Those Places Thursday

Tallapoosa and Elmore Counties, Alabama

Alabama is where the Lees, Meadows, and Edwards patrilineal ancestors settled for many years. They came out of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and settled in Alabama. The Lees came out of South Carolina between 1830 and 1840. They are in Tallapoosa County in 1850. The Lees and Edwards migrated from Alabama about 1904 to Jackson Parish, Louisiana. William Alfred was born in Alexander City. Our ancestors lived around family, They lived in communities. They did not do things in isolation. They worshiped together, They moved together. Therefore, it is vital that we study their lives; where they lived, the time or era in which they lived; the social and political part of their lives. 

Tallapoosa County was created December 18,1832 and was acquired from the Creek Cession of March 24, 1832. Tallapoosa is of Creek origin and in the nineteenth century many Indian villages were along the banks of the lower part of the Tallapoosa. Family stories were told of Emma being full "blood Indian"; however, there is no evidence of that from records that I have found in researching the Meadows family, and from atDNA test results and ethnicity.

Emma Meadows wife of William Alfred was born in Wetumpka, Elmore. County. Elmore County was created in February 16, 1866 from parts of Autauga, Coosa, Montgomery, and Tallapoosa Counties. Elmore County was named for a General John Archer Elmore who served during the Revolutionary War. General Archer was an early settler of Alabama. Located in the east central part of Alabama Elmore County is drained by the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers, and those two rivers merge to form the Alabama River. Wetumpka is located a few miles south of the the Alabama River. Wetumpka is the County Seat of Elmore County. There are Lees, Edwards, and Meadows descendants who are living in those areas today. As researchers of family history it is vital that we understand the areas where our families originated and lived. When we study the time period or era and the place that our ancestors lived we will have an understanding of the people and their behaviors; or why they did the things they did; and why they moved to other areas.

Today the Tallapoosa County Courthouse is located in Dadeville the County Seat. Alabama became a state December 19, 1819. It was Alabama Territory before becoming a state.

Tallapoosa County gets its name from the Tallapoosa River. Tallapoosa is an Indian name meaning “pulverized rock.” The county is in the east central part of the state of Alabama, and lies almost in the Piedmont plateau which is located south of the Appalachian plateau province. The Meadows families came out of Georgia. Emma's father John Calvin Meadows was born in Greene County Georgia.

Tallapoosa is bordered by Clay, Randolph, Chambers, Lee, Macon, Elmore, and Coosa Counties. Tallapoosa is one of the counties where there are no known history of courthouse disasters.

Map from Google Images