This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/HU.2ADI/1634.2 Message Board Post: Donna (and others researching pre-1830 Monroe County records), Keep in mind that hundreds of TERRITORIAL records exist covering this area of Alabama -- before 1819 (and statehood) as the "Alabama Territory," and before 1817 as the "Mississippi Territory." Public records were maintained in the territorial capitals and land offices. Many records covering early Alabama, for instance, are found in Milledgeville, Georgia. The state archives in Montgomery has microfilmed many of these early territorial records and made them available to researchers, and some territorial records have been published in book or electronic format. The archives has a research service for a fee (check their web site), if you aren't able to visit the reference rooms in person. They also maintain a list of professional researchers who can help you. Also, although the Monroe County courthouse burned like many others, newspapers still covered the area before and after the 1830s. Monroe County was a HUGE area in the early days of Alabama settlement, not the cut-down county we know today. And, it was on a major immigration and transportation route: the Federal Road. Things that happened in Monroe County were important to people all over the state. Cahawba (Dallas County) was Alabama's first state capital, and its newspapers published information about early residents all over the state. General "local" news was sparse and the news editors' political opinions were prominent, but legal notices were highlights for readers -- what persons had died and had estates being probated, who was going bankrupt, etc. Montgomery became the capital in 1846, and its newspapers correspondingly had the same type of legal notices. You might find Monroe County families mentioned in any of those sources. Michael Kelsey's Alabama newspaper extract books have interesting mentions of people, events, court proceedings, etc. in the Monroe-Conecuh-Butler-Wilcox-Dallas County region. Larry Caver's newspaper books (Montgomery Co., Autauga Co., etc.) also have various mentions of Monroe County. Even a small book like "Butler County Obituaries" (available from The Butler County Historical & Genealogical Society) includes people in neighboring Monroe County. Additionally, Alabama Supreme Court cases covered residents all over the state from 1819-on. Same results: there are mentions of Monroe County names and events that might otherwise have been lost. So, regardless of any particular courthouse burning, there's a wealth of information available if you do a bit more research than just on the Internet. Good luck with your Monroe County (and Alabama Territory, and Mississippi Territory) research -- Regards, Annie Crenshaw