A Brief History...

The land now called Baldwin County was long ago inhabited by the Creek Indians. Although others arrived before him, the first well-known Spanish explorer to visit the region was Hernando De Soto in 1540. Early Britsh (particularly Scottish) and colonial settlers were mostly farmers and fur traders, living contentedly along side their Native American counterparts. These neighbors often married and raised children; mixed-blood households were not at all uncommon. French settlers also left their mark on the region.

In 1702, the French came to the area. Their influence is evident in such names as Bon Secour (founded by a Frenchman from Montreal) and Bayou Volante. One prominent resident of that time was Augustin Rochon. After the French and Indian Wars, the British gained possession of the territory known as West Florida, which included Baldwin County. The British occupied the territory from about 1764 until 1780, when the Spanish captured it. Many British settlers stayed on through the Spanish occupation. Families of note during this time included the Hollingers, the Conways,the Tarvins, the Tates, and the Randons.

In 1809, Baldwin County was created as part of the Mississippi Territory. It remained in the Mississippi Territory until 1817, at which time it became part of the Alabama Territory (which became the state of Alabama in 1819). Blakeley, along Mobile Bay became the county seat in 1810. On August 13, 1813, the largest massacre by Indians of white settlers occurred at Fort Mims, where many frontier families had gathered for protection. The friction between American settlers and the Creeks was made worse by the interference of the British, who were fighting America in the War of 1812 at time.

Following the Civil War, in 1868, the county seat was moved to Daphne. In 1901, the state legislature decreed the county seat be moved to Bay Minette, but Daphne residents resisted. The men of Bay Minette lied about a murder and then stole the county records from Daphne while the lawmen were investigating the "murder".

Baldwin County today is home to approximately 170,000 people and boasts a very low unemployment rate of only 3%. It offers beautiful white sand beaches in the Gulf Shores area and wonderful untamed delta along the Tensaw River.

Baldwin County Courthouse photo
Courtesy of Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, AL.

 

Hi. I am Dawn Conway, the Baldwin County coordinator. Please check out the pages here and feel free to email me with comments, questions, or DATA to post. I am always interested in stories, histories, biographies, photos, or any other information on the history of Baldwin County families. My own family has been in Baldwin County since the late 1700's and my husband's family since the early 1700's.