Covington County, Alabama Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
Records burned 1895 Probate Judge has marriage, probate and land records Clerk Circuit Court has court and divorce records

Description
The County was named is in honor of Brigadier General Leonard Covington of Maryland. The County has Andalusia as its seat and the County was created December 17, 1821. The County is located in the central area of the state.

History
Covington county was formed from Henry County, was called Jones County from August 1868 until October 1868, abolished: December 3, 1867, re-established: December 1, 1868.

Parent County
1821--Covington County was created 7 December 1821 from Henry County. County seat: Andalusia

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
Covington County had destructive courthouse fires in 1839, 1878, and 1895, and was destroyed by flood in 1847. See Research in Alabama: A Genealogical Guide  page 26-27 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
 * Conecuh
 * Crenshaw
 * Escambia
 * Geneva
 * Okaloosa County, Florida
 * Walton County, Florida

Biography

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

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


 * Interment.net Alabama cemetery records by county.


 * Additional Covington County cemeteries are included in Alabama Cemetery Records at FamilySearch Books Online.

Census
State Census


 * 1866 - at FamilySearch — index

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

Maps

 * Maps of Alabama (1799-1980)

Civil War
Civil War service men from Covington 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 Covington County.


 * - 18th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B (Covington Hunters)
 * - 25th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A
 * - 40th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I

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

World War I

 * 1917-1919 - at FamilySearch — index

World War II

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * 1865-1866 - U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 at Ancestry ($). Covington County is in District 1.

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 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.


 * 1936–1969 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.


 * 1809 – 1950 at FamilySearch


 * 1816 – 1957 at FamilySearch


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


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

Death

 * 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

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


 * Covington County, Alabama Obituary and Death Notices Collection


 * 1881 – 1952 at FamilySearch


 * 1908 – 1974 at FamilySearch


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


 * 1908 – 1959 Alabama Deaths,1908-59 at Ancestry $

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

Societies and Libraries
Covington County Historical Society P. O. Box 1582 Andalusia, AL 36420 Publication: Newsletter

Covington Andalusia Public Library 334-222-6612 Website

Florala Public Library 334-858-3525 Website


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


 * Covington County Website


 * Covington County


 * Tracking Your Roots Website


 * Alabama Genealogy Website


 * United States Resources: Alabama

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

Family History Centre Locator

Websites

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