Records that survive
These are the record series from Shelby County that the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) has on microfilm, with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps. Most of the original books are still in the county.
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriage Records and Indices · Probate Judge1824–1950
- Divorce Record · Chancery Court1839–1884
- Divorce Record · Circuit Court1839–1950
- Records of Birth · Probate Judge1902–1929
- Records of Death · Probate Judge1920–1929
Deeds and land
- Deed Records · Probate Judge1819–1902
- Indices to Real Estate Conveyances · Probate Judge1819–1905
- Land Records · Probate Judge1837–1847
Wills and estates
- Estate Case Files · Probate Judge1800–1915
- Will Records · Probate Judge1818–1930
Military and pensions
- Records of Honorable Discharge from Military Service · Probate Judge1920–1946
Elections and voters
- Lists of Registered Voters · Board of Registrars1908–1924
Court records
- Minutes · Probate Judge1852–1936
- Final Record · Probate Judge1869–1934
- Minutes · Chancery Court1896–1948
Schools
- School Census · Probate Judge1916–1927
Other records
- Records · Orphan's Court1818–1851
- Legitimation Declarations · Probate Judge1847–1920
- Miscellaneous Record · Probate Judge1859–1867
- Records · Probate Judge1863
Search ADAH's County Records on Microfilm database
Source: Alabama Department of Archives and History, County Records on Microfilm database. Enter the county's name to see every reel. Alabama's statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1908.
Where to find the records
- Shelby County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the probate judge and the circuit clerk, and any online record search the county offers.
- The probate judge
In Alabama the probate office keeps most of the records family historians want: deeds, wills, estates, guardianships and marriage licenses. Before 1850 the same work was done by the orphans' court and the county court.
- The circuit clerk
Civil and criminal court cases and divorces. Older divorces and equity suits may be in the records of the chancery court.
- The Alabama Department of Archives and History
In Montgomery: microfilm of county records from every county, Confederate service and pension records, and the surviving state censuses (1820, 1850, 1855 and 1866, with many counties missing).
- ADAH County Records on Microfilmfree
Enter "Shelby" as the county to see every reel of Shelby County records, with the office, record type and dates.
- ADAH: Alabama courthouses destroyed by fire (PDF)free
The counties ADAH lists as losing a courthouse to fire between 1823 and 1965, with the years.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Alabama, Shelby" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Montgomery County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Montgomery County
Later formed partly from Shelby County: Chambers County, Chilton County, Coosa County, Randolph County, St. Clair County, Talladega County, Tallapoosa County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1818, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
Alabama's probate judges kept deeds as well as wills and estates, so one office holds most of a family's paper trail. For an ancestor who arrived before statehood in 1819, look in the records of the Mississippi Territory (to 1817) and the Alabama Territory (1817–1819) too.