Bullock County AL

Bullock County, Alabama, established on December 5, 1866, during the Reconstruction era, is named after Confederate Colonel Edward Bullock. Its county seat, Union Springs, is centrally located and known for its rich cultural history, including historic architecture and the annual bird dog field trials, reflecting the county’s long-standing traditions in outdoor sports. Geographically, Bullock County lies in the southeastern part of the state, characterized by its location in Alabama’s Black Belt region, so named for its dark, fertile soil which made it a prime area for cotton cultivation and subsequently a center of economic activity in the 19th and early 20th centuries. This area’s genealogical resources are vast, with records that are especially valuable for researching African American ancestry, given the county’s history of extensive plantations and a high population of enslaved people before the Civil War. The county’s post-Civil War history, marked by the transition from a plantation economy to sharecropping and tenant farming, also offers a unique insight into the social and economic shifts that influenced family histories and migration patterns. For genealogists, Bullock County provides a rich tapestry of records, including land transactions, court records, and other vital statistics that are crucial for tracing lineage and understanding the historical context of ancestors’ lives in this part of Alabama.