Contact Information
Phone: (251) 494-2190
Email: mainlhg@mplonline.org
Hours & Location
Local History & Genealogy
753 Government Street
Mobile, AL 36602-1403
Library Hours
Mon - Sat: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
About Local History & Genealogy Services
The Local History & Genealogy Library specializes in the history of Mobile and the greater Gulf Coast region, including genealogical records for the Southeastern U.S. with emphasis on migration paths into Alabama. Our unique materials and expert staff can help you on your way.
Genealogy and History Events
The African American Genealogical Society is ready to assist you with your research!
Join us at the Ben May Main Library in the Meeting Room for a Genealogy Social Hour with the newly branded Deep South Roots!
Disclaimer(s)
Food Allergies
We cannot guarantee that food served at this program has not come into contact with tree nuts, soy or other allergens.
Resources
Ancestry Library Edition
Atlanta Journal-Constitution on NewsBank
Explore Atlanta history through local news, events and people with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Collection. Search current and archived issues with full-color newspaper pages, full-text articles and content only published online.
Birmingham News on NewsBank
Explore Birmingham history through local news, events and people with the Birmingham News Collection. Search current and archived issues with full-color newspaper pages, full-text articles and content only published online.
Community History Archive
EBSCOhost Search
HeritageHub
Infobase African-American History
Infobase’s African-American History database covers more than 500 years of the African-American experience.
Mobile Register on NewsBank
Explore archived issues of the Mobile Register with full-color newspaper pages and individual articles. Microfilm back files going farther back are at Local History & Genealogy.
NewspaperArchive
Covering Alabama history from 1830-2017. Local newspapers include: Mobile Daily Commercial Register and Patriot, Mobile Register and Journal, Mobile Tribune, Sunday News Item, The Mobile Item, The Mobile News Item, and The Mobile Times.
Times-Picayune on NewsBank
Explore New Orleans history through local news, events and people with the Times-Picayune Collection. Search current and archived issues with full-color newspaper pages, full-text articles and content only published online.
USA TODAY on NewsBank
Explore national news with the USA TODAY Collection. Search current and archived issues with full-color newspaper pages, full-text articles and content only published online. Also available remotely 24/7 on any device.
Web Resources: Genealogy
Services
Mobile City Directories going back to 1837. Directories from other areas including: Prichard, Polk County, Fairhope and Daphne.
Indexes to county vital records in Alabama and many other states
The digital archive includes Mobile histories, clippings, maps, photographs, works by local authors, and pre-Civil War and post-Civil War manuscripts.
Fax services available at every library location. Sending a fax to local, long distance and toll-free numbers is $1 per page. Cover pages are free.
Get online access to Candid Community's grant information databases at all Mobile Public Library locations.
Downtown Mobile Historical Homes Survey for homes east of Broad St.
Collection Includes: Death certificates for 1876-1908, Death/burial records from 1830s, French and Spanish archival records, Private papers (Semmes family, etc.), Municipal records, Probate court j
Fiction by local authors and cookbooks by local organizations.
Yearbooks from area high schools and colleges.
These unique collections contain a wealth of Mobile History.
Get started preserving your precious memories - contact Local History & Genealogy to make an appointment.
Microfilm/Microfiche readers with printers and a scanner that can save a file to a flash drive or be emailed.
Print to the Mobile Public Library printers by going to your library location's PrinterOn website, emailing the location's printer or using the PrinterOn app.
Collection Includes: Mobile Register and other Mobile papers from 1819, Mobile Beacon from 1959, and Times Picayune from 1837 to 1865
Books on Local History, Church Records, Government Agency Records, Immigration record indexes, Lineage Books, Memoirs, Military Unit Histories, Private Papers of Prominent Individuals & Organiz
Printers & copiers are available for public use at every location. Black and white printing/copying is $.10 per page. Color printing/copying is $.50 per page.
Computers available for public use at every location. Microsoft Office suite including Word, Excel, Access, Publisher and PowerPoint. Educational games for kids. Adobe Reader.
High resolution flatbad scanners that can save a file to a flash drive or be emailed.
We have cabinets of paper files and newspaper clippings on local subjects including biographies, businesses, local art, cemeteries, Mardi Gras, and unpublished family histories.
Wi-Fi is available for public use at every location, including on the Bookmobile. Connect to 'Library Name'Guest (i.e. MainGuest) and open a browser window to accept our term and conditions.
