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    Prentiss County, Mississippi: History and Families
    Prentiss County, Mississippi: History and Families
    Prentiss County, Mississippi: History and Families
    Ebook1,378 pages16 hours

    Prentiss County, Mississippi: History and Families

    By Turner Publishing

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    About this ebook

    The history of Prentiss County, Mississippi, including the people and families, buildings, businesses, churches, organizations, schools and and sports.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTurner Publishing Company
    Release dateJan 1, 2002
    ISBN9781681624457
    Prentiss County, Mississippi: History and Families

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      Prentiss County, Mississippi - Turner Publishing

      PRENTISS COUNTY, MS HISTORY

      PRE-HISTORY

      Scientists tell us that our planet Earth is very ancient. Thus so, is the area now known far and wide as Prentiss County, Mississippi, U.S.

      Ages ago the North American continent was much smaller and the oceans much larger.

      Judging by fossils found in this area, the earliest inhabitants of what is now known as Prentiss County were sea creatures. Browning Cretaceous Fossil Park near Frankstown in Prentiss County is the site of excavation and studies by paleontologists because of the many sharks teeth and fossils found there. There have been no major dinosaur finds in this area, but dinosaur teeth have been found.

      Ages passed and the waters slowly receded and abundant wildlife and man appeared. The earliest human inhabitants of our area were aboriginals of the Mississippian culture, the so called native Americans. They lived in this area from about 700 to 1200 AD and some of their mounds still remain. One may view some of these mounds on the nearby Natchez Trace Parkway.

      HISTORY

      About 1541, Hernando de Soto explored the present day Prentiss County area and was hindered by attacks from Chickasaw Indians, descendants of the Mississippians, who then occupied the land. These southeastern Indians lived by farming, hunting and fishing. The Chickasaws successfully resisted being overun by both the French and the Spanish and never lived under the flags of those nations. The most prominent of the Chickasaw chiefs was Tishomingo.

      Tishomingo was a warrior of great distinction. It is known that he was one of the chiefs who served with a company of Chickasaws under General Anthony Wayne in his expedition against hostile tribes in the northwest. He was present at the Battle of Fallen Timbers where General Mad Anthony Wayne defeated Little Turtle and crushed the hostile tribes.

      For these services Tishomingo received a great silver medallion from George Washington. Two other medals went to Chief Piomingo and Chief William Colbert.

      An old Tupelo newspaper story tells of Chief Tishomingo losing his medal and it’s being returned to him by a resident of Baldwyn, Mississippi some years before the great chief migrated to the Indian Territory.

      An Arkansas newspaper reported the medal was in the chief’s possession when he died about 1838.

      The Colbert chiefs were half-breed Indians who were diplomats and had the best interest of the Chickasaw Indians at heart.

      Pictured with the W.M. Browning Cretaceous Fossil Park are W.M. Browning’s children and their spouses. From left to right: Emmy and William Browning and Anne (Browning) and Lamar Walker.

      Eric and John Sparks of Louisville, KY, with Prentiss County roots, exploring the Browning Cretaceous Fossil Park.

      George Colbert, born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, was one of the sons of James Logan Colbert, a Scotsman who is thought to have come over on The Prince of Wales in January 1736 and who landed at Savannah, Georgia.

      George Colbert had an Indian mother and acquired the Indian name, Tootemastubbe. He became a colonel in the U. S. Army and had two ferrys on the Tennessee River. He had large farms, one of which was about four miles south of Booneville, Mississippi on Wolf Creek. He exerted considerable influence over the Chickasaws and the settlers in this area.

      Brown’s Creek in eastern Prentiss County was most likely named for Jim Brown, a noted individual of half Indian descent. He was the husband of Jincy Brown who also has a creek named for her. Jim and Jincy Brown lived about where Little Brown Church now stands near the New Site, Mississippi Post Office. Jim Brown was a commanding officer of a company or battalion under General Andrew Jackson in the Creek Indian War.

      Confederates goin’ to meet the enemy

      In 1729 warfare broke out between the Natchez Indians, allied with the Chickasaws, and the French over land ownership. The Natchez were slaughtered and dispersed.

      In 1763 the Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War and France ceded to to England all claims to what is now Alabama.

      Reverend Joseph Bullen was likely the first minister to preach a sermon to the Chickasaws. He came to the Chickasaw village of Long Town, located northwest of the present day city of Tupelo on May 20, 1799. In his diary he described the town as having 200 houses made of poles 3 to 5 inches thick and and plastered with mortar and 16 by 22 feet on the ground floored with earth and covered with capboards.

      Reverend Charles Riddle was a Primitive Baptist preacher who was born in or around Chatham County, North Carolina July 10, 1782. He preached in Hardin County, Tennessee and often came to Burton Community in Prentiss County to deer hunt. He traveled over the same trail each time and it became known as the Riddle Wind Trail. He moved his family over this same trail to the Burton area and settled on Riddle’s Creek. He and his wife and another family member are buried in Mackey’s Creek Cemetery. It is interesting to note that the Riddle name is still common in Prentiss County.

      In 1800 this area was part of Georgia and was sold to land speculators. The Yazoo Land Fraud, as it was known, was rescinded and in 1802 Georgia ceded the territory to the United States government and in 1804 it became part of the Mississippi Territory.

      During the War of 1812, General Andrew Jackson broke the power of the Creek Indians in the Mississippi Territory and Georgia, assisted by the ancestors of many present day Prentiss Countians, who came with Jackson from South Carolina to Tennessee and Mississippi Territory, and later migrated from Alabama to old Tishomingo and Prentiss County.

      In 1817 the western half of the Mississippi Territory became the state of Mississippi, and the eastern half became the Alabama Territory. In 1832 a land office was set up in Pontotoc, Mississippi and between 1832 and 1834 the Chickasaws, one of the Five Civilized Tribes, were removed to Oklahoma, and an excellent class of white settlers, mostly farmers, started pouring into northeast Mississippi from Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia.

      OLD TISHOMINGO COUNTY

      The part of the Chickasaw nation lying in Mississippi was divided into ten counties in 1836, the largest of those counties being Tishomingo,

      Often called the Free State of Tishomingo, or Old State of Tishomingo. This old Tishomingo County included all of present Alcorn, Prentiss and Tishomingo Counties. Commissioners appointed to organize the county were Peter G. Rives, James Davis, James McMathews and A. M. Cowan, who called for an election May 6 & 7, 1836. At the June session the county was divided into five districts with each district electing two Justices of the Peace and one Constable for each police district. The act of creating the county provided that the county seat be no more than five miles from the geographical center of the county. The board was then offered 60 acres of land by Armstead Barton. The new town and county seat was first named Cincinnati. Citizens objected to the northern name and it was soon changed to Jacinto. From the time of the county’s formation until 1860, it had become one of the wealthiest counties in the South. The pioneers that had pushed their way across the southern boundary of Tennessee and the western counties of Alabama had made Tishomingo County a place of importance. Today the descendants of these hardy settlers are to be found in every part of the world and many remain right here on the land their pioneer families settled.

      Long before the first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter, the seeds of sectional dissension were sown because of economic and political rivalry and the argument over States Rights and the right of a state to secede.

      In 1859, the state legislature passed a resolution to the effect that Mississippi would secede if a Republican were elected to the Presidency. When Abraham Lincoln was elected President a convention was summoned at Jackson. Delegates elected from Tishomingo County were A. E. Reynolds, W. W. Bonds, T. P. Young and J. A. Blair.

      Mississippi was the second of the southern states to secede and that terrrible war, called by some simply The Civil War, by some the War Between the States, and by others The War of Northern Agression, began in 1861.

      Although no major battles were fought in present day Prentiss County, important battles took place in old Tishomingo County: the Battle of Corinth and the Battle of Iuka. There were other area battles, the Battle of Shiloh and the Battle of Brice’s Crossroads. Booneville and the surrounding communities were subjected to Union occupation, skirmishes and much hardship and deprivation. Ancestors of many Prentiss Countians volunteered at Jacinto and fought and died on distant battlefield.

      Confederate units from old Tishomingo County area were the Anna Perry Guards, Co. F, 26th Reg. Inf.; the Beauregard Rifles, Co. H, 32nd Reg. Inf.; the Blackland Gideonites, Co. F, 23rd Reg. Inf; the Blount Guards, Co. A, 23rd Reg. Inf.; the Bob Davenport Grays, Co. C, 26th Reg. Inf.; the Boone Avengers, Co. B, 26th Reg. Inf.; the Buckner Boys, Co. K, 32nd Reg. Inf.; the Burnsville Blues, Co. E, 17th Reg. Inf.; Capt. Burton’s Co., Co. I, 26th Reg. Inf.; Capt. Duncan’s Co. (aka Inge’s Co. and Tishomingo Rangers), independent cavalry; the Cape Horn Rifles, Co H, 26th Reg. Inf.; Capt. Belsher’s Co., Co. D, 26th Reg. Inf.; Capt. Kizer’s Co., Co K, 26th Reg. Inf.; Capt. Polk’s Co., 1st Battalion Inf.; Capt. Reid’s Co., Co A, 26th Reg. Inf.; Carter’s Co., Co. C, Davenport’s Battalion State Cavalry; Corinth Minute Men, Co. B, 2nd Reg. Inf.; Corinth Rifles, Co. A/C, 9th Reg. Inf.; Corona Guards, Co. D, 2nd Reg. Inf.; Davenport Rifles, Co. E, 42nd Reg. Inf.; Dixie Boys, Co. A, 2nd Reg. Inf. (Davidson’s, Army of 10,000); Dixie Guards, Co. D, 1st Battalion Inf. (Beckett’s, Army of 10,000); Forrest’s Cavalry (aka Ford’s Co.), Co. A 1st Reg. Partisan Rangers (Falkner’s) (Also Co. A, 7th Reg. Cav.); Gates’ Co, Co. C, Ham’s Reg. Cav.; Ham’s Co., Co. B, Ham’s 1st Battalion State Cav. (aka 16th Battalion State Cav.); Hatchie Tigers, Co. E, 32nd Reg. Inf.; Iuka Rifles, Co. K, 2nd Reg. Inf.; Jake Thompson Guards, Co. K, 19th Reg. Inf.; James Creek Volunteers, Co. H, 1st Reg. Inf.; Johnston Avengers, Co. I, 32nd Reg. Inf.; Johnston Guards, 1st Battalion Inf. (Beckett’s, Army of 10,000); Jones’ Company, Co. B, 3rd Reg. Cav. Reserves; Kossuth Volunteers, Co. D, 23rd Reg. Inf.; Lowrey Guards (aka Lowrey Rebels), Co. D, 32nd Reg. Inf.; Lowrey Guards, Co. G, 2nd Reg. Inf. (Davidson’s, Army of 10,000)’ Lowrey Invinicibles, Co. G, 32nd Reg. Inf.; Lowrey’s Company, Co. L, 2nd Reg. State Cav.; Marietta Rifles, Co. G, 26th Reg. Inf.; Mary Davis Guards, Co. E, 2nd Reg. Inf. (Davidson’s, Army of 10,000); Mayes’ Company, Co. G, Ham’s 1st Battalion State Cav.; Melson’s Company, Co. E, 2nd Reg. Cav. Reserves; Moore’s Company, Co. F, 12th Reg. Cav. (aka 16th Reg. Confederate Cav.); Outlaw Guards, Co. C, 1st Battalion Inf. (Beckett’s, Army of 10,000); Reason’s Company, Co. F, 2nd Reg. Partisan Rangers (Ballentine’s); Tishomingo Avengers (aka Tishomingo Rifles), Co. A, 32nd Reg. Inf.; Tishomingo Rangers (aka Roddey’s Company), 4th Battalion Cav. (aka 2nd Battalion Cav. and Pope Walker Battalion) (Baskerville’s); Tishomingo Rangers, Co. A, Ham’s 1st Battalion State Cav.; Tishomingo Reapers, Co. K, 2nd Reg. Inf. (Davidson’s, Army of 10,000); Tishomingo Rebels, Co. C, 32nd Reg. Inf.; Tishomingo Riflemen, Co. A, 2nd Reg. Inf.; Volunteer Cavalry of Tishomingo County, Co. A, Ashcraft’s Reg. Cav. (aka 11th Reg. Cav.); W. R. Nelson Guards, Co. B, 32nd Reg. Inf.; Wallis’ Company, Co. C, Ashcraft’s Reg. Cav. Consol.; White’s Company, Co. D, Ham’s 1st Battalion State Cav.; Wince Price Guards, Co. E, 26th Reg. Inf.; and Yates’ Company, Co. C, Ham’s 1st Battalion State Cav.

      Davis’ Brigade of the Army of Northern Virginia included the 1st Confederate Battalion, the 2nd Mississippi Infantry, the 11th Mississippi Infantry, the 26th Mississippi Infantry, and the 42nd Mississippi Infantry.

      There was an engagement on the Blackland Road at Booneville, Mississippi, July 1, 1862, between Confederates under General James R. Chalmers and a Union force under Colonel Phil Sheridan. As a result of this action, Phil Sheridan was promoted to Brigadier-General. However there is much controversy as to whether it was merely a skirmish or a minor battle.

      Virgil Robinson, a Booneville historian, did much research on the subject and found that Major William B. Hankee, United States Air Force, Retired, a Research Analyst with the U. S. Army Combat Developments Command Strategic Studies Institute, did a paper entitled Fire and Maneuver at the Battle of Booneville.

      Excerpt from the Banner Independent, Booneville, Mississippi, Centennial Edition, quoting General Chalmers:

      ". . .I do remember that I was greatly amused at the accounts given of it then and since. The facts are these: General Withers was ordered to move with his division of infantry from Tupelo to Ripley, Mississippi, and I was ordered to move with the cavalry to protect his right flank from attack by the enemy, who then held the Mobile and Ohio railroad from Booneville up to Corinth. A short time before this, Col. Sheridan had made a bold dash into the Confederate camp at Blackland, where Col. W. C. Richards, of Columbus, Mississippi, was seriously wounded and escaped with very small loss. In passing Booneville I determined to return his visit and did so. In making the attack at Booneville, I used but three regiments, Wirt Adams’ Mississippi regiment, Clanton’s 1st Alabama, and the 1st Confederate under Col. Wm. Wade. Col. Sheridan made a gallant resistance, but fell back before us, as our command was largely superior to his in number. When beaten in front, Col. Sheridan made a spirited attack from our rear, which was repulsed by a squadron of Wirt Adams’ regiment under Capt. Isaac Harrison of Louisiana... Having accomplished my object here, I moved on to Ripley, in obedience to my instructions, covering the flank of Gen. Withers, with my command in perfect order and without any molestation from Col. Sheridan or anyone else, either going to or returning from Ripley. Col. Sheridan captured some of my wounded, who were left at a farmhouse, and this perhaps gave rise to the idea that I had been routed. This report made Phil Sheridan a brigadier general and gave him an opportunity to show to the world that he was a great soldier. His attack at Blackland, and his resistance against superior numbers at Booneville, showed the courage and genius of a true soldier. But to say that he with 728 men routed 4,000 Confederate cavalry is simply ridiculous.

      James R. Chalmers, Memphis, Tennessee, Aug. 22, 1888"

      Another excerpt from the Booneville Banner, Booneville, Mississippi, July 11, 1912, concerning a casualty of the Battle of Corinth:

      "We found a dead Confederate soldier lying on his back, his outstretched fingers stretched across the stock of the rifle lying by his side. He was one of the Rogers’ Texans. Fifty seven of them we had found lying in the ditch of Fort Robinette. I covered his face with a slouch hat and took off the haversack slung to his neck, that it might not swing as we carried him to his sleeping chamber, so cool and quiet and dark, after the savage tumult and dust and smoke after that day of horror. ‘Empty, isn’t it?’ asked the soldier working with me. I put my hand in it and drew forth a handful of roasted acorns; I showed them to my comrade. ‘That’s all,’ I said. ‘And he has been fighting like a tiger for two days on that forage,’ he commented. We gazed at the face of the dead soldier with new feelings. By and by he said, ‘I hate this war and the things that caused it. I was taught to hate slavery before I was taught to hate sin. I love the Union as I love my mother-better. I think that this is the wickedest war that was ever waged in modern times. But this,’ and he took some of the acorns from my hand, ‘this is what I call patriotism.’ ‘Comrade,’ I said, ‘I am going to send these home to the Peoria Transcript. I want them to tell the editor this war won’t be ended until there is a total failure of the acorn crop. I want the folks at home to know what manner of men they and we are fighting.’. . .I was more and more devoted to the Union as the war went on. But I never questioned the sincerity of the men in the Confederacy again. I realized how dearly a man must love his own section who would fight for it on parched acorns... I understood him, I hated his attitude toward the Union as much as ever but I admired the man and after Corinth I never could get a prisoner half way to the rear and have anything left in my haversack. Oh, I too have suffered the pangs of hunger for my dear country, as all soldiers have done, now and then. But not as that Confederate soldier did. We went hungry at times when rain and mud or the interference of the enemy detained the supply train. But that man half starved. That’s different. Other haversacks we found that night on Corinth field with a slight ration in them. Sometimes it was a chunk of corn pone... so the southern people loved the states for which they suffered.

      Rev. Robert J. Burdette" (a gallant Union soldier)

      JAMES WRIGHT BONDS

      On July 1, 1997, the 134th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, the bones of a Civil War soldier were reburied in a solemn ceremony after being washed up by rains in the railroad cut where the 2nd Mississippi was entrenched on the first day of the battle, July 1863.

      Private James Wright Bonds, Co. A, 2nd Mississippi Infantry, from Jacinto, Mississippi, was killed at Gettysburg on July 11863 and his body was never recovered.

      The program from the 1997 ceremony states:

      "Today we offer a final resting place, with full military honors, for a soldier who perished during the Battle of Gettysburg. We may never know his identity, or even which side he fought for, but it is fitting that we honor him today and that he rest here at the Gettysburg National Cemetery, where Lincoln gave his immortal address.

      In March 1996, a park visitor accidentally found eroded skeletal remains along a railroad embankment, on the first day battlefield, northwest of town. A National Park Service archeological investigation determined that the discovery was a Civil War battlefield burial, probably a battle participant, slain near the Railroad Cut where intense fighting took place on July 1, 1.863. There was no conclusive evidence regarding the soldier’s identity."

      No conclusive evidence? Perhaps. But there is much circumstantial evidence that the bones were those of James Wright Bonds. Records show that James Bonds was with the 2nd Mississippi and that he was killed on that day in that place and an archive record shows that he was 5’9″ as was the skeleton.

      Articles in various newspapers mentioned Jim Bonds from Jacinto, Mississippi as fitting the profile arrived at by Smithsonian scientists who did tests on the bone samples.

      Bernice Bonds Janeway and Sara Bonds Pounds, great grand-daughters, and Ann Sparks, great great granddaughter of James Wright Bonds, made the long drive from Booneville, Mississippi to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to attend the 1997 ceremony. They are convinced they attended the funeral of their ancestor.

      The ceremony was a big draw for the anniversary. And if the powers that be had admitted that the soldier was a Rebel, he would not have been reburied at Gettysburg. He would have been reburied at Richmond, Virginia. Andif they had gone so far as to admit it was or probably was Jim Bonds from Jacinto, Mississippi, the bones should and could have been returned to his home state. This writer believes it’s the same old story, the powers that be in the North giving short shrift to us Southerners!

      Descendants attend reburial at Gettysburg. From left: Sara Bonds Pounds, Ann Sparks, Bernice Bonds Janeway Behind: Curt Johnson, the visitor from Oregon who discovered the bones.

      Ann, Bernice, and Sara were impressed with the respect, solemnity and grandness of the ceremony. But Ann still feels unsettled at the thought that this young soldier, her ancestor, died so far from home and was given a second chance so to speak, and unfortunately is still buried so far from home and the state for which he fought and died.

      James Wright Bonds was the son of Wright Walker Bonds 11 and Sarah Nicholson. His grandparents were Wright Walker Bonds and Priscilla Eley. Wright Walker Bonds and Priscilla Eley have many, many descendents in Prentiss, Tishomingo, and Alcorn Counties and indeed all over the country. Priscilla Eley was descended from Robert Eley. One of Robert Eley’s descendants, who became President of the United States, was Lyndon Baines Johnson!

      James Wright Bonds left a widow, Mary A. Ledbetter Bonds, and two small sons, Wright Walker III and James Andrew, who became the first mayor of Mantachie, Mississippi. Andrew’s home in Mantachie, the Bonds House, is now a museum.

      In the interest of history and science, some believe DNA should have been done on the bones, at the expense of the government, of course. Lord knows, they spend money on some really stupid studies, such as the sex life of gnats

      All that aside, in June 2000 his great great granddaughter had a memorial Confederate marker for James Wright Bonds placed beside the grave of his son, Wright Walker Bonds, at Holley Cemetery, east of Booneville, in Prentiss County, Mississippi.

      JAMES MATLOCK KITCHENS

      "The State of Ala. February 15’ 1863 Very dear children I avail my-self of this favorable opportunity of riting you a few lines to let you know that we are well in common health and the connection with the one exception of Zack Dutton. I understand he is sick though I don’t know what his complaint is. Your aunt Susan Hamilton is dead she died sometime last spring. Hear son James and one of the girls is living with John Hamilton in Walker’s. Some of the children is living with John Long. I would inform you that George Dutton was captured in the Fort Donelson fight. George is dead. Sarah is married to Christopher Witt and Frances to Stephen Dutton. Frances has a son and Sarah a daughter. I received a letter from Matlock Kitchens (the writer’s son) dated 13 January. He was in Rome,, Georgia wounded in the right foot at the Murfersborough fight. I have nothing of interest to rite to you. Times are very distressing with us particular with (?) Salt has been selling at 60 to 65 per pound, pork at 12 1/2 to 15 here and at Tuscaloosa from 20 to 25 per hundred. Your cousin L. W. Baker is dead he died at Chattanooga Tennessee. 4 of Harvey H. Hamilton’s sons is in the army (?). Your uncle Jesse Kitchens was captured in Kentucky and paroled. He is now gone back to the army. I heard from him a few days past. He was well. He belongs to the 28 Alabama Reg’t and Matlock to the 22. 1 will close my letter for the present hoping these few lines may reach and find you all in good health and doing (?) well is the wish of yours T. (?)

      Farewell

      James M. Kitchens"

      Brick building that replaced frame building in 1920’s - corner 3rd St. and Thomas St. Baldwyn First Christian Church

      Street scene in Baldwyn looking west on Main Street between Front Street and 2nd Street

      Baldwyn N. 2nd Street in early 1940’s. Prather Auto Co.in lower left corner.

      Original First Christian Church Baldwyn, corner of 3rd St. and Thomas Street.

      (From a clipping of a letter which appeared in the Dallas Semi-Weekly Farm News perhaps around 1916-date unknown)

      My great-grandfather Price was born in Ireland; came to the United States when a single young man and was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. My father, David S. Price, was born in East Tennessee; came to Coffeeville, Yalobusha County, Mississippi, when a young man. He was there married to Miss Agatha Collicoatte on February 26, 1835. There were five children, three boys and two girls born to them in Coffeeville. About the year 1845, my father moved over near Aberdeen, Mississippi, where my dear mother died, June 26, 1847, leaving an infant babe. My father was again married to Mrs. Salenah Vandiver (nee Hughes). We lived in several counties in North Mississippi, and were living in Corinth, Miss., when my father died of pneumonia, November 7, 1856.

      When the War Between the States opened I was living with Ben Boydston, five miles east from Water Valley, Mississippi. I enlisted in a company made up by Captain Aldridge in and around Coffeeville, Mississippi, the old town in which I was born, April 20, 1843. After several weeks’ training, we went to Corinth; were then thrown into the Fifteenth Mississippi Infantry Regiment. From there we went to Union City, Tennessee, and thence to Knoxville. By this time I had completely lost my health. Was discharged a short time before the command was ordered into Kentucky. I returned to near Baldwyn, Miss. In the fall of 1862 I had partially regained my health, when General Cabell returned to Baldwyn from the luka battle. There I re-enlisted in Captain S.E. Nobles’ company, Third Texas Dismounted Cavalry. After a few days’ rest we marched from Baldwyn to Corinth. On the third and fourth days of October, 1862, we made a desperate effort to retake the town. There the Federals made it dear for us, as they had the advantage of the ditches and the fort around the town. There could not have been anything harder than this battle. In our last charge on the fort, which was a life and death struggle, while capping my gun, a grape or cannister shot struck my left arm at the wrist and left my arm nothing more than a pulp up to my elbow. It was amputated that night. The wounded went into the hands of the Federals as our leader found we were overpowered by about six men to one. In eight or ten days after the battle all the wounded that there was any hope for were moved to Iuka, Miss.

      A few things took place at this time I can never forget. First, there was a captain who was mortally wounded. A Federal chaplain wanted to help the poor captain to make ready for a hasty death, but the poor dying captain’s blood was at boiling heat. His answer was he knew he was bound to die, but he expected to die and go to hell cursing Yankees. The preacher saw he was only adding fuel to fire and gave the poor captain up. A few days after the battle my clothing was taken off to have the blood washed out. I suppose had they ever been washed I would have gotten them by this time. I was sent to luka just as I came into this world, but thanks to the Lord for the good and kindhearted women around luka and of Northwest Alabama who flocked in to our rescue with clothing, which I was ready for; also great boxes of provisions and the best of all is yet to come. They stayed there and administered to our wants; saw to it that we were not neglected. May the Lord bless such women. I think at least half our wounded died there of blood poison. Had all of us Confederates gone after the Federals like the two I read about who ran a little squad through two or three picket lines into their ditches, went in on them, brought them out by the hair of the head, I don’t think we would have had four long years of war. But I suppose they were just buttermilk cavalry and had no guns.

      Burton School, 1923

      The Corinth battle wound up my fighting, as the Federals had my home country in their possession. Soon after this battle I went back to my command on Big Black and around Oakland, Miss. The last year of the war I was buying and shipping corn from the prairies of Mississippi into Tishomingo County. The Federal Government was good enough to allow a train to run for the express purpose of furnishing bread for the old people and children. When the war was over we had a country in ruin, neither law nor gospel.

      On Dec 29, 1867, I was married to Miss Mary E. Jowell, near Guntown. I soon took the Texas fever, left from near Geeville in an ox wagon, March 25, 1869, landed near Lexington, Burleson County, Texas. Lived on G. W. Cook’s place three years. I left there in the fall of 1872; stopped four miles west of Ennis, Ellis County. I came very near dying there with pneumonia. Moved to Coryell County, near where I now live, in the fall of 1874. Lost my wife, June 19, 1875. Was left with three helpless children.

      I was again married in Ellis County to Mrs. Sarah Heard (nee Garner), Sept. 17, 1876. I then moved to Palo Pinto County, then back to Coryell in 1885. Have made no move since then. I hope, through this sketch of my life,, I may find some lost relatives and old friends.

      Thomas B. Price, Bee House., Coryell Co., Texas

      Thomas Benton Price was born in Yalobusha County, Mississippi on April 20, 1843 and died in Bee House, Texas on January 28, 1924. He was the brother of Martha Price Brinkley, grandmother of Kathryn R. Houston of Booneville (see Prentiss County History Vol. I).

      Submitted by Kathryn Houston, great niece of Thomas Benton Price

      PRENTISS COUNTY

      In 1870, Prentiss County was formed from part of old Tishomingo County. The new county was named for Sargent Smith Prentiss, a gifted statesman, jurist and orator.

      BALDWYN

      The town of Baldwyn received its name from a Mr. Baldwyn who was one of the principal projectors of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. In November of 1860 the first train came to Baldwyn and they turned the locomotive on a turntable that was located back behind where the old Oil Mill and the Outlaw-Lewellen Cotton Gin building was located.

      The first store building was built by a man named Andy Mannin. He cleared away a small space on a wooded hill and built at a location that would have been about directly behind where the Kirk Hardware and the Lu-Ru Flower Shop stands today (in 1984). The timber that was used for erecting the building was cut from the part of the hill that the town now stands on. The logs were so huge that it only took six to eight of these timbers split to form one wall of the store building. The second building was a log blacksmith shop put up and built by Isom Wallis approximately where the Houston Drug Store now stands.

      In the beginning the store buildings were built pretty well overlooking the depot which was the center of attraction back in those days. The old Home Hotel was built right there by the railroad and depot and was originally built facing east on the railroad. It was remodeled in 1920 and the front put on the north side. The post office and barber shop was built on up the hill there on front street overlooking the railroad and depot. Col. Robert Lowery and Zebedee Williams also built store buildings there before the Civil War. The population in 1890 was 500.

      For the most part, most of the main store buildings were bricked by World War I. It might be interesting to note that as far back as the 1830s, 20 Mile Creek or bottom as well as Okeelala were called by those names in that day. It is also interesting to note the way they referred to how thick and dense the undergrowth were and how thick the woods were in those bottoms and how abundant they were with wildlife. It might also be interesting to know that when they were originally dredged out the 20 Mile Creek specs for the canal or creek were 20 feet wide and 20 feet deep. I have heard of two or three ideas of how 20 Mile Creek got its name but for right now, I think it came from this: They used to say years ago that it was 20 miles from where it originates back up in the hills to where it empties into the Tombigbee.

      Baldwyn is located on the southern boundary line of Prentiss County and partly in Lee County. The town is surrounded by very fertile lands and is one of the best cotton markets in North Mississippi, size considered. Many thousand bales are handled annually and the highest market price is always paid.

      Baldwyn has two banks, progressive business houses in every line, cotton oil mill, large timber interests, and a municipally owned waterworks. Much street improvement work has been done, and the beautiful location on the crest of a bluff, with natural drainage in every direction, makes Baldwyn both attractive and healthful.

      Hundreds of golden opportunities are lying in wait for the thrifty man’s grasp, and the co-operative and hospitable welcome of Baldwyn’s entire population is ever in evidence.

      Baldwyn’s people believe in Baldwyn, and this one thing is the great factor in her material growth and development.

      Homeseekers will do well to include Baldwyn in their itinerary.

      History portion by Simon (Buddy) Spight

      BURTON

      Burton is a small, close knit community of about 300 people. It’s situated on either side of highway 30 fifteen miles east of Booneville, Mississippi. In the backyard of Burton is the Tenn Tom Waterway and recreation area. Space is more than adequate for picnicking, swimming, camping, hiking, biking., etc. The avid fisherman can fish for bass, crappie or catfish and have the time of his life. There"s plenty of water for boating and skiing should one prefer that sport. Indians were the earliest known settlers of this region. The most obvious sign that Indians have occupied this land is arrowheads and shale. Shale is the residue that was chipped from rock to form arrowheads. After a rain on freshly plowed dirt, arrowheads can still be found. Before the day of cars and rocket engines this community was blessed with an abundance of doctors. Early records show that Dr. Robert G. Smith was born in 1851. He married Amanda S. Smith and began to practice medicine in the Burton area. He is the grandfather of Robert G. Smith, Myra Smith Holley, and Mildred Smith. After Dr. Smith died in 1887 at the age of thirty-six, the family convinced his brother Dr. Bolivar R. Smith (1853-1930) to move his medical practice to Burton. In 1887 Dr. Bolivar Smith and his faithful horse (Dolly) relocated to Burton where he practiced until 1928. If you were born in or around Burton from 1887 to 1928 the stork didn’t deliver you, Dr. Smith did. This doctor loved to fox hunt and would go every time he had an opportunity.

      Girls in front of Burton School. Hester Rushing, Venus Lester, Hazel (Woodruff) Browning, Thena Owens, Mabel Smith, Grace Brown, Ena (Pace) Akers.

      Marshall Woodruff’s Store, Burton Community, the post office was in this store from 1841 to 1906.

      Another doctor from Burton,, Dr. L. L. McDougal, took training under Dr. Bolivar Smith and practiced in the vicinity. During those years Myers McDougal was born. The story is told that Dr. McDougal wanted the baby to be just like Dr. Smith. So he was brought to the home of Dr. Smith when only a few days old to get acquainted with the good doctor. As it turned out Myers did not even remotely resemble Dr. Smith. His interest was not in medicine. After completing his early education in the Prentiss County Schools he enrolled at Ole Miss where he received three degrees before attending Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He became a professor of Law at Yale Law School. Shortly before his death he was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Old Miss Alumni Chapter.

      Ernest Brown, another Burton scholar who furthered his education in law, became a judge. He is retired, living in Brooksville, Mississippi.

      Over the years a large number of young people became teachers, others became carpenters, brick layers, farmers, saw millers, molasses makers, seamstresses,, small business owners’) beauticians,, etc.

      During the early years Mr. Burton operated the post office which was in Mr. Marshall Woodruff’s country store. There was a well in front of the store with two watering troughs positioned nearby for watering their horses. Mail was delivered to the larger towns (Booneville and Paden) by train where it was picked up by a local mail carrier who delivered by horseback from Paden one day and from Booneville the next day. Burton was named after Mr. Burton who operated the post office.

      Mr. Thomas Lacey had a store that was near the Burton school in the 1930’s and early 1940’s. He may have been responsible for Charles McCoy becoming an avid fisherman as Mr. Lacey often gave him fishhooks. He must have been a kind and caring person.

      From the center of Burton one will need travel only a short distance to find the church of his choice. Forked Oak Missionary Baptist church is believed to date back to the 1800’s. Dates on tombstones are evidence that Forked Oak cemetery existed in 1804. Most of the dates are illegible in the oldest section of the cemetery; however, those that are readable lend credence to the belief that Forked Oak church was in existence in the very early 1800’s.

      According to records, Mackey’s Creek Primitive Baptist church was organized in 1845. New Burton was organized in the 1960’s as Southern Baptist. Just outside Burton’s borders are the following churches: Shady Grove (Missionary Baptist), New Hope (Primitive Baptist), Fairview (Church of God), Mt. Nebo (Methodist) which had land donated by an Indian in 1835 to build the church on.

      Schools tend to draw people together. Although the Burton schoolhouse, constructed in 1922-1923 no longer functions as a school it is significant in the history of education in rural Prentiss County for being one of the earliest consolidated schools and for being one of the first brick schools in the county. This building served as an educational facility for thirty-five years.

      On August 25, 1995, the property was designated a Mississippi Landmark by the Department of Archives and History. Much has already been done toward renovation and preservation of this landmark. When restored, the building will continue to be significant in the community as it will house an educational museum, have an area for public presentations, provide space that may be rented for private/public functions, etc. This ongoing project will serve as a memorial to all who sacrificially gave of themselves while erecting Burton school.

      Today if you were to tour Burton, as you enter from the west on highway 30, your first stop will be Claude Wilemon’s quilt museum. If you have an appreciation for beautiful and unique quilts as I do you will browse for quite a spell.

      Continuing on highway 30 about one quarter of a mile is Lee’s One Stop. Most anything can be purchased there from headache powder to fishing supplies, sandwiches, etc.

      Evelyn’s Beauty Shop is also on highway 30 about a quarter of a mile

      from Lee’s One Stop. It’s best to make an appointment before you go for a hair style; however, drop ins are welcome. An hour spent in her shop can boost morale and send you on your way with confidence.

      Continue on another quarter of a mile. On the left there is a video house owned by the Slacks. They always have the latest videos along with the oldies.

      In the same building is Burton’s Kountry Kitchen. Their food is delicious and is served by the friendliest waitresses you could ever hope to meet.

      Directly across the highway from the cafe’ is the Burton schoolhouse, sometimes called the place of memories. Since August 1995, we refer to it as a Mississippi Landmark.

      Still on highway 30 the last stop is a discount store operated by Stephen Carter on Fridays and Saturdays. He has a variety of items to select from.

      To conclude the History of Burton a few people were interviewed and asked the question: What is your most vivid memory of Burton?’

      My most vivid memory of Burton is picking cotton. It was a really fun thing to do because Grandmother always prepared a picnic lunch which was spread on the tailgate of a pickup truck at noon on a tablecloth. In our family everyone worked. Daddy believed it was good therapy. Submitted by Judy McCoy Griffin who grew up in Burton and now lives in Ripley, Ms.

      Living on a farm in Burton is just a dream. Christy Tennison Ryan made this statement when she was in the first grade at Hills Chapel. She is 27 years old and still lives in Burton.

      The ball games we had on the dirt court at Burton school stands out in my memory. Mr. Elmore Owens would bring bags of parched peanuts and sell them for five cents. Said Vivian Hodges Tennison who has lived in Burton all her life.

      I started to school at Burton in 1923 when I was in first grade and finished high school there, then came back as a teacher. The years at Burton school were extraordinary for me. said Majorie Tennison Harper who lives in Burton.

      When Mr. Prentiss Crabb was principal of Burton school and Bernard Burks was assistant principal, Mr. Crabb got the mumps, which allowed Mr. Burks to be in charge of running the school. He sent two tenth-grade girls to his house (which was across the road) to baby sit while his wife coached a play. When Mrs. Burks returned, the sitters were free to leave. A group of students came by going to Burton Lake so these girls made a quick decision to go along. The students still remember sixty five years later the severe punishment they received for a few minutes of fun. Mr. Crabb came back to the school with mumps holding his coat over his mouth and nose. For some reason Mr. Burks had not whipped Coleman Wilemon so Coleman took the switch, handed it to Mr. Crabb and said, You whip me. He gave him three light licks on the pant leg. Mildred Smith likes to add, "The only reason I wasn’t with them ... I’d gone shopping with my aunt! Submitted by Mauvelene Smith Wilemon.

      Burton Community RC DC hosted a musical program with the Slim Rhodes Band performing. I remember Speck Rhodes in his black and white plaid suit, and snaggled tooth grin blowing his nose on the stage curtains during the performance. Submitted by Vaughanda McCoy Hall who attended Burton 1956-57 and 1957-58.

      Submitted by Ruth McCoy

      CARROLVILLE

      Today all that is left of the glory of the past is the boyhood home of Private John Allen, the Anne Spencer Cox home, known in later years as the Allen Homestead. It was built in 1842 and was added to in later years and restored by Joe Horace Bishop, a showplace to remind people of what existed long ago at Carrollville, two miles northwest of downtown Baldwyn. It is believed to be the only remaining structure of what was once Carrollville.

      Pontotoc was the capital of the Chickasaw nation. The road from Pontotoc to Carrollville was known as the Wire Road due to the fact that a telegraph line ran along it. Carrollville grew into a sizable settlement, due mainly to it’s location on the Pontotoc-Eastport route to the Tennessee River, some 60 miles to the northeast. Eastport on the Tennessee River was the shipping center for river traffic, merchandise, and farm produce for the northeast area of Mississippi, northwest Alabama and southwest Tennessee.

      In 1840 David Allen and his wife Sally Spencer Allen left their home in Henry County, Virginia, and headed southwest with their household effects, livestock, and a few farm implements. They settled in the almost-wilderness around Carrollville.

      In the 1840s Carrollville was a flourishing settlement, a crossroads. The Tuscumbia to Pontotoc road and the Jacinto to Pontotoc road crossed through Carrolville. There was a road leading from Carrollville to Fulton and the Carrollville to Pontotoc road passed through Brice’s Crossroads, the scene in later years of the Battle of Brice’s Crossroads which was an overwhelming victory for the south under the command of General Nathan Bedford Forrest.

      The Civil War started in 1861. The Allens had six sons to serve in the Confederate Army. One was killed, and five were wounded. John M. Allen, later known as Private John Allen, went into national prominence by serving 16 years in the United States Congress from the first congressional district of Mississippi.

      The little town of Carrollville grew in size and influence. There were from two to five doctors, an inn run by Wiley Belcher, two or three saloons, two blacksmiths, a tannery, five dry goods stores, three saddle shops, two shoe shops, two tailoring shops, a mill and a gin, a post office, a jail and a church used for all denominations, a school and a masonic hall. But the thriving little settlement was doomed to die in the not too distant future.

      It was only natural that the town should move to the railroad. As far back as 1854 they were working on the right-of-way for the Gulf-Mobile and Ohio Railroad to the east of Carrollville. The railroad bypassed Carrollville and merchants from Carrollville started building at the new location as early as 1858 and in the summer of 1860 all that was left of the old settlement of Carrollville was one store and the post office.

      Compiled with information from Mr. Claude Gentry And Mr. Simon (Buddy) Spight

      GEEVILLE

      The Geeville Community, located approximately four miles west of Frankstown on Mississippi Highway 30, was settled about 1850. The majority of the settlers came from Anderson County, South Carolina and settled there because the ground was higher and looked to be more healthful than the land they had left. The community, then located in Tishomingo County, was named for the McGee family who was among the pioneer settlers.

      Surnames of early settlers included the following: McGee, Nelson, McElroy, Garrison, Franks, Gamer, Gardner, Wallis, Randolph, Lominick, Jones, Ashley, Brock, Davis, Roberts, Burress, Morris, Murdock and others.

      The majority of these early settlers fanned for a living. Some acquired large tracts of fine farm and timber land. Some of the farm labor was done by slaves. After a few years a number of two-story white houses dotted the landscape.

      Geeville had a post office, two general stores and a school. In June 185 1, Mt. Olive Baptist Church was organized and from that time to the present it has been the focal point of the community (see the history of Mt. Olive Baptist Church, this edition).

      At least three medical doctors, Drs. J. C. McGee, F. E. Lewellen and Tom Randolph, practiced in Geeville. They also practiced dentistry. Dr. McGee’s office was located in his store while the other two doctors practiced in their homes and traveled throughout the community.

      The school operated as an elementary school, grades 1-8, for many years. In the 1930s the ninth and tenth grades were added to the curriculum for a few years, then it reverted back to an elementary school. In the 1950s the school closed during Mississippi’s Rural School Consolidation program. Students then attended either Baldwyn or Wheeler schools.

      The stores located in the community supplied residents with most of their needs for home and farm. Sometime around 1900, McElroy’s store opened and carried a larger line of merchandise. W. E. McElroy and Dalton Lominick were the owners. This store burned in 1916. The Geeville

      Mercantile was then built and was operated by the Lominick family for a number of years. The last store to operate in Geeville was a small structure operated by May Lominick Prather until her death in 1972. This building is still used as the polling place for the Geeville precinct.

      For many years people came in great numbers to the Geeville hills to harvest chestnuts which grew there in great abundance. Of course this tradition ended with the demise of the chestnut trees.

      Although Geeville no longer has stores or other institutions (except Mt. Olive Baptist Church), it is an active community. Many newcomers have built homes and the number of residents has ‘increased during the last several years.

      Submitted by Thomas Wallis.

      Home of Private John Allen, relative of George E. Allen, at Carrollville, the earliest community in Pentiss County.

      Old Geeville Store, currently in use only as voting precinct, built circa 1916.

      Hobo Station Grocery

      HOBO STATION

      About ten miles east of Booneville at the fork of Highways 4 and 371 is the community of Hobo Station. Now there is only signs and a convenience store with an auto service department to mark what once was a bustling community.

      This community began many years ago at a fork in the road. At a time when few people owned cars, one could walk to this fork in the road and catch a ride to Booneville, Tupelo, or Belmont with a passerby who happened to be going that way. Eventually someone constructed a shack or small building to be used for protection against the weather and the area came to be known as Hobo Station.

      Walter Odorn was the first person to establish a grocery store at this location. His store was across the road from the present day store. Walter’s brother Bob owned and operated a grist mill only a few hundred yards down the road. The grist mill was operated by a kerosene engine and Bob would often take his pay for grinding the corn by filling a small box with a portion of the corn.

      In the late 1930’s Fester Horn, Jesse Horn, Will Caver, Marvin Breedlove, and Lonie Breedlove decided to set up a cotton gin at Hobo Station. The Breedloves and the Horns already owned an interest in the Marietta and Hills Chapel gins and felt that establishing one between those two locations would benefit the community. This gin was operated by a diesel engine that powered a generator for electric lights. Lester and Maureen Crowe were the last owners of the gin. It operated until the late 1970’s.

      In a small building near the store Vick Champion and Hershel Spencer built large hog vats used for killing and dressing hogs that were brought in. The store carried the spices and necessary ingredients for preparing the meat for storage as sausage and ham, etc. This small building is still on the grounds of the present day store, but it is no longer used.

      The present owners of the Hobo Station Grocery purchased the store in 1956 from H.L. Caldwell. The building they purchased was a small one room plank building with a small side room. They remodeled the store into the present day building.

      Information supplied by Reba and Cayce DePoyster, Ralph Caver, and W.V. Horn

      JACINTO

      Although, Jacinto is now in Alcorn County, it is just over the line from Prentiss and is so much a part of the history of our county, which was prior to 1870 a part of Tishomingo County, of which Jacinto was the county seat.

      Jacinto., first named Cincinnati, was later named Jacinto after people objected to a northern name their growing town. It was named after the Battle of San Jacinto. This territory was alloted to the Chickasaw Indians in the Hopewell Treaty of 1786. The Chickasaws relinquished their claim. A land office was set up at Pontotoc. Old State of Tishomingo, embracing present Tishomingo, Prentiss and Alcorn, was the largest county in the state with 923,040 acres. Persons were appointed to organize the county, officers were elected, and fifty-three lots were sold for a total of $10,000. A courthouse of crude logs was built for $199.00. Taverns came in 1836. By 1838, hundreds moved to Jacinto, a number of acres were cleared and planted. Businesses, dwelling houses and roads were built. A county jail was built for $3,957. A sawmill, gristmill and a male academy were established. There was a mail service, three days each way. Chisley Key was Jacinto Postmaster. In 1845 a Baptist Church was erected at the crossing of Eastport and Fulton Roads. Ministers were granted the authority to perform the rites of matrimony. A telegraph line was built along the stage road, but a drought came in 1850 and people thought the telegraph line was the cause of the drought and that it was the work of the devil, so they tore the line from its posts.

      A poor house was built for $50.00. The surplus produce shipped from Eastport was bringing in thousands of dollars annually.

      The need for a new courthouse arose, and plans to build a wood building were changed to a two story brick, with an octagon shaped belfry, for the sum of $6.798. Plans for the courthouse were commissioned in 1852 and it was completed in 1854, and is an impressive example of federal style architecture.

      The toll road between Rienzi and Jacinto was the best paying institution in the county with 5,457 people crossing in 1857. Residents of Jacinto included a professor, a medical doctor, and a dentist. There was the Jacinto Hotel.

      It is told that when old Tishomingo County was divided in 1870, people thought that the coming railroad was a thing of the devil and voted that it should not come to Jacinto. Thus,, the town declined.

      The courthouse was later, at different times, used as a school and as the jail. Mrs. Zelma Brimingham’s father, C. P. Rinehart, was one of the students taught there by Mrs. Opal Rutledge. A school, A Line, was later built south of the courthouse, where students from Prentiss and Alcorn Counties attended. It had at different times, four or five teachers. It still stands and was used for many years by the Jacinto A.C.D.C.

      A community club set out pine seedlings, had auction sales and paid $300.00 to Alcorn County. The Jacinto Senior Citizens met five days a week. C. P. Rinehart was the first Site Manager, followed by Willard Newborn and Dewey Bain. Randall Eldridge is the current Site Manager. They quilt, play checkers, pitch dollars, and have good gospel singing each Wednesday, led by R. C. "Jack’ Woodruff, with Nita Dees playing piano.

      The Jacinto Courthouse and Park is open May through September except on Mondays, and open on holidays. Hours are 1-5 Sunday through Friday and 10-5 on Saturday. Loren Chase oversees the courthouse and park. The Country Store, across from the courthouse, owned by the Jacinto Foundation, has the same hours as the courthouse. Zelma Brimingham and Avis Crum operate the store, with extra help on the 4th of July, when there is a celebration on Saturday of the holiday weekend. Quilting is done there. Bonnets and aprons, etc. are made and sold. Courthouse souvenirs and hand dipped ice cream are available.

      There are five churches and one grocery store in Jacinto. There was once several grocery stores, a grist null, blacksmith shop and a school and library.

      Submitted by Zelma Brimingha

      JUMPERTOWN

      A brief history beginning with the birth of James Alvin (Jimmy) Jumper in November, 1822, through the present date, May, 2000.

      The Jumpertown community has not always been as it is known today. The original community is about three miles south of Jumpertown High School. It consisted of many hardy families. There were Greens, Eatons, Englishes, Yates, Windhams, and Jumpers, just to mention a few. It will not be too misleading to call these families pioneers and settlers. They were farmers and had to clear the land before crops could be planted.

      As stated earlier, there were many families living in this sprawling, unnamed community. One of the largest and best known was the family of Jimmy Jumper. He was the son of immigrants from Europe. Jimmy married Eliza James, who was a relative of the notorious James brothers.

      To Jimmy and Eliza were born nine children, five boys and four girls. With so many offspring marrying into other families, the community was quickly populated with Jumpers, and the name of the community was established, Jumpertown.

      Front row L to R- Jane Gilley Davidson, Barbara Huddleston Beard, Leaverne Bumpers Henderson, Mary Faye Lauderdale Spencer. Back row L to R- L.L Bethay, Bobby Jean, Henderson Holloway, Venus Stevens Johnson, Janie Carpenter Ellis, Elizabeth Pike Mathis, Peggy Allen Bates, Tolbert Brown.

      L to R- (seated) Noonan Hopkins, L.Q. Mathis, Dewey Burcham, Ophelia Waddle (standing) L to R- Stanley Eldridge, Herman Saylors, Marvin Christian, Guy Woods.

      No community is complete without a church. Therefore, a church building was erected in the vicinity of the Bud and Paulette Sims home. After the Civil War, several of the freed slaves settled in the area of the church. The slaves had taken the name of their owners, some of whom took the Jumper name. The church was used by Methodists, Baptists and the Negro community. When most of the white families moved out of the area, the church became known as the Negro Jumpertown Church.

      The Methodists bought or were given land where the home of the late Leroy Brumley now stands. A wood building was erected there and served as both church and school for the growing community. This building was used until another one was erected where the present Jumpertown Methodist Church now stands. The dates of erection and use of the different buildings can be found in The History of Jumpertown Methodist Church.

      Until the early 1870’s, there was no single burying place for the community. In that year, a family from Tippah County by the name of Yates bought land on the east side of Dry Creek canal and started building a house where the home of the late Sam and Ada

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