Decatur County was a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

of the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It was named for Commodore

Stephen Decatur Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was an American naval officer and commodore. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland in Worcester County. His father, Stephen Decatur Sr., was a commodore in the Unite ...

of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

was Woodville.

History

Decatur County was established by the

Alabama Legislature The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the House of Representatives and Senate. It is one of the few state legislatures in which members of both chambers serv ...

on December 17, 1821.A digest of the laws of the State of Alabama: containing the statutes and resolutions in force at the end of the General Assembly in January, 1823. Published by Ginn & Curtis, J. & J. Harper, Printers, New-York, 1828. Title 10. Chapter XXXII. Pages 97-98
An Act to establish certain Counties therein named, and for other purposes.--Passed December 17, 1821.
/ref> In 1822, Woodville was selected as the county seat. Several years later, however, a survey showed the county did not have the minimum constitutional area, and so Decatur County was abolished on December 28, 1825
Approved December 28, 1825. Alabama Act 25. Alabama Legislative Acts. Annual Session, 21 Nov 1825 - 14 Jan 1826. Pages 16-17. Access Date: 2017-07-07. and divided between Madison County and Jackson County. The section added to Madison County was known informally for many years as "New Madison".

References

Former counties of the United States History of Alabama Huntsville-Decatur, AL Combined Statistical Area Jackson County, Alabama Madison County, Alabama 1821 establishments in Alabama 1825 disestablishments in Alabama {{MadisonCountyAL-geo-stub

History

See also

References