Barbour was formed from a portion of Pike and a part of the Creek cession of 1832, by an act approved December 18, 1832, and has retained its present shape, except portions set apart to Bullock and Russell. It was named to honor Gov. Barbour of Virginia. [1]James Barbour was born in Orange county, Virginia, in 1776, and died in 1842. He was governor of Virginia in 1812-44, a federal senator from 1815 to 1825, minister of war in 1825-28, and minister to … Continue reading
It is in the southeast quarter of the State, and bounded north by Russell, east by the State of Georgia, south by Henry and Dale, and west by Pike and Bullock. Its area is about 850 square miles. Barbour lies partly in the agricultural and partly in the timber region. The surface of the country is rolling and undulating. The soils are alluvial lowland, gray hammock, and sandy. The cash value of the farm lands in the county in 1870 was $2,374,493; of which 185,727 acres were improved, and 214,623 acres unimproved; and the estimated value of the farm productions for 1869 was $3,186,725. The live stock in 1870 was valued at $669,972, and consisted of 1442 horses, 2430 mules, 9408 neat cattle, 2436 sheep, and 15,707 hogs. The productions in 1869 were 364,304 bushels of Indian corn, 3648 bushels of oats, 42,749 bushels of potatoes, 25,738 gallons of molasses, 17,011 bales of cotton, and 1266 pounds of wool. The assessed value of property in 1870 was $4,574,427 real estate $3,369,838; personally $1,204,589. The decennial movement of population has been as follows
1840 1850 1860 1870
Whites 6469 12,842 14,629 12,143
Blacks 5555 10,790 16,183 17,165
The Chattahoochee is the eastern boundary, the Pea the western, and the former is navigable for steamers of large size. The Montgomery & Eufaula Railroad traverses the county for about 22 miles; another railway connects Eufaula and Clayton; and Eufaula is the terminus of a Georgia railway. The seat of justice is CLAYTON, a very interesting interior town of about 750 inhabitants. A female college is located here. The town was named for Judge Clayton [2]Augustine S. Clayton Was a jurist and scholar. Besides his service on the bench, he represented Georgia in congress from 1831 to 1835. of Georgia.
Eufaula (In the Muscogee tongue eufaula is said to mean “high bluff.”) is a small but growing city, with a population in 1870 of 2885; of whom 1545 were whites and 1340 blacks. It was first settled about the year 1833, and was incorporated in 1837 as “Irwinton,” to honor Gen. William Irwin of Henry county; but in 1843 the name was changed to its present one. The bluff on which the city stands is 160 feet above the river level at its ordinary stage. There is a female college here, and other evidences of material and social progress: Louisville, the old seat of justice of Pike county, has now about 200 inhabitants. Barbour is one of the younger counties, and has no historic prominence. The list of distinguished citizens of the county, however, is lengthy.
Source: Alabama, her history, resources, war record, and public men: from 1540 to 1872, Brewer, Willis, Montgomery, Ala.: Barrett & Brown, 1872.
References
| ↑1 | James Barbour was born in Orange county, Virginia, in 1776, and died in 1842. He was governor of Virginia in 1812-44, a federal senator from 1815 to 1825, minister of war in 1825-28, and minister to Great Britain in 1828-30. He was an eloquent orator and an honorable man. |
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| ↑2 | Augustine S. Clayton Was a jurist and scholar. Besides his service on the bench, he represented Georgia in congress from 1831 to 1835. |