1872 History - Sanford
County by Willis Brewer.
1887 History - Alabama As It Is - by
Benjamin Franklin Riley
1888 History - by Smith and DeLand - 1888
1891 - History of Lamar County -
Vernon Courier, August 27 and Sept 3, 1891
1872 History - from
Alabama, Her History, Resources, War Record...Published by Barrett
and Brown 1872, pg 517 - transcribed and submitted by Veneta
McKinney
The County of Sanford or Jones
Sanford was first established in 1866, and called in honor of
Hon. E. P. Jones of Fayette. The de facto convention of 1867
abolished it, but it was re-established Oct. 8, 1868 by its
present name, to compliment Hon. H. C. Sanford of Cherokee.
The territory was taken from Fayette and Marion, and it lies
in the northwest quarter of the State, on the Mississippi line,
north of pickens, south of Marion, and west of Fayette and Marion.
The population in 1870 was 7,330 whites, and 1,563 blacks.
The area of Sanford is about 600 square miles. The
assessed value of property is about $750,000. The farm lands
- 42,465 acres improved, and 231,537 acres unimproved - had a cash
value of $304,250 in 1870.The value of live stock - 1,462 horses,
496 mules, 6,848 neat cattle, 6,784 sheep, 11,463 hogs - was
$301,749 in 1870. In 1869 the productions were 219,437
bushels of corn, 16,145 bushels of wheat, 14,128 bushels of oats,
32,664 bushels of potatoes, 1,144 gallons of wine, 72,157 pounds
of butter, 6,407 gallons of sorghum, 4,000 pounds of tobacco,
1,825 bales of cotton, 9,924 pounds of wool; the value of animals
slaughtered was $64,083; and the value of farm productions was
$643,049.
The surface is hilly and broken; the soil light to a large
extent, but with fertile valleys. There is a great abundance
of iron ore, and a smeltling and casting furnace is in operation
three miles west of Vernon. The Buttahatchee flows through
teh northern part, but there are no navigable streams. The
projected railway form Columbus to Decatur is surveyed through the
heart of the ocunty. There are a number of flour and lumber
mills, and the material interests of othe ocunty are rapidly
improving.
Vernon, the seat of justice is a village, and there are no
towns. The county has no general history and is not yet
represented separately in the general assembly.
1887 History - Alabama As It Is -
by Benjamin Franklin Riley, D. D., 1887 - transcribed by Christina
Anthony
This county was formed in 1866, and named Jones; in 1868 the
name was changed to that of Sanford, and in 1877 its present
designation was adopted. Remote from transportation, the county of
Lamar has been placed at great disadvantage, notwithstang its rich
stores of mineral and the productiveness of its soils. It covers
an area of 550 square miles.
Population in 1870, 8,893; population in 1880, 12,142.
White, 9,967; colored, 2,175. Tilled Land62,141 acres. Area
planted in cotton, 15,245 acres; in corn, 28,303 acres; in oats,
4,139 acres; in wheat, 5,627 acres; in rye, 75 acres; in
tobacco,46 acres; in sweet potatoes, 626 acres. Cotton
Production5,015 bales.
Like the most of this section of Alabama, the surface
of Lamar is hilly and unbroken, with many productive
valleys. The soil along the oak uplands is superior, while that
along the pebbly ridges is barren. The general character of the
soils of Lamar is that of red loam. The best lands in the county
are those found along the uplands, or table-lands, and those along
the banks of the streams. But there is a mixture of sand in all
the lands of the county. The soil is easily tilled under all
circumstances.
The chief productions of the county are cotton, corn,
wheat and oats. Nearly, or quite one half, of the tilled lands of
Lamar are devoted to the production of cotton. Grasses grow here
spontaneously, and afford rich pasturage for stork. Better grasses
are cultivated, and much attention is devoted to stock-raising,
and, with commercial outlets, this would be one of the chief
industries of the county. The forests of Lamar are heavily
timbered with short-leaf pine, the various species of oak,
hickory, ash, chestnut, and sassafras.
The drainage of Lamar is secured through Buttahatchie
River and Luxapalila, Beaver, Coal Fire, and Yellow Creeks, all of
which have large branches or tributaries. Along these streams
nourishing lumber and flour mills are met with. The River and
Creeks are finely suited to machinery by reason of their immense
water-power. The mineral products of the county are iron,
coal, and valuable stones for building purposes. The county
now enjoys railroad transportation since the passage of the
Georgia Pacific and the Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham
through its territory. The completion of these great lines has
greatly facilitated the development of the county.
Vernon, Moscow, and Millport are towns of local
importance, the first mentioned being the county-seat. Schools and
churches are found in every part of the
county.
Immigrants desiring cheap lands will do well to examine
the merits of the lands of this county. It has a quantity of
public or government land. The prices of land vary from $2 to $8 or $10 per acre. Because
of its climate, healthfulness, mineral resources, and location,
Lamar will, one day, be one of the most progressive regions of
Alabama. It contains 30,000 acres of government land.
1891 - Vernon Courier,
August 27, 1891
LAMARS
HISTORY
The history of Lamar County is part of the
history of Fayette and Marion.
Lamar
County is composed of the
territory lying east of Range 13, south of Township 11, east of
the Mississippi line, and north of
Township 18, and covers an area of 13 full townships and 5
fractional townships.
The line that divided Fayette and Marion formerly was from
east to west two miles north of the township line between 14 and
15. This township
line has for a long time been known as a District line. The land north being
subject to entry at Huntsville and
that south of it at Tuscaloosa and
Montgomery now. Sections 1, 2, 11 and 12
in township 12 range 14 belong to Marion county. The old town of Pikeville
being situated on that parcel of land, and was the country site
when this county was established under the name of Jones in
1866. The county was
called Jones in honor of Hon. E. P. JONES, of Fayette who was then
State Senator from the counties of Marion and
Fayette.
The convention of 1867 abolished the county, but before
that date an election had been held and the place where Vernon now
stands was chosen for the county site and named
Swain.
On the 8th day of October 1868 the county was
re-established and this time given the name Sanford, in honor of H. C. Sanford, a senator
from Cherokee County.
A great deal of bitter feeling prevailed in the counties of
Fayette and Marion for several years after
this county was on a solid footing. The new county divested both
the old counties of their best territory at that time. The rich coal lands of
those counties were then considered worthless. A muzzle loading shotgun
or a milk cow were easily exchanged for a quarter-section which is
now worth up in the thousands.
The county was attacked on ground that it did not have 600
square miles of area, the constitutional area. The area of square
miles is said to be only 599 with every inch measured, which
substantially fill the requirements of the
constitution.
The best agricultural lands of Marion were
cut off to this county.
Marion had been trimmed so often
before that it had become a rule for the people to vote for no men
whom they considered lacking in a knowledge of county
boundaries
Marion was formed on the 18th day of February
1818 from territory taken from Tuskaloosa and composed largely the
territory now embraced in the counties of Walker, Winston,
Fayette, Lamar, and Lowndes and Monroe in the State of
Mississippi. And in 1832 the Chickasaws made their last cession, a
large part of what is now Marion
county.
The State Senators from Marion down to 1825 were: JOHN D.
TERRELL, 19 21; WM METCALFE 22 25; and from that date they
were same in both Fayette and Marion and are as
follows:
JESSE VANHOOSE
1825 27
RUFUS MOORE
1827 29
RUFUS K. ANDERSON
1829 34
HENRY BORROUGH
1834 37
BURR WILSON
1837 43
ELIJAH MARCHBANKS
1843 47
DANIEL COGGIN
1847 50
E. P. JONES
1850 61
A. J. COLEMAN
1861 65
E. P. JONES
1865
Marion had the following
Representatives from 1819 to
1844
SILAS MCBEE
JAMES MOORE
LEMUEL BEENS
JOHN D. TERRELL
JAMES MOORE
JAMES MOORE
GEORGE WHITE
WM H. DUKE
WM H. DUKE
WM. H. DUKE and JAS. METCALFE
DE FAYETTE ROYSDON, JAS
METCALFE
THADEUS WALKER, JAS METCALFE
THADEUS WALKER, D. U.
HOLLIS
GEORGE BROWN and D. U.
HOLLIS
DERRELL
H. HOLLIS
HIRAM C. MAY
JOSHUA GANN
JOSHUA GANN
DERRELL U.
HOLLIS
THOS. C. MOORE
THOS. C. MOORE
JOSHUA BURLESON
LEROY KENNEDY
JOHN L. MCCARITY
1845 LEROY KENNEDY, 2 year
terms
WOODSON NORTHCUTT
KIMBROUGH T. BROWN
WILLIAM
A. MUSGROVES
KIMBROUGH T. BROWN
K. T. BROWN and LEROY KENNEDY
K. T. BROWN and W. A.
MUSGROVES
M. L. DAVIS and J. W. LOGAN
1865 J. H.
BANKHEAD and W. STEDHAM
(Vernon Courier
Sept 3, 1891)
Fayette County was established on
the 20th of December 1824, and was made of territory
coming from Marion and Tuskaloosa. At the time General La
Fayette was the nations guest, and the new county was named in
his honor.
Fayette has had the following Representatives since the
year 1828:
SAMUEL J.
PARKER
JOHN
SHIPP
JAMES K.
MCCOLLUM
CASWELL C.
THOMPSON
WM. S.
TAYLOR
W. S. TAYLOR and C. C.
THOMPSON
W. S. TAYLOR and BURR
W. WILSON
W. S. TAYLOR and C.
BOYD
W. S. TAYLOR and L.
BRASHER
W. S. TAYLOR and R. J.
MORROW
W. S. TAYLOR and WILSON
COBB
WILSON COBB and E.
MARCHBANKS
W. S. TAYLOR and E.
MARCHBANKS
J. M. MORRIS and ALLEN
HARRIS
ALVIS DAVIS and
WM. W. BELL
ALVIS DAVIS and ELZER
WILLIAMS
ALVIS DAVIS and J.
R. KIRKLAND
A. J. COLEMAN and J. K.
MCCOLLUM
A. J. COLEMAN and J. K.
MCCOLLUM
E. W. LAWRENCE and A.
M. REYNOLDS
J. C. KIRKLAND and T.
P. MCCONNELL
A. J. COLEMAN and JAMES
BROCK
A. J. COLEMAN and JAMES
SEAY
JAS MIDDLETON and A.
COBB
THOS MOLLOY and A.
COBB
E.
W.LAWRENCE
W. H.
KENNEDY
Lamar (then Sanford) county had no separate Representative
until 1876, when D. W. HOLLIS was elected
Representative.
The Senators and Representatives of the county have been as
follows:
SENATORS
J. F. MORTON, died Jan.
71
J. M. MARTIN
71
J. H. BANKHEAD
76 to 78
W. A. MUSGROVES
78 to 82
A. L. MOORMAN
82 to
88
GEO C. ALMON
86 to 90
R. L. BRADLEY
90 to 94
REPRESENTATIVES
E. W. LAWRENCE
68 70
W. H. KENNEDY
70 72
W. A. MUSGROVE
72 74
J. C. KIRKLAND
74 76
D. W. HOLLIS
76 78
I. H. SANDERS
78 80
J. H. BANKHEAD
80 82
T. B. NESMITH
82 84
T. B. NESMITH
84 86
R. L. BRADLEY
86 88
R. L. BRADLEY
88 90
M. L. DAVIS
90 92
The first county officers were: B. L. FAULKNER, Judge of
Probate; G. E. BROWN, Clerk of the Circuit Court; WILLIAM BOYD,
Sheriff; M. V. BREWER, Tax Collector. The Commissioners were WM.
BROWN, WESLEY C. YORK, JASON GUIN and NEWTON F.
MORTON.
After the re-establishment of the county under the name of
Sanford, THOMAS MORTON assumed
the office of judge of probate on the 9th of November
1868, and held the same until his death in 1872, when B. L.
FAULKNER was a gain appointed judge of probate. Judge FAULKNER held the
office until the election in 1874, when he was succeeded by Judge
ALEXANDER COBB, who was again re-elected in 1880, and also in
1886, and died on the 21st of November
1887.
W. L. GUIN was Sheriff under the re-organization and was
succeeded by JOHN ANTHONY, who resigned and was succeeded by M.
WOFFORD, S. P. KEMP was elected in 1874; D. J. LACY in 77; J. W.
WHITE in 80; S. F. PENNINGTON in 84; and L. S. METCALFE in 83
(Continued next
week)
(Vernon Courier, Sept
17, 1891)
The Clerks of the Circuit Court have been:
JAS. M. MORTON up until
1874;
J. D. MCMULLEN until
77;
W. G. MIDDLETON this
unexpired term until 1880;
JAMES MIDDLETON from
80 to 86; and
R. E. BRADLEY, the
present incumbent.
The Tax Collectors have been:
S. H. JACKSON, 68 to
71;
JOHN R. KING 71 to
74;
G. W. WOODS, 74 to
77;
D. J. LACY, 77 to 80;
J. W. WHITE, 80 to
81;
D. J. LACY 84 to 88;
J. E. PENNINGTON 88 to
92.
The Tax Assessors have been:
J. H. KLINE, 68 to
71;
J. E. PENNINGTON, 71
to 80;
W. Y. ALLEN, 80 to
92.
The County Treasurers have been:
A. A. SUMMERS,
JAMES M. WILSON,
D. V. LAWRENCE,
L. M. WIMBERLY, and
P. M. WOODS in the
order named.
The Superintendents of Education have been: Dr. G. C.
BURNS, DR. M. W. MORTON, J. M. I. GUYTON, B. F. REED, B. H.
WILKERSON and W. J. MOLLOY, in the order
named.
The office of Coroner has only had one who qualified and
gave bond and that was B. H. WILKERSON some years
since.
The office of Sheriff and Tax Collector were combined in
1877 and remained so until
1884.
By preserving the above lists of officers and the dates of
their respective terms, you will have much to aid you in
remembering the dates of transactions, and will add much to your
interest in the future chapters of Lamars history which will be
filled with many personal sketches of men, and of measurers that
have passed away. We
hope merely these chapters to put into print for sake of
preservation, facts that will be useful when some one in the
distant future takes up the task of writing a history of
Lamar County
(Continued next week)
LAMAR COUNTY.
Population: White, 10,000; colored,
2,000. Area, 590 square miles. Woodland, all. Gravelly hills 550;
coal lands, 40 square miles. Acres - In cotton, approximately,
15,245; in corn, 28,300; in oats, 440; in wheat, 5,630; in rye,
75; in tobacco, 45; in sweet potatoes, 625.
Approximate number of bales of cotton, 5,200,
County Seat - Vernon; population,
300; located 28 miles from Columbia, Miss.
Newspapers published at County Seat -
Courier and Lamar News (both Democratic).
Post offices in the County - Angora,
Anro, Beaverton, Cansler, Detroit, Fernbank, Gentry, Hudson,
Jewell, Kennedy, Kingville, Millport, Molloy, Moscow, Pine
Springs, Purnell, Vernon.
This county was formed in 1866, and
named Jones; in 1868 the name was changed to that of Sanford, and
in 1877 its present designation was adopted. Remote from
transportation, the county of Lamar has been placed at great
disadvantage, notwithstanding its rich stores of mineral and the
productiveness of its soils.
Like the most of this section of
Alabama, the surface of Lamar is hilly and broken, with many
productive valleys. The soil along the oak uplands is superior,
while that along the pebbly ridges is barren. The general
character of the soils of Lamar is that of red loam. The best
lands in the county are those found along the uplands, or table
lands, and those along the banks of the streams. But there is a
mixture of sand in all the lands of the county. The soil is easily
tilled under all circumstances. The chief productions of the
county are cotton, corn, wheat and oats. Nearly, or quite,
one-half of the tilled lands of Lamar is devoted to the production
of cotton. Grasses grow here spontaneously, and afford rich
pasturage for stock. Better grasses are cultivated, and much
attention is devoted to stock raising, and, with commercial
outlets, this would be one of the chief industries of the county.
The forests of Lamar are heavily timbered with short-leaf pine,
the various species of oak, hickory, ash, chestnut and sassafras.
The drainage of Lamar is secured
through Buttahatchie River and Luxapalila, Weaver, Coal Fire and
Yellow creeks, all of which have large branches and tributaries.
The river and creeks are finely suited to machinery, by reason of
their immense water-power. The mineral products of the county are
iron, coal, and valuable stones for building purposes.
The county now enjoys railroad
transportation since the passage of the Georgia Pacific through
its territory. With the completion of this great line the county
will be speedily appreciated and developed.
Vernon, Moscow and Millport are towns
of local importance, the first mentioned being the county seat.
Schools and churches are found in every part of the county.
Source: Northern Alabama - Historical and
Biographical by Smith & De Land, Birmingham, Ala 1888 -
Transcribed by Veneta McKinney
