1844
1844 was 27 years before the founding of the City of Birmingham and the 25th year of Alabama statehood.
Events
Religion
- Nicholas Cobbs became the first Episcopal Bishop of Alabama.
- Mount Zion Baptist Church of Christ moved two miles closer to Sylacauga.
Government
- Baylis Grace became Jefferson County Sheriff.
- Andrew Moore was re-elected as Speaker of the Alabama State House of Representatives.
Individuals
- Joseph Riley Smith married Margaret Harvie Jordan.
- Michael Tuomey was appointed state geologist for South Carolina.
Births
- January 5: Benjamin Roden, businessman
- February 2: Thomas Hillman, partner in the Alice Furnaces
- February 29: Frank O'Brien, civic leader and Mayor of Birmingham
- May 23: A. B. Loveman, merchant
- June 10: Mortimer Jordan Jr, physician
- November 4: Thomas Parsons, Jefferson County Commissioner
- November 10: Llewellyn Johns, mine engineer
- November 16: James Bowron, businessman
- December 25: N. F. Thompson, industrial promoter
- Mary Gordon Duffee, historian
- Henry, possible inspiration for the legend of John Henry
Works
Buildings
- Construction of Shelby Furnace began.
- St Clair County Courthouse was completed.
- The Thomas McAdory residence was built.
Context
In 1844, the Dominican Republic gained independence from Haiti. Samuel Morse made the first public demonstration of his telegraph. The Great Flood of 1844 struck the Missouri River and Mississippi River. George Williams founded the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in London. Charles Goodyear received a patent for vulcanization. James K. Polk defeated Henry Clay in the U.S. presidential election.
Notable births in 1844 included department store founder Aaron Montgomery Ward, physicist Ludwig Boltzmann, artist Henri Rousseau, artist Mary Cassatt, Bahá'í religious leader `Abdu'l-Bahá, poet Edward Carpenter, philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, Vienna mayor Karl Lueger, and automotive pioneer Karl Benz. Notable deaths included King Charles XIV John of Sweden, chemist Thomas Charles Hope, poet Thomas Campbell, Mormon leaders Hyrum Smith & Joseph Smith Jr, and chemist & physicist John Dalton.
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