Itawamba History Review: The Itawamba Historical Society

In the Woods...

2009-11-02T05:50:00.002-06:00

The recent dry weather with clear skies and beautiful sunshine has been a welcome addition to Itawamba County after the wettest October ever recorded. Sunday was the perfect time for a walk in the woods as the Autumn leaves in Itawamba County are at their peak now painting the hills and valleys with vivid hues of red, orange and yellow.

Pass the Peas..... Please

2009-10-31T17:40:00.004-05:00

The Columbus Decorative Arts Preservation Forum and Antiques Show and Sale will be held November 5-8 in Columbus, Mississippi. On the Tombigbee River, downriver from Itawamba County, Columbus is known for its many antebellum structures. Events at the forum and antiques show include:

Gala Preview Opening: Thursday, November 5 from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. at the Trotter Convention Center located at 123 5th Street North. The Antiques Show and Sale will be Friday and Saturday, November 6-7 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Trotter Convention Center.

The Decorative Arts and Preservation Forum begins on November 6 with Pass the Peas, Please… The 19th Century South and its Changing Palate at 9 a.m. At 8 p.m. in Carrier Chapel on the campus of Mississippi University for Women, Jim Gibson, pianist from Atlanta, Georgia will be featured. On Saturday, November 7, beginning at 8:30 a.m. free lectures featuring prominent nationally known speakers, including John W. Keefe, Curator Decorative Arts, New Orleans Museum of Art and Carolyn Bercier, Deputy Director, Herman-Grima/Gallier Historic Houses, New Orleans.

Dinners and entertainment will be held in historic Columbus homes. For advance tickets and forum information call the Columbus Cultural Heritage Foundation or Convention and Visitors Bureau at (800) 327-2686 or visit www.columbus-ms.org.

The Columbus Decorative Arts Preservation Forum is funded in part by a grant through the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the Billups-Garth Foundation.

Poster photography Neil Alexander, Southern Lights Photography

National Day of Listening is November 27

2009-10-30T06:48:00.005-05:00

StoryCorps, the most ambitious oral history project ever undertaken, has announced the second annual National Day of Listening, to take place on November 27,2009. The National Day of Listening is an effort to encourage all Americans to honor a friend, a loved one, or a member of their community by interviewing them about their lives. The interview process takes less than an hour and offers a meaningful alternative to holiday consumerism.

Participants are encouraged to record their National Day of Listening interviews using equipment that is readily available in most homes – from cell phones to tape recorders to computers or even pen and paper. StoryCorps has created a free Do-It-Yourself interview guide with equipment recommendations and interview instructions available online at nationaldayoflistening.org.

“In the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, the idea of listening during the holiday season has clearly resonated with people across the country,” says StoryCorps founder and MacArthur “Genius” Dave Isay. “The National Day of Listening, which coincides with Black Friday – traditionally the largest shopping day of the year – proves that simply listening to one another is the least expensive and most meaningful gift we can give.”

StoryCorps’ national partners for the National Day of Listening include NPR, the Corporation for National and Community Service and the American Library Association. Although StoryCorps does not currently have the capacity to include National Day of Listening interviews in its collection at the Library of Congress, the organization provides simple instructions for recording and preserving interviews at nationaldayoflistening.org.

An Autumn Afternoon

2009-10-27T06:35:00.003-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I couldn't resist photographing the giant sugar maple tree on Fulton's West Main Street just off the town square. Not long after the Cotswold cottage style home was built during the late 1930's on the site of an old antebellum home lot, this tree was planted and for generations, has been probably the most photographed tree in Itawamba County. Every autumn the tree bursts into vivid hues of yellow and orange greeting visitors driving up the hill into downtown Fulton.

Headed South

2009-10-26T06:03:00.003-05:00

A sign of the colder season coming, this flock of geese was seen headed south over Itawamba County along the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway last week.

Ancestry Magazine Added to Google Books

2009-10-25T08:28:00.003-05:00

Google is an excellent resource for the historian and genealogist and the company is always introducing exciting new features. I am an avid user of Google Books and Google Scholar.

This past January I wrote about Google Books adding magazines to its offerings. In December of 2008 Google announced an initiative to help bring more magazine archives and current magazines online, partnering with publishers to begin digitizing millions of articles. Included now in the ever-growing collection is Ancestry magazine.

All issues of Ancestry magazine are available for reading from the January-February 2004 issue through the January-February 2009 issue. Each issue of Ancestry magazine is packed with stories, articles, and expert advice to help family historians take their research further than ever before. From where to look for new family history clues to detailed how-they-did-it breakthroughs and regular features including Megan Smolenyak's "Found!," reader-submitted heritage recipes, photos, and backstories, Ancestry magazine offers the inspiration and the know-how in every issue.

More and more magazines are set to appear in Google Book search results and you can limit your search only to magazines through the advanced search features. From the Google Books search page, simply click “Advanced Book Search” and from the advanced book search page, select “Magazines" and search for “Ancestry Magazine.” To browse all issues, simply click the “browse all issues” link in the upper left corner of the page.

Genealogy Fair Via Interactive Video Network to the Held in Fulton

2009-10-23T11:02:00.003-05:00

An upcoming Genealogy Fair will be held over interactive video network on November 6, 2009, beginning at 12 noon until 5:00 pm. There will be a great line-up of genealogists who will speak on a wide array of topics.

Genealogy is considered to be the fastest growing hobby in America with an estimated 60% of the American population interested in learning more about their family history.

The speakers for the fair starting at 12 noon - 1:15pm: Ms. Betty Wiltshire, owner of Pioneer Press of Carrolton, Mississippi. Ms. Wiltshire is considered to be one of the foremost genealogists in our state. She will discuss how to get started in genealogy research. 1:30 – 2:45 pm: Dr. Lynne Mueller is a reference librarian in the Special Collections department at Mississippi State University Library. In addition to being a certified genealogist, she organizes the annual Genealogy Fair at MSU which attracts enthusiasts from across the southeast. Her topic will be the use of courthouse records to discover historical clues. 3:00 – 4:15pm Dr. Edwin Ellis is a retired MSU professor who spends every available moment researching his family history. He brings a great deal of humor and practical insight to conducting genealogy research. He will discuss using Civil War records to glean information about long lost relatives. 4:30 -5:00pm Ms. Mariah Smith from MSU will show us how to preserve memories and converting photos to fabric.

The fair will be held at the MSU-Itawamba Extension Service located at 304C West Wiygul Street in Fulton. Please bring your lunch, come and stay, or come and go. For more information please call 662-862-3201.

A Change of Seasons

2009-10-23T10:36:00.002-05:00

This morning while doing some yard work I snapped a photo showing the yellow leaves of a buckeye in the edge of the woods behind my house. Leaves are just now turning in Itawamba County with autumn colors nearing their peak probably within the next two weeks.

A Very Special Event...

2009-10-17T07:47:00.001-05:00

Genealogy Fair to be held in Fulton

2009-10-13T16:00:00.002-05:00

The MSU-Itawamba County Extension Office invites local genealogy enthusiasts to participate in a Genealogy Fair to be held on November 6, 2009 at the MSU-Itawamba County Extension office. The Genealogy Fair will offer beginners a chance to learn more about conducting genealogical research. Guest speakers will cover a wide array of topics such as, beginning your genealogy search, using courthouse records, using military pensions and preserving family memorabilia.
The schedule is as follows:

12:00-1:15 PM Beginning Genealogy Research
1:30-2:45 PM Using Courthouse Records
3:00-4:15 PM Using Military Records
4:30-5:00 PM Preserving Memorabilia

Sessions will begin at 12 noon and go until 5 p.m. Bring a sack lunch and join us for a fun afternoon learning how to dig up your family history. Please call the Extension office at 662-862-3201 to sign up.

Magnolias on the Court Square in Fulton

2009-10-13T08:54:00.002-05:00

Massive creamy white and extremely fragrant flowers grace the one of the magnolias on the Itawamba County Courthouse lawn during the summer each year. The magnolia is entwined with the history of the south and especially Mississippi. This majestic tree serves a dual role as the state flower and the state tree. There’s no wonder Mississippi is known as the Magnolia State.

Magnolia grandiflora, commonly known as the Southern magnolia or bull bay, is a native of the southeastern United States.

It is an ancient genus, having evolved before bees appeared. The flowers developed to encourage pollination by beetles and as a result the carpels of the magnolia flowers are tough in order to avoid damage by eating and crawling beetles.

The fragrant blooms of the courthouse magnolias are enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.

Autumn is on the Way

2009-10-11T18:59:00.004-05:00

A maple tree's leaves are turning a golden yellow and vibrant orange in front of the Administration Building on the campus of Itawamba Community College in Fulton. This time of year, the days get shorter and we wake up to cool mornings with the hint that colder weather is on the way.

Bonds House Before Restoration

2009-10-11T07:50:00.003-05:00

I snapped this photograph about 25 years ago before the historical society began restoration efforts to save the old structure. Today this ca. 1895 structure is Itawamba County's museum of history operated by the society and has seen thousands of visitors from most every state in the union, as well as several foreign countries.

Celebrate Alabama Archives Week at the Alabama Department of Archives and History

2009-10-10T17:34:00.003-05:00

Itawamba County is one of the Alabama border counties of Mississippi and during 1836 when the Chickasaw Cession of 1834 opened up this region for settlement, settlers poured in from neighboring Alabama. Today many Itawamba County families have ancestral ties to Alabama.

As part of American Archives Month, the Alabama Department of Archives and History are presenting several special events. Below is an announcement from ADAH:

October is American Archives Month. The Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) invites all Alabamians to celebrate Alabama Archives, October 14-17, 2009. Highlights of the activities include a Basics of Archives Workshop; an ArchiTreats presentation, The Civil Rights Movement in Alabama by Odessa Woolfolk; a discussion and book signing with author Hasan Kwame Jeffries; and a special Saturday opening on Archives Day, October 17, with museum tours and research opportunities.

All events will be held at the Alabama Department of Archives and History, 624 Washington Avenue. Join us Wednesday, October14, from 9:00 - 3:00 for the Basics of Archives Workshop presented by Archives staff. Individuals and organizations can learn how to care for personal photographs, diaries, and letters. A $35 registration fee includes lunch, break snacks, and a workbook.

On Thursday, October 15, at the noon ArchiTreats: Food for Thought program Odessa Woolfolk will present The Civil Rights Movement in Alabama. This presentation is part of a year-long lecture series providing a chronological history of the state of Alabama as part of the Year of Alabama History.

Hasan Kwame Jeffries will be on hand at noon, Friday, October 16, to discuss the research and writing of his new book, Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in Alabama’s Black Belt. Books will be available for purchase and a book signing will follow.

The Archives Week activities will conclude on Saturday, October 17, from 8:30 - 4:30, when the Archives will open its doors for a rare weekend opportunity to explore the museum or visit the research room. Special activities will be available for children and the whole family. Guided tours of the museum will be offered at 9:00, 10:30, 12:30, and 2:30. The documents in the Archives will come alive throughout the day through Alabama Voices dramatic readings. Children’s activities will focus on family history and traditions and the Research Room will be open with staff available to help adults explore their family history or other research projects. Archives staff will also conduct mini-workshops to help researchers learn more about using on-line digital collections available on the Archives website to explore photographs, documents, publications, maps, and military records. All events are FREE and a complete schedule of events is available for download in PDF format.

Online Tools For Your Research: Inflation Calculators

2009-10-10T09:00:00.003-05:00

In our research we come across many old documents relating to our subjects’ finances. Even in census records, financial information is disclosed. The 1850 census reveals the value of real estate a person owned. The 1860 and 1870 census reveal the value of real estate owned as well as the value of personal property. In such record groups as probate, deed and court records, property values are given. And of course, the dollar unit in the past had more value than the dollar unit today. By using an online inflation calculator you can convert a historical dollar value into its present value.

As an example, the 1860 Itawamba County US Federal Census shows Christopher Hussey, an Itawamba County planter in the southwestern part of the county, to be worth $114,445 in both real estate and personal property. Calculating this amount using an online inflation calculator, shows that in today’s dollars, his worth was equivalent to $3,057,115.61, using the consumer price index formula.

There are several online inflation calculators. A most excellent one is MeasuringWorth. With this calculator you can convert the value of historical dollars to present values from 1774 to the present. Presented here are six indicators for making such comparisons in US dollars between any two years from 1774 to 2008. You can perform calculations using different formulas using different methods - the CPI, the GDP Deflator, the consumer bundle, the unskilled wage rate, the GDP per capita, and the GDP. Only two indicators, the CPI and unskilled wage are available from 1774 to 1790, and the consumer bundle is only available from 1900 to the present. This site has a description of the indicators and some really interesting examples using such subjects as George Washington, the Erie Canal, Babe Ruth and the Model T Ford.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics has an online inflation calculator that performs calculations from 1913 to 2009. Their CPI inflation calculator uses the average Consumer Price Index for a given calendar year. This data represents changes in prices of all goods and services purchased for consumption by urban households. This index value has been calculated every year since 1913. For the current year, the latest monthly index value is used.

WestEgg has an inflation calculator that performs calculations from 1850 to 2008. The pre-1975 data are the Consumer Price Index statistics from Historical Statistics of the United States (USGPO, 1975). All data since then are from the annual Statistical Abstracts of the United States.

With the use of online calculators such as the ones mentioned here, we can gain a better understanding of the lives and times of our ancestors.

Airing in the Breeze

2009-10-09T17:31:00.003-05:00

About thirty years ago I was driving around the countryside north of Tremont and came upon this beautiful quilt hanging on the clothes line at a farm house. Needless to say I stopped and visited. Can anyone identify the pattern of this quilt?

October is Archives Month

2009-10-09T10:03:00.005-05:00

October is Archives Month and Mississippi’s theme this year is “I have so much to tell you…” Organizations throughout Mississippi are showcasing multifaceted collections that represent our history and its continuing relevance from generation to generation. Workshops and tours are being held throughout the state.

Initiatives are led by the Society of Mississippi Archivists and the Mississippi Historical Records Advisory Board (MHRAB), with partial funding provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Included in the special events is Personal Treasures presented by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. To be held October 15-16 at the Corinth Public Library in nearby Alcorn County, this popular program is based on the Antiques Roadshow format.

The public is invited to bring household items, books, maps, photographs, textiles, coins, stamps, architectural elements, and military items (except weapons) for expert advice on the age and origin of the item and its conservation and care. Monetary appraisals are not available at this event. Personal Treasures is free and open to the public.

For a complete listing of statewide events being held during Archives Month throughout the state, visit the Society of Mississippi Archivists website.

Poster ©Society of Mississippi Archivists

A Fulton Landmark is Being Saved

2009-10-04T17:33:00.004-05:00

For generations, the old home atop the steep embankment on Fulton’s Main Street has greeted passers-by. From the days during the 1860s when the road was the Fulton and Russellville Road to the times when it changed to Bankhead Highway, the old home has withstood the passages of time.

Unfortunately Fulton has lost many of its architectural treasures but The Cedars on Main Street has withstood demolition in the name of progress. And thanks to the members of the Fulton United Methodist Church, present owners of the home, the old home can be enjoyed by future generations.

Through efforts of some members of the church, a community-wide effort was begun to move and restore the original section of the home, making room for a church parsonage. And their call for help has fortunately not gone unheard. A grassroots organization called Preserving Itawamba County’s Heritage has been formed and many hours of volunteer labor has been spent with the noble cause.

The organization is more than talk and meetings. There has been plenty of hands-on work. The Cedars was the site of a major volunteer effort Saturday, September 26, 2009 when nearly 100 volunteers devoted part of their morning to cleaning the grounds and the interior of the house. Debris was removed from the lawn and the grass mowed and trimmed. Inside the house all of the recent carpet and padding and several of the newer items were removed and the interior cleaned.

Fulton artist and art educator Teb Thornton recently completed two works which he has donated to Preserving Itawamba County's Heritage (PICH). The art work will be used as a means of raising funds for the relocation and renovation of The Cedars. The artist prepared a watercolor of The Cedars as it exists today --- and a limited edition of 100 prints signed by the artist are available to benefit The Cedars Project Fund (an affiliate of the Create Foundation of Tupelo). All proceeds will be used in the preservation effort to relocate and to restore The Cedars. You may reserve your copy of this limited edition print by contacting the PICH at its blog site Preserving Itawamba County's Heritage. Additional donations to the Create Gaither House Project Fund may be made online at the Create Foundation website.

During this month there will be a benefit at the historic structure in Fulton. Mississippi Hill Country Heritage Day will be Sunday, October 18, 2009 at the historic structure at 211 Main Street. The event will run from 2 - 5 PM and all proceeds will benefit the project.

Tickets to the Mississippi Hill Country Heritage Day event are $15 for adults and $10 for students with admission for small children free. Tours of The Cedars and information about its history, music, games, displays, and a tasting of period foods are all included in this one ticket price.

For further information about this worthwhile event, visit the Preserving Itawamba County’s Heritage blog.

A Lost Corner Scene ca. 1900

2009-10-04T08:30:00.002-05:00

Pictured is the Yates and Elzie Conwill home located in the Lost Corner area of Itawamba and Monroe counties. The home was actually located across the county line in Monroe county but the subject is of Itawamba County people. The photograph was taken ca. 1900 and shows several citizens of the Carolina community of Itawamba County. Pictured are (left to right): Dave Armstrong, Metta Armstrong, Jesse Conwill, Ira Conwill holding Earnest Conwill, John Thomas, Babe Carpenter Green, Jonnie Mae Wiygul, Stella Conwill Duvall, Elzie Carpenter Conwill, Yates Conwill, Jr., wife of Bob Whitley (name unknown), Bob Whitley.

Yates Conwill was born September 18, 1857 and died August 28, 1921 (buried Wiygul Cemetery). He was the son of Yates Jury Conwill (born December 16, 1824 in Newberry District, SC, died August 18, 1860, buried in the Shumpert Cemetery in the Carolina Community of Itawamba County) and Nancy Herndon (born March 7, 1826, died March 13, 1916). Yates Jury Conwill and Nancy Herndon married on November 8, 1846 in Monroe County.

Yates Conwill was the grandson of Daniel G. Conwill (born about 1790, died 1863, buried in the Mound Cemetery in Monroe County) and Sophia Goodwin.

The Conwill and Goodwin families were prominent citizens of early Itawamba County in the Carolina Community and the families were located in the Lost Corner area as well, just south of Carolina, in both Itawamba and Monroe counties. The Carolina community was named for the state of South Carolina. Most of the citizens of this area came to Itawamba County from South Carolina, especially the Newberry District area.

A Country Field

2009-10-03T10:12:00.002-05:00

An old wagon in a field of yellow bitter weeds between the Hopewell and Greenwood communities west of the Tombigbee River is seen on an early Autumn day. In the olden days folks tried to keep their cows from eating bitter weed as it would make the milk bitter.

An Autumn Standard in Itawamba County

2009-10-01T15:40:00.003-05:00

Pictured above is a selection of mums at a business in Mantachie. Mums are an autumn standard in Itawamba County and during this time of year many potted mums are sold. When I was a kid, I don't believe you could buy potted mums such as what we have today. I remember mums were planted in the flower beds around the house and each autumn they would spring to life with colorful gold, purple and yellow blooms. It seems the mums now days are overloaded with blooms and the blooms don't last as long as they did when I was a kid.

The Sheriff's House

2009-09-29T06:10:00.003-05:00

Pictured above is the Sheriff's House in Fulton as it was being torn down during the 1960s. This residence housed the sheriffs of Itawamba County. The last sheriff to live in the house was Walter Wood (term of office - 1924 to 1928). The 19th Century structure stood at the present-day site of the parking lot of the Fulton Home Center on Main Street (old Piggly Wiggly and Walker's Big Star building).

A Birthday Cake and Radio Flyer

2009-09-28T06:15:00.002-05:00

Margarita Cauthern Thompson with her Radio Flyer wagon on her third birthday (notice the birthday cake on the wagon). This photograph was taken in the Third District of Itawamba County in the Van Buren Community. She is the daughter of Elvin and Dot Brown Cauthern, granddaughter of Fonzo and Minnie Lee Gardner Cauthern and great grand daughter of Francis Marion and Nancy Neal Galloway Cauthern early Itawamba County pioneers who came to Itawamba County prior to 1860. A special thanks to Margarita Cauthern Thompson for sharing this special photograph with the readers of Itawamba History Review.

Blue Skies Return to Itawamba

2009-09-27T09:29:00.003-05:00

Yesterday before sunset I had to snap a photo of the parting clouds over Itawamba County. For the past three weeks, we have had rain and damp weather. Many folks have recorded well over a foot of rain - five times the monthly normal. Thanks to Canadian high pressure that has finally entered the region, we're promised several days of low humidity and evening temperatures in the upper 40s and high daytime temperatures in the 70s. And we're finally getting to see sunshine! Many welcome this beautiful autumn weather.

B-Sharp Music Club in 1922

2009-09-27T07:53:00.003-05:00

Pictured are the members of the B-Sharp Music Club during 1922 at Itawamba Agricultural High School. The president was Maurine GAither, vice-president Capitola Brown and Secretary-Treasurer was Ruth Howard. Pictured (front row left to right): Maurine Gaither, Corrine Ballard, Miss Irene McMullin (teacher), Edith Lay, Pearl Graham. (Back Row left to right): Hautie Page, Eva Crouch, Ruth Howard, Odell Pearce, Beatrice Senter, Capitola Brown, Utrinka Collum.

Sitting on a Log

2009-09-26T07:43:00.003-05:00

Pictured are four young men during 1918. Left to right are: Allie Loden, Fred G. Martin, William Ezel "Zeke" Sheffield (son of Early Jasper and Nancy Lorena Wood Sheffield), Dr. Troy Sheffield. The scene was photographed in the Dorsey community.

An Old Homestead on the Aberdeen & Jacinto Public Road

2009-09-25T07:18:00.004-05:00

About thirty years ago I took this photo of the old Hugh and Eliza Gregory house on the old Aberdeen and Jacinto Road north of Walton Cemetery. Located at an old crossroads this home was of log construction. The old home was torn down not long after the photograph was taken.

In the Grove at White Springs Resort

2009-09-20T08:51:00.003-05:00

A political gathering at the old White Springs Resort between Smithville and Fulton near the Tombigbee River ca. 1900. White Springs was one of Itawamba County's earliest resorts and was established well before the Civil War. At one time there was a hotel and cabins near the old mineral springs. Click photo for larger view.

2009 Historic Natchez Conference Slated for October 8-10

2009-09-19T17:23:00.002-05:00

The 2009 Historic Natchez Conference will be held in Natchez October 8-10 and shares the title of the Smithsonian traveling exhibit, Journey Stories, which will be a feature of the conference. The exhibit is produced in cooperation with the Mississippi Humanities Council and co-sponsored by the Goldring/Woldenberg Institution of Southern Jewish Life and the Historic Natchez Foundation.

The Historic Natchez Conference, with all sessions being free of charge, fosters the study, preservation, and appreciation of the history of the Natchez region by providing a forum for established scholars, graduate students, archivists and the general public to share research, resources and ideas. The Conference continues its tradition of highlighting the role of archival collections in researching and interpreting the history of the American South.

The conference is an outgrowth of the Adams County Courthouse Records Project, a public records preservation and research program initiated in 1992 by California State University, Northridge, and the Historic Natchez Foundation, with major funding and assistance provided by the Natchez National Historical Park. Graduate students serve as interns in a comprehensive summer program involving conservation, research, and interpretation of multiple manuscript sources. Most of the student papers presented at the conference are products of that program.

For more information about the conference, including the complete program, visit the conference website.

A Tour of the Itawamba Historical Society Facilities in Mantachie: Part 5

2009-09-18T07:14:00.007-05:00

Editor's Note: Terry Thornton, a member of the society's board of directors, has been giving a tour of the society's facilities in Mantachie over the past few days through text and photographs. Below is the fifth and final part of his tour.

In one of the areas of the museum still to be developed is stored part of an auditorium's canvas stage cloth or a theatrical backdrop of painted cloth (pictured above) --- with many of the local hand-painted advertising signs on the canvas still as bright and as colorful as ever. I was charmed by the painted ads --- and hope that the museum will determine a way to display this large piece so that others may enjoy it. The theatrical backdrop was done after 1922 if information from the ad pictured above is correct and once hung on the stage in the Mantachie School auditorium.

No museum with a collection of artifacts from early rural America would be complete without a spinning wheel. The Bonds House Museum has a spinning wheel upon which no doubt countless hours of spinning produced countless miles of yard. These devices so necessary to households just a few generations ago have always fascinated me.

Large metal pots for outside and fireplace use are displayed at the Museum. The small cooking pot on the bottom shelf far left is commonly called a "spider" and was used for hearth cooking over many decades in the history of the nation. The little three-legged pot could be used in the fireplace for cooking everything from stews and soups to chickens and dumplings or even used for baking. One of the items on my "bucket list" is to bake biscuits on the hearth using a spider. First I've got to get a hearth.

The artistry in this quilt is both pleasing to the eye and inspiring. That so many small pieces of fabric could be cut and assembled by hand-piecing into all these various elements and then combined into a quilt top was a labor of love for someone years ago. Then the quilter(s) took over and fashioned a quilt from that top using thousands of small quilting stitches to join the top, the batting, and the lining together --- and those lines of stitches added even more to the overall pattern and geometry of the work. This quilt is charming.

At the Museum are displayed a variety of tools and metal artifacts --- from broad axes to horseshoes to a set of scales and the peas used to measure weights as well as dozens of other items. The object at the top right of this pictures is commonly called a set of "cotton scales" and was used to weight cotton as it was picked and collected for ginning. The scale had two surfaces upon which to measure weights --- one side of the scale required a small "pea" (shown hanging from the scale) to determine fairly light objects. The opposite side of the scale required a larger "pea" (shown just below the scale) to measure heavier loads. The scale had a top hook which could be attached to a secure limb or timber and the object to be weighed could be attached to the scale's bottom hook. Both are visible in this picture.

A Tour of the Itawamba Historical Society Facilities in Mantachie: Part 4

2009-09-15T18:39:00.010-05:00

Editor's Note: Terry Thornton, a member of the society's board of directors, will be giving a tour of the society's facilities in Mantachie over the next several days through text and photographs. Below is part four of his tour.

The Bonds House Museum has a variety of every-day objects used by earlier residents of Itawamba County. From high-topped lace-up ladies shoes to textiles of many differing types, the museum offers a up-close look at objects from our past.

Lovely shoes from yester-year could make a fashion statement even today are shown above.

Although the Bourland Family was in Itawamba County by 1836, it is not known when or where this textile treasure (shown below) was produced. Hand woven of various dyed threads, the Bourland coverlet is an excellent example of weaving and dying. The un-dyed background threads are probably cotton and the colored threads are probably wool --- blue dye was often made from Indigo and the resulting color was named "Indigo blue" whereas the red is called "Madder red" which was obtained from a dye extracted from the berries of the Madder plants (Common, Wild, or Indian Madder). Of course other plants may have provided the pigment for the red dye used in this coverlet.

This type of bed cover was sometimes called a "coverlid." In most cases, coverlids were woven on a simple overshot loom using solid colored or un-dyed cotton threads with dyed woolen threads. When linen threads were used instead of cotton and woven with wool threads, the resulting fabric was called "linsey-woolsey" which is often of finer threads than those used in coverlids.

It would be most interesting to hear a textile expert's assessment of this coverlid, to learn the types of thread from which it is woven, and to hear an explanation of the probable source of the dyes used in its manufacture.

Many homes throughout the South had a reed pump organ (shown below) in the parlor. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, salesmen traveled over the nation selling parlor organs on an installment plan. One such organ's paperwork (original contract and receipts for all of the monthly payments) was the subject of part of the first Internet article I ever researched and posted. That organ is probably similar in style and price as this one pictured from the Bonds House Museum.

That research showed that in December 1909, the Walls family of Kentucky contracted with R.J. Bowen and Brothers, Pianos and Organs, Winston-Salem, N.C., to purchased a Putnam Organ style 650 No 46211 for $65.00. The Walls agreed to pay $10.00 down and $15.00 every three months until paid in full. The Walls paid a total of $67.30 for their parlor organ --- and made the final quarterly payment of $12.30 on February 23, 1911. Here is that article called "Miss Lizzie's Trunk" (in three parts).

Although I don't know the company nor the seller of the parlor organ pictured from the Bonds House Museum, I have little doubt that it sold for about the same price as the one studied in Kentucky. More research is needed on the Itawamba County Mississippi parlor organ.

According to Marilyn Leary, the Society's Librarian and tour guide at the Museum, this large wall hanging of painted cloth showing the many flags of the Confederate States of America (shown below) is one of the most studied objects in the collection. Marilyn identified this item as being in the top three most discussed and viewed by visitors to the museum. This photograph does not show all of the flags or the labels in a readable size --- but many visitors to the Bonds House Museum will find the parade of Confederate flags of interest.

The Great Seal of The Confederate States of America (shown above) is also displayed at the museum. A large image of the Seal of the Confederacy in color shows George Washington on horseback surrounded by a wreath of plants. Those featured plants are Southern crops --- cotton, tobacco, sugar cane, corn, and wheat. The motto, Deo Vindice, means Under God, Our Vindicator. February 22 is the day of Washington's birth and the date when Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as President of the Confederate States of America.

A Tour of the Itawamba Historical Society Facilities in Mantachie: Part 3

2009-09-14T06:06:00.008-05:00

Editor's Note: Terry Thornton, a member of the society's board of directors, will be giving a tour of the society's facilities in Mantachie over the next several days through text and photographs. Below is part three of his tour.

One of the most interesting artifacts I found at the Bonds House Museum was a Friendship Quilt from the early 1930s. That quilt brought back memories of numerous ones I recall my mother and my classmates' mothers making as fund-raisers when I attended Hatley Elementary School in nearby Monroe County in the 1940s.

At Hatley School, a quilt block pattern would be sent home to each student's mother who would piece together one quilt square from her fabric scraps and add names or other embellishments. The squares would be gathered up and sewn together to make a quilt top and the quilt top assembled with a batting of carded cotton and a lining. The quilt would be placed into a quilt frame and whoever was in charge of the friendship project would call a quilting bee. Numerous hands would then quilt the top, batting, and lining together using tiny delicate quilting stitches that were most often arranged in amazing geometric patterns. When the entire quilt was quilted, the raw edges were bound with a binding material, usually thin strips of bias cut fabric which matched the top. When finished the quilt would be raffled off and the proceeds used in a well-received fund-raiser for the school.

Such activities were also done to raise money for church projects or for other community projects.

But the Friendship Quilt at the Bonds House Museum is more than just an example of this genre of quilts --- it is a historical document. The museum's quilt was made in the 1930s by members of the Mantachie Methodist Episcopal Church South. For ten cents, residents could pay to have their name embroidered into the quilt which was raffled off. Funds were raised in two ways --- the selling of chances to win the quilt and by the ten-cents-per name charge for those who wished to have their name on a quilt.

And in the process, the Friendship Quilt of Mantachie is a historical document of names written in embroidery on cotton fabric of numerous local residents from about eighty years ago. Below are photographs of a section of the quilt followed by a close-up picture of one of the quilt squares.

I did a quick census search for the six names shown in the image above using the Lee-Itawamba County Library's access to Heritage Quest. Here is a summary of what I found:

Mr. and Mrs. Ezra Sandlin: Listed on the 1920 Itawamba County Census as living in Cardsville, Beat 3. In the household are Ezra, a farmer age 26 born in Mississippi and his wife Mary A. Sandlin age 21 born in Mississippi.
C.B. Camp: Could this be Charles B. Camp listed in the 1910 census of nearby Monroe County Mississippi? More research is needed rather than just a quick look for C.B. Camp.
A.S. Kirksey: Listed on the 1910 Mantachie Precinct on Cotton Gin and Marietta Road. In the household are A.S., farmer age 37 born Mississippi; his wife Mollie age 30; son Gordon age 10; daughter Vivian age 8; son Kermit age 6; son Elvin age 4; and daughter Burnice age 3/12ths all born in Mississippi.
Ronald Pearce and Ruby Pearce --- I could not sort out the Pearce family of Itawamba County using just a quick search at Heritage Quest. More research is needed.
Rev. A. E. Sandlin: Listed on the 1920 Cardsville Beat 3 Census of Itawamba County as Augustus E. Sandlin, farmer age 59; wife Margaret E. age 64; daughter Allie J. age 30; granddaughter Ann Nell age 8; and grandson Bradford age 6 all born in Mississippi.

I cannot image the wealth of family history this quilt can tell --- and I hope to get permission from the Itawamba Historical Society to inventory and publish all of the names on the quilt.

Friendship quilts are treasures especially when they contain so many names as the one at the Bonds House Museum.

Remember that the Bonds House Museum is located at the corner of Church Street and Museum Drive in Mantachie, Mississippi. The museum is open to the public free of charge Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

A Tour of the Itawamba Historical Society Facilities in Mantachie: Part 2

2009-09-13T19:14:00.009-05:00

Editor's Note: Terry Thornton, a member of the society's board of directors, will be giving a tour of the society's facilities in Mantachie over the next several days through text and photographs. Below is part two of his tour.

In typical farm-house design, the Bonds House has porches. The shade of the porches, abundant windows, high ceilings, large attic, and shiny metal roof helped cool the house in those years prior to electric fans and other cooling devices.

The foyer of the Bonds House Museum viewed through the front screen door creates a muted image of Marilyn Leary, Society Librarian who was the Guide on this tour of the house.

One of the most interesting artifacts in the collection is the Itawamba County jail door from 1852. This iron jail door was in use from 1852 through 1937. It now hangs in the Bonds House Museum.

"The Times" art deco metal sign that once adorned The Itawamba Times building in Fulton since the 1940s now graces one of the walls in the museum's Delmus Harden Archives. The Itawamba County Times continues to be published as "the only newspaper in the world that cares anything about Itawamba County"!

Several printer trays and old-fashioned newspaper block "print/type" are found in the Harden Archives at the museum. I was interested in the two exclamation marks shown below.

Vintage typewriters are also displayed in the museum.

Monthly Program Meeting Slated for Tuesday Evening, September 15

2009-09-13T13:44:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday evening, September 15, the Itawamba Historical Society will hold its regular monthly program meeting. The special program will be a presentation by Thomas Childs on the water springs of northeast Mississippi’s hill country. Childs is a long-time attorney in Itawamba County and served as the Board of Supervisors attorney for several years. He was also a member of the faculty at Itawamba Community College. An active community leader for many years, he was elected by the citizens of Itawamba County as Citizen of the Year. He owns a mineral springs in neighboring Tishomingo County where he has manufactured and marketed bottled spring water.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the George Poteet History Center with a light dinner followed by the program. The public is invited to attend. The George Poteet History Center is located at the corner of Church Street and Museum Drive in Mantachie.

A Tour of the Itawamba Historical Society Facilities in Mantachie

2009-09-13T13:12:00.005-05:00

Editor's Note: Terry Thornton, a member of the society's board of directors, will be giving a tour of the society's facilities in Mantachie over the next several days through text and photographs. Below is part one of his tour.

The Itawamba County Mississippi Historical Society maintains its office, library, and facilities in Mantachie. One of the Society's greatest treasures is the historic Bonds House. Built about 1892, the house served the family of Andrew Bonds who was a merchant and the first mayor of Mantachie. Inside the Bonds House is the Museum of the Itawamba County Historical Society.

The museum is presented in various areas of the house which have the following designations:

The James Grissom Foyer (photographs and artifacts from early Mantachie post offices)
The Delmus Harden Archives (with emphasis on the county newspaper, The Itawamba County Times, and the Harden family)
The George W. Owens Archives (features numerous 19th century artifacts)
The Itawamba Historical Society Archives Collection (in three other areas of the house are more than 1,000 additional artifacts from the county's past including Chickasaw Indian artifacts; emphasis on the county's rural history and heritage)

On the lawn of the Bonds House Museum is a gazebo with benches and table and a double swing.

Next door to the Bonds House Museum is the George Poteet Center which houses the Gaither Spradling Library and offices of the Itawamba County Historical Society as well as the Gordon McFerrin Theatre. A full-service kitchen and offices are included within the building. The Historical Society meets at the George Poteet Center on the third Tuesday of each month except December.

The Center, the Bonds House Museum, the Library, and the Society's Offices are open to the public each Tuesday through Friday, 10 AM until 3 PM and at other times by appointment. The Society may be reached by telephone at (662) 282-7664 or by mail at PO Box 7, Mantachie, MS 38855.

In the following four articles are some views from inside the museum --- a few of the fascinating artifacts from Itawamba County's heritage are highlighted in photographs. You are invited on this brief tour of the Bonds House Museum --- and you are invited to visit the museum and the Society's facility at Mantachie. While you are there why not look into membership in the Itawamba County Historical Society? It is one of the largest and oldest county societies in the Hill Country.

Muscadine Harvesting in Itawamba County

2009-09-12T09:08:00.003-05:00

Muscadine picking is in full swing in Itawamba County, Mississippi this weekend. This wonderful wild grape's vines hang from the towering trees with the fallen fruit staining the county roads. For generations muscadines mean tasty jellies and jams, hot and buttery cobblers and delicious wine.

Wagon Train Out of the River Lowlands

2009-09-10T08:41:00.003-05:00

Pictured above is the lead wagon of a wagon train hauling timber out of the Tombigbee River bottomlands on the Fulton & Pontotoc Road (later Bankhead Highway and US Hwy 78)to the sawmill in Fulton. This photograph was taken ca. 1910. Click photo for larger resolution image.

The River Port on a Hot Summer's Day

2009-09-07T13:28:00.002-05:00

The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway at Fulton is seen on a hot summer's day. The scene was photographed at Port Itawamba looking south towards the John Elliott Rankin Memorial Bridge.

Fall Issue of Itawamba Settlers Goes to Press

2009-09-07T12:54:00.005-05:00

The Fall 2009 issue of Itawamba Settlers is set to be delivered to the printers tomorrow. This issue of the magazine contains several articles relating to Itawamba County, Mississippi history and genealogy. The quarterly 56-page magazine is mailed to the current membership of the society, including more than thirty libraries. For information about joining the society and receiving this quarterly publication, visit the society's website at www.itawambahistory.org. Articles in the Fall 2009 issue include the following:

Beauty's Grave
Cantrell Family Research
Judge William H. Elliott Biography
S.B. Lane Biography
James W. Reagan Biography
William Reagan Biography
Richard J. Reeves Biography
Francis White Biography
A Cauthern Family Portrait
William Doric Tynes Biography
Ruth Boren Photograph
1936 Centerville School Photograph
Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church Minutes
Dr. Sam Nabor's House Photograph
Itawamba County News Abstracts: 1911
A History of Fulton Methodist Church
A History of the Tombigbee Association
A History of the Judson Association
George W. Grissom and His Mule: 1917
Police Court Minutes: 1867

A Pot of Gold

2009-07-31T09:15:00.002-05:00

Yesterday the heat and humidity in Itawamba County was almost unbearable. The perfect weather for brewing storms. By early evening before the sun set a line of thunderstorms came through the county cooling us off with strong breezes and rain and left a most beautiful rainbow for us to enjoy.

Dulaney Family Reunion is August 29

2009-07-27T14:10:00.002-05:00

The Dulaney Family Reunion and Traditional Dinner on the Ground will be held Saturday, August 29 beginning at 11 a.m. The big event will be held at the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, northeast of Fulton.

The meal will be at noon and everyone is asked to bring their favorite covered dish, drinks and lawn chairs. Ice will be provided by Dulaney's Grocery. All descendants and relatives of the first Dulaneys of Itawamba County are invited to attend.

The three Dulaney brothers - John, Alfred and Gilbert, arrived in Itawamba County around 1833 along with their mother Rhoda Thrasher Dulaney, widow of Thomas. John, the oldest brother was born in South Carolina while Afred and Gilbert were both born in Tennessee. In addition to their sons, Thomas and Rhoda had two daughters - Elizabeth and Nancy. Thomas and Rhoda were South Carolina natives who married about 1802 and moved to Lincoln County, Tennessee before 1808. Records are found there of Thomas serving as a constable and captain of the 2nd Regiment of the Tennessee Militia. Following the War of 1812, Thoma and Rhoda moved their family to Alabama where family legend indicates that Thomas was killed in 1829 when his gun accidentally discharged while visiting relatives in St. Clair County.

The three Dulaney brothers have hundreds of descendants in Itawamba County today. Their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren intermarried with many families including McNeece, Senter, Wilemon, Chilcoat, Johnson, Moxley, Brown, Hood, Tucker, Robinson, Works, Digby and many others.

The Dulaneys of Itawamba County have a proud and rich history. The task of documenting this history is a daunting task. However, family members are making progress. They ask all family members to help them show a complete picture by adding their family's pictures and memorabilia to the Dulaney family database.

Scanners, computers and copier, as well as operatorsm, will be at the reunion and reunion organizers ask that all those attending bring their family's old pictures, letters and memorabilia so they can find their rightful place in the Dulaneys of Itawamba County history.

For more information about this family reunion, contact Don Dulaney at 662-322-0466.

Good Genealogy Luck

2009-07-25T19:09:00.003-05:00

Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings has a regular feature called Saturday Night Genealogy Fun. His installment this week asks the reader: "When have you had a dose of good genealogy luck?"

That was an easy question for me, as it would be for many folks in these parts. My genealogical luck comes from the mere fact of where I live. Where I live, so have most all my ancestors lived for the past 172 years or so.

Six generations of my ancestors have lived within 8 to 10 miles from where I have lived my entire life (with the exception of dorm life at college) – all within the same county. Within 8 miles of where I live, are the graves of four grandparents, 8 great grandparents, 16 gg grandparents, and even some ggg grandparents. In order to obtain family records of my Mississippi ancestors such as wills, deeds, marriages and the like since the 1830s, it’s a six mile trip to the county courthouse (and it’s nice to live in a “non-burned” county – most all records are extant since the county formation). And for information about extended cousins and their families, a trip to the neighborhood store usually suffices as more than likely I will run into several cousins while shopping for groceries.

I guess I have been lucky my ancestors stayed put for long periods of time. For the most part, from the early 1600s to early 1700s staying put in Virginia. From the early 1700s to the early 1800s in North Carolina and since the early 1800s moving down into Tennessee and Alabama before settling in Mississippi during the 1830s. And we’ve practically stayed put here ever since. Ancestors staying put sure makes it easier with researching their lives.

Summer Issue of Itawamba Settlers at the Printers

2009-07-24T12:22:00.003-05:00

The summer issue of Itawamba Settlers magazine was delivered to the printers on Monday and should be in the mail to the current membership shortly. I am already working on the Fall 2009 issue. Articles in the Summer 2009 issue include:

Beachum Family Research Notes
David Johnson Journal
David Johnson Biography
Johnson Family Photographs
Mississippian Railway Article: 1923
The Thompson Family of Itawamba and Lee Counties
Police Court Minutes: 1866
A History of the Tombigbee Baptist Association
Newnan Cayce Biography
James N. Francis Biography
Zachariah Stephens Biography
Roman S. Thomas Biography
A Tourist’s Guide to Itawamba County: 1938
Itawamba County News Abstracts: 1911

Summer Issue of Itawamba Settlers Nearing Completion

2009-07-11T12:50:00.001-05:00

The Summer 2009 issue of Itawamba Settlers, the quarterly magazine of the Itawamba Historical Society is nearing completion. This issue should prove to be a most interesting issue with material submitted by several members. There are several archival photographs to be published in this issue. Hopefull the quarterly will be submitted to the printers next week.

Society Program Meeting Tomorrow Night

2009-05-18T22:00:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow evening, members and visitors of the Itawamba Historical Society will be treated to a special program by Dr. Terry Thornton, society member and author of the blog, Hill Country of Monroe County. He will be presenting a program about burial customs in the hill country of northeast Mississippi. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the Gordon McFerrin Auditorium of the George Poteet History Center at the corner of Church Street and Museum Drive in Mantachie. A fellowship meal will be followed by the special program. This program should be both entertaining and educational, as Dr. Thornton is an excellent speaker. The public is invited to attend.

Lemon Balm

2009-05-12T06:44:00.003-05:00

With all the damp weather we've been having in Itawamba County, plants are really doing well. Pictured above is a clump of lemon balm in my garden. Crushed leaves of this herb have a strong scent of lemon. I've always planted lots of herbs within my flower beds. Not only do they add an interesting texture to the garden, they're quite handy in the kitchen as well. I have basil, tarragon, lemon balm, bee balm, mountain mint, chives and two twenty-year-old rosemary shrubs. This year I've added peppers to my flower beds as well.

A Flea Market With a Purpose: May 8-9, 2009

2009-05-07T15:28:00.003-05:00

The Itawamba Historical Society's annual giant flea market will be held tomorrow and Saturday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. This annual event is one of the major events of the year as a financial project. This year's event should prove to be one of the largest yet. Today society volunteers worked at the George Poteet History Center converting the auditorium into a big flea market sale area. Such items as antiques, books, household items, live plants, fresh baked goods, research books, arts and crafts are offered for sale. With the society's auditorium filled with items for sale and more items being displayed on the lawn tomorrow and Saturday, the society invites all those interested in finding a special treasure at a good price to come out and visit the next two days.

The historical society depends entirely upon membership dues and donations to further its work with the preservation and promotion of local history. Throughout the year the society's facilities are open to the public free of charge where hundreds of family researchers visit the society's Gaither Spradling Library and tour Historic Bonds House Museum. And each years hundreds of local school groups learn about their county's past. It is events like the annual giant flea market that keeps the society in operation.

So don't forget to support the society by stopping by the next two days. It will be time well spent.

Keyes Cemetery on a Stormy Day?

2009-05-05T06:39:00.001-05:00

I recently purchased a new photography book and one exercise in the book included taking a photograph and replacing the sky with a sky from another photograph. I took a scene I photographed of the old Keyes Cemetery on a sunny day and replaced the sky with a photograph I took near my house of a stormy spring day, which made for unusual results.

Remembering Lawns of White Clover

2009-05-03T10:54:00.004-05:00

One sunny warm afternoon last week I was gardening in my yard here in Itawamba County and came across a patch of blooming white clover on my lawn. The site of this clover instantly flooded my mind with memories of childhood summers in Itawamba County.

Back when I was a kid, everyone had patches of white clover on their lawns. This was before today’s monotonous manicured lawns of green turf. The white clover blooms on the lawn would attract butterflies and honey bees. As a kid I would catch bees in a fruit jar and would sit on the lawn combing through the green plants looking for that special lucky four-leaf clover. When the lawn would be mowed, the sweet smell of fresh-cut green clover would sift through the humid summer air creating a fragrant treat for the senses. And of course there’s nothing better than walking barefoot through a field of cool damp clover on a hot Mississippi summer’s day.

White clover has been around these parts for quite awhile. During 1794 a visitor to America wrote: “In every part of America, from New Hampshire to Carolina, from the sea to the mountains, the land … whether wet or dry, whether worn out or retaining its original fertility, from the summit of the Alleghany ridge to the sandy plains of Virginia, is spontaneously covered with white clover, growing frequently with a luxuriance and perfection that art can rarely equal in Europe¹.”

For hundreds of years, white clover has been cherished throughout the countryside. During 1892 Cora Randall Fabbri wrote a poem called White Clover. One verse of the little poem reads:

Among the clover in the lane,
The thought comes of a Long Ago.
And for a little while I know
I am a little child again.²

¹Charles V. Piper, Forage Plants and Their Culture, The MacMillan Company, New York, 1916, 411.

²Cora Randall Fabbri, Lyrics, Harper and Brothers, New York, 1892, 133.

Alabama Death Certificates Index: 1908-1974 Now Online at FamilySearch Labs

2009-05-02T08:53:00.002-05:00

FamilySearch Labs recently published an Alabama Death Certificates Index for the years 1908 through 1974. This searchable database includes extracted spouse and parents’ names (if available) as well as death date and location. Other information can include burial location, birthplace, marital status, birth date, parents’ birthplaces and other information typically found on a death certificate.

This is exciting news for those researching the “border counties” of Mississippi such as Itawamba where many family connections cross the state line. To research this index, simply visit FamilySearch Labs (select the Canada, U.S.A. and Mexico Region, then select Alabama Statewide Deaths: 1908-1974).

Overlooking the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway

2009-05-01T10:02:00.003-05:00

The patio area of the Jamie Whitten Historical Center overlooks the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Located just north of Fulton this complex includes a museum, nature trails, boat dock, fishing pier, camping area, playground and several picnic pavilions. This complex is one of the most attractive attractions along the waterway.

On the Town Square

2009-04-30T07:38:00.003-05:00

Pictured above is a view of South Cummings Street looking south on the Fulton town square during the late 1960's. This is a view as it appeared during my youth. Picture above is BB's (a women's clothing store) in the old Wilson Building on the corner, an appliance store in the old Fulton Bank building, the Lawhon Insurance building, the City Cafe building, and the two-story White's Store building. I recall passing by the cafe building many times on my way to the New Dixie Theater on many Saturdays during my youth. During the warm months, the cafe would keep their front door open and the smell of cooking hamburgers and onions would filter through the screen door onto the sidewalk enticing the casual passerby into the cafe. And White's Store was truly a variety store selling everything from groceries to comic books and toys. I spent many hours in that store thumbing through comic books and buying toys.

Greetings From Fulton...

2009-04-27T07:05:00.003-05:00

A postcard mailed from Fulton to Guntown during 1942 shows a typical spring scene - breaking the soil for a garden.

Plotting Deeds With Your Genealogical Research

2009-04-26T10:39:00.007-05:00

Have you ever copied an old deed that shows the property of your Itawamba ancestor and wondered where that property was located? With the knowledge of just a few basics of the Federal land survey system mechanics and a good detailed county map, you should be able to pinpoint the location of your ancestor’s property. The illustrations used in this article are based upon Itawamba County, Mississippi land records, but are easily adaptable to any geographic area that uses the Federal land survey system of sections, townships and ranges.

The illustration to the left is an old map showing the township and range mapping system of the Chickasaw Cession lands of Mississippi. The base line on the Tennessee state border numbers the land ranges. The Chickasaw Meridian line running north and south numbers the land townships. All ranges east of the meridian line are labeled east, such as Range 8 East. All townships south of the Tennessee state line (base line) are labeled south, such as Township 9 South. For example, locate the town of Fulton in Itawamba County on the map. It is located in the southeast part of Township 9 South, Range 8 East. The square block formed by the intersection of a township and range is called a township. Each township contains 36 sections of land with each section being one mile square, containing 640 acres. Therefore, each Township is 6 miles square.

The old map below shows the townships and ranges of the Itawamba County area in more detail. The ranges run west to east and are numbered accordingly. The townships run north to south and are numbered to the left of the map. Find Saltillo on the map (hint: upper right portion of the map). By using this map you can see that Saltillo is in Township 8 South, Range 6 East of old Itawamba County (present-day Lee County). As stated earlier, all ranges in Itawamba County are east of the Chickasaw Meridian and all Townships are South of the Base Line (Tennessee state line).

If you have an old land deed pertaining to your Itawamba County ancestor, by using the above map you can find the general location of the ancestor’s property in Itawamba County. However, to be more precise in locating your ancestor’s property, we will need to study the actual township itself and the sections that it includes.

There are 36 sections of land (each one mile square) within a Township. The sections are numbered beginning with Section 1 in the upper right hand corner (northeast corner of the township). By using the illustration below, along with the township and range map above, you can pinpoint your ancestor’s land with even more precision.

As an example, if your ancestor’s land was listed as in Section 5 of Township 9 South, Range 8 East, by using the above illustration and the county township-section map, you will learn that your ancestor’s property was in the Mantachie community of Itawamba County. In using maps with deed research from the above Mantachie example, first find the township formed by the intersection of Township 9 South and Range 8 East. Then locate Section 5 on the above township-section map to find the general location within the township map giving you the general location within the townships where the property was located.

Now let us use a real-life example from a deed found in the Itawamba County Chancery Court Clerk's Office:

“William H. Toomer of Itawamba County sold to Joshua Toomer of Itawamba County the southwest quarter of Section 22 and the northwest quarter of Section 27 in Township 9 South, Range Range 8 East on 21 August 1838 for $1,000: Book 2, Page 005.”

First find the Township 9 strip of land and then find the Range 8 strip of land by using the county township map above. The 6-mile square area where the township and range intersects will be the township area of the property. By finding the township area we learn the property was in the 6-mile square area where the Mantachie and Dorsey communities are located west of the Tombigbee River. Now notice where the section is located within the township using the township-section map. Section 27 is located in the lower middle area of the Township which will be a few miles east of the Dorsey community. Joshua Toomer bought the southwest quarter of Section 22 and the northwest quarter of Section 27 making a total of 320 acres (since a section of land is 640 acres and he purchased two quarter sections).

By studying the township-section map, we see all of this land joined (the southwest quarter of Section 22 and the northwest quarter of Section 27 are adjacent to each other). Section 22 is north of, and joins Section 27.

Putting it all together

One of the best map references to use with plotting old Itawamba County deeds are the US Geological Survey topographic maps. These maps are very detailed, showing the various section, township and range numbers and also show various features including rivers, creeks, cemeteries, schools, towns and so much more. These maps may be purchased from various distributors or they may be viewed free of charge on the Internet from various sources (simply do a search for “topographic maps.”). Another excellent tool is the Mississippi Department of Transportation county map. These county maps show all the sections, townships and ranges of each county in Mississippi and are available free of charge online in PDF format.

The Muddy Tombigbee

2009-04-26T07:55:00.003-05:00

Earlier this week I took a trip down to the river bottom on the old US Highway 78. The above photograph of the muddy Tombigbee River was taken from the bridge spanning the old river.

A 1909 Penny Postcard From Dorsey

2009-04-25T08:49:00.003-05:00

A penny postcard is shown above written to Miss Ollie Gregory of the Walton Cemetery community of Itawamba County from a friend in Dorsey. I always thought the penmanship on the card by this young man was quite elaborate.
....

The Bottom

2009-04-24T10:59:00.003-05:00

This morning on my way to the grocery store in town I decided to take a detour onto the old US Highway 78 into the Tombigbee River lowlands west of Fulton. This once-busy stretch of highway is now almost deserted as it now dead-ends at the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway at Fulton. What little traffic is along this stretch of pavement is basically folks going to the Peppertown boat dock. This stretch of old paved highway crosses the Tombigbee River at the foot of River Hill east of Peppertown and then for three miles crosses several sloughs. When I was a kid, we traveled this highway going from Fulton to Tupelo. Along these sloughs during the summertime folks would be fishing from the banks and in the fields, white gold in the form of cotton would be growing. Today the fields are overgrown and the highway is silent as sand cranes stand like sentries in the swamps overseeing their peaceful domain.

Early Morning Rose

2009-04-22T06:30:00.003-05:00

Early this morning I enjoyed working in my garden. The roses are now blooming throughout the countryside of Itawamba County - a sure sign that warm weather is here to stay for awhile. There's something about a garden during the early morning hours as the scent of flowers especially permeate the air. The above Astor Perry rose is one of my favorite garden roses. This rose blooms all summer creating a nice splash of yellow in the garden.

Rolling on the River

2009-04-21T06:57:00.003-05:00

Yesterday afternoon in the warm sun a tugboat from ports unknown pushes a barge south through Itawamba County on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.

The Thomas Bullard Monument in Old Center Star

2009-04-20T06:23:00.001-05:00

The Thomas Bullard monument stands tall in the old section of historic Center Star graveyard in Mantachie. Thomas Bullard was the son of Alonzo Jessie (born July 1843 in Socapatoy, Coosa County, Alabama, the son of Thomas and Narcissa Bullard and the grandson of Allen and Rebecca Butler Bullard) and Lydia Ann Lackey Bullard. He is found in the 1880 and 1900 Lee County census records (Unity community) and in 1910 is listed as a salesman living in the town of Mantachie with his wife Mollie with daughters E.L., L.M. and sons Willie and Fred. It is interesting that his monument shows he was born January 18, 1878, yet the 1880 Lee County census shows him being five months old being born in January 1880.

Thomas Bullard’s father, Alonzo, served in Company C of the 5th Battalion of Hilliard's Legion from Tallapoosa and Coosa counties in Alabama.

Jessie Sheffield and Wife Minnie Shields

2009-04-19T07:18:00.002-05:00

Jessie Sheffield was the half-brother of my great grandfather William Sheffield. He was the son of Adam Sheffield and his second wife Elizabeth Wilson Wadkins (widow of Richard Wadkins). Jessie was born during 1862 in Clarke County, Alabama and came north up the Tombigbee River to Itawamba County with his family after the Civil War settling on family lands that had been bought during the 1840s. On February 2, 1890 he married Minnie Caroline Shields (born 1872 in Itawamba County) the daughter of John William and Sarah Jane Nichols Shields. Jessie died on December 25, 1934 in Smithville, Monroe County. Minnie Carolina Shields Sheffield died during 1954 in Itawamba County. This couple were the parents of fourteen children.

Snowball Bush Blooms

2009-04-18T12:13:00.003-05:00

I have a large snowball bush (Viburnum opulus 'Roseum') in my yard that is now in full bloom. This morning I photographed a small section of the blooms before the rain moves in later today.

A Museum in the Woods

2009-04-16T08:03:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I visited Itawamba County’s museum in the woods – the Jamie L. Whitten Historical Center and Park located just north of Fulton on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. The center, designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mobile District, includes an interesting museum with exhibits created by several Federal agencies involved in the economic development of Mississippi’s beautiful hill country including The Appalachian Regional Commission, Tennessee Valley Authority, USDA and Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Park Service and the U.S. Forestry Service. Several of the exhibits are multi-media displays and many illustrate the rich history and heritage of this area.

The historical center also includes a modern auditorium and a large covered terrace overlooking the beautiful waterway below. There is a gift shop area featuring regional books and other unique gift items. But this center is just a small part of the large complex which includes picnic pavilions, nature trails, boat ramp, paved volley ball and basket ball courts and a large camping area. The next time you are in Itawamba County, discover the rich history and heritage of Mississippi’s scenic hill country by visiting the Jamie L. Whitten Historical Center at 100 Campground Road just off the John E. Rankin Scenic Highway north of Fulton. It will be a fun time well spent.

Iris in the Early Morning Sun

2009-04-14T06:18:00.004-05:00

Iris is now at its peak in Itawamba County. I captured this bloom early this morning. A favorite plant among local gardeners, the Iris has a long history in ornamental gardens.

Book Review: Isaac's Storm

2009-04-12T12:30:00.010-05:00

Isaac’s Storm is the second book I have read by the author Erik Larson, the first being the excellent The Devil in the White City. I was certainly not let down with this second book I recently purchased. This work, simply put, was a page-turner – a type of read that you definitely can’t put down until the whole work is finished. Isaac’s Storm tells the story of the deadliest hurricane to ever hit the United States – the 1900 Galveston storm in Texas.

For years I have been interested in this storm. In one of the Itawamba County family lines I have researched I came across the story of a young married man who left Itawamba County under dire circumstances. Shortly before 1900 he had stabbed his brother-in-law during a fight, and thinking the man dead, took flight from Itawamba County ending up in Galveston. Within a few months the deadly storm hit the booming town of Galveston with a vengeance and the young man was never heard from again. It is ironic that he had inflicted only a flesh wound on his brother-in-law.

Isaac’s Storm is a most horrific story of the great hurricane of September 8, 1900 that, according to some estimates, killed between 6,000 and 12,000 individuals. It is also the interesting story of Isaac Cline, the Galveston Weather Bureau section director born during 1864 in Monroe County, Tennessee.

The pages of the book gradually lead up to that fateful September event. It tells the gripping stories of various individuals and the toll the storm took on their lives. Vivid accounts of those who rode out the storm are interwoven into the story. The author has a stunning ability to describe another place and another time in the telling of this horrific story.

Isaac’s Storm most definitely was a superb read. It is one of those reads you find hard to put down until the last page is read. The book includes 37 pages of notes and sources.

Isaac's Storm (Paperback)by Erik Larson, 2000, Vintage Books (ISBN 0-375-70827-8), 336 pages.

Isaac's Storm website

Easter Greetings

2009-04-12T06:51:00.001-05:00

An Easter postcard mailed in Itawamba County during 1910.

A Mississippi Fish Fry

2009-04-11T09:03:00.008-05:00

Yesterday I attended a Good Friday fish fry sponsored by a local business. The meal was prepared by our local volunteer fire department. And I must say they are known far and wide for their delectable fried catfish. In Mississippi, the fish fry has been elevated to a culinary art form.

The Tombigbee River snakes through Itawamba County headed down to Mobile and throughout the history of the county folks have held a close bond to that old river. For generations locals have fished along the banks of its waters and in the sloughs found in the river bottom lowlands. And for generations folks around these parts have held the fish fry. For years all the restaurants around here have catfish on the menu. And we’ve always had restaurants that specialize in fried catfish alone called fish houses.

The special meal I had yesterday (pictured above) is exactly like the family fish fry we had when I was a kid. So what’s on the menu for an old fashioned Itawamba County fish fry? The meal consists of deep fried Mississippi catfish, fried to a crispy golden brown, a generous heaping of deep fried cornmeal hushpuppies crispy on the outside and spongy on the inside savored with onions, black pepper and green bell pepper, cold spicy cabbage slaw and a heaping of hot crispy French fried potatoes. And there’s plenty of sliced lemons, onions and dill pickles to compliment the meal. All of this is washed down with good iced sweet tea.

You have missed out on a special culinary experience if you haven’t attended an old fashioned Mississippi fish fry.

Photograph of my dad and his cousin during 1956 with their catfish bounty after a fishing trip to the Tombigbee River bottom lands.

The Catfish Institute

Storm Clouds Forming Over Itawamba County

2009-04-10T18:01:00.003-05:00

Storm clouds are gathering in the sky over Itawamba County on Good Friday afternoon. Today proved to be a stormy day in parts of the county with hail, winds and rain.

Blackberry Bramble Memories

2009-04-10T08:18:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I took a walk in the countryside near my house and noticed the blackberry brambles are blooming. The delicate white blooms reflecting the warm sunshine instantly brought back fond memories of picking blackberries during my childhood.

My mom and a few of my aunts would take the children to the edge of the fields where blackberry brambles covered the countryside. With buckets in hand we would harvest the delectable juicy berries in the warm Mississippi sunshine. We would always go quite early to avoid the hot mid-day sun. Spending a few hours among the blackberry brambles was a treat for the kids and we always got our fill of eating fresh blackberries off the vine.

By the end of the foray into the wilds, with purple dyed fingers we were always pleasantly full, happy and tired. The berries were brought back to the house and while the kids played in the yard around the house the sweet scent of cooking blackberries permeated the air as the women produced and canned jellies and jams from the sweet berries. During the afternoon when the family blackberry social ended, the dining room table was full with Mason jars holding some of the best homemade blue-ribbon jams and jellies around. The women would gather up their kids, portion the jellies and jams, and head to their respective homes loaded with a year’s supply of blackberry jelly and jam and also a nice portion of fresh uncooked berries.

Those fresh uncooked berries would later be transformed into a most wonderful dessert – fresh blackberry cobbler. There was nothing better on the dinner table than a nice hot blackberry cobbler straight out of the oven, with a crispy and buttery crust served with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Yesterday’s walk among the blooming blackberry brambles definitely got me longing for a good home-baked blackberry cobbler.

Old Center Star Graveyard on an Early Spring Morning

2009-04-09T11:30:00.003-05:00

The old Center Star Graveyard near my house is one of Itawamba County's historic cemeteries. Established shortly after the county was formed, this cemetery is the final resting place of many early citizens of northwestern Itawamba County. It was adjacent to this old burial grounds that the village of Center Star was established. The pioneer village boasted several stores, saloons, a Methodist church, Masonic hall and livery. The old village gradually moved south and later became the town of Mantachie during the later 1800s.

The old graveyard is the final resting place for five generations of my maternal line. It is here my great grandfather Marion Albert Cockrell is buried. His memorial service was held under the ancient oak pictured above, on a hot summer day during 1944. As the mourners fanned themselves with paper fans, his elderly sister Nancy Cockrell Thornberry sang Amazing Grace a cappella to her beloved brother. My great great uncle Jordan Cockrell, who left the hills of Itawamba County with his fiddle under his arm headed to the St. Louis World's Fair winning the World's Champion Fiddling Contest is buried here. My great grandfather Thomas Buse and wife Mary Gassaway rest on a knoll in this old cemetery. He had moved down from the old Natchez Trace, where his family had settled during 1840. It was here during 1940 a young farmer and is wife laid their first-born child to rest - the sister I never knew. The old cemtery is the final resting place of scores of aunts, uncles and cousins from generations gone. And it is here my parents were laid to rest.

Old Center Star is a refuge of beauty and solitude, and to me, it's a very special place to visit.

Research Freebies Online: Internet Text Archive

2009-04-08T08:22:00.004-05:00

There are many free research sites on the Internet featuring digital images of maps, source documents and hard to find books. One such site is the Internet Text Archive, a part of the massive Internet Archive site. More than 1,301,000 items are digitized in this text archive. To get the most out of this site use the advanced search engine where you can search among various fields including title, author, description, custom fields and dates. Be sure to select text in the media type field. I found several hard to find books in this massive collection including the 584-page Mississippi: A Guide to the Magnolia State by the Federal Writers Project from 1938. In searching for the word Mississippi in a title search I came across several wonderful 19th century volumes including several Mississippi histories and first-hand accounts of life in the state. A search of the term genealogy produced over 7,700 results.

With your research using the Internet, don’t forget the Internet Text Archive. It will be time well spent.

Dogwood Winter

2009-04-06T08:40:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, Sunday was a beautiful warm day. One of those perfect days for quiet quality time, just enjoying the sights, sound and smell of nature. The azaleas, dogwoods and a host of other flowering trees, shrubs and plants are in their full-bloom period throughout the countryside of Itawamba County. I photographed the above scene on my front lawn. But overnight, colder weather returned to Mississippi. Some folks call this Dogwood Winter, when cold weather returns for a brief period while the Dogwood trees are in full bloom. Then there's Blackerry Winter, when the same happens while blackberries are blooming. It always seems we have a cold snap before and around Easter, and this is usually the last blast of cold weather. Freezing temperatures are being forecast for tonight and tomorrow night and for those who have already started their gardening, it will be a day to cover those tender tomato and pepper plants. I must say when I was growing up my grandmother always said to never plant anything in the garden until after Good Friday. I strongly suspect our elders knew what they were talking about.

The Old Rushing Country Store

2009-04-05T13:38:00.002-05:00

Once during Itawamba County's past, country stores dotted the countryside. Every community had such a store. Many of those old stores were voting precincts and served as the community post office. Picture above is the old Rushing Store near the Centerville community in northwestern Itawamba County. I photographed this scene during the mid-1970's.

A Country Supper

2009-04-04T08:11:00.002-05:00

I have recently been wanting an old-time meal I remembered from childhood. The meal consisted of boiled rutabagas, country-fried potatoes and cornbread. Thursday I went to the neighborhood grocery and bought a big rutabaga and some Irish potatoes. Cooking the meal that evening was really easy. I simply cut the big turnip into large sections, dropping the sections into a pot of boiling water seasoned with salt, black pepper and a little lard. It took about an hour for the concoction to boil down producing very tender and savory rutabaga sections.

Country-fried potatoes have been a staple on farm tables in these parts for generations. This treat is simply sliced potatoes (I slice mine like little French-fries), diced onion, corn meal and lots of black pepper. After cutting the potatoes and onions, I tossed the concoction with some corn meal and coarse black pepper in a mixing bowl before frying in a black iron skillet. To make good country-fried potatoes, you need to cover the skillet so the potatoes are steamed as well.

I prepare my cornbread, not in the oven, but on the stove-top, pouring the batter in a greased iron skilled and flipping the bread halfway through cooking. There’s something about stove-top cornbread that makes the bread crispy on the outside and spongy on the inside.

I enjoyed my country supper with a big glass of sweet iced tea. The only thing missing from the meal was a generous slice of garden-ripe tomatoes. Hopefully this summer I can have this missing ingredient for the perfect country supper.

Remembering the Five and Dime

2009-04-03T08:59:00.003-05:00

Perhaps of all the stores I remember from childhood days, the Ben Franklin store on Fulton’s court square brings back more fond memories. Simply called “the dime store,” this store was a treasure house of affordable goods for the families of Itawamba County.

It was the place where packages of colorful valentines were bought in February, and plastic Halloween masks were on display during October along with candy corn, red wax lips and licorice wax mustaches. We called those masks false faces. In this store such items as rolls of toy pistol caps, miniature plastic soldiers and cowboys, colorful paper kites, and metal wind-up toys (few plastic toys during those days), And there were colorful comic books galore – from Archie and Superman to the more high-brow Illustrated Classics. But the “dime store” wasn’t only for children. All types of household items and notions could be bought here – everything from dish towels, pots, and pans to cobalt blue bottles of Evening in Paris perfume.

The Ben Franklin “dime store” in Fulton was definitely the center of attraction on Fulton’s town square for many years and today that old building continues to hold many cherished memories from times gone by.

Apple Blossom Time

2009-04-01T08:16:00.002-05:00

It's apple blossom time in Itawamba County, Mississippi. I took a walk out to an old orchard behind my house this morning and enjoyed all the blooming apple trees in the early morning sunlight. Those blooms are the promise of delicious fresh apples later this summer.

Old Factor's Stand on the Old Natchez Road

2009-03-30T19:21:00.005-05:00

The old Chickasaw Cession survey maps in the Itawamba County courthouse show the Natchez Trace route as it appeared when the surveyors mapped out the Chickasaw Cession during 1834. Back then the ancient road was labeled as The Old Natchez Road. The story of the Natchez Trace is a fascinating story of the frontier South. It is the story of circuit riding preachers, missionaries, bandits, land pirates, soldiers, slaves and settlers. It is also the story of the Chickasaw, Choctaw and Natchez Indians.

The heaviest use of the Old Natchez Road was from 1800 to about 1825 by men known as "Kaintucks," who floated down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers with their goods to Natchez and returned north on foot using this old trail from the 1700s that was developed into a Federal road shortly after 1800.

The old 1834 survey maps of what later became Itawamba County in 1836 show this old road in detail. One such small section of a map (illustrated above) shows The Old Natchez Road and also Factor’s Field along the road. Old Factor’s Stand was a resting place in the heart of the Chickasaw Nation where travelers could obtain room and board on their trek between Natchez and Nashville.

During 1811, Samuel Hastings Stackhouse traveled down the Natchez Trace to Natchez. On Monday, November 25, 1811 he wrote the following about the area of Old Factor’s Stand: “Start early. Continues raining during the fore part of the day. Stop at the Old Factor, a respectable Indian who takes his name from being the principal manufacturer of homespun in the nation & appears to have a large settlement… After baiting our horses proceed on. Observe the country tolerably well improved, Indian plantation every few miles. Arrive at the Big Town which formerly contained many buildings but is now hardly anything more than an extensive prairie with some scattered huts, the Indians having left the town for situations better adapted to agriculture… The two last days we pass through considerable pine barren & over several large streams of water. Some that we have crossed today we calculate to be the head waters of the Tombigbee¹…”

The following year, Reverend John Johnson (born January 7, 1783 in Louisa County, Virginia, moved to Tennessee during 1803, married Susannah Brooks, died April 8, 1857), a Methodist-Episcopal circuit rider and missionary in Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi rode through what later became northwestern Itawamba County, spending the night near Old Factor’s Stand near Twenty Mile Creek. He was headed from Natchez to Nashville where he had overseen the Natchez Circuit during the previous year. He wrote in his journal: “I have this day swam my horse 5 times, bridged one creek, forded several others, besides the swamp we had to wade through. At night we had a shower of rain – took up my usual lodging on the ground in company with several Indians².”

Further information about Johnson’s journey is found in a letter he wrote from Natchez to family in Nashville on November 28, 1811. Telling of his journey to Natchez he wrote: “Dear Mother, Brothers and Sisters: - I must write to you collectively, as I cannot individually. It is with pleasure I inform you that I enjoy health of body, and in some degree, quietude of mind; and that we had a safe and somewhat comfortable journey to this place. We came through with post haste, occupying only nine days and seven hours in coming through the nations. Came forty miles or upward each day. Our horses performed the journey well. We reached the Territory on Wednesday, the 20th instant. I find it easy to speak of, but very tedious and tiresome to make a journey of five hundred miles. The road is far better than I expected to find it. The friendly clouds poured down one heavy shower of rain upon us in the wilderness, and but one. The Indians are very kind and friendly; sold us corn at $1 to $1.50 per bushel. I think the Indians are far better than some of the whites who are among them³…”

The story of Old Factor’s Stand in the area that later became Itawamba County is but one story told along this old Federal road connecting Nashville to Natchez during the frontier days of the Mississippi Territory in the old American southwest.

Endnotes

¹Carolyn F. Castor, “Travel Diary of Samuel Hastings Stackhouse, 1811,” Early Southwest Mississippi Territory, http://www.natchezbelle.org/sw/diaryintro.htm (accessed March 30, 2009).

²Nostalgiaville Publishing, “Images from Nostalgiaville: Mississippi – Natchez Trace Parkway,” Nostalgiaville, http://travel.nostalgiaville.com/Mississippi/mississippi.htm, (accessed March 30, 2009).

³Susannah Johnson, Recollections of The Rev. John Johnson and His Home: An Autobiography (Nashville, TN: Southern Methodist Publishing House, 1869), 70.

Expand Your Research

2009-03-30T06:26:00.004-05:00

Over the weekend I was catching up on my blog reading and came across an interesting post at the California Genealogical Society Library blog showing an interesting graphic poster reflecting the idea that most research takes place in such areas as libraries, archives, courthouses and the like. After viewing this interesting poster I decided to create a graphic interpretation of the subject reflecting all the different avenues researchers should be taking in addition to the Internet. With the help of my of graphics program and Wordle, I created the above illustrated poster.

The Internet is a wonderful research tool and makes genealogical research so much easier than in the past. I can easily recall the pre-Internet days when I would spend hours at libraries scrolling through spools of census microfilm, writing query letters including my self-addressed stamped return envelope, filling out applications for death certificates, and scanning through hundreds of pages of un-indexed books looking for that elusive ancestor. However, even today, far from everything is online, and the researcher who doesn’t expand their avenues of research is simply missing out on valuable information.

Far from everything is online and the dedicated researcher must continue to take traditional avenues for research including using local historical societies, genealogical societies and libraries (both local and academic). Records in courthouses need to be explored and letters need to be written. Visits to cemeteries, archives and museums are also important. Simply put, there is a massive amount of information out there that will take more traditional methods to obtain. The Internet has not taken the place of more traditional methods of research - it has simply made the job of research much more easy.

Expand your research exploring all avenues by taking more traditional routes to compliment your Internet-based research. It is amazing what is available out there in collections throughout the country easily obtained by writing a letter, making a phone call or visiting the various facilities. It will be time well spent.

A Party Invitation: 1922

2009-03-28T06:17:00.003-05:00

A basketball party invitation from the Itawamba Agricultural High School from 1922. The printed invitation reads: "The boys and girls of the high school basket ball teams are invited to meet each other in the first 'social game' of the season. A neutral court has been provided in Mrs. Barber's (or H.S.)class room and game will be forfeited by team not on hand promptly at seven o'clock. Officials: Mrs. Henley and Miss Webb. Scorekeepers: Everybody." Handwritten at the bottom of the invivation is "Saturday evening."

The Woods and Gardens are Now Shades of Purple, White and Pink

2009-03-27T06:46:00.002-05:00

Wisteria is now blooming throughout the countryside of Itawamba County with shades of purple, blue, pink and white. Much of the woodlands and gardens of Itawamba County are now washed in spring color with the sweet scent of Wisteria permeating the air.I snapped the photo yesterday along the edge of my yard behind my house.

An Old 19th Century Road Crossing the Mantachie Creek Bottomlands

2009-03-26T06:20:00.003-05:00

This past weekend while visiting the old Files graveyard I photographed the old road pictured above. During antebellum times this road connected the Files farm east of Mantachie Creek and the Owen farm west of the creek. For many years this old road linked the Fawn Grove community with the Walton Cemetery community but during the mid-1900s the county quit maintaining the road and Mantachie Creek Bridge. Today the old road east of the creek is merely a well-worn path but the old road west of the creek is known as Franks Road. For years now, every time I visit Walton Cemetery where many of my family lines are buried, I admire this old forgotten section of a once well-traveled road.

An Itawamba County Cowboy ca. 1932

2009-03-25T07:14:00.003-05:00

Woodrow Wilson Franks (born March 30, 1913, the son of Thomas Walker Franks and Sarah Jane Sheffield) is photographed at the North Mississippi Fair and Diary Show in Tupelo around 1932. The photograph was taken in an arcade studio at the fair.

During the 1920s and 1930s young men in Itawamba County enjoyed the silver screen – in particular, westerns. It was during the 1920s traveling tent shows toured the rural countryside of Itawamba County offering the citizens silent moving picture shows. One of the most popular such shows was the Daddy Violett traveling moving picture show that would go from community to community throughout Itawamba County. By the early 1930s a trip to the Strand Theater in nearby Tupelo or the Dixie Theater in Fulton was a special Saturday treat after spending the prior week laboring in the cotton fields of Itawamba County. Here in those old theaters the likes of Hoot Gibson, Tom Mix, Tim McCoy and Tex Ritter could be seen on the big screen providing high adventures of the Old West to the wide-eyed country boys of Itawamba County perched on the edge of the seats.

Dogwoods Blooming at the Courthouse

2009-03-24T09:26:00.003-05:00

The Itawamba County Courthouse Dogwood trees are blooming. When I got to the courthouse this morning I couldn't resist photographing one of the trees on the courthouse square.

The Itawamba County Fair Catalog of 1952

2009-03-23T15:52:00.004-05:00

Pictured above is the cover of the 1952 Itawamba Fair and Livestock Show Official Catalog. The event was held September 30 through October 4, 1952. The 88-page catalog is full of local advertising and information regarding the various contests and exhibits. The 1952 Fair Officials were: A.J. Mattox (president), R.F. Robinson (vice-president), H.L. Holland (secretary), M.T. Seitz (treasurer) and Delmus C. Harden (program chairman). Members of the Official Directors were: J.C. Whitehead Sr., Gaddis Prestage, Delmus C. Harden, Phillip Sheffield, Manuel Gorden, J.M. Gibbs, Sr., H.H. Yawn, E.L. Franks, W.L. Kilpatrick, Sam Cooper, Joe Staub, Owen Spearman, O.E. Earnest, H.W. Holcomb, J.H. Gilliland, J.E. Wiygul, R.V. Maples and N.A. Riley.

From the welcoming letter, president A.J. Mattox wrote: “We regret the drought has cut the production of crops in I tawamba County, but we can still compare progress with each other and do our share in feeding the people of the nation. The Fair affords an opportunity for the farmers of Itawamba County to show their products and to study those of their neighbors; thus to exchange ideas, and enable each other to produce still greater harvests against the time of need.”

Childhood Visits to the Fulton Ice Plant

2009-03-23T10:31:00.001-05:00

The Fulton Ice Plant was built during the 1920s "under the hill" on Main Street in Fulton and was continuously in business for many years. The ice manufacturing company was in Fulton's first shopping center outside the downtown area on property owned by the Gaither family. Located in this strip of buildings owned by the Gaither family were the Sinclair Service Station (later Smith's Shoe Store), the Fulton Ice Plant, Rushing's Fabric Store and Rushing's Sporting Goods.

Going to the ice plant as a child was fascinating and fun. On those hot and sweltering Mississippi summer days, the dark interior of the ice plant was cool and refreshing. Huge blocks of ice were dragged along the wooden floors and with the help of large tongs, those blocks of ice would be hoisted upon the saw table, then cut into 9 smaller blocks. It was always fun to stand near the ice crusher as those smaller blocks of ice were fed into the crusher. A fine mist of frozen ice particles would shoot from the noisy crusher, cooling your face. The crushed ice would drop into large brown double-layered paper bags holding twenty pounds of ice. I remember the ice from the Fulton ice plant was always crystal clear. During the summer months, watermelons in season would be sold ice cold from the building.

During the late 1950s I remember my mom would buy ice by the block from the ice plant and use an ice pick to chip away at the ice in a large dish pan. It seems iced sweet tea was better back then - maybe it was because of that quality chipped ice used to fill the glass.

The Old Files Graveyard Near the Mantachie Creek Bottomlands

2009-03-21T23:21:00.005-05:00

The old Files Graveyard is located on a hill east of the Mantachie Creek bottomlands near the old Aberdeen and Jacinto Road. The land was first owned by the James Files family during the 1830s and it was James Files (born September 9, 1769), who was buried in the old cemetery on January 29, 1842. This old burial ground contains perhaps a dozen or many more graves, with most being marked only by brick. Pictured above is the David Files pottery monument (son of James Files) and the remains of an old brick crypt. Pictured to the left is the Garland G. Lesley Confederate monument and a small section of the adjacent graves marked only with brick.

One interesting monument in the cemetery is that Confederate monument memorializing Garland G. Lesley (born 1838 in South Carolina). His father, Abel Buren Lesley (born 1805 in South Carolina) brought his family to Itawamba County from Alabama during the late 1850s settling near this old cemetery. His son Garland G. enlisted with Company C (Town Creek Rifles) of the Second Mississippi Infantry. He was enrolled in the company at Verona in western Itawamba County on Saturday, March 1, 1862 by Lieutenant William Marion Pounds (born September 12, 1828 in Baldwin County, Georgia), the brother of Itawamba County planter, Merriman Pounds. Garland Lesley was wounded (right hand with loss of fingers) at the Battle of Gaines’ Mill, Virginia on June 27, 1862 and on May 23, 1864 he received a medical certificate of disability.

The companies that made up the Second Mississippi Infantry were raised in the four counties that made up northeastern Mississippi – Tishomingo, Itawamba, Pontotoc and Tippah.

In the 1860 census Garland is listed as Darling G. Lesley in his father’s household. In the 1870 census he is listed as Garland with his wife Permelia and children Nancy and James. In the 1880 census he is listed with his wife Permelia with children Martha, James, Charlie and Marion. He is not found in the 1900 census.

There are several graves adjacent to the Lesley Confederate monument marked only with brick, and family members say those are graves of seven Lesley children who died of yellow fever, probably during the yellow fever epidemic of 1878, when more than 20,000 citizens of the Lower Mississippi Valley lost their lives.

The Azaleas are Blooming in Itawamba County

2009-03-21T17:56:00.002-05:00

Today was the perfect day for lawn work. The temperature was just right - slightly warm. While mowing the lawn for the first time this year I noticed my azaleas were starting to bloom. It seems they are budding out a little early this year. Usually this shrub starts putting on its showy color in the gardens of Itawamba County around the first week of April, but we have had a rather mild winter. I'm sure many county gardeners are keeping their fingers crossed in hopes that Jack Frost doesn't pay us a late visit.

A View From the Schoolhouse Window

2009-03-21T08:53:00.003-05:00

Pictured above is a late-winter view from a classroom in the old Fulton Grammar School on South Cummings Street in Fulton.

Egg Hunt in the Village: 1922

2009-03-20T06:03:00.003-05:00

On Easter Sunday, 1922, the boarding students of Itawamba Agricultural High School were treated to a special Easter dinner on that Sunday, April 16, 1922. After the dinner, the students walked up the hill to the Arthur T. Cleveland home on Beene Street where they enjoyed an egg hunt on the grounds of the Cleveland home, hosted by Mr. Cleveland's wife Effie. Arthur T. Cleveland was a long-time attorney in the town of Fulton. The above invitation was found in the school scrapbook of student Letha Ferguson.

The Cummings Monument in the Old Fulton Graveyard

2009-03-19T06:38:00.003-05:00

One of the most unique yet simple monuments in Itawamba County is the Malachai Crawford Cummings monument in the old Fulton graveyard. Yesterday while visiting this old cemetery, I visited the Cummings monument enclosed in a highly ornate iron fence. The monument reminds me of an ancient relic in the shadows of a massive cedar - one tall column, as if taken from the portico of Sunny Dell, the grand home on the hill just north of Fulton where peacocks roamed the grounds, that was home for the Cummings family during the nineteenth century. Beneath the towering column a large finial broken from the top the column rests on the grass.

Cummings came upriver to Fulton during the 1830s from Columbus and during 1840 he was elected to represent the county in the state legislature - an office he held for several terms. He was a businessman and planter, building several of the town's structures during antebellum times.

Purple Thrift in the Old Fulton Graveyard

2009-03-18T12:49:00.003-05:00

Today I spent my lunch break at the old Fulton graveyard. The warm vibrant sunny weather was the perfect time for a visit. The purple thrift is now blooming throughout Itawamba County. For many years, purple thrift was planted in the area cemeteries and every year around this time, the old cemeteries turn into a purple meadow. I've heard several folks around these parts call this plant graveyard thrift. My visit to the cemetery today also afforded me the perfect opportunity to capture some more photographs of some of the old monuments found in this cemetery.

March Program Meeting

2009-03-18T09:23:00.006-05:00

The March 2009 program meeting was held last evening in the Gordon McFerrin Auditorium of the George Poteet History Center, headquarters of the Itawamba Historical Society in Mantachie. The special program was presented by Pat Arinder of Amory in neighboring Monroe County. Arinder, a member of the Tombigbee Pioneer Group, presented a program about the prehistoric Native Americans of northeastern Mississippi. Also attending the meeting was society member Janie Comer of Fulton who presented a large collection of archival photographs, books and vintage clothing from the Ferguson family of Itawamba County. This collection will be housed in Bonds House, the society's county museum of history, with the photographs being cataloged and stored in the Gaither Spradling Library.

Photographs courtesy of society member Dr. Terry Thornton, of Hill Country of Monroe County.

Spring 2009 Issue of Itawamba Settlers Received From Printer

2009-03-18T06:01:00.002-05:00

The Spring 2009 (Volume 29 Number 1) issue of Itawamba Settlers, the quarterly 56-page membership journal of the society, was received from the printer today and will be processed for bulk mailing to the 2009 membership later this week.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T07:53:00.004-05:00

I am like Randy Seaver over at Genea-Musings in that I have yet to find any Irish ancestors during my research. It seems most all of my immigrant ancestors from the early 1600s through the early 1700s came from England, Scotland or Germany. I have some allied lines in my family with Irish ancestry I have researched including the Riley family. This line immigrated during the 1700s from Ireland to Virginia settling in Augusta County, then moved south into the Carolinas, arriving in Itawamba County by 1839. I have also researched the development of Itawamba County's Irish community during the late 1850s through the early 1860s.

During the late 1850’s the Mobile and Ohio Railroad was being constructed through western Itawamba County. The line ran through the old Itawamba towns of Verona, Saltillo and Campbellton and the construction of this important railroad resulted in several more towns developing including Tupelo, Guntown and Baldwyn.

Railroad construction work was slow and difficult during antebellum times and by 1860 the Mobile and Ohio’s construction was in full swing in the northwestern portion of the county. The railroad company hired many men from the area and other southern states, but most of the men who constructed the railroad were laborers from the North, with the vast majority being born in Ireland.

The 1860 Federal Census gives a wonderful documentation of these workers constructing the railroad in northwestern Itawamba County. They will probably be missing from their home states because they were down South in Itawamba County, Mississippi building a railroad. Below is a listing abstracted from the 1860 Itawamba County Federal Census honoring those men from Ireland who helped forge a railroad through the hills of northeastern Mississippi:

Davis Wren: 35, Ireland
Michael McMarrow: 27, Ireland
John Ryan: 25, Ireland
John Davis: 26, Ireland
James Kahn: 28, Ireland
John Dunn: 30, Ireland
John McKinley: 32, Ireland
Archibald Wilson: 30, Ireland
Michael O’Bryan: 26, Ireland
Levi Smith: 30, Ireland
David Frolly: 23, Ireland
Simeon Hassett: 30, Ireland
Martin Hanley: 27, Ireland
Edward Burke: 35, Ireland
Daniel Carry: 35, Ireland
Edward Donahoe: 20, Ireland
John Murphy: 40, Ireland
Andrew Kelly: 30, Ireland
Michael Flannigan: 45, Ireland
Patrick Smith: 35, Ireland
George Matthews: 47, Ireland
James M. Sains: 21, Ireland
Richard Nolen: 25, Ireland
Dennis Cary: 35, Ireland
Owen Logan: 33, Ireland
John Collins: 23, Ireland
Patrick McVilly: 30, Ireland
Roderick Coleman: 28, Ireland
John Book: 35, Ireland
Robert Sullivan: 30, Ireland
Patrick McCarter: 25, Ireland
Jno. Kernes: 55, Ireland
Michael O’Bryan: 25, Ireland
Joseph McDonald: 20, Ireland
Edward Smith: 30, Ireland
Jery McKay: 35, Ireland
Thomas Farrell: 35, Ireland

Program Meeting Reminder

2009-03-16T14:40:00.002-05:00

The Itawamba Historial Society will hold its regular monthly program meeting Tuesday evening, March 17. The special program will be presented by Pat Arinder of Amory in neighboring Monroe County. Arinder is a member of the Tombigbee Pioneer Group and will present a program about the prehistoric Native Americans of northeastern Mississippi. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. with an old-time chicken and dumplin' dinner, with green beans, cornbread and peach cobber for dessert. Meetings are held in the Gordon McFerrin Auditorium of the George Poteet History Center at the corner of Church Street and Museum Drive in Mantachie. The public is invited to attend all program meetings.

An Elusive Obituary

2009-03-16T06:13:00.002-05:00

For years I had searched for an obituary for my great grandfather William Sheffield and one day while transcribing old newspapers for the historical society’s quarterly journal, I stumbled upon the printed notice of his death, which was recorded in the newspaper several weeks after his death. His death notice from the October 12, 1916 issue of The Itawamba County News reads: “We regret that we failed to note the sudden death of Uncle William Sheffield, one of Itawamba’s aged citizens who died at his daughters near Mantachie several weeks ago. Uncle William was very old having gone through the Civil War in which he received several wounds, which no doubt shortened his days on earth. He leaves a host of relatives and friends of whom, Mr. J.H. Sheffield, one of his sons, lives in Fulton to mourn his loss. The News join them in sympathy.”

In transcribing old newspapers for several years I have learned that prior to the 1930s, obituaries were written by the family of the deceased and submitted to the newspaper. Notices of deaths were also reported in the various community news columns as reported by the community news writers. The newspapers here usually did not publish obituaries composed by the newspaper prior to the 1930s. If an ancestor's obituary cannot be found, don't forget to read through the community news items. It could be hidden within those columns, as was my great grandfather's death notice from 1916. It is also a good idea to search the newspapers for several weeks after the death of an ancestor, as sometimes it was weeks before the death was reported in the newspaper since the information was compiled by a neighbor or family member and submitted for publication.

Into the Woods on a Winter Day

2009-03-15T06:06:00.003-05:00

After a couple of days of soaking rain, I took a hike into the woods of Itawamba County on Saturday. It was a damp foggy day, but the rains the night before had washed the landscape clean producing nature’s vivid colors. I’ve always enjoyed hiking in the woods. I grew up in a family that enjoyed the outdoors and much of my youthful summers were spent on family camping trips. Back during my high school years the required reading in one of my English classes included Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. That book became one of my favorite reads in school, and it continues to be a welcome part of my library even today. During 1854 Thoreau wrote in Walden: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

During my trek in the Itawamba woods yesterday, I came upon many colorful plants and an area of mossy tree stumps – remnants of a logging operation from years past in the dense forest. Upon a clearing an old home place appeared with the perimeter of the old yard being marked with Eastern Redbud trees in full bloom. I’ve always been partial to the redbud tree. The hills and valleys of Itawamba County are painted this time of year with the pinkish purple blooms of this native tree. According to the Arbor Day Foundation website, this tree is native to North America and Canada. First cultivated during 1811, the Spaniards noted Redbuds and made distinctions between the New World species and their cousins in the Mediterranean region during 1571. George Washington recorded in his diary on many occasions about the beauty of the tree and spent many hours in his garden transplanting seedlings obtained from the nearby woods.

Yesterday’s trek into the woods was definitely a special treat. In today’s busy world, it is a delight to explore nature and remnants of times gone by in the beautiful woods of Itawamba County, Mississippi.

Henry David Thoreau portrait (1879) from the Library of Congress (The Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920).

A Hint of Spring

2009-03-14T13:10:00.003-05:00

Throughout the rural countryside of Itawamba County the Yellow Jessamine is showing its yellow trumpet blooms. It is one of the first hints of the coming of spring and on a damp evening or early morning, the sweet scent of the flowers spreads throughout the countryside. The state flower of South Carolina, it is also called Carolina Jessamine around these parts.

19th Century Physicians License Records Reveal Important Data

2009-03-13T14:33:00.004-05:00

One interesting record group in the Itawamba County Courthouse is the Physicians License Book 1 located in the Circuit Court Clerk’s office. During 1882 a law was passed in Mississippi requiring all physicians to obtain a license to practice medicine in Mississippi and a copy of those licenses were to be filed in the county or counties where the physician practiced. This book in the courthouse in Fulton contains a transcript of the medical licenses for physicians recorded between 1882 and the early 1900’s. These license transcripts contain valuable information about the applicants including age, birthplace, educational information, address of applicant when the license was applied for and lists of character witnesses. Below is an example of the information found in this volume.

Transcript of License,
Issued to Dr. Joseph Thomas May
No. 71
Office of
Mississippi State Board of Health
Know all men by these presents, that Joseph Thomas May, who, according to his letter of application on file in this office was born in Mississippi, thirty eight years of age, who resides in Itawamba County and whose post office address is Tremont, and who has spent five years in professional studies under the supervision of ___ as preceptor, (whose post office address is ____ and who attended one course of lectures at Memphis Hospital Medical College…and has chosen as his school of practice that of the regular physician, and refers concerning his moral character to Stephen Gilmore of Tremont, Dr. D.A. Stone and Capt. J.H. Stone of Tremont and J.C. Cates and Newman Cayce of Fulton, Miss. has made application for license to practice medicine in the State of Mississippi and has been examined by the Board of __ of the First District … and received a favorable endorsement. Therefore, by authority granted in Section Nine of An Act to Regulate the Practice of Medicine in the State of Mississippi, approved February 28, A.D. 1882, the Board of Health of the State of Mississippi do hereby license the aforesaid Joseph Thomas May to practice Medicine in the State of Mississippi.

Issued by order of the Mississippi State Board of Health, this 14th day of June A.D. 1883.

Wirt Johnston
Secretary, Mississippi State Board of Health

Recorded June 25, 1883.

In the 1870 U.S. Federal Census of Itawamba County Joseph Thomas May is listed as Thomas May, age 9 in the household of William and Mary May and by 1900 he is listed in the Amory precinct of Monroe County as a physician.

In researching old Itawamba County records, don’t forget Physicians License Book 1 in the Circuit Court Clerk’s office.

Snow in the Swamp

2009-03-13T06:47:00.005-05:00

Swamplands along Ironwood Bluff Road west of the Tombigbee River were photographed by society member Oliver Westmoreland on a snowy Sunday morning, March 1, 2009.