- source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
- source: Family History Library Catalog
- the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia
Madison County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is a major part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The county is named in honor of James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America, and the first to visit the state of Alabama. According to the Census' 2005 estimate, the population was 298,192. Its county seat is Huntsville. Madison County covers parts of the former Decatur County.
History
- the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia
Madison County was established on December 13, 1808 by the governor of the Mississippi territory. Madison County is recognized as the "birthplace" of Alabama, which was founded here on December 14, 1819. For much of the county's history, the economy has revolved mostly around agriculture. Madison County was one of the largest cotton producing counties in the state of Alabama, and textile mills operated around the county.
This all changed when a group of German rocket scientists, led by Werner von Braun, came to Huntsville in 1950. They developed the Redstone Rocket, which eventually became the first vehicle to launch an American into space. Tens of thousands of jobs came to the area as a result of the "space race", and the population of Madison County rose from 72,903 in 1950 to an estimated 2005 population of 298,192.
Timeline
| Date | Event | Source
|
| 1808 | County formed | Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
|
| 1809 | Marriage records recorded | Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
|
| 1809 | Marriage records recorded | Source:Madison County Records:Marriage Records from 1809 to 1939 Completed
|
| 1810 | First census | Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
|
| 1810 | Land records recorded | Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
|
| 1818 | Probate records recorded | Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
|
| 1818 | Probate records recorded | Source:Madison County Probate: 7,300+ Probate Records uploaded of 15,424 files - Under Construction
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| 1820 | Court records recorded | Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
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| 1840 | No significant boundary changes after this year | Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
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| 1881 | 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
|
| 1810 | 4,699
|
| 1820 | 17,481
|
| 1830 | 27,990
|
| 1840 | 25,706
|
| 1850 | 26,427
|
| 1860 | 26,451
|
| 1870 | 31,267
|
| 1880 | 37,625
|
| 1890 | 38,119
|
| 1900 | 43,702
|
| 1910 | 47,041
|
| 1920 | 51,268
|
| 1930 | 64,623
|
| 1940 | 66,317
|
| 1950 | 72,903
|
| 1960 | 117,348
|
| 1970 | 186,540
|
| 1980 | 196,966
|
| 1990 | 238,912
|
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