AL County Origins                                                                          

Compiled by James W. Blankenship jkblank1(at)sbcglobal.net

 

October 18, 1540: Hernando de Soto meets Chief Tuskaloosa (Tascaluza) in Battle of Maubila in southwest Alabama

 

January 20, 1702: Le Moyne brothers establish Fort Louis de la Mobile, a French fort and settlement twenty-seven miles up the Mobile River from Mobile Bay.

1717: Fort Toulouse on the Coosa River constructed by the French to trade with the Indians and offset influence of British.

 

1756-1763: French and Indian War. France ceded territorial claims east of the Mississippi River to Britain. Great Britain returned war-captured Cuba to Spain for Florida, which was divided into West Florida (including Mobile) and East Florida (the peninsula).

1798: Mississippi Territory                                                                                                  

organized from Georgia's western land claims, including Alabama.

 

May 5, 1799: U.S. Army Lieutenant John McClary takes possession of Fort St. Stephens from the Spanish.

 

1805-1806: Choctaw, Chickasaw and Cherokee Indian cessions opened up to white settlement large portions of western (Choctaw) and northern (Chickasaw and Cherokee) Alabama.

 

Washington Created June 4, 1800 from Mississippi Territory                              

Madison Created December 13, 1808 from Cherokee Indian territory                

Baldwin Created December 21, 1809 from Washington                                         

Clarke Created December 10, 1812 from Washington                                          

Mobile Created December 18, 1812 from Louisiana Purchase                             

Monroe Created June 29, 1815 from Washington & Creek Indian territory       

 

March 3, 1817: Alabama Territory                                                                                      

The Alabama Territory is created when Congress passes the enabling act allowing the division of the Mississippi Territory and the admission of Mississippi into the union as a state.

 

Janurary 19, 1818: The first legislature of the Alabama Territory convenes at the Douglass Hotel in the territorial capital of St. Stephens.

 

Tuscaloosa Created February 6, 1818 from Creek & Choctaw Indian territory

Shelby Created February 7, 1818 from Montgomery                                             

Saint Clair Created November 20, 1818 from                                                         

Marion Created February 13, 1818 from Tuscaloosa                                            

Marengo Created February 6, 1818 from Choctaw Indian territory                     

Limestone Created February 6, 1818 Elk renamed                                    

Lawrence Created February 6, 1818 from Cherokee & Chickasaw Indian territory

Lauderdale Created February 6, 1818 from Cherokee & Chickasaw Indian territory    

Franklin Created February 6, 1818 from Cherokee & Chickasaw Indian territory

Elk Created May 24, 1817 Cherokee & Chickasaw Indian territory                    

Dallas Created February 9, 1818 from Montgomery                                             

Cotaco Created February 8, 1818 Cherokee Indian territory                                

Conecuh Created February 13, 1818 from Monroe                                    

Cahawba Created February 7, 1818 from Monroe and Montgomery                   

Blount Created February 6, 1818 from Creek Indian territory                              

March 2, 1819:  Alabama granted  Statehood                                                                    

 

Autauga Created November 21, 1818 from Montgomery                                      

 

Baine Created December 7, 1866 from Lowndes                                                   

Baldwin Created December 21, 1809 from Washington                                         

Baker Created December 30, 1868 from Autauga, Bibb, Perry, & Shelby           

Barbour Created December 18, 1832 from Pike, & Creek Indian territory         

Benton Created December 18, 1832 from Creek Indian territory             

Bibb  Created Dec. 4, 1820 Cahawba renamed                                                      

Blount Created February 6, 1818 from Creek Indian territory                              
Bullock Created December 5, 1866 from Barbour, Macon, Montgomery, & Pike

Butler Created December 13, 1819 from Monroe & Conecuh                              

Cahawba Created February 7, 1818 from Monroe and Montgomery                   

Calhoun Created January 29, 1858 Benton renamed                                             
Chambers Created December 18, 1832 from Creek Indian territory                    

Cherokee Created January 9, 1836 from Cherokee Indian territory                    

Chilton Created December 17, 1874 Baker renamed                                            

Choctaw Created December 29, 1847 from Sumter & Washington                      

Clarke Created December 10, 1812 from Washington                                          

Clay Created December 7, 1866 from Randolph & Talladega                              

Cleburne Created December 6, 1866 from Calhoun, Randolph, and Talladega

Coffee Created December 29, 1841 from Dale                                                      

Colbert Created Feb. 6, 1867 from Franklin (Abolished 1867, reorganized 1869)

Conecuh Created February 13, 1818 from Monroe                                    

Cotaco Created February 8, 1818 Cherokee Indian territory                                

Coosa Created December 18, 1832 from Creek Indian territory                          

Covington Created December 17, 1821 from Henry                                              

Crenshaw Created Nov. 30, 1866 from Butler, Coffee, Covington, Lowndes, & Pike

Cullman Created January 24, 1877 from Blount, Morgan, & Winston                 

 

Dale Created December 22, 1824 from Covington & Henry                                 

Dallas Created February 9, 1818 from Montgomery                                             

Decatur Created December 7, 1821 Abolished 1823/24                                        

DeKalb Created January 9, 1836 from Cherokee Indian territory                       

 

Elk Created May 24, 1817 Cherokee & Chickasaw Indian territory                    

Elmore Created Feb. 15, 1866 from Autauga, Coosa, Montgomery (1867 Tallapoosa)

Escambia Created December 10, 1868 from Baldwin & Conecuh             

Etowah Created Dec 01 1868 Baine renamed                                                        

 

Fayette Created December 20, 1824 from Marion, Pickens, & Tuscaloosa        

Franklin Created February 6, 1818 from Cherokee & Chickasaw Indian territory

 

Geneva Created December 26, 1868 from Dale, Henry, & Coffee                       

Greene Created December 13, 1819 from Marengo & Tuscaloosa                      

 

Hale Created January 30, 1867 from Greene, Marengo, Perry, & Tuscaloosa

Hancock Created February 12, 1850 from Walker                                    

Henry Created December 13, 1819 from Conecuh                                     

Houston Created February 9, 1903 from Dale, Geneva, & Henry            

 

Jackson Created December 13, 1819 from Cherokee Indian territory                 

Jefferson Created December 13, 1819 from Blount                                               

Jones Created February 4, 1867 from Marion, Fayette, and Pickens                   

Lamar Created February 8, 1877 Sanford renamed                                               

 

Lauderdale Created February 6, 1818 from Cherokee & Chickasaw Indian territory

Lawrence Created February 6, 1818 from Cherokee & Chickasaw Indian territory

Lee Created December 5, 1866 from Chambers, Macon, Russell, & Tallapoosa

Limestone Created February 6, 1818 Elk renamed                                    

Lowndes Created January 20, 1830 from Butler, Dallas, & Montgomery           

 

Macon Created December 18, 1832 from Creek Indian territory             

Madison Created December 13, 1808 from Cherokee Indian territory                

Marengo Created February 6, 1818 from Choctaw Indian territory                     

Marion Created February 13, 1818 from Tuscaloosa                                            

Marshall Created January 9, 1836 from Blount, Jackson, Cherokee Indian territory

Mobile Created December 18, 1812 from Louisiana Purchase                             

Monroe Created June 29, 1815 from Washington & Creek Indian territory       

Montgomery Created December 6, 1816 from Monroe                                        

Morgan Created June 14, 1821 Cotaco renamed                                                   

 

Perry Created December 13, 1819 from Creek Indian territory                           

Pickens Created December 20, 1820 from Montgomery                                       

Pike Created December 17, 1821 from Henry & Montgomery                             

Randolph Created December 18, 1832 from Creek Indian territory                     

Russell Created December 18, 1832 from Creek Indian territory            

 

Saint Clair Created November 20, 1818 from                                                         

Sanford Created October  8, 1868 Jones renamed                                     

Shelby Created February 7, 1818 from Montgomery                                             

Sumter Created December 18, 1832 from Choctaw Indian territory                     

 

Talladega Created December 18, 1832 from Creek Indian territory                    

Tallapoosa Created December 18, 1832 from Creek Indian territory                  

Tuscaloosa Created February 6, 1818 from Creek & Choctaw Indian territory

 

Walker Created December 26, 1823 from Marion & Tuscaloosa             

Washington Created June 4, 1800 from Mississippi Territory                              

Wilcox Created December 13, 1819 from Monroe & Dallas                                 

Winston Created January 22, 1858 Hancock renamed