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In the 1820s many white settlers migrated into the new state which was once a part of the Mississippi Territory and it is a true honor to find my own grandfathers on the first census.
From 1798 to 1819, a steady influx of Europeans into Alabama settled on land formerly occupied by several Native American tribes. Alabama became a part of the Mississippi Territory in 1798 after Indian cessions in north Alabama. Migration increased after the end of the Creek War in 1814. In 1817, the Alabama Territory was created, and Alabama became the 22nd state in December 1819.
The Mobile area was settled even earlier. Founded in 1702 by French explorers, Mobile served as the capital of French Louisiana for 16 years. In 1763, Mobile and the Gulf area of Florida became a British colony. Control of Mobile and British West Florida changed hands several times between 1780 and the War of 1812.
Approximately one-half of all the counties in Alabama have had their courthouse to burn. Some of them were burned during the Civil War era of 1860-1865. Some have burned as many as four times. The destruction of courthouses greatly affects genealogists in every way. No only are these historic structures torn from our lives, so are the records they housed: marriage, wills, probate, land records, and others. Once destroyed they are lost forever. Even if they have been placed on mircofilm, computers and film burn too. The most heartbreaking side of this is the fact that many of our courthouses are destroyed at the hands of arsonist. Ten Alabama counties have had significant destruction of records by fire. However, not all records were lost.Below is a list of the Counties with the County seat and dates of Fires ...
Butler - Greenville - 1853
Calhoun - Anniston - 1861, 1895
Cherokee - Fort Payne - 1882, 1895
Chilton - Clanton - 1870
Choctaw - Butler - 1859, 1871
Clay - Ashland - 1875
Coffee - Elba - 1851, 1863
Conecuh - Evergreen - 1868, 1875, 1885, 1895
Covington - Andalusia - 1895
Crenshaw - Luverne - 1898
Dale - Ozark - 1869, 1884
Escambia - Brewton - 1868
Fayette - Fayette - 1866
Franklin - Russellville - 1890
Geneva - Geneva - 1898
Greene - Eutaw 1868
Jackson - Scottsboro - 1864
Jefferson - Birmingham - 1870
Lamar - Vernon - 1866
Lawrence - Moulton - 1859
Limestone - Athens - 1862
Marengo - Linden - 1848, 1965
Marion - Hamilton - 1866
Mobile - Mobile - 1823, 1840, 1872
Morgan - Decatur - 1925, 1938
Pickens - Carrollton - 1876
Pike - Troy - 1828
Randolph - Wedowee - 1896
Sumter - Livingston - 1901
Walker - Jasper - 1865, 1877, 1896, 1932
Winston - Double Springs - 1891
The state of Alabama was named after the river. The Alabama River was named by early European explorers after the Indian tribe that lived in the territory and first appeared in 1540 spelled as "Alibamu", "Alibamo" and even "Limamu" in the journals of the Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto (c.1500-1542). The origin of the name Alabama is thought to come from a combination of two Choctaw words; Alba and Amo. In Choctaw, "Alba" means vegetation, herbs, plants and "Amo" means gatherer or picker. "Vegetation gatherers" would be an apt description for the Alabama Indians who cleared much land for agricultural purposes.
Alabama's history as a state began in 1819 when delegates gathered in a cabinetmaker's shop in Huntsville to write the Alabama Constitution. In 1819 construction began on what was later to be known as Fort Morgan at Mobile Point. On December 14, 1819 Alabama entered the union as the 22nd state. In 1846 the state capital was moved to Montgomery. Alabama was establisted on 14 December 1819, and the official state website is located at http://www.alabama.gov/.
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