Alabama’s bicentennial of statehood, mentioned last week, continues with another great book.
Alabama Heritage magazine is the sponsor of “Alabama: From Territory to Statehood, “ part of the Alabama Heritage Bicentennial Collection.
This is one of the most beautiful books published to tell a state’s history. Each chapter is written by an expert, with the opening chapter by Dr. Edwin C. Bridges, a retired director of the State Archives, writing on the long road to statehood.
Other chapters discuss the borders, land claims and surveying, and then Thomas Chase Hagood covers “Alabama Fever Rages: Migrations to the Frontier of Early Alabama.”
Another addresses the cultural landscape; one discusses St. Stephens, the first territorial capital; and it’s followed by “The Three Sisters: How Squash, Beans and Corn Became Southern Food” by John C. Hall and Rosa N. Hall. The first section ends with Mike Bunn’s “The Alabama Territory: Quarter by Quarter.”
Other chapters address the cultural landscape and St. Stephens, the first territorial capital.
John C. Hall and Rosa N. Hall wrote “The Three Sisters: How Squash, Beans and Corn Became Southern Food.”
The first section ends with Mike Bunn’s “The Alabama Territory: Quarter by Quarter.”
The second part of the book covers Alabama statehood, from the early events of 1819; the Constitutional Convention; and William Wyatt Bibb, the state’s first governor.
“The Creek Nation and Alabama” is by Kathryn H Braund.
Another chapter is devoted to banking, newspapers and class in early Alabama. Slavery is addressed by Justin A. Rudder.
Robert Gamble, a noted architectural historian with years of service to the Alabama Historical Commission, ends the text with “This Beautiful and Rapid Rising State: Architecture of the Territorial and Early Statehood Years.”
Each chapter is illustrated in full color with beautiful photographs of people, places, documents and objects. There are biographical sketches of the contributors and a full index, but no bibliography or sources.
If you wanted one book to have to commemorate your ancestors in early Alabama on their bicentennial, this would be the one. The book is available for $39.95 plus shipping from New South Books, 105 S. Court St., Montgomery, AL 36104, or see newsouthbooks.com.
Alabama records on FamilySearch.org
FamilySearch.org recently added “Alabama Deaths 1908-1974” and “Alabama County Birth Registers, 1881-1930,” both of which are worth checking if you have Alabama roots. On the home page, go to Search, and then Alabama to start. These are the latest additions to the numerous county records already microfilmed and digitized at this site, so check their catalog.
Researching current locations
If you are trying to locate someone’s current address, don’t forget that almost every county in the country has tax assessors records online on the county website. You can search by home address or surname to find what you need.
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