Vital Records In Alabama
Alabama Center for Health Statistics
Alabama Department of
Public Health
P.O. Box 5625
Montgomery, AL 36103-5625
Vital records, as its name suggests, are
connected with central life events occurring within the United
States: birth, death, marriage, and divorce. These records are prime
sources of genealogical information, but, unfortunately, official
records (those maintained by county and state governments), are
available only for relatively recent time periods.
When researching records, always check for duplicate copies at the various government levels. Many counties kept records before the states did. After state registration began, counties and cities continued to maintain their own registers of vital events. If one set of records is lost or incomplete, make sure to check the other.
For more recent births and deaths, an invaluable resource is the Social Security Death Index (SSDI). The Death Master File (DMF) from the Social Security Administration (SSA) currently contains over 89 million records and is updated weekly. The file is created from internal SSA records of deceased persons possessing social security numbers and whose deaths were reported to the SSA. Often this was done in connection with filing for death benefits by a family member, an attorney, a mortuary, etc. Each update of the DMF includes corrections to old data as well as additional names. Many websites provide access to the data, most of them free access.
Certified, Uncertified and Indexed Vital Records
Marriage Records
Alabama Marriages to 1825 - Ancestry $$
Alabama Marriages, 1809-1920 (Selected Counties) - Ancestry $$
Alabama Marriage Records - Access Genealogy
Statewide Court Records
offsite resource
Administrative Office of Courts
300 Dexter Ave
Montgomery, AL 36104-3741
Phone: 334-954-5000
Criminal Records
offsite resource
Alabama Bureau of Investigation
Identification Unit -
Record Checks
PO Box 1511
Montgomery, AL 36102-1511
Phone: 334-353-4340
Incarceration Records
offsite resource
Alabama Department of Corrections
Central Records Office
PO Box 301501
Montgomery, AL 36130
Phone: 334-353-9500