Montgomery County was established before
Alabama became a state in 1819. Here one of
the early public land offices continued until
1927, long after other state land offices
had closed. Since this is the state capitol
location, it is one of the most important
areas of research for families of central
and south Alabama. The Alabama Department
of Archives and History (ADAH), the first
state archives in the nation, was established
here in 1901 and contains a wealth of genealogical
records not found elsewhere.
Montgomery County is fortunate that its
courthouse never burned. Probate
office records are there from the state's
creation in 1819. Many of the records overlap
surrounding counties. There are references
in these legal documents to family connections
throughout Alabama and other states. The county
lies in a central band of intact courthouses
that stretch from Georgia to Mississippi,
including the counties Autauga, Coosa, Elmore,
Tallapoosa, Dallas, Lowndes, Clarke, Wilcox,
Washington,Chambers, Lee, Russell, Barbour,
Bullock and Macon. From the Federal Road through
this part of the state, immigrants from Virginia,
Maryland, Pennsylvania, the Carolinas and
Georgia spread across Alabama and westward
into Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas.
