History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume II, Part 23

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

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3. RESOLVED, That in order to raise funds to carry out the objects expressed in the foregoing resolutions, we constitute our- selves a Society to be styled "The Ladies' Society for the Burial of Deceased Alabama Soldiers," and that we solicit voluntary con- tributions for the same; and that we will hold in this city on Tuesday, the first day of May next, and annually on the first day of May thereafter, and oftener if deemed expedient, exhibitions consisting of concerts, tableaux, juvenile recitations, songs, suppers, etc., to be regulated and determined by committees to be appointed for that purpose.

4. RESOLVED, That to carry out these plans an Executive Committee shall be ap- pointed, which shall have authority to ap- point sub-committees and agents at their discretion.

5. RESOLVED, That the President of this Society, together with the present resident ministers in charge of the different churches of this city and their successors in office, shall constitute a committee for the purpose of keeping and making proper application of the funds raised by this Society.

6. RESOLVED, That any lady can become a member of this Society by registering her name and by paying into the treasury an annual assessment of one dollar.

7. RESOLVED, That all clergymen or ministers of the gospel shall be considered honorary members of this Society.

On motion of Mrs. Dr. Baldwin, the Chair was authorized to appoint an Executive Com- mittee consisting of ten, whereupon the Chair appointed the following ladies: Mrs. Dr. Rambo, Chairman; Mrs. Jno. Elmore, Mrs. Wm. Pollard, Mrs. Dr. Wilson, Mrs. W. J. Bibb, Mrs. Hausman, Mrs. Mount, Mrs. Bug- bee, Mrs. W. B. Bell, Mrs. Fort Hargrove, and Mrs. James Ware.

On motion, the Society adjourned to meet whenever requested by the President."

The exact date of the change of the name of the Society to "The Ladies' Memorial As- sociation" is not known. The first use of the new name was in an article by Dr. Sam- uel K. Cox, in "The Mail" of December 22, 1866. This article was headed "Ladies' Memorial Association," but no change in the name is found in the secretary's book until 1874. The ladies of this association met at the cemetery on April 26, 1866, for the pur- pose of decorating the graves of the soldiers, and on May 1 and 2 a festival was held at Concert and Estelle halls and the theatre, $3,000 being realized from this, the first venture, of the association.

The association in 1866 appointed Dr. Sam- uel K. Cox as agent to visit different battle- fields and ascertain the condition. Dr. Cox faithfully discharged these duties and in this way the money was most judiciously spent in reburying and marking the graves of the Alabama soldiers at various places.

In 1868 the accumulations of the associa- tion were spent on headstones costing $5,600

and a monument and chapel costing $3,000, in the Montgomery cemetery. It was not until 1876 that it was decided to do away with the May day offering always held on the first day of May. This original custom had been preserved through the ten long years of reconstruction.

On April 26, 1886, by invitation of the Monumental association and the Ladies' memorial association, President Davis visited Montgomery and laid the foundation stone of the Confederate monument, on the Capitol grounds. Later the Monumental association withdrew and deposited the amount of $6,777 with the Ladies' memorial association for the completion of this work. It was not until December 7, 1898, that the work was com- pleted and the monument to the Confederate soldiers and sailors of Alabama was unveiled.

Charter Members .- Officers: Mrs. Judge B. s. Bibb, president; Mrs. Judge

J. D. Phelan, vice president; Mrs. Dr. W. O. Baldwin, secretary; Rev. Dr. S. D. Cox, as- sistant secretary; Mrs. E. C. Hannon, treas- urer.

Executive Committee: Mesdames Dr. Sam- uel Rambo, John Elmore, William Pollard, Dr. Wilson, W. J. Bibb, G. L. Mount, C. J. Hausman, Judge F. Bugbee, W. B. Bell, Fort Hargrove, James Ware.

Other Members: Mesdames Gov. Benjamin Fitzpatrick, Gov. T. H. Watts, Gen. W. W. Allen, Gen. J. Clanton, Gen. Hotlzclaw, Col. John Gindrat, Col. Jack Thornington, Col. J. B. Bibb, Col. Warren Reese, Col. T. Lomax, Col. Virgil Murphy, Col. W. C. Bibb, Judge George Goldthwaite, Judge Samuel Rice, Judge T. J. Judge, F. M. Gilmer, Samuel Jones, Dr. Carnot Bellinger, Dr. W. C. Jack- son, Dr. S. Holt, Dr. G. W. Petrie, Dr. E. A. Semple, Dr. Keyes, Dr. Hill, Dr. Thomas Tay- lor, Eliza Moore, Eliza Ponder, Leon Wyman, William Johnston, John Whiting, Benjamin Micou, Amanda Snodgrass, Eliza Brown, J. Cox, Daniel Cram, S. E. Hutcheson, J. Du- bose Bibb, A. Gerald, Samuel Reid, Lou Mc- Cants, James Terry, Henry Weil, Sarah Her- ron, Henry Lee, Gallatin McGehee, Sam Marks, Virginia Hilliard, Wm. L. Yancey, George R. Doran, S. P. Hardaway, James Stewart, P. H. Gayle, Richard Goldthwaite, Tucker Sayre, William Ray, A. Strassburger, John Cobbs, William Ware, Misses Louisa S. Bibb, Mary Phelan, Priscilla Phelan, Bettie Bell, Ida E. Rice, Sallie Baldwin, Annic Goldthwaite.

Officers-1921 .- Mrs. Mary Phelan Watt, president; Mrs. J. B. Allen, first vice-presi- dent; Mrs. J. T. Mapes, second vice-president; Mrs. C. A. Allen, recording secretary; Mrs. Edward R. Holt, treasurer; Mrs. Stephen Mit- chell, historian; Mrs. A. H. McNeel, chaplain.

See also: Confederated Memorial Associa- tions.

REFERENCES .- Cory, Origin and Organization Ladies' Memorial Association, 1902; Ladies' Memorial Association, the Confederate Monu- ment on Capitol Hill, ed. by Mrs. I. M. P. Ock- enden.

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HISTORY OF ALABAMA

LAFAYETTE. County seat of Chambers County, on the Central of Georgia Railway, in the central part of the county, on the head- waters of Cane Creek, 18 miles north of Opelika, 20 miles west of West Point, and 83 miles northeast of Montgomery. Altitude: 843 feet. Population: 1870-1,382; 1880- 2,000; 1890-1,369; 1900-1,629; 1910- 1,632. It is incorporated under the munici- pal code of 1907. Its banks are the Bank of Lafayette (State), and the Chambers County Bank (State). The Lafayette Sun, a Democratic weekly established in 1880, is published there. Its industries are grist- mills, cotton ginneries, cotton warehouses, cottonseed oil mill, fertilizer plant, feed mill, sawmill, planing and woodworking plant, and a wagon shop. Lafayette College, a Baptist school, is located in the town.

The locality was settled in 1833, when Judge Thompson, the first judge of Chambers County, and the commission selected "the NW 14 of sec. 13, T. 22, R. 26," near the center of the county, for the seat of justice. The commissioners entered 160 acres of land for county purposes, surveyed the town, laid off the courthouse square, and sold lots for enough to pay for the building, which was completed in 1836, and is still standing.

The first home on the present site of La- fayette was built by John Atkins, a carpenter. The next settler in the new town was W. H. House, clerk of the circuit court. Other early settlers were Henry T. Dawson, Judge James Thompson and G. Driver.

REFERENCES .- Brewer, Alabama (1872), pp. 161-163; Berney, Handbook (1892), p. 274; Northern Alabama (1888), p. 178; Polk's Ala- bama gazetteer, 1888-9, p. 454; Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1915.

LAFAYETTE BRANCH RAILROAD COM- PANY. See Central of Georgia Railway Com- pany.

LA FAYETTE COLLEGE. A public school for the education of boys and girls, located in La Fayette, Chambers County. This in- stitution was chartered by Act of December 9, 1886, though it had been founded three years previously. The control of the school was placed in William C. Bledsoe, James C. Griffin, Albert H. R. Frederick, George H. Chatfield, Charles Schuessler, S. J. Meadows, and David G. Allen as a Board of Trustees. The school building is a two story brick structure, containing seven recitation rooms, music and art rooms, library. laboratories, chapel, etc., and is well heated, lighted and ventilated. Primary, intermediate, high school and college departments form the cur- riculum, while special courses are offered in normal studies, music, elocution and physical culture, bookkeeping, typewriting and stenog- raphy. A number of scholarships and medals are awarded annually for proficiency.

Presidents .- George R. Neill; John P. Neff, 1901-1908; J. E. Hendley; F. т. Appleby.

PUBLICATIONS .- La Fayette College Sunbeams, 2 issues, not dated, appear to be in 1901.

REFERENCES .- Prospectus and catalogues, 1889-1915; catalogue of 1907-08, contains regis- ter of students from 1903-06.

LAFAYETTE'S VISIT. General Lafayette, on his visit to America in 1824-25, spent the early days of April, 1825, in what is the State of Alabama. He entered the Creek Nation, at Fort Mitchell, on the Chatta- hoochee, in Russell County, traversed the Old Federal Road as far as Mount Meigs, detoured to include the village of Montgom- ery in his itinerary, and taking the boat here, visited Cahaba, the State Capital, thence pro- ceeded by boat to Mobile.

He was met at Fort Mitchell by General William Taylor, the senior Major-General in the State militia, with two troops of vol- unteers, the Montgomery troop under com- mand of James Abercrombie, and the Monroe troop under command of Brigadier General Moore. Brigadier General Thomas Wood- ward was senior brigadier in charge and com- manded until the arrival in the Creek Nation. In the reception party, which was compelled to wait several days before the arrival of the Georgians on the bank of the Chatta- hoochee opposite Fort Mitchell, were, in ad- dition to the military and a large contingent of Indians, many citizens of the new State, among them Boling Hall, Member of Congress, Governor Murphy, John D. Bibb, Colonel Freeman, and Colonel James Johnston. The headquarters of the Alabama delegation was at Haynes Crabtree's house, on Big Uchee Creek, three or four miles west of Fort Mitchell.

The Georgians, who had escorted the Gen- eral through their State, on the arrival at the river turned him over to the Indian dele- gation, under Chily McIntosh, composed of fifty naked painted warriors, who ferried him across the river, and seizing the sulky in which he rode dragged him to the top of the bank, some eighty yards, and delivered him to the Alabama delegation. Chily Mc- Intosh introduced him to Mr. Hall, who wel- comed him to Alabama. John Dandridge Bibb made the principal address of the occa- sion, and after these formalities they repaired to Fort Mitchell, one mile away, at the top of the hill. A stay of one day was made at Fort Mitchell, when the party proceeded through the Nation, making a two day trip to Line Creek, then the Alabama state line.

The first night was spent at the home of Kendall Lewis at Fort Bainbridge on the Russell County line. Mr. Lewis, formerly a Captain in the United States Army, who had married an Indian woman, had amassed some property and entertained in lavish style. They arrived the next evening at Line Creek, which was crossed, and spent the night at the home of Walter B. Lucas, on the present Montgomery to Tuskegee Highway, and about midway between the town of Waugh and Line Creek.

The party left the Lucas home on the morning of April 3, reaching Montgomery early in the day, and were received on Cap-

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HISTORY OF ALABAMA

itol Hill, at the point where the Lafayette School of the city of Montgomery now stands. They were welcomed by Governor Israel Pickens, who had come up from Cahaba, and the greatest concourse of people ever assem- bled in Montgomery up to that time. The Montgomery delegation was headed by

Colonel Arthur Hayne, a soldier of the war of 1813. After a day spent in Montgomery, followed by a ball that evening at a tavern which occupied the southwest corner of Tal- lapoosa and Commerce Streets. At two o'clock on the following morning the party embarked on the Steamboat Anderson down the Alabama River, arriving that night at Cahaba. The official entertainment by the State took place here, and among the guests at the banquet tendered the General, were a number of his countrymen whom political events had caused to leave France, and who now were a part of the colony at Demopolis, in later years referred to as the Vine and Olive Colony.

From Cahaba the steamer carrying the party proceeded to Claiborne and another reception was given him there. They ar- rived at Mobile on the 7th of April, where he was most cordially received. He was welcomed at Claiborne by Mr. Dellett, and at Mobile by Mr. Garrow. Mr. Webb wel- comed him in the name of the State, though the governor had a part in the program. He remained in Mobile only one day. From there he proceeded to New Orleans.

Anticipating his visit to America, the Ala- bama legislature by a joint resolution ap- proved December 24, 1824, memorialized him to visit this State. His journey through the state was marked with enthusiasm on the part of the Indians, and the observations of his secretary, who kept a journal of the trip,. are most interesting, and is a valuable con- tribution to our history of that time.

REFERENCES. - Woodward, Reminiscences.

), pp --; Levaseeur, A., Journal of a Voy- ( age to America, 1824-25 ( ), pp. -; Mss. data in Alabama Department Archives and History.

LA GRANGE COLLEGE. Methodist de- nominational school, located at LaGrange, Franklin County, was chartered by the legis- lature January 19, 1830, though opened to students January 11 of that year. This college was the second established by Meth- odists in the south, the first being Augusta College, in Kentucky. Ten thousand dollars were subscribed by the citizens of the La Grange community, and the school was opened under the patronage of the Tennessee and Mississippi conferences. The commis- sioners were instructed and empowered by the two conferences to erect, equip, and set in operation a college of the style and title prescribed, met at LaGrange, January 10, 1829, and disposed of the initial affairs com- mitted to their hands with promptness and facility. They selected a site on which to erect the edifice to be appropriated to the

use of students, formed a constitution for the government of the college, and prepared an address to the public setting forth the design and character of the institution so auspiciously inaugurated. From the many choice plots of land offered the commission- ers at LaGrange for the college site "that beautiful and commanding eminence called Lawrences' Hill" was selected by unanimous agreement.

During 1828-29, Edward D. Sims had con- ducted an academy at LaGrange. The pro- posed LaGrange college had fifty trustees, each being named in the act of incorporation. These trustees were of two groups, the first residing in the vicinity of the college, the others living at a distance.

Section 15, of the act of incorporation, stipulated that "the institution hereby incor- porated, shall he purely literary and scien- tific; and the trustees are hereby prohibited from the adoption of any system of educa- tion which shall provide for the inculcation of the peculiar tenets or doctrines of any religious denomination Rev. whatever." William Winans, D.D., later one of the trus- tees, protested bitterly against the provision mentioned above, claiming that the youth of the church should be taught its doctrines. He was supported by a large number of peo- ple, though they were greatly in the minority.

In founding LaGrange college in Ala- bama, the Methodists were ahead of the state, or any other denomination. At the time of the opening of LaGrange there was no school in the state with the grade of college. Rev. Robert Paine, later Bishop Paine, was selected first president. The faculty asso- ciated with him were William W. Hudson, professor of mathematics and modern lan- guages, and Edward D. Sims, professor of ancient languages. Mr. Sims had conducted an academy at LaGrange, 1828-29. Dr. Paine had charge of the department of geology, and as the school was located on a spur of the Cumberland mountains, seven miles from Leighton, there was an abundance of speci- mens, which he accumulated for class use. When in 1847 Dr. Paine was elevated to the Episcopacy, he resigned his position as pres- ident of the college, and was succeeded by Dr. Edward Wadsworth, who continued in office until 1852 when he resigned.

Prof. J. W. Hardee was selected to fill the vacancy, and several months afterward was stricken and died in the prime of life, be- loved by all who knew him. Rev. Richard H. Rivers then became president and served as such until 1855 when he was one of the leaders in the agitation for the removal of the college to some city, where it could be made into a great university. In 1853-54 LaGrange college had two hundred and thirty odd students on its rolls, and an endow- ment of $50,000.

The college was removed to Florence, and the new school began its career as "Florence

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HISTORY OF ALABAMA

Wesleyan University" with all powers to grant diplomas and to confer degrees. At LaGrange the dormitory system had pre- vailed, but after its removal, the students were allowed to secure board in private homes.

Two literary socleties were connected with the institution, "The Dialectical" and "The LaFayette."

A commercial department was installed by the trustees, in addition to the regular cur- riculum in 1856-75. In 1858 the school was removed to Florence, and Dr. Rivers served as president of the new establishment until its exercises were closed and its property transferred to the state in consideration of a normal school being established in its stead.

LaGrange College and Military Academy .- When the exercises of LaGrange college were temporarily suspended, on account of the loss of its president and a great number of its students, going to Florence, the LaGrange College and Military academy was established in 1858 with James W. Robertson as super- intendent. New buildings were constructed and with the addition of the military feature new students arrived. Under its new name and management the institution reached its highest state of prosperity and popularity. Provision was made by the state for the edu- cation of two boys from each county, after a competitive examination. In 1861, 47 out of the 171 students enrolled were State cadets.

Upon the secession of Alabama in 1861, and the declaration of war, many of the student body resigned to enter the Confederate States' service. The college was the rendezvous of the 35th Alabama infantry regiment, during its formation. Three members of the fac- ulty, Col. J. W. Robertson, Col. Edward Good- win and Maj. W. H. Hunt became members, while many of the students joined the cadet company. Many of this company were either killed or wounded in battle or died of dis- ease incident to camp life. Captain Thad- deous W. Felton was killed in the second bat- tle of Corinth. Col. J. W. Robertson was given a position in the Engineering depart- ment of the Confederate government, and Lieut .- Col. Goodwin was promoted to a colonelcy. Major Hunt was elected Lieuten- ant-Colonel of a Georgia Regiment but died on his way to the Army of Virginia, to join his command.

One of the buildings was used by Prof. Williams as a private school for several months, but as the venture proved a failure he returned to his home in Massachusetts. His only son enlisted in the cadet company of the college and lies in an unknown grave, having died in the defense of the southland.

The buildings remained standing until April 28, 1863, when they were destroyed by fire, at the hands of members of the 10th Missouri Cavalry, U. S. Army, under Col. Florence N. Cornyn. The library of four

thousand volumes, and all of the chemical and physical apparatus, furniture, buildings, etc., valued at $100,000 were destroyed.

A bill was introduced in Congress in 1904 by the Hon. William Richardson to reimburse the trustees of the LaGrange Military Acad- emy for the loss of property sustained dur- ing the War of Secession. The surviving students and faculty of LaGrange college met in 1904 in Leighton and formed, under the leadership of Dr. John Allen Wyeth (q. v.) an alumni association, the purpose of which was to reorganize the LaGrange College and Military Academy.

REFERENCES .- DuBose, Alabama History, Re- vised, pp. 210-213; DuBose, Sketches of Alabama History, p. 161; Clark, History of Education in Ala., pp. 161-171; Rivers, Rev. R. H., History of Robert Paine, D. D., Bishop; Commencement programs of the Florence Wesleyan University, 1856 and 1857; Wesleyan University, Exhibition of Junior Class, 1856; Report Card of Dr. W. M. Brice, 1856; Annual Catalogue of Officers and Students of the Florence Wesleyan, 1856-57, pp. 16; An address to the public (in answer to the report of the Florence Faculty), by the trustees of LaGrange College, Franklin Co., Ala., setting forth the position of the trustees in reference to that institution, n. p. 1855, 8 vo., p. 8, no title page, double columns, signed, st LaGrange, Nov. 28, 1855, by Com. of trustees, contains Act of incorporation, as amended Jan- uary 14, 1850, pp. 7-8, Copies seen: Curry; West, History of Methodism in Alabama, pp. 428-445.

LA GRANGE COLLEGE AND MILITARY ACADEMY. See LaGrange College.

LALOKALKA. An Upper Creek town, or- iginally settled from Okchayi (q. v.). It was situated "on a small, pond-like creek," an upper branch of Elkehatchee, and about 14 miles from its junction with the Tallapoosa. Jack's Creek is believed to be the location and modern name of the pond-like creek. The site is probably 3 or 4 miles east of Hissop in Coosa County. The name is ab- breviated from Laloakalka, "fish separated, placed apart," that is, Lalo, "fish," akalgas, "I am separated from." Gatschet suggests that the name was probably suggested from the circumstance that the older Creeks had some method of catching fish, besides fishing for them, perhaps a contrivance for dipping them up with nets. The name is spelled Thlot-lo-gul-gau, which he says was "called by the traders fish-ponds."

As illustrating something of aboriginal and pioneer conditions, an extract is here in- troduced from Hawkins, in which is given an account of the life of a young girl cap- tive:

"Hannah Hale resides here. She was taken a prisoner from Georgia, when about eleven or twelve years old, and married the head man of this town, by whom she has five chil- dren. This woman spins and weaves, and has taught two of her daughters to spin; she has labored under many difficulties; yet by her industry has acquired some property. She

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HISTORY OF ALABAMA

has one negro boy, a horse or two, sixty cattle, and some hogs; she received the friendly attention of the agent for Indian affairs, as soon as he came in the nation. He furnished her with a wheel, loom, and cards; she has an orchard of peach and apple trees. Having made her election at the national council, in 1799, to reside in the nation, the agent appointed Hopoithle Haujo to look out for a suitable place for her, to help her to remove to it with her stock, and take care that she receives no insults from the Indians."

REFERENCES .- Gatschet, in Alabama History Commission, Report (1901), p. 402; Hawkins, Sketch of the Creek Country (1848), pp. 49-50.

LAMAR COUNTY. Created by an act of the legislature approved February 4, 1867. Known as Jones County, being named in honor of E. P. Jones, of Fayette County. Its territory was taken from Marion and Fayette Counties. By an act of November 13, 1867, the county was abolished and its territory returned to the counties from which it was taken. On October 8, 1868, an act was ap- proved creating a new county to be known as Sanford County out of the same territory as that which Jones had occupied. Its bound- aries were as follows: "Starting at the Mississippi line and following township line between eleven and twelve, to where said township line crosses the range line between the thirteenth and fourteenth range; and fol- lowing said range line southward to the Mar- ion and Fayette line, and thence along the same line southward to its crossing the Pick- ens County line, and thence along the Pickens County line westward to the Mississippi line, State line, and northward along said line to township line, between township eleven and twelve." By act of February 8, 1877, San- ford County became Lamar County, and "all public property, rights and credits pertaining to said county of Sanford," were transferred to Lamar. The new county was named in honor of Hon. L. Q. C. Lamar of Mississippi. The county comprises an area of 391,232 acres, or about 611 square miles.

Location and Physical Description .- It is situated in the northwestern part of the State, and is bounded on the west by Lown- des and Monroe Counties, Miss., the north and northeast by Marion County, on the east by Fayette and on the south by Pickens County. The topography of the county varies from rolling to almost mountainous. Its level areas are limited. The eastern half of the county is rough and hilly, and the ridges marking the boundary between the major streams are from 250 to 300 feet above the water courses. In many cases the slopes are so precipitous as to give the valleys of Beaver, Yellow and Hell Creeks a gorgelike appearance. In the central and western parts of the county, with the excep- tion of the area between Luxapallili and Mud Creeks, and between Mud and Yellow Creeks, the hills are broader and more rounded. The highest point above sea level is about 600

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History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume II, Part 23

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