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Fort Claiborne, Alabama history published 1818

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TWO HUNDRED YEARS AGO

Transcribed from The Long-Island Star (Brooklyn, New York) October 21, 1818

From the National Intelligencer of Oct. 13.

Private letters from Alabama state, that a court was at that time sitting (17th September) at Fort Claiborne in Monroe county, a spot which, until the late Indian war, was scarcely known to white people, except the few who lived among the Indians. It is on the banks of the Alabama, about 60 miles above Fort Stoddert.

Twenty-seven hundred inhabitants

Two years ago there was but a single cabin on the spot where the town now stands, and it is computed that the town now contains twenty-seven hundred inhabitants. Although the whole of the land still belongs to the Indian nation, there are a courthouse and jail, as well as a variety of private buildings, erected for the purpose of public justice and of domestic comfort; and, (it is with regret it is stated,) that the jail was crowded with criminals, some of whose cases were of a highly interesting nature.

Civil or military law

An Indian, for one, had been indicted for the murder of a white man, and six or eight white men had been indicted for having, (as the reader may remember to have seen it stated some time ago) murdered several Indian prisoners, who were shot and killed when bound, and passing under the protection of a guard from Fort Claiborne to Fort Montgomery. This is a crime, if established, calling for all the energy of the law. A disposition is said to prevail among the people, favorable to the repression of such outrages, and for the prosecution of every species of offence against the laws and against the public peace. These are objects which we had rather see effected by civil than by military law.

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7 comments

  1. Brenda Brashier check out the center of this map.

    1. Sharon, VERY interesting. One record says Pleasant went to Alabama when he left South Carolina… maybe this was where he went… it’s close to Quitman…

    2. Brenda Brashier spelled Brazier’s Landing in other places, and changed to French’s Landing.

    3. Sharon, there are about 30 spellings… some almost unrecognizable – but, it’s the French Brasseur family. Thank you for posting this.

  2. Chuck Wylde, Ralph Brashier, Christopher Brashier, Jim Brashier

    1. Me and my brother married mixed indian women from this area that we met in Texas.. my brother’s wife has her choctaw indian card .. mine never got hers..

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