Remembering Newnan Cayce

First-person narratives are a most interesting find in genealogical studies. It is always exciting to find such items relating to ancestors from the 1800’s. During 1906-07, former Itawambian Washington Lafayette Clayton, an early resident of the town of Fulton during the 1850’s wrote a series of articles that were published in the Tupelo Journal. This series of articles deals almost entirely with early Itawamba County. Below is an example of his work dealing with the Cayce family of Fulton:

D.N. Cayce was another old timer of Fulton, of whom I wish to say something. He had removed from Fulton several years before I went there and settled in Iuka, having been a successful merchant, and retired with a competency. I knew Col. Cayce in my boyhood days as I did Wiley Clifton, seeing him occasionally and hearing much of him. He was a man of medium height, heavy set, compactly built, having a large head, high and broad forehead, and a very expressive face. He was very polite and possessed a kind and noble heart.

You never saw him but that he was as neat as a pin, wearing a bouquet on the lapel of his coat when flowers were to be found and his deference to women was proverbial. He was very fond of young misses, and nothing gave him greater pleasure than to drive them round in a fine turn out. After the war Colonel Cayce came back to Fulton to live with his son, Judge Cayce, and though pretty old, he still possessed push and energy, bought him a farm out in the country east of the town and attended to his farming interests like a young man for several years. Many will remember him as one of the old landmarks of old Fulton. His kindly nature, superb personal appearance, genial companionship, cordial and yet gently treatment of women and his Chesterfieldian politeness will be remembered for many days in the old town.

Genealogical Notes

1860 Tishomingo County Federal Census
Page 381, Iuka Post Office, 2557-2557
D.N. Cayce: 45, M, Farmer, $20,000, $50,000, TN
Isabella J. Cayce: 18, F, TN
Shadrack N. Cayce: 16, M, Farm Laborer, TN
George B. Cayce: 14, M, MS
Isabella J. Gaither: 65, F, NC
John A. Blair: 23, M, Attorney at Law, $1,000, TN

1880 Itawamba County Federal Census
Page 494, Town of Fulton, 5-5
Newnan Cayce: 35, Attorney, TN
Fannie: 34, MS
Lizzie: 8, MS
Mable: 1, MS
Amanda Clifton: 57, Mother in Law, AL
Lewis: 50, B, Servant, MS
Willie: 49, B, Servant, MS
Samuel: 18, B, Servant, MS
Florence: 17, B, Servant, MS
Billie: 12, B, Servant, MS
Margie: 10, B, Servant, MS
Robt.: 6, B, MS
Newnan Cayce: 69, Father, TN, Farmer
Nora Owen, 20, Niece, TN