Tuscaloosa County, Alabama Genealogy

Guide to Tuscaloosa 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 and probate records from 1823

Description
The County was named in honor of the Choctaw chief Tuskalusa. The County has Dadeville as its seat and the County was created February 6, 1818. The County is located in the west central area of the state.

Parent County
1818--Tuscaloosa County was created 6 February 1818 from the Cherokee and Choctaw Cession of 1816. County seat: Tuscaloosa

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
Besides many other ways record loss can occur, tornadoes have been common and sometimes very damaging.Tuscaloosa County has been no stranger to very damaging tornadoes in its history, and in April 2011 alone it was hit twice by damaging twisters in separate tornado events. The second one on 27 April 2011 was the most devastating, and some city and possibly county offices, mainly in the southern half of the city, were hit directly by that tornado.It is also possible that other places where one might look for records, such as funeral homes, also were damaged, as other reports about other tornadoes in the two April 2011 outbreaks reported many places of that type were directly hit and destroyed in other areas of Alabama and several surrounding states.

No government buildings were hit by the tornadoes of 2011.

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 Tuscaloosa County:

Neighboring Counties

 * Bibb
 * Fayette
 * Greene
 * Hale
 * Jefferson
 * Pickens
 * Walker

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


 * Interment.net Alabama cemetery records by county.


 * Additional Tuscaloosa County cemeteries are included in Alabama Cemetery Records at FamilySearch Books Online - free.

Census
State Census


 * 1866 - at FamilySearch — index

Court Records

 * The Tuscaloosa Genealogical Society has been involved in a long-term project to preserve and digitize 19th Century Circuit Court records. Books dating from 1822 and loose records dating mostly from the 1870s to 1950s are added monthly to  http://seventhfloorrecords.com/ . Indexes are also included on the site. http://seventhfloorrecords.com/
 * 1824 - Tuscaloosa County Alabama 1824 Subpoena Book. n.d. Digital version at - free.

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


 * Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama: with Homesteads, Roads, Waterways, Towns, Cemeteries, Railroads, and More. Norman, Okla.: Arphax Pub. Co., 2006. 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 Tuscaloosa 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 Tuscaloosa County.


 * - 2nd Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company D
 * - 5th Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company B
 * - 5th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H "Warrior Guards"
 * - 11th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G "North Port Rifles"
 * - 18th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company E (Confederate Stars)
 * - 20th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company K
 * - 32nd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I
 * - 36th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D and K
 * - 41st Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A, F and G
 * - 43rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D, H, I and K
 * - 50th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company F, formerly Company D, 2nd Battalion
 * - 51st Regiment, Alabama Partisan Rangers, Company G

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

Minorities
Sellers, James B. Free Negroes of Tuscaloosa County Before the Thirteenth Amendment. Alabama Review. 23 April 1970: 110-27.

_____. Slavery in Alabama. University, Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 1950. WorldCat

Newspapers
Alabama Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both free and pay-to-access websites.

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 ($). Tuscaloosa County is in District 2.

Vital Records
See also How to order Alabama Vital Records

Birth Records

 * 1910-1922 - Tuscaloosa County Birth Index 1910-1922 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1881-1930 - at FamilySearch.org — index


 * 1881-1930 - at FamilySearch — index

Marriage Records

 * 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.


 * 1821-1860, 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.


 * 1823-1895 - Tuscaloosa County Marriage Index 1823-1895 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 [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=4192 Alabama Marriages,


 * 1809 – 1920 (Selected Counties)] at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1821 – 1833 Marriages, Vol. I. Southeastern Genealogy ($)

Death Records

 * 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.


 * 1908-1922 - Tuscaloosa County Death Index 1908-1922 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.


 * 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 - at 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 $

Societies
Tuscaloosa Genealogical Society TGS Treasurer P.O. Box 020802 Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401


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

Libraries
Tuscaloosa Library 1801 Jack Warner Parkway Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401 Telephone: 205-345-5820

Library collections include materials of local, state, and regional history as well as microfilms of the Tuscaloosa News. Limited research requests are honored; copy fees apply.

Family History Centers
For information about the resources at Family History centers, see Introduction to Family History Centers.

Tuscaloosa Alabama Family History Center 2015 N 3rd Ave Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States Phone: 205-758-4820 Hours: T 6pm-9pm; W 9am-12pm, 6pm-9pm; Closures: July 8 6-9pm; July 14 6-9pm; July 15 9-12noon; July 28 6-9pm; August 5 9-12noon; August 11 6-9pm; August 12 6-9pm Family History Center Locator

Websites

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