Alabama Marriage, Death, Birth Records

Births and Deaths in Public Records | Marriage Jurisdictions | Types of Marriage Records |
Divorce Records | Locating Marriage Records |
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Prior to 1881 a limited amount of information concerning births and deaths of a few individuals is available indirectly from probate court records. Such records include adoptions, guardianships and apprenticeships, recorded wills, and the various records maintained in the settlement and division of an estate. These records seldom provide more information than establishing race, sex, and parentage of the adoptee, ward, apprentice, or legatee (heir).

An act of 1881 provided that all births and deaths were to be registered with a county health officer. It became mandatory for every physician, midwife, or birth attendee to report to the county health officer all births, specifying the name of parents, the date of the birth, and the sex and race of the child. It also became mandatory to report all deaths specifying the name, age, sex, race, date, place, and cause of death. Later legislation required that these registrations be made within the first five days after the birth or death and required that the county health officer's registry books be deposited with the county probate judge. Unfortunately, few such records are actually found today in the county courthouses.

The date for the beginning of mandatory state-level registration of births and deaths in Alabama is 1 January 1908. The state, however, did not achieve 90 percent completeness of birth registration until 1927 and of death registration until 1925.

A marriage license has been required since the territorial period. Between 1805 and 1850, marriage licenses were issued by the clerk of the county orphans' court in which the bride resided. After 1850 the orphans' court was superseded by the probate court, which is still charged with the issuance of marriage licenses.

To enter into a marriage contract a man had to be at least seventeen years of age and a woman had to be at least fourteen years of age. If the man was under twenty-one or the woman under eighteen and as yet unmarried, the consent of the parent or guardian of the minor was required before a license could be issued. The marriage of these licensed parties could then be solemnized by a territorial, state, or county judge, an ordained minister, or a justice of the peace. The officiant was then required to file a marriage certificate with the probate judge of the county in which the marriage took place.

Before 1900 a marriage certificate indicated the names of the bride, groom, bondsmen, and officiant along with the license bond and marriage date. Early twentieth-century records may also include the names of parents, physical descriptions, ages and occupations of the parties, the number of previous marriages for each, and the blood relationship, if any, between the parties.

A certified copy of a marriage certificate may be obtained from the probate judge of the county in which the certificate was filed and recorded. The standard fee is $5 for each certificate requested, and six to eight weeks should be allowed for response to a request.

Though divorce decrees were tried in county chancery court until 1865, the state legislature had the exclusive right to finalize all divorce decrees. These early decrees are thus a part of the legislative record and are published in the Senate and House Journals. An index to legislative divorce decrees was published in the Alabama Genealogical Society, Inc., Magazine 13–14 (1979–80).

After 1865 the county chancery court was authorized to issue final divorce decrees. In 1917 the chancery court was merged with the circuit court of the county. Thus, divorce records from 1819 are maintained among the equity records of the circuit court of the county in which the suit was filed. Though not required by law, several county clerks maintained divorce records separate from other equity files. A certified copy of a divorce certificate may be obtained from the circuit court clerk in the county in which the divorce suit was tried.

In 1942, the Alabama Historical Records Survey Project prepared a preliminary edition of a Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Alabama. About 77 percent of all county vital statistics records were surveyed between 1937 and 1942. No update or revision has been compiled.

Search Alabama Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.

   Alabama State Vital Records, Center for Health Statistics Office is located at Suite 1150, 201 Monroe Street, Montgomery, AL 36104. The phone number is 334) 206-5418; Fax: (334) 262-9563. They have the following records:

  • Birth Certificates: The Alabama Center for Health Statistics began filing birth certificates in 1908 for persons born in Alabama. Please provide as much of the following information as possible for us to locate the birth certificate: Full name of person at birth, Date of birth, Sex, County (or city) of birth, Hospital of birth - if not in a hospital state "home", Full maiden name of mother, Full name of father, Your relationship to the person whose certificate you are requesting
  • Death Certificates: The Alabama Center for Health Statistics began filing death certificates in 1908 for persons who died in Alabama. Please provide as much of the following information as possible for us to locate the death certificate: Full legal name of deceased, Date of death, County (or city) of death, Sex, Social Security number, Date of birth or age at death, Race, Name of spouse, Names of parents, Your relationship to the person whose certificate you are requesting. Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREEicon
  • Marriage Certificates: The Alabama Center for Health Statistics began filing marriage certificates in 1936 for marriages that occurred in Alabama. (Information for marriages prior to 1936 must be obtained from the probate office in the county where the marriage license was issued.) Please provide as much of the following information as possible for us to locate the marriage certificate: Full name of husband, Full maiden name of wife, Date of marriage, County where marriage license was issued
  • Ordering Vital Records Online- You can also order Order Electronically Online to obtain a certified copy of a birth, marriage, death or divorce record with a credit or debit card and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering from VitalChek Express Certificate Service.
  • Ordering Vital Records by Mail -The fee to search for a birth, Marriage or Death certificate is $12.00, which includes one certified copy of the certificate or a "Certificate of Failure to Find." For each additional copy of the certificate ordered at the same time, the fee is $4.00. Checks or Money Orders should be made payable to "Vital Records." Please do not send cash. Fees are non refundable. Additional fees are required for expedited service. Mail all Applications to: Alabama Vital Records, P. O. Box 5625, Montgomery, Al 36103-5625. You can download an application online for Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates or Death Certificates.

There were no Alabama birth "certificates" before 1908. Most counties just registered births in ledgers. Some county court houses may have kept some records, but the best source is the Department of Archives and History, Most of their information comes from census records.

Below is a list of online resources for Alabama Vital Records.

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