Search Etowah County Obituaries

Obituary records for Etowah County are available through The Gadsden Times newspaper, local funeral homes, and the Probate Court in Gadsden. This is one of the larger counties in northeast Alabama with a population of over 100,000. The Gadsden Times has published obituaries since the 1800s and has extensive archives. The Probate Court maintains estate and will records from 1867 that can help with genealogy research. Several funeral homes serve Gadsden, Attalla, Rainbow City, and other communities in the county.

Etowah County Probate Court

The Etowah County Probate Court handles wills, estates, and probate filings. These records list heirs and family members, which helps when you cannot find an obituary. The court is on Forrest Avenue in downtown Gadsden.

Judge Bobby Junkins serves as the Probate Judge for Etowah County. The county is in the 16th Judicial Circuit.

Records available include marriage records from 1867, divorce records from 1867, probate records from 1867, and land records from 1867. All major record types start from the same year when the county was organized.

FamilySearch has digitized Etowah County probate estate case files from 1869 to 1950. These free records can help you find family connections when obituaries are not available.

Etowah County Newspapers

The Gadsden Times is the main newspaper for Etowah County. It has published obituaries for local residents since the late 1800s and has one of the better newspaper archives in the region.

Current obituaries from The Gadsden Times appear on Legacy.com at legacy.com/obituaries/gadsdentimes/. You can search by name and see recent death notices. The newspaper website also posts obituaries.

The Boaz Leader covers the northern part of Etowah County and neighboring Marshall County. Check both papers if you cannot find an obituary in one.

For historical obituaries, check:

• Newspapers.com for Gadsden Times archives
• GenealogyBank for older newspaper issues
• Alabama Department of Archives and History microfilm

Etowah County Funeral Homes

Several funeral homes serve Etowah County. They post obituaries online and keep archives going back years. If you know which funeral home handled services, check their website first.

Major funeral homes in Etowah County include:

• Collier-Butler Funeral Home, Gadsden
• Glencoe-Hokes Bluff Funeral Home
• Prestige Memorial Funeral Home and Crematory
• Crossville Memorial Chapel
• W.T Wilson Funeral Chapel, Rainsville

Call funeral homes directly to search older records. Have the full name of the deceased and approximate date of death ready. Most keep records for many years.

How to Search Etowah County Obituaries

For recent obituaries, start with these online resources:

• The Gadsden Times Obituaries at legacy.com/obituaries/gadsdentimes/
• Legacy.com Etowah County at legacy.com/us/obituaries/local/alabama/etowah-county
• Funeral home websites

For older obituaries and genealogy research:

• USGenWeb Archives at usgwarchives.net/al/etowah/obits.htm
• ALGenWeb Etowah Obituaries at algenweb.org/etowah/obituaries/index.htm
• FamilySearch free probate records from 1869 to 1950
• Find a Grave for burial records

The Gadsden Public Library at 254 College St, Gadsden, AL 35901 has genealogy resources and may have obituary indexes not available online. Staff can help point you to the right records.

Under Alabama Code Section 22-9A-21, death certificates are restricted for 25 years. After that time, anyone can request a copy from the Alabama Department of Public Health.

Etowah County Genealogy Resources

Etowah County has good genealogical resources because of its larger population and established institutions. The USGenWeb Archives and ALGenWeb have volunteer-transcribed obituaries that are free to search.

The Gadsden Public Library has a genealogy collection that includes:

• Local history books and family histories
• Cemetery records and transcriptions
• Newspaper microfilm
• Census records and other federal records

FamilySearch has Alabama probate records from 1809 to 1985 that include Etowah County. These records are free to search and can provide death dates, family relationships, and other information useful for finding obituaries.

Nearby Counties

Obituaries for Etowah County residents sometimes appear in newspapers from neighboring counties. These counties share borders with Etowah County.

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