Alabama Homing

Family lines converging
on Geneva County
in the late 19th century

Butler County, Alabama, Election, 1820

John Murphy as Landowner

Page 6 of The Heritage of Butler County contains a report of results in the 1820 elections for constables and justices of the peace. Each district had a commandant and two freeholders who were described in the article as "managers of the election."

Woody Murphy, another of Wilson's descendants, provided the image and transcription of this 1820 election result showing John Murphy as one of the certifying freeholders of the district.  The term "freeholder" generally means "landowner."  From this, we may infer that the 40-acre parcel in S30 T10N R12E, for which John Murphy received his earliest known federal patent on 8 Apr 1835, was not his first land acquisition in Butler County.

The following was transcribed from the "Quarterly Publication, Butler County Historical and Genealogical Society, Vol. 31, No.2, April 1995" by Woody F. Murphy, 31 October 2002:

State of Alabama
Butler County 5th July 1820

I, Nathan Cook, Clerk of the county court of law of said county, do hereby certify that the enclosed are two returns made to me of elections for justices of the peace and constables for two militia districts.

First, for the fourth district of the second battalion of the twenty ninth Reg't, John Graydon and Marcellus Black appears from the certificate of Cap't. Wm. Graydon commandant of the said district, Hillary Herbert & Samuel Payne, freeholders thereof, to have been duly elected at the house of Jarus(?) Craig on the 1st July, Justices of the peace & Peter Martin, constable for the same.

Secondly, for the first district of the first battalion of the twenty ninth Reg't., it appears from the certificate of Cap't. John H. Watts, commandant, John Murphy & Gilbert Chancely(?), freeholders thereof, that James K. Benson & Thomas Elliott were duly elected Justices of the peace & Nathan Branceford constable for said district at the house of Jesse Womack on the first of July 1820.

Certified for Commissions this 5th July 1820
Witness my hand officially Nathan Cook CCoC

Note: James Craig and Gilbert Chanceley both appear on the 1830 census of Butler County.