Baldwin County
Alabama Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Baldwin County ALGHN

Welcome to the Baldwin County Alabama Genealogy & History Network website providing free information to genealogical and historical researchers.

To share your Baldwin County, Alabama genealogy or history information, send an email to alghn@outlook.com - we will be pleased to include it here. If you have information to share for other Alabama Counties, visit the Alabama Genealogy & History Network state website and choose the appropriate county.

About Baldwin County, Alabama...

Baldwin County was established on December 21, 1809, ten years before Alabama became a state. Previously, the county had been a part of the Mississippi Territory until 1817, when the area was included in the separate Alabama Territory. Statehood was gained by Alabama in 1819. There have been numerous border changes to the county and numerous armies have invaded.

In the first days of Baldwin County, the town of McIntosh Bluff on the Tombigbee River was the county seat. (It is now included in Washington County, west of Baldwin County.) The county seat was transferred to the town of Blakeley in 1810, and then to the city of Daphne in 1868. In 1900, by an act of the legislature of Alabama, the county seat was authorized for relocation to the city of Bay Minette, however, the city of Daphne resisted relocation.

To relocate the county seat to Bay Minette, the men of the town devised a scheme. To lure the Sheriff and his deputy out of the Daphne, the men fabricated a murder. While the law was chasing down the fictitious killer during the late hours, the group of Bay Minette men stealthily traveled the seventeen miles to Daphne, stole the Baldwin County Courthouse records, and delivered them to the city of Bay Minette, where Baldwin County's county seat remains. A New Deal mural, completed by WPA artists during the Great Depression, depicts the events. It hangs in the Bay Minette post office.

Due to its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, Baldwin County frequently endures tropical weather systems, including hurricanes. In recent years, the county was declared a disaster area in September 1979 due to damage from Hurricane Frederic, in July 1997 due to Hurricane Danny, in September 1998 from Hurricane Georges, in September 2004 due to damage from Hurricane Ivan, and again in August 2005 due to damage from Hurricane Katrina.

The county has a total area of 2,027 square miles, of which 1,590 square miles is land and 438 square mile (21.6%) is water. The population recorded in the 1810 Federal Census was 1,427. The 2010 census recorded 182,265 residents in the county.

Neighboring counties are Monroe County (northeast), Escambia County, Florida (east), Escambia County (east), Mobile County (west), Washington County (northwest), Clarke County (northwest). Communities in the county include Bay Minette, Daphne, Fairhope, Foley, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Robertsdale, Spanish Fort, Elberta, Loxley, Magnolia Springs, Perdido Beach, Silverhill, Summerdale, Barnwell, Bayside, Belforest, Blackwater, Blakeley, Bon Secour, Bromly, Clay City, Crossroads, Elsanor, Fort Morgan, Houstonville, Josephine, Lillian, Little River, Magnolia Beach, Malbis, Marlow, Miflin, Montrose, Oak, Oyster Bay, Park City, Perdido, Perdido Key, Pine Grove, Pine Haven, Point Clear, Rabun, River Park, Romar Beach, Rosinton, Seacliff, Seminole, Spanish Cove, Stapleton, Stockton, Swift, Tensaw, Turkey Branch, Weeks Bay, Whitehouse Fork, Yupon.

Baldwin County, Alabama Records

Alabama Genealogy & History Network has many records on our county websites - marriage records, cemetery listings, etc. Please visit the county or counties of interest to you.

Birth Records - The Alabama Department of Public Health maintains records of births from 1908 to present. This was the year Alabama began keeping official birth records. You can obtain official copies of birth certificates by visiting the birth record page on their website and following the instructions. Since there are no official birth records before 1908 for births prior to that date you will need to determine birth information from census records, bible records, baptismal records, cemetery tombstones, etc.

Death Records - The Alabama Department of Public Health maintains death records after 1908 on file. This was the year Alabama began keeping official death records. You can obtain official copies of death certificates by visiting the death record page on their website and following the instructions. Since there are no official death records before 1908 for deaths prior to that date you will need to determine death information from census records, bible records, funeral home records, cemetery tombstones, etc.

Marriage Records - We have thousands of county marriage records on our county websites. These dates will assist you greatly in obtaining a copy of the original marriage license. The Alabama Department of Public Health can provide you with information for marriages that took place from 1936 to present by by visiting the marriage record page on their website and following the instructions.

All existing county marriage records for any date not listed above (and for the dates listed above for that matter) may be obtained from the county's Probate Office in which the marriage was held.

Divorce Records - The Alabama Department of Public Health maintains divorce records from 1950 to present. You can obtain official copies of devorce records by visiting the divorce record page on their website and following the instructions. Records for divorces occuring before 1950 may be obtained from the Circuit Clerk in the county where the divorce took place.