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Birmingham Public Library - Virtual Library - Subject Resources - Genealogy
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Genealogy
 
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Subjects last updated on Jul. 21, 2023.
Genealogy RSS
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Guide Information
Last Updated
Dec. 7, 2018
Comments
Summary
Classes & Workshops
Classes
Intro to Genealogy
Search the Library's events calendar for upcoming dates for our Intro to Genealogy classes. You can also print out a copy of the class handout prior to attending.
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Books
General Guides
The source : a guidebook of American genealogy / edited by Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking
Genealogists and other historical researchers have valued the first two editions (1984, 1997) of this work, often referred to as "the genealogist's bible." The new edition continues that tradition, and many libraries will want to acquire it. This time around, technological advances have drastically altered genealogical research. Computers and the Internet make many sources more accessible and more easily searched, and genetic data has entered the scene.Intended as a handbook and a guide to selecting, locating, and using appropriate primary and secondary sources, The Source also functions as an instructional tool for novice genealogists and a refresher course for experienced researchers.
The handybook for genealogists : United States of America
Provides information for locating county histories, certificates, records, and migration trails throughout the United States for family historians and general researchers.
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Native American Genealogy
Applications from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Muskogee Area Office, Relating to Enrollment in the Five Civilized Tribes under the Act of 1896
The applications for enrollment of Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, and Creeks, as well as those of former slaves (freedmen) of the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes. Seminole applications are not included as none were found. Applicants include Indians by blood, spouses of Indians, and freedmen. Roll 1 is an index to the series.
The Dawes Commission and the Allotment of the Five Civilized Tribes, 1893-1914
A well researched compilation on the Dawes Commission. Good bibliography with two appendices, one that is a list of the Tribal Rolls
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Bibliographies
African-American Genealogy
Heraldry and the Peerage
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Catalog topics
Genealogy and Local History
African American Genealogy
Alabama Newspapers
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Magazines
A Selection of Genealogical and Historical Journals at BPL
The Alabama Historical Quarterly
Central Library holdings
v.1 (1930)-v.44 (1982)
The Alabama Review
Central Library holdings
v.1 (1948)-
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Databases
Databases
Alabama Coal Mine Fatalities, 1898 - 1938
Description
The Alabama Coal Mine Fatalities Database consists of 2188 records compiled by the staff of the Government Documents department using available annual reports of Alabama mine inspectors from 1898 through 1938.
Availability
Publicly Available.
Alabama Episcopal Church Registers
Description
The Alabama Episcopal Church Registers database lists confirmations, baptisms, marriages and burials for more than 14,000 people in sixteen Alabama parishes for the period of the 1830s to the 1970s
Availability
Publicly Available.
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Websites
African American Genealogy
African Ancestored Genealogy
Alabama Supreme Court Decisions
Summaries of decisions handed down by the Alabama Supreme Court regarding slavery.
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General Genealogy Sites
Atlas of Historical County Boundaries
This site from the Newberry Library supplements their excellent books of historical county boundaries. Now you can see how counties have changed their boundaries over the years for all of the states of the United States.
Cyndi's List
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Local Indexes
Deeds, Wills, Administrations of Jefferson County, State of Alabama, Book 1: 1818-1833
  • Name Index
  • Place Name Index
  • Slave Name Index
Deeds, Wills, Administrations of Jefferson County, State of Alabama, Book II: 1833-1844 [full text]
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Local Information
BPL Genealogy
City Directories
Birmingham City Directories are located in the Southern History Department. The directories date from 1883-present. Due to the hardship of the Great Depression and, later, the Second World War, directories were not published in the following years: 1933, 1936, 1943, and 1945. Because of their fragility, some of our original directories have been replaced with microfilm editions.
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Page Last Modified: 3/2/2026 11:12 AM

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