John Looney

John Looney, Jr (born 1771 in Botetourt County, Virginia - died February 9, 1827 in Mobile) was a veteran of the War of 1812/Creek Indian War and a pioneer settler in Beaver Valley near present-day Ashville in St Clair County.

Looney commanded a company of Tennessee militia volunteers from Maury County and was commissioned a captain of the 27th regiment under Andrew Jackson during the Creek War. He helped construct Fort Strother on the Coosa River and fought in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. Like many of Jackson's officers, Looney returned to settle in Alabama after the territory was ceded to the United States.

About 1816 Looney began selling his property in Tennessee and applying for patents in Alabama. He and his wife Rebecca brought their ten children and their slaves to Beaver Valley around 1817 and completed construction of a two-story log cabin around 1820.

Looney was a prominent and respected citizen in the pioneer days of St Clair County. He was foreman of the county's first Grand Jury and served as a Justice of the Peace. He executed numerous wills, took several orphans into his household, and co-signed security bonds for elected officials.

References

• Crow, Mattie Lou Teague ( ) History of the Looney House in St. Clair County, Alabama. St Clair Historical Society