Greetings: <A HREF="http://freedmensbureau.com/alabama/index.htm"> Click here: Freedmens Bureau Records - Alabama</A> http://freedmensbureau.com/alabama/index.htm Respectfully Yours, Chaps Group Administrator Private Groups http://Groups.aol.com/Kujichaguila - (African/African-American History) http://Groups.aol.com/Kujichaguila2 - (African/African-American Genealogy) _____________________________________________________ Kujichagulia (KOO-GEE-CHA-GOO-LEE-AH) - So that we will remember that it is we -- not other people, places, things or events -- that shape and determine our present and our futures. "You Must Come Home To Your Own"

How well kept are birth records from the 1830s? Or are birth records from this period impossible to locate? Richard Foster Austin, TX

The Autauga Genealogical Society will meet on Sunday, July 20, at 2:00 p.m. at the Prattville Library. The program will be coordinated by Joyce Nicoll of the Montgomery County Genealogical Society. The program topics will include many areas of CEMETERY PRESERVATION. Joyce will be accompanied by Lee Ann Hewitt, Cemetery Coordinator with the Alabama Historical Commission, and Frazine Taylor from the Alabama Dept of Archives and History / Black Heritage Council. A monument repairman may also participate in the program. The August meeting, Sunday, August 17, will be held at 2:00 p.m. in the Autauga County Probate Office. The program will be "hands on" regarding locating records in PROBATE FILES.. We invite anyone interested in genealogy and/or cemetery preservation to attend these meetings. Membership in the Society is not required to attend the meetings. We regret that we are unable to post information provided or mail hand-outs. Caroline Horton, Immediate Past President Autauga Genealogical Society

Hi List, I was wondering if anyone has heard of the book "The Ties That Bind" by Arnet Casey, about the Alpine Baptist Church in Talladega, AL? If anyone knows where I can find this book, I would certainly appreciate you e-mailing me. Respectfully Yours, Chaps Group Administrator Private Groups http://Groups.aol.com/Kujichaguila - (African/African-American History) http://Groups.aol.com/Kujichaguila2 - (African/African-American Genealogy) _____________________________________________________

(I am forwarding this; be sure to send any queries to John, not to me. Caroline) ----- Original Message ----- From: "John K. Brown" <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, June 02, 2003 8:57 PM Subject: For AGS Members > Hey, > > I am finishing up the latest Autauga Ancestry and have no queries. All members are invited to email me queries to go into this issue. As this is for print, not internet use, queries MUST be accompanied by snail mail address and phone number. Be sure to include your name! > > Thanks > > John K. Brown > > Researching: BROWN, ABNEY, BURT, WATTS > >

MEMORIAL DAY IS FOR PEOPLE by Adrian Gwin of the Charleston Daily Mail as reprinted in his 1993 book Once Upon Ago To many of the newer generations, the only meaning of Memorial Day is that it's the day the swimming pool opens. They do not understand what it is and what it means--because it means nothing personal to them. Or it means something that their minds see as negative--they are "against" war and fighting, so Memorial Day which "glorifies war and fighting" is bad and to be avoided. But to the old people like me, Memorial Day is not that at all. Where I grew up--the deep South--Memorial Day was Decoration Day to everyone. It was the day that people decorated the graves of dead servicemen--and everyone else, but servicemen first that day. It's not a memorial-to-war day, as some young people have indicated they believe, but it is a day to honor the memory of individuals who are dead. When Decoration Day comes around again, I will have some thoughts about Bo Ostrovski, John Vardaman, and Grant Beaver. Bo Ostrovski was a light-hearted private in the army when I was in Germany during World War II. He was a member of the first reconnaissance patrol our company sent out in Germany. We found him and other patrol members shot in the backs, their hands tied behind their backs. If I had any idea where Bo is buried, I'd go to decorate his grave with flowers and a flag on May 30. He was my friend. John Vardaman was a volunteer in the Confederate army of 1861, who fought for his and my home area, middle Alabama. He died in 1906 and among his great-great grandchildren are my grandchildren. Were I in Smyrna, Alabama, on May 30, I'd decorate his grave with flowers and a flag. Grant Beaver was a lifelong resident of Leon, Mason County [West Virginia],who knew every serviceman's grave in the Leon Cemetery. For more than fifty years he decorated those graves with a flag every Memorial-Decoration Day. There were about a dozen graves of Union soldiers, and one grave of a Confederate soldier. Grant Beaver always decorated the Confederate's grave along with the Union soldiers' graves. He put a United States flag on every grave as a decoration. "The Confederate fought and gave his life for the cause he believed in. He did what he thought was right, I reckon, so I should decorate his grave, too," Grant told me years ago as he put flags on those graves for about the fiftieth time. Grant wasn't memorializing war--he was remembering human beings who had had a vital, fatal part in preserving this country for him and the rest of us. So I say to all who do not understand why we decorate servicemen's graves on memorial Day--we do it because they are a basic part of why we are here in the condition we are in--they got us where we are, so let's honor their memory. Let us remember the Bo Ostrovskis and the John Vardamans, and let us, like Grant Beaver, decorate every grave, because those people died fighting for what they believed was right. For those waiting for Memorial Day only for the swimming, there is a generation gap for sure. ---------------------------------- U.S. Army Sergeant Adrian S. Gwin, my dad, died two years ago this month, and I submit this article to you in his memory and honor on behalf of his widow and my mother, Dorothy, and my brother, Adrian and Dot's second son, Pat. Have a healthy and memorable Memorial Day, everyone! In Jesus, John (Complete contact information follows in signature.) ======================================================== John M. Gwin e.mail: [email protected] Snail Mail Address: 1845 Anderson Drive, Las Cruces, NM 88001 USA Telephone: (505) 522-2171 Netscape/AOL Instant Messenger Screen Name: Zianib GENEALOGY Home Page: http://www.zianet.com/jmcdgwin/genealogyhomepage.htm Nib Collection: http://www.zianet.com/jmcdgwin How to know God personally (No kidding!): www.gospelcom.net/navs/navinfo/resources/bridge/bridge.htm ========================================================

I emailed the AL State Archives at [email protected] to ask what records they had regarding convicts in the Alabama Penitentiary. My specific inmate of interest was there in 1860. Here's the response I received today: <quote> Our state convict records don't begin until 1885, so unfortunately, your ancestor's records would not be included. Nancy Dupree Senior Archivist [email protected] Alabama Department of Archives and History P. O. Box 300100 Montgomery, AL 36130-0100 www.archives.state.al.us <unquote> Thus, the reason the other listmember had success in finding his ancestor's convict records was because the man was there in prison in 1897. By the way, the convict records beginning in 1885 are not on-line. Thanks again for everyone's comments and interest. Donna Sarchet Plainview, TX

Many thanks to all of you who replied to my question about where to locate records of the inmates who were incarcerated at the "Alabama Penitentiary" at Wetumpka. Since several of you wrote asking questions about this old prison, here are some of the answers I received (not all of which were posted to the list) from other list members: "Most of the older prison records are at the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery. If you'll just type in the above in your search engine you should get the Department site. I found the complete trial, prison, and pardon record for a gr grandfather of mine who was convicted of murder in Coosa Co., Alabama in 1897 and served his time at the Penitentiary there in Wetumpka. I remember when part of the prison there was still standing but it is all gone now. I went to the archives for my research but that was before the advent of the internet. It seems that one can get the information now through the internet." "I would imagine all those records are at the Alabama Dept. of Archives and History in Montgomery. http://www.archives.state.al.us/index.html Parts of this old prison are still standing, but no efforts were ever made to restore this Confederate Prison. Most of the old structure collapsed many years ago during a storm. Now most of it is just a pile of broken handmade bricks." "The old prison sits at the present day intersection of US Hwy 231 and AL Hwy 14 in Wetumpka. The ruins can be seen on the NW corner (between Hwy 231 and the Apartments along the Coosa River) inside the fence of the County Maintenance facility. Since the property now sits on a major intersection, the county is only interested in selling this property for as much as they can get, not for historical reasons, which eliminates any historical preservation group from being able to afford it to preserve as a park. The old prison was "U" shaped with a courtyard, and was 2 stories tall and full of beautiful ornate iron works on both floors. It looked like something from New Orleans. The main portion of the building collapsed about 6 years ago in a rain storm. There are still a few walls of handmade bricks still standing, but mostly everything is in a pile of rubble and hasn't been touched. It was the first state prison in AL and served as a POW prison for the Confederate Gov't during the Civil War." *************** I'm now planning to contact the AL Archives to see if I can locate the records on the inmate I'm researching who was in the prison in 1860 (genealogists have to be incredibly optimistic people!). I will let you all know what I find out regarding the records, etc. Thanks again for your assistance! Donna Sarchet Plainview, TX

The old prison sits at the present day intersection of US Hwy 231 and AL Hwy 14 in Wetumpka. The ruins can be see on the NW corner (between Hwy 231 and the Apartments along the Coosa River) inside the fence of the County Maintenance facility. Since the property now sits on a major intersection, the county is only interested in selling this property for as much as they can get, not for historical reasons, which eliminates any historical preservation group from being able to afford it to preserve as a park. The old prison was "U" shaped with a courtyard, and was 2 stories tall and full of beautiful ornate iron works on both floors. It looked like something from New Orleans. The main portion of the building collapsed about 6 years ago in a rain storm. There are still a few walls of handmade bricks still standing, but mostly everything is in a pile of rubble and hasn't been touched. It was the first state prison in AL and served as a POW prison for the Confederate Gov't during the Civil War. I hope this helps! Robert Johnston Wetumpka, AL -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2003 11:17 PM To: [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: Re: [ALCOOSA] Prison at Wetumpka In a message dated 5/21/2003 7:01:33 PM Central Standard Time, [email protected] writes: Parts of this old prison are still standing For real! We are new to this area and am courious to know where the prison once was. Thanks, Catherine

In a message dated 5/21/2003 7:01:33 PM Central Standard Time, [email protected] writes: > Parts of this old prison are still standing For real! We are new to this area and am courious to know where the prison once was. Thanks, Catherine

I would image all those records are at the Alabama Dept. of Archives and History in Montgomery. http://www.archives.state.al.us/index.html Parts of this old prison are still standing, but no efforts were ever made to restore this Confederate Prison. Most of the old structure collapsed many years ago during a storm. Now most of it is just a pile of broken handmade bricks. Robert Johnston Wetumpka, AL -----Original Message----- From: Donna Sarchet [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2003 7:11 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [ALCOOSA] Prison at Wetumpka In the 1860 Coosa Co., AL census, there appears individual listings for the inmates in the prison there in Wetumpka (present-day Elmore Co.). They are listed as "Convicts in Alabama Penitentiary." I am interested in learning more about one of these inmates. His listing appears as: Henry Hedgpeth 1839, age 30, white male, farmer, b. AL, murder-2 degree Here are my questions: 1) Each inmate had a number, presumably a date, following his name. What does this number mean? Some inmates had numbers such as 1851, 1854, 1857, etc. No number was over 1860. I thought it might mean the date of incarceration, but Henry was b. circa 1830 and would have been 9 years old in 1839. 2) How can I learn how long Henry Hedgpeth was in prison and what crime he committed? Do these prison records still exist? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Donna Sarchet Plainview, TX

In the 1860 Coosa Co., AL census, there appears individual listings for the inmates in the prison there in Wetumpka (present-day Elmore Co.). They are listed as "Convicts in Alabama Penitentiary." I am interested in learning more about one of these inmates. His listing appears as: Henry Hedgpeth 1839, age 30, white male, farmer, b. AL, murder-2 degree Here are my questions: 1) Each inmate had a number, presumably a date, following his name. What does this number mean? Some inmates had numbers such as 1851, 1854, 1857, etc. No number was over 1860. I thought it might mean the date of incarceration, but Henry was b. circa 1830 and would have been 9 years old in 1839. 2) How can I learn how long Henry Hedgpeth was in prison and what crime he committed? Do these prison records still exist? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Donna Sarchet Plainview, TX

From: <[email protected]> The Autauga Genealogical Society has arranged a trip to Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, Alabama on Friday - Saturday, June 6-7. Note: The library is only open on Saturday for special group requests - some may want to drive to the library just for the day Saturday. We will be leaving Prattville sometime on Friday, June 6, and will be returning on Saturday evening, June 7. We will be car pooling as a group. Each person is responsible for making their own hotel arrangements. Most of us are going to stay at the Comfort Inn, 5917 Hy 157 N.W., Cullman, Ala. 35058, ph. (256) 734-1240. If anyone would like to join the group, please let Larry know (see email above). We also need to know whether each person going will be driving their own vehicle or will be needing a ride with someone else. The best way to let Larry know is to email. Looking forward to our trip. Larry E. Caver, Jr. ph. 358-5351

Someone responded to me on this saying that Robert & Elizabeth Cross were buried in a cemetery near Equality. Whoever it was volunteered to take pictures of the grave markers for me. I appear to have deleted the message and have not heard from the person again. Is there anyone willing to take pictures for me? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Margie Landreville" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, April 07, 2003 6:54 PM Subject: [ALCOOSA] Robert Cross & Elizabeth Longino > Looking for death dates and burials of Robert Cross, b. c. 1804, d. 1870-1880, and his wife, Elizabeth Longino, b. c. 1806, d. after 1880. > > Robert and Elizabeth were in the Hatchiskofka, Elmore census in 1870, and Elizabeth (widow) was living with her daughter and son-in-law, Nancy & John Brooks, in the Brooksville, Coosa County, census in 1880. > > > ==== ALCOOSA Mailing List ==== > This ALCOOSA list is currently available for adoption! > Interested in becoming the list manager? Go here: > http://resources.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listrequest.pl > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237

These are NOT my family lines and I don't have add'l info. This was on a page I copied for my own research and thought it might help someone else. From 'Southern Queries,' Vol. 6 #5, Mar/Apr/May/Jun 1996 (no longer published), p. 37: Thomas VESSELS b. 6 Aug 1784 & Sivility HURST/HURSE/HEARN b. 1793. Thomas Vessels d. 1856 Coosa Co, AL & Sivility d. 20 Oct 1832 Henry Co, GA. Thomas & Sivility's children were: Thomas m. Mary DOWDY; Jesse; Charlotte m. Wm. LATHAM; Sealy Ann m. Mathew HALE; Margaret m. Absolam TERRELL; Rebecca m. Wm. PAGE; James m. Martha KNIGHT; Elizabeth m. Wm. PATTERSON; Mary m. Peter WARREN; Celia; Sivility m. John MEADOWS; Wm. m. Phoebe BATSON.

This is NOT my line. Found this info. on something I copied from a magazine and thought it might help someone else. I have NO additional info. George PAYTON/PEYTON b. c1812 SC, died aft 1860 Coosa Co, AL; married 1835 Coweta Co, Ga to Caroline BRYANT. Caroline b. c1817 GA, d. aft 1860 Coosa Co, AL. Children: Hezekiah; Abadiah; Samuel; John; Anna; George; William R. 'Wiley'; Hardy. This family was on the 1840 Coweta Co, GA and 1860 Coosa Co, AL census.

Need someone to look in the cemetery listings for Coosa County for A.W. Foster (1792-1847). The problem is, I'm not sure if he died in Coosa County, Alabama or in Texas, but it wouldn't hurt to try to find him in Coosa County. Thanks. Richard Foster Austin, TX

>Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2003 00:28:42 -0500 >From: [email protected] >To: [email protected] >Message-ID: <[email protected]> >Subject: [ALCOOSA] WILLS, DEEDS, PROBATES, & ESTATES RECORDS >Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > >Hi, > >Where are these records located for Coosa Co AL? > >Sam West >Lumberton, NC Sam, It's likely that much of this information is available at the Coosa County courthouse, which would be in the county seat of Rockford. But as a general FYI on Alabama topics of this nature, there's info at the Alabama Dept of Archives and History about what they have available for many county resources. Visit <http://www.archives.state.al.us/> to see their main site. To see details of what info is available by county, pay a visit to the page at <http://www.archives.state.al.us/referenc/procount.html>. This will provide links to each county that will outline what ADAH keeps for each county. It also tells you that the county courthouse and perhaps some genealogical or historical societies may have more (along with LDS Family History Libraries). = Steve = -- Steve W. Jackson Montgomery, Alabama Surnames: Jackson, Kincaid, Culver, Wingard, Thornton, Grier, Wise, Smith, Gray

Hi, Where are these records located for Coosa Co AL? Sam West Lumberton, NC

Hello, researchers - I want to take a moment to say how sorry I was to hear about the death of Ben Carlton. I wish his family God's peace and comfort. May his memory be protected from the deceptive and self-serving tongue of any detractor. I recently learned the married name of one of my Coosa County BRYANTs. Balzora BRYANT, born February 1875 to Fleming Bryant and Ann Lowery, appears on the 1900 and 1910 Coosa Co., AL census as Balzora Payton. She is divorced with four children. In 1900 she is in the home of her parents, and in 1910 she is living next door to her widowed 83 year old father, Fleming Bryant. In 1920 I find her, still as Balzora Payton, head of household with two additional Payton children but now she is in Chilton County, Alabama living next door to her brother, Riley A. Bryant and his wife. Does anyone know what the name of her PAYTON or PEYTON husband was? Is anyone researching this BRYANT family? Balzora Bryant's father (Fleming Bryant) and mother (Ann Lowery) were brother and sister to my 2great grandparents, Sarah Jane Bryant and James Madison Lowery. Willing to share any information I have that might be useful. Thanks, Nancy Pressley The Presley-Pressley Family History Site http://presley-pressley.com May God Bless America and our troops.