Clarke County, Alabama Genealogy

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

Description
Clarke County was created on 10 December 1812 and named in honor of General John Clarke of Georgia. Its county seat is Grove Hill. It is located in the southwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Clarke County Courthouse 114 Court Street Grove Hill, AL 36451 Phone: 251-275-3363 Fax: 251-275-3271 District Court Phone: 251-275-3363 Clarke County Website Probate Judge has marriage and probate records from 1814 and land records from 1820 Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records Health Clinic has birth and death records

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

Bible Records

 * Clarke County, Alabama Bible Records at Access Genealogy
 * Clarke County Bible Records at USGenWeb Archives Project

Biographies

 * Northern Alabama, Historical and Biographical. Birmingham, Ala.: Smith and De Land, 1888. Pg. 231. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.

Census Records
State Census


 * 1855   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1866  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1907, 1921, 1927  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Church Records

 * 1831-1994  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1810-1915 (*); Judge of Probate at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1811-1902 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1829-1850 (*); Orphans' Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

 * 1865-1872  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only

Funeral Homes

 * Andrews Funeral Home in Jackson
 * Jackson Memorial Funeral Home in Jackson
 * Lathan Funeral Home in Grove Hill and Jackson
 * Thomasville Memorial Funeral Directors and Cremation Services in Thomasville

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


 * Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Clarke County, Alabama: with Homesteads, Roads, Waterways, Towns, Cemeteries, Railroads, and More. Norman, Okla.: Arphax Pub. Co., 2008. This is a definitive work and can be used as an index to land grants. Digital version at HistoryGeo.com ($). Website includes surname index..

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Local Histories

 * A Glance into the Great South-East, on, Clarke County, Alabama, and its Surroundings, from 1540 to 1877. By Rev T.H. Ball. Grove Hill, AL: n.p., 1882. Online at: HathiTrust, Ancestry ($). 1962 reprint at Ancestry ($).
 * Clarke County to 1860. By David Strode Akens. University, AL: n.p., 1956. Online at: Internet Archive
 * History of Clarke County. By John Simpson Graham. Birmingham, Ala.: Press of Birmingham Print. Co., 1923. Online at: Ancestry ($)
 * Northern Alabama, Historical and Biographical. Birmingham, Ala.: Smith and De Land, 1888. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, HathiTrust.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Alabama (1799-1980)
 * Family Maps of Clarke County (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
 * Alabama Maps and Blueprints Collection at Alabama Department of Archives and History – maps can be browsed by location or subject

Military Records
Multiple Wars
 * ca.1918-ca.1962  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Civil War
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection; index, images at partner site
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index, images at partner site
 * 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  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1880-1930  at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1907, 1921, 1927  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Alabama Civil War and Reconstruction Newspapers at Alabama Department of Archives and History


 * - 5th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A
 * - 11th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E
 * - 22nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B "Frank Lyon Rifles"
 * - 23rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company K "Kings Guard"
 * - 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E "Dickinson Guards"
 * - 24th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G
 * - 32nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D, E, G and H
 * - 38th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A and I
 * - 38th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D [also called Co. "G"]

World War I
 * 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 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 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1940-1966 Alabama Active Military Service Reports at Alabama Department of Archives and History - alpha index by name and images

Newspapers

 * Alabama Civil War and Reconstruction Newspapers at Alabama Department of Archives and History
 * Alabama Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both and pay-to-access websites.
 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Other Records
Voting Registration
 * 1834-1981  at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection; index and some images
 * There are no 1867 voting registers available for Clarke County.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1753-1999 Alabama Wills and Probate Records 1753-1999 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1809-1985 (*) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images
 * 1810-1915 (*); Judge of Probate at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1813-1825 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1818-1839 Images of Wills and Estates 1818-1825; 1825-1832; Guardianships, Estates, Wills, 1832-1839 at Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1818-1939 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1830-1976 (*) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014  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.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

 * 1816 Inhabitants of Alabama in 1816. Broken Arrow Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, 1955. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library. Includes Clarke County.
 * 1865-1866 U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 at Ancestry $

Birth

 * 1881-1930  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1881-1930  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index, and some images

Marriage

 * 1733-2013 Alabama, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($)
 * 1800-1969 Alabama, U.S., Marriage Index, 1800-1969 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1802-1825 Alabama, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1802-1825 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1809-1920 Alabama, U.S., Compiled Marriages from Selected Counties, 1809-1920 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1809-1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and some images
 * 1816-1957  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1818-1936  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * McManus, Grace Kelly. Clarke County, Alabama, Marriage Records 1814-1891. 1955. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Clarke County Marriages at ALGenWeb

Death

 * 1881-1952 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1881-1974 Alabama, U.S., Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1908-1959 Alabama, U.S., Death Index, 1908-1959 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1908-1974 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Archives
Alabama Department of Archives and History 624 Washington Ave PO Box 300100 Montgomery, AL 36104 Phone: 334-242-4435 Email: [mailto:mark.palmer@archives.alabama.gov mark.palmer@archives.alabama.gov] Website Facebook

FamilySearch Centers

 * Atmore Alabama FamilySearch Center
 * Monroe Alabama FamilySearch Center
 * West Florida Public Library - Century Branch - an affiliate library

Libraries
Grove Hill Public Library 108 Dubose Avenue Grove Hill, AL 36451 Phone: 251-275-8157 Email: [mailto:ghpldesk@tds.net ghpldesk@tds.net] Website Facebook Thomasville Public Library 1401 Mosley Drive Thomasville, AL 36784 Phone: 334-636-5343 Email: [mailto:tvilleLibrary@gmail.com tvilleLibrary@gmail.com] Website Facebook

Museums
Clarke County Museum 116 West Cobb St Grove Hill, AL 36451 Phone: 251-275-8684 Email: [mailto:museum@clarkemuseum.com museum@clarkemuseum.com] Website Facebook

Societies
Clarke County Historical Society 116 West Cobb St PO Box 388 Grove Hill, AL 36451 Phone: 251-275-8684 Email: [mailto:museum@clarkemuseum.com museum@clarkemuseum.com] Website 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. Record transcriptions from Bibles, obituaries, court records and more.
 * Clarke County ALGenWeb. Record transcriptions and information pertinent to the county.
 * Clarke County, Alabama Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * – 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.