Place:Clarke, Alabama, United States

Watchers
NameClarke
Alt namesClarkesource: Getty Vocabulary Program
John Clarkesource: Wikipedia
TypeCounty
Coordinates31.683°N 87.8°W
Located inAlabama, United States     (1812 - )
See alsoWashington, Alabama, United StatesParent county (source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990)
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Clarke County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,087. The county seat is Grove Hill. The county's largest city is Jackson. The county was created by the legislature of the Mississippi Territory in 1812. It is named in honor of General John Clarke of Georgia, who was later elected governor of that state.

The county museum is housed in the Alston-Cobb House in Grove Hill.

Contents

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Pre-European era

For thousands of years, this area was occupied along the rivers by varying cultures of indigenous peoples. At the time of European encounter, Clarke County was the traditional home of the Choctaw and the Creek people. They traded with the French, who had settlements in Mobile and New Orleans. They also were reached by some English and Scots traders from the British colonies along the Atlantic Coast. After the Louisiana Purchase, they started to establish relations with the United States.

In 1805, by the Treaty of Mount Dexter, the Choctaw conveyed large amounts of land in what is now southeastern Mississippi and southwestern Alabama, including much of the western portion of Clarke County, to the United States for settlement by European Americans.

Modern era

Clarke County was established on December 10, 1812, by the Mississippi Territory. The county had numerous forts, built by settlers for protection during the Creek War (1813–1814). Some of these forts included: Fort Carney, Fort Easley, Fort Glass, Fort Landrum, Fort Madison, and Fort Sinquefield. The first county seat was Clarkesville, founded in 1820. The seat was moved to Macon, later renamed Grove Hill, in 1831. During the American Civil War, the county was notable for its salt production.[1]

In 1883, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Tony Pace and Mary Cox for interracial dating, in Pace v. Alabama. That precedent was subsequently overturned. In 1892, Clarke County was the scene of a violent confrontation around economic divides that later became known as the Mitcham War.

Alcohol prohibition

Following the national repeal of prohibition in 1933, Clarke County voted to become a dry county in 1937, when wet-dry counties were established in Alabama.

In the first decade of the 21st century, the county's largest communities voted to legalize alcohol sales: Jackson on May 10, 2005; Thomasville on August 14, 2007; and Grove Hill on November 3, 2009.[2]

Timeline

Date Event Source
1812 County formed Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1812 Land records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1813 Probate records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1814 Marriage records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1820 First census Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
1840 No significant boundary changes after this year Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
1908 Birth records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources

Population History

source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
Census Year Population
1820 5,839
1830 7,595
1840 8,640
1850 9,786
1860 15,049
1870 14,663
1880 17,806
1890 22,624
1900 27,790
1910 30,987
1920 26,409
1930 26,016
1940 27,636
1950 26,548
1960 25,738
1970 26,724
1980 27,702
1990 27,240

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Clarke County, Alabama, United States

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This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Clarke County, Alabama. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.