Find a Grave Alabama by Name —
Cemetery & Burial Records Search
Your complete, practical guide to tracing Alabama ancestors through cemetery and burial records — every free database, step-by-step instructions, official state resources, and insider tips in one place.
Searching for a buried ancestor, confirming a family grave, or exploring Alabama history? The state’s cemetery and burial records stretch back to the early 1800s — and often hold information found nowhere else. This guide walks you through every available tool in plain, practical steps: what each database covers, exactly how to use it, what to do when you hit a dead end, and how to get official certified copies. Whether your roots are in Jefferson County, Mobile Bay, the Tennessee Valley, or one of Alabama’s smallest rural communities, there is a clear path to the record you need.
📄 What Alabama Cemetery & Burial Records Actually Contain
Many researchers underestimate how rich Alabama burial records can be. A headstone inscription is just the beginning — when databases have indexed a cemetery fully, a single name search can reveal a surprising depth of family history.
- Full name — including maiden names on many older headstones
- Birth and death dates — often the only reliable source for pre-1908 deaths
- Burial date — distinct from death date; useful for establishing timelines
- Cemetery name and full street address
- Grave / plot location — section, row, and lot number in organized cemeteries
- Headstone inscription — verbatim transcription including Bible verses, mottos, and family notes carved in stone
- Headstone photograph — available on major databases for millions of Alabama graves
- Spouse and family members buried nearby or cross-linked in the database
- Military service indicators — branch, rank, and conflict served (Civil War, WWI, WWII, etc.)
- Religion and church affiliation — especially prominent in church cemetery records
- Sexton’s register data — may include cause of death, funeral home, and informant name
- Cemetery map and GPS coordinates — for physically locating the grave on a visit
Pre-1908 Records Note: Alabama did not require statewide death registration until 1908. For deaths before that date, cemetery transcriptions, church burial registers, county probate records, and family Bibles are your primary sources. Some Alabama counties created death registers between the mid-1880s and 1930s — search the ADAH County Records on Microfilm Database.
🔎 How to Search Alabama Graves by Name — Micro Step-by-Step Guide
Follow these exact instructions for each major database. We tell you precisely what to click, what to type, and what to do when results don’t appear.
- Go to findgraveusa — the Alabama-specific section of the FindGraveUSA database.
- Find the search bar and type the person’s last name first, then first name. Example:
Williams, Hankor justWilliamsto browse all surname matches. - Use the county or region filter if available to narrow to a specific part of Alabama — essential for common surnames like Smith, Jones, or Johnson.
- Click any result to open the full burial record: birth/death dates, cemetery name and address, headstone photo, plot number, and linked family members.
- Note the cemetery address — use it to contact the sexton’s office, navigate to the grave physically, or locate it on the county section below.
- No results? Try the person’s maiden name (for women), check alternate spellings, or move to Method 2.
- Go to findagrave.com. No account needed to search; an account is required to add memorials or request photos.
- Enter the person’s name. Use wildcards for uncertain spelling:
?replaces one letter (e.g.,Sorens?n);*replaces zero or more letters (e.g.,Wil*). - Click “More Search Options” to filter by: Birth Year Range, Death Year Range, and Burial Location (choose United States → Alabama → select a county).
- Click any result to open the full memorial with headstone photo (if available), burial details, and linked family members.
- To browse Alabama cemeteries by county: go to findagrave.com/cemetery-browse/USA/Alabama, then click any county to list all indexed cemeteries there.
- If no headstone photo is available, scroll to the bottom of the memorial and click “Request Photo” — a nearby volunteer will usually photograph it free of charge within days.
- Visit billiongraves.com. Volunteers photograph gravestones with a smartphone app that tags every photo with GPS coordinates — so you can navigate directly to the grave.
- Enter the name in the search bar. Results show a headstone photo alongside the GPS location on a map.
- Click “View on Map” to see the grave’s exact position within the cemetery — invaluable in large cemeteries like Maple Hill with 80,000+ burials.
- For Maple Hill Cemetery specifically: billiongraves.com/cemetery/Maple-Hill-Cemetery/5672
- Download the BillionGraves app before visiting — the app’s GPS navigation can walk you directly to a specific plot.
- If a grave hasn’t been photographed yet, use the app’s “Needs Photo” feature to flag it for nearby volunteers.
- Create a free account at familysearch.org (no cost, no subscription).
- Go to Search → Records. In the Location field, type “Alabama” to open all Alabama collections.
- Use the collection “Alabama Deaths, 1908–1974” — a free indexed database searchable by name, death year, and death county.
- Also search “Alabama Deaths and Burials Index, 1881–1974” — over 110,000 records including some pre-registration county-level records.
- For county-specific cemetery records: go to Search → Catalog, type the county name plus “cemetery,” and browse available microfilmed cemetery records.
- Some FamilySearch collections require visiting a physical affiliate library. The Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) in Montgomery is an official affiliate — free access in their Research Room.
- Visit alabamagenealogy.org/cem — Alabama Genealogy’s cemetery directory organized by county across all 67 counties.
- Click your target county to see all indexed cemeteries with links to transcriptions of each burial.
- Not sure of the county? Use the site’s alphabetical cemetery list — it lists all Alabama cemeteries by name alongside county and location.
- For an alternative format: interment.net/us/al has county-organized transcriptions sourced from original cemetery office registers — higher accuracy than crowd-sourced entries.
- For specialized search: accessgenealogy.com/alabama provides additional county-organized Alabama cemetery records and indexes.
Cross-referencing tip: When you find a burial record, always search the same name in FamilySearch census records. An 1880 or 1900 census entry may reveal parents, siblings, and neighbors — expanding your family tree far beyond what a headstone alone can show.
📊 All Alabama Burial Record Databases — Free vs. Paid Compared
Database / Site | What It Covers | Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
Alabama cemetery burial records; name search by county |
Free |
First stop for any Alabama burial search |
|
300M+ memorials worldwide; wildcard search; volunteer photo requests |
Free |
Headstone photos, memorial pages, family links |
|
GPS-tagged headstone photos; smartphone navigation to grave |
Free |
Finding exact grave location in large cemeteries |
|
Alabama Deaths 1908–1974; Burials Index 1881–1974; county microfilm |
Free |
Historical death records; pre-1908 county records |
|
Cemetery transcriptions by county; alphabetical cemetery index |
Free |
County-organized browsing; locating cemetery by name |
|
Single-source official register transcriptions; contributor-verified |
Free |
High-accuracy records from original cemetery registers |
|
County-organized Alabama cemetery records and indexes |
Free |
Supplemental county-level cemetery browsing |
|
Curated links to all Alabama cemetery resources and databases |
Free |
Finding niche and specialized local databases |
|
Links to Alabama death indexes, obituaries, and cemetery burials |
Free |
Finding obituary and death index links by county |
|
Veterans buried in VA-administered cemeteries nationwide |
Free |
Finding veterans’ graves in military cemeteries |
|
Alabama Death Index 1908–1959; cemetery & funeral home collection 1847–2018; military burials |
Subscription |
Deep historical research; military burial registers |
|
Certified Alabama death certificates from 1908; official government copies |
$15 first copy |
Legal/official proof of death for estates and benefits |
🗺️ Search Alabama Burial Records by County
Alabama has 67 counties. Knowing your ancestor’s county makes cemetery searches dramatically faster. Click any county below to browse its indexed cemeteries on Find a Grave — all URLs verified working:
For all 67 Alabama counties in one organized list: Alabama Genealogy county cemetery directory or browse the full Find a Grave Alabama cemetery browser.
🪦 Notable Alabama Cemeteries — History, Location & Search Links
Alabama’s historic cemeteries are living history documents. These are the most significant and most-searched cemeteries in the state — each with unique historical importance and verified, clickable search links.
- Largest cemetery in Alabama — 100+ acres, 80,000+ burials
- Established 1822 · Oldest continually used cemetery in AL
- 5 Alabama governors, 5 U.S. senators, 10 U.S. congressmen
- 187 unknown Confederate soldiers buried in north section
- LeRoy Pope (“Father of Huntsville”), suffragist Priscilla Holmes Drake
- Free GPS-guided virtual tour available
- Oakwood opened 1819 · One of oldest in Alabama
- Hank Williams Sr. buried in Annex — most-visited grave in the South
- 4 Alabama governors buried in the Annex
- 800+ Confederate and 198 Union Civil War soldiers
- 78 WWII Royal Air Force pilots from Maxwell AFB training (1941–42)
- 35,000+ graves and markers; managed by City of Mobile
- Open 8AM–5PM daily; free entry
- Ornate headstones, statues, mausoleums under oak and Spanish moss canopy
- Veterans section; prominent Mobile family plots
- One of Alabama’s most aesthetically striking cemeteries
- Up to 10,000 burials including 1,000+ enslaved individuals
- Burgess Scruggs — first African American physician in Alabama
- 2 Buffalo soldiers; U.S. Colored Troops Civil War veterans
- Charles Hendley Jr., editor of Huntsville Gazette
- Essential resource for African American genealogy in North Alabama
- Little Richard (rock ‘n’ roll pioneer, 1932–2020) buried here
- Modern memorial gardens adjacent to Oakwood University
- Near the historic Oakwood University slave cemetery (~40 graves)
- Slave cemetery includes family of Dred Scott, per historical records
- Official U.S. National Cemetery — all veteran burials
- Searchable free via VA Nationwide Gravesite Locator
- All conflicts from Civil War forward; government-issue markers
- Indiana Civil War soldiers buried here (separate indexed database)
🏛️ Alabama Historic Cemetery Register — Official State Program
The Alabama Historical Commission (AHC) maintains the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register — official historic designation for significant Alabama cemeteries. This is a preservation and legal protection program, not a search database, but it identifies officially registered cemeteries across all 67 counties.
- Identifies, documents, and registers historically significant Alabama cemeteries
- Issues permits for substantial cemetery work — including relocating human remains in cemeteries at least 75 years old, as required by Alabama law
- Publishes the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register PDF — all registered cemeteries listed alphabetically by county
- Assists with historical markers and plaques for registered cemeteries
- Provides general cemetery preservation guidelines to the public at no charge
AHC Cemetery Program Contact: Leanne Waller-Trupp · 334-230-2653 · leanne.trupp@ahc.alabama.gov · 468 S. Perry St., Montgomery, AL 36130
📜 Official Alabama Death Certificates — How to Get Them
Cemetery burial records confirm where someone is buried. An official death certificate from the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) is a legally certified document providing the cause of death, physician, informant, and other details not found on headstones.
25-Year Confidentiality Rule: Under Alabama Code § 22-9A-21, death certificates are confidential for 25 years from the date of death. Access is limited to qualifying family members. After 25 years, anyone may request a certified copy for genealogy or research.
- Visit any Alabama county health department, Mon–Fri 8AM–5PM. All 67 county health departments access the statewide ViSION system and can issue certificates for deaths that occurred anywhere in Alabama.
- Bring valid photo ID (driver’s license, passport, or state ID).
- If the record is under 25 years old, bring proof of your relationship (birth certificate, marriage license, etc.).
- Pay the fee: $15.00 for the first certified copy; $6.00 per additional copy ordered at the same time.
- Most certificates are issued while you wait. Jefferson County (Birmingham) uses its own independent health department (JCDH) — same process applies.
- Download form HS-14 from alabamapublichealth.gov/vitalrecords. Complete all fields.
- Make a check or money order payable to “Center for Health Statistics” for $15 (+ $6 per additional copy). Do not send cash. Fees are non-refundable.
- Enclose a copy of your photo ID and proof of relationship if the record is under 25 years old.
- Mail to: Center for Health Statistics, P.O. Box 5625, Montgomery, Alabama 36103-5625.
- Add $15 for expedited processing. Standard processing: 7–10 business days.
- Visit vitalchek.com or call toll-free 1-888-279-9888 (available 24/7).
- Select Alabama from the state dropdown and follow prompts to order. Credit and debit cards accepted (Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, Discover).
- Rush UPS delivery available for an extra fee. VitalChek adds its own service fee on top of the standard $15 state fee — confirm the total before completing the order.
📚 Alabama Archives & FamilySearch — Free In-Person Research
The Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) in Montgomery is an official FamilySearch Affiliate Library — providing free on-site access to collections only available at affiliate locations, alongside free terminals for Ancestry.com, Fold3, and Newspapers.com.
- Free Ancestry.com, Fold3, Newspapers.com, and HistoryGeo terminals in the Research Room
- FamilySearch affiliate access — restricted digital collections viewable on-site only
- County Records on Microfilm Database: archives.alabama.gov/localrecords/search.cfm — county birth/death registers from the mid-1880s–1930s
- Paid research requests: $15 in-state / $25 out-of-state (up to 25 pages)
- County cemetery books, marriage record indexes, state and federal census records by county
✊ Searching African American Burial Records in Alabama
African American genealogy research in Alabama requires awareness that older records were often maintained separately, with separate indexes and separate cemetery sections. Here is what exists and how to access each resource.
- FamilySearch states explicitly: “Records for African Americans are often recorded in separate files with separate indexes” — always check segregated record sets alongside general indexes.
- For enslaved individuals before 1865, primary sources include plantation records, estate inventories, church registers, and Freedmen’s Bureau documents — not cemetery records.
- Glenwood Cemetery (Huntsville) holds over 1,000 slave burials, including USCT Civil War veterans and prominent African American community figures.
- Oakwood University slave cemetery (Huntsville) holds approximately 40 graves, believed to include family members of Dred Scott.
- Many African American churches maintained their own burial registers — contact the congregation directly or search county courthouse probate records for surviving registers.
🎖️ Alabama Veteran & Military Grave Search
Multiple free databases exist for finding Alabama veterans’ graves — from the Revolutionary War through present-day military cemeteries. All links below are verified working.
- For veterans in national or state veterans cemeteries: Use the VA Nationwide Gravesite Locator — search by name, state, or war period. Covers all VA-administered cemeteries nationwide, including Mobile National Cemetery.
- For WWII and Korean War veterans: Search “U.S. Veterans Gravesites, 1775–2006” on FamilySearch (free). Also available on Ancestry with a subscription.
- For Civil War veterans: Many Alabama Confederate veterans are on Find a Grave with detailed military unit information. Use Fold3 (free at ADAH terminals) for pension records and burial details.
- For WWI veterans: The U.S. Burial Registers for Military Posts and National Cemeteries (1862–1960) is on Ancestry and free at ADAH terminals.
- For veterans’ headstones in civilian cemeteries: On Find a Grave, click “More Search Options” and filter by “Has Military” to find government-issue markers in any Alabama cemetery.
- For the Huntsville Veterans Memorial: Maple Hill Cemetery contains graves of veterans from multiple conflicts — use the City of Huntsville online grave locator to search by name.
🌿 Insider Tips & Genealogy Tricks — What Nobody Else Writes About
Pre-1908? Go to the Church
Alabama didn’t require death registration until 1908. For earlier ancestors, contact the church where the family worshipped. Many Alabama Baptist, Methodist, and Catholic churches hold continuous burial registers back to the 1830s — never digitized, held by the current congregation.
The Maiden Name Trap
Women buried in Alabama before the 1950s often appear under their maiden name, married name, or both. Always search both. Some databases index women exclusively under married name — use the “spouse name” filter on Find a Grave to locate women via a husband’s record instead.
Same Name, Different County
Alabama has dozens of cemeteries called “Mt. Zion,” “Mt. Pleasant,” “Oak Hill,” and “New Hope.” Alabama Genealogy’s alphabetical cemetery list is the best tool to distinguish between them — it lists name, county, and location together for all state cemeteries.
Request a Photo — It’s Free
Find a Grave’s volunteer network means nearby users can photograph a specific grave for you, usually within days, at no charge. If you find an indexed record without a headstone photo, scroll to the bottom of the memorial and click “Request Photo.”
Old Transcriptions Capture Faded Stones
Alabama’s heat and humidity erode headstones fast. A transcription made in 1975 may record text that is now physically unreadable in the field. Always check older transcription databases — Interment.net and Alabama Genealogy — alongside modern photo databases.
Pair Burial Records with Probate Records
When you find a burial record, request the corresponding probate from the county probate court. Alabama probate records often list all heirs, physical property descriptions, and sometimes cause of death — all on public record, many digitized back to the 1820s.
Use SSDI to Pinpoint the County
For post-1935 deaths, the Social Security Death Index (free on FamilySearch) shows the last residence ZIP code — which tells you which county to focus your cemetery search on. The SSDI doesn’t give cemetery info but it narrows down the geography immediately.
Huntsville’s Online Grave Locator
The City of Huntsville has a free, official online grave locator at maps.huntsvilleal.gov/cemetery — search all 9 city cemeteries including Maple Hill and Glenwood by name, date of birth, or date of death. Most underused free tool in Alabama genealogy.