Colbert County, Alabama Genealogy

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

Description
Colbert County was created on 6 February 1867 and named after brothers George and Levi Colbert, Chickasaw Indian chiefs. Its county seat is Tuscumbia. It is located in the northwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Colbert County Courthouse 201 N Main St, Civil Office Tuscumbia, AL 35674 Phone: 256-386-8511 Fax: 256-386-8505 Colbert County Website Probate Judge has marriage records from 1877 land records from about 1867 Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records

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

Biographies

 * Memorial Record of Alabama, Colbert County. Madison, WI: Brant & Fuller, 1893. P. 686. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * My Colbert County Families. by Mary Alexander Lollar. n.d. n.p. n.p. Online at: Ancestry ($).
 * Northern Alabama, Historical and Biographical. 1888. Birmingham, Ala.: Smith and De Land, 1888. P. 103. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Hathitrust.
 * Colbert County Biographies at The USGenWeb Archives Project

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

 * 1889-1930 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Directories

 * Colbert County, Alabama Online Historical Directories at Online Historical Directories - Google Sites

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

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

Funeral Homes

 * Colbert Memorial Chapel in Tuscumbia
 * Morrison Funeral Homes in Cherokee and Tuscumbia
 * Thompson and Son Funeral Home in Tuscumbia
 * Trinity Memorial Funeral Home in Muscle Shoals

Local Histories

 * Northern Alabama, Historical and Biographical. 1888. Birmingham, Ala.: Smith and De Land, 1888. P. 103. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Hathitrust.
 * Two Hundred Years at Muscle Shoals: Being an Authentic History of Colbert County, 1700-1900. By Nina Leftwich. Tuscumbia, Ala., 1935. Online at: Ancestry ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Alabama (1799-1980)
 * 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 - 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


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

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
Voter Registration Alabama Voting Registers for 1867 are available online at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Colbert County has two books listed, but only Book 1 is accessible at this time.
 * 1834-1981  at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection; index and some images

Book 1

Periodicals

 * Valley Leaves. 1966–. Published by the Tennessee Valley Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1568, Huntsville, Alabama 35807. . Website identifies articles relating to Colbert County (click "Search by 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
 * 1830-1976 (*) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1861-1936 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1867-1930 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1877-1904 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1881-1925 (*);Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1882-1919 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1889-1930 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1890-1919 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

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

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

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

 * Athens Alabama FamilySearch Center
 * Decatur Alabama FamilySearch Center
 * Florence Alabama FamilySearch Center
 * Florence-Lauderdale Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Lawerence County Archives - an affiliate library

Libraries
Cherokee Public Library 118 Church Street Cherokee, AL 35616 Phone: 256-359-4384 Email: [mailto:cpl@cherokeetel.net cpl@cherokeetel.net] Facebook Florence/Lauderdale Public Library 350 N Wood Ave Florence, AL 35630 Phone: 256-764-6564 Email: [mailto:events@flpl.org events@flpl.org] Website Facebook Leighton Public Library 8740 Main Street Leighton, AL 35646 Phone: 256-446-5380 Email: [mailto:leightonpubliclibrary8@gmail.com leightonpubliclibrary8@gmail.com] Website Facebook Muscle Shoals Public Library 1918 East Avalon Avenue Muscle Shoals, AL 35661 Phone: 256-386-9212 Email: [mailto:msplfb@muscleshoals.lib.al.us msplfb@muscleshoals.lib.al.us] Website Facebook Sheffield Public Library 316 North Montgomery Avenue Sheffield, AL 35660 Phone: 256-386-5633 Website Facebook Tuscumbia - Helen Keller Public Library 511 North Main Street Tuscumbia, AL 35674 Phone: 256-383-7065 Email: [mailto:info@hkpl.org info@hkpl.org] Website Facebook

Societies
Natchez Trace Genealogical Society PO Box 420 Florence, AL 35631 Website Facebook Tennessee Valley Historical Society PO Box 149 Sheffield, AL 35660 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.
 * Colbert 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.

Research Guides

 * Inventory of the County Archives of Alabama: Colbert County. Birmingham, Ala.: The Survey, 1939. Digital version at Ancestry $