The rapid settlement of Alabama is illustrated by this 1823 map showing the Baptist churches in the state at the time. Much of the eastern section of Alabama was still Creek-Cherokee land and not open for settlement. The Alabama Baptist file photo

According to the May 31, 1845, issue of The Alabama Baptist, a Table of Statistics at the end of 1844 was published on the front page of The Alabama Baptist. The table showed 653 Baptist churches in Alabama organized into 38 different associations. The number of ordained Baptist ministers was reported at 267 with 2,723 baptisms and 37,100 resident members. The compiler of the report indicated the numbers did not include information from the 20 churches that failed to report. (TAB)