The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-16
THE. STORY OF MONTGOMERYS BIRTH
 TOLD BY MAN WHO BUILT FIRST HOUSE


 built; log building resembling an or. dinary corn crib was used as a jail. Justices court was held in Judge Court was held in Mrs. Moulton's house If the name be correct.
 The residents of Alabama Town as far as I can recollect, in the fall of 1919. were Captain John Goss or Cause Goss and family. old lady Goss and Red nsr dSyEh5sr Wssr Eli5s whO that fsl nd family. MT. Ashley and family. a MT. Perry. Judge Bibb, Major Johnson tmail contractor), Edmonson, clerk of er-in-law. an entire military and civic population, no merchant or trader in town.
 Such as can name of the inhabi- tants of Montgomery (now called), are Dexter, Loftin (first justice of the peace). James Vickers. inn keeper. Thomas and William Lewis, merchants, Major Wood. planter, Stone (son of Judge Stone and soh-in-law of Esquire Loftin), Fades, merchant, Drs. Gullett and Company, J. C. Farley, merchant. Carpenter, merchant. John Falconer, merchant and first postmaster. Dr. Morrow. J. q Goldthwaite. merchant, John Hewett. Widow Hewett and fam fly, Mir. Larkin, inn keeper, and family, Henry Farley. brother of J. C. Farley, A. M. Reynolds and family, Mir. Baker, John Belew. carpenter, R. Mosely and name on the hill Nimrod Benson, Esq, Esquire Sims, attorney. and a dense population--I can not remember names
 1t will be we'll to mention how the town happened to change It's name. As early as January, 1S1s, Dexter came to me after I had held a conversation with one of my friends on the subject N-f1 -N l. been made by the interested, of Ala bama Town (the Scott Company, to Dexter's quarters section the fraction which they had forfeited and since en- tered, and were willing to locate the the court house on the line between the quarter section and the fraction, each holding their own territory Well, believing 1t not very hard matter to move a court house which had never been built, but a right which that company had to pick 1t up and sit 1t wherever they pleased, I concluded that 1t might be more to our advan- tage to have one in which they were interested than to have one entirely our own.
 All was agreed and the union took place. Now for the name: What shall New Philadelphia or Yankee Town" Either scents too strongly for Geor- gia. have 1t. We will call 1t Mont gomery after the county. It was set- tied without a dissenting voice and to the general satisfaction of all con cerned. the name being equally dear to every American throughout the land. Thus by unity of interest and joint fellowship has this town continued to grow ever since In wealth and popu- lation.
 could speak if had time of the many pleasant associations of that day and place, but must conclude by insist ing that the palm and prosperity of it's early tiEdes belongs to Andrew Dex- ter and his then associates.
 P. S.-The foregoing alludes only to Dexter's quarter section. up to the time stated. Walton Lucas and MT. Allen were dong business on the Bluff fracs ton, in 1S1s, close to the river.
 The entertaining account of Mont gomery's beginning is supplemented by a letter of General Thomas Wood ward, describing the site of the city before the coming of Dexter as well as some of the pioneers who came in in the rapid rush of settlers, with the opening of the territory of Alabama
 General woodward, one of the most picturesque characters in the history of the State, came to Montgomery in 1874, three years before Dexter bought the site of the city. He tells of his stopping with Arthur Moore, the pio- neer white man, who built hut on