Dallas County, Alabama Genealogy
Guide to Dallas County, Alabama ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Resources
- 2.1 Bible Records
- 2.2 Biographies
- 2.3 Business, Commerce, and Occupations
- 2.4 Cemeteries
- 2.5 Census Records
- 2.6 Church Records
- 2.7 Court Records
- 2.8 Directories
- 2.9 Emigration and Immigration
- 2.10 Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
- 2.11 Funeral Homes
- 2.12 Genealogies
- 2.13 Guardianship
- 2.14 Land and Property Records
- 2.15 Local Histories
- 2.16 Maps and Gazetteers
- 2.17 Migration
- 2.18 Military Records
- 2.19 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 2.20 Newspapers
- 2.21 Obituaries
- 2.22 Other Records
- 2.23 Periodicals
- 2.24 Probate Records
- 2.25 School Records
- 2.26 Social Security Records
- 2.27 Tax Records
- 2.28 Vital Records
- 3 Research Facilities
- 4 Societies
- 5 Websites
- 6 Research Guides
- 7 References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander J. Dallas of Pennsylvania. [2] The County is located in the south-central area of the state.[3]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Dallas County Courthouse
105 Lauderdale St
PO Box 327
Selma, AL 36702
Phone: 874-2523
Fax: 334-877-0637
Dallas County Website
Probate Judge has marriage records from 1818
Divorce Records from 1917
Probate Records from 1821 and land records from 1820[4]
Dallas County, Alabama Record Dates[edit | edit source]
Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1922 | 1818 | 1922 | 1821 | 1820 | 1821 | 1816 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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Populated Places[edit | edit source]
The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in Dallas County:[7]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator.
| Cities | ||
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| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
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| Census-designated places | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
- Biographies of many notable residents of Dallas County were published in Memorial Record of Alabama (1893). Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library. Begins on page 844.
- Dallas County Biographies at The USGenWeb Archives Project
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
The following web site has additional information on Dallas county cemeteries.
- Interment.net Alabama cemetery records by county.
- Additional Dallas County cemeteries are included in Alabama Cemetery Records FamilySearch Digital Library-Vol. 1
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1820 | 6,003 | — |
| 1830 | 14,017 | 133.5% |
| 1840 | 25,199 | 79.8% |
| 1850 | 29,727 | 18.0% |
| 1860 | 33,625 | 13.1% |
| 1870 | 40,705 | 21.1% |
| 1880 | 48,433 | 19.0% |
| 1890 | 49,350 | 1.9% |
| 1900 | 54,657 | 10.8% |
| 1910 | 53,401 | −2.3% |
| 1920 | 54,697 | 2.4% |
| 1930 | 55,094 | 0.7% |
| 1940 | 55,245 | 0.3% |
| 1950 | 56,270 | 1.9% |
| 1960 | 56,667 | 0.7% |
| 1970 | 55,296 | −2.4% |
| 1980 | 53,981 | −2.4% |
| 1990 | 48,130 | −10.8% |
| 2000 | 46,365 | −3.7% |
| 2010 | 43,820 | −5.5% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
State Census
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Alabama denominations, view the Alabama Church Records wiki page.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Baptist
- Jackson, Walter M. The First Hundred Years: A History of the Selma Baptist Church of Christ, Commonly Known as the First Baptist Church of Selma. Selma, Ala., 1942. Digital version at Ancestry $
Methodist
- Fry, Anna M. Gayle. Memories of Old Cahaba. Nashville, Tenn.: Printed for the author by the Publishing House of the M.E. Church, 1908. Digital version at Ancestry $
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
Dallas County, Alabama Online Historical Directories - identifies historical city, county, business and other directories available online on both and pay-to-access websites.
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
- 1883-1893, 1925-1930 Dallas County, Alabama Colored Marriage Books L-O, 2, UU-VV in "Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950," at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
- Slaves and their owners - Centre Ridge Presbyterian Church, 1842-1911.
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See Alabama Land and Property for additional information about early Alabama land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse, where records are currently housed.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Dallas County. The histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Alabama Local Histories.
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Maps of Alabama (1799-1980)
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Civil War
- 1861-1865 Alabama Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
- 1861-1865 Alabama Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
- 1861-1865 Civil War Service Database at Alabama Department of Archives and History - index
- 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry $
- 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry $
- 1871-1880 Alabama, Southern Claims Commission Approved Claims, 1871-1880 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
- 1880-1930 - Alabama, Confederate Pension Applications, ca. 1880-1930's at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection
- 1907, 1921, 1927 Alabama, Census of Confederate Veterans, 1907, 1921, 1927 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
- Alabama Civil War and Reconstruction Newspapers at Alabama Department of Archives and History
Regiments. Men in Dallas County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (part of a large regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Dallas County:
- - 2nd Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company I
- - 3rd Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company D (formerly Jackson County Mounted Rifles)
- - 3rd Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company F (formerly Murphy's Independent Co.)
- - 3rd Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company I (formerly Lenoir County Cavalry)
- - 3rd Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, Company K
- - 4th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A (Governor's Guard)
- - 4th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company C
- - 5th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A (subsequently, Company F)
- - 7th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H (Mounted)
- - 8th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company D (Independent Blues)
- - 20th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company B
- - 28th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company I
- - 44th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company A and G
- - 51st Regiment, Alabama Partisan Rangers, Company I
- - 58th Regiment, Alabama Infantry, Company H
Civil War Battle Fought in Dallas County
- 1865 - April 2, Selma
Battle information from Civil War Battle Summaries by State, by the Heritage Preservation Services. Map showing Civil War battles in Alabama, by the Heritage Preservation Services.
World War I
- 1917-1919 Alabama, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
- 1917-1918 Alabama World War I Service Records at Alabama Department of Archives and History - alpha index by name and images
- 1917-1918 Alabama World War I Gold Star Files at Alabama Department of Archives and History - alpha index by name and images
World War II
- 1940-1945 - Alabama, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection
- 1940-1966 Alabama Active Military Service Reports at Alabama Department of Archives and History - alpha index by name and images
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
- Alabama Civil War and Reconstruction Newspapers at Alabama Department of Archives and History
- Alabama Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both and pay-to-access websites.
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Voting Records[edit | edit source]
Alabama Voting Registers for 1867 are available online at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Dallas County lists six books, but books 4 and 6 appear to be duplicates of Volume 5.
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Online Probate Records
- 1753-1999 Alabama Wills and Probate Records 1753-1999 at Ancestry $
- 1809-1985 Alabama Probate Records, 1809-1985 at FamilySearch. - How to Use this Collection
- 1821-1848 Images of Wills (and index) 1821-1848 at Southeastern Genealogy ($)
School Records[edit | edit source]
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
Alabama tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information, see the wiki page Alabama Taxation.
- 1865-1866 U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 at Ancestry $
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Alabama State Department of Health , the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred or order electronically online $.
For some online statewide indexes, see the FamilySearch Historical Record Collections for Alabama.
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1881-1930 Alabama Births and Christenings, 1881-1930 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1881-1930 - Alabama, County Birth Registers, 1881-1930 at FamilySearch — index, and some images- How to Use this Collection
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1733-2013 Alabama, United States Marriages at FindMyPast $
- 1800-1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800-1969 at Ancestry $
- 1809-1950 Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1809-1920 Alabama Marriages, 1809-1920 (Selected Counties) at Ancestry $
- 1816-1957 Alabama Marriages, 1816-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1818-1929 Dallas County, Alabama Marriage Books D, A, F-K, V, AA, FF, MM, QQ, TT, and Index (1821-1980) in "Alabama, County Marriages, 1809-1950," at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1818-1826, 1835–1839, 1936–1969 Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800–1969 at Ancestry $
- 1818-1845 "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.
- To 1825 Index to Marriages at Ancestry $
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1881-1974 Index to Deaths and Burials at Ancestry $
- 1908-1959 Index to Deaths recorded by the state of Alabama at Ancestry $
- 1908-1974 Alabama, Deaths, 1908-1974 FamilySearch Historical Records Collection- How to Use this Collection
- 1881-1952Alabama Deaths and Burials, 1881-1952 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Dallas County. For state-wide library facilities, see Alabama Archives and Libraries.
Dallas Selma-Dallas Public Library
1103 Selma Avenue
Selma, AL 36703-4498
Phone: 334-874-1725
Fax: 334-874-1742
Email:
admin@selmalibrary.org
becky@selmalibrary.org
Website
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Black Belt African-American Genealogical and Historical Society
P. O. Box 971
Selma, AL 36702
Website
- Publication: monthly newsletter/quarterly journal
- Publication: monthly newsletter/quarterly journal
Selma-Dallas County Historic Preservation Society
P. O. Box 586
Selma, AL 36702-0586
Phone: 334-874-6600
Facebook
Website
- Publication: Courier
Websites[edit | edit source]
- 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.
- Dallas County ALGenWeb ~ record transcriptions and information pertinent to the county.
- Dallas County, Alabama Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.
- Online Resources
- Dallas Co. AL
- United States Resources: Alabama
- Al Gen Web
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Alabama.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Dallas County, Alabama Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ala/dallas/ 06/02/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Dallas, Alabama," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas_County,_Alabama 06/02/2017.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Alabama.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Alabama.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Alabama.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Dallas County, Alabama," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas_County,_Alabama, accessed 10 October 2018.
