Macon County Alabama Heritage Society & History
Malcom County seems to be one of those counties here in the state of Alabama,that tends to get over-looked in the significance in the history,and heritage that has occurred here in the centuries gone by.
Information is so hard to find when it comes to this part of Alabama.
So we hope to change that by offering the data we collect pertaining to Macon County,and we hope it assists you on your journey while adventuring into the past.
Let us start with a little bit of the history,and we'll take it from there.
Macon County was named to honor Nathaniel Macon,who was a state senator from North Carolina.
At one time,as I'm sure you all know,the original habitats were the Native American Indians.They were known as the Muskogee,but perhaps better known back in the day as the Creek Indians.
The Spanish explorers at one time are to believed to have encountered them,before the European settlers arrived.
The Creek Indians are considered the first to have been civilized,according to George Washington's civilization plan.So the Creek were among the "5 civilized tribes" at that time in history,and back in the day you'd here a great deal about them,and their adaptation into society with the settlers.Not living next door of course,but perhaps more of a sense of adaptation as the definition only.For this peace didn't really last,but lasted longer than to be expected,when we look back today,and having a good sense of history in our brain,realize this was an amazing accomplishment,but prefer not to use that word.It could be very well stated as a great way of buying time,till the Native American's land was once again pulled out from under their feet.
After the early 1800's the Creek Indians,along with their neighbors the Shawnee begin to resist.In other words frustration was continuing to grow as the white settlers took more,and more land.Pushing them farther,and farther from their burial sites,their hunting grounds,and pretty much everything else that was considered part of their lives,away from them.
This led up to the "Red Sticks War",also know as the Creek War of 1812-1813.A civil war sprang up between certain tribes of the Creek Nation,and not long after the United States got involved,and obviously chose sides with the particular tribes not causing a fuss,the war ended with more taken from the Creeks as a punishment.Various words are used to describe the outcome,but one thing is for certain.The Creek had to give up 20 million acres.
Then 15 years later the Creek lost all of their lands,and were victim like many other tribes under the "Indian Removal Act" signed into law by the president himself,which happened to be Andrew Jackson at the time.Their goal was to relocate all Indians west of the Mississippi River.
Then on December 18th,1832 the County of Macon was officially created.
So the heritage of the Native American in these lands,now resides in their hearts in Oklahoma.They are known,and federally recognized as "The Poarch Band Of Creek Indians"..Mostly located in Escambia County in Oklahoma.Their heritage is our history here in Macon County.
Their history goes back a lot further of course,and would like to share one more piece of information about the Creek Indians.
Their ancestors were victim as well to the Spanish,before the Europeans arrived.History itself created by the race of another,can destroy the heritage of others for as long as life goes on.
Not long after,new populations of people entered the county.
African American slaves replaced the Creek,and what was once hunting grounds for them,was now being turned into fields for cotton.
History continued,and things changed as they always do.The Civil War was just around the corner,and what follows after the war,is another migration out of the area,after slavery was abolished.
As many know,our state is full of history & heritage as well.Our society is trying its best to promote our past,so we shed better light on the future.
History Can Be Painful...Far to Often Than Not
Some of our past is a painful memory,but history itself should never be left to be forgot .One such incident is the Creek Stand Church.It was a round up center for a study our government did on syphilis,and misled the African Americans taking part in it.A horrible part of our history,or maybe this could be better summed up as a horrible part in our very own governments history,to allow such a horror to take place here in Tuskegee.
As we just said,history can be a painful memory,but it must be shared,and most importantly it must be remembered.We just hope some day,that people actually learn something from history,and not repeat its mistakes,but as one digs back even deeper in time,one can say easily that history repeats itself in one way,or if not in another.
With the pain & suffering from slavery,to the mistreatment of the American Indians,to the wars fought even among ourselves,no matter what color you are,there always seems to be some painful memories associated with history.This goes for no matter where you live in the world.
Genealogy
Our volunteers help many in the county explore their genealogy,and at the same time try to give everyone interesting history lessons of the county while doing so.
A great place to get started if you live in Macon County,is the public library.There is a small group of us gals there who'd love to get you started out in the right direction.So make sure to make your starting point at the Tuskegee Public Library.
Macon County Genealogical Society
c/o Tuskegee Public Library
302 S. Main St.
Tuskegee, AL 36083
As we mentioned earlier,our goal is to educate others while on their own quest,with finding the best resources for information on the county,surnames,history,and what have you.If it's interesting,we'll find the heritage to put with it.
Families Need Your Help
We occasionally get mail asking very simple questions,or possible locations of past loved ones buried somewhere here in the county.Many of these questionsare just to difficult to investigate,and are a huge research frustration for many.
A dead end with no grave records,or burial locations,due to the fact alot of records of this nature were passed down orally.
With the history of those who came,and went without warning,the trail ends there.
It's very rare to know the exact spot,but at times information comes forward,where it at least gives a person a little comfort knowing the area,or a certain proximity of the grave/graves.
A land owner came forward several years ago,who had several graves on his property who were African American slaves,and had record recorded in wood,that was kept in a trunk passed down to him,from his father.
Records are occasionally discovered,and more people than ever before,realize the importance of such documents.
So we're asking if any of you have ever come across any records of the names below,it would be greatly appreciated from the families who are trying to locate past family burial sites/graves,or the cemeteries possibly buried in.
Charles Cross Kings (also known as Cooner Cross)...African American
Manning Thomas James (only known information was a cook on a cotton plantation)..African American
Jake Paul Red Bow (only known information was a blacksmith who worked out of his home in a rural area in Macon County)..African American/Creek Indian
We have a personal plea to all of you,who hold some type of information regarding our county.Please share it,please take the time to share records of any sort regarding our county.
We notice so many give up while on their search,and a big part of that is due to the fact of the dead ends they encounter while on their quest for the facts.So if you're a neighboring county,a person who has roots that come through this way,let your fellow researchers know.
The facts are out there,and it's up to all of us to help another.It's to be expected to some degree if we hold some significance to history,and the heritage of others.The world wide web makes this possible,and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for having an interest in the history & heritage of Macon County.
Questions,and tips in helping others,please contact us.