DeKalb County, Alabama Genealogy

Guide to DeKalb 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, divorce, probate and land records County Health Department has birth, death and burial records Clerk Circuit Court has court records

History


The county is named after Revolutionary War hero Johann de Kalb (1721-1780), a German baron.

Parent County
1836--De Kalb County was created 9 January 1836 from the Cherokee Cession of 1835. County seat: Fort Payne

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
The Cherokee County court house burned. Some of its records were given to De Kalb County. The records can be found in a old building in Fort Payne, the county seat.

Neighboring Counties

 * Chattooga County, Georgia
 * Dade County, Georgia
 * Etowah
 * Gadsden County, Florida
 * Jackson
 * Marshall
 * Walker County, Georgia

Biography

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

Cemeteries
The following web site has additional information on DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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..

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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb County.


 * - 10th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I
 * - 12th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E "DeKalb Invincibles"
 * - 48th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B
 * - 49th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D and G
 * - 54th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G (formerly Co. "C", 1st AL, TN, and MS Infantry)
 * - 54th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company K (formerly Co. "K", 40th TN Infantry)

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

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

Taxation

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

Vital Records
See also How to order Alabama Vital Records

Birth

 * 1881 – 1930 at FamilySearch

Marriage

 * 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.


 * 1836-1916 - Duff, Dorothy Smith. DeKalb County, Alabama Marriage Index, 1836-1916. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2003. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * 1850-1858, 1862-1901, 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.


 * 1850-1900 "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.


 * DeKalb County Marriages - partial at ALGenWeb - free.
 * 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


 * DeKalb County Deaths - partial at ALGenWeb - free.

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


 * DeKalb 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.com $


 * 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. DeKalb County has one book.

Societies and Libraries
DeKalb County Genealogical Society P. O. Box 681087 Fort Payne, AL 35968-1612

Northeast Alabama Genealogical Society P. O. Box 8268 Gadsden, AL 35902 Publication: Northeast Alabama Settlers NorthEast Alabama Genealogical Society (NEAGS) DeKalb County

Landmarks of DeKalb County P. O. Box 680518 Fort Payne, AL 35968-0518 256-845-6888 Landmarks of DeKalb County

Collinsville Historical Association P. O. Box 849 Collinsville, AL  35967 256-524-2323

DeKalb DeKalb County Public Library 256-845-2671

Rainsville Public Library 941 East Main St Rainsville, Alabama 35986 United States +1 256-638-3311


 * Hours: Mon, Wed, Thur &amp; Fri 8am-5pm; Tue 8am-7pm; Sat 8am-12pm


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


 * DeKalb County


 * Dekalb Co. AL


 * DeKalb County, Alabama


 * United States Resources: Alabama


 * Al Gen Web

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

LDS Family History Center 6611 Banks Dr NW Fort Payne 256-845-0467 Family History Centre Locator

Websites

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