History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume I, Part 134

Author: Owen, Thomas McAdory, 1866-1920; Owen, Marie (Bankhead) Mrs. 1869-
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 756

USA > Alabama > History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume I > Part 134

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The organization of the Alabama Auxiliary was effected in Montgomery. Gen. Jones M. Withers presided, with Gen. James T. Holtz- claw as secretary. It was resolved "that all persons identified with the late Confederate cause or friendly to the purpose of this as- sociation be requested to form county socie- ties in each county in this State for the pur- pose of collecting and furnishing historical incidents of the late war, and that they re- port their organization to the corresponding secretary of the State Association." The press of the State was asked to cooperate by the publication of the proceedings of the session, and in the collection of historical materials.

Officers .- The officers of the association as elected at organization were:

Lieut. Gen. W. J. Hardee, of Selma, presi- dent.

Ex-Gov. A. B. Moore, of Marion, Ex-Gov. John Gill Shorter of Eufaula, Ex-Gov. Thomas H. Watts, of Montgomery, Hon. C. C. Clay, of Huntsville, Maj. Gen. J. M. Withers of Mobile, Maj. Gen. J. H. Forney, of Jackson- ville, Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler, of Court- land, Maj. Gen. H. D. Clayton, of Clayton, vice presidents.

Col. T. B. Roy, of Selma, corresponding sec- retary.

Col. John W. A. Sanford, of Montgomery, recording secretary.

Capt. John W. Durr, of Montgomery, treas- urer.

The names of those in attendance are not preserved. However, some at least of the officers were present, and in addition the fol- lowing: Gen. George P. Harrison, Gen. J. T. Holtzclaw, Gen. William W. Allen, Gen. John T. Morgan, and Gen. E. W. Pettus.

In the absence of records, nothing is known of the activities of the Association, or whether any county societies were formed, but many of those participating in the meeting above described were liberal and sympathetic sup- porters of the mother society in Richmond.

REFERENCE .- The Talladega Watchtower, Dec. 8, 1869, and manuscript data in the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

HISTORICAL SOCIETIES AND ASSO- CIATIONS, ALABAMA. There are in Ala- bama several local historical societies, which are more or less active. Those which have accomplished most are, Tennessee Valley His- torical Society, Old St. Stephens Historical Society, The Iberville Historical Society, Mo- bile, The Tuscaloosa Historical Society, The Alabama Polytechnic Institute Historical So-

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ciety, The Alabama Baptist Historical Society, The Alumni Society of the University of Ala- bama, The Alumni Society of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute, The Alabama Confer- ence Methodist Historical Society.

See Proceedings and Miscellaneous publica- tions of these societies in collections of Ala- bama Department Archives and History for further information.

HISTORICAL SOCIETY, THE ALABAMA. See Alabama Historical Society.

HITCHITI. A Lower Creek town, located on the east bank of the Chattahoochee River in Stewart County, Ga., and 4 miles below Chiaha (q. v.). It was doubtless near Cot- tonton Landing, and nearly opposite the influx of Ihagee Creek. About 1799 two branch settlements had been thrown off, one Hitchi- tudshi, or Little Hitchiti, across the Chatta- hoochee on both sides of the Flint River, below the junction of Kinchafoonee Creek, and the other, Tutalosi, on a branch of the latter.

Hawkins thus describes the original town: "They have a narrow strip of good land, bordering on the river, and back of this it rises into high, poor land, which spreads off flat. In approaching the town on this side, there is no rise, but a great descent to the town flat; on the right bank of the river the land is level, and extends out for two miles, is of thin quality; the growth is post oak, hickory, and pine, all small, then pine barren and ponds.

"The appearance about this town indicates much poverty and indolence; they have no fences; they have spread out into villages, and have the character of being honest and industrious; they are attentive to the rights of their white neighbors, and no charge of horse stealing from the frontiers has been substantiated against them."

There are few historic references to the tribe. The first of these is in 1733, when two of its delegates, with the Lower Creek chiefs, were at a conference with Gen. Ogle- thorpe at Savannah. Swan mentions several Hitchiti towns in 1791. Their language was used not only in their own town, but also in Chiaha and other towns on the lower Chatta- hoochee. Gatschet further says that the Sem- inoles are said to have been a half Creek and half Hitchiti speaking people, and also that the Yamasee spoke the Hitchiti lan- guage. This language has an archaic form, known as "woman's talk," or "female lan- guage." The Hitchiti later were absorbed by the Creeks, but preserved their own lan- guage and special customs largely.

The name of the town is derived from Hitchiti Creek, by which it is known at its junction with the Chattahoochee, but in its upper course as Ahiki, called locally Ihagee. The word is Creek, that is, Ahitchita, "to look up (the stream)." Gatschet notes that among the Creeks the tribe was known as Atchik'hade, a Hitchiti word, signifying "white heap (of ashes)." They were desig-

nated by the Coassatis as Pashashli'ha, "mean people."

See Chiaha; Chiahudshi; Kawaiki; Okiti- yakni; Tutalosi.

REFERENCES .- Handbook of American Indians (1907), vol. 1, p. 551; Hawkins, Sketch of the Creek Country (1848), p. 64; Woodward, Rem- iniscences (1859), pp. 25, 38. Gatschet, in Ala- bama History Commission, Report (1901), vol. I, p. 397.

HOBUCKINTOPA. Aboriginal name of the bluff of the Tombigbee River near which old St. Stephens was later built. Pickett says that "A Spanish garrison occupied Fort St. Stephen, which was built upon a bluff on the Tombigbee, called by the Choctaws, Hohuck- intopa." While this was the name of this bluff, the name was also applied to a Choc- taw sub-district on the west side of the Tom- bigbee, lying between Turkey Creek, Fakit chipunta bok, and Sinta Bogue. An inference from the name, Hobuckintopa, induces the be- lief that, prior to the British Choctaw treaty of 1765, this district must have extended fur- ther south so as to embrace Hobuckintopa Bluff, upon which St. Stephens was located. The historical evidence that this Choctaw dis- triet was known as Hobuckintopa, can be seen in the Indian grant to John McGrew, 1778 and 1799, in which the name of the district is given, but spelled Hobuck and Toopad. From the language of this grant it may be safely concluded that the name Hobuckintopa was in use in 1778.

REFERENCES .- Mms. records in Alabama De- partment Archives and History; Pickett, His- tory of Alabama (Owen ed.) (1900), p. 416.

HOG CHOLERA SERUM LABORATORY. See Live Stock and Products.

HOGS. See Live Stock and Products.

HOITHLEWALLI. An Upper Creek town in Elmore County, on the right bank of Tal- lapoosa River, and 5 miles below Atasi, which was on the opposite side. The town received its name because of the privilege accorded to it of declaring war. The declaration was first forwarded to Tuckabatchi and thence to the other towns. It was situated on a narrow strip of good land, east of the influx of the present Chubbehatchee or Mitchell's Creek, and extended in a scattering way half a mile back from the river. Parallelling the river and back of the town are cyprus ponds and high red cliffs, or the abrupt beginning of the elevated lands. The fields of the town were in part located on the left bank, and on the opposite side of the river. There is evidence, however, that there were cabins and house sites also on the left bank. It is not improbable, during the hundreds of years the Indians occupied the vicinity, that the village site was shifted more than once, both up and down the river.

During the agency of Col. Benjamin Haw- kins he states that the better disposed, or more progressive inhabitants of the town moved to the south side or left bank of the

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river, leaving "the idlers and ill disposed" in the town proper. The fields on the south went as far as Line Creek, and settlements were extended up that stream.

The town

Gatschet. is spelled Huhliwahli by

The sixteenth century Spanish chroniclers of the De Soto expedition write the name Ulibahali and Olibahali. It was visited by that Spanish freebooter on Au- gust 31, 1540, who remained within its bor- ders one day. It is positively identified and is described by the chroniclers as being "a very fine village, surrounded by a stockade wall, with embrasures, and loopholes for archery." It was situated "near a small stream," Hatche Chubba, or Mitchell's Creek, and "close to a large river," the Tallapoosa.

Twenty years later, 1560, the town re- ceived other Spanish visitors and unwel- come guests. This was a detachment of sol- diers, under a major, that had come from the colony at Nanipacna, on their way to Cosa higher up.

The next record appears on Witfliet's map of 1597. It was found in 1607 under the corrupt form Cheeawo ola, noted on Bev- erly's map of Virginia, based upon the state- ments of a Tawasa Indian. It is next seen on Belen's map of 1744, and is there spelled Chevallis. The French census of 1760 lists the name under the corrupt form of Telo- nalis, with 70 warriors, and as 5 leagues distant from Fort Toulouse. In 1761 with a reorganization of the Indian trade Huhli- wahli, Fusahatchie and Kulumi were as- signed to the trader, James Germany. The first named town had at that time 35 hun- ters. The village of Laplako was settled from this town, but the date cannot be ap- proximated.

In April of 1813 some of Little Warrior's party were killed in this town by a num- ber of friendly Creeks. This action was taken by them because of the murders com- mitted by the former in the February pre- ceding, near the mouth of the Ohio. After this it appears as a Red Stick town, and fur- nished its share of the savages that destroyed Fort Mims. While the Indians were collect- ing at the Horse Shoe Bend (q. v.), Wil- liam Weatherford for some purpose left that point March 25, and went to Hoithlewalli. He had not supposed that Gen. Jackson would attack at the time so on March 28, the day following the battle, while on his return he met some fugitives, who told him of the disaster to the Indian forces. In conse- quence he returned to the town. In April, following the Battle of the Horseshoe Bend, the town was destroyed, and thus passed out of existence an Indian town of very great antiquity.

In a memorial by Gen. Andrew Jackson to the United States Senate, containing a multitude of facts concerning his Florida campaigns, is the following reference to the inhabitants of this town:

"Those Indians, after being routed at Hoithle wallee (sic), in April, 1814, fled to Pensacola, where they were protected, clothed, fed, and supplied with munitions of

war, by the Spanish authorities. They never were parties to the treaty at Fort Jackson; and, however they might have been dissatis- fied with its conditions, as demanded by the Government, their dissatisfaction and hostil- ity were excited by Spanish agents and Brit- ish emissaries resident among them; one of whom was the infamous Woodbine, who was then engaged in enlisting them in his serv- ice by the distribution of presents, and in disciplining them for war. These facts might have been ascertained by a reference to the correspondence betwen your respondent and the Governor of Pensacola, which were on file in the War Department."

See Laplaka.

REFERENCES .- Pickett, History of Alabama (Owen's ed., 1900), pp. 31-32; 516, 592; Hawk- ins, Sketch of the Creek Country (1848), p. 32; Gatschet, in Alabama History Commission, Re- port (1901), p. 398; Handbook of American In- dians (1907), p. 575; Narratives of De Soto (Trail makers series, 1904), vol. 1, p. 85, vol. 2, p. 113; Winsor Narrative and Critical His- tory of America (1886), vol. 2, p. 281; Shea, Charlevoix's History of New France (1900), vol. 6, p. 11; Mississippi, Provincial Archives (1911), vol. 1, pp. 95, 517; Georgia, Colonial Records (1907), vol. 8, p. 52; American State Papers: Indian Affairs, vol. 1, pp. 843-854; American State Papers: Military Affairs, vol. 1, p. 756; Buell, Life of Jackson (1904), vol. 1.

HOLIDAYS. Certain days, fixed by stat- ute, and declared legal or commercial holi- days. Legal holidays in Alabama are Sunday; New Year's Day, January 1; Robert E. Lee's Birthday, January 19; Washington's Birth- day, February 22; Mardi Gras, Shrove Tues- day; Thomas Jefferson's Birthday, April 13; Confederate Memorial Day, April 26; Jeffer- son Davis' Birthday, June 3; Independence Day, July 4; Labor Day, first Monday in Sep- tember; Fraternal Day, second Thursday in October; Columbus Day, October 12; Thanks- giving Day, the day officially designated in November; Christmas Day, December 25.

From the earliest days of statehood, Sun- day, July Fourth, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day have been observed as holidays, but wholly without legal sanction until in recent years. Indeed, the word "holiday" in connection with the observance of these days does not appear in the law literature of Ala- bama until the act of February 23, 1883, amending section 2097 of the code of 1876. The caption, or side title, of section 2097, of which the act in question is amendatory, is as follows: "Paper due on Christmas, Fourth of July, and First of January to be paid the day previous." The act not only amends the section by enlargement, but provides a new caption, viz: "Paper due on commercial holi- days." That this is in direct recognition of the days referred to as holidays is made cer- tain by the code of 1886, section 1759, which declares that certain days, naming them, "shall each be deemed a holiday." This phrase is carried forward through the code of 1896 to that of 1907. The latter takes the section from its general place in the chapter

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on "Choses in Action," and gives it a place as Article 18, Holidays, in Chapter 115, de- voted to "Negotiable Instruments and Com- mercial Law."

So far as can be ascertained from a careful examination of the acts of the several ses- sions of the legislature, "the remedy on bills of exchange, foreign and inland, and on prom- issory notes payable in bank" were "governed by the rules of the law-merchant as to days of grace, protest and notice." No holiday as such was known. In the code of 1852, which was a complete revision, rearrangement, and enlargement of the body of statute law, ap- pears for the first time any legal provision in which special days are noted on which, if a paper should become due, etc., another day should be the day of payment, viz: "If any paper payable in this State, entitled to grace, by the allowance thereof, hecomes due on Christmas, the fourth day of July, or the first day of January, such paper is due on the day previous to such day, unless such previous day is Sunday, in which case it is due on the Saturday preceding." This statute is a rec- ognition impliedly of the existence of Sunday, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and the Fourth of July as holidays. The legal ob- servance of these days, therefore, must date from the adoption of the code of 1852.

These four days remained as the only legal holidays from 1852 to the act of February 23, 1883, above referred to, by which February 22, Washington's Birthday, and the day in November designated as Thanksgiving Day, were added.

By act of February 26, 1889, the list of holidays was still further enlarged by the addition of Mardi Gras and Good Friday and April 26, the latter being Confederate Memo- rial Day. However, from a footnote to the code of 1876, p. 557, it appears that Mardi Gras had been observed as a legal holiday in the cities of Mobile and Montgomery, but whether by local regulation, or by common consent on the part of the city authorities, banks and business men, or otherwise, does not appear. Mardi Gras and Good Friday continued as legal holidays until the code of 1907 became effective, when section 5154 was revised by the omission of these from the list. There was no recommendation on this point by the code commissioner, and the elim- ination was made by the joint committee on the code. The same committee added April 13, the birthday of Thomas Jefferson, making it a legal holiday.

Still another addition was made by act of December 12, 1892, in which the first Mon- day in September, known as Labor Day, was declared to be a legal holiday.

The legislature of 1900-1901, after re- citing that "the memory of Jefferson Davis is sacred to the people of the South, and whereas, his lofty and unselfish character is worthy the emulation of every young man in Alabama as a type of the highest patriotism and an example of the most fearless de- votion to duty," established June 3, the an- niversary of his birth, as a "public holiday."

The same session, March 1, 1901, declares January 19 of each year, the birthday of Robert E. Lee, as "a legal holiday."

By act of March 4, 1911, October 12, the day of the landing of Christopher Columbus in 1492, was named as a legal holiday.

The same legislature, March 17, 1911, re- stored Mardi Gras to the list.

The last day declared to be a legal holi- day was the second Thursday of October, to be known as Fraternal Day. This was done by act of August 28, 1915.

The courts take judicial notice of holi- days.

See Special Days.

REFERENCES .- Aikin, Digest, pp. 329-330; Clay, Digest, p. 383; Code, 1852, sec. 1528, Code, 1876, sec. 2097; Code. 1886, sec. 1759; Code, 1907, sec. 5144; Acts, 1882-83, p. 188; 1888-89, p. 56; 1892-93, p. 93; 1900-01, pp. 91, 1463; Gen- 'eral Acts, 1911, pp. 91, 120; 1915, p. 319; Farley v. Nagle, 119 Ala., p. 625.

HOLLINS. Post office and incorporated town in the southwest corner of Clay County, about 8 miles east of Sylacauga, and ahout 20 miles southwest of Ashland. It is on the Central of Georgia Railway. Population: 1890- 422; 1900-238; 1910-688. It is incor- porated under the municipal code of 1907.

REFERENCE .- Manuscript data in the Depart- ment of Archives and History.

HOLLYWOOD, or BELLEFONTE. Post office and station on the Southern Railway, in the central part of Jackson County, 6 miles northeast of Scottsboro. Altitude: 640 feet. Population: 1900-Hollywood Precinct, in- cluding the village-1,868, village proper- 168; 1910-precinct-1,449, village-234.

Prior to 1869 "Bellefonte," the original town, situated about 112 miles from the present station, was the county seat of Jack- son County. During the War, the court- house and nearly all the county records were burned.

REFERENCE .- Manuscript data in the Depart- ment of Archives and History.

HOLY GROUND CAMPAIGN AND BAT- TLE. The principal campaign and engage- ment between the Creeks and the whites in South Alabama, continuing for several weeks, and concluding with the battle of the Holy Ground, December 23, 1813.

The Holy Ground, or Ikanatchaka, was an Indian town of controlling influence among the Indians, during the Creek Indian War of 1813-14. It was located betwen Pintlala and Big Swamp Creek, on the Alabama River in the present Lowndes County. It · was about two miles north of White Hall. The town contained the council house of the Alabama tribe, and was the residence of the principal Creek prophets, who with their magic spells at the opening of the War, had asserted that it had been made holy or was consecrated against the intrusion of white men. Until its destruction, it was a base for provisions and war supplies of the Creeks in their operations against the settlers.

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Gen. F. L. Claiborne then in south Ala- bama resolved that the Holy Ground must be destroyed. In November, 1813, he marched with his army from the Tombigbee to Weatherford's Bluff on the Alabama, where he established a depot of provisions for Gen. Jackson, and erected a fort, to which the name Fort Claiborne was given. Here on November 28, his army was reën- forced by the 3d United States Infantry Regiment under Col. Gilbert Christian Rus- sell. On December 13, in obedience to in- structions from Gen. Thomas Flournoy, Gen. Claiborne advanced his forces from Fort Claiborne toward the Holy Ground. After several days' march a brief halt was made in the present Butler County, where a depot was established, known as Fort Deposit, where he left his wagons, cannon, baggage, and the sick, with 100 men as a guard. The march was then resumed.

The Indians on learning of the approach of Gen. Claiborne's army took the precau- tions to move their women and children across the Alabama River into what is now Autauga County. They thus evidenced their unwillingness to put much faith in their vaunted belief as to the impregnabil- ity of the town. About midday December 23, the town was attacked. The battle lasted only about one hour, resulting in a complete defeat, the Indians making good their escape across the river, leaving 33 war- riors slain. The number of wounded is not known, as they succeeded in bearing them all away. William Weatherford, the "Red Eagle," had conducted the defense of the Holy Ground, and was one of the last to make an escape. His famous horseback leap from the river in making his escape was one of the picturesque incidents of the Creek War.

The American loss at the Holy Ground was 1 killed and 20 wounded. This ex- tremely light loss, considering the bravery with which the Creeks fought, must be as- cribed to the scarcity of ammunition among them, which compelled many of the warriors to have resort to bows and arrows.

The spoils of the Holy Ground were given by Gen. Claiborne to his Choctaw allies, and the town was then burned. The two suc- ceeding days were devoted to the destruction of other towns of the Holy Ground and vi- cinity, and the Indian farms and boats.

The defeat of the Creeks at the Holy Ground closed their military operations in south Alabama, and it tended greatly to fa- cilitate the work of Gen. Jackson in bring- Ing the war to a close three months later, by the decisive Battle of the Horseshoe Bend. After the battle the army returned to Fort Claiborne, where many of the volunteers were honorably discharged, their term of service having expired.

See Ikanatchaka; Weatherford, "Red Eagle."

REFERENCES .- Meek, Romantic passages in southwestern history (1857), pp. 278-280; Pick- ett, History of Alabama (Owen's ed., 1900), pp. 573-576; Claiborne, San Dale (1860), pp. 137-

142; Clalborne, Mississippi (1880), pp. 329, 330; Halbert and Ball, Creek War of 1813 and 1814 (1895), pp. 244-263; Ala. Hist. Society, Trans- actions, 1897-98, vol. 21, pp. 98-100; Russell, History of the late war (1815) ; Claiborne, N. H., Notes on the war in the South (1819).

HOME ECONOMICS ASSOCIATION, THE ALABAMA. A voluntary educational organ- ization, formed at a conference held at the Alabama Girls' Technical Institute, Monte- vallo, January 28-30, 1915. This confer- ence was brought about through the enthu- siastic initiative of Dr. Thomas W. Palmer, president. Those participating included teachers, extension workers and others inter- ested in the home economics movement, 50 names being enrolled in addition to the insti- tute faculty. A permanent organization was effected, in affiliation with the American Home Economics Association.

Much of the activity of the association has been given over to a review or survey of the work in Alabama, as introduced in the agricultural schools, city high schools, county high schools, and the rural schools. The large philosophical aspects of the movement have been presented in papers at the two con- ferences on "The American home," by Dr. Brandt V. B. Dixon, president of Sophie Newcomb College, New Orleans; "Some cul- tural values in domestic science," by Dr. F. B. Dresslar, of Peabody College for Teach- ers, Nashville; "School gardening in the rural schools," by S. L. Chestnutt, of the Alabama Girls' Technical Institute; "Play ground work," by Miss Rebecca Funk, also of the institute; "Home economics in the new and socialized curriculum," by Prof. Zebulon Judd, of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute; and "Vocational phases of household arts education," by Mrs. Mary S. Woolman, of Bos- ton.

Presidents .- Miss Martha Patterson, 1915- 1916; Miss Stella Palmer, 1916-1917.

Secretary and Treasurer .- Miss Nellie Tap- pan, 1915-1916; Miss Maude Luttrell, 1916- 1917.

Annual Meetings, 1915-1916. - Annual meetings have been held on the dates and at the places named.

1st Conference, Montevallo, Jan. 28-30, 1915, pp. 48.

2d, Montevallo, Jan. 27-29, 1916, pp. 37. PUBLICATIONS .- Proceedings, 1915-1916. 2

vols.

HOMEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. Chartered by the legislature of Alabama, February 10, 1852. Doctors G. A. Ulrich, John H. Henry, Gustav Albright, P. McIn- tyre, George Singer, Julien Sampson, Angle and Henley are named as incorporators. The society was required to appoint annually three members to examine applicants for license "to practice the homeopathic system of medicine" in the state. Such committee or board to "perform the same duties that are required by the existing laws of the medical boards of this state, and shall have the same powers." It would appear from

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History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume I, Part 134

Author: Owen, Thomas McAdory, 1866-1920; Owen, Marie (Bankhead) Mrs. 1869- Publication date: 1921 Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company Number of Pages: 756

Author: Owen, Thomas McAdory, 1866-1920; Owen, Marie (Bankhead) Mrs. 1869-
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 756