Calhoun County, Alabama Genealogy

Guide to Calhoun 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 1834-1979 Registrar in Chancery has divorce records Clerk Circuit Court has Court Records

Description
The County was named in honor of John C. Calhoun. The County has Anniston as its seat and the County was created December 18, 1832. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

Parent County
1832--Calhoun County was created 18 December 1832 from the Creek Cession of 1832. County seat: Anniston

Calhoun County Alabama was created on 18 December 1832 and was originally named Benton County. There is no parent county because Calhoun (then Benton) County was created from the 1832 Creek Cession. On 29 Jan 1858 the name was changed to Calhoun County.

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
Calhoun County had destructive courthouse fires in 1861, 1865, and 1932.

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

 * Cherokee
 * Cleburne
 * Etowah
 * St. Clair
 * Talladega

African American
The following have information concerning African American research. Both should be used:


 * African American Research (US) has more information about the kinds of records
 * Alabama Minorities has information specific to Alabama African Americans.

Biography

 * Northern Alabama, Historical and Biographical. Birmingham, Ala.: Smith and De Land, 1888. Digital version at . (Town of Oxford) begins on page 112.


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

Cemeteries
The following web sites have additional information on Calhoun county cemeteries.


 * Interment.net Alabama cemetery records by county.


 * Additional Calhoun County cemeteries are included in volumes 1,3 and 6.


 * There are approximately 150 - 200 cemeteries in Calhoun County. They range in size from single grave sites to over 3,000 burials. Research is currently ongoing to locate and pin-point cemetery locations with GPS. As of this time 130 have been located with GPS. Other cemeteries are known but are on private property. Over 90 cemeteries have yet to be located or eliminated as duplicates with different names in different listings.

Census
State Census


 * 1866 - at FamilySearch — index

Directories
Calhoun County, Alabama Online Historical Directories - identifies historical city, county, business and other directories available online on both free and pay-to-access websites.


 * 1931 - Polk's Anniston City Directory, 1931 at - free.

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


 * Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Calhoun County, Alabama: with Homesteads, Roads, Waterways, Towns, Cemeteries, Railroads, and More. Norman, Okla.: Arphax Pub. Co., 2007. 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

 * Northern Alabama, Historical and Biographical. Birmingham, Ala.: Smith and De Land, 1888. Digital version at . begins on page 111.

Maps

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

Civil War
Civil War service men from Calhoun 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 Calhoun County.


 * - 1st Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company E
 * - 1st Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company H "Sandy Williams' Guards"
 * - 2nd Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company A
 * - 2nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A and I
 * - 3rd Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company G, Floyd Bush Rangers
 * - 7th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B
 * - 10th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D "Alexandria Rifle Company"
 * - 10th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G "Pope Walker Guards"
 * - 10th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H "Choccolocco Rifles"
 * - 22nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E
 * - 25th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I
 * - 30th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B and E
 * - 31st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D
 * - 44th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company K
 * - 48th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I and K
 * - 50th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A, formerly Company A, 2nd Battalion
 * - 51st Regiment, Alabama Partisan Rangers, Company A and D
 * - 58th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F

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

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.
 * 1837-1895 - Jacksonville Republican
 * 1929-1976 - Anniston Star at Ancestry ($).

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

Taxation

 * 1865-1866 - U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 at Ancestry ($). Calhoun County is in District 3.

Vital Records
See also How to order Alabama Vital Records

Birth

 * 1881-1930 - FamilySearch Historical Records Collection - free


 * 1881 – 1930 at FamilySearch.org — index

Marriage

 * 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.


 * 1815, 1833-1868, 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.


 * 1834-1927 - Calhoun County Marriage Books B2-N Index 1834-1927 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - 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 Alabama Marriages, 1809-1920 (Selected Counties) at Ancestry.com — index $

Death

 * 1881-1952 - 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 - 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 $

Vital Record Substitutes
A free collection of obituaries and death notices from various funeral homes in the Calhoun County area has been put together by GenealogyBuffs:


 * Calhoun County, Alabama Obituary and Death Notices Collection

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

Societies and Libraries
AlaBenton Genealogical Society c/o The Alabama Room P. O. Box 308 Anniston, AL  36202 Website Northeast Alabama Genealogical Society P. O. Box 8268 Gadsden, AL  35902 Publication Northeast Alabama Settlers

Calhoun County Historical Society P. O. Box 1771 Anniston, AL 36202

Calhoun Anniston-Calhoun City Public Library 256-237-8501 Website


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


 * United States Resources: Alabama


 * Al Gen Web


 * Calhoun County

LDS Family History Center 1217 W Lenlock Ln Anniston 256-820-5828 Website

Libraries
Public Library of Anniston - Calhoun County 108 E. 10th St. Anniston, Alabama 36201 Telephone: 256-237-8501


 * Their Alabama Room collections include local history and genealogical records of Calhoun County.

Family History Center

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Anniston Alabama Family History Center
 * Anniston, Alabama


 * 1217 W Lenlock Ln Anniston, Calhoun, Alabama, United States Phone: 256-820-5828 Hours: 1st, 2nd, 3rd Sat 9am-12pm; Wed 6pm-9pm; or call for appointment.

Family History Centre Locator

Websites

 * Calhoun 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.
 * Calhoun County ALGenWeb ~ record transcriptions and information pertinent to the county.
 * Calhoun County, Alabama Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Jackson State Univerisity Yearbook Digital Project: The Library is currently digitizing the entire run of the Jacksonville State University yearbooks. The yearbooks began publication in 1926 under the name Teacola (some volumes spelled "Teacoala"), which they held until 1933, when the title changed to the Mimosa. The Mimosa was not published immediately preceding and during World War II, so there are no volumes for the years 1934-1947. Print copies of the yearbooks can be found in the Library's reference collection on the 5th floor, and also in closed stacks in the 10th floor Alabama Gallery.
 * Jackson State Univerisity Yearbook Digital Project: The Library is currently digitizing the entire run of the Jacksonville State University yearbooks. The yearbooks began publication in 1926 under the name Teacola (some volumes spelled "Teacoala"), which they held until 1933, when the title changed to the Mimosa. The Mimosa was not published immediately preceding and during World War II, so there are no volumes for the years 1934-1947. Print copies of the yearbooks can be found in the Library's reference collection on the 5th floor, and also in closed stacks in the 10th floor Alabama Gallery.