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History and Genealogy Probate Records
Copies of records are $1.00 per page.
Certification is an additional $3.00 per instrument.
Our office records room is available to the public for family history researchers or anyone else who would like to research records.
Our office hours are Monday - Friday, 8:00 am until 5:00 pm.
Please call ahead to verify hours of operation. We encourage our visitors to also visit the museum and libraries in the area for further information. They have information on books on the area and local family genealogies that residents have published or written.
You may also write to us for copies of documents. Please note that we have a limited number of clerks and can only do searches in our spare time. Send us a request via mail or email with contact information on it, and we can let you know of we have the document and the amount it would cost for a copy. Send any requests through the mail to Post Office Box 10, Grove Hill, AL 36451.
Records found here are in the original books on the shelves. These include the following:
- Marriage records begin in approximately 1814. Groom’s name and approximate year (within ten years) are required when requesting a search. Bride’s name is also helpful, although the oldest records we have may only have indexes under the man’s name. Information given on the records covers only the name of the bride and groom, date of marriage, and the name of the person performing the ceremony. Sometimes a place of marriage is listed (i.e. home of John Doe). No family information is given until later years.
- Wills and Estate records beginning approximately 1814. Individual’s name and approximate year (within ten years) is needed to search.
- Deed and Mortgage records beginning in 1814. Individual’s name and approximate year (within ten years) is needed to search.
- Newspapers are available here, but they are the originals in bound volumes, so prior to the turn of the century issues are not available due to brittleness. The library and the museum both have these on microfilm for easier searching. These are also available at Archives and History.
There are no census records here, with the exception of a lone 1880 book that is damaged. It has been rebound, but some pages may be missing. The best source for such records is the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census or the Department of Archives and History at the address below. Locally, the public library and the museum have census records on microfilm available for viewing.
Birth and death records are located at the Bureau of Vital Statistics, 501 Dexter Avenue, Post Office Box 5625, Montgomery, Alabama 36103-5625. (334) 206-5418. These records can also be obtained from any county health department in Alabama, regardless of where in Alabama the event occurred. Please note that the State of Alabama did not begin issuing birth and death certificates until 1908. For certificates issued before 1908 (circa 1880-1920, limited number of counties, child’s name not listed), please contact the Department of Archives and History, 624 Washington Avenue, Post Office Box 300100, Montgomery, Alabama 36103-0100. (334) 242-4435, or online at www.archives.state.al.us.
We have no military records concerning the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Creek Wars, or the Civil War, with the exception of incomplete pension records. We do have military discharges for more recent veterans, but these records are not public record. You must be an immediate family member to access these records.
There are records in the downstairs genealogy room such as civil court records, old divorce records and old tax assessment records, however, currently, there is no custodian of records for the room and it is not available to the public for viewing at this time.
For further research, please contact the Department of Archives and History at the address and website listed above. They have many types of records available for research, including newspapers on microfilm, military records, vital records, census records, and other information. There is an online search option available, and if you are in the Montgomery area, they have a searchable records room where individuals can do research. At the present, the records room is open on Saturdays. Please see their website or call for updated information.
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