Courthouse disasters
The Alabama Department of Archives and History lists the courthouse here as destroyed by fire in 1891. A disaster doesn't always mean the records were lost: compare the years below for gaps, and ask the probate judge's office or ADAH what survives.
If records are missing, try the parent county, state records such as tax lists and land grants, church records and newspapers. See Burned Counties.
Records that survive
These are the record series from Winston 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
- Records of Birth · Probate Judge1888–1918
- Register of Births and Deaths · Probate Judge1888–1918
- Marriage Records and Indices · Probate Judge1891–1955
Deeds and land
- Plat Books · Probate Judge1841–1902
- Chattel Mortgages · Probate Judge1891–1907
- Deed Records · Probate Judge1891–1902
- Indices to Real Estate Conveyances · Probate Judge1891–1910
Wills and estates
- Estate Case Files · Probate Judge1891–1915
- Will Records · Probate Judge1891–1958
Military and pensions
- Confederate Pension Records · Probate Judge1893–1907
Tax records
- Poll Tax Records · Probate Judge1903–1918
Elections and voters
- Lists of Registered Voters · Board of Registrars1902–1935
- Lists of Registered Voters · Probate Judge1920–1940
Court records
- Case Files · Circuit Court1821–1900
- Minutes · Probate Judge1891–1928
Other records
- Lis Pendens Record · Probate Judge1891–1900
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
- Winston 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 "Winston" as the county to see every reel of Winston 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, Winston" 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: Walker County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Walker County
Later formed partly from Winston County: Cullman County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1850, 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.