|
|
Lauderdale County History and Information |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Click on the Map to see a full County Map |
Lauderdale County was created by the Alabama Territorial legislature on Feb. 6, 1818 and was formed from the Cherokee and Chickasaw Cession of 1816, and was named for Col. James Lauderdale who was born in Virginia about 1780. In the early 1800's, Lauderdale, who moved to West Tennessee, became a major in General John Coffee's cavalry of volunteers. Later promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, he commanded a brigade of mounted riflemen, serving under Andrew Jackson in many battles against the Indians. According to reliable historians, Col. Lauderdale did not die in the Battle of New Orleans, but was wounded in the Battle of Talladega and dies on December 23, 1814, seventeen days before Jackson's crushing defeat of the British at New Orleans. Several towns and counties in the southern states were named in his honor, though it is said that he never set foot in Lauderdale County.
Lauderdale County is located in the northwestern corner of the state. It is bounded on the north by Hardin, Wayne, and Lawrence counties in Tennessee, and on the west by the State of Mississippi, on the south by Lawrence and Colbert Counties and the east by Limestone County. The Tennessee River forms the southern boundary between Lauderdale County and Colbert and Lawrence counties. Lauderdale County was established in 1818, a year before Alabama became a state, by an act of the General Assembly of Alabama Territory. A Superior Court and County Court were set up in this act and Section 7 of the act reads as follows:
"And be it further enacted, that for the time being, the said courts in and for said county of Lauderdale, shall be holden at the house commonly called "Col. Puler's place," east of Cypress and near the creek, and may at the discretion of said Courts, for want of necessary buildings, be adjourned to some convenient place contiguous thereto."
Florence, the county seat of Lauderdale County, was also established in 1818. At this time a group of investors, under the name of Cypress Land Company purchased from the government 5,515 acres of land comprising of the original town site, for $85,235.24
Following a survey of the site by the Italian Engineer Ferdiannad Sonnoner, who was in the employ of Gen. John Coffee, then Surveyor General of Alabama Territory with offices in Huntsville, lot sales were held and the Cypress Land Company realized $319,513 on its investment.
Lauderdale County's first newspaper was the Gazette, established in 1819, the same year Alabama became a state. W.S. Fulton, the county's first judge was also editor and publisher of this early weekly that survived until the 1890's. It's motto was "Do Right and Fear Not."
The first courthouse was built in 1822 and was used by the county until 1899 when it was remodeled and enlarged. The remodeling was completed in 1902 and the dedication of the Confederate Monument, (since moved to the front of the new courthouse) was held shortly thereafter.
After the cession of Indian lands in North Alabama in 1816 to white settlement, the United States began selling the lands at the public auction and many new towns were started. In the Muscle Shoals area, Bainbridge was located six miles up river on the Colbert County side of the river and connected by ferry from the Lauderdale side near the mouth of Shoals Creek. A bridge was later built at this location but was destroyed by high winds. Marion, a little farther down was located near what is now the south end of Wilson Dam.
Other towns in Lauderdale County competing for early settlers because of their proximity to the river were Savage's Spring, nine miles below Florence and Waterloo, some 20 miles downriver. The river was indeed the highway of that day and most towns of consequence were necessarily on the river. Bainbridge did not survive because it was too far upstream in the turbulent shoals for boats to reach.
Waterloo, established in 1819 was settled by people for the Carolinas and was presumably named for the Belgian town, the scene of Napolean's defeat.
In its early history, the post office was removed to Barton, across the river in Franklin (now Colbert) County, but was later re-established in Waterloo in August 1828. Waterloo became incorporated in 1832 and is one of the oldest incorporated towns in the state. It was a regular port of call, as was Florence, for many of the old river boats, some coming from as far as St. Louis with cargoes and passengers and others carrying cotton from Lauderdale farms to the port of New Orleans.
There were few routes to travel in those days, the pioneers using the river as their main mode of transportation even though the way was fraught with perils. Some came overland by the Natchez Trace, then little more than an Indian trail, later on by the Military Road that was cleared by the troops of Andrew Jackson in 1816. It was later officially named Jackson Highway.
The first steamboat brought a cargo of freight and passengers to Florence in 1821 and from that time on , boats became increasingly important to the prosperity of the town and county. It is not actually known who the first settler's were, however, such trail blazers like Major Dillahunty were sent by President Monroe "to prepare the minds of the Indians for the ceding for their lands." The Major married Nancy, the daughter of John Johnson who, history relates, leased the first land in Lauderdale County from the Cherokee Chief Doublehead.
The first store in Florence was probably that of James Sample built in 1818. His home, erected in 1828, still stands on North Court Street. The first house built in Florence, was said to have been erected by Thomas Cheatham on the corner of Military Road and Seminary Street in about 1811. It was built for a stage stop by Cheatham for Leroy Pope and Thomas Bibb, and was known for many years as Pope's Tavern. During the Civil War the house served as a Confederate hospital.
Among the early settlers of Lauderdale County was Joseph Hough, who had been awarded 3,000 acres of land for his services in the War of 1812. Hough came to Alabama from South Carolina prior to 1818, and sold a tract of his acreage to another settler, Jonathan Bailey, who had established a small settlement on Sycamore River, known today as Shoals Creek.
Among the older settlements in the county is Center Star, located between Killen and Rogersville. This area was once claimed by both the Chickasaw's and Cherokees, necessitating a cession of territory from each tribe before the settlement could be established. The remains of an old Indian village could be seen at one time southwest of Center Star. Other old settlements included Middleton and Elgin, the latter known first as Ingram's Elgin Cross Roads.
Rogersville, lying some 23 miles to the east of Florence, was named for John Rogers, an Indian Trader, whose sons were fast friends of the great Sam Houston. The late Will Rogers is said to have been a descendant of this same family. An early ferry that operated for many years was Lamb's Ferry near Rogersville.
Lexington, Springfield, and Anderson lie to the north of the Lee Highway, the town of Lexington being a part of the territory once claimed by the Cherokees. Many of the settlers of that area came from Tennessee and the Carolinas. The first post office of record at Lexington was on the Loretto Road, north of town, in 1880. Mail at that time was brought in from Loretto, Tennessee, by horseback and carts.
The town of St. Florian was established in 1872 on the Jackson Highway and named by its German Catholic founders for their patron saint. Hugh McVay, one of four Alabama governors from Lauderdale County is buried in the family cemetery at Mars Hill. The other three governors from Lauderdale County were Edward A. O'Neal, Robert M. Patton, and Emmett O'Neal.
Lauderdale County, Alabama History Books at Amazon.com . The Official County Website is located at http://lauderdalecountyonline.com/
Back to top |
|
|
|
|
See Also Alabama Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records
 |
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. |
Lauderdale County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1821 and is located at P.O. Box 1059,
Florence, AL 35631,
Telephone: (256) 760-5800.
Lauderdale County Clerk of Probate Court has Marriage Records from 1818 , Probate Records from 1818 and Land Records from 1818 and is located at P.O. Box 1059,
Florence, AL 35631,
Telephone: (256) 760-5800.
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
 |
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.
|
Below is a list of online resources for Lauderdale County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Lauderdale County Court Records by clicking the link below:
Back to top |
|
|
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!
Lauderdale County Health Department has Birth Records from N/A, Death records from N/A. 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 Lauderdale County Court Records for Address and Phone number) in the county where divorce was granted, and Contact Probate Judge For County Marriage Records (See Lauderdale 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.
|
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 Lauderdale County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Lauderdale County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Back to top |
|
|
|
|
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 Lauderdale County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Lauderdale County Census Records by clicking the link below:
Back to top |
|
|
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 Lauderdale County Maps. Email us with websites containing Lauderdale County Maps by clicking the link below:
Back to top |
|
|
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 Lauderdale County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Lauderdale County Military Records by clicking the link below:
Back to top |
|
|
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 Lauderdale County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Lauderdale County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
Back to top |
|
|
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 Lauderdale County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Lauderdale County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
- ?
- 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.
Back to top |
|
|
See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Alabama
 |
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 Lauderdale County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Lauderdale 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 Lauderdale County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Lauderdale County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Back to top |
|
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 Lauderdale County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Lauderdale County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
- Lauderdale 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: [ Lauderdale 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
- ?
Back to top |
|
|
? |
|
|
|
|
