Notes: It is important for dog lovers to realize rabid or "mad" dogs terrorized the countryside in 1890s Blount County and were responsible for the deaths of lots of valued livestock and many humans who were unfortunate enough to get bitten. Death from hydrophobia resulted in about a month after an painful and agonizing experience. The author of the first piece appears to be the newspaper editor, L.H. Mathews. The author of the second piece is an occasional and opinionated submitter of Cleveland news items who went by the nom de plume of "Peck." Between the two of them they made lighter news of a serious problem, which, in 1893 could only be addressed by the extermination of most all free roaming canines. The Blount County News-Dispatch, 4 May 1893 Circuit Court. The Yaller Dorg. It appears that J.A. Talley (no kin to the presiding judge) owned a yellow purp he prized very highly, it was a good dog to tree coons, possums and other "varmint." It was therefore an animal highly prized by his owner, and his untimely end caused him much worry. It came about thus: It seems that the Clevelandites were somewhat excited on the subject of mad dogs, and had determined to kill all suspected canines that came that way. Tally's dog not knowing that such an edict had been sent forth sought recreation in the forbidden territory. Aaron Cornelius saw him coming and sought his trusty Winchester and made his dogship bite the dust. Tally felt aggrieved and sought redress in a Justice Court. The Justice gave judgment for the plaintiff, awarding damages at $50. Cornelius took an appeal to the Circuit Court, and Thursday last the case came up, and occupied the Court all day. It ended by the jury giving a verdict for Tally, damages $8.09. Robinett & Allgood for plaintiff; Inzer & Ward for the defendant. The "dogon'd" case has been an enormous expense to the county and it proves to the "whole world and the rest of mankind" that dogs are more valuable than either hogs or sheep in this county. Country and town are overrun with canines, and now that their value is enhanced their numbers are almost sure to increase. In Memory of Bowden Talley, a Dead Dog. The Court House at Oneonta last Thursday was crowded to its utmost capacity, to witness the funeral ceremonies and pay the last sad respects to the memory of Bowden Tally, deceased, who closed his eventful career, and came to this untimely death in the fall of 1890. Judge Tally presided over that august assembly, and the principal orators of the occasion were Inzer & Ward & Davidson and Robinett & Allgood. Chief among the mourners was A.C. Cornelius. As a dog should die, died he. Martyrs have kissed the stake and perished in the flames in defense of their holy religion, but Bowden Tally died a martyr in the service of his master and his country. No more will his well-remembered voice be heard to reiterate among the everlasting hills of old Blount, and arouse his slumbering master from the arms of Morpheus at the hour of midnight, for that loved voice is now still in death, but his memory yet lives; and in the ages to come, when the canine race shall congregate together to make an attack on the wild beasts of the land, many a young and vigorous yellow hound will rise up and with feelings of emotion and pride tell of the many brave deeds and daring exploits of his noble grand sire. Let us cherish his memory, knowing that he has gone to that place where all good dogs go; and in that happy hunting ground of the wildcat and the deer, of de possum and de coon, where there is no hydrophobia nor double barrel shot guns, he will wear the brightest crown that dog ever wore, till old hoary Time shall have unwound his silvery chain and in his stead the blackening waves of eternity roll their foaming billows. With trembling form, bleeding heart and eyes filled with tears we must say forever and forever farewell Bowden. Cleveland, Ala., May 1st, '93. Peck.

I would like to thank all ya'll for your answers to my question. I enjoyed every one of them. THANKS, EVERYONE P. Burton

This has been an interesting discussion, here's my $.02. Texas offered free land after annexation to encourge settlers and the free land was offered up to the 1840's. Also, TX was a Confederate state and maintained an "independent" mindset for a long time after the War Between the States. This could be why many Southerners chose that state for settlement. My Ancestors moved from AL, spent a short time in TN then moved to West TX in the early 1900's because many of the large ranches were being parceled off for homesteads and the land was cheap. Something I've noticed during my own family research of Alabama, is a migration of people from NC and GA into Randolph Co. AL in the 1840's. I've read about a "gold rush" in that part of AL and this could be the reason. In the 1870's and 1880's I've noticed lots of people migrated from Randolph into the Blount/Winston Co. area. I wonder what that was? Kathy ________________________________________________________________________ Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

I am not aware of any McClure connections. My Cornelius family came from Blount Co to Ellis and Brown Co, TX ----- Original Message ----- From: "Patti Martin" <fcspatti@gmail.com> To: <ALBLOUNT-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 10:00 PM Subject: Re: [ALBLOUNT-L] Alabama to Texas > According to articles in the Gadsden Times, there was quite a bit of > movement back and forth to and from Texas. It wasn't always the "promised > land" many were seeking. Letters were sometimes published in the newspaper > from folks who went west and then an announcement might be made that they > had moved back home. Seemed to happen pretty often. By the way, any McClure > connections with your Cornelius family? > > > > Patti & Tom Martin > > 4501 SW 62 Court > > Miami, FL 33155-5936 > > Phone/Fax: 305-662-6115 > > > > Our Publications Web Page: http://www.freewebs.com/martingp/index.htm > > > ==== ALBLOUNT Mailing List ==== > List Website - http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/usa/AL/blount.html > Genealogy Links - http://www2.netdoor.com/~cch/GEN-links.htm > > ============================== > Jumpstart your genealogy with OneWorldTree. Search not only for > ancestors, but entire generations. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13972/rd.ashx

Most of the Alabama migration to Texas occured between the years 1860-1880. The reasons for moving were most probably the economic conditions in Alabama following the Civil War, land being readily available in Texas, and, as suggested, a "spirit of adventure". However, the move to Texas did not always work for I have found several families that moved back to Alabama. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Patricia Burton" <patriciaburton@hotmail.com> To: <ALBLOUNT-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 9:29 AM Subject: [ALBLOUNT-L] Alabama to Texas > Why do you suppose so many folks moved from Alabama to Texas in the 1800. > Could it have been for the adventure or new land opening? I was just > wondering. > > > > ==== ALBLOUNT Mailing List ==== > List Website - http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/usa/AL/blount.html > Genealogy Links - http://www2.netdoor.com/~cch/GEN-links.htm > > ============================== > Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the > areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. > Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx

The Blount County News and Dispatch, 24 Feb 1887 Letter from Missouri. Mountain Grove, Wright County, Missouri, February 15, 1887. Mr. Editor-Enclosed find subscription for your newsy News of which a few copies recently reached us. To my wife it is like news from home, as her childhood days were past in Blount County, Ala., where all her relatives except her father's family were left behind in the "cruel war" days of 1862-and but little correspondence has been had from the old home country since then. Among her nearest relatives were the Blackwoods and Cornelius' families of Warrior Settlement, and of whom she would be pleased to correspond with a member of either family. Any correspondence addressed to Lettie Lathom, P.O. Box 147, Mountain Grove, Mo., will reach here safely. Our County is comparatively newly settled, but its growth and improvement have been rapid since our first railroad was built in 1880. Land ranges in price from five to twenty dollars an acre; improved and near railroad still higher.-Pork from 4 to 5 cents per lb. Wheat 75, corn 40, apples 60, and potatoes 50 cts. per bushel. Flour is from 2 _ to 3 dols., per 100 pounds. Common labor from 75 cents to a dollar per day. Cows from 14 to 20 dollars each, horses from $50 to $125, according to quality. Mountain Grove is our railroad town, and has a population of about 1,800, the public school has 400 scholars, with three good substantial church buildings one a brick and one a splendid frame all well patronized, and supported with two or three wholesale houses, and a numerous lot of other enterprises and improvements that denote the "git up and git" of our business like little "city in the clouds" support by our pleasant, productive prosperous and healthy County. Yours respectfully, John Lathom.

Your question is worthy of a master's dissertation as there is no one single answer. The Blount County Newspapers are full of letters of homesick and former Blount Countians from not only Texas, but Arkansas, Louisiana and the Indian Territory writing home to tell of their newfound fortunes or misfortunes. Some of the letters gave glowing reports of their new homes and encouraged others to follow. Others described the black, sandy land in some areas in Texas as not worth the trouble. (Ironically, at the time, these new settlers didn't realize they were sitting on top of substantial undeveloped oil fields!) There seem to be three primary reasons: agriculture, economy (and politics), and transportation. If you follow American migratory patterns, you'll see a evolution toward the West from the earliest days of the colonies. As the farmers wore out the land, as the yeilds dropped off, fresh lands to the West were eyed for development. Back in the day, farmers didn't fully understand crop rotation, tillage practices to control erosion, and fertilization techniques. Guano was the primary fertilizer, if it was available and affordable. The papers ran ads for guano constantly. But if you planted cotton on the same 20 acres for 20 years, eventually you didn't raise much cotton. The economy had its ups and downs following the Civil War. Not only that, but in the Old South, we experienced about 10 years of Union military occupation, and an invasion by carpetbaggers and scalawags. The Black Republican party and the Radical Republicans in Congress put sympathetic southerners, blacks, and transplanted yankees in positions of government in the late 1860s and into the 1870s which proved to be no minor annoyance to the ex-Confederates. Many of whom just got disgusted with the local governments they formerly controlled and moved away. The problem was less so out West. By the 1880s and early 1890s, the US experienced some national banking panics and other economic problems and hard times and some Blount county families went near bust and were forced off their old homesteads and had no choice but to seek homesteads elsewhere. Finally, by the 1880s, Birmingham was on an industrial boom and the railroad had pushed north to Oneonta which made it easier to jump on a train and evacuate across the Mississippi River if times got hard, or if the spirit of adventure grabbed you. For these and other reasons, whole families and sometimes whole settlements in Blount county found themselves transplanted to places like Ellis, Fannin, and Grayson Counties in Texas, among other places out West. The honorable Dr. Stiles can speak to that. Other individuals in Blount, like criminals, could commit a dirty deed and disappear out west. Some were never heard from again. (I have such relatives). But, as you said, sometimes it was for just for the adventure and the cheaper lands; plus the US Government at the time actively encouraged western migration with the offers of cheap or free homesteads. Those are just a few reasons so many folks moved from Alabama to Texas and other places out west. However, it is important to remember that as Blount Countians moved west, Georgians and South Carolinians moved into Blount County to replace those natives who moved away. To them, the Blount County grass was greener. To them, Blount County was "West." As a result, in the 1880s, whole settlements from places East in Georgia and the Carolinas moved to places such as Wynnville and the Rock Springs area, respectively. Many others, such as some of my ancestors from Georgia, moved over to Cullman County, formerly Blount. As a result, western migration is always relative. As a matter of fact, some Blount Countians didn't quite make it all the way to Texas and only got as far as Lawrence or Lauderdale or Colbert counties or some place in Mississippi. In any event, I'm sure there are other reasons not mentioned, but just my two (or three) cents....

Just before the civil war, my Stone family was in Forsyth and Milton Cos, GA. By 1862 they must have moved because two of the brothers, (Wm Pitchford and Francis Asbury) were close enough to Murphree's Crossroads to join the 28th AL Inf there. By 1866 they and their two brothers (James and Wesley, who were in GA units) were all on the 1866 special census, along with father, Wiley and uncle John (Stone). James Stone on the census was likely the father of Wiley, grandfather of the boys. Wm, who was Pittsford on that census, and Francis, had married Christopher girls, Sara and Margaret. That could have been from serving in the 28th with their brother Nimrod. For some reason all these folks, except Wesley, moved to AR. (not TX) Wm P homesteaded land in Searcy Co, completing the process by 1894 per BlM records. I think James and Francis at least started the homestead process in adjacent Boone Co. One suggestion I got was that the farmers of their day wore out their land with unscientific farming methods and had to move on.. that was interesting. Some folks have suggested to me that things were tough in Blount Co post war. Some have suggested that there was a lot of northern sympathy and folks who had fought for the south were not particulary welcome. I HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING TO BACK THEM UP on that. Still, that was a lot of folks on the move. I do note that Francis and Margaret finally did move to Kaufman Co, TX. They were there by 1900 per census. Wm P went on to IT and OK and finally Oregon. His was an interesting life journey. From the shadow of Stone Mtn, GA to the foothills of Mt Hood, OR in 93 years as a farmer, soldier, farmer again and loyal family man. Wesley may have stayed in Blount Co. I can't prove either way yet. All speculation aside, so far I can't tell why these migrations. Was it economic or mere desire to see over the next hill? -----Original Message----- >From: Eugene Cornelius <ECORNELIUS@satx.rr.com> >Sent: Jun 30, 2006 10:23 AM >To: ALBLOUNT-L@rootsweb.com >Subject: Re: [ALBLOUNT-L] Alabama to Texas > >Most of the Alabama migration to Texas occured between the years 1860-1880. >The reasons for moving were most probably the economic conditions in Alabama >following the Civil War, land being readily available in Texas, and, as >suggested, a "spirit of adventure". However, the move to Texas did not >always work for I have found several families that moved back to Alabama. > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Patricia Burton" <patriciaburton@hotmail.com> >To: <ALBLOUNT-L@rootsweb.com> >Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 9:29 AM >Subject: [ALBLOUNT-L] Alabama to Texas > > >> Why do you suppose so many folks moved from Alabama to Texas in the 1800s >> Could it have been for the adventure or new land opening? I was just >> wondering. >> >> >> >> ==== ALBLOUNT Mailing List ==== >> List Website - http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/usa/AL/blount.html >> Genealogy Links - http://www2.netdoor.com/~cch/GEN-links.htm >> >> ============================== >> Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the >> areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. >> Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx > > >==== ALBLOUNT Mailing List ==== >List Website - http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/usa/AL/blount.html >Genealogy Links - http://www2.netdoor.com/~cch/GEN-links.htm > >============================== >View and search Historical Newspapers. Read about your ancestors, find >marriage announcements and more. Learn more: >http://www.ancestry.com/s13969/rd.ashx >

According to articles in the Gadsden Times, there was quite a bit of movement back and forth to and from Texas. It wasn't always the "promised land" many were seeking. Letters were sometimes published in the newspaper from folks who went west and then an announcement might be made that they had moved back home. Seemed to happen pretty often. By the way, any McClure connections with your Cornelius family? Patti & Tom Martin 4501 SW 62 Court Miami, FL 33155-5936 Phone/Fax: 305-662-6115 Our Publications Web Page: http://www.freewebs.com/martingp/index.htm

Why do you suppose so many folks moved from Alabama to Texas in the 1800. Could it have been for the adventure or new land opening? I was just wondering.

The Blount County News and Dispatch, 16 Oct 1890 Capture and Death of "Rube" Burrows. Last the daily newspapers were filled with lengthy accounts of the capture and subsequent death of this notorious highwayman. It appears that he was making this way back to Lamar county, his old haunt, and in passing through Marengo county he was "spotted" by Deputy Sheriff Carter, John McDuffie, a farmer, and two colored men. On the afternoon of the 6th, at Myrthwood it was raining and Burrows sought shelter in a cabin. The negroes followed him in and engaged in conversation with him. The outlaw suspected nothing and had placed his rifle in a corner. At an opportune time the negroes seized and held him until Carter and McDuffie came on the scene, when he was bound hands and feet, placed on horseback, and taken to Linden, the county seat of Marengo county. When captured one pistol was taken from him, the other he said he had sold. His money was taken in charge by the Deputy Sheriff, who left McDuffie and one of the negroes in charge of the prisoner and proceeded to the hotel to get some sleep; the leather satchel of the prisoner had been taken possession of but had never been examined. Before day on the morning of the 7th, Burrows said he was hungry. McDuffie told him he could get nothing at that time as everybody was asleep. Burrows said that he had crackers in his satchel and asked the guard to hand it to him. It was turned over to him without hesitation, he thrust his hands in it, and in a moment he had both guards covered by a brace of pistols, and commanded them to untie his hands and feet. They did so without any parley. He then asked for Carter and his money; he was told that he had gone to his room. He locked McDuffie up and forced the colored man to lad the way to Carter's room. When they got there the Deputy had not yet retired. Burrows got the drop on him and demanded the return of his money. As he did so Carter reached for his pistol, and Burrows fired, wounding Carter serious on the shoulder. Carter fired as quickly as possible shooting Burrows thro' the body, who then turned and shot John Marshall, the colored man who helped to capture him, and whom he compelled to guide him to Carter's room. He then fled, with Carter in pursuit, but fell on the opposite side of the street, and expired in a few minutes. His cupidity cost him his life, for had he not sought out Carter to get his money he could have readily escaped in the darkness of the early morn. John McDuffie, one of the captors, is a wealthy farmer, residing near Bell's Landing, Monroe county, an Irish American, who pursued Burrows, not for the reward offered, but through sheer love of adventure. The rewards offered by the express companies, railroads and States amount to $7,500, as follows: Southern Express Company, $2,000; Mobile & Ohio Railroad, $2,000; United States Government, $1,000; Illinois Central Railroad, $1,000; The State of Mississippi, $500; St. Louis, Ark. & Texas Railroad, $500; The State of Alabama, $500. The remains of the outlaw passed thro' Birmingham on the morning of the 9th, and were in transit to the home of his father, near Sulligent, Lamar county. He was born in Lamar in 1860, emigrated to the Lone Star State in 1876. He was a widower, his wife having died two years ago, two children, a boy and a girl, are living with their grandfather in Lamar. We could fill a volume with his daring, devilish exploits, but this will suffice. He has paid the penalty of his many crimes. The world is a gainer by his hasty exit from it. The Blount County News and Dispatch, 12 Feb 1891 Rube Burrows Family. A man named Leverett, who has recently been in Birmingham with mules to sell from Texas, was a neighbor of Rube Burrow during that worthy's residence in Texas. He says Rube's widow and children live there now at the old place near Dublin. Leverett thinks the first train robbery Rube ever committed was on the Texas & Pacific, near Gordon. He and another fellow drove across the country some thirty miles one night in a hack or light wagon, and the next day the robbery was reported. Rube was a poor man, and a rather trifling one. Leverett had once helped him thresh his wheat and knew. Shortly after the robbery Rube and the other fellow with whom he had driven on that night had money to chunk at the jay birds. There never was any proof obtained to warrant their arrest, and Rube's supposed accomplice in his first venture still lives in that same neighborhood.

Note: The following list from 1891 could help researchers locate missing relatives given the missing 1890 Federal Census. I found some of mine in Birmingham. The Blount County News and Dispatch 29 Jan 1891 The Absent Sons of Blount. Prof. James M. Fendley is Principal of the Galveston, (Texas) High School. Prof. E.W. Murphree is in charge of the Academy, at Boligee, Greene county, Ala. Prof. S.A. Ellis is Principal of the Elyton Institute, Elyton, Jefferson county, Ala. Prof. L.B. Self is Principal of the Vernon Institute, at Vernon, Lamar county, Ala. Prof. W.L. Hill has charge of a large school in the vicinity of Nashville, Tenn. The Hon. Solomon Palmer is President of the East Lake Atheneum, East Lake, Jefferson county, Ala. Prof. W.Y. Adams is President of the Walnut Grove College, at Walnut Grove, Etowah county, Ala. Prof. B.F. Crump is Principal of the High School, at Jemison, Chilton county, Ala. Prof. W.L. Hedgecock is in charge of a large and flourishing school at Sidney, Marshall county, Ala. Prof. G.A. Hedgecock is in charge of the High School at Apple Grove, Morgan county, Ala. Prof. A.A. Murphree is attending the Peabody Institute, at Nashville, Tenn. W.M. Self is attending the Normal College, at Florence, Ala. T.L. Hedgecock is studying medicine at the Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn. James D. Crump is raising oranges in Sumpter county, Florida. The Rev. Joseph I. Williams is stationed pastor of the M.E. Church, South, at Guntersville, Ala. Thomas K. McDonald is farming in Hill county, Texas. Hampton and Will Sanders are engaged in business at Paris, Lamar county, Texas. Richard D. Sanders is in the jewelry business at Commerce, Texas Jacob Ray and C. Brown are farming in Palo Pinto county, Texas Rev. I.N. Morris is in business in Ellis county, Texas. G.M. Hudson is telegraph operator and R.R. Agent at Icy, Fayette county, Ala. Bayless C. Allgood is farming at Paradise, Wise county, Texas. W.B. Cornelius and E.E. Majors are running a tannery at Landham, Texas. Rev. Joe. D. James, and ex-Sheriff of this county, is in charge of a Cumberland Presbyterian church at Hamilton, Ark. Hezekiah Huffstutler and two of his sons are in business in Birmingham. Drs. Lewis Whaley and Charles Drennen are successful practitioners of medicine in Birmingham. Asa Bynum, E.A. Cornelius and L.A. Bearden are farming in Ellis county, Texas. W.V. Arnold, is farming in Gonzalez county, Texas. D.B.A. Bynum is farming in Comanche county, Texas. W.H. Robinett is a successful farmer and stock raiser at Mountain Peak, Ellis county, Texas. T.B. Armstrong is farming in the same vicinity. Rev. G.D. Staton, M.D., resides at Woodlawn, Ala., and has charge of several Baptist churches. Alex. Nation and his son M.P. Nation are successful business men at Auburn, Texas. George E. Ashwander is in business in Parker county, Texas D.W. Hanes is farming at Cusseta, Cass county, Texas. Wm. A. Jones is telegraph operator and R.R. agent at Langtry, Texas. J.H. Brown is telegraph operator and R.R. agent at Liberty, S.C. James P. Helms is a successful merchant at Argenta, Ark. Rev. Miles P. Allgood is a Methodist minister at Amity, Ark. G.M. Bledsoe is in the mercantile business at Monteagle, Tenn. Joseph Sandlin is farming at Glen Rose, Texas. Robert B. Montgomery, D.F. South, R.B. Simms, Jas. B. Huffstutler, George W. Green, and James M. Wikle are in business at Warrior, Ala. Dr. John A. Moore is practicing medicine at Warrior, Ala. Dr. Sidney J. Burnum is practicing medicine at Meltonville, Marshall county, Ala. Judge J.W. Moore is stock claim agent for the L&N Railroad office in Birmingham. Robert B. Moore is employed in the chief dispatcher's office at Birmingham, and James C. Moore is a cadet at the State University, Tuskaloosa. John E. Willoughby is a cadet at the same institution. The Blount County News and Dispatch, 5 Feb 1891 The Absent Sons of Blount (Continued from last week's issue). Henry Clay Burnum is studying medicine at the Alabama Medical College. Samuel Willoughby is a telegraph operator at Warrior, on the L&N railroad. Dr. John P. Whorton is practicing medicine in Morgan county, Ala. E.N. Vinson is in business at Livingston, State of Montana. W.B. Allgood is employed as a clerk in Birmingham, Ala. D.T. McAnnally is doing well at Rice Station, Navarro county, Texas. J.S. Palmer is a cadet at the Agricultural & Mechanical College, Auburn, Ala. George C. Harris is doing a thriving business in Birmingham, Ala. Col. Edwards and his son, A.J. Edwards, reside at Bulcher, Cooke county, Texas. Rev. R.S. Hullett, is in charge of a circuit in Pickens county, Ala. T.P. Little is in business at Corsicana, Texas. Dr. Coffey and his son A. Coffey reside at Aubrey, Denton county, Texas. W.H. McHan is located at Bryan, La. Wm. Trice is located at Nash, Texas A.J. Alldredge is farming at Pickwick, Hardin county, Tennessee. Clinton Allgood is a United States deputy marshal at Birmingham. John Scott resides at Hazen, Arkansas. Dr. J.W. Gamble is practicing medicine at Huffman, Jefferson county, Ala. Wm. V. Newsom, Esq., resides at Whiteville, Fla. Dr. Wm. V. Newsom, his son, is practicing medicine at Ocala, Fla. George Guthrie is a resident of Carrolton, Georgia. George W. Wilson is a dealer in real estate at Chattanooga, Tenn. Smith Burgess and family are residents of Lonoke county, Ark. Mack, Will and B. Yeilding are in business at Birmingham, Ala. Wm. Ambrice resides at Glennville, Nevada, county, Ark. M.P. Stephens is a student at the University, Athens, Tenn. T.M. Reese is in the employ of Messrs. Simmons & Co., Birmingham, Ala. Will Beeson is railroading in Arkansas. S.V. Copeland is doing business in Birmingham, Ala. His son, Theodore, is a Methodist preacher on Rockford circuit. Rev. Dr. J.C. McDoy is Presiding Elder at Decatur, Ala. His son, James, is an eloquent young Methodist preacher, and has charge of the South Decatur mission. The Rev. Joe D. James is located at Hampton, Ark., not Hamilton, as stated by us last week. Luther M. Barclift is traveling for the Wallis Tobacco Co., of Birmingham, Ala. Dr. Thos. M. Barclift is practicing medicine at Red Hill, Marshall county, Ala.

The Blount County News and Dispatch, 30 Jul 1891 The Blount Springs Barbecue. The morning of the 25th of July dawned upon the hills and lighted the valleys of Blount. The tread of our many feet work her slumbering echoes and merry voices rose in unison to greet the day for many weeks looked forward to with high anticipations. From the first bright hours of morning, a steady stream of humanity moved its eager way to the inviting coolness and restful quiet of the famous Blount Springs. Old men, the "horny-handed sons of toil," accompanied by their wives, mothers and little ones grouped in wide-eyed wonder about them; young men and smiling lassies, all found a hearty welcome at the Springs, whose gates were opened wide to greet them. On the hill side above the springs long tables were erected which were soon groaning beneath the weight of meats from the large pit faithfully presided over by Messrs. "Pood" Thomas and Ephriam Gossett, and excellent loaves of bread, through the kindness of Major Hickle (of the Blount Springs Hotel) who had one thousand loaves baked for the occasion, the material being furnished by the citizens. Thirty four carcasses were roasted over a pit 3 feet in width, and one hundred yards in length. Numerous lemonade stands furnished cooling draughts and other delicacies. The citizens were indefatigable in their efforts to please all. The hotel band furnished music, (Charlie Baker furnished music on the violin for Joe Musgrove, Martin South, Ketchum and Willis Allred) and many whiled the hours away in the merry dance. Prof. Lovett, of Blount college, delivered an excellent address on the "Duty of the Hour," and Prof. Thornton a brief address in behalf of the Alliance. One of the chief attractions was the "Flying Jinny," and afforded infinite amusement of old and young. The saloon and all the stores were closed on that day. All in all, it was a day well spent, pleasant and profitable to all-a reunion of friends and a day of social greeting. Spectator. Blountsville Items. I took in the barbecue at Blount Springs on Saturday. It was a grand success. There was more dead cows than any crowd could chew. I think there were 2000 people there. Profs. J.A.B. Lovett and Jesse Thorton made speeches, but as I am built like one of Oneonta's boys, the "Flying Jinny" took my eye and the music brother Bentley's ear, so I missed the speeches, but I hit a quarter of a cow and a ten cent loaf of bread.

Note: Mary Gorden Duffee is a much celebrated author who lived at Blount Springs. She wrote articles on Alabama and the South which were published in the Birmingham Iron Age and some northern magazines. The University of Alabama Press collected some of these and published a book called "Sketches of Alabama." Her father ran the resort in the years prior to the civil war up until it was burned by Wilson's raiders in 1865. She remained at Blount Springs and lived in a house on the ridge (above the Top Hap Barbeque restaurant) until her death in 1920. The Blount County News and Dispatch, Thursday, July 23, 1891 Blount Springs, Ala. By Mary Gordon Duffee. The other day while at the Springs Park, gazing at the lordly trees, the rampart of hills, and the blue heavens that adorned it, there seemed to pass before me the procession of summers of the long ago, when the wealth, beauty and chivalry of the South gathered here, and Alabamians were proud of the fame it had won. I though of the old pioneers who hunted the deer amid the wild tangle of cane; of the brave men of Blount who filled the ranks of the volunteers and first heard the strains of Dixie beneath the grand old beeches, and marched away-alas! In so many cases so far away that they will return nevermore-and just then a bevy of manly boys and girls came along, whose young lives knew nothing of the war, and I hope will be so loyal to their county and State as were their forefathers. Among them were my young friends back from that noble institution, "Blount College,"-John and Dan Rice-splendid young fellows; Joe Byars, full of energy and talent, and pretty, talented Della Porter in whom we take much pride. Then I strolled up the old "Tuskaloosa road," past the pretty home of those worthy people, Mr. and Mrs. Penn McPherson, ear by the old freestone spring; next the beautiful residence and part of Mr. Wittich, the great lumber merchant of Pensacola; the cottages of Mr. Mann and Mr. Shannon, most worthy people; and upon the summit of the hill, the homes of Dr. Estill, and that true-hearted man, Isaac Hamilton and his clever family; the well-known and popular resort of Dr. Robinson, with its attractive cottages and well-kept grounds; thence onward 'till a turn in the road brings one to the gate of the lovely home of Col. Brett Randolph, from whose windows can be obtained a view of wonderful scenic beauty and extent. Then down the hill-side at whose base flows mill creek, and along the margin of the waters to the famous Cold Spring, looking up at the elegant home of Mr. DuBois; next, the lovely residence of our clever merchant, Mr. Charles H. Hooper-whose excellent wife was the daughter of the late Henry Harrell, a man whose virtue, integrity and usefulness were alike an honor and a blessing to this community. On the right of the road, is a romantic glen, is a large never-failing spring of purest water; and a little farther on, the beautiful residence of Mr. William Johnson, of Boligee, Ala. The building, lawn and general surroundings for taste and style are probably unsurpassed in the county. Mrs. Johnson was Miss Katie Byars, the popular belle of this section. Upon the election to the right, are the homes of Rev. Travis Byars, Col. Peyton G. King, and that sterling citizen, Mr. Willie E. Byars, whose wife was pretty, gentle Annie Willoughby. Next, the summer cottage of the late Col. Sloss, and the hotel that looks like a castle. Then, past the stores, again the ridge opens on the left, with the summer cottage of Mr. Joseph Brewer, of New Orleans, (Mrs. Brewer is a daughter of Mr. Harris, once the owner of the Springs, a man of blessed memory!) Next is the famous Byars mansion where annually gathers some of the choicest society of the State, and presided over by that noble lady, Mrs. Byars and her charming daughter, Miss Alice, a stately blonde beauty. Their youngest son, Dr. Haden Byars is now at home with them from the medical college at New Orleans. A stroll along the old familiar Blountsville road through a valley full of pastoral beauty, brings us to the home of that cleverest of men, Mr. John P. Willoughby, the efficient and popular land agent of the L&N R.R. His home is now occupied by Mrs. Drennen and her much admired daughter, Mrs. Josie Ballenger, and Mr. Dan Drennen. The many friends of the latter will be glad to hear that his health is improving. Immediately opposite, nestling in verdure as green as that of his ancestral Isle is the "sweet home" of Mr. Jno. Crane and his good old mother, whose sterling character, industry and warm, kindly heart are so well and widely known. A few yards brings us to a spring on the left, beyond which resides an excellent man, Mr. Speake; then comes a home of which I love to write, and its inmates, big hearted Walter Harrell, and his amiable, cultured wife, nee Miss Alice Foust, and their lovely children. Here also resides the widow of the late Samuel Foust, whose gentle spirit and christian worth adorn all womanhood. Her brother, Judge Gamble, of Jasper, will occupy the "old homestead" this summer. Mr. Charles Fort having purchased the stylish and commodious residence of Mr. Goetter, of Montgomery, opposite the hotel, now dwells there. Mr. Fort has proved by his devotion to church interests, to business and all matters of public interest, a mot desirable acquisition to the village, and is untiring in his efforts to promote the welfare of all our people. At his old home is Mr. Worsham, the superintendent of the quarries, and his charming family-and now comes the gem of the valley, the residence of Major George D. FitzHugh, the distinguished Chief Engineer of the L&N R.R. system. The lawn in front suggests Kentucky, the lofty building a Swiss chalet, and the lowering mountain beyond throws cool shadows over all. Flowers that are rarest, bloom on every hand, but none so fair as the daughter of the house, "divinely tall and most divinely fair," Miss Lizzie FitzHugh, who has inherited her mother's wondrous beauty. With them is the modest, amiable Miss Birdie Livingston, a true, womanly spirit, very dear to all who know her, a model for imitation. The interior of the house is elegant in the extreme, and well worth being the abiding place of a man who has done so much for the material progress of Alabama. Returning past Mr. Hooper's store, we meet our clever townsman, Mr. William G. Byars, who is by his kindly manners and nature, a veritable patriarch amongst us. Next, our worthy Postmaster, Mr. Isom Armstrong, courteous to all; and then comes Mr. James I. Cox, who is as jolly and accommodating as ever, and his good wife so well known in former days as Miss Martha Wood. She works as arduously, and attends to everybody's comfort, before she thinks of her own, the same as ever. The hotel looms up, with its well kept domain, its band of music and usual summer surroundings. Major Hickle keeps a first class tale. The crowd does not come 'till late in the season. Dr. J.C. Lee is at his post as usual. I don't suppose any place of such note for its Sulphur waters exists where the resident population drink so little of the mineral springs. Our people look upon them as a medicine, and prefer, for general use, the freestone water, of which in wells and springs, there is an abundant supply here. The citizens rarely ever go to the park to take a glass of the sulphur waters. The do not own a dime of the mineral springs, hotel, etc., and have nothing on earth to do with the management, so far as dictating its business affairs. Attending to their own business is sufficient unto them. Our merchants are obliging, and often seriously burden themselves in helping the farmers from one season to another. They pay their taxes, and feel that they are a part of Blount county, and entitled to some consideration, and should not be held responsible for the acts of any individual or corporation. Well, the day of the barbecue draws nigh, and our citizens look forward with much pleasure to meeting old friends from all sections of our county. There is little excitement about the location of the court house, and only good feeling prevails. The will of the people must be done. I trust there will be no mud throwing at either place, as it is a mighty poor, mean, cowardly sort of business anyway you look at it. The best things in life come only form toil and unselfishness, and only noble sentiments from a pure heart. I rejoice t the prosperity of every locality in old Blount, but I do not like to see a whole community held responsible for the acts of others; neither do I admire flings at other places or their citizens; and I have faith that the men of Blount, whose grandsires built homes in the wilderness, whose fathers and brothers marched, fought and died for the sake of the South, and who are themselves glorious in their efforts to earn their living, build and support churches and schools, are worthy of the day and hour, and capable of thinking for themselves. The fields give promise of abundant crops; the woodlands are full of wild fruitage; good health prevails, and the glory of a mid-summer sun makes glad the earth. Truly we have much to be thankful for! Mary Gordon Duffee, July 20th, 1891.

There will be clean-up day for the Glasscock-Rogers Cemetery on Friday, July 7th, at 9:00 AM. It is located 1.9 miles south of Bangor on Cox Cove Road. This old cemetery has been brought back from near extinction. Many headstones have been broken and scattered due to cattle being allowed to roam through it for many years. The little cemetery is now secure in the hands of the descendants, with appropriate authentication from Blount County and protected with a fence. If you wish to help with the restoration of this little place, bring your tools and an ice chest and join the fellowship. E-mail me with any questions. Frank R. Smith

Can anyone help me figure out how I'm kin to William S. Hyatt? I am a descendent of Abraham Hyatt (b. 1826 AL) through his daughter Nancy Hyatt (b. 1862 AL). William S. Hyatt is buried in Salem Primitive Baptist Cemetery, and I'm kin to almost everyone there. He's in the 1900 census, and I'm kin to everyone living around him......so I'm probably kin to him. Who was his father? I've just spent hours trying to figure out where he came from, but I can't find him. Can anyone help? Apparently his wife was Lou Nelson Hyatt (Louisa in the letter we saw online). The cemetery records show that she was also married to P. Scott. Does anyone know if that would be Patrick Scott, who was also married to Elizabeth Temperance Berry? Thanks in advance, Sue in Texas

The monthly meeting of the Walker County Genealogical Society, Inc. will meet Thursday, June 22, 2006, at 1:00 PM, at the Carl Elliott Regional Library, Jasper, Alabama. Speaker will be Bill Tubbs. He will complete the series of talks begun last month. He is a wellspring of historical/genealogical knowledge. Everyone is invited to come and join in. Refreshments will be served after adjournment. Bobbye Wilson Wade, Recording Secretary If dust bunnies are an indication of an avid researcher/genealogist, then I'm a pro.

The Blount County News and Dispatch, Thursday, May 8, 1890 Bill Conant. Do you know Bill Conant? Well, you ought to. Bill was only a common soldier, but if the war had lasted long enough he would have commanded his brigade. Bill was noted for his unflinching bravery on the field, and also for his love for what the boys call "a little whoopee." Those who are acquainted with Bill's war record affirm that he never failed to get his share of whiskey if it happened to be within striking distance of the place where he spread his blanket. But there was one time when Bill had to resort to a bold stratagem to get his old black bottle filled; yet, as usual, he sustained his record by a overwhelming majority. The incident was related to me by a Baptist preacher, and those who doubt its truth may come to Cullman and inquire for Bill Conant, the saw mill man, and if Bill doesn't own up in so many words the triumph grin on his face will tell the tale in a more emphatic way. It seems that Bill's regiment reached a straggling little village over in Georgia called Villa Rica. This village enjoyed the luxury of a cross roads grocery, and the boys in Bill's mess winked knowingly, for Bill's pocket was as lean for want of cash as was his body from feeding on hard tack. The boys gathered in the barroom to hear the glasses clink and look wishful, and to see what maneuver Bill would resort to to get his bottle filled. Directly Bill come in with the confident tread of a millionaire, a big black bottle in each side pocket of his worn out overcoat. Placing one bottle on the counter he called out to the proprietor: "Fill that with your best liquor." When the bottle was filled with the rich looking fluid, Bill shoved it in one pocket, at the same time fumbling in his breeches pocket for his pocket book, though he hadn't owned one since he enlisted. The boys watched eagerly, and the barkeeper grew impatient. "By jingo, I've left my pocket book in my other pants. Just wait 'till I go get it." Now the boys all knew well enough that Bill's "other breeches" had been used for gun wipers a year before, and the barkeeper must have been suspicious, for he demanded that the whisky be left with him until the money was produced. Bill protested, and the words that passed would hardly bear reproduction. Finally Bill handed the bottle over and told the proprietor to "pour his old bust skull back and give him his bottle. When the bottle had been emptied and returned he walked out, followed by the boys, who looked crestfallen. "Bill, you're the blamedest fool I ever saw to try and play such an open hand," said one. But Bill winked, and no sooner were they out of sight than he passed around one of the bottles amid such exclamation as, "Bill, you're a brick!" "Our forlorn hope!" "You've saved the Confederacy!" Bill had filled one bottle with water, which he gave the barkeeper to pour back in the barrel, while he kept the one filled with whisky.-Birmingham News. [William M. Canant enlisted in enlisted in Captain McCaskill's Company D of the 3rd Confederate Cavalry at Arkadelphia on 25 Dec 1861. Monuments in the Missionary Grove Cemetery in Cullman County recorded William Canant was born 7 Feb 1843 and died 20 Apr 1921].

This is the letter that Louisa Hyatt was replying too in her letter of April 14, 1904. Thanks to Terry Jackson for finding this first letter about William S. Hyatt in the Southern Democrat, published March 17, 1904. A Model of Morality was William S. Hyatt The ubiquitous angel of Death has again visited our little town; this time bearing hence; the soul of our neighbor; and long time friend, William S. Hyatt. With philosophic patience and heroic fortitude, he grappled vainly for months with the grin gorgon, Consumption. The ministration of friends, the dynamics of modern medicine, the tender nursing of a loving wife, the restraining power in the imploring eyes of his tearful children - with these weapons he fought till yesterday afternoon at 4 O'clock when the light of his life went out in his thirty - sixth year. We long to keep him with us, to hear his kindly voice, to feel the warm thrill of his friendly hand-clasp, to bask in the gentle warmth of his smile, to move over in the noble light of his just and pure life, but, "We leaned on a hope that was all in vain. Till the fatal word at last, Told our stricken hearts he was out of pain. And his beautiful life had past." The Eternal had spoken and with his voice went the soul of our friend. In the wise economy of Nature it had to be for "Stars have their time to set, And leaves to wither at the North winds breath But thou hast all season for thine own, O, Death." He worshipped God in his life not in a church. He believed in and practiced the gospel of Good Deeds and made a Bible of his conscience. He was a Good Samaritan at heart, while his gentle, guidless life was sufficient, yet potent illustration of the Golden Rule. If to love Truth, Justice and Mercy; it to live without reproach - without making an enemy or committing a serious sin - if to lead a moral, upright life - a life filled with good deeds - if to embody and practice such virtues be christan, then was W. S. Hyatt a real disciple of the Great Teacher. The true standard of gauging a man's greatness is not by his creed or by his purse; but by his deeds, by what he has done, by his life as a whole. A hypocrite, notwith-standing his long prayers on Sunday, will inevitably, devour the widow's holdings and the orphans patrimony on Monday. Society holds the scales of judgment and weighs the Good with the Evil of a life. If the good predominates, then was the life of the dead a success. Weighed by these scales, measured by this standard, our humble friend was a grander success that all the blood-stained Potentates whose foul fame was built of widows' sighs and orphans' tears. Though his body is but dust, though his life was cast in a narrow sphere, yet his influence for good will follow him, in the lives of his friends, on to Eternity he as poor too, in the goods of this world; because he would not stoop to cheat or defraud - would not atain his soul by taking unfair advantage of this fellow-mans misfortune - yet he enjoyed a luxury which billionairs envy but cannot purchase, to wit, a conscience unpoluted and void of offence. This after all, is the grand dissideratum of life - the only anodyen that kills the sting of Death. Well can we say of him in the language of Shakesphere, "His life was gentle and the elements so met and mingled on him, that all the world might stand up and say, This was a man!" Let me digress a moment to lift a veil from a cenotaph of gold which this humble man built in the hearts of all who knew him. Yesterday the writer met an ignorant; wool-hat lad of the mill-going age- a boy in no wise related to the dead man who had been reared four miles away - and, after inquiring as to the condition of the sick man & etc, he connented heskily, " He shore is a good feller - is that man Hyatt!" To politics our friend was a Democrat, not from prejudice but from principle. He consider the study of public questions as the moral duty of every man capable of reasoning and judging. He was a natural reasoner and though he had no diploma, he was truly an educated man - his mind being ever open to truth and his heart to sympathy. The dominant element of his character - the veritable keynote of his life - was his scrupulous honesty. It is known that once in early married life, he denyed himself some things which we not consider as "necessaries" in order that he might the sooner cancel a doctor's bill. Of but few men can it be said as truthfully as we can say of him, Wherever he was known, his word was as valid as his note. He did, indeed, live without guile and died without remorse. He has gone to that Undiscovered Country, and if Immortality is not a sweet, but delusive dream our friend is now moving in a broader, happier shere of life; but this inate thirst for Happiness, this universal struggle for Perfection, this mysterious psychie instinct to worship the Great All-Father, if these primordal passoins and principles have no correlative beyond the tomb's pale portals our friend is still inflitely more blessed in the unconscious repose of Death, than he could possibly be in the tumults of Life. If his slumber be eternal, if he wakens never he cannot miss the loved of his friends, of his wife , of the children. The painful burdens of life--its troubles and trials, its sorrows and storms - the bitter strife and struggle - these demons can tortute him no longer. To the wise man, to the true philospoher, Death is a generous friend - an angle" with healing in her wings." When weary of life's thorny path, when haunted by the spectroe of disappointed hopes, when goaded by the prods of unrealisacle ambitions, when out ranged, betrayed, and "batened with many stripes" by his fellow travelers, how sweet to relinquish it all and, like the true child, "wrap the drapiery of the couch about him and lie down to pleasent dreams" H.C.A. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Terry Jackson" <jacksont@otelco.net> To: <ALBLOUNT-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2006 2:34 PM Subject: [ALBLOUNT-L] William S. Hyatt > The Southern Democrat > Oneonta, AL > 4-14-1904 > A Correction > > Dear Editor of the Southern Democrat. > > I kindly ask you for a little space in your paper to correct and explain > concerning an article written by Mr. H.C.A., concerning the death of my > poor husband, Wiliam S. Hyatt. My husband was not a skeptic in religous > matters but was a firm believer in the revealed religion of the Lord Jesus > Christ. He told me of his change of heart which took place with him when > he was about 12 years of age, and oftern felt it to be his dutry to go and > join the church of his choice (the Baptist) and be baptized but had put it > off from time to time and was sorry he has never done his duty in this > important thing, but felt he was all right as to his future happiness > beyond the grave, and the only thing he regreted now was having to leave > me and his poor little children to the hardships of the world. I believe > my poor husband has gone to rest and I hope to meet with him by and by, in > the far off beautiful land of eternal peace and enjoyment. > > Louisa Hyatt > Brooksville, Apr. 5 > > > > > ==== ALBLOUNT Mailing List ==== > List Website - http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/usa/AL/blount.html > Genealogy Links - http://www2.netdoor.com/~cch/GEN-links.htm > > ============================== > Census images 1901, 1891, 1881 and 1871, plus so much more. > Ancestry.com's United Kingdom & Ireland Collection. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13968/rd.ashx > >

Been looking at marriages on the web site and wonder if it is possible to get a copy of a marriage license from 1864. Two are listed for STONE men, William P and James. ron in CA