History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume II, Part 21

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: 724

USA > Alabama > History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume II > Part 21

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Gatschet is authority for the statement that the Kawitas and Kasihtas were originally the same people, as evidenced by the migration legend preserved by him. Their separation took place in very ancient times. Of them he says: "The name Kasi-hta, Kasixta, is popularly explained as "coming from the sun" ( ha'si) and being identical with hasi'hta. The Creeks infer, from the parallel Creek form hasoti, "sunshine," that Kasi'hta really means "light," or "bright splendor of the sun;" anciently this term was used for the sun himself, "as the old people say." The inhabitants of the town believed that they came from the sun."

REFERENCES .- Handbook of American Indians (1907), vol. 1, p. 661; Hawkins, Sketch of the Creek Country (1848), pp. 57-59; Mississippi, Provincial archives (1911), vol. 1, p. 196; Geor- gia, Colonial records (1907), vol. 8, p. 522; Gatschet, Creek Migration Legend (1884), vol. 1, pp. 133-134, and also Alabama History Com-

mission Report (1901), p. 399; Hamilton, Colo- nial Mobile (1910), p. 190.

KATALA MOUNTAINS. A series of sev- eral ridges, divided into two main prongs separated by a broken country about one-half mile wide at the southern extremity of the mountains. The two prongs come together near the northeast end in an irregular, high mountain or peak. The eastern prong is much the longer, exceeding 5 miles. The altitude of the mountains varies from 700 to 900 feet. Their trend is generally north and south and they extend from near the Fayetteville and Childersburg road almost to Fayetteville. Limonite, roofing slate, and some pieces of a sandy, magnetic gray ore are found upon and in the immediate vicinity of the mountains. These mountains, with the Kahatchee Moun- tains (q. v.), occupy a considerable area in Talladega County. They are a part of the Appalachian Range.

REFERENCE .- McCalley, Valley regions of Ala- bama, Pt. 2, Coosa Valley (Geol. Survey of Ala., Special report 9, 1897), pp. 20, 544-545.

KAWAIKI. A Lower Creek town in Bar- bour County, at the junction of the present Cowikee Creek with the Chatahoochee River. Very little is known of its history. However, it had +5 heads of families in 1833. The word means "water-carrying place," that is, oka "water," awaiki, "hauling," "carrying" [place]. The town was doubtless a Hitchiti settlement, as its name was Hitchiti, and its inhabitants doubtless spoke their language. Gatschet states that Cowikee Creek "is named after quails," which is doubtless an error, as the genesis of the town name is accurate. See Hitchiti.

REFERENCES .- Gatschet, in Alabama History Commission, Report (1901), vol. 1, p. 400; Hand- book of American Indians (1907), vol. 1, p. 667.

KAWITA (Upper Coweta). Lower Creek town in Russell County, situated on the west bank of the Chattahoochee River, about five miles below Columbus, Ga., and on Cochgalechee Creek (the Koteskelejau) of Hawkins' time. It is two miles north of Kawita Talahassi (Old Coweta). In 1799, the settlements extended up the river two mlles on the flats. They reached the point formed hy a bend in the river, up heyond the old Jennys' Island now removed by Govern- ment dredging. The fisheries on the right of the river belonged to Kawita, those on the left to Kasihta.

This point is nearly opposite to the mound known in later years as the Kyle Mound, which is in Muscogee County, Ga., north of the mouth of Upatoi Creek. Until a recent date, the town was located at the Fitzgerald mound, opposite Bickerstaff's Brick Yard, on the Humber Plantation.

REFERENCES .- Hawkins, Sketch of the Creek Country (1848), p. 52; Handbook of American Indians (1907), vol. 1, p. 669; Gatschet, in Ala- bama History Commission, Report (1901), vol.

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1, p. 400. Mms. records in Department of Archives and History of Alabama.

KAWITA TALAHASSI. (OId Coweta.) A Lower Creek town in Russell County. It was situated west and about a half mile from the Chattahoochee River, and on the south side of Broken Arrow Creek. It lies on the Central of Georgia R. R., formerly the old Mobile and Girard R. R., and is between the railroad and the river at old Flournoy's Crossing, now a small flag station known as Tickfaw. It is about 2 miles northeast from Fort Mitchell. It is also known as Lower Kawita to distinguish it from another town, called Upper Kawita.

The first record of the town is on De Lisle's map, 1707, where it is spelled Caoui- tas. It is placed on Okmulgee River, called "Riviere des Caouitas." Colonies of the Ka- witas also appear on this map, some located between the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers, and others on the west side of the Chatta- hoochee. Some of these even appear at their well-known location here described. The towns on the Okmulgee appear to have been gradually abandoned and concentered on the Chattahoochee. On De Crenay's map, 1733, the Chattahoochee country is called "Em- pire des Caouitas," and the Chattahoochee River is designated as "Riviere des Caouitas." On Belen's map, 1744, Caouita appears on the west side of Okmulgee, or on one of its tributaries, while Cauitas are placed on the Flint River. In 1762, a map in the American Gazetteer locates Koweta Old Town on the east side of Osechee Creek, an unidentified tributary of Okmulgee, while the later Ko- weta stands on its well known site, west of the Chatahoochee and below the falls. The French census of 1760 gives the town 150 warriors, and locates it 30 leagues from Fort Toulouse. Under the English trade reg- ulations the town is noted as having 150 hunters, and is assigned to the trader George Galphin.

Bartram visited the town in 1775. He makes the following, among other references: "The great Coweta town, about twelve miles higher up this river, is called the bloody town, where the Micos chiefs and warriors assemble when a general war is proposed, and here captives and state malefactors are put to death."

In 1799 the town is thus described by Hawkins:

"The town is half a mile from the river, on the right bank of the creek; it is on a high flat, bordered on the east by the flats of the river, and west by high broken hills; they have but a few settlers in the town; the fields are on a point of land three-quarters of a mile below the town, which is very rich, and has been long under cultivation; they have no fence around their fields.

"Here is the public establishment for the Lower Creeks; and here the agent resides. He has a garden well cultivated and planted, with a great variety of vegetables, fruits and vines, and an orchard of peach trees. Ar-

rangements have been made, to fence two hundred acres of land fit for cultivation, and to introduce a regular husbandry to serve as a model and stimulus, for the neighboring towns who crowd the public shops here, at all seasons, when the hunters are not in the woods.

"The agent entertains doubts, already, of succeeding here in establishing a regular hus- bandry, from the difficulty of changing the old habits of indolence, and sitting daily in the squares, which seem peculiarly attractive to the residenters of the towns. In the event of not succeeding, he intends to move the establishment out from the town, and aid the villagers where success seems to be infallible.

"They estimate their number of gun men at one hundred; but the agent has ascer- tained, by actual enumeration, that they have but sixty-six, including all who reside here, and in the villages belonging to the town.

"They have a fine body of land below, and adjoining the town, nearly two thousand acres, all well timbered; and including the whole above and below, they have more than is sufficient for the accommodation of the whole town; they have one village belonging to the town, Wetumcau."

In 1799 the town had 66 warriors, but this diminution of population was doubtless due to the formation of smaller settlements, which took away large numbers. In 1833 the town had 289 families.

Gatschet is authority for the statement that Kawita Talahassi was settled from Kasihta, but this is hardly probable. Its individuality seems clearly established, and originally it was of as great antiquity as Kasihta.

See Kawita (Upper) ; Witumka.

REFERENCES .- Gatschet, in Alabama History Commission Report ; Hawkins, Sketch of the Creek Country (1848), p. 55; Handbook of American Indians (1907), vol. 1, p. 669; Gat- schet, Creek Migration Legend, vol. 1, (1884), p. 135; Bossu, Travels, 1 (1771), p. 229; Royce, in 18th Report Bureau American Ethnology (1899), Georgia Map; McKenney and Hall, In- dian Tribes, vol. 3 (1854), p. 79; Adair, Ameri- can Indians (1775), p. 257.

KAYOMULGI. A town in Talladega Coun- ty on the south side of Talladega Creek, sev- eral miles above its influx into Coosa River. It is also spelled Coyomulgee and Cayomulgee. Nothing is known of its history apart from its record on the two maps noted in the ref- erences.

REFERENCES. Winsor, Mississippi Basin (1895), p. 47; Ibid, Westward Movement (1897), p. 31.

KEEPER OF THE CAPITOL. See Capitol, Keeper of.

KENNEDY. Post office and station on the Southern Railway, in the southeastern part of Lamar County, on Lookapallila Creek, 20 miles southeast of Vernon. Population: 1900-166; 1910-261. It is incorporated under the municipal code of 1907. The Bank of Kennedy ( State) is located there.

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KHORASSAN, KNIGHTS OF. See Knights of Pythias.

KIMBALL-JAMES MASSACRE. A brutal massacre, September 1, 1813, in Clarke Coun- ty, and in which the Creeks under the Prophet Francis cruelly murdered 12 members of the Kimball and James families. In the fall of 1813 the settlers in Clarke County were con- stantly alert, fearing Indian attack. They had gathered in rude forts. Ransom Kimball and Abner James, however, became dissatisfied with an inactive life at Fort Sinquefield, and some time in August they and their families moved out to the home of the former about a mile distant to the east.

On September 1, 1813, about three o'clock in the afternoon, a band of Creek warriors under the Prophet Francis suddenly sur- rounded the house, and before they could hardly realize that the Indians were upon them, 12 of the inmates were killed. Only a few made their escape to the fort. After the massacre, the Indians plundered the house, killed the stock, and then retired to Bassett's Creek swamp. During the attack, Mrs. Sarah Merrill, a daughter of Abner James was struck down, together with her infant son. Both were supposed to be dead. Mrs. Merrill was scalped. She was revived by the falling rain, recovered her child from among the bodies, and with it succeeded in making her way to the fort also. She and the child eventually recovered. Mrs. Merrill died in Clarke County In 1869, but she could never remain long in the sun because of the wound on the head. The attack on Fort Sinquefield was made on the following day.

See Clarke County; Fort Sinquefield At- tack.

REFERENCES .- Merk, Romantic Passages in Southwestern History (1857) pp. 300, 301; Pickett, History of Alabama (Owen's ed. 1900). pp. 544, 545; Ball, Clarke and its surroundings (1882), pp. 150-153; Halbert and Ball, Creek War of 1813 and 1814 (1895), pp. 177-181.

KITCHOPATAKI. An Upper Creek town in Randolph County, near the influx of a creek of the same name with the Tallapoosa River. It is a few miles below the modern · village of Oakfuski. The name of the creek is locally spelled Ketchapedrakee, and flows through the northern part of Clay County, emptying into the Tallapoosa River, in the northwestern corner of Randolph. The name is derived from Kitcho, "maize-pounding block of wood," pataki, "spreading out." In 1832 the town had 48 families.

REFERENCES .- Handbook of American Indians (1907), vol. 1, p. 706; Gatschet, in Alabama His- tory Commission, Report (1901), vol. 1, p. 401.

KNIGHTS AND LADIES OF HONOR. A fraternal society organized in Kentucky in 1877 for social and beneficial purposes, both men and women being admitted to member- ship on equal terms. The supreme lodge is the central authority, and the title of supreme

protector is borne by the chief officer. The general order in 1914 had 15 grand lodges and 1,230 subordinate lodges, with a total membership of 70,000. Since its organization it has dispensed $34,000,000 to beneficiaries of deceased members.

The order existed in Alabama for many years, but about 1916 was merged into an- other organization. The last Grand Lodge was held in Birmingham in 1910. In the re- port of Edward L. Cahall, Grand Secretary, at the meeting of the Grand Lodge held in 1903, at Selma, it was shown that the mem- bership was 927, in 20 lodges.

REFERENCES .- New International Encyclo- pedia; Reports of the Grand Lodge; letter from Col. J. B. Stanley, Greenville, in the Depart- ment of Archives and History.

KNIGHTS AND LADIES OF SECURITY. A fraternal and benefit order, organized in Topeka, Kan., February 22, 1892, with 11 charter members. On December 31, 1917, there were 198,824 members and $3,063,- 911.75 assets. All the business of the organi- zation is handled through the National Coun- cil. The society was first licensed to do busi- ness in Alabama in the city of Birmingham, May, 1913.

REFERENCE .- Letter from J. M. Kirkpatrick, National president, Topeka, Kan., in Depart- ment of Archives and History.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. A fraternal and insurance order, organized under a char- ter granted March 29, 1882, by Connecticut, to Michael J. McGivney, Patrick Lawlor and others. It is composed of a supreme council, a board of directors, and state and subordi- nate councils. The supreme council is the highest authority in the order, and meets an- nually in August for legislative purposes. The board of directors is the executive body of the order, and meets quarterly for the transaction of business incident to the con- · duct of affairs. The subordinate councils of the order meet in state convention in their respective States in May of each year. Sub- ordinate councils meet regularly, and have full control of their affairs, consistent with law. There are 52 state councils and 1,754 subordinate councils in the order, with a membership in good standing of 369,639- divided between 116,382 in the insured class, and 253,257 in the associate class.

The first subordinate council chartered in Alabama was organized in Birmingham on January 12, 1902, exemplification of the de- grees being in charge of State Deputy Bryan of Tennessee. There are now five subordinate councils in Alabama, located at Birmingham, Mobile, Huntsville, Montgomery, and Cull- man, with a membership of 796 in good standing.

Membership .- Practical Roman Catholics only are eligible to and entitled to continue membership in the order. Applicants for in- surance membership must be at least 18, and not over 50 years of age. Applicants for as-

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HISTORY OF ALABAMA

sociate membership must be 21 years of age; but with the proviso that when an applicant for insurance membership, under 21, is rejected for insurance membership, such applicant is eligible for associate membership. No person is eligible to membership in the Knights of Columbus who is engaged in the manufacture or sale, either wholesale or retail, of intoxicating liquors.

Insurance .- The insurance side of the order, as shown by actuarial valuation on December 31, 1915, presents a ratio of assets to liabilities of 134.56-the highest percent- age of solvency of any fraternal insurance organization in the United States.

REFERENCE .- Manuscript data in the Ala- bama Department of Archives and History.

KNIGHTS OF HONOR. A fraternal ben- efit society of the United States, organized at Louisville, Ky., June 30, 1873, by the insti- tution of the Golden Lodge No. 1 with 17 charter members. Its objects are the social, moral and intellectual elevation of its mem- bers, the establishment of bonds of fellow- ship between them, and the payment of death benefits to the widows and orphans of de- ceased members. It has paid to benevolence since its organization $100,000,000.

The order entered Alabama in 1878 and has lodges at many different points through- out the State with a membership of several thousand.

REFERENCES .- New International Encyclo- pedia; and proceedings of the Grand Lodge, Knights of Honor of Alabama, twenty-fifth an- nual session, at Montgomery.

KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS. A fraternal order, founded at Washington, D. C. February 19, 1864, by Justus H. Rathbone. It entered Alabama with the organization of Monte Sano Lodge No. 1, at Huntsville, October 6, 1870. The institution of the grand lodge followed at Mobile, June 11, 1872, two lodges from Mobile, one from Huntsville, one from Selma, one from Uniontown and one from Marion, participating. On July 1, 1916, there were in the State 200 lodges, with a membership of about 12,000. The grand lodge in session at Montgomery, October 19, 1911, laid the cor- ner stone for a Pythian temple, which was dedicated and occupied May 15, 1912. It was projected for the purpose of gathering "into one mighty fraternity, worthy men, who ap- preciate the true meaning of friendship; who are cautious in word and act; who love truth; who are brave in defending right; whose honor is untarnished; whose sense of justice will prevent, to the best of their ability, a per- sonal act or word injurious to the worthy; whose loyalty to principles, to family, to friends, to their country and to the constituted authority under which they enjoy citizenship is undoubted; and who, at all times, are pre- pared to do unto others as they would that others should unto them." The building and furniture are valued at $90,000. It is a four- story brick and stone structure, located at the corner of

Dexter Avenue and South

McDonough Street, Montgomery. It contains the headquarters of the general officers, lodge room for local lodges, a Pythian library, and a grand lodge hall. Agitation has recently been started looking toward the erection of a wid- ows and orphans home.

The order was chartered in the State by act of November 21, 1896, Tennent Lomax, John H. Donahoo, Charles R. Bricken, J. G. Thomas, Louis J. Adler, Jacob Greil, J. B. Wadsworth, T. W. Peagler, D. C. Cooper, J. H. Disque, B. J. Schuster, Edward A. Graham, Albert Steinhart and Jacob Pepperman being the incorporators.

Endowment Rank .- The insurance feature of the order is not directly connected, except that all policyholders must be members. It is a nonassessable insurance, and is conducted much in the same manner as old-line business. The total insurance in the State is about $4,- 092,623. The number of members in Ala- bama holding insurance January 1, 1917, was 2,641. The sum of $2,332,426, covering 1,056 names, has been paid on insurance claims in the State.

Auxiliary Orders .- The uniform rank, or the military branch of the order was estab- lished August 30, 1878. It was at one time very strong in the State. The Mobile com- pany under Capt. T. J. Ford won the third prize of $500 in Boston in 1908.

The Dramatic Order, Knights of Khorras- san, was instituted about 1894 for social pur- poses. The first convention of the imperial palace was held in Chicago, 1895, with repre- sentatives from 12 temples. John B. Powell was the founder. Temples in Alabama are located at Montgomery, Mobile, Birmingham and Florence. The order bears the same rela- tion to Pythianism that the shrine does to Masonry.

The Pythian Sisters is an auxiliary of the Knights of Pythias, although independent in matters of government and control. It is made up of the mothers, wives, sisters or daughters of members, and the daughter, or the mother of a Pythian Sister. There are seven temples in the State with a membership of more than 500.

Grand Chancellors .- T. L. Eastburn, 1872- 1873; W. A. Shields, 1873-1875; Wade Allen McBryde, 1875-1876; R. Hugh Nesbitt, 1876- 1877; George F. Taylor, 1877-1878, and 1879-1880; C. A. Terrell, 1878-1879; George H. Sporman, 1880; J. B. Grayson, 1880-1882; John H. Disque, 1882-1883; Edward Alfred Graham, 1883-1884; Albert Steinhart, 1884- 1885; John W. Cooper, 1885-1886; John A. Kirkpatrick, 1886-1887; Oscar R. Hundley, 1887-1888; Joseph Thomas Hawkins, 1888- 1889; J. R. Carter, 1889-1890; Benjamin Joseph Schuster, 1890-1891; Benjamin Maclin Huey, 1891-1892; Junius M. Riggs, 1892- 1893; Edmund B. McCarty, 1893-1894: Wil- liam Vaughan, 1894-1895; Tennent Lomax, 1895-1896; John H. Donahoo, 1896-1897; Charles R. Bricken, 1897-1898; James Grey Thomas, 1898-1899; Jesse Boring Wadsworth, 1899-1900; Davis Clay Cooper, 1900-1901; William H. Wilder, 1901-1902; James Bacha-

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HISTORY OF ALABAMA

lor Ellis, 1902-1903; Alexander Michael Gar- ber, 1903-1904; W. P. Nichols, 1904-1905; Thomas E. Knight, 1905-1906; B. Clay Jones, 1906-1907; Jacob D. Bloch, 1907-1908; T. D. Samford, 1908-1909; Herman M. Beck, 1909- 1910; Frank W. Lull, 1910-1911; J. Lee Hol- loway, 1911-1912; Daniel B. Cobbs, 1912- 1913; A. G. Patterson, 1913-1914; L. G. Waldrop, 1914-1915; Graham Perdue, 1915- 1916; Benjamin A. Taylor, 1916-1917.

Grand Keepers of Records and Seal .- W. H. Sheffield, 1872-1873; T. A. Blackman, 1873-1875; C. H. Barnes, 1875-1877; Harry Mercer, 1877-1878; Leopold Proskauer, 1878- 1879; George M. Rousseau, 1879-1880; George F. Taylor, 1880-1881; L. Hensley Grubbs, 1881-1887; Thomas Hudson, 1887- 1888; B. F. Ludwig, 1888-1890; L. J. Adler, 1890-1898; John H. Donahoo, 1898-1902; George G. Miles, 1902-1908; J. M. Dannelly, 1908-1916; Boling K. McMorris, 1916; Mayer W. Aldridge, 1916 -.

PUBLICATIONS .- Proceedings of the Grand Lodge, 1st to 45th sessions, 1873-1917; Grand constitution and grand statutes, 1874, 1880, 1890, 1901; circulars and miscellaneous minor publications.

See Fraternal Insurance.

REFERENCES .- Publications, supra.

KNOX ACADEMY. A denominational school for the education of negroes, located at Selma. It was founded May 11, 1874. The present school building, a commodious three-story structure of brick, was erected in the summer of 1881, the teachers' home in the summer of 1894, and the superintendent's home was completed in November, 1902. The course of study, including academic, agri- cultural, manual and industrial training de- partments covers 12 years. On September 30, 1916, its report to the State superintendent of education showed buildings and site val- ued at $30,000; equipment, $4,000; 17 teach- ers; 590 pupils; and a total support of $13,556.

Principals .- Rev. G. M. Elliott, 1876-1886; Rev. H. W. Reed, 1886-1887; Rev. T. J. Speer, 1887-1891; Rev. R. J. McIsaac, 1891-1900; Rev. J. G. Reed, 1900 -.

REFERENCES .- Miscellaneous school publica- tions.

KNOX DOLOMITE. See Iron and Steel; Limestones.

KOHAMUTKIKATSKA. An Upper Creek town, the location of which has not been iden- tified. Schoolcraft in 1832 lists it with 123 families. The word means "place where blow- gun canes are broken," that is, Koha, "cane," mutki, "cut off," katska, "broken."

REFERENCES .- Gatschet, in Alabama History Commission Report (1901), vol. I, p. 401; Hand- book of American Indians (1907), vol. I, p. 721.

KOWALIGA ACADEMIC AND INDUS- TRIAL INSTITUTE FOR THE COLORED RACE. A private institution for the educa-

tion of negroes located at Kowaliga, Elmore County, 35 miles from Montgomery. It was established largely through the efforts of William E. Benson, a graduate of Howard College, Washington, and of Harvard Uni- versity, but a native of Kowaliga. The cor- ner store of the first building was laid in August, 1896, and the buildings were ready for occupancy in 1897. The first building known as Patron's Hall, was erected largely through the contributions of 70 colored farmers of the community. The trustees named in the act of incorporation, approved February 10, 1899, were John J. Benson, Solo- mon Robinson, Miss Emily Howle, Mrs. J. L. Kaine, Jackson Robinson, C. J. Cal'oway and W. E. Benson. The trustees were given the usual powers; and it was expressly provided, to the end that the school "shall be an in- stitution of learning of high grade, no one but a professional educator of Christian char- acter, known ability, and successful experience shall be eligible to the office of president thereof." The chief aim and purpose of the school was "to establish an educational, religious, and industrial centre within the reach of hundreds of energetic young men who will never be able to leave the farms or go any great distance away from the home to get an education." In addition to the school building, farm buildings, and the boys' and girls' dormitories, there are the Kellogg In- dustrial Rooms for girls, the Endeavor Indus- trial Building for boy , and the Hampton Wood Shop.

Prof. Benson, founder, died in 1915, but the work did not suspend. On September 30, 1916, its report to the State superintendent of education showed buildings and site valued at $20,319; equipment, $4,192; 7 teachers; 139 pupils; and a total support of $8,124.

REFERENCES .- Acts, 1898-99, pp. 831-832; An- nual statements and miscellaneous publica- tions, 1898 to date; U. S. Bureau of Education, Negro Education (Bulletin 39, 1917) vol. 2, p. 48. 4

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History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume II, Part 21

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: 724

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: 724