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2005.36.156: P.M.B. Young to Father, Dr. R. M. Young,
Unknown July 15-16
Pierce M.B. Young writes a letter from West Point to his father, Dr. R.M. Young at the Young's family home in Georgia. In it, he details the tough life he is having at West Point, providing information on military drills and a recent sickness he has…
2005.36.267: Thomas F. Jones Jr. to Kate, 1858 January 03
Jones writes of his travels, his fear of Kate’s parents rejecting his marriage proposal, and his joining of a local church. 3 handwritten pages.
2005.36.167: P.M.B Young to Mother, 1854 March 25
A short letter from Young to his mother discussing the death of a “brother cadet” at the Georgia Military Institute. Young comments on the cause of death, which was pneumonia, and how symptoms such as pleurisy induced a very painful death. Young also…
2005.36.121: Mary (Jones) Thompson to Louisa Young, Unknown March 29
News on family health and well-being along with advice and encouragement on making courtship and marriage decisions. Requests that the family make a trip to SC for a visit. Includes a warning to Robert M. Young, Sr. to be watchful for a fugitive…
2005.36.89: W. L. Blake to Dr. Thos. F. Jones, 1856 July 04
Letter recounting the writer meeting several (girl)friends and relating other friends who are engaged or married. Noted others who are sick or have died. Also mentioned monetary notes and a probated note. One handwritten envelope and four…
2005.36.153: Unknown to Unknown, 1857
This one-page handwritten note to an unidentified recipient from an unknown author offers amiable sentiments toward Captain Young following an unspecified incident with May Eleanor Nesbit.
2005.36.399: James W. Watts to Lou Young, 1860 May 13
Describe the letter in detail here . . . .
Leon Vandiver Oral History Recording
Oral interview of Leon Vandiver recorded by Keith S. Hebert in December 2016 for the Montgomery County Historical Society as part of their Alabama Bicentennial commemorations. The interview was conducted at Vandiver's home in Montgomery, Alabama. To…
Hugh Martin
Hugh Martin (August 11, 1914-March 11, 2011)
Hugh Martin was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1914. He received musical training at the Birmingham Conservatory of Music. Over the course of his career, he wrote some of our most memorable songs and…
Hugh Martin was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1914. He received musical training at the Birmingham Conservatory of Music. Over the course of his career, he wrote some of our most memorable songs and…
Freddie Hart
Freddie Hart (December 21, 1926- )
Born Fred Segrest on December 21, 1926, Hart was one of fifteen children. His parents were sharecroppers. He began playing guitar at age 5, and by age 12 he dropped out of school to work for his parents. When…
Born Fred Segrest on December 21, 1926, Hart was one of fifteen children. His parents were sharecroppers. He began playing guitar at age 5, and by age 12 he dropped out of school to work for his parents. When…
Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie (June 20, 1949- )
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. was born on June 20, 1949 in Tuskegee, Alabama. He grew up on the campus of the Tuskegee Institute where many members of his family had worked for two generations. While in college at…
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. was born on June 20, 1949 in Tuskegee, Alabama. He grew up on the campus of the Tuskegee Institute where many members of his family had worked for two generations. While in college at…
Fess Whatley
J.T. "Fess" Whatley (c. 1895 - January 12, 1972)
If Alabama's musical heritage were to have a conductor, a teacher, that person would have to be J.T. “Fess” Whatley. In his tutelage of musicians, first at The Tuggle Institute in Birmingham, of…
If Alabama's musical heritage were to have a conductor, a teacher, that person would have to be J.T. “Fess” Whatley. In his tutelage of musicians, first at The Tuggle Institute in Birmingham, of…
Candi Staton
Candi Staton (March 13, 1940 - )
For many within the African-American community, the line between gospel and soul music is a thin one. A rhythm that pushes the music along, soaring vocals that inspire and lift the crowds out of their seats,…
For many within the African-American community, the line between gospel and soul music is a thin one. A rhythm that pushes the music along, soaring vocals that inspire and lift the crowds out of their seats,…
Billy Sherrill
Billy Sherrill (November 5, 1936 - August 4, 2015)
If at any point during the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s you listened to a song by George Jones, Tammy Wynette, or Charlie Rich, chances are very good that song was either written, produced, or both,…
If at any point during the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s you listened to a song by George Jones, Tammy Wynette, or Charlie Rich, chances are very good that song was either written, produced, or both,…
Spooner Oldham
Spooner Oldham (June 14, 1943 - )
The writing credits of Spooner Oldham read like a jukebox selection. From Percy Sledge to Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett to Janis Joplin, Spooner is at the heart of what has come to be called “The Muscle Shoals…
The writing credits of Spooner Oldham read like a jukebox selection. From Percy Sledge to Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett to Janis Joplin, Spooner is at the heart of what has come to be called “The Muscle Shoals…
Buddy Killen
Buddy Killen (November 13, 1932 - November 1, 2006)
There are countless musicians, singers and entertainers in the world that, for lack of that big break, never reach the pinnacle, in spite of the fact that they may have just as much, if not more,…
There are countless musicians, singers and entertainers in the world that, for lack of that big break, never reach the pinnacle, in spite of the fact that they may have just as much, if not more,…
Erskine Hawkins
Erskine Hawkins (July 26, 1914 - November 11, 1993)
When philanthropists donate money to various organizations, schools and charities, most often the result is either a building named in in their honor, or a scholarship, or even a seat on a board…
When philanthropists donate money to various organizations, schools and charities, most often the result is either a building named in in their honor, or a scholarship, or even a seat on a board…
Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay
Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay (August 22, 1947 - )
If anyone can lay claim to having lived a life that was marked by being in the right place at the right, Donna Jean Godchaux (pronounced “God-show) can. From growing up in the Florence/Muscle Shoals,…
If anyone can lay claim to having lived a life that was marked by being in the right place at the right, Donna Jean Godchaux (pronounced “God-show) can. From growing up in the Florence/Muscle Shoals,…
Eddie Floyd
Eddie Floyd (June 27, 1937 - )
The “Memphis sound” that mixed Southern soul with R&B, jazz, with a little country and gospel thrown in, was an important and influential sound in the 1960s. Led by such singers as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and…
The “Memphis sound” that mixed Southern soul with R&B, jazz, with a little country and gospel thrown in, was an important and influential sound in the 1960s. Led by such singers as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and…
Cleveland "Cleve" Eaton
Cleveland "Cleve" Eaton (August 31, 1939 - )
In his long career in music, it is difficult to find a genre or an entertainer or act that Cleve Eaton has either not recorded or toured with. The man dubbed “the Count’s Bassist” because of his long…
In his long career in music, it is difficult to find a genre or an entertainer or act that Cleve Eaton has either not recorded or toured with. The man dubbed “the Count’s Bassist” because of his long…
Clarence Carter
Clarence Carter (January 14, 1936 - )
The best way to describe Clarence Carter’s style is that he is a soul and blues preacher of love, most specifically, the cheating kind. Carter’s vocals, at times soaring and at times down in the gutter,…
The best way to describe Clarence Carter’s style is that he is a soul and blues preacher of love, most specifically, the cheating kind. Carter’s vocals, at times soaring and at times down in the gutter,…
William Lee Golden
William Lee Golden
Golden was raised in a farming family in Brewton, Alabama. At age seven he began singing and performing regularly on his grandfather’s weekly radio show, along with his sister. From this experience, Golden grew to love…
Golden was raised in a farming family in Brewton, Alabama. At age seven he began singing and performing regularly on his grandfather’s weekly radio show, along with his sister. From this experience, Golden grew to love…
Buddy Buie
Buddy Buie (January 23, 1941 - July 18, 2015)
Buddy Buie may not be a name that most folks recognize, but his impact on the music scene of the 1960s to the 1990s is one that transcends name recognition. As a songwriter, producer, and concert…
Buddy Buie may not be a name that most folks recognize, but his impact on the music scene of the 1960s to the 1990s is one that transcends name recognition. As a songwriter, producer, and concert…
David Briggs
David Briggs (March 16, 1943 - )
David Briggs has had a career that can best be described as impressive, topped off by working with Elvis Presley as his studio keyboardist, and later going out on tour with the King. But lest one think that he…
David Briggs has had a career that can best be described as impressive, topped off by working with Elvis Presley as his studio keyboardist, and later going out on tour with the King. But lest one think that he…
Tammy Wynette
![twynette[1].jpg](https://omeka.lib.auburn.edu/files/thumbnails/e332a88d0949bdea40a44eec13c8d259.jpg "twynette[1].jpg")
Tammy Wynette (May 5, 1942-April 6, 1998)
Virginia Wynette Pugh was born May 5, 1942 in Tremont, Mississippi, but she spent much or her childhood just across the state line in Red Bay, Alabama. After her father died when she was nine months old,…
Virginia Wynette Pugh was born May 5, 1942 in Tremont, Mississippi, but she spent much or her childhood just across the state line in Red Bay, Alabama. After her father died when she was nine months old,…
Ernie Ashworth
Ernie Ashworth (December 15, 1928 - March 2, 2009)
Even though he had written songs for some of country music’s biggest stars, and that he himself had scored two top 10 hits, it wasn’t until after he had scored his one and only number-one single…
Even though he had written songs for some of country music’s biggest stars, and that he himself had scored two top 10 hits, it wasn’t until after he had scored his one and only number-one single…
Percy Sledge
Percy Sledge (November 25, 1940-April 14, 2015)
Percy Tyrone Sledge was born November 25, 1940 in the poor farming town of Leighton, Alabama. Sledge worked on many local farms then was hired as an orderly at the hospital in Sheffield where he…
Percy Tyrone Sledge was born November 25, 1940 in the poor farming town of Leighton, Alabama. Sledge worked on many local farms then was hired as an orderly at the hospital in Sheffield where he…
Curly Putman
Curly Putman (Nov. 20, 1930-Oct. 30, 2016)
Claude “Curly” Putman Jr., born in Princeton, Alabama, is best known as a songwriter.
He was born on Putman Mountain, northeast of Huntsville, Alabama. His father was a sawmill worker and his mother…
Claude “Curly” Putman Jr., born in Princeton, Alabama, is best known as a songwriter.
He was born on Putman Mountain, northeast of Huntsville, Alabama. His father was a sawmill worker and his mother…
Alabama
Alabama
Members:
Randy Owen (Dec. 13, 1949- ) (lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter),
Teddy Gentry (Jan. 22, 1952- ) (bass player, songwriter, and harmony vocalist)
Jeff Cook (Aug. 27, 1949- ) (multi-instrumentalist, singer, and…
Members:
Randy Owen (Dec. 13, 1949- ) (lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter),
Teddy Gentry (Jan. 22, 1952- ) (bass player, songwriter, and harmony vocalist)
Jeff Cook (Aug. 27, 1949- ) (multi-instrumentalist, singer, and…
William L. Dawson
William L. Dawson (September 26, 1899-May 4, 1990)
William Levi Dawson was an African American composer, performer, and music educator from Anniston, Alabama.
Dawson graduated from the Tuskegee Institute with highest honors in 1921. He earned a…
William Levi Dawson was an African American composer, performer, and music educator from Anniston, Alabama.
Dawson graduated from the Tuskegee Institute with highest honors in 1921. He earned a…
Sam Phillips
Sam Phillips (1923-2003)
Samuel Cornelius Phillips was born January 5, 1923 in Florence, Alabama. He was the youngest of eight children born to Charles Tucker Phillips and Madge Ella Phillips. He was born into a middle-class farming family, but…
Samuel Cornelius Phillips was born January 5, 1923 in Florence, Alabama. He was the youngest of eight children born to Charles Tucker Phillips and Madge Ella Phillips. He was born into a middle-class farming family, but…
Nat "King" Cole
Nat "King" Cole (March 17. 1919 - February 15, 1965)
Born Nathaniel Adams Coles, on March 17, 1919, in Montgomery, Alabama, crooner Nat Cole was known for his smooth, soft baritone and easygoing nature. When Nat was four years old, his father,…
Born Nathaniel Adams Coles, on March 17, 1919, in Montgomery, Alabama, crooner Nat Cole was known for his smooth, soft baritone and easygoing nature. When Nat was four years old, his father,…
"Alabama Agriculture," Constance Ortmayer (1940)
Constance Ortmayer was born in New York City in 1902 and graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts at Vienna, Austria. She returned to the United States in 1932 and was teaching art at Rollins College in Florida when she was commissioned to…
General William Rosecrans' Headquarters (Alston-Rosser House, "Little Brick")
The structure known locally as "Little Brick" was built about 1855 during the railroad construction boom in Stevenson, Alabama. The property was purchased prior to the Civil War by Michigan native Walter Rosser who was in Stevenson working as a…
Sauta Village and Sequoyah's Cherokee Syllabary
Sauta was a small Cherokee village established about 1784 on the north side of the Tennessee River near its confluence with North Sauty Creek. The August 13, 1828, issue of the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper includes a letter from an acquaintance of…
Morris Nathan
Alfred Huger Moses and Morris Nathan were the first two alderman of Sheffield, Alabama. Nathan was buried in the Jewish section of Oakwood Cemetery in Sheffield, Alabama before the Jewish community incorporated or built a temple.
Montgomery Avenue, Sheffield, Alabama
Alfred Huger Moses was responsible for the layout of the residential, business, and industrial areas of Sheffield, Alabama, which was incorporated in 1895. He named Montgomery Avenue after Montgomery, Alabama where he and his family had lived (and…
Alfred Moses Home
Alfred Huger Moses, the designer and first mayor of Sheffield, built his family home at what is now 1315 North Montgomery Avenue, Sheffield, Alabama. The house burned to the ground circa 1890.
Office of Sheffield Land, Iron and Coal Company
Alfred Huger Moses, founder and first mayor of Sheffield, Alabama (along with his brother, Mordecai) was the owner of the Sheffield Land, Iron and Coal Company, located on Montgomery Avenue.
Montgomery Avenue - Business District
Most of the earliest merchants in Sheffield, Alabama were of Jewish descent and came to the area in the mid 1880's. The earliest Jewish families were the Spielbergers who owned a dry goods and clothing store, Speilbergers and Sons at 217-219…
Sheffield, Alabama
Alfred Huger Moses and his brother, Mordecai, were largely responsible for the founding of Sheffield, Alabama. They named the city after Sheffield, England hoping for similar success in industrialization.
The sales of 500 lots for the…
The sales of 500 lots for the…
Jacob and Isaac Friedman
Jacob and Isaac Friedman, brothers who moved to Tuscumbia from Cincinnati, Ohio in the 1840s, established a dry goods store on the main street of Tuscumbia.
WQLT Transmitter Site: Elvis the Generator
The generator for WQLT Radio station, which is owned by Big River Broadcasting - founded by Sam Phillips and now under the management of his sons and grandchildren -- is, whimsically perhaps, painted gold and named Elvis for Elvis Presley, who Sam…
The Reisman - Coffee - Looft House
The Reisman-Coffee-Looft House, located at 618 N. Wood Avenue, was the home to Mark Reisman and his family. Mr. Reisman was one of the first Jewish merchants in the Florence area. His business was located the corner of Tennessee and Court Streets. He…
Temple B'Nai Israel Cornerstone
Coleman, Erwin M., A History of Temple B'nai Israel, Florence, Alabama: Centennial Celebration, 1906 - 2006. Privately Printed.
Unpublished Manuscript -- Stanley Rosenbaum
Stanley Rosenbaum, who was a Florence, Alabama businessman, philanthropist, Civil Rights advocate, member of the University of North Alabama's English Department, and original owner of the Stanley Rosenbaum Frank Lloyd Wright House, was interested in…
Spielberger Family
Jacob Spielberger, who was born in Hungary in January of 1856, came to Alabama around 1888. He opened a dry goods store and clothing store, Spielberger and Sons, at 217 and 219 Mongomery Avenue in Sheffield. His three sons, Jacob, Harry, and Ben…