Old probate records on the local level are simply a gold mine of information ready to be mined, giving a rare glimpse into the daily life of antebellum Itawamba County citizens. Located in these volumes of hand-written records are loads of guardianship papers, where guardians were appointed for minor heirs of the probate subjects. The court-appointed guardians had to account for every penny spent on their wards and those financial records were recorded with the probate court. Because of this, these records simply record transactions of daily life in Itawamba County. As an example of the importance of these records, the guardianship records of the minor heirs of Fulton merchant and planter, Wiley Daniel Clifton, who died during 1855 were quickly studied.
During the 1850’s the minor children of Wiley Daniel Clifton of Fulton received their share of their father’s sizeable estate, and the lives of the children – Eugene, Josephine, Wiley, Charles and Julia, are well documented in the related guardianship records (Probate Record Book 5) of Itawamba County.
Typical of the detailed information that can be found in these 19th century guardianship records of the probate court, the following information can quickly be learned about Josephine Clifton by quickly studying just a few pages of Record Book 5: Called Josie, she attended the Huntsville Female College in Huntsville, Alabama for two terms during 1858 where she took piano, singing, and French. The bills received from the college president George Everhart are very detailed giving details of the textbooks and teaching materials used by the young Josephine. During 1858 the young lady had a bill for $143.86 in New York City where her mother purchased clothing for her, including a grenadine robe, kid leather boots, 27 yards of silk and traveling dresses at Mrs. Levy’s. During August of 1859 Josephine took a trip to Aberdeen, probably visiting her Eckford cousins, and visited the fair at Richmond in southwestern Itawamba County. It was also during August of 1859 she had her “likeness” painted. During 1859 she had dental operations by Dr. W.J. Blackmon and paid $15 for 5 gold fillings. Additionally, there are many bills received and paid by the guardian from storehouses, physicians and dentists in Fulton and Aberdeen over a three-year period describing in detail where she visited and what she purchased.
As briefly illustrated above, the financial records in the probate books offer the researcher a rare glimpse into the daily lives of our Itawamba ancestors. These important records provide a vivid description of how people from all walks of life lived during their daily routines in early Itawamba County. In researching Itawamba County records, don’t forget these probate records. Simply stated, these records tell us so much more than mere family connections alone, by giving detailed clues about the lives of those who came before us.
A peaceful sunset was photographed on Sand Hill in the Deer Hills section of southwestern Itawamba County. This scene was photographed not far south of the old Bean Graveyard (also known as Old Enon). Bean Graveyard contains many historic monuments dedicated to the memory of many early Itawamba settlers including William Barrett. 
Marriage records are an important resource in family history studies. As this is the record connecting two families, it is important to get the date correct. In Itawamba County during the 19th century, most marriage records recorded in the Itawamba County Courthouse are composed of three separate dates – the date the license was issued by the court clerk, the date of the actual marriage, and the date the actual marriage was recorded in the clerk’s office. There can be a wide discrepancy in these dates as many of the marriages were performed out in remote areas of the county. I have noticed many ministers and justices would bring the actual completed license to the courthouse at a much later date after the marriage took place (within six months), bringing several licenses at one time performed over a period of time.
Old probate records on the local level are simply a gold mine of information ready to be mined, giving a rare glimpse into the daily life of antebellum Itawamba County citizens. Located in these volumes of hand-written records are loads of guardianship papers, where guardians were appointed for minor heirs of the probate subjects. The court-appointed guardians had to account for every penny spent on their wards and those financial records were recorded with the probate court. Because of this, these records simply record transactions of daily life in Itawamba County. As an example of the importance of these records, the guardianship records of the minor heirs of Fulton merchant and planter, Wiley Daniel Clifton, who died during 1855 were quickly studied.
Pictured above is a Mantachie school group photograph taken around 1920. Front row, left to right: (1) unknown (2) Carlton Sheffield (3) Willie Hardin (4) Hazel Simpson (5) Oleta Bean (6) Johnnie Lee Watson (7) Winnie McNutt (8) Lauris Simpson (9) Doxie Younghanse (10) __ Bailey. Back row, left to right: (1) Lurlean Russell (2) Pansy Beene (3) Verma Lee Summers (4) Mrs. Lillie Simpson (teacher) (5) Marlus Hill (6) Noonan Blackburn (7) uknown. A special thanks to Sue Farmer Bean of Nashville for sharing this photograph with readers of The Itawamba History Review.
The old graveyard bell at historic Keyes Cemetery in western Itawamba County has greeted visitors at the old cemetery's entrance since the 1800's. During the olden days, the tolling of the bell would announce the death of local residents.
I’ve always been spelling and grammar challenged so I’ve had a stylebook near my computer for the past twenty years. Over the holidays I finally decided it was time to upgrade to a newer version. Thanks to a gift card I received, The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law was one of my gift selections. The book arrived at my home earlier this week and I am most pleased with this resource. My old stylebook has now been placed into retirement on the nearby bookshelf.
An afternoon's colorful sky is seen through the leafless trees on a cold winter day in Itawamba County.
