Demopolis, Alabama, bonds

Collection

Identifier: MSS-0426

No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

The collection contains three bonds for the "sixteen-hundred and eightieth part" of the company of the town of Demopolis, Alabama. All three bonds are dated 21 April 1819 and are signed by four commissioners of the town of Demopolis.

Dates

Creation: 1819 April 21

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may require additional advance notice.

Biographical / Historical

Demopolis was founded and named by a group of French expatriates, a mix of exiled former Bonapartists and other French migrants who had settled in the United States following the overthrow of the colonial government in Saint-Domingue. The name, meaning the People's City or City of the People, was chosen to honor the democratic ideals behind the endeavor. First settled in 1817, it is one of the oldest continuous settlements in Alabama, incorporating on 11 December 1821.

Organizing themselves first in Philadelphia, French expatriates petitioned the U.S. Congress to sell them property for land to colonize. Congress granted approval by an act on 3 March 1817 that allowed them to buy four townships in the Alabama Territory at $2 per acre, with the provision that they cultivate grape vines and olive trees. Following advice obtained from experienced Western pioneers, they determined that Alabama would provide a good climate for cultivating these crops. By 14 July 1817, a small party of pioneers had settled at White Bluff on the Tombigbee River, at the present site of Demopolis, founding the Vine and Olive Colony.

Extent

0.05 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Bonds for the "sixteen-hundred and eightieth part" interest in the Company of the town of Demopolis, Alabama, in 1819.

Provenance

unknown

General

To provide faster access to our materials, this finding aid was published without formal and final review. Email us at archives@ua.edu if you find mistakes or have suggestions to make this finding aid more useful for your research.