USA > Alabama > Conecuh County > History of Conecuh County, Alabama. Embracing a detailed record of events from the earliest period to the present; biographical sketches of those who have been most conspicuous in the annals of the county; a complete list of the officials of Conecuh, besides much valuable information relative to the internal resources of the county > Part 4
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13
At an early day a church, each, of the Methodist
: 1
1
i :
1
1
1 1
Digitized by Google
,
59
HISTORY OF CONECUH.
and Baptist denominations, was built within the circuit of this community. The first Methodist min- ister who served in this region was Rev. Joshua Calloway; the first Baptist pastor's name was Rev. Keidar Hawthorne-the father of Rev. J. Boardman Hawthorne, D. D. The settlers in this part of the county were the subjects of much annoyance from the Seminoles for some time after they located in this inviting region. These depredations were summarily checked, however, in 1818, by General Pushmattahoy- familiarly known as "General Push"-coming to the relief of the settlers with a band of ninety warriors. General Pushmattahoy was a native Choctaw, and friendly to the whites. Placing himself at the head of his chosen warriors, and a few white men, he attacked the Seminoles, who retreated toward the Conecuh river, but were overtaken and captured somewhere in eastern Conecuh, and brought back, via Midway, to Fork Sepulga. These Seminoles were sent forward to the Indian Reservation, west of the Mississippi.
BURNT CORN.
At quite an early period in the history of Conecuh, James Grace removed from Jackson county, Georgia, and commenced the improvement of a home very near the present village of Burnt Corn. He was the first settler in Conecuh, upon its northern border. Two years later he was followed by the families of Joshua Betts, Thomas P. Jones, George Kyser, John Greene,
Digitized by Google
1
1
.
60
HISTORY OF CONECUH.
Sr., Samuel Salter, Richard Warren, Joel Lee, Garrett Longmire and Harry Waldrom. These settled, within a circuit of a few miles, during the years 1816 and 1818. There was an unsteadiness in the population for several years together-a constant shifting of loca- tion on the part of the settlers. This was due to a disposition to test the lands in all directions before a permanent settlement was made. Nor did this rest- less spirit cease until the lands were permanently bought at Cahaba, in 1819. With advancing time the population of Burnt Corn continued steadily to increase. Among the most enterprising and public spirited of the emigrants was Captain Hayes. He was a man of wealth and influence. He built the first frame house erected in Conecuh, which still stands, a monument to his taste and enterprise, and is now occupied by William Betts. Near the residence of Captain Hayes a store-house was erected by Mr. Walker in 1822. He is said to have had a substantial stock of dry goods and groceries.
Near Burnt Corn, Captain Hayes purchased an extensive tract of land, of eleven hundred acres-all of which he enclosed in a single fence, and would continue to clear and improve as it was needed. In 1822 he is said to have erected the first gin-house built in Conecuh. He also established a good mill near Burnt Corn.
As much, perhaps, as any other this community was harassed by the Indians. The inhabitants shared in the consternation produced in all parts of the coun-
Digitized by Google
!
+
61
HISTORY OF CONECUH.
ty; and in Monroe, in 1818. So intense did the ex- citement become, that some of the residents of this portion of the county joined others leaving Monroe, and fled into Clarke county, where they remained until the restoration of peace. In order to provide against the attacks of the Indians, Major Richard Warren, an old chivalric South Carolinian, erected a rude stockade, into which he invited the terror stricken inhabitants to take refuge every night. This kind offer many accepted, and during the intervening day they would resume their accustomed pursuits. But this state of feverish excitement and alarm so para- lyzed the energies of the inhabitants that they were unable to cultivate their little fields. Every distant sound was construed into a danger signal, and so much time was thereby lost, that the result was an almost total failure of the crop. John Greene, Sr., bravely refused to enter the stockade, but remained at his home and continued to cultivate his crop, and the consequence was he reaped a full harvest in autumn. With the restoration of tranquility, the fugitive emigrants returned from beyond the Alabama river, and resumed the improvement of their homes. There came together with them into Conecuh, many who had fled from other portions of the country. Among these I may mention David Jay, the father of Rev. Andrew Jay, who, sharing in the stampede, had gone from the region of Pine Orchard, in Monroe county, to Bassett's creek, in Clarke. Together with Nicholas Stallworth, whose overseer he subsequently 4
Digitized by Google
62
HISTORY OF CONECUH.
became, he returned from Clarke county in 1820, and located about four miles southeast of Evergreen, on what is still called the Stallworth Plantation. After spending about three years here, Mr. Jay removed to the community of Old Town.
DERIVATION OF BURNT CORN.
Many inquiries have been raised, and conjectures made, relative to the origin of the peculiar name- Burnt Corn. Rev. David Lee, whose father was a prominent citizen in this section during its earliest settlement, states that near the large spring, which bursts from beneath the hill below the village, there was the residence of a friendly Indian, whose name was Jim Curnells, and that this Indian gave the following as the real origin of Burnt Corn: Two Indians were returning from Pensacola and stopped at this famous spring to camp. During their stay here, one became sick and was unable to prosecute his journey. His companion grew impatient and resolved to leave him to his fate, not, however, without first having supplied him with a quantity of corn, which he poured in a heap on the dry leaves near the suffer- ing man. Recovering from his sickness, the Indian found himself without a sack into which he could put his corn, and left it heaped upon the dry leaves, which caught from the camp fire, and the corn was partially burned. Travelers, stopping here to camp, found the pile of charred corn, and called the spring Burnt Corn . Spring. As trivial as the occurrence was, the fore-
Digitized by Google
63
HISTORY OF CONECUH.
going statement deserves great credence as coming from Jim Curnells. During the war of 1812, this friendly Indian was quite serviceable to the American army, and frequently served as courier, carrying im- portant messages from one point to another. In con- sideration of his invaluable services, the Federal Government donated him 640 acres of land, including Burnt Corn Spring.
EVERGREEN,
now the thriftiest village, perhaps, in South Alabama, received its first installment of emigrants in 1819 and 1820, though the village itself did not find a name until years afterward. When James Cosey, George An- drews and the Messrs. Cluff, first reached this section, the present site of Evergreen was a tangled wild-wood, revelling in dense thickets of briar and cane, with the jungles infested by the native deer, wolf, bear and wildcat. The tiny streams, that still wind their way through different portions of the village, were then strongly barricaded on either side, with impenetrable brakes of cane. And such was the nature of the soil, which skirted the streams, that it was peril to man or beast to tread upon it. Upon the arrival of the emigrants already mentioned, Mr. Cosey and the Messrs. Cluff located within the limits of the present village, while Mr. Andrews pitched his tent upon the hill beyond the small branch, west of Evergreen. Mr. Cosey was an old Revolutionary soldier, and bore the - mark of a severe wound in his bosom. Additions
Digitized by Google
1
64
HISTORY OF CONECUH.
were soon made to this diminutive population, for during the years already named there came several other families, among which were those of William Jones, Sr., and George Foote. Of the entire population, Messrs. Andrews and Foote had removed from South Carolina, the others from Georgia. Living contiguous to the vast swamps which border Murder creek, this settlement was peculiarly exposed to the inroads of the bear, the wildcat, the deer and turkey. The bear and wildcat preying upon the pigs, and the less offensive deer and turkey riotously assailing the ripening grain of autumn. Benjamin Hart erected, at an early day, a good mill, which is now known as the E. C. Smith mill. While subjecting the natural barriers, and wrestling with the grave disadvantages, whose name was legion, these early fathers were not forgetful of the intellectual improvement of their children. About 1820 or 1821, George Andrews opened a small school, about three- quarters of a mile east of the present location of the court house. This gentleman was the father of H. M. Andrews, of Bellville, James W. Andrews, of Allen- ton, Wilcox county, and of the late George R. An- drews, of Monroeville. In its early history, Evergreen gave but little promise of becoming the important point which it is to-day. Located considerably in the interior, it was regarded as being remote from most of the points first settled. For more than an entire decade it was the most insignificant of all the centres of popu- lation in the county. But the gradual settlement of the adjoining regions, the rapid improvement of the
Digitized by Google
.
1
1
65
HISTORY OF CONECUH.
fertile lands, in the midst of which it is fortunately located, the early educational advantages which it afforded, the importance given it by the Mobile & Montgomery Railway, and the location of the court house at this point, have helped to render Evergreen conspicuous alike as a mart of trade, an educational centre, and a village unequalled in the State for the moral tone of its population.
-
Digitized by
-
!
66
HISTORY OF CONECUH.
CHAPTER IX.
An Early Home and Its Surroundings-Mode of Transportation Adopted by the Early Fathers.
The marvelous changes which have been wrought in our habits and customs, in private and public life, within little more than half a century, deserve some notice at our hands. The prosperity which has been enjoyed almost uninterruptedly by the people of Con- ecuh is, in large measure, due to the assiduity of the early founders of the society of the county. The fatigue endured, the self-abnegation, the perils braved, and the obstructions overcome, deserve favorable no- tice in this work. Never did an ancestry deserve more that their heroism be sacredly enshrined in the memory of a posterity. The homes of comfort, nestled amid natural delights; the extensive and fertile dis- tricts of land; the numberless facilities of an ad- vanced civilization ; the wealth gathered through years of toil-all this has been secured to the posterity of a heroic ancestry. Starting from their remote homes in the Carolinas or Georgia, and even from Virginia, these early heroes and heroines were aware of the vast distance that lay between them and their future places of residence in the far South. A wagon or two, drawn by horses, or mules, or oxen, were the sole means of transportation enjoyed by an early emigrant for the removal of his family and chattels.
Digitized by Google
7 -
---
! i
1
67
HISTORY OF CONECUH.
Stopping at night, the family would rest beneath the sheltering folds of a huge tent. This served as a res- idence, even after the arrival of the family at their final abiding place, until a more substantial home could be established. With very many families, the method of transportation was inferior, even, to that above referred to. Some regarded themselves peculi- arly fortunate in being able to secure a huge water- proof hogshead, into which were tightly packed the effects of the family, after that a long rod had been inserted lengthwise. There was sufficient projection of the rod at either end to enable it to serve as a sort of axle. To these points was fitted a pair of rude shafts, to which was hitched an ox. The movement of the animal gave revolution to the great receptacle, and over long leagues, reaching across the broad areas of States, the faithful ox would draw the unique car, even to the final destination of his master. This reached, the first care was to clear off as large a plot of ground as possible, preparatory to the erection of a temporary dwelling. This was constructed after the following model : Four corner posts were fixed upright in the ground, near the tops of which were fastened two small poles, facing each other, and extending around the four sides of the square. Between these opposite pieces was left sufficient space to insert small saplings, which were driven securely into the ground. Over the top of this clumsy abode were thrown the curtains of the tent, which had served the family in its migration, besides the skins of animals. No care
Digitized by Google
i
:
:
68
HISTORY OF CONECUH.
was given, the first year, to a floor for the temporary home. The heroic settler had to content himself with pounding into firmness the surface of the ground within this rude enclosure. Even the erection of such a rude domicile as this made a heavy draught upon his time. That which most concerned every one was the production of the first crop. But the second year gave the earnest settler more leisure for the erection of a comfortable house. This was built of hewn logs, which rested upon sills, which in turn were supported by four corner blocks of wood. The roofing was of boards, or rather slabs, riven from split timber. To hold them in position, weight poles were used, which were held at equal distances apart by means of knee pieces. The flooring was constructed of logs cloven into two parts, with the flat surface turned upward. Within this enclosure might have been seen, at the end opposite the family fire-place, a rude bedstead, which was erected in a corner of the room. A single fork, driven through the flooring, served as the sup- port of two beams, which formed the side and foot pieces of this uncomely couch. Meeting in the fork, these pieces of timber were inserted, respectively, into the end and side of the dwelling,-and thus the frame of the bed was erected. Upon this rough contrivance were placed the pieces of timber having the flattest surface. Oftentimes another frame of similar make would be seen in the opposite corner. Some of the family would occupy these beds, while others would lie upon pallets spread on the hard floor.
Digitized by Google
:
69
HISTORY OF CONECUH.
If emergency demanded the existence of more apartments than one, this was speedily effected by means of curtains and counterpanes, so swung in con- junction with the walls of the corner, as to form a separate room. Cooking was usually done without doors, over a blazing fire, unless the harshness of the weather forbade it. From the centre of the chimney within the dwelling there were suspended the antique "pot-hooks and hangers." One could rarely enter a home of the olden time without finding a huge gob- bler, or a leg of venison, swung on either side of the fire-place. During the day the father and sons would till the soil, while the good mother and sisters would serve the cooking, and wake the forest echoes with the live hum of the spinning-wheel, which was usually blended with the spirited songs of these industrious women. The early night was spent around the hearth, made bright and cheerful by blazing pine-knots; and if any member of the circle could read with satisfac- tion, he was usually assigned this work, while the others joined in the customary labor of carding, spin- ning, or sewing. And seated thus upon their rough blocks of wood or rude stools, there was enjoyed much of that domestic happiness which has been lost to generations later, even amid the glitter of an advanced civilization.
Digitized by Google
70
HISTORY OF CONECUH.
CHAPTER X.
Customs and Habits of the Early Pioneer Families-Rude State of Society-Early Amusements.
Much in regard to the simplicity of the manners of the early pioneer families will be gathered from what has already been said. The constraints and conven- tionalities which increase with a developing state of society, found no exception here. Society was com- posed of men who were bound together by strong ties. A feeling of mutual dependence produced a feeling of mutual esteem. This they sought occasion to evince as they would ofttimes come together in the chase, at the "log-rolling," or at church. Here they freely mingled together, and were controlled as gentlemen by the dictates of natural judgment and good sense. The wives, sisters and daughters would meet most frequently at quiltings,-occasions which served the double purpose of profit and pastime. The occasion of preaching was hailed with delight. Everybody attended, and every one joined with a genuine hearti- ness in the sacred worship. No laws of dame Fashion were then transgressed by attending church bare- footed, so long as this was regarded a necessity. So highly prized was a pair of shoes during these early times, that the fortunate possessor would guard against tramping in them the entire distance to church, by carefully wrapping them up, and carrying them under
Digitized by Google
1
:
71
HISTORY OF CONECUH.
his arm until near the place of worship, when he would proceed to wipe the dust from his feet, insert them into his shoes, and stroll onward to church. Or else, men and women, who had each a pair of old and new shoes, would wear the older within a short dis- tance of the place of worship, and then proceed to displace them with the newer ones, while the others were concealed until their return.
Means of conveyance were exceedingly scant. The father and husband would sometimes be seen ap- proaching, on a public occasion, with his wife behind him, and his children disposed upon the back of a faithful horse, as they could find sufficient space. No violence was done the rules of social etiquette when a gallant youth would offer a blushing damsel a seat behind him on his horse. Where social gatherings were less frequent than now, these people of artless customs were loth to separate. Drawn together from distances far apart, and meeting but seldom, they would quietly listen to quite a long discourse on occa- sions of sacred service; and when the exercises were over, they would mingle informally together, and render the occasions doubly profitable and attractive to themselves by a free interchange of thought on spiritual experience. After an hour spent thus pleas- antly together, a cordial invitation was extended by those living nearest the place of worship, to go with them to their homes and dine. Here was dispensed the freest hospitality, and in the simplest manner,
Digitized by Google
. :
72
HISTORY OF CONECUH.
much to the enjoyment both of the entertainer and the entertained.
The favorite amusements of the least spiritual of the male population were shooting matches, foot races, and boxing and wrestling contests. The rude athletic sports, though always begun good-humoredly, were not unfrequently converted into occasions of "rough and tumble" fights. But the primitive "code of honor" forbade the use of sticks, pistols, or knives. Every contestant would have to depend solely upon his nat- ural resources, should he so far forget himself as to be betrayed into a spirit of belligerency.
Digitized by Google
1
1
:
73
HISTORY OF CONECUH.
CHAPTER XI.
Continued Development-Rapid Advancement-Tides of Pop- ulation-Gathered Fruits of Toil-Improved Homes-Social Changes-Reverses, &c.
Never was any section more rapidly populated, per- haps, than was Alabama, during the decade following 1819. The flood-gates of immigration seemed hoisted, and great swollen currents of human masses poured in from Virginia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Geor- gia. During the most favorable seasons for journey- ing, the ferries along the Chattahoochee were crowded with immigrant trains. Not unfrequently a family would be checked in its progress, for several days, because of the jam and pressure upon the ferries. Their destinations reached, these heroes and heroines would begin at once to lay the rude basis of a house in the way already described. All the while, the older settlements were making rapid strides in advancement. The sound of progress was heard on every hand. Such was the yield of every returning harvest, that the zeal of the immigrant was constantly stimulated. For as soon as the axe levelled "the giant progeny of the crowded trees," and the warmth of the sun reached the soil, upon which had been accumulating, for ages, stratum on stratum of vegetable mould, the produc- tiveness was immense. Homes, too, were improved. The rude hut of the pioneer settler was displaced by
Digitized by Google
i
74
HISTORY OF CONECUH.
cozy and attractive residences. Skilled educators were sought, and schools, of as high grade as possible, were established. The toils of the spiritual laborer were at length rewarded by the erection of neat houses of worship, filled with devout audiences. The increase of population, the advancement in prosperity, and the growing ambition everywhere evinced by the inhab- itants of the county to surround themselves with the comforts and conveniences of life, gave new spirit to merchants of enterprise, and hence centres of business were being rapidly formed. Indeed, all branches of industry were being constantly improved. Each re- volving year set the stamp of advancement upon the face of the country. This had the double effect of stimulating the energies of the inhabitants and of holding forth a tempting inducement to the residents of the older States to cast their fortunes, too, amid the primitive settlements of Alabama. But the luxuriant prosperity of Conecuh county was destined to sustain a severe check. Either heedless or ignorant of the fact, that behind the screen of the dense everglades that lined the streams and swamps, there lurked a poisonous malaria, the energetic farmer swept down all alike. The fearful consequence was that this invisible foe to health and happiness, crept forth from its impure re- treat, and smote with sickness all that came within the reach of its infectious power. Nature surrounds our stagnant swamps with a luxuriant growth of vines and hanging moss, to protect the inhabitants from the pestiferous exhalations ; and when this barrier is
Digitized by Google
1
1
1
1
1
1
75
HISTORY OF CONECUH.
swept away, there comes forth disease, shaking us with chills and filling our bodies with the venomous seeds of sickness. This calamitous mistake the early inhab- itants of Conecuh made. Finding the lands to increase in fertility as they gradually approached the swamps, they at length invaded the marshes themselves, and even increased the intensity of the malarial power by ditching, thus exposing to the sun the unearthed vegetable matter. As a consequence, there was a wide-spread prevalence of bilious and malarial fevers, and many fell victims to their fatal ravages. A per- fect panic was produced, especially in lower Conecuh. Several young physicians died. And such was the consternation among the settlements that many left and returned to their homes in the older States, or else removed to counties more northward. The oldest inhabitants of the county to-day refer to 1824 as a year of fatal sickness.
Digitized by by Google
76
HISTORY OF CONECUH.
CHAPTER XII.
Transportation and the Inauguration of Postal Routes-Navigation of the Conecuh River-Brooklyn-The First Post-Office-The Different Mail Lines Established.
Products seek a market as the rivers do the sea. The productive yield from the virgin soil of Conecuh naturally sought an outlet, especially when as inviting a market as was Pensacola in 1821, was within such easy reach. As has already been intimated, the nav- igation of the Conecuh and Sepulga rivers was under- taken in 1821. Mr. George Stoneham, having inau- gurated the movement, was speedily followed by a host of others, prominent among whom were Edwin Robinson, James and John Jones, Starke and Harry Hunter, and Frank Boykin. These rude crafts were called keel-boats, and would carry a cargo of fifty or sixty bales of cotton. In capacity they were from sixty to seventy feet long, and from eight to ten feet wide. By common consent the following was fixed upon as a scale of prices for the transportation of freight : A bale of cotton weighing 300 pounds, $1.25; weighing 450 or 500 pounds, $1.50; corn in the shuck, 18¿ cents per bushel ; flour, per barrel, $1.25; sugar, per barrel, $1.25; salt and coffee, $1.25 per sack ; mo- lasses and whiskey, $1.50 per barrel; iron, 50 cents per hundred weight. Freight generally averaged about 374 cents per hundred weight. weight. Farmers, furnishing
1
Digitized by Google
----
1
77
HISTORY OF CONECUH.
their own blankets and provisions, were cordially in- vited to accompany these freight-laden crafts, so long as their capacity would warrant. No charges were made for the transportation of such self-sustaining passengers. These primitive boats were steered by means of a beam being fixed at each, the bow and stern, and two at either side. Ascending the stream, a far different method had to be adopted. An instru- ment, familiarly known among the early boatmen as the "hook and jam," was indispensable to moving these clumsy barges up stream. This instrument was a long smooth pole, of considerable strength, pointed with an iron spike, and with a hook curving its beak but a few inches from the point. The point was used for giving propulsion to the boat by being pressed against the nearest trees, or the banks of the stream. The hook was serviceable in being hitched in the overhanging boughs, which also aided in the propul- sion of the craft. Such was the rapid increase of pop- ulation, and the consequent increase of demand for transportation, that at one time there were seventeen boats, of various sizes, on the Conecuh river. These varied in capacity from five to two hundred bales of cotton. Competition has been ofttimes quoted as being "the life of trade;" but the rule has not been without such exceptions as to prove that it may be the death of trade. Such was the ambition, among these early navigators, to control the transportation on the river, that freight was reduced to the minimum price of fifty cents per bale from Brooklyn to Pensa-
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.