Crenshaw County, Alabama Genealogy

Guide to Crenshaw 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, probate and land records from 1866 Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records.

Description
The County was named in honor of a judge, Anderson Crenshaw. The County has Luverne as its seat and the County was created November 30, 1866. The County is located in the south central area of the state.

Parent County
1866--Crenshaw County was created 24 November 1866 from Butler, Coffee, Covington, Lowndes, and Pike Counties. County seat: Luvern

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
1898 Crenshaw County had a destructive courthouse fire in 1898. See Research in Alabama: A Genealogical Guide  page 27 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

 * Butler
 * Coffee
 * Covington
 * Lowndes
 * Montgomery
 * Pike

African American

 * 1937-1957 - in "Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950," at FamilySearch - free.

Biography

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

Cemeteries
The following web site has additional information on Crenshaw 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 Crenshaw 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 free surname index..

Local Histories

 * Sport, Joe R. An Early History of Crenshaw County. n.d. Digital version at - free.

Maps

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

Civil War
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
 * 1880-1930 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1907, 1921, 1927 - at FamilySearch — images
 * Bullard, Karen C. and Annette J. Connor. Census of Confederate Soldiers Residing in Alabama, 1907 in Pike, Bullock and Crenshaw Counties. n.d. Digital version at - free.

World War I

 * 1917-1919 - at FamilySearch — index

World War II

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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

Vital Records
See also How to order Alabama Vital Records

Birth

 * 1881-1930 - FamilySearch Historical Records Collection - 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.


 * 1858, 1867–1872, 1935–1969 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.


 * 1867–1872 "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. Containing about 150,000 records and the names of nearly 300,000 men and women.


 * 1867-1890, 1931-1951 - in "Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950," at FamilySearch.org - free.


 * Crenshaw County Marriages at ALGenWeb - free.


 * 1809 – 1950 at FamilySearch


 * 1816 – 1957 at FamilySearch.org


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


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

Death

 * 1881-1952 - FamilySearch Historical Records Collection - free


 * 1881–1974 Index to Deaths and Burials at Ancestry $. 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 $. 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


 * Crenshaw County Deaths at ALGenWeb - free.


 * 1881 – 1952 at FamilySearch


 * 1908 – 1974 at FamilySearch


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


 * 1908 – 1959 [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=5188 Alabama Deaths,1908-59 at Ancestry $

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

Societies and Libraries
Crenshaw County Historical Society P. O. Box 633 Luverne, AL 36049-0633 Publication: Quarterly Bulletin Crenshaw County

Crenshaw Luverne Public Library 334-335-5326 Crenshaw Luverne Public Library Website


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


 * United States Resources: Alabama


 * Al Gen Web

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

Family History Centre Locator

Websites

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