Jefferson County, Alabama Genealogy

United States   Alabama    |Jefferson County

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



County Courthouse
Jefferson county has two official County seats - Birmingham and Bessemer.

Birmingham
Jefferson County Courthouse 716 Richard Arrington, Jr. Blvd. N., Birmingham, AL 35203 Phone: (205) 325-5355 Probate Judge has marriage records from 1818 Probate Records from 1870 and land records for 1820

Bessemer
Bessemer County Courthouse 1801 3rd Avenue Bessemer, AL 35020 Phone: (205) 481-4110

Parent County
1819--Jefferson County was created 13 December 1819 from Blount County. County seat: Birmingham

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
1870 -- Courthouse burned and many records were damaged.

For a list of record loss in Alabama counties see: Alabama Counties with Burned Courthouses

Cities
Adamsville | Bessemer | Birmingham | Brighton | Center Point | Clay | Fairfield | Fultondale | Gardendale | Graysville | Helena | Homewood | Hoover | Hueytown | Irondale | Leeds | Lipscomb | Midfield | Mountain Brook | Pinson | Pleasant Grove | Sumiton | Tarrant | Trussville | Vestavia Hills | Warrior

Towns
Argo | Brookside | Cardiff | County Line | Kimberly | Maytown | McCalla | Morris | Mulga | North Johns | Sylvan Springs | Trafford | West Jefferson

Census Designations
Chalkville | Concord | Edgewater | Forestdale | Grayson Valley | McDonald Chapel | Minor | Mount Olive | Rock Creek

Neighboring Counties
Bibb | Blount | Saint Clair | Shelby | Tuscaloosa | Walker



African American

 * 1896-1935 - in "Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950," at FamilySearch.org - free.

Biography

 * The Book of Birmingham and Alabama. Birmingham, Ala.: The Birmingham Ledger Publishers, 1914. Digital version at - free. Includes bios and photographs.


 * DuBose, John Witherspoon. Jefferson County and Birmingham Alabama, Historical and Biographical. Birmingham, Ala.: Teeple and Smith, 1887. Digital version at - free.


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

Cemeteries
FindAGrave - Transcriptions and partial transcriptions for 307 Jefferson County cemeteries.

Interment.net - Transcriptions and partial transcriptions for Jefferson County cemeteries.

USGenWeb Archives Project - transcriptions and partial transcriptions for Jefferson County cemeteries.

BillionGraves:


 * Jefferson Memorial Gardens, Trussville
 * New Hope Cemetery, Irondale
 * Reed Cemetery, Birmingham
 * Taylors Chapel Cemtery, Clay


 * Cemetery Records of Jefferson and Walker Counties, Alabama. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Society?, 1945. Digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes Bluff Ridge Cemetery, East Lake Cemetery, Old Elyton Cemetery, McCalla Cemetery, Massey Cemetery, and Smithson Cemetery.


 * Cemeteries of Birmingham, Alabama at Birmingham Genealogical Society website - free. Includes Adger, Arnolds, B'ville, Bethlehem, Blue Creek, Brighton, Canaan, Dogwood, Farrington, Generys, George, Gwin, Kimbrell, Mars Hill, Massey, Moore, Mud Creek, Parkwood, Pleasant Hill, Pleasant Valley, Providence, Prude Creek, Sadlers, Smithson, Union, Valley Cr, and Walnut Grove cemeteries.

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

Baptists

 * Hageness, MariLee Beatty. Mount Hebron Church Minutes 1819-1857. Leeds, Jefferson County, Alabama. Anniston, Ala.: MLH Research, 1998. Digital version at - free.


 * Huey, Thomas E. Ruhama: The Story of a Church, 1819-1945. Birmingham, Ala.: Birmingham Print. Co., c1946. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Birmingham
 * McCalla

Episcopalians

 * McDavid, Mittie Owen. Church of the Advent: Its History and Traditions. Birmingham, Ala.: Press of Birmingham Pub. Co., 1943. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Court Records
Alabama, Jefferson County Circuit Court Papers, 1870-1916 ~  FamilySearch records collection

Directories

 * Jefferson County, Alabama Online Historical Directories - identifies historical city, county, business and other directories available online on both free and pay-to-access websites.
 * 1888-1890 - Birmingham, Alabama Directories, 1888-90 at Ancestry ($). Includes 1888, 1889, 1890, and 1890 (2) directories.

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


 * Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Jefferson 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

 * DuBose, John Witherspoon. Jefferson County and Birmingham Alabama, Historical and Biographical. Birmingham, Ala.: Teeple and Smith, 1887. Digital version at - free.


 * Early Days in Birmingham: A Printing of the Original Papers of the Pioneers Club, Whose Members were Eye-witnesses to the Events of the Founding of the City. Birmingham, Ala.: Birmingham Pub. Co., 1937. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Maps

 * Maps of Alabama (1799-1980)
 * Family Maps of (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * Jefferson County Historical Maps ~  can be viewed online as well as purchased.
 * Jefferson County MapStats ~  Alabama Dept. Archives and History.

Civil War
Civil War service men from Jefferson 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 Jefferson County.


 * - 10th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B "Jefferson Volunteers"
 * - 18th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C (Cahaba Valley Rangers)
 * - 18th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G (Yancey Guards [or Yancey Rangers])
 * - 19th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C (Jefferson Warriors)
 * - 20th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C and G
 * - 28th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D, G and H
 * - 30th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company K
 * - 43rd Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company G
 * - 58th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C and D

Mortuaries

 * 1906-1975 - Ward, Fred and Christine Shaw Ward. Angwin Mortuary Center of Ensley, Birmingham, Alabama 1906-1975. Digital version at Birmingham Genealogical Society website - free.

Newspapers

 * Alabama Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both free and pay-to-access websites.
 * Obituary Index : Birmingham Area Newspapers (Birmingham News, May 1929 - January 1980;  Birminham World, September 1940 - December 1996; Methodist Christian Advocate / Alabama Christian Advocate, January 1929 - December 1979; Shelby County Reporter, January 1932 - December 1979)
 * Alabama Citizen - full-text digital issues in Google News Archive; covers 1913-1918

Obituaries
USGenWeb Archives Project - transcribed obituaries for Jefferson County.

Probate Records
Alabama County Probate Records 1830-1976 ~  FamilySearch records collection.

Taxation
Jefferson County Tax Payment Records ~  County of Jefferson (searchable database)


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

Vital Records
See also How to order Alabama Vital Records

Marriage

 * 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.


 * 1808, 1815, 1818–1879, 1885, 1898, 1923, 1930, 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.


 * 1818-1928 - Jefferson County Marriage Books 1-28 Index 1818-1928 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1818-1845 - Grant, Orena V. Orena V. Grant Genealogical Collection (Marriages and Cemetery Records): From Southeastern, North and South Central States. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Society?, 1964. Digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes Jefferson County marriages 1818 to 1845.


 * 1819-1875 - Jefferson County, Alabama Marriages 1819 to 1875 at - free.


 * 1819–1875 "Alabama Marriages, 1809–1920" at Ancestry – ($); Index. 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.


 * 1928-1949 - in "Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950," at FamilySearch.org - free.

Death

 * 1881-1952 - at 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 - at FamilySearch Historical Records Collection - free

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

Yearbooks

 * Birmingham Southern College: 1914-2008 (via the Internet Archive)
 * Howard College Student Catalogs (formerly Samford College): 1847-1908 (via the Internet Archive)

Societies and Libraries

 * List of Alabama Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies
 * Birmingham Genealogical Society
 * Alabama Genealogical Society
 * Jefferson County Historical Commission
 * Birmingham Public Library Southern History Department 2100 Park Place Birmingham, AL 35203 Phone: 205-226-3665 Hours: M, Tu 9am-8pm W, Th, F, Sat 9am-6pm Sun 2pm-6pm

Family History Center

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Bessemer Alabama Family History Center


 * 831 Briarwood Dr Bessemer, Jefferson, Alabama, United States Phone: 205-425-7928 Hours: Wed 5pm-9pm other hours by appointment 919-1939


 * Birmingham Alabama Family History Center


 * 2780 Altadena Rd Birmingham, Jefferson, Alabama, United States Phone: 205-967-7279 Hours: Tues 10am-4pm; Wed 10am-8pm; Sat 10am-2pm. Closures: All holidays and first and fifth Sat of every month


 * Birmingham 2nd Alabama Family History Center


 * 1337 Old Springville Rd, Birmingham, Alabama 35235 Phone: 205-854-0300 Hours: W 5pm-9pm by appointment only; F 9am-1pm by appt only


 * Leeds Alabama


 * 1101 Rockhampton St NE Leeds, Jefferson, Alabama, United States Hours: Wed. 6:00-9:00 p Sat. by Appt.


 * Gardendale Alabama Family History Center


 * 1925 Mt Olive Blvd Gardendale, Alabama 35071 Phone: 205-631-6765:
 * Hours: T,Th 7pm-9pm by appt. Closures: Closed Thanksgiving week and last 2 weeks of Dec.

Jefferson County Alabama Genealogy Websites

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