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Shelby County was created by an act of the Alabama Territorial General Assembly on 7 February 1818 from former Creek Indian territory ceded in the Treaty of Fort Jackson on 9 August 1814. The county is located in the north central part of Alabama and is bounded on the north by Jefferson and St. Clair Counties, on the south by Chilton and Bibb Counties, on the east by Talladega County and on the west by Bibb and Jefferson Counties. About one-half of the county is in the mineral belt. The county is named for Isaac Shelby, the first governor of Kentucky. The location of the first county seat was Shelbyville. In 1826, the town of Columbia changed its name to Columbiana and became the permanent county seat. Other towns and communities include Calera, Pelham, and Montevallo, home of the University of Montevallo.
Source: Owen, Thomas McAdory. History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography |
Click on the links below for book titles specific to that Alabama county.
The date each county was formed is noted.
| County Name |
Established |
Origin of Name |
County Seat |
| Autauga |
Nov 21, 1818 |
American Indian Village of Atagi |
Prattville |
| Baine, see Etowah | Dec 7, 1866 | Gen. David W. Baine, CSA | Gadsden |
| Baldwin | Dec 21, 1809 | Sen. Abraham Baldwin/GA | Bay Minette |
| Baker, see Chilton | Dec 30, 1868 | Alfred Baker | Grantville |
| Barbour |
Dec 18, 1832 |
Gov. James Barbour/VA |
Clayton |
| Benton, see Calhoun | Dec 18, 1832 | U.S. Sen. Thomas Hart Benton/MO | Jacksonville |
| Bibb |
Feb 7, 1818 |
Gov. William W. Bibb |
Centreville |
| Blount | Feb 6, 1818 | Gov. Willie G. Blount/TN | Oneonta |
| Bullock | Dec 5, 1866 | Col. Edward C. Bullock | Union Springs |
| Butler | Dec 13, 1819 | Capt. William Butler/Creek Wars | Greenville |
| Cahawba, see Bibb | Feb 7, 1818 | Cahawba River, from Choctaw "water above" | Cahawba |
| Calhoun | Dec 18, 1832 | Sen. John C. Calhoun/SC | Anniston |
| Chambers | Dec 18, 1832 | Sen. Henry C. Chambers/AL | Lafayette |
| Cherokee | Jan 9, 1836 | American Indian Tribe | Centre |
| Chilton | Dec 30, 1868 | Confederate Cong. Wm. P. Chilton | Clanton |
| Choctaw | Dec 29, 1847 | American Indian Tribe | Butler |
| Clarke | Dec 10, 1812 | Gen. John Clarke/GA | Grove Hill |
| Clay | Dec 7, 1866 | Sen. Henry Clay/KY | Ashland |
| Cleburne | Dec 6, 1866 | Major Gen. Patrick Cleburne/AR | Heflin |
| Coffee | Dec 29, 1841 | Gen. John Coffee | Elba |
| Colbert | Feb 6, 1867 | Chiefs George & Levi Colbert | Tuscumbia |
| Conecuh | Feb 13, 1818 | American Indian word | Evergreen |
| Coosa | Dec 18, 1832 | Town of Alabama Indians | Rockford |
| Cotaco; see Morgan | Feb 8, 1818 | Cotaco Creek | Somerville |
| Covington | Dec 17, 1821 | Brig. Gen. Leonard Covington/MD | Andalusia |
| Crenshaw | Nov 30, 1866 | Judge Anderson Crenshaw | Luverne |
| Cullman | Jan 24, 1877 | Johann G. Cullmann | Cullman |
| Dale | Dec 22, 1824 | Gen. Samuel Dale | Ozark |
| Dallas | Feb 9, 1818 | A.J. Dallas, US Sec. of Treasury/PA | Selma |
| Decatur | Dec. 7, 1821 | Commodore Stephen Decatur | Woodville |
| DeKalb | Jan 9, 1836 | Major Gen. Baron DeKalb/Am. Rev. | Fort Payne |
| Elmore | Feb 15, 1866 | Gen. John A. Elmore | Wetumpka |
| Escambia | Dec 10, 1868 | American Indian name/river | Brewton |
| Etowah | Dec 7, 1866 | Cherokee Indian name | Gadsden |
| Fayette | Dec 20, 1824 | Marquis de LaFayette | Fayette |
| Franklin | Feb 6, 1818 | Benjamin Franklin | Russellville |
| Geneva | Dec 26, 1868 | Geneva, Switzerland | Geneva |
| Greene | Dec 13, 1819 | Gen. Nathaniel Greene/GA | Eutaw |
| Hale | Jan 30, 1867 | Col. Stephen F. Hale | Greensboro |
| Hancock, seeWinston | Feb 12, 1850 | Gov. John Hancock/MA | Double Springs |
| Henry | Dec 13, 1819 | Gov. Patrick Henry/VA | Abbeville |
| Houston | Feb 9, 1903 | Gov. George S. Houston | Dothan |
| Jackson | Dec 13, 1819 | Gen. Andrew Jackson | Scottsboro |
| Jefferson | Dec 13, 1819 | Pres. Thomas Jefferson | Birmingham |
| Jones, see Lamar | Feb 4, 1867 | E. P. Jones/Fayette County | Vernon |
| Lamar | Feb 4, 1867 | Sen. L.Q.C. Lamar/MS | Vernon |
| Lauderdale | Feb 6, 1818 | Col. James Lauderdale/TN | Florence |
| Lawrence | Feb 6, 1818 | Capt. J. Lawrence, USN/VT | Moulton |
| Lee | Dec 5, 1866 | Gen. Robert E. Lee | Opelika |
| Limestone | Feb 6, 1818 | Limestone Creek | Athens |
| Lowndes | Jan 20, 1830 | Cong. William Lowndes/SC | Hayneville |
| Macon | Dec 18, 1832 | Sen. Nathaniel Macon/NC | Tuskegee |
| Madison | Dec 13, 1808 | Pres. James Madison | Huntsville |
| Marengo | Feb 6, 1818 | French battlefield | Linden |
| Marion | Feb 13, 1818 | Gen. Francis Marion/SC | Hamilton |
| Marshall | Jan 9, 1836 | Chief Justice John Marshall | Guntersville |
| Mobile | Dec 18, 1812 | Named for Maubila Indians | Mobile |
| Monroe | Jun 29, 1815 | Pres. James Monroe | Monroeville |
| Montgomery | Dec 6, 1816 | Major L.P. Montgomery/TN | Montgomery |
| Morgan | Feb 6, 1818 | Gen. Daniel Morgan/VA | Decatur |
| Perry | Dec 13, 1819 | Commodore O.H. Perry/RI | Marion |
| Pickens | Dec 20, 1820 | Gen. Andrew Pickens/SC | Carrollton |
| Pike | Dec 17, 1821 | Gen. Zebulon M. Pike/NJ | Troy |
| Randolph | Dec 18, 1832 | Sen. John Randolph/VA | Wedowee |
| Russell | Dec 18, 1832 | Col. Gilbert C. Russell/Creek Wars | Phenix City |
| Sanford, see Lamar | Feb 4, 1867 | H. C. Sanford/Cherokee County | Vernon |
| St. Clair | Nov 20, 1818 | Gen. Arthur St. Clair/PA | Ashville |
| Shelby | Feb 7, 1818 | Gov. Isaac Shelby/KY | Columbiana |
| Sumter | Dec 18, 1832 | Gen. Thomas Sumter/SC | Livingston |
| Talladega | Dec 18, 1832 | Town of Creek Indians | Talladega |
| Tallapoosa | Dec 18, 1832 | American Indian name | Dadeville |
| Tuscaloosa | Feb 6, 1818 | Chief Tuscaloosa | Tuscaloosa |
| Walker | Dec 26, 1823 | Sen. John W. Walker | Jasper |
| Washington | Jun 4, 1800 | Pres. George Washington | Chatom |
| Wilcox | Dec 13, 1819 | Lt. J.M. Wilcox/Creek Wars | Camden |
| Winston | Feb 12, 1850 | Gov. John A. Winston | Double Springs |
. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1921.