Bibb County AlArchives News.....First White Settlers of Bibb August 5, 1899 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/alfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Laurel Baty laurelbaty@comcast.net February 18, 2012, 5:22 pm Centreville Press August 5, 1899 W. P. Wallace, “First White Settlers of Bibb,” The Centreville (Alabama) Press, 5 August 1899, p. 4, col. 3 First White Settlers of Bibb For want of desired information in regard to Hill settlement, we will not at present Complete the history of that community, will take it up in near future. We propose now to take up the early history of Pratt’s settlement or better known as River Bend. This settlement embraces that part of township 24 n r 10 e, lying west of the Cahaba river and fractional parts of other townships lying north of us. It seems from the best date we can gather that Richard Pratt, Archie Blake, Wm Fletcher, John E and Thos Sumners were the pioneer settlers of this community. It appears that these early settlers were a part of them from NC and the others from Tennessee. The Pratts being of English and the Blakes of Sweedish decent. This small colony of early settlers came, 1818, and settled on or near what is called Pratts creek. The land nearer the river having been purchased by Thos Hargis at the land sales, it was impossible for these people to make their settlement on the most desirable part of this beautiful plateau of earth. Soon after their settlement upon Pratts creek the land of Thos Hargis passed into the hands of Samuel W. Davidson and then into the hands Col Absolom and his brother Hopkins Pratt, who soon brought the most of it into cultivation and established themselves here for life. A few years previous to the settlement of the Pratt-Blake colony Thos Hargis and John Canterbury sought repose in this same locality. The name of Thos Hargis is beautifully carved in the bark of a beach tree on Warrens creek in River bend a short distance above its confluence with the Cahaba river and dated 1816. We have it from a reliable source that Thos Hargis was the first white man to drive a wagon across the river at what is now called Pratt’s ferry. John Canterbury was a soldier of the Revolutionary war and his uniform is still in the possession of his grandson Marion Canterbury, who lives in Tp 24 n r 8 e in Bibb county. Mr. Canterbury prizes highly this uniform because it says to the world that he is of true honest and patriotic ancestry. John Canterbury’s posterity have ever manifested a disposition to carry out the principles of loyalty to their country’s flag which was shown by their grandfather. As an evidence of this fact several of his grandsons made valiant soldiers in the war between the states. In 1817 Jesse Brown settled on the plat of ground now occupied by River Bend cemetery and cleared some land east of his house that is now owned and cultivated by M P Wallace; it makes a bale of cotton per acre yet. The oak timber between the residence of Jesse Brown and the river was so tall and so few underbrush that cattle could be seen drinking water at the pond half a mile east of his home. Jesse Brown was father-in-law to Wyatt Arnold, who was the father to Vincent and Marion Arnold and the grandfather to Atty A L Arnold of Blocton. Mr. Arnold was also once a resident of Pratts settlement in the early days of our countys history. While living here he lost a child—it was burned to death and buried on the hill where the River Bend graveyard now stands; this child is said to be the first corpse interred upon this sacred spot of earth. Lawrence Cor and Hughey Luny were pioneer settlers in this community. Cor it is said was one of the first teachers of River Bend and his body lies a little to the north of River Bend proper, entombed almost in an unknown grave. There has in time past been an effort made among the citizens of River Bend to erect a monument to mark his resting place, but, we are sorry to say, has failed. The slab was partially prepared but never finished: enough however was done on the piece of marble to show that he belonged to the grand old fraternity of Free Masonry. We regret to say that this grave is in an isolated part of the community and bids fair, if not soon cared for, to produce corn and cotton for the next generation. The McElroys were also early settlers in this community—one being a school teacher of whom we so often heard. An amusing antidote is told by the old citizens on one Bailey McElroy who was a member of the family. He was walking in his mother’s garden in early spring and found her beans coming up with the bean on top as usual; whereupon he concluded that these beans had been started into life wrong and foremost: so without consulting his mother he pulled them up and turned the other end down thinking he had made a wise discovery—he hastened to the house and told his mother that her beans would have been ruined if he had not fixed them right. It is also told on him that he once had a fine young colt on his place, and after carefully examining it, decided that its forelegs were too long that it could never graze unless they be broken, acting upon this belief he proceeded to break its forelegs and thereby ruining his colt. Mr. McElroy’s experience in this community originated the expression so familiar to many of us “Bean pullers and tallow toaters.” To be continued 17 August 1899, p. 1, col. 2 article continues with biographies of William Fletcher, Joab Pratt, Hon Hopkins Pratt. 24 August 1899, p. 1, col. 2 article continues with biographies Hon Hopkins Pratt. He left nine children: Grazilda (married William Burkhalter, now living in Erath Co. Texas); Durana, 3rd daughter, married P Wallace, she died 17 July 1899; Hampton married Loucinda Potts, resides near Sabine Texas; 4th daughter, Zilpha, married Harvey P. Cottingham, still living in Bibb County. 31 August 1899, p. 4, col. 4 article continues with biographies of children of Hopkins Pratt: Marshall Pratt, 2nd son of Hopkins Pratt, married Eliza Cochran about 1853, moved to Texas, still alive, raised 8 children; Andrew Pratt, 3rd son, married Missouri Blackwood, volunteered and die in Virginia; Mary Pratt, youngest daughter of Hopkins Pratt, married J. L. Wallace of Six Mile, raised 7 children, only one married. 31 August 1899, p. 4, col. 3 article continues with biographies of children of Hopkins Pratt: Absalom, youngest son of Hopkins Pratt, married Miss Sarah A Cruise, volunteered in 20th Alabama regiment, buried “in a pit upon the battlefield near New Hope church in Georgia.” File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/bibb/newspapers/firstwhi1864gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/alfiles/ File size: 6.9 Kb