1 B4* Iflfl (LOKBfHfi JANUARY 2012 11||P;;0;^ o /V LIMESTONE LEGACY ^ , .;;.'•' •'-. , i.o r IAA-S^'- - ' Limestone County Historical Society ' D'D •• : - "' I::':";'o . ^ P.O. Box82 * ': : . ^2-,s .- ^: WAI,A'' ' _ '' Athens. AL 35612 WEB SI ft www.limestonecountyf istoricalsocietv.org Published 2o*-. ^ ^ October January, April and July ; volume 34 ''I ZI' JANUARY 2012'ZZ Z' ~ ~ Number^" Editorial Committee Eleanor Frost, Jackie Leonard, Rex Lewis, Richard Martin President Linda Nelson Vice-President Phil Cosco Secretary Kama Heaps Treasurer Rex Lewis Historian Molly Spence Parliamentarian Paul Mammana Membership Regular/Individual .....$15.00 Life $300.00 Family $20.00 Patron $500.00 Student /Senior (60) $10.00 o* *o; ::''-D'D':' Membership year is from October r-to September 30!n We are a non-profit organization. Contributions are gratefully accepted Aim are lax deductible 88-8620" """" " " ' '"' ' ~TAX "#63^0719832" Articles contained in the LEGACY may not be reprinted without permission from the society. A Policy: Neither the editors nor the Limestone County Historical Society accepts responsibility for accuracy of material submitted for publication. LIMESTONE LEGACY JANUARY 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS i JANUARY MEETING 2-ii SOCIETY NEWS 2-ii ARCHIVES RECORDS now available online 22 BELLE MINA for SALE 23 BIBB FAMILY & HOME 24 BEHIND THE PHOTO (Limestone Co. Archives Collection) 26 GLEANINGS FROM THE LIMESTONE DEMOCRAT 27 A BUS TRIP IN 1938 29 50 YEARS AGO in 1962 32 NEW BOOKS for READING & RESEARCH At the Limestone Archives 34 BEGINNING with LIMESTONE COUNTY By Mrs. Julian Newman 35 HISTORY of ATHENS, ALABAMA By Mrs. Julian Newman 39 HE SERVED HIS COUNTRY WELL-donated by Tony Grigsby In Honor of the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War 41 GRIGSBY'S who fought for the CONFEDERACY in ALABAMA UNITS 42 LIMESTONE COUNTY WILLS (Will Book 17-1910-1912) 43 SURNAME FORM 45 BOOK SALE & MEMBERSHIP FORM 46 JANUARY MEETING The Limestone County Historical Society will hold its January meeting at the Rogers Center of the First Presbyterian Church on the square in Athens DATE: TUESDAY. JANUARY 17. 2012. TIME: 6:30 P. M. SPEAKER: JERRY BARKSDALF TOPIC: "Courthouses of Lim*-" tone County and whs I like the first one" Jerry Barksdale is a lawyer who lives in Athens. He graduated from the University of Alabama, and is the author of "When Duty Called", "The Fuhrer Document", "Cornbread Chronicles" and his new book "Duty". Dessert and drinks will be served Members are urged to attend and bring a guest SOCIETY NEWS At the annual meeting on October 18. 2011, Rex Lewis, nominating committee chairman, submitted the slate of officers and asked for nominations from the floor. There being no nominations from the floor, the nominees were unanimously elected for the 2011-2013 term. From left: Probate Judge. Stan McDonald who installed the officers. Rex Lewis. Treasurer. Molly Spence, Historian. Paul Mammuna, Parliamentarian. Linda Nelson, President. Not shown: Phil Cosco, Vice PresiAnt, and Kama Heaps. Secretary. SOCIETY NEWS (continued) • Committee Chairpersons appointed by President Nelson for the 2011 -2012 tenn are: Awards-Robert Sturdivant Historic Tours-Richard Martin Education- Patricia Hatchett HospitalityAVIary Sturdivant Genealogical Research—Lakin Boyd Museum Curator-Jackie Leonard Genealogy Room-Margie Monk Museum-Rex Lewis Historic Markers-Don Frost Omaments-Ellie Frost Website-Rex Lewis Legacy Staff-El lie Frost, Jackie Leonard, Rex Lewis, Richard Martin New Garden Cemetery Board-Lakin Boyd, Don Frost, Linda Nelson • Robert Sturdivant, awards chairman, presented the Chris Edwards Award (for outstanding community service) to Linda Nelson at our annual meeting in recognition of her countless hours of service and dedication to the various projects of the Society. Historic Markers: At the last meeting of the society board a plan to purchase and erect another Historical Marker was approved. Marker chairman. Don Frost, is to present to the board, two sites of historical significance for consideration. Once a particular site is chosen, work will begin on final research and preparation of the marker inscription. Archives records now available online The Limestone County Archives has many documents now available online to view, print and save at no cost to patrons. To access these documents, take the following steps: 1. Go to www.limestonearchives.com. 2. Click on "Search Limestone County Archives Records Here." 3. Enter your Username: guest@lc 4. Enter your Password: guest 5. Click on "Limestone Master Index." 6. In "Full Text" enter the name you wish to search, inside quotation marks, last name first. Example: "Houston, George" 7. Click "Open" beside any results that appear. 8. You should receive a prompt in a yellow strip at the top of the window, asking you to download the AlternaTIFF viewer. Click on the strip and follow the directions to install the free software. The pages cannot be viewed without installing the viewer. 9. Once the viewer is installed, you should see a page of entries in this format: MARRIAGE BOOK 1832-1862 HOUSTON, GEORGE S 123 10. Make a note of the book and page you need. 11. At the top of the page, click on "Doctypes." 12. Click on the type document you need. Example: "Limestone Marriages" 13. Click on the down arrow beside the word "(Any)" and click on the book you need. Example: "1832-1862" 14. Click "Search." 15. Scroll to the page you need and click on the number. Example: "Pages 123-124" 16. You should now be able to see the document. The toolbar at the top gives you options to print, save, copy or zoom in on the document. Note that the only documents currently indexed on \\ w \\ .Imic-SoncaAiiveN.eym are Wills, Deeds, Marriages, Probate Minutes and Probate Loose Files, and many more documents available at the Archives are not available online yet. For a complete index of the available documents regarding a particular person, call 256-233-6404 or send your request to IcarchivesOs/ knology.net or Limestone County Archives, 102 W. Washington St., Athens, AL 35611. 22 BELLE MINA for SALE This valuable estate, situated in Limestone County, on the road leading from Huntsville to Decatur, twenty-one miles from Huntsville and seven miles from Decatur and immediately adjoining the village of Mooresville, is now offered for sale. The whole tract (including the Jackson Place lately offered for sale separately) contains 3,190 acres and will be sold entire or divided, as may best suit purchasers. The Jackson Place lying immediately on the north containing 1,120 acres and a tract containing 360 acres, lying on the south and adjoining the village of Mooresville, both in compact form, will be sold separately. This will leave attached to the Belle Mina tract 1,705 acres with the Mansion House, a large and elegant two-story brick building with 12 or 14 rooms and a 15 foot passage through the center and a colonnade the whole length of the front, a kitchen and the requisite accommodations for servants, smoke house, ice house, etc...all, except the latter, of brick and conveniently arranged. Also a large brick stable and carriage house and the yard and garden substantially enclosed with a brick wall full six feet in height. There is also upon the premises a mill with two pair of stones, one for wheat, a saw mill, cotton gin and press, all propelled by water. They are situated on Limestone Creek, a fine stream which waters the eastern portion of the tract. An orchard of peaches, apples and other choice fruits, the Negro quarters located upon the banks of the creek, about a mile from the Mansion House, sufficient for the accommodation of 150 to 200 slaves, are of the most comfortable description, each with a brick chimney and a plank floor. There are several cotton houses situated at convenient distances from each other. The Mansion House and all the improvements attached are new and in perfect repair, the whole having been erected within the last seven years. The place has been uniformly healthy, and when the quality of the soil, and the comfortable, if not elegant style of the improvements, are taken into view, may certainly be considered one of the most desirable in North Alabama. Should the purchaser prefer it, from 30 to 40 slaves will be sold with the land. There are about 2,000 acres of cleared land: the cleared land on the tract as proposed to be sold separately, bearing, perhaps about an equal proportion to the quantity cleared in the entire tract. The whole is well enclosed-a part with cedar posts and plank. The Jackson Place has upon it an overseers house, a new gin and gin house and good quarters for 60 to 80 slaves. This place, as well as the Belle Mina tract, is watered by Limestone Creek, which affords an abundant supply of stock water and some fine grass land. To a man of undoubted punctuality the terms will be accommodating. For further particulars apply to James Bradley or James J. Pleasants, Huntsville, Alabama, who are fully authorized to sell. Thomas Bibb La Fourche, Louisiana November 15, 1835 P. S. Should a sale not be made by the 1st of January ensuring, from 12 to 1400 acres of the cleared land will be for rent. T. B. 23 BIBB FAMILY & HOME by Atwood Hill Mathis Alabama Courier 16 September 1926 William Wyatt and Thomas Bibb, the first and second governors of Alabama, were of a large family, there were nine children. The mother, Sarah Wyatt, must have been a woman of wonderful force and character for in his History of Alabama, Picket paid a glowing tribute to her, and he added that her son, Thomas, "resembled his mother more than any of the children in his strength of mind and energy of character".