Birmingham Public Library - Local Databases

About this Database

Jefferson County Probate Court, Loose Records is an Index for Boxes 1-637 (Birmingham) and Bessemer - 1916-1936. These records, microfilmed "loose records" and records that were not filmed, can be accessed only through the Probate Records Room in the Jefferson County Courthouse (205-325-5512; 716 Richard Arrington, Jr. Blvd., Birmingham, AL 35222).

These records are not available at the Birmingham Public Library.

(Note: Boxes 1-637 refers to the Woodruff Boxes (Drawers) the cases were originally filed as -- not the archival boxes they are in now.)

A PDF of the finding guide is available here

Location Key

Probate: Phase-Box-Reel - This is the identification used to locate a reel at the Jefferson County Probate Office
FHL Number - Family History Library Microfilm Reel Number.
ADAH Number - Alabama Department of Archives and History Microfilm Reel Number

Copies of these microfilm are housed at the Jefferson County Probate Court in the Records Room, at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and at the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery, Alabama.

Phases

0 : Adoptions and Sanity hearings. These files have not been filmed and are available only through the court.
1 : These records include mostly Court Woodruff Boxes (metal drawers) 1-275. There are a very few later boxes (276+) in this group.
2 : These records include mostly Court Woodruff Boxes 276-630. There are some earlier boxes included in this grouping as the records were miss-filed and found in the later boxes.
3 : Bessemer Records - 1916-1936.

Tips on Searching

The Given Name search field includes the primary person's given name and also other primary persons in the case, if applicable.

Starts With - search by the first letter or letters of a name
Contains - search for a letter or letters anywhere in the name
Is Exactly - search a name exactly as spelled

Probate Date signifies the date the case was active in probate.

Keyword searches other pertitent data to the case, as well as other names extracted from the file.