Mobile County, Alabama Genealogy

Guide to Mobile 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 1813 Probate Records from 1812 and land records from 1813

Description
The County was named in honor of the indigenous Maubila tribe. The County has Mobile as its seat and the County was created December 18, 1812. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

History
Mobile initially fell within the bounds of Mississippi Territory.

Parent County
1812--Mobile County was created 1 August 1812 from West Florida. County seat: Mobile

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
Mobile County had destructive courthouse fires in 1823, 1840, and 1872.

Mobile, Alabama Wind Storm

July 5, 1916

1916-MOBILE IS SWEPT BY 85-MILE-AN-HOUR WIND. . The county courthouse was severely damaged, and faces of the clock on all four sides were blown off. . . The courthouse tower was wrecked and rain poured into the court rooms. . . (source:GenDisasters)

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 Mobile County:

Neighboring Counties
Baldwin | Clarke | Washington | Mississippi counties: George | Greene | Jackson

African American

 * 1865-1930s - in "Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950," at FamilySearch.org - free. (skips books 5 and 38)


 * 1865-1891 - Mobile County Marriage Books 1-10 Index 1865-1891 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * Africantown, U.S.A. : A Pictorial History of Plateau and Magazine Point (Mobile County) Alabama / [story narrative, John H. Smith]. - Mobile, Ala: American Ethnic Science Society, c. 1981 65 p.: ill.  F334.M6 A6 1981

Biography

 * Mobile County Biographies at The USGenWeb Archives Project - free.

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


 * Interment.net Alabama cemetery records by county.


 * Magnolia Cemetery, Mobile, AL


 * Additional Mobile County cemeteries may be included in Alabama Cemetery Records and  at FamilySearch Books Online - free.

Census
State Census


 * 1866 - at FamilySearch — index

Church Records (Rural)
Notre Dame du Fort Conde de la Mobile, Mobile


 * 1704-1764 - Notre Dame du Fort Conde de la Mobile, Mobile Baptism Index 1704-1764. Batch at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1704-1764 - Notre Dame du Fort Conde de la Mobile, Mobile Marriage Index 1704-1764. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Directories

 * Mobile County, Alabama Online Historical Directories - identifies historical city, county, business and other directories available online on both free and pay-to-access websites.
 * 1890-1892 - Mobile, Alabama City Directories, 1890-92 at Ancestry ($). Includes 1890, 1891, and 1892 directories.

Local Histories

 * Bi-centennial Celebration, May 26-28, 1911, of the Founding of Mobile by Jean Baptiste de Bienville, 1711. Mobile: Commercial Print. Co., 1912. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Craighead, Erwin. Mobile: Fact and Tradition, Noteworthy People and Events. Mobile, Ala.: Powers Print. Co., 1930. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Delaney, Caldwell. Remember Mobile. Mobile, Ala., 1948. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Hamilton, Peter J. Colonial Mobile: An Historical Study, Largely from Original Sources, of the Alabama-Tombigbee Basin and the old South West from the Discovery of the Spiritu Santo in 1519 Until the Demolition of Fort Charlotte in 1821. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1910. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Hamilton, Peter J. Mobile of the Five Flags: The Story of the River Basin and Coast about Mobile from the Earliest Times to the Present. Mobile: Gill Print. Co., 1913. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Maps

 * Maps of Alabama (1799-1980)

Civil War
Civil War service men from Mobile 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 Mobile County.


 * - 1st Battalion, Alabama Artillery, Company A
 * - 1st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D (Red Eagles)
 * - 2nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F, G, H and I
 * - 3rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A "Mobile Cadets
 * - 3rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B "Gulf City Guards"
 * - 3rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E "Washington Light Infantry"
 * - 3rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company K "Mobile Rifles"
 * - 3rd Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company E, Mobile Humphries Dragoons [formerly Co. "D", Wirt Adams' Cavalry]
 * - 8th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C "Alex Stephens' Guards"
 * - 8th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E "Hamp Smith Rifles"
 * - 8th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G "German Fusileers
 * - 8th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H "Mobile Independent Scouts"
 * - 8th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I "Emerald Guards"
 * - 9th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A "Beauregard Rifles"
 * - 12th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A "Lafayette Guards"
 * - 12th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C "Independent Rifles
 * - 12th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I "Southern Foresters"
 * - 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A "Washington Light Infantry"
 * - 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D "Mobile Battle Guards:
 * - 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E "Chamberlain Rifles or Woodruff Rifles"
 * - 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G
 * - 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H "Swanson Guards or French Guards"
 * - 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I "Independence Rifles or United Rangers"
 * - 21st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company K "Mobile Cadets"
 * - 22nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H "Sam Cooper Rifles"
 * - 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A "Washington Guards"
 * - 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B "Emmett Guards"
 * - 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D "Beulah Guards"
 * - 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F "Alabama Guards"
 * - 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G
 * - 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I "Confederate Guards"
 * - 32nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B, C, F, I and K
 * - 36th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E
 * - 38th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G and K
 * - 40th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F, H, I and K
 * - 42nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I
 * - 43rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F
 * - 51st Regiment, Alabama Partisan Rangers, Company K

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)
 * 1907, 1921, 1927 - at FamilySearch — images

Civil War Battle Fought in Mobile County

 * Mobile Bay, also known as Passing of Forts Morgan and Gaines, August 2-23, 1864 (partly fought in Baldwin County)

Battle information from Civil War Battle Summaries by State, by the Heritage Preservation Services.

Map showing Civil War battles in Alabama, by the Heritage Preservation Services.

World War I

 * 1917-1919 - at FamilySearch — index

Newspapers
Alabama Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both free and pay-to-access websites.

Probate Records
Online Probate Records
 * 1753 – 1999 Alabama Wills and Probate Records 1753-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1809 – 1985 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1812 – 1837 Images of Wills. Southeastern Genealogy ($)

Taxation

 * 1814 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free. (browse under Hancock, Jackson, Mobile)


 * 1816-1817 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.


 * 1816 - Inhabitants of Alabama in 1816. Broken Arrow Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, 1955. Digital version at - free. Includes Mobile County.


 * 1865-1866 - U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 at Ancestry ($). Autauga County is in District 2.

Vital Records
See also How to order Alabama Vital Records

Birth Records

 * 1881-1930 - at FamilySearch Historical Records Collection - free


 * 1881 – 1930 at FamilySearch.org — index

Marriage Records

 * 1733-2013 - Alabama, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $


 * To 1825 Index to Marriages at Ancestry – ($); Index. 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.


 * 1813-1821, 1823-1825, 1827-1840, 1844, 1846-1849, 1851-1853, 1878, 1924, 1936–1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800–1969 at Ancestry – ($); Index. 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.


 * 1813-1929 - in "Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950," at FamilySearch.org - free.


 * 1813-1855 - King, Clinton P. and Merlem A. Barlow. Marriages of Mobile County Alabama, 1813-1855. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 1985. Free Name Search ; publisher's bookstore: Genealogical.com ;.


 * 1823-1891 - Mobile County Marriage Books 1-28 Index 1823-1891 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1878 "Alabama Marriages, 1809–1920" at Ancestry – ($); Index. 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.


 * Before 1821 Marriages at ALGenWeb - free


 * Marriages A-C at ALGenWeb - free


 * Marriages D–R at ALGenWeb - free


 * Marriages S–Z at ALGenWeb - free


 * County Marriages by Groom at ALGenWeb - free


 * Mobile County Marriages by Bride at ALGenWeb - free


 * 1809 – 1950 at FamilySearch.org — index/images


 * 1816 – 1957 at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1800 – 1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800-1969 at Ancestry.com — index $


 * 1809 – 1920 [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=4192 Alabama Marriages,


 * 1809-1920 (Selected Counties)] at Ancestry.com — index $

Death Records

 * 1881-1952 - at FamilySearch Historical Records Collection - free


 * 1881–1974 Index to Deaths and Burials at Ancestry – ($); Index. 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 – ($); Index. The index includes name of the deceased, county of death, date of death, and the state certificate number (volume and page).


 * 1908-1974 - at FamilySearch Historical Records Collection - free


 * 1881 – 1952 at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1908 – 1974 at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1881 – 1974 Alabama, Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974 at Ancestry.com — index $


 * 1908 – 1959 [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=5188 Alabama Deaths,


 * 1908-59] at Ancestry.com — index $

Societies and Libraries
Mobile Genealogical Society, Inc P. O. Box 6224 Mobile, AL 36660-6224 251- 432-MGS-4 Publications: Deep South Genealogical Quarterly MGS Newsletter Link

Mobile Municipal Archives 457 Church St. P. O. Box 1827 Mobile, AL  36633 251-208-7736 Link

Historic Mobile Preservation Society 300 Oakley Place Mobile, AL 36604 251-432-6161 Link

Mobile County Probate Court Archives P. O. Box 7 Mobile, AL 36601 251-574-4941 Link

The Museum of Mobile 111 South Royal St. Mobile, AL 36602 251-434-7569 Link


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

Library
Mobile Public Library Local History Dept. 704 Government Street Mobile, AL 36602-149 Telephone: 334-208-7093

Collections include local histories, newspaper clippings, city directories, censuses, probate index, military records, and more.

Family History Center

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Mobile Alabama
 * 5520 Ziegler Blvd Mobile, Mobile, Alabama, United States Phone: 251-344-9270 Hours: M - F: 10 am - 12 pm; Th: 6 pm - 8 pm. Closures: May 30; Jul 4; Sep 5; Nov 21 - 25; Dec 23 - Jan 6 Family History Center Locator

Mobile County Alabama Genealogy Websites

 * Mobile 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.


 * Mobile County ALGenWeb ~ record transcriptions and information pertinent to the county.


 * Mobile County, Alabama Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)


 * Mobile Co. AL


 * United States Resources: Alabama