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| Notes for George POWELL | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1860 Census Blount County, Alabama pg 37. Owens Dictionary of Alabama Biography Vol. IV pg 1381. George Powell was educated in the log house schools of the Pendleton District and continued his education in a local study club that progressed through the subject of trigonometry. He read, and later studied, surveying and geology. After marriage he moved to Blount County AL in 1819 and acquired lands on Turkey Creek. His parents, and some brothers and sisters also lived nearby. Because of his knowledge of surveying and geology, he was able to be of important service to the U.S. Surveyors in the original survey of the region. In 1821 he Began to teach. He moved his school about to suit the convenience of the settlers. He was appointed to survey Blount County and was the county surveyor for forty years as well as a farmer. He is also said to have piloted the first flatboat down the Warrior River to Mobile. In 1838 he continued his studies in geology. His private explorations and discoveries of mineral deposits attracted the attention of Michael Tormey, professor of geology and mineralogy at the state university, and he was also the state geologist. In 1848, Mr. Toumey visited with George and from time to time cooperated with him in mineral surveys of Blount, Jefferson, Winston, Walker, Marion, Lawrence and Franklin Counties. In 1850 he was a member of the Order of the Sons of Temperance and an ardent prohibitionist. He was a Whig, then a Democrat and a states right man. In 1855, the Alabama Historical Society was attempting to have the histories of all Alabama Counties recorded. Professor Toumey, a member of the society, and acquainted with Powell's abilities, insisted that Powell write the Blount County history. "Mr. Powell wrote a manuscript under the belief that he was merely furnishing material to be wrought by another hand into a more complete shape before publication" (Remininences of Fifty Years, Transactions of the Alabama Historical Society, 1899-1903). Instead, the society thought it in the best interests of their intent" to publish it without "changing, to any material extent the original manuscript." At the annual meeting in Tuscaloosa July 9th and 10th, 1855, the society passed resolutions "directing the publication of the 'History of Blount County, written by Mr. George Powell, of Blount, and making George Powell of Blount County...a life member of this Society with fee remitted." Headstone of George reads, "Homesite and Grave of George Powell Planter, trader, historian, geologist, surveyor." | ||||||||||||||||||
| Last Modified 20 Oct 2000 | Created 14 Nov 2011 by Reunion for Macintosh |