Marshall County Alabama Genealogy

Marshall County was created by an act of the legislature January 9, 1836. Its original territory was taken from Jackson, Blount and the last Cherokee cession. It has been greatly reduced in size to form Etowah County but compensated by a small strip from Jackson County. It has a total area of 610 square miles, or 390,400 acres. The county was named “to perpetuate” the name of Chief Justice John Marshall. The county has a total area of 623 miles, and a population of 82,231 as of the 2000 census.

The first inhabitants of the county were Cherokees, who had a village at Guntersville, as early as 1790, which they called Kusa-nunnahi, meaning “Creek Path,” because it was situated near the great passage leading from the Creek country in middle Alabama to the hunting grounds in the valleys of the Tennessee, the Cumberland and Ohio River.

The county was first settled by immigrants from Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. Upon the formation of the county in 1836, Claysville, a small village north of the Tennessee River, became the county seat by popular election, though more votes were cast for the place now known as Guntersville. In 1838 Marshall, became the county site, and continued as such until 1841, when in a general election Warrenton was chosen; in 1848 Guntersville was successful and has remained the county site ever since.

Marshall County Alabama Genealogy Research:

This website has undergone a complete conversion. I hope you find the new format easier to get around with! To access the various pages (which have been updated and corrected) please use the links to the right of every page.


The goal of this website is to freely provide you with as much genealogical and historical information concerning Madison County, Alabama as is practical. Since I do not reside in the county, I cannot provide onsite genealogical assistance, but can provide guidance and online assistance to your genealogical research. If you don’t ask a question then I definitely cannot help you… so please ask!

Last Updated: Oct 1, 2024 @ 7:14 pm

If you would like to contribute data to this website please contact me, using the contact us!

Marshall County Alabama

1851 Marshall County Alabama Siler Rolls

1851 Census of Cherokee’s east of the Mississippi [Siler Rolls] FAMILY NO.1 1605. Rhoda Jeffreys 48 w white (her husband Stephen Jeffrey, a Cherokee is in Arkansaw) 1606. George Jeffreys 19 s mixed 1607. Lucinda Jeffreys 16 d mixed 1608. John Mitchell Jeffreys 14 s mixed FAMILY NO.2 1609. Hugh Henry 55 white 1610. Ann Henry 42 w mixed 1611. Patrick Henry 16 s mixed 1612. Benton Henry 16 s mixed FAMILY NO.3 1613. Mary Catherine Cornwell 23 female mixed (Jerome Cornwell is the head of this family) FAMILY NO.4 1614. Lucy Ann Henry 17 w mixed (James Henry is…

Read More

Griggs Tractor Wreck

TRACTOR WRECK KILLS FARMER Guntersville- A Union Grove farmer was killed yesterday morning when the tractor he was driving went out of control on the side of a mountain and wrecked. Lee Griggs, 58, Union Grove Rt. 2, was killed instantly. Marshall County Coroner Ray White said Griggs was driving a tractor pulling a wagon of silage up a dirt road on the side of Parches Cove Mtn. when the accident occurred. The coroner said the tractor, apparently during changing of gears up the mountainside, rolled backwards and overturned, pinning the victim inside the cab of the tractor. The accident…

Read More

Griggs – Stewart Slaying

CHARGE DUE IN SLAYING CASE The Times Decatur Bureau Union Grove-A Morgan County man was to be charged this morning in the shooting death of a neighbor Tuesday afternoon at Union Hill, said Morgan County Sheriff. Sheriff John McBride said this morning that formal charges would be placed today against Travis Griggs, 41, of Union Grove, following a shooting that left Olin B. Stewart, 56, dead. Stewart also is from Union Hill. Stewart was shot once in the head with a revolver while at his own home, McBride said. Morgan County Coroner Guy Hollaway said Stewart was taken to Huntsville…

Read More

Letter from Rhodum L. Griggs

Letter from Rhodum L. Griggs to his sister Nannie Morrow; written from Gadsden, Al. on Dec. 08, 1940. Marshall County, Al. Mrs. Nannie Morrow, Arab, Ala. Dear Sister:  Almost every Sunday or some time thru the week I have been accustomed to taking time off  to either write a letter or a card to poor old feeble, helpless mother. But now I have no mother to write to; and the dearest, truest and best friend we have on earth is gone. She stayed with us just as long as she could and loved every one of her kids better than…

Read More

Postcard from Sarah Elizabeth Griggs

Postcard from Sarah Elizabeth (Bowers) Griggs to daughter, Nannie (Griggs) Morrow,Nov. 25, 1940, Marshall County, Al. My Dear Daughter, Would be glad to see you all, trust you all are well. I am not able to walk good yet. I feare it will  be a long time’s before I can walk anymore. Deller is a good girl. I love her. She is a good girl. I can tell more than I can write so come over & we will talk some. I can tell you love Deller, she is good. I will not forget her ________(?) has. Wash today. Well…

Read More