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Birmingham Public Library - Virtual Library - Subject Resources - Genealogy
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Subjects last updated on Jul. 21, 2023.
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Guide Information
Last Updated
Dec. 7, 2018
Comments
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.
Alabama Inventors Database
Description
This database includes inventors who lived in Alabama at the time they received their patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The Government Documents Department of the Birmingham Public Library has compiled these records and will add to and update them as information becomes available.
Availability
Publicly Available.
Ancestry Library Edition
Description
Family name information, genealogy, histories, census data, military records, passenger lists, vital records, directories, photos, and more. Ancestry Library Edition is subject to ongoing updates and new content is added frequently. Ancestry Library Edition is only available from computers inside of the Birmingham Public Library.
Availability
Birmingham Public Library - In Library Use Only.
Tutorials
Training Guide  Web Site
Birmingham News
Description
Search the Birmingham News Archives from 1993 - today. Find full-text articles on local news, issues, events, people and much more from current and archived issues of the Birmingham News. Updated daily, it includes obituaries, editorials, announcements, sports, real estate and other sections. Read the paper in the original PDF or find content that was only published on the web. Available from inside the library or from home.
Availability
Requires a JCLC card and residence in Birmingham, AL.
Find My Past - World
Description
Access to our ever-expanding collections of over 2 billion historical records from around the world, including US censuses from as far back as 1790, the largest collection of Irish records anywhere online, and US military records from the Revolutionary War up to World War II. In addition, you’ll be able to explore millions of newspaper pages from as long ago as 1710. With more records being added every week, there really has never been a better time to bring your past to life with Findmypast.
Availability
Birmingham Public Library (Central) - In Library Use Only.
Fold3 by Ancestry
Description
Fold3 Library Edition by Ancestry provides convenient access to US military records, including the stories, photos and documents of the men and women who served. It contains millions of records from world-class archives, many of which are exclusively available on Fold3. Fold3 is invaluable for historians, genealogists, researchers, military enthusiasts, veterans and their families, teachers and battle reenactors. The Fold3 name comes from a traditional flag folding ceremony in which the third fold is made in honor and remembrance of veterans.
Availability
Requires a JCLC card and residence in Birmingham, AL.
Jefferson County Probate Court, Loose Records (1852-1936)
Description
Jefferson County Probate Court, Loose Records is an Index for Boxes 1-637 (Birmingham) and Bessemer - 1916-1936. (Note: Boxes 1-637 refers to the Woodruff Boxes (Drawers) the cases were originally filed as -- not the archival boxes they are in now.)
Availability
Publicly Available.
Newspapers.com Library Edition - Southeast Collection
Description
Newspapers.com Library Edition - Southeast Collection contains full text digital images from over 1000 historic and recent newspapers.
Availability
Requires a JCLC card and residence in Birmingham, AL.
Obituary Index : Birmingham Area Newspapers
Description
The Obituary Index : Birmingham Area Newspapers database is an ongoing project of the Government Documents Department of the Birmingham Public Library. Obituaries from four Birmingham area newspapers are included: the Birmingham News, the Birmingham World, the Methodist Christian Advocate, and the Shelby County Reporter.
Availability
Publicly Available.
Red Mountain Cemetery, Records of Interments, 1888-1906
Description
Red Mountain Cemetery, sometimes called Southside Cemetery, was used by the City of Birmingham from 1888 to 1906 as a place to bury the indigent dead. The cemetery contains 4,711 burials and was located south of the city on the site that is now Lane Park and the Birmingham Zoo. The graves were not removed, but decades after the cemetery ceased to be used, the park and zoo were built over the graves.
Availability
Publicly Available.
Sanborn Maps, 1867- 1970: Alabama
Description
Digital versions of large-scale maps of Alabama towns and cities. Fire insurance maps with data on structures in use at the time the map was made. Includes information such as the outline of each building, the size, shape and construction materials, heights, and function of structures, location of windows and doors. Street names, street and sidewalk widths, property boundaries, building use, and house and block numbers.
Availability
Requires a JCLC card and residence in Birmingham, AL.
WPA Index to Alabama Biography
Description
The "WPA Index to Alabama Biography" was a Works Progress Administration project begun in the 1930’s then abandoned when funding for the WPA was curtailed. Although the index was never completed, over 97 titles such as Who's Who in America, other biographical dictionaries, and local histories were indexed by the workers. It is an invaluable tool for researching Alabama biographical sources.
Availability
Publicly Available.
Page Last Modified: 3/2/2026 11:12 AM

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