Alabama County Marriages, 1711-1992

What is in This Collection?

The collection consists of an index & images of marriage records created by Alabama counties for the years 1809 to 1950. The records are arranged by county, volume and date. Currently this collection is partially indexed; additional records will be added as they are completed. Be aware that some images in this collection are restricted. The earliest marriage bonds and licenses were usually handwritten on loose papers that were later bound into lettered volumes. Some marriage records had multiple entries on each page, while others had single records per page. Marriages were recorded by the clerk of the district court for each county from the time the county was formed. Persons desiring to marry obtained a license that they presented to the minister or other person authorized to marry, such as a justice of the peace. Once the marriage was performed, the officiator sent a return to the clerk confirming that the marriage had occurred. Civil marriage records were created to legalize marital relationships and to protect the interests of the wife and other heirs to legal claims on property. The marriage date, place, residence of the bride and groom, and occupations are relatively reliable. Other information, such as age or birthplace, is dependent on the knowledge, memory, and accuracy of the informants, usually the bride and groom.

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

Early Marriage Name of the groom Name of the bride, often including the maiden name of the bride Date of the marriage Event place

Later Marriage Names of the parents or guardians of the bride and groom Birthplaces of the bride and groom Residences of the bride and groom Age and races of the bride and groom Marital status of the bride and groom

 

Tip: Many marriages recorded in the South, are separated by race in volumes, books, or registers. Be sure to check to determine if you have the right set of marriage records.

Collection Content

Sample Images

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  1870 Marriage record

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  1877 Marriage License

Coverage Table

The coverage table shows the places and time periods covered in the indexed records in this collection. Most of the records in the collection are from the time periods listed in the table; however, the collection may have a few records from before or after the time period.

County	Years Covered in Index
Baldwin	1810, 1812, 1814-1825, 1827-1836, 1841, 1845-1936, 1958
Barbour	1807-1809, 1816-1818, 1823-1826, 1828-1829, 1832-1834, 1836, 1838-1941, 1946, 1948, 1950, 1954, 1959, 1971, 1985, 1988, 1995
Bibb	1803, 1805, 1810, 1812-1945, 1950-1953, 1957, 1959-1960, 1963-1965, 1968, 1970-1973, 1977, 1979-1981, 1988, 1992-1995, 1997
Bullock	1835, 1857, 1860, 1867-1893, 1899, 1916, 1929-1959, 1968-1969, 1973, 1981-1982, 1987
Chilton	1822, 1831, 1869-1883, 1888, 1890-1938, 1942-1945, 1956-1957, 1997
Cleburne	1834, 1837, 1867-1893, 1898, 1926, 1936-1954, 1960
Crenshaw	1868-1890, 1931-1958
Cullman	1844-1845, 1918, 1928-1951, 1987
Dallas	1818-1826, 1829-1832, 1835-1895, 1902-1930, 1938, 1965
Jefferson	1829, 1836, 1848, 1921, 1927-1951, 1968
Madison	1818-1831, 1853-1885, 1890-1895, 1919-1951, 1957, 1980, 1985
Mobile	1802, 1806, 1809, 1812-1828, 1833-1834, 1840-1842, 1844, 1849, 1852-1856, 1858-1930, 1934, 1936-1943, 1946-1951, 1953-1957, 1964-1968, 1970, 1972, 1981
Morgan	1821-1952, 1962, 1987, 1991
Perry	1803, 1814-1815, 1818-1931, 1935, 1943, 1945, 1948, 1973-1974, 1987, 2010
Pike	1805, 1830-1859, 1885, 1888-1894, 1896-1910
St. Clair	1833-1835, 1898-1938, 1945, 1963, 1982

For additional coverage tables for this collection, see the wiki article Alabama County Marriages Coverage Table - FamilySearch Historical Records.

Digital Folder Number List

This collection was published as a DGS browse collection. A table listing each DGS number and its contents can be found at Alabama, County Marriages Digital Folder Number List.