Clay County, Alabama Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
Probate Court has land records from 1861 Probate records from 1865 marriage records from 1872 County Court has death records 1920-1940 and Voting Register 1903-1936

Description
The County was named after the statesman Henry Clay. The County has Ashland as its seat and the County was created December 7, 1866. The County is located in the east central area of the state.

History


The county is named after U.S. Speaker of the House Henry Clay (1777-1852).

Parent County
1866--Clay County was created 7 December 1866 from Randolph and Talladega Counties. County seat: Ashland

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
Clay County had a destructive courthouse fire in 1875.

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

 * Cleburne
 * Coosa
 * Randolph
 * Talladega
 * Tallapoosa

Biography

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

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


 * Interment.net Alabama cemetery records by county.

Census
State Census


 * 1866 - at FamilySearch — index

Maps

 * Maps of Alabama (1799-1980)

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

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 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1881–1930 - at FamilySearch.org — index

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.


 * 1872–1886, 1888–1892, 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.


 * 1872–1891 "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.


 * Clay County Marriages at ALGenWeb - free


 * 1809 – 1950 at FamilySearch


 * 1816 – 1957 atFamilySearch


 * 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


 * 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 $
 * 1909 Clay County Death Records (index). Southeastern Genealogy ($)

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

Societies and Libraries
Clay County Historical and Genealogical Society P. O. Box 1849 West Point, MS 39773 Facebook

Northeast Alabama Genealogical Society P. O. Box 8268 Gadsden, AL 35902 Publication Northeast Alabama Settlers Publication

Clay County Historical Society P. O. Box 998 Ashland, AL 36251

Clay Ashland City Public Library 256-354-3427 Website


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


 * Clay County Alabama USGenWeb


 * Clay Co. AL


 * United States Resources: Alabama


 * Al Gen Web

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 Clay County.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

Family History Centre Locator

Websites

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