The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-28
HOW COUNTIES IF
 STATE GOT NAMES
Chickasaw and Creek h.
 dians Not HOnored
MANY CHANGES MADE
Ten Counties Bear Indian Names. Nine Former Names Have Dis appeared Entirely From
 the Roster
BY HUGH W. ROBERTS

| BY HUGH W. ROBEhIS | While our forefathers, in naming this state. certain rivers, certain towns and certain counties, remembered and honored the original Indians, it seems unusually strange, in view of the fact that in ind ing names for many of the counties des- perate means were undertaken to honor men of little comparative reputation, there is no township, stream or county called "Chickasaw" or Greek" The Choctaw and Cherokee Indians are re- membered in counties which bear their tribe names.
 The names of ten Alabama counties were either the nation or tribe names of Alabama Indians, or words familiar in the language of Indians. These are Au- tauga, Cherokee, Choctaw, Conecuh, Coosa, Etowah Mobile Talladega, Talla- poosa and Tuscaloosa.
 In honor of the following men of sister states, Alabama counties were named, and it is interesting to note that the fame of these men scarcely endures to- day: Gen. Abraham Baldwin of Georgia, Gov James Barbour of Virginia, Gov. William G. Blount of Tennessee, Gov.
  Covington of Maryland. L. Q. c. Lamar of Mississippi Col. James Lauderdale of Ter nessee, James Lawrence of Vermont, William Lowndes of South Carolina, Sen a.or Nathaniel Macon of North Carolina, Lieut. Lemuel P. Montgomery of Ten nessee, Senator John Randolph of Vir- ginia, Gen. Arthur St. Clair of Pennsyl- vania, Gen. Isaac Shelby of Kentucky, Lieut.. James M. Wilcox of the United States army.
 Origin of Names
 The following Alabama counties received their names from national characters: Calhoun. Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, DeKalb, Fayette daFayette), Franklin Greene, Henry, Jackson, Jefferson. Lee, Madison, Marion Marshall (Chief Justice John MarshalD, Monroe, Morgan General Dan- iel Morgan). Perry Commodore Perry), Pickens, Pike (Gen. z. M Pike), Sum- ter and Washington.
 In addition to Gen. John Coffee, the following other Alabamians gave their names to Alabama counties: Gov. Will liam wyatt Bibb, E. C. Bullock, Capt. William Butler, Henry c. Chambers, al Colbert, Andrew Crenshaw, John G. Gull man, Gen. Samuel Dale (great Indian scout) A. J. Dallas, John A. Elmore. Stephen F. Hale, Gov. George s. Hous- ton, Col. G. C. Russell, Senator John w. walker and Gov. John A. Winston.
 Marengo, in honor of the battle of Marengo. was named by the French peo- ple who settled in that Alabama county. Geneva was named in honor of the well known Swiss city. Limestone gets it's name from creek in which is bed of lime rock Escambia received its name from the Escambia river. the river having been named, it is probable, by the h. dlans. though no record to this effect ex- ists.
 Former Counties Disappear
 Originally, certain Alabama counties pore the following names: Cahaba, Ben ton, Baker, Jones, Baine, Decatur, San ford, Cotaco and Hancock.
 While all of these names have been changed, the counties which bore them, " tn the exception of Decatur, still exist. Decatur county has disappeared from the face of the map. Part of its territory
  shall. and the remainder by Madison. The county seat of Decatur was Wood- vile, little town now existing in the southwestern portion of Jackson county on the Southern railroad. Decatur county was created December | 1921, and was abolished in 1924.
 Lamar county has borne two other names. It was established February i. 1887. as Jones county, in honor of E. F. Jones of Fayette. The county was abol- ished November 13 1867, and was re-es- tahlished as Sanford county, in honor of III. c. Sanford of Cherokee, October 8, 1869. The name was changed to Lamar February 8, 1S17
 What is now Morgan county was origi- nally Cataco, an Indian word It was changed to Morgan, June IA, 1921
 Winston county was originally Han cock, in honor of John Hancock, whose name was first and most prominently in- scrbed on the Declaration of Independ- ence. It was changed to Winston Jan uary p. 1858.
 | Etowah county was originally Baine, named in honor of Gen. D. w. Baine of Alabama. The county was abolished, December 3, 1867, and re-established with it's present name, December 1, 1868. Ribb was originally Cahaba, the name being changed December 2o 1920, in honor Of the first governor of Alabama. People Rebuke Politician Calhoun county deserves the name of the South Carolina of Alabama It's peo-