Covington County
Alabama Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Covington County ALGHN

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

To share your Covington 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 Covington County, Alabama...

Located in south Alabama, Covington County is the birthplace of Luther Leonidas Terry, Surgeon General of the United States during the 1960s, whose educational efforts persuaded millions of Americans to quit smoking. The county is also home to most of the Conecuh National Forest. Covington County is governed by an elected five-member commission and includes three incorporated communities.

Covington County was created by an act of the Alabama State Legislature on December 7, 1821, and was named for General Leonard Covington of Maryland, who fought in the War of 1812. The county's earliest settlers came from Georgia and the Carolinas. The county's boundaries changed in 1824, 1841, and 1868. In 1868, the name was briefly changed to Jones County, but reverted to Covington that same year. The first county seat was established at Montezuma on the banks of the Conecuh River in 1824 but was moved to Andalusia in 1844 after repeated flooding.

The county remained relatively isolated until the Louisville & Nashville Railroad completed lines across the county, resulting in the creation of several towns, including Opp, Red Level, and Florala. At the turn of the century, the county's vast acres of pine forests led to a boom in the timber and turpentine industries. During the early twentieth century, the county experienced several acts of racial violence. Between 1901 and 1920, five African Americans were lynched for allegedly raping or attempting to rape white women.

Covington County's economy was largely agricultural during the nineteenth century, with cotton and corn being the staple crops. Prior to the arrival of the railroad, products were transported to nearby markets via wagon or flatboat. At the turn of the twentieth century, the abundant timber in south Alabama attracted land speculators who purchased large tracts of timberland, and several sawmills were opened in the county. Covington County's vast yellow pine forests also spurred development of the turpentine industry. During the 1920s several textile mills, including Opp Cotton Mill, Andala Company, and Micolas Cotton Mill, opened in the area. MFG/Alabama, a division of Molded Fiber Glass Companies of Ohio, recently announced that it will open a manufacturing facility in Opp.

Every year the town of Opp stages Oppfest, an arts and antiques festival held during the last weekend of October. Opp is also home to the W. F. Jackson State Park, which includes 2,050 acres and a 1,000-acre lake stocked with bass, bream, crappie, and catfish. Opp also holds an annual Rattlesnake Rodeo. The Conecuh National Forest features a 20-mile hiking trail, as well as camping, fishing, and swimming. Florala State Park, located on the Alabama-Florida line, offers swimming, fishing, paddleboating, and picnicking. Gantt Lake, created in the 1920s by the River Falls Power Company, features largemouth bass, crappie and bluegill and is known for its red-ear sunfish, more commonly known as shellcrackers.

The county has a total area of 1,044 square miles, of which 1,030 square miles is land and 13 square miles (1.3%) is water. The population recorded in the 1830 Federal Census was 1,522. The 2010 census recorded 37,765 residents in the county.

Neighboring counties are Butler County (north), Crenshaw County (north), Coffee County (east), Geneva County (east), Walton County, Florida (southeast), Okaloosa County, Florida (southwest), Escambia County (west), and Conecuh County (west). Communities in the county include Andalusia, Opp, Babbie, Carolina, Florala, Gantt, Heath, Horn Hill, Libertyville, Lockhart, Onycha, Red Level, River Falls, Sanford, Antioch, Beck, Beda, Bethlehem, Beulah, Blairs, Blue Springs, Boston, Boykin, Brooks, Cedar Grove, Chapel Hill, Clear Springs, Clearview, Coldwater, County Line, Dunns, Duvall, Eoda, Estothel, Fairfield, Flaco, Five Points, Friendship, Green Bay, Harmony, Harp Point, Howells, Huckaville, Loango, McRae, Opine, Rawls, Red Oak, Rome, Rose Hill, Stanley, Stedman, Straughn, Valley of Shiloh, Wiggins, and Wing.

Covington County, Alabama Records

Alabama Genealogy & History Network has much information on our county websites - cemetery listings, community data, 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 - 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.