Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 16:49:43 -0500 From: joe stegall Reply-To: ALSUMTER-L@rootsweb.com To: ALSUMTER-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [ALSUMTER] Sumter County Resent-Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 14:51:40 -0700 (PDT) Resent-From: ALSUMTER-L@rootsweb.com Pat, The records of Sumter County have been carefully preserved, and they are available to researchers from 8 am until 4 pm, Monday through Friday, in the Probate Office Annex next to the old courthouse in Livingston. Probably, the most important records to genealogists are the wills, estate settlement records, marriage records, tract book (original landowners) and deeds. Contrary to some reports, no records have been lost to fire, or for any other reason. I published a book several years ago that includes, in part, an index of the wills and estate administration records. A copy of the book is available in the Probate Office. Sumter County was founded in 1832, following the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in 1830, by which the Choctaw Indian Nation ceded its lands east of the Mississippi River to the United States government. In 1847, Choctaw County was formed from the southern portion of Sumter County and the northern portion of Washington County. The Choctaw County courthouse burned in 1870, and its records were lost. There are other old records that may be of interest to you in the Alabama Room of the University of West Alabama at Livingston. Good luck! Joe Stegall