Alabama Census

Online Resources

 * United States Online Census, 1790-1940
 * Alabama, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1890. Index.
 * Alabama Census Returns, 1820
 * Alabama State Census, 1820-1866 Index and images ($)
 * Index only.
 * — index.

Alabama state census records:

 * Index only.
 * Index only.

Indexes: fiche, film, or book
For a list of microform and book indexes for the population schedules of Alabama, click here.

Indexes: fiche, film, or book
For a list of microform and book indexes for the non-population schedules of Alabama, click here.

State, Territorial, and Colonial Censuses
Censuses were taken in Alabama in different years than the federal censuses. These censuses may have different data compared to federal censuses. Check these censuses for more information on a family.


 * 1907
 * 1866 Counties: Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Butler, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Choctaw, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Dale, Dallas, De Kalb, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Henry, Jackson, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox, Winston
 * 1861-1865 Covington County
 * 1855 Counties: Autauga, Baldwin, Bibb, Blount, Butler, Calhoun, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Dale, Dallas, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Henry, Jackson, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox, Winston. Has a printed index.
 * 1850 Counties: Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Benton, Blount, Butler, Chambers, Cherokee, Choctaw, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Dale, Dallas, De Kalb, Franklin, Greene, Henry, Jefferson, Lawrence, Macon, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pike, Randolph, Sumter, Tuscaloosa, Washington, and Wilcox
 * 1823
 * 1821
 * 1820 Counties: Baldwin, Conecuh, Dallas, Franklin, Limestone, St. Clair, Shelby, Wilcox


 * Alabama Census Returns, 1820 and an Abstract of Federal Census of Alabama, 1830. Alabama Historical Quarterly, Vol. 6, No. 3, 1944. Free Name Search ; publisher's bookstore: Genealogical.com ; ; digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * 1818 partial
 * 1816
 * 1809 Madison County
 * 1805 Mobile City
 * 1789 Mobile City
 * 1787 Mobile City
 * 1786 Mobile City
 * 1785 Tensas

Confederate Veterans’ Censuses

1927, 1921, 1907--Special censuses of Confederate veterans who were receiving a pension were taken. Microfilm copies are available at the Alabama Department of Archives and History at http://www.archives.state.al.us/, and at the Family History Library:


 * Alabama. State Auditor. Confederate Soldiers in Alabama: 1907–1927. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1988. (On ten FHL .)

The 1927 census contains the veteran’s name, his widow’s name, her age and birth date, and their marriage date. The records are arranged by county, then alphabetically by the name of the widow. This series is not complete. Some of the returns are found in the Confederate Pension Applications.

The 1921 census provides each veteran’s name, place and date of birth, place of residence, length of Alabama residence, occupation, wife’s age and place of birth, marriage date and place, names of living children, occupation, and post office box. The forms also contain the veteran’s rank, company, regiment, captain and colonel’s name, battles, wounds, captures, imprisonments, and transfers.

The 1907 census includes each person’s name, place of residence, date and place of birth, rank, date of entry into military service, date and place of discharge or separation, and name of military unit. The 1907 lists have been abstracted, indexed, and published. They are available in:


 * 1907 Alabama Census of Confederate Soldiers. Cullman, Alabama: Gregath, 1982. Five Volumes. (FHL 1907; on four films beginning with .) The information covers the following counties: Bibb, Calhoun, Chilton, Choctaw, Cleburne, Coffee, Coosa, Cullman, Dale, Jackson, Lawrence, Lee, Marion, Mobile, Monroe, Morgan, Talladega, and Tallapoosa Counties. The volumes are alphabetical by county. This book gives the soldier’s name, full birth date, city and state of birth, when and where enlisted, unit, and mustering-out date.

Existing and lost censuses
For a list of available and missing Alabama censuses, click here.

Why use a census?
A well-indexed census is one of the easiest ways to locate where an ancestor's family lived and when they lived there. You can also use censuses to follow the changes in a family over time, and identify neighbors. These and other clues provided by censuses are important because they help find additional kinds of records about the family.

More about censuses
Click here for additional details about how to use censuses, such as:


 * index searching tips
 * analyzing and using what you find
 * census accuracy
 * historical background
 * contents of various census years and types

Wiki articles describing online collections are found at:


 * Alabama State Census, 1855 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Alabama State Census, 1866 (FamilySearch Historical Records)