Birmingham Alabama FamilySearch Center

Center Contacts and Hours

 * Location Map: Location Map


 * Address:  2780 Altadena Rd Birmingham, AL 35243


 * Corner of Altadena Road and Cahaba River Road and in the church. Our door is nearest the Altadena Road entrance. Parking is available at the entrance.

Language: English


 * Phone:  205-967-7279 (Center), or 205-937-2221 (Kel Laeger)


 * E-mail:  AL_Birmingham@familyhistorymail.org


 * Stake TFH Consultant - Center:  Kel Laeger, laegerke17@icloud.com


 * Stake TFH Consultant - Center Assistant: 

Holiday Closings:

Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Thanksgiving - Tuesday, November 21, 2023. Reopens on Tuesday, November 28. 2023

Christmas - Saturday, December 23. 2023 to January 3, 2023. Reopens on Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Center Hours:


 * Tuesdays:         9:00am-3:00pm
 * Wednesdays:    9:00am-3:00pm
 * Saturdays:        9:00am-3:00pm; except 1st and 5th Saturdays
 * We are all volunteers so we invite you to call to be sure we are open: 205-937-2221 or 205-967-7279
 * Appointments available upon request. Call Kel Laeger, 205-937-2221, and leave your name and telephone number
 * Training sessions available by appointment. Call Kel Laeger, 205-937-2221

Staff Training Meetings

 * Quarterly meetings, 3:00 pm, 1st Sunday in March, June, September, December.

Collections

 * FamilySearch Catalog:  This center may have various films and fiche available through the FamilySearch Catalog.


 * Patrons' Microfiche Collection -- a collection of fiche ordered by our patrons, assorted titles. Contain family histories, vital records, and other types of information.


 * Indefinite Film Collection -- a collection of films on a variety of subjects, to include vital records, county records, court records, etc.


 * Book Collection: -- More than 800 volumes including genealogy books on African Americans, Native Americans, many states, and the American State Papers: Index and Volumes 1-9, 1789-1837.


 * We have more than 8800 microfilm and microfiche records on site. Many microfilm for England, Ireland, Germany, Scotland, South Africa


 * Alabama Death Records for years 1908 to 1974, complete.
 * Hurst Tennessee Collection: Tennessee State Library and Archive: V202-0012; NARA M653-1252; NARA 593-1531; NARA T9-1258; NARA T623-1573; NARA 624-1501; NARA 624-1518. Includes counties: Claiborne, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblin ,Hancock, Sevier


 * Surname Genealogies: Bass, Beasley, Beddingfield, Bird, Brocks Gap families, Cain, Corbitt, Couplands, Crocker, Dickerson, Dollins, Drowne, Elder, Ellis, Good, Hassinger, Hilley, Killough, Lane, Lasher, Lawrence, Martin, McCullough, Moser, Murdock, Pendergrass, Pullen, Randolph, Rasco, Rhoad, Richardson, Skinner, Snow, Southerland, Sparks, Strange, Stump, Thomas,Veithch, Weaver, Wester, Wooten

Databases and Software

 * FamilySearch Center Portal This center has access to the FamilySearch Center Portal page which gives free access in the center to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions. This Portal is being upgraded and will be down until September 2021.  The websites that will be available are:


 * 19th Century British Library Newspapers
 * Alexander Street Press-The American Civil War
 * American Ancestors
 * Ancestry.com
 * ArkivDigital
 * FamNet
 * Findmypast
 * Fold3
 * Geneanet
 * MyHeritage
 * Newspapers.com
 * PaperTrail
 * Puzzilla

Hardware and Equipment

 * Computers, microfilm reader, microfilm/fiche reader-printer for paper or digital images

Center Services
Individual Help and Group Presentations and training at no charge

Staff Research Specialties
African American genealogical research

Resources in the Local Area

 * Alabama Genealogical Society, www.algensoc.org
 * BAAGG, Birmingham African American Genealogy Group, info@baagginc.org
 * Birmingham Historical Society, bhistorical@gmail.com
 * Birmingham Public Library, Southern History Department, 205-226-3665: Features extensive collection for Southern research
 * Samford University: Outstanding seminars for genealogists, Is Repository for Alabama Baptist Church Records, large Ireland collection, many other re cords.
 * Birmingham Southern University: Has Archives for Methodist Church

Links
Online Genealogy Records by Location
 * Using the FamilySearch Research Wiki: A comprehensive video presentation explaining the Wiki, navigating it, and some especially useful pages. Case studies demonstrate using the Wiki for genealogical research. Editing and adding articles to the Wiki are covered.


 * Alabama Department of History and Archives
 * Alabama Genealogical Society Website
 * Birmingham African American Genealogy Study Group
 * Birmingham Genealogical Society Blog
 * Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Archives
 * Birmingham News Archives (1993-Present)
 * Oak Hill Cemetery
 * Samford Genealogy Website
 * Wallace State Genealogy Website

Volunteer at the Center
We need volunteers to work at the Center during regular hours. For more information. Send an email to: [mailto:al_birmingham@familyhistorymail.org al_birmingham@familyhistorymail.org]