Records Not
at the ADAH

The Census
Military Discharges
Birth/death Certificates
U.S. Land Sales/Grants
Adoption records
Native American Genealogy
Other Information

THE CENSUS

The ADAH has federal population census enumerations for Alabama for each of the decennial censuses between 1820 and 1930, with the exception of the 1890 census. Also included are several state and special censuses.

For more information about censuses available at the Alabama Department of Archives and History, please go to census.

Statistical information on demographics and economics from federal censuses after 1930 is available at

Bureau of the Census
P.O. Box 1545
Jefferson, IN 47131
(812) 285-5314

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U.S. MILITARY DISCHARGE RECORDS (DD214s)

The ADAH maintains and provides restricted access to U.S. military discharge records--also known as DD214s--for many Alabamians who were separated from the armed services between 1930 and May 1975. Alabama residents who separated after May 1975 should contact:

National Personnel Records Center
9700 Page Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63132
(314) 801-0800

To request a DD214 from the Ala. Archives, please use this form.

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BIRTH/DEATH CERTIFICATES

The ADAH has a limited number of birth and death registers for some Alabama counties ca. 1880-1930. These records are listed among the local government records on microfilm. Generally, there are no birth and death records for Alabama prior to 1880. State law required the uniform issuance of birth and death certificates beginning in 1908. Persons seeking information on individuals born after 1908 should contact:

Alabama Department of Public Health
Center for Health Statistics
RSA Tower
201 Monroe St. Suite 1150
Montgomery, AL 36104
(334) 206-5418

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U.S. LAND SALES/GRANTS

The ADAH has some 550 ledger-type books which record transactions between the federal land offices that operated in 19th-century Alabama and individuals. All essentially are receipt books to record land purchases or grants. Information usually includes patent/certificate number, date of transaction, name of purchaser/grantee, his/her residence at the time, and the location of the tract (Township, Range, Section). Partial indices are available for about 50 of these volumes.

The ADAH does not have copies of the actual documents of conveyance; those patents/certificates are available at the

U.S. Bureau of Land Management
Eastern States Office
7450 Boston Boulevard
Springfield, VA 22153
(703) 440-1600

Or search the Federal Land Patent Database of the Bureau of Land Management .

Any accompanying land entry papers generated from these transactions are held by the

National Archives and Records Administration
8th Street & Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20408
(202) 301-5402

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ADOPTION RECORDS

The ADAH does not have access to adoption records. These are restricted according to Alabama law. Interested parties should contact:

Alabama Department of Human Resources
Family and Children's Services Division
50 N. Ripley St.
Montgomery, AL 36130
(334) 242-9500

Related links:
Adoptees Seeking Original Birth Information
A.W.A.R.E: Alabamians Working for Adoption Reform and Education

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NATIVE AMERICAN GENEALOGY

The ADAH has very few original records to aid in conducting genealogical research in Native American ancestry. Publications in its holdings include:

  • Henry Sale Halbert's Complete Roll of All Choctaw Claimants and Their Heirs Existing Under the Treaties of the United States and the Choctaw Nation, as Far as Shown by the Records of the Choctaw Nation. St. Louis: Robert D. Patterson Stationery Co., 1889.

  • Index to the 1833 Census of Cherokee Indians East of the Mississippi, compiled by Jeanne Robey Felldin and Charlotte Magee Tucker

  • The 1832 Census of Creek Indians Taken by Parsons and Abbott, compiled by Felldin and Tucker

    Listed below are individuals and organizations who can provide more information on Native Americans in Alabama:

  • Alabama Indian Affairs Commission
    777 S. Lawrence St.
    Suite 102
    Montgomery, AL 36130
    (334) 242-2831

    Additional Native American links

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    OTHER INFORMATION

  • POLICE RECORDS
    Contact the police department, or the city or town clerk.

  • SCHOOL (STUDENT) RECORDS
    Contact the local board of education.

  • IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION RECORDS
     The ADAH has a very limited number of naturalization records, which are listed among the county probate records. Some ships' passenger lists have been published and are widely available. Interested researchers may wish to contact:

    National Archives and Records Administration
    Office of the National Archives
    8th St. and Pennsylvania Avenue
    Washington, D.C. 20408
    (202) 301-5402

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    • Updated: October 13, 2006
    http://www.archives.alabama.gov/referenc/notat.html
    Alabama Department of Archives & History
    624 Washington Avenue
    Montgomery, Alabama 36130-0100
    Phone: (334) 242-4435
    E-Mail:debbie.pendleton@archives.alabama.gov