Local History and Genealogy Services
Located at 653 Government St., this division specializes in the history of Mobile, Alabama along the coast from Pensacola to Pascagoula, and in genealogical records for the southeastern U. S. with emphasis on migration paths into Alabama. Our unique materials and expert staff can help you on your way. For information call 251-208-7093 or e-mail at lhgservices@mplonline.org
The collection includes works by local authors, Mobile histories, periodicals, an extensive clippings file, Mobile newspapers on microfilm 1819 to the present, city directories back to 1837, and the federal census records for most of the southeastern states. A recent addition to the collection is the Mobile Historic Development Commission's survey of historic architecture in Mobile with 10,000 images stored and indexed on CD-ROM. Collections of note include:
Online Resources
Some Helpful Contacts
Links - Click here for some great links to websites and databases that will help you with your search.
The collection includes works by local authors, Mobile histories, periodicals, an extensive clippings file, Mobile newspapers on microfilm 1819 to the present, city directories back to 1837, and the federal census records for most of the southeastern states. A recent addition to the collection is the Mobile Historic Development Commission's survey of historic architecture in Mobile with 10,000 images stored and indexed on CD-ROM. Collections of note include:
- Papers of the Panton, Leslie and Company trading firm established under Spanish rule
- Raphael Semmes Family Papers (1859-1913) with the log of the CSS Alabama on microfilm
- The Journal of Confederate S. S. Alabama: Our Cruise in the Confederate States' Steamer of War Alabama by George Townley Fullam, 1863
- Records of the C.S.S Florida (1862-1864) on microfilm
- The Dawes Commission Indian Rolls
- Index to confederate Pension Records for Alabama and Mississippi
- Roster of Confederate Soldiers
- Mobile county Probate Court Consolidated Judicial Index, 1819-1964
Online Resources
- The Mobile Register on NewsBank - Full text for Mobile news from 1993 to the present. Library card required.
- AncestryPlus is now at all Mobile Public Library locations! You can now have instant access to millions of names and thousands of databases including Census Index, Periodical Source Index, American Genealogical-Biographical Index, UMI Obituraries and Marriage Records for 25 states. Limited, free access is available from anywhere at Ancestry.com.
Some Helpful Contacts
- For Alabama birth and death records from 1908 forward - Alabama Department of Public Health, Office of Vital Records, POB 5625, Montgomery, AL 36130. (Records of births and deaths prior to 1908 must be obtained from individual county health departments.)
- Civil War pension files (Alabama records) - Alabama Department of Archives and History,624 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36130.
- Adoption records - Alabama Department of Public Health, Center for Health Statistics, PO Box 5625, Montgomery, AL 36103.
- Marriage Records for Mobile County - Mobile County Probate Court, 151 Government Street, Mobile, AL 36602.
- Marriage Records and Deeds for Baldwin County - Baldwin County Probate Court
Links - Click here for some great links to websites and databases that will help you with your search.
