Tallapoosa County
Alabama Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Tallapoosa County ALGHN

Welcome to the Tallapoosa County Alabama Genealogy & History Network website providing free information to genealogical and historical researchers.

To share your Tallapoosa County, Alabama genealogy or history information, send an email to alghn@outlook.com - we will be pleased to include it here. If you have information to share for other Alabama Counties, visit the Alabama Genealogy & History Network state website and choose the appropriate county.

About Tallapoosa County, Alabama...

Tallapoosa County was created by the Alabama legislature on December 18, 1832, from land ceded by the Creek Indians in the 1832 Treaty of Cusseta. The name of the county is derived from the Tallapoosa River. Tallapoosa is believed to mean "pulverized rock" in a Muskogean Indian language, attesting to the rough Tallapoosa River waters that shaped the landscape of the area.

Traders and settlers came to the area that would become Tallapoosa County via the Okfuskee Trail or the Upper Creek Trading Path, a southern route below the Appalachian barrier to the Mississippi Valley. In August 1814 the Creeks ceded nearly 23 million acres of territory under the Treaty of Fort Jackson, opening up much of central Alabama to settlement. The earliest settlers came from the Carolinas, Georgia, and Tennessee. Some of the first towns were Alexander City, Dadeville, Carrville, Suzanna, and Walnut Hill. The most recent boundaries of Tallapoosa County were established in 1866, after a portion of Tallapoosa County was used to create Elmore County.

From 1832 to 1838, Okfuskee served as the first county seat. The first courthouse was a simple log structure built in 1833. In 1838, the county seat was moved to Dadeville, which was named for Major Francis Langhorne Dade, who died in the Seminole War. A log house served as the courthouse until 1839, when the first permanent courthouse, a two-story brick building, was completed. Alterations and renovations of the courthouse took place in 1861 and again in 1901, when matching bell towers were added to the northern and southern ends of the building. Small modifications were made to the courthouse in 1929 and 1947. In 1961, residents voted to construct a modern courthouse. The old courthouse was torn down, and a new courthouse was raised on the same site. It continues to serve Tallapoosa County today.

Farming was the prevailing occupation of Tallapoosa County until well into the twentieth century. Wheat, corn, oats, and cotton were the county's main agricultural products. In the 1840s, one of the first textile mills was established at Tallassee Falls. Gold mining also caused a boom in some areas, especially Goldville and New Site, during the two decades preceding the Civil War.

After the Civil War, Tallapoosa County remained largely agricultural but began to shift to a more industrial economy. In the early twentieth century, Alexander City Cotton Mills began operations, and Benjamin Russell opened Russell Corporation. Martin Dam was completed in 1926 and provided hydroelectric power to supply growing local industries. With the creation of Lake Martin, the Martin Dam also enhanced the recreation industry in Tallapoosa County. By the mid-twentieth century, Tallapoosa County had become a center for industry and recreation in the state.

The county has a total area of 766 square miles, of which 717 square miles is land and 49 square miles (6.5%) is water. The population recorded in the 1840 Federal Census was 6,444. The 2010 census recorded 41,616 residents in the county.

Neighboring counties are Clay County (north), Randolph County (northeast), Chambers County (east), Lee County (southeast), Macon County (south), Elmore County (southwest), and Coosa County (west).

Communities in the county include Alexander City, Dadeville, Tallassee (partly in Elmore County), Camp Hill, Daviston, Goldville, Jackson's Gap, New Site, Frog Eye, Hackneyville, Our Town, Reeltown, Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Bluffs, Church Hill, Dudleyville, and Equality (partly in Coosa & Elmore Counties).

Tallapoosa County, Alabama Records

Alabama Genealogy & History Network has much information on our county websites - cemetery listings, community data, etc. Please visit the county or counties of interest to you.

Birth Records - The Alabama Department of Public Health maintains records of births from 1908 to present. This was the year Alabama began keeping official birth records. You can obtain official copies of birth certificates by visiting the birth record page on their website and following the instructions. Since there are no official birth records before 1908 for births prior to that date you will need to determine birth information from census records, bible records, baptismal records, cemetery tombstones, etc.

Death Records - The Alabama Department of Public Health maintains death records after 1908 on file. This was the year Alabama began keeping official death records. You can obtain official copies of death certificates by visiting the death record page on their website and following the instructions. Since there are no official death records before 1908 for deaths prior to that date you will need to determine death information from census records, bible records, funeral home records, cemetery tombstones, etc.

Marriage Records - The Alabama Department of Public Health can provide you with information for marriages that took place from 1936 to present by by visiting the marriage record page on their website and following the instructions.

All existing county marriage records for any date not listed above (and for the dates listed above for that matter) may be obtained from the county's Probate Office in which the marriage was held.

Divorce Records - The Alabama Department of Public Health maintains divorce records from 1950 to present. You can obtain official copies of devorce records by visiting the divorce record page on their website and following the instructions. Records for divorces occuring before 1950 may be obtained from the Circuit Clerk in the county where the divorce took place.