Talladega County, Alabama

TOWNSHIP 17S, RANGE 7E (MUNFORD AND SILVER RUN AREA)

I have included several versions of the grid map of this area. The first is a simple one of my own creation, made using BLM land records. The second includes an overlay of the plat map, which I made partially transparent so that you can see where the creeks were in comparison to each setter's land. The third, taken from the BLM website ➚, is the plat by itself, originally drawn up in the 1830s.

The last map is one I made a few years ago, which shows present day Highway 21 and some smaller roads, which might aid you in finding your ancestor's land in person. It concentrates particularly on those of Isaac Brewer's neighbors who signed a petition attesting to his character and service in the Revolutionary War. I drew this up to help prove that the parcel on which he lived at that time was the same that he was granted shortly after his death, for his service in the War of 1812, by determining that his neighbors were the same in the 1850 census as they were in 1854.

Please note that several of the larger land parcels were directly purchased from land that specific Creek Indians released following a treaty with the government. The names of these Native Americans are included in the records and on the first two maps.

SUMMARY OF LANDOWNERS

Notice that several people tended to go to the land office on a given day, then none went for quite a while. Presumably it was not open every day.

The dates indicate when a person gained ownership. However, they might have lived on that land or begun developing it at an earlier time. For example, Isaac Brewer lived on his land more than ten years before he was granted title to it in return for his service in the War of 1812. In fact, the paperwork was not complete until shortly after his death. As an elderly man, he mentioned in his pension papers that he was squatting on government land and didn't know if or when someone else might seek to take it from him.

Many lived in Talladega County prior to obtaining there land there, which others lived in neighboring Benton (renamed Calhoun in 1858) County, Alabama, or even in Tennessee or Georgia, among other places.

Please also be aware that some additional prominent land owners undoubtedly owned slaves, other than the numbers shown below, since I was unable to determine whether some of those in the slave schedules were the same as the men and women shown below.

Year	Name	Quarter	Sec	Acres	Total	Warrant	Residence	Slaves
Aug 1	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1837	Eli Moore Driver	E1/2-SE1/4	5	80		No	Madison Co, AL
1837	Jeremiah Collins (from Hance Hendrick)	E1/2-SE1/4	15	80		No		19,15
1837	Spencer Ball	E1/2-NE1/4 NW1/4-NW1/4 adjoining parcels	31 32	80   40 120		No No	Talladega Co, AL	14
1837	William Riley Dodson (from Christopher Acre Green)	W1/2-NE1/4	7	80		No
1837	George Washington Copeland	E1/2-NW1/4	7	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1837	William Campbell Walker	SW1/4-SE1/4	31	40		No	Talladega Co, AL	,6
1837	Robert Jemison	W1/2-NW1/4	30	80		No	Talladega Co, AL	119,34
1837	David Cleage 27 May 1842 (from Creek Indian)	E1/2-SE1/4 W1/2	19   2	80 320		No No	McMinn Co, TN	33
1837	Richard Tarrant 1 Jul 1852 (War of 1812)	SE1/4-SE1/4 NE1/4-NW1/4	31 32	40   40		No Yes - SC	Talladega Co, AL	2
1837	John Mood	NW1/4-SW1/4	30	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1837	Shadrack Dickinson	SW1/4-SW1/4	19	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
5 Aug	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1837	Hugh M Wilson 1 Aug 1839	SE1/4-NE1/4 SE1/4-SW1/4	7   6	40   40		No No	Talladega Co, AL	5
1837	Jesse Gwin	SE1/4-SW1/4	5	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1837	James White	SW1/4 E1/2-NW1/4 E1/2-SW1/4 SW1/4-SW1/4 W1/2-NE1/4	15 30 30 30 31	160   80   80   40   80 440		No No No No No	Dekalb Co, GA
1837	Mahala Cunningham 17 Aug 1838	E1/2-SW1/4 E1/2-NW1/4 (adjoining parcels)	10 10	80   80		No No	Talladega Co, AL
1837	William Williamson 17 Aug 1838	W1/2-SW1/4 NE1/4-SW1/4	8   7	80   40		No No	Talladega Co, AL
1837	Hance Hendrick 2 Jun 1851 (fr. Creek Indian) 1 Sep 1851 (fr. Killian Singler) 1 Dec 1851 1 Aug 1854 (Creek War)	NE1/4-NE1/4 E1/2 W1/2-NW1/4 W1/2-SW1/4 N1/2-NE1/4 N1/2-SE/4	22 10 10 10 14 23	40 320   80   80   80   80		No Yes Yes No Yes - SC	Randolph Co, AL Talladega Co, AL	10,6
1837	Daniel Cook	E1/2-NE1/4	5	80		No	Benton Co, AL
1837	Fonton Cumming	NW1/4-NW1/4 NW1/4-NW1/4	14 23	40   40		No No	Benton Co, AL
1837	Thomas G Mattison	W1/2-SE1/4	15	80		No	Benton Co, AL
17 Aug	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1838	Thomas McFarling (from John Jurney)	NW1/4-SE1/4	31	40		No
1838	Theodore J Lesley (from Hugh M Wilson) 10 Aug 1849	W1/2-SE1/4 SW1/4-SW1/4 NE1/4-NE1/4 NE1/4-SW1/4	5   5   7   5	80   40   40   40		No No No No	Talladega Co, AL
1838	John Ware	E1/2-SW1/4	19	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1 Aug	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1839	David McCullough	NE1/4-SE1/4 NW1/4-SE1/4 (adjoining parcels)	7   7	40   40		No No	Talladega Co, AL
1839	William H Kyle	W1/2-NW1/4	7	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
10 Oct	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1839	James Adams	NW1/4-SE1/4	36	40		No	Fayette Co, GA	1
7 Feb	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1840	Perrin Wesson & John Connor Perrin Wesson (all from Creek Indians)	N1/2 W1/2 E1/2 (adjoining parcels)	20 21 21	320 320 320 960		No No No
20 May	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1841	Oliver Spradlin	NW1/4-SW1/4	36	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1841	Alexander Douglass	NE1/4-SE1/4	31	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1841	Lewis Manning	NE1/4-SE1/4	36	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1841	William Y Hendrick William Y Hendrick 4 Apr 1855 (from John A Williamson)	NE1/4-NW1/4 SW1/4-NW1/4 (sections join)	23 14	40   40		No Yes - AL	Benton Co, AL	14,19
1841	Wiley W Mattison Wiley W Madison 1 Dec 1852	W1/2-NW1/4 SE1/4-NW1/4	8   8	80   40		No No	Talladega Co, AL	22,22
21 Sep	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1841	Alexander J Robison & Co (from Creek Indian)	W1/2	9	320		No
27 May	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1842	John Dearman (from Creek Indian)	S1/2	28	320		No
24 Nov	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1842	Jacob T Bradford (both from Creek Indian)	W1/2 N1/2	11 13	320 320		No No
1 Aug	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1844	George Bittle	SE1/4-NW1/4	23	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1844	Noblet Johnson	NW1/4-NE1/4 NE1/4-NW1/4 (adjoining parcels)	5   5	40   40		No No	Benton Co, AL
1 Jul	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1845	John M Starnes 10 Apr 1847	E1/2-NE1/4 NW1/4-NE1/4 NW1/4-NW1/4	8 22 22	80   40   40		No No No	Talladega Co, AL
1845	William R Lewis 8 Apr 1848	W1/2-SE1/4 SW1/4-NE1/4	19 19	80   40		No No	Talladega Co, AL
10 Apr	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1847	Thomas W Jones	NE1/4-SE1/4	30	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1847	Jacob Freeze	NE1/4-NW1/4	22	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1 Apr	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1848	Benton W Groce	SE1/4-SE1/4	30	40		No	Talladega Co, AL	13,26
10 Apr	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1848	William Cameron 2 Sep 1850 15 Jul 1854	SW1/4-NE1/4 NE1/4-SE1/4 NW1/4-SE1/4 SE1/4-NW1/4	5   8   8   5	40   40   40   40		No No No No	Talladega Co, AL	14
10 Aug	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1849	George Wright	SW1/4-SW1/4	14	40		No	Talladega Co, AL	1,7
1849	Joshua Best	E1/2-NE1/4	19	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1 Sep	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1849	Gilbert D Johnson	NW1/4-SE1/4	30	40		No	Benton Co, AL
1 Mar	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1850	George C P Hughes George C Hughes 1 Nov 1851	NW1/4-NE1/4 E1/2-NE1/4 NW1/4-NE1/4	8   6   6	40   80   40		No No	Benton Co, AL Talladega Co, AL	3
1850	Rowland Burgess	SW1/4-NE1/4	8	40		No	Benton Co, AL
2 Sep	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1850	Oliver H Elston	NW1/4-SW1/4	19	40		No	Talladega Co, AL	22
1850	James M Cunningham	SE1/4-SE1/4	8	40		No	Cherokee Co, AL
1 Sep	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1851	Elias Brock (from John Green)	S1/2-SW1/4 (adjoining 80)	18	80		Yes		11
1851	Jabez L M Curry (from Hartwell J Hancock)	NW1/4	19	160		Yes		19,29
1 Nov	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1851	William A Graves 1 Dec 1851 1 Jan 1859	NE1/4-SW1/4 SE1/4-NE1/4 SE1/4-SW1/4 SE1/4-NW1/4	36 36 36 36	40   40   40   40		No	Talladega Co, AL
10 Nov	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1851	Jesse Chadwick (Creek War)	SW1/4-NW1/4	27	40		Yes - GA
1 Dec	---------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1851	John P Wheatherly	SW1/4-SE1/4	30	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1851	William H Curl	SW1/4-SE1/40	8	40		No	Benton Co, AL
1851	Richard Nawl Richard H Nall 1 Jan 1859	SE1/4-SE1/4 SW1/4-SW1/4 NE1/4-SE1/4 (adjoining parcels)	35 36 35	40   40   40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1851	Joseph Brewer	SW1/4-NE1/4	30	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1851	Bennet H Ball	E1/2-NE1/4 NW1/4-NE1/4	30 30	80   40		No No	Talladega Co, AL	,6
1851	Wiley King	NW1/4-NW1/4	5	40		No	Talladega Co, AL	3,7
1851	Jordan Williams	NE1/4-NW1/4	14	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
10 Jan	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1852	Joel Burden (War of 1812)	SE1/4-NE1/4 SW1/4-NW1/4	22 23	40   40		Yes Yes
1 Dec	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1852	Joseph Jones	SW1/4-NW1/4	22	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1852	George W Dews	NW1/4-NE1/4	19	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1852	Nathaniel A Watson	SE1/4-SW1/4	8	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1852	Elias Adams	NE1/4-NE1/4	36	40		No	Talladega Co, AL	,6
9 Dec	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1852	Joseph Adams (War of 1812)	N1/2-SW1/4	22	80		Yes - GA
3 Mar	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1854	Isaac Brewer (War of 1812)	N1/2-NW1/4	27	80		Yes - GA
15 Jul	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1854	Margaret Cross	SW1/4-SW1/4	32	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1854	Benjamin W Mattison	SE1/4-NW1/4	14	40		No	Talladega Co, AL	,5
1854	Robert C Graves	SE1/4-SW1/4	35	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1854	William Heaton	N1/2-NW1/4	6	80		No	Talladega Co, AL	3,4
1854	Robert & John McKibbin Robert McKibbin 1 Jan 1859 Robert and John W McKibbin 1 Dec 1860 ^	NW1/4-SW1/4 NE1/4-NE1/4 SW1/4-NE1/4 SW1/4-SW1/4 NW1/4 SE1/4-NE1/4	7 18 18   7 18 18	40   40   40   40 160   40		No No No No	Talladega Co, AL Talladega Co, AL
2 Apr	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1857	Joseph Camp (from John C Camp) Cherokee War 1 Jan 1859	SW1/4-SE1/4 SW1/4-SW1/4	33 34	40   40		Yes - GA No		14
1 Jan	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1859	Archibald B Bell 3 May 1861	SW1/4-NW1/4 SE1/4-NW1/4 W1/2-SE1/4	22 22 22	40   40   80		No No No	Talladega Co, AL Calhoun Co, AL
1859	Elijah Haywood	S1/2-NW1/4	6	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1859	Bryant Pierce	E1/2-SW1/4 NW1/4-SW1/4 SW1/4-NW1/4	32 32 32	40   40   40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1 Jun	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1875	Joseph M Hays	S1/2-SW1/4	22	80		No
1 Jul	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1875	James T Jones	N1/2-SW1/4	6	80		No
30 Dec	---------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1881	Pleasant McCain	E1/2-NW1/4	34	80		No	Calhoun Co, AL
1881	Wyatt Buchanan	W1/2-SE1/4	14	80		No	Calhoun Co, AL
1881	Michel Leahey	W1/2-SE1/4	32	80		No	Calhoun Co, AL
10 Jun	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1882	Munsford Fields	N1/2-SW1/4	22	80		No
1882	Pleasant Martin	W1/2-NW1/4	24	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Lewis Anderson	S1/2-SE1/4	36	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Susan Thomas	E1/2-NE1/4	32	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	William L Leach	E1/2-NE1/4	34	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Shandy Rice	W1/2-SE1/4	26	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	William Lynch	E1/2-SE1/4	32	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Willis Gardner	E1/2-SW1/4	26	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Lawson Adams	W1/2-NE1/4	34	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	William A Oaks	NW1/4-SW1/4	34	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Stephen Kemp	E1/2-SW1/4	34	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Dennis Russell	W1/2-NW1/4	34	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Martha McDaniel	W1/2-NE1/4	26	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Henry Hawkins	E1/2-SE1/4	24	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Edmond McKain	E1/2-NW1/4	26	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Zack Goodin	W1/2-NW1/4	26	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	George Powell	W1/2-SE1/4	34	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Jesse McKeithen	E1/2-SE1/4	14	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	John W Tucker	NW1/4-SW1/4	14	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Charles Chambers	E1/2-SW1/4	14	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Edmond Oden	W1/2-SW1/4	24	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Robert Orr	W1/2-SE1/4	24	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Aleck Britton	E1/2-NE1/4	24	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	William Miles	E1/2-SW1/4	24	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Wiley Jones	W1/2-NE1/4	24	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Susanna Bell	W1/2-NE1/4	32	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Aleck Forest	E1/2-NE1/4	26	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Henry Hurd	E1/2-SE1/4	26	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1882	Cornelius Leahey	SE1/4-NW1/4	32	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
30 Oct	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1882	Ham Oneal	NE1/4-SW1/4	8	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
3 Jul	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1883	John H Morris	E1/2-SE1/4	6	80		No
10 Mar	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1884	James D Newsom	SW1/4-NE1/4 NW1/4-SE1/4	6   6	40   40		No No
5 Dec	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1884	William H C Hoppers	E1/2-SE1/4	22	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1884	George W Miller	S1/2-NE1/4	14	80		No
16 Mar	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1885	Barbour Grant	N1/2-SW1/4	18	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1 Mar	--------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1889	Lewis N Butterworth	W1/2-NW1/4	36	80		No
16 Aug	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1889	Hezekiah R Wade	W1/2-NE1/4	36	80		No
29 Jun	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1891	James J Buchanan	E1/2-SE1/4	34	80		No	Talladega Co, AL
1891	Elbert F King	NE1/4-SW1/4	36	40		No	Talladega Co, AL
1889	Alexander J Poor	E1/2-NW1/4	24	80		No
2 Jul	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1904	Francis Perino Martin	W1/2-SW1/4	26	80		No	Calhoun Co, AL
10 Feb	-------------------------------------	--------------------	----	-----	------	---------	-------------------	--------
1906	David H Remson (from William S Crowson)	SE1/4	18	160		Yes - AL

We were just through this area in the Summer of 2015. We found it to be picturesque, peaceful, and rural, made up mostly of acreages and farms. I would like to draw your attention to a few landmarks within this township and range.

Silver Run Chapel
A local told us this used to be an old schoolhouse. it is near the junction of present day Highway 21 and Old School Road, on Bell Springs Road (section 15). There is not much to the Silver Run settlement, unless there is more tucked away on the other side of the highway. Silver Run was named thus because of moonlight shining on a stream of waters (Tales of Talladega, by E. Grace Jemison, 1959, page 205). The chapel and a house or two seems to be about all there is in the way of man-made landmarks. The Shiloh Cemetery is located in section 9, along Silver Run Road on the other side of the highway near the railroad tracks.

Bell Springs Road
Down a way, this area becomes moderately mountainous. Not too far back into the hills this red dirt road was blocked off by the Talladega National Park Service due to excessive ruts, so we were limited on how far we could drive with our car. Beyond the blockade was a pine-covered hillside. This is the area in which Isaac Brewer's 80 acres parcel (section 27) was located, which a forest ranger told me is now an aggressively farmed loblolly pine plantation.

Old Salt Creek Church
This is located on Salt Creek road in section 36, in an area known back in the old days as "Kentuck". The beautiful little church is located on 1.5 acres of land originally donated by Elias Adams in 1873, according to a large marble slab in its yard. There is a well maintained cemetery on the hillside along the road. This information was obtained from Tracking Your Roots ➚. 

Munford
This small town is located in section 19, and is less than a mile from the old farm of Joseph Brewer (section 30). We drove through this little town and found it to be quite friendly and welcoming. To get to Joseph's land left Highway 21 and took Cedars Road heading south. Soon after passing the elementary school, Joseph's land was on the left, along Cedars Road.

Waterways
This area contains portions of Choccolocco Creek / Big Shoal River, Salt Creek, and Stewarts Lake. There are undoubtedly other small streams in the area. We came across one in about section 21 or 28, for example, which might only be seasonal. I don't know what it's called or if it even has a name.

The Alabama Tennessee Railroad
The railroad also runs through this region, passing through or near Munford and Jenifer, and crosses Salt and Choccolocco Creeks.

Talladega National Forest
Some sections shown on the diagram below are now a part of the Talladega National Forest, particularly in the southeastern portion, including part of the section in which Isaac Brewer lived. There are portions of personal acreage spotted within the park boundaries, including Isaac's old place.