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De Kalb County History and Information |
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Click on the Map to see a full County Map |
DeKalb County was created by the Alabama legislature on Jan. 9, 1836, from land ceded to the Federal government by the Cherokee Nation. It was named for Maj. Gen. John Baron DeKalb, a hero of the American Revolution. The county is located in the northeast corner of the state, and is bordered on the north by Jackson County, on the west by Marshall County, on the south by Etowah and Cherokee counties, and on the east by the State of Georgia. It currently encompasses 778 square miles. The county seat is Fort Payne. Other towns and communities include Collinsville, Crossville, Fyffe, Mentone, and Valley Head.
On January 9, 1835, just 11 days after the signing of the Treaty of New Echota, DeKalb County was created by the Alabama legislature as one of three counties carved from the Cherokee cession of 1835. The early white settlers to the area, most of
whom were from South Carolina, gave the county its name in honor of Major General Baron DeKalb, who was killed in South Carolina during the Revolutionary War.
The first officials for DeKalb County were: Robert Hooks, judge of county court; Robert Murphy, sheriff; John Cunningham, clerk of county court; Benjamin F. Green, justice of the peace; and A.H. Lamar, constable.
The first of seven county seats was at Rawlingsville, a community near what is now the northern section of Fort Payne. After a special election, it was moved to Bootsville in Sand Valley. Then in succession, it was moved to Camden, Lebanon, and Portersville.
After five changes in four years, it was agreed to again locate the county seat at Lebanon on the condition that a courthouse and jail be erected there. A two-story brick building was constructed in 1842 on land donated by the Frazier and Dobbs families to serve as the first permanent county courthouse. The building has been renovated several times and owned by a number of different owners, but remains an attractive, historical building.
Lebanon was the center of activity during most of the 38 years it served as the county seat. A post office and a government land office were located there and the county’s first newspaper was published there in 1867 by P.J. Smith. After the Civil War, the railroad played an increasingly significant part in developing the resources of the county. Because most people believed that the county seat should be changed to a town served by the railroad, an election was held to choose between Fort Payne, Brandon (Collbran), and Collinsville. By a three-vote margin, Fort Payne was chosen as the new county seat in 1876, just a few years before the town was to experience an incredible industrial boom and bust during the 1880s coal and iron speculation.
The first of three courthouses in Fort Payne was built and donated to the county by Dr. A.B. Green in 1876. The masonry work was done by John Napoleon Bonaparte Faulker, assisted by an experienced bricklayer named Dilly Towers. The bricks were made on the grounds, with rabbit hair added to the ingredients. Some of these unusual bricks were purchased by the Oddfellows in 1891 when the second courthouse replaced the original and can still be seen in the old Oddfellows Hall located by the Black Building.
In 1888, a three-year boom period began for Fort Payne, based on heavy New England financial investment in potential coal and iron production. At the peak of the boom, in 1890, the second permanent courthouse was built in Fort Payne. The architectural style was influenced by the New England culture then prevalent. Also of brick, this second structure was much more elaborate than the first and had a large clock tower on top. The clock tower is now located in the Town Square of Collinsville, Alabama.
After 52 years of service, this courthouse was replaced by a new one in 1950. Built of structural concrete and consisting of four floors, the new and present courthouse is located two blocks from the site of the first two.
In 1974 the new courthouse was renovated, with a fifth floor added and an additional circuit courtroom constructed. A public safety annex was constructed nearby to house the sheriff’s office, the jail, and the state troopers. In 1977, this annex was renovated to add quarters for the district judge’s office and courtroom. Minor renovations were made in 1977 and in the early 1990s. (At the beginning of the year 2000 a complete renovation to the facility began, giving it a grand appearance today.)
Following is a date-order of events that shaped DeKalb County into what
it is today:
- Land
that was originally occupied by the Cherokee Nation
- 1780 -
The area now known as Fort Payne and DeKalb County was
Willstown and Wills County, named for Cherokee Chief "Red-Head" Will
Weber.
- 1820's - Sequoyah, Cherokee Indian known for creating a syllabary that
taught an illiterate tribe to read and write, moves to Willstown.
- 1835 - Treaty of New Echota signed which brought about the forced removal
of Indians and the tragic era of the Trail of Tears.
- 1836 - County officially named DeKalb County for American Revolutionary
War hero Johann Sebastian DeKalb.
- February 1838 - Captain John Payne is commissioned by the Federal Government
to command the local garrison of soldiers and see to the construction of a
stockade to hold Indians before their march West.
- 1838 - Stockade was constructed and named in honor of its commander,
Fort Payne.
- October 1838 - Last group to depart on Trail of Tears.
- 1840 - Lebanon becomes the fifth County Seat in four years
and the first permanent County Courthouse is built. It served as County Seat
for 38 years.
- 1860's and 1870's - The railroad comes to DeKalb County.
- 1869 - Fort Payne becomes official city name.
- May 5, 1878 - Fort Payne becomes County Seat.The current courthouse
is one of three in Fort Payne to have been built since 1878.
- 1884 - Mineral Springs are found in Mentone, touted as healing agent.
Mentone Springs Hotel is built nearby the springs as a health spa.
- 1885 - Coal and Iron Ore are discovered.
- 1888 - The Fort Payne Coal and Iron Company is organized and the Boom
begins.
- February 28, 1889 - The City of Fort Payne is incorporated.
- 1889 - the Fort Payne Opera House and the Hardware Manufacturing Company's
3-story brick building is built.
- 1891 - The Fort Payne Depot is built.
- 1893 - Coal and iron deposits play out and a larger vein is discovered
in Birmingham's Red Mountain. Investors pack up and move South. Boom ends.
- 1900's - Hosiery industry is born in DeKalb County.
- Today - over 150 plants, employing over 7,800, shipping out over 3-million
dozen pairs of socks each week. We are the "Sock Capital of the World!"
De Kalb County, Alabama History Books at Amazon.com . The Official County Website is located at ?
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See Also Alabama Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records
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PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information. |
De Kalb County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1836 and is located at 300 Grand Ave. SW, Suite 100 ,
Fort Payne, AL 35967-1863,
ph: (256) 845-8510 .
De Kalb County Clerk of Probate Court has Marriage Records from 1836 , Probate Records from 1836 and Land Records from 1836 and is located at 111 Grand Ave, Ste 200,
Fort Payne, AL 35967, Phone
(256) 845-8525.
The office of the probate judge is the county office where the
most significant genealogical records are created and maintained
in Alabama. A variety of records are housed in this office
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There are a few online marriage databases which include: Alabama Marriages 1809-1920 (Selected Counties; Alabama Marriages to 1825; and Alabama Marriages 1807-1902. You may also search the BLM Land Records which covers the State of Alabama. May pioneers and settelers bought land from the government instead of individuals.
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Below is a list of online resources for De Kalb County Court Records. Email us with websites containing De Kalb County Court Records by clicking the link below:
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See Also Vital Records in Alabama
Some documents are just too important to wait six weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. Birth, Marriage, Divorce & Death Certificates Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Often in as few as three business days!
De Kalb County Health Department has Birth
and Death
Records from 1885. You may go to any county health department in the State of Alabama to obtain a certificates can be issued while you wait.
Contact Clerk of Circuit Court For County Divorce Records (See De Kalb County Court Records for Address and Phone number) in the county where divorce was granted, and Contact Probate Judge For County Marriage Records (See De Kalb County Court Records for Address and Phone number) in county where license was issued
Alabama State Vital Records, Center for Health Statistics Office is located at Suite 1150, 201 Monroe Street, Montgomery, AL 36104. The phone number is 334) 206-5418; Fax: (334) 262-9563. They have the following records:
- Birth Certificates: The Alabama Center for Health Statistics began filing birth certificates in 1908 for persons born in Alabama. Please provide as much of the following information as possible for us to locate the birth certificate: Full name of person at birth, Date of birth, Sex, County (or city) of birth, Hospital of birth - if not in a hospital state "home", Full maiden name of mother, Full name of father, Your relationship to the person whose certificate you are requesting
- Death Certificates: The Alabama Center for Health Statistics began filing death certificates in 1908 for persons who died in Alabama. Please provide as much of the following information as possible for us to locate the death certificate: Full legal name of deceased, Date of death, County (or city) of death, Sex, Social Security number, Date of birth or age at death, Race, Name of spouse, Names of parents, Your relationship to the person whose certificate you are requesting. Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE
- Marriage Certificates: The Alabama Center for Health Statistics began filing marriage certificates in 1936 for marriages that occurred in Alabama. (Information for marriages prior to 1936 must be obtained from the probate office in the county where the marriage license was issued.) Please provide as much of the following information as possible for us to locate the marriage certificate: Full name of husband, Full maiden name of wife, Date of marriage, County where marriage license was issued,
The fee to search for a birth, Marriage or Death certificate is $12.00, which includes one certified copy of the certificate or a "Certificate of Failure to Find." For each additional copy of the certificate ordered at the same time, the fee is $4.00. Checks or Money Orders should be made payable to "Vital Records." Please do not send cash. Fees are non refundable. Additional fees are required for expedited service. Mail all Applications to: Alabama Vital Records, P. O. Box 5625, Montgomery, Al 36103-5625. You can download an application online for Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates or Death Certificates. You can also Order Electronically and get the certificates much within 2-5 days by ordering through VITALCHEK Services.
There were no Alabama birth "certificates" before 1908. Most counties just registered births in ledgers. Some county court houses may have kept some records, but the best source is the Department of Archives and History,
Most of their information comes from census records.
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There are a few online marriage databases which include: Alabama Vital Records: Deaths 1908-1959 is an index of persons who died in the state of Alabama between 1908 and 1959. Alabama Vital Records: Marriages 1808-1920 This disc includes over 162,000 records collected from 54 of Alabama's 67 counties |
Below is a list of online resources for De Kalb County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing De Kalb County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
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See Also Research In Census Records
Federal Population Schedules that exist for Alabama are 1820 (Partial, see below), 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. The first federal census was taken in 1820. Records exist
for only eight of the thirty enumerated counties. These counties include
Baldwin, Conecuh, Dallas, Franklin, Limestone, St. Clair, Shelby,
and Wilcox. Part of the 1820 state census, Lawrence County,
still exists and is also housed at the state archives. It has
been published as 1820. The only extant records for Alabama of the almost
destroyed 1890 census are portions of Perryville (Beat No. 11)
and Severe (Beat No. 8) of Perry County. There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms
Alabama Territorial and State census records are scant when compared with other states of the same age. There are 12 groups of census or census substitute materials for 1706 through 1816-19.
State censuses were taken sporadically, and sizable but not complete collections exist for 1855 and 1866. The originals are housed in the Alabama Department of Archives and History.
In 1907 a census was taken of Alabama's Confederate veterans.
Another census was taken in 1921 of Confederate pensioners in
Alabama.
There are many other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in the state of Alabama. There are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1850 & 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880.
See Also Statewide Records that exist for Alabama
Below is a list of online resources for De Kalb County Census Records. Email us with websites containing De Kalb County Census Records by clicking the link below:
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Alabama Antique Maps & Atlases has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Alabama and other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for Alabama showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for Alabama showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries . You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps. The Alabama Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches, cemeteries, roads, ect... free for viewing or download here
Below is a list of online resources for De Kalb County Maps. Email us with websites containing De Kalb County Maps by clicking the link below:
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See Also Military Records in Alabama
The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design. A list of Wars fought on American.
Below is a list of online resources for De Kalb County Military Records. Email us with websites containing De Kalb County Military Records by clicking the link below:
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See Also Research In Tax Records
County
tax records are housed in the office of the tax assessor. These
records are usually arranged by legal description and are not
indexed. There are few counties with tax records before 1860.
The National Archives has a microfilm publication titled Internal
Revenue Assessment Lists for Alabama, 1865-1866 (NARA M754,
6 reels).
Below is a list of online resources for De Kalb County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing De Kalb County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
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See Also Other Alabama Genealogical Addresses
The Repositories
in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical
and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical
Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly,
quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies
should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are
usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived
materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be
more generalized and over look the smaller details that local
societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to
look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy
section and may have some resources that are not located at
archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums
in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years
gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All
these places are vitally important to the family genealogist
and must not be passed over.
Below is a list of online resources for De Kalb County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing De Kalb County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
- DEKALB COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, INC.
P.
O. Box 681087, Fort
Payne, AL 35968-1612, or 2364 County Road 502, Fort
Payne, AL 35968
- DeKalb County Library, 504 Grand Avenue, North,
Fort Payne, Alabama 35967, Phone: 256-845-2671.
Hours: Monday--10-8, Tuesday-Friday--10-6, Saturday--10-3, closed
for all holidays
- Local Alabama Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
- Alabama Department of Archives & History
624 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama 36130-0100; Phone: (334) 242-4435
- Alabama Genealogical Society, Inc. (Depository and Headquarters)
Samford University Library, 800 Lakeshore Drive, P.O. Box 2296, Birmingham, AL 35229-0001 EMAIL
- Alabama Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
- Family History Library - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.
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See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Alabama
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Click Here to Search Alabama Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships. |
There are many churches and cemeteries in De Kalb County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the De Kalb County Tombstone Transcription Project.
The Alabama Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches and cemeteries free for viewing or download here.
Below is a list of online resources for De Kalb County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing De Kalb County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
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When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for De Kalb County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing De Kalb County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
- De Kalb County, Alabama Family Books at Amazon.com
- Search 60 Years Of Everton Data: For the first time ever you can get access to more than 150,000 pedigree files and family group sheets from Evertons. Learn More
- Search the Family Tree DNA Project- Use DNA testing to break through your genealogical barriers!
- Sites on USGenweb: [ De Kalb County ] [ Alabama ] [ Main Page ]
- [GenForum Message Boards] [Rootsweb Message Boards]
- Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
- Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
- Meet your ancestors. Learn their stories. Start your FREE family tree.
- Alabama Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
- Genealogical Document Search and Retrieval Service
- Alabama Pioneers
- FamilyHistoryPlace.net
- ?
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The
Treaty of New Echota was signed in 1835, which was an
agreement between the federal government and the Cherokee
Nation that the Cherokees vacate their homelands east
of the Mississippi. A majority of the Cherokees however
opposed the signing of this treaty and therefore refused
to leave.
The
treaty was enforced though and President Andrew Jackson
sent federal troops to transport the Indians to new lands
in the west. Troops, under the charge of General Winfield
Scott, were sent to various points throughout Alabama,
Tennessee and Georgia to build stockade forts and gather
the Indians in preparation of their move west. Captain
John Payne was sent to Willstown Mission (Will’s
Valley – named for Indian Chief Red-Head Will),
present day Fort Payne, to command the local garrison
of soldiers and see to the construction of the stockade.
Captain
Payne chose a site “Two hundred yards northeast
of Big Spring”, a place close to the present location
of the Fort Payne Improvement Authority. The spring was
a great provider of water for the Indians, soldiers and
livestock. The stockade was built by 22 soldiers under
the command of Captain Payne and was named Fort Payne.
It was used for both an internment camp and a removal
fort. Five stockades were built in Alabama with Fort
Payne being the only internment camp in the state.
Several
groups of Cherokees departed during 1838 from Fort Payne
with a guide provided by the federal government while
others left under their own command. One such group was
lead by Cherokee leader John Benge. He left with a group
of 1,103 Cherokees, October 3, 1838. They followed what
is now Alabama Highway 35 through Fort Payne to the top
of Sand Mountain to Rainsville. They then followed what
is now Alabama Highway 75 to Albertville then Highway
431 to Gunters Landing, now Guntersville.
Failure
of the federal government to provide ample means of transport
for personal belongings, the Cherokees were forced to
leave behind many of their prized possessions, further
stripping them of their pride and human dignity. Their
journey west was filled with hardships, suffering and
illnesses and one out of every seven died before reaching
the land they would then call home.
Today
there is no fort or stockade standing as a stark reminder
of what the Cherokees and other Indian tribes endured.
Instead historic markers stand where Indians once gathered
to learn to read and write using an alphabet created
and taught by Indian Chief Sequoyah and one where a fort
once stood and held Indians against their will. |
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