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.

Kathy, That seems to be the route my Roberts family took to the Blount and Cullman county area. If anyone can shed any light on the reasons for this I would also be interested. Susan > 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. > > > ==== 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 >