Florida Colonial Records

History
After the Spanish San Franciscans arrived in Saint Augustine, Florida in 1573, they started moving northward and eastward into the Alabama area. France claimed the region in 1699 and established Fort Conde (Mobile) in 1702 and Fort Toulouse in 1717. The French controlled this area until 1763. The British governed this area as part of West Florida from 1763 to 1783. In 1783, the British ceded Mobile to the Spanish while the rest of Alabama became a part of Georgia. In 1798, Alabama was incorporate as part of the Mississippi Territory. The U.S. claimed Mobile in 1813 during the War of 1812 and the rest of Alabama was organized into a territory in 1817.