Thomas McAdory Owen, son of Dr. William Marmaduke Owen and Nancy Lucretia McAdory Owen, was born here on December 15, 1866, at the home of his maternal grandparents, Thomas and Emily McAdory. A University of Alabama graduate and lawyer, Owen served Jefferson County as justice of the peace and later assistant county solicitor. In 1893, he married Marle Bankhead, daughter of U.S. Congressman John Hollis Bankhead. Owen authored legislation that ultimately led to the creation of the Alabama Dept. of Archives and History in 1901, and he served as director until his death on March 25, 1920. Thomas McAdory Owen was a descendant of Revolutionary War soldier Richardson Owen.