at FamilySearch — index

Land and Property
To place a grant or deed on a map within context of see:


 * Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Barbour County, Alabama: with Homesteads, Roads, Waterways, Towns, Cemeteries, Railroads, and More. Norman, Okla.: Arphax Pub. Co., 2010. This is a definitive work and can be used as an index to land grants. Digital version at HistoryGeo.com ($). Website includes free surname index..

Maps

 * Maps of Alabama (1799-1980)
 * Family Maps of (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Civil War
Civil War service men from Coffee County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies or regiments that were formed from men of Coffee County.


 * - 1st Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company F
 * - 12th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D "Coffee County Rangers"
 * - 18th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A (Bullock Guards)
 * - 25th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company K
 * - 33rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A and F
 * - 54th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E (formerly Co. "D", 1st AL, TN, and MS Infantry)
 * - 61st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D and G

Online Records
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1871-1880 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1907, 1921, 1927 - at FamilySearch — images

World War I

 * 1917-1919 - at FamilySearch — index

Probate Records
Online Probate Records
 * 1753 – 1999 Alabama Wills and Probate Records 1753-1999 at Ancestry $
 * 1809 – 1985 at FamilySearch

Taxation

 * 1865-1866 - U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 at Ancestry ($). Coffee County is in District 1.

Vital Records
See also How to order Alabama Vital Records

Birth

 * Coffee County Births at ALGenWeb - free


 * 1881 – 1930 at FamilySearch

Marriage

 * 1733-2013 - Alabama, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * To 1825 Index to Marriages at Ancestry $. 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.


 * 1877–1886, 1888–1901, 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.


 * 1877–1900 "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.


 * Coffee County Marriages at ALGenWeb - free


 * 1809 – 1950 at FamilySearch


 * 1816 – 1957 at FamilySearch


 * 1800 – 1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800-1969 at Ancestry $


 * 1809 – 1920 Alabama Marriages, 1809-1920 (Selected Counties) at Ancestry $

Death

 * 1881–1974 Index to Deaths and Burials at Ancestry $. 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 - FamilySearch Historical Records Collection - free


 * 1881 – 1952 at FamilySearch


 * 1908 – 1974 at FamilySearch


 * 1881 – 1974 Alabama, Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974 at Ancestry $


 * 1908 – 1959 Alabama Deaths, 1908-59 at Ancestry $


 * 1881 – 1952 at FamilySearch


 * 1908 – 1974 at FamilySearch


 * 1881 – 1974 Alabama, Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974 at Ancestry $


 * 1908 – 1959 Alabama Deaths,1908-59 at Ancestry $

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

Societies and Libraries
Pea River Historical and Genealogical Society P. O. Box 310628 108 Main Street Enterprise, AL 36330 334-393-2901 Website Publication: Pea River Trails Website

Coffee Enterprise Public Library 334-347-2636 Website

Family History Center 110 Shell Field Rd Enterprise 334-347-3631 Website


 * List of Alabama Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies


 * Coffee Co. AL


 * SUBMITTED CEMETERIES of COFFEE COUNTY, ALABAMA


 * United States Resources: Alabama


 * Al Gen Web

Family History Center
Enterprise Alabama


 * 110 Shell Field Rd Enterprise, Coffee, Alabama, United States Phone: 334-347-3631
 * Hours: Tues &amp; Thurs 10 am -2pm Wed 4pm-8pm; other times by appt. Closures: Closed on Holidays

Family History Centre Locator

Websites

 * Coffee County, AL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * 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.
 * Coffee County ALGenWeb ~ record transcriptions and information pertinent to the county.
 * Coffee County, Alabama Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Coffee County, Alabama Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)