Mississippi History & Genealogy Notes

Gulf Coast States History Digitization Effort

2008-11-25T11:50:00.001-05:00

Mississippi researchers will be excited about this joint effort between Houston Public Library and FamilySearch.org.

Alcorn County Genealogical News

2008-11-14T19:14:00.001-05:00

The chattel deeds had been in the attic of the courthouse. They will now be in possession of Alcorn County Genealogical Society. See the full story.

Monroe County site

2008-11-11T10:11:00.001-05:00

The Monroe II site is now back at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~msmonro2/. Please update your bookmarks.

Pontotoc Needs Graveyard Preservation

2008-07-29T21:51:00.001-04:00

The city of Pontotoc's cemetery has many stones in need of a helping hand. They are in various states of disrepair.

Hazle Boss Neet (1921-2008)

2008-06-27T09:14:00.000-04:00

Many persons doing genealogical research in northeast Mississippi will recognize the name of Hazle Boss Neet who published a book of records on Pontotoc County records. She died last Saturday and will be buried this coming Sunday. Her obituary appears in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.

Hames/Haimes Reunion - Winston County

2008-06-23T15:56:00.001-04:00

The descendants, family friends, and researchers of Samuel E. Hames (1823-1901) and Lettie Long Hames (1831-1908) and their six children Frances Cordelia Haimes Carr, Robert Boyd Haimes, John William "Jake" Haimes, Cleophas Decalb "Babe" Haimes, Jefferson Davis "Jeff" Haimes, and Mary Virginia "Virgie" Haimes Price, who originally settled in the Gum Branch community of Winston County, MS, are all invited to attend a reunion gathering to be held on Saturday, July 26, 2008, at 10 a.m. at the Gum Branch Baptist Church on Sturgis-Louisville Rd. a few miles south of Sturgis, MS. [Traveling west through Sturgis on Hwy. 12, turn left on the Sturgis to Louisville Rd. The church is several miles down on the left.]

Northeast Mississippi Heritage Gathering

2008-05-26T19:11:00.002-04:00

The Northeast Mississippi Heritage Gathering will be hosted once again in Aberdeen, Mississippi. The dates for this year's events are June 6-7. You'll find a listing of workshops and those leading them as well as registration information at their site.

Blessing of the Fleet

2008-05-25T15:57:00.002-04:00

Southern Byways has some information on Biloxi's annual Blessing of the Fleet which is scheduled for May 30-June 1.

New Grenada Site

2008-05-22T20:06:00.002-04:00

A visitor pointed out the Grenada site that he is working on. While it is primarily a business directory, there are some interesting features such as information about blues musicians from the area.

Tools for the Family Historian

2008-05-01T19:26:00.002-04:00

Over at Bootstrapper, they've posted "50 Awesome Tools for Researching Your Family's History." Take a look. You might find a tool you have not yet discovered!

Monroe County Files Have Moved

2008-05-01T19:19:00.003-04:00

If you have http://www.rootsweb.com/~msmonro2/ bookmarked as Monroe County, MSGenWeb, you may want to update your bookmarks to http://ms-library.msgenweb.org/Monroe2/. The files have been moved to this location in order to go back to having one Monroe County project within the MSGenWeb Project.

Genealogy Workshops Offered in Memphis

2008-04-30T09:23:00.001-04:00

Prepare for your summer family reunion and impress your relatives researching your family history. Learn from experts how to trace your lineage at the Library during the month of May. At 7 p.m., on Tuesdays, May 6, 13, 20, and 27, at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, a series of no-cost, two-hour programs, will explore different aspects of genealogy research. Beginners are welcomed and experienced genealogists can get a refresher.

To register or for more information, call 415-2742.

Genealogy Workshop Schedule

Tuesday, May 6
7 p.m. Introduction to Genealogy
8 p.m. Immigration and Naturalization Records

Tuesday, May 13
7 p.m. Vital Records
8 p.m. United States Census Records

Tuesday, May 20
7 p.m. African American Genealogy
8 p.m. Native American (Cherokee) Genealogy

Tuesday, May 27
7 p.m. Using Original Records to Join a Heredity Society
8 p.m. Military Records

About Memphis Public Library & Information Center’s Genealogy Department

The microfilm and print genealogy materials available at the Memphis Public Library & Information Center enable individuals to research family history, and trace the movements of relatives, especially in the southeastern United States. The collection includes more than 20,000 genealogy books. The History Department staff, with assistance from local volunteers, has collected and indexed Shelby county marriage, death, probate, church, cemetery, and funeral home records to aide research.

Remembering Concrete Roads

2008-04-27T21:32:00.001-04:00

The DAR dedicated a concrete marker in Saltillo to remember County Road 681 which was one of the first concrete roads south of the Mason-Dixon line.

Wow - Have I Really Not Posted?

2008-04-26T11:56:00.002-04:00

I just noticed that I haven't posted in a long time here. I really didn't realize it's been 6 weeks! Let me encourage you to read some great Mississippi blogs that are in the sidebar. I've tried unsuccessfully to find a couple of co-bloggers for this blog. I'll try to do better.

Board of Police Records

2008-03-13T16:02:00.001-04:00

Itawamba History Review offers Mississippi researchers a look at an underutilized Mississippi record group--the board of police (supervisors) records.

Congratulations to Mississippi

2008-03-12T21:38:00.003-04:00

Mississippi will be printing blank passports. The secure facility will be at the Stennis Space Center.

Mississippi Mounds

2008-03-10T18:47:00.001-04:00

Deep Fried Kudzu blogged about the Bear Creek and Pharr Mounds.

My Confederate Kinfolk

2008-02-28T20:32:00.003-05:00

All My Ancestors has a review of Thulani Davis' My Confederate Kinfolk: A Twenty-First Century Freedwoman Confronts Her Roots. Much of the story is set in Yazoo County.

Spinning in Magnolia

2008-02-19T20:57:00.001-05:00

Shorpy has a photo of some spinning taking place in Magnolia, Mississippi.

Charles Lindbergh & His Unexpected Stay in Maben

2008-02-17T13:52:00.003-05:00

A photo in the Clarion Ledger caught my attention. It seems that Charles Lindbergh was en route to Texas in 1923 when he was forced to land in Maben and had to await parts to be delivered before resuming his journey. A good account of his journey can be found in Bruce A. Dziedzic's An Historical Overview of the Development of Oktibbeha County. [PDF file] The account is on pages 5-6, but the entire history is worth reading. There is an historical marker commemorating the famed aviator's landing. An account of the story can be found in Charles A. Lindbergh's book The Spirit of St. Louis (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998) at Google Books beginning around page 442.

Early Itawamba Deeds

2008-02-13T22:32:00.002-05:00

Itawamba Historical Society has announced a new online publication that features the county's early deeds.

Cemetery Visit Inspires Novel

2008-02-10T20:38:00.001-05:00

Tom Wiley visited a cemetery near Meridian which inspired him to write The Angels of Lockhart. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal has an article/review talking about the author's inspiration and giving a brief summary of the book. It sounds like a "must read" for family historians.

A Mississippi Brick Wall

2008-02-09T20:58:00.000-05:00

Jenuinely shares her Mississippi African-American brick wall on her blog.

History of Jefferson County

2008-02-08T19:13:00.000-05:00

An 1891 history of Jefferson County was contributed by Sue Moore to Jefferson County MSGenWeb. The history comes from Lowery & McCardle's History of Mississippi.

A Stumper

2008-02-05T08:26:00.001-05:00

Among several other items of interest, Joanne Anderson of the Mississippi Press, mentions a difficult genealogical query the Pascagoula Library has been asked. The question is several weeks old at this point, but I'm sure they'd appreciate anything we dig up!

Pascagoula Timeline 1875-1889

2008-02-05T08:24:00.000-05:00

Joanne Anderson of the Mississippi Press offers a timeline of the city of Pascagoula's history from 1875-1889.

Garthia Burnett Remembers . . .

2008-02-05T08:04:00.000-05:00

Garthia Burnett, assistant news editor of the Commercial Dispatch, remembers what it was like growing up as an African-American in the Columbus area as she reflects on the African-American Heritage Tour she took Saturday which was sponsored by the Columbus Historic Foundation. It's a very interesting editorial!

Katrina Exhibit in Tunica

2008-02-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

An exhibition of Melody Golding's photographs are on display at the Tunica Museum through April 15. The exhibit entitled Katrina: Mississippi Women Remember depict the coast's comeback from the aftermath of the storm.

Holly Springs Pilgrimage

2008-02-05T07:53:00.000-05:00

The 70th Holly Springs Pilgrimage will be April 18-20. Athenia, Montrose, Walthall-Freeman Clark Place, Davis Plantation, Burton Place, Church of the Yellow Fever Martyrs, and Hill Crest Cemetery are among this year's stops. Information on costs are in the South Reporter article.

Postcards of Mississippi

2008-01-31T17:45:00.000-05:00

Over at the Itawamba History Review, Bob points out a great postcard collection that the Mississippi Department of Archives & History is placing online.

Girl Scouts in Mississippi

2008-01-25T23:09:00.000-05:00

A tribute to one of the first Golden Eaglets from the state of Mississippi (1929).

FARhMS

2008-01-24T19:15:00.000-05:00

Mississippi State University will be hosting the Forum on Agricultural and Rural History at Mississippi State on April 4-5, 2008.

Monroe County Grave Hunter

2008-01-21T19:21:00.000-05:00

You'll want to read this article about Emory Morgan who has success in locating unmarked graves. The article ran in the Amory Advertiser and Aberdeen Examiner.

Tribute to Jerry Clower

2008-01-14T20:02:00.000-05:00

Here's a very interesting tribute to Mississippi comedian/storyteller Jerry Clower in the Baptist Press. His stories told of life in Mississippi. The article also talks of a past generation of storytellers. Maybe we all need to download a little Jerry Clower on our iPods.

1936 Cotton Patch Photo

2008-01-13T20:42:00.000-05:00

Shorpy has a photo of a cotton patch in the Vicksburg area from 1936. There's also a photo of Hill House, Mississippi from the same year.

1938 Moss Point Graduates

2008-01-10T19:32:00.000-05:00

Mississippi Press features an article about Moss Point High School's 1938 graduates.

Mississippi 1919

2008-01-10T19:01:00.000-05:00

The Commercial Appeal retells the story of a black landowner's acquittal of murdering a white man in 1919 that may have inspired a Faulkner novel.

Civil War Steamer Replica on Display

2008-01-04T21:44:00.001-05:00

A replica of the Natchez No. 5 steamer is on display at Vicksburg's Battlefield Museum. The article contains an interesting history of the original ship.

Sharing Mississippi Heritage at Winn Dixie

2008-01-04T21:38:00.000-05:00

A couple of church friends compared family history notes while shopping at Winn Dixie and discovered they shared roots back to the Revolutionary War. (Of course, if they shared them back that far, they had common ancestors before that time.)

Elvis & The Blues

2008-01-04T21:31:00.000-05:00

Elvis' birthplace in Tupelo is joining the Mississippi Blues Trail.

Slave Insurance

2008-01-03T18:56:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Birmingham Genealogical Society for pointing out that the California and Illinois databases include names of many slaves or slave holders insured from Southern States. Read the BGS explanation first and then explore. There are Mississippi slaves and slave holders listed.

Covington County Society to Meet

2008-01-03T15:30:00.000-05:00

The Covington County Genealogical and Historical Society will meet at 10 a.m. Jan. 12 at the Seminary Public Library. Further information is available at the Hattiesburg American.

Historical Feature in Picayune Item

2008-01-02T17:49:00.000-05:00

The Picayune Item is running a feature entitled The Hermitage right now. It tells the story of Eliza Jane Poitevent. I located the 3rd of 4 parts on the web site. I can find no archives with a link to the first two parts. If anyone can locate these, please leave a comment. Otherwise, I'm sure that the paper or the library in Picayune will have copies of this interesting historical feature.

By the way, this is our 800th blog post!

Vancleave Schools

2008-01-02T17:44:00.000-05:00

Here's a look at the "new" Vancleave school which opened in 1913. It also gives the genealogical background of the school's four graduates from the year 1925.

History of Meridian Series

2008-01-01T20:51:00.000-05:00

The Meridian Star is placing a video series on the history of Meridian on their site. The first four episodes are posted. They are:

History of Meridian
Commander Howard Gilmore
History of Isaac Pringle
History of Constantine Rea

Civil War Letters Published

2007-12-27T17:56:00.000-05:00

An Ole Miss archivist has published the letters of Lt. William Cowper Nelson of Holly Springs. The book is entitled The Hour of our Nation's Agony: The Civil War Letters of Lt. William Cowper Nelson of Mississippi.

More Mississippi Resources

2007-12-27T09:57:00.000-05:00

Dennis Partridge announces some additions to his Mississippi resources.

Louis Taunton Genealogy Room

2007-12-27T09:54:00.000-05:00

Persons researching their roots in Winston County are familiar with the name of Louis Taunton. Taunton wrote a column in the local paper there for many years. The Winston County Library has honored Taunton posthumously by naming its genealogical room in his honor.

Ingalls News - New from Jackson County Genealogical Society

2007-12-24T15:48:00.000-05:00

Jackson County Genealogical Society has republished the Ingalls News, a publication of the well-known shipbuilding company. The excerpt includes information on 24 employees of the company in a special Christmas issue. The workers came from as far away as the countries of Norway and Italy. A couple of New Englanders are among those featured with one person from New Hampshire and another from Boston among the twenty-four. There are employees from Alabama, Texas and Tennessee. Closer to home but in the northern part of the state, one worker came from Water Valley in Yalobusha County. Most of the featured employees were from the Southern part of Mississippi. Information on obtaining a copy can be found along with the article in the Mississippi Press. (Hat tip to Genealogy Blog)

A Different Grave

2007-12-15T11:35:00.000-05:00

Here is a rather interesting story about a burial in Natchez.

Still Around

2007-12-15T11:04:00.001-05:00

I'm still around . . . I just haven't found any items to post lately. If you have Mississippi history or genealogy news items, please contact me via the contact information posted in the right panel of the blog.

CCC at Vicksburg

2007-12-04T13:40:00.000-05:00

The Clarion Ledger has an interesting article about the Civilian Conservation Corps' work at Vicksburg National Military Park.

Early Mormons in Mississippi

2007-11-29T09:04:00.000-05:00

Terry has a great post about the early Mormon Settlers in Monroe County over at Hill Country of Monroe County.

Ship Island

2007-11-27T13:48:00.000-05:00

There's a new book out on Ship Island which was written by Theresa Arnold-Scriber and Terry G. Scriber. It is entitled Ship Island, Mississippi: Rosters and History of the Civil War Prison. At $75, it's not going to be a purchase all will make; however, this book does offer a history of the island off the Mississippi coast.

Celebrating a Century

2007-11-26T21:35:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth "Tillie" Wyndham Ellenberg of Columbus celebrated her 100th birthday a few weeks early. She was born in Gordo, Alabama in 1907. The Commercial Dispatch article details her life.

New Book on Natchez Indians

2007-11-26T21:20:00.001-05:00

James Barnett has just written The Natchez Indians: A History to 1735. The Natchez Democrat has an article on the book.

Rev. James Gwin

2007-11-26T20:07:00.001-05:00

Genealogue has an interesting post today about a Methodist preacher from Vicksburg.

Arphax Publishes Monroe County Maps

2007-11-26T19:43:00.001-05:00

Arphax Publishing has released Monroe County, Mississippi in its Family Maps series. All Mississippi volumes published to date can be found at the site.

Amory's Masonic Cemetery

2007-11-25T21:56:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share a couple of interesting items related to Amory's Masonic Cemetery. First of all, there is a clean-up of the Southern section of the cemetery set for December 1 at 11 a.m. Second (and a matter of great excitement for genealogists) is the announcement of a database of burials that will be available at the Amory Municipal Library, the Amory Regional Museum, and at the Gilmore Foundation. This is Amory's oldest cemetery. The historic part of the cemetery was the original Cotton Gin Port cemetery. The Daily Journal also has an article about a recent facelift (straightening stones, etc.) that the cemetery received.

Dorsey School Seeks History

2007-11-22T22:13:00.000-05:00

Dorsey Junior High's assistant principal is interested in preserving the history of the school and community.

So, he’s putting out a plea to all of Itawamba County who has such photographs — of principals, students, teachers, staff, buildings, rules or even styles of dress — to contact him so that they can be preserved and appreciated through this project.

Cotton Gin Port

2007-11-19T21:59:00.000-05:00

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal had an article on the extinct town of Cotton Gin Port in Monroe County today.

Pvt. Patrick Bruton Receives Posthumous Purple Heart

2007-11-16T22:09:00.001-05:00

Private Patrick Bruton died in 1952, but his daughter was presented with a Purple Heart recently for her father's heroic efforts in World War I.

Bonhomie

2007-11-08T20:10:00.000-05:00

Bill Minor has an interesting article in the McComb Enterprise-Journal about the town of Bonhomie, a town created by lumberman W.S.F. Tatum.

Biloxi Bridge

2007-10-30T20:41:00.000-04:00

It opens Thursday!

TVA

2007-10-23T15:42:00.000-04:00

TVA has been an important part of Northeast Mississippi since the 1930s. Those with first-hand memories of the early days of TVA are invited to be part of a documentary. See the full story.

Toxish Baptist Celebrates 170th Birthday

2007-10-23T15:41:00.001-04:00

Toxish Baptist Church in Pontotoc County is celebrating 170 years.

Falkner Heritage Festival

2007-10-22T19:55:00.000-04:00

Falkner Heritage Festival

Saturday, November 3, 2007

A Celebration of William Falkner's Tippah County Heritage

Ripley, Mississippi

The Festival is an all day event starting with registration at 8:30 a.m. and ends with a candlelight tour of Ripley Cemetery, called the Spirit Tour. A walking tour, cemetery tours, a writer's workshop and period demonstrations are some of the activities. A special dinner is served at one of the Antebellum homes, and there are readings from Colonel William Falkner's book, "The White Rose of Memphis. " Col. William Falkner is grandfather of the Oxford writer. Melissa McCoy-Bell will be leading a basic genealogy workshop at the Ripley Library as part of the festival at 10:30 a.m.

ADAH Increases Collections Available on the Internet

2007-10-12T22:55:00.000-04:00

In Celebration of Archives Week, the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) is debuting a new service available on its website - CONTENTdm®. CONTENTdm® is an image management software that supports distribution of images of ADAH collections on its web site. Come to ADAH on Tuesday, October 16, 2007, from 10 AM to 11 AM for a demonstration of the new software and content available online!

CONTENTdm®, a digital collection management system, allows archivists to store, index, and display digitized primary resources online. Developed at the University of Washington, the program is in wide use at special collections repositories and research libraries across the country.

The first collections created for CONTENTdm® are under the ADAH Digital Collections and include Alabama Photographs and Pictures Collection, Alabama State Publications, and the Frank W. Boykin Collection. Boykin represented Alabama’s First Congressional District from 1935 to 1963. His collection alone contains more than a thousand items of personal and official correspondence, political memorabilia, and photographs. They are available thanks to a donation from the Tensaw Land and Timber Company in honor of Boykin’s granddaughter, Ocllo Malone.
Archives staffers are continuing to learn the system and entering data on a continuous basis in the Alabama Photographs and Pictures and Alabama State Publications collections. Work is also being done to completed four future collections in a timely manner. These are the Selma to Montgomery March, Civil War Period Flag Collection, Confederate Officers Photograph Album, and Alabama Governors. More information regarding ADAH Digital Collections may be found at http://216.226.178.196/ or call (334) 353-4635.

Laurel Library Says "Turn Cell Phones Off"

2007-10-09T20:11:00.000-04:00

. . . or at least turn the ring tone off while you are in the genealogy department . . . and then go outside to answer it.

This is just common courtesy!

Itawamba Historical Society October Meeting

2007-10-08T21:50:00.000-04:00

Mississippi Hill Country Music on Stage at Society's October Meeting

On Tuesday evening, October 16, the Itamingo Strummers will be the special program at the regular monthly program meeting of the Itawamba Historical Society. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. with refreshments, and the special musical program will begin at 6:30. The meeting will be held in the Gordon McFerrin Auditorium of the George Poteet History Center, headquarters of the society at the corner of Church Street and Museum Drive in Mantachie.

The program will include approximately 15 musicians and singers with special emphasis on the musical heritage of southern Appalachia featuring the mountain dulcimer, the mandolin, bass and guitar. Songs performed will include old mountain ballads, standards and religious selections.

The mountain dulcimer has an important part in the musical heritage of Itawamba County, one of Mississippi's northeastern hill counties, nestled in the foothills of southern Appalachia.

The public is invited to attend this special program. For further information, contact the society at 662-282-7664.

Portal to Texas History

2007-10-08T15:09:00.000-04:00

Many of us had Mississippi ancestors (or descendants of ancestors) who moved on to Texas. The Portal to Texas History at University of North Texas is a project which is attempting to bring primary source documents of value to researchers online. Something exciting about this venture is that they care about how genealogists are using the Internet and plan some studies along this line.

Another Texas digitization project is Texas Tides which is hosted by Stephen F. Austin State University.

Mother Monroe Available

2007-10-06T11:21:00.000-04:00

The Chamber of Commerce in Aberdeen just received a case of W. A. Evans' classic Monroe County history entitled Mother Monroe.

1867 Alabama Voter Registration Database Online

2007-10-01T13:22:00.000-04:00

For those of us whose ancestors came in some of the burned counties of Alabama, this is quite exciting news! The 1867 Alabama Voter Registration database is online. Currently all entries are available for Macon, Pickens, Pike, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Wilcox, and Winston counties are available. I'm off to check out those Walker County entries right now! Now -- if they'll just hurry and get Fayette online too.

Update: I noticed that some entries for Perry county are also showing up in the results!

Errata Issued for Jefferson County Marriage Book

2007-09-29T12:45:00.000-04:00

Ann Geogheghan urges everyone who purchased Jefferson County Mississippi Marriages, 1805-1900 to contact her. Apparently the "Mc" section was accidentally omitted in the print publication. That can be problematic in an area with a lot of Scottish roots!

MS Research Fair

2007-09-22T19:44:00.000-04:00

Shawn has posted some info on the Family Research Association of Mississippi's fair which will be held at Hinds Community College's Rankin campus on Nov. 10.

The Cherokee

2007-09-22T15:18:00.000-04:00

In the news . . .

A slow, lethal combination of external pressures including warfare, rather than
a lack of natural resources, led to the demise of the Cherokee Indians, two new
studies suggest.

Read the entire article.

Warren County Marriages Available

2007-09-22T15:01:00.000-04:00

Ann Geogheghan has completed her seven volume series of marriages on the Old Southwest Territory with the publication of Warren County Mississippi Marriages 1810-1876. It is available for purchase at http://stores.lulu.com/anniegms.

Tuscaloosa County, AL Record Update

2007-09-21T19:14:00.001-04:00

Dear Myrtle has an update (and a response to the update) on her blog about the situation mentioned earlier regarding Tuscaloosa County's proposed destruction of original records.

Adams, Amite, and Wilkinson County Marriages Available

2007-09-21T07:07:00.000-04:00

Ann Geogheghan has published Adams County Mississippi Marriages 1799-1900, Amite County Mississippi Marriages 1805-1900, and Wilkinson County Mississippi Marriages 1805-1925. All three volumes are available at http://stores.lulu.com/anniegms.

Claiborne Marriages Published

2007-09-21T07:03:00.000-04:00

Ann Geogheghan has published Claiborne County Mississippi Marriages 1816-1900. This is the third volume in a series she is publishing. Earlier volumes for Jefferson and Franklin Counties are also available. All volumes are available for purchase at http://stores.lulu.com/anniegms.

Yazoo Museum Now Open

2007-09-18T21:37:00.000-04:00

The Yazoo Historical Society has opened a museum in Yazoo City.

Mississippi Mormons

2007-09-15T11:21:00.000-04:00

Terry Thornton has a discussion of the Mississippi Mormons from Monroe County, Mississippi at Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi. Today, Dear Myrtle posted a list of online resources which might be helpful to those researching this group or other Mormon groups from Mississippi.

Copyright Matters

2007-09-14T19:23:00.000-04:00

What's on the Internet is not yours for the taking! It's copyrighted. Ask, before you take. Read Terry's article entitled Meum et teum . . . MINE and THINE!

Jefferson & Franklin County Marriages

2007-09-14T17:55:00.000-04:00

Ann Geoghegan has just published Jefferson County, Mississippi Marriages, 1805-1900. It is available at http://stores.lulu.com/anniegms. Also available at this site is Franklin County, Mississippi Marriages, 1820-1900. You'll find a couple of other Jefferson County resources at the site as well.

Update: See http://msgenealogy.blogspot.com/2007/09/errata-issued-for-jefferson-county.html for information on an errata for the Jefferson County book.

Relocation of Sites

2007-09-14T17:34:00.000-04:00

During the near future you may notice that many USGenWeb sites will begin moving off Rootsweb servers. There are many reasons for the move. Among those reasons is that the USGenWeb Project has an identity problem. Many people mistakenly believe that USGenWeb is a part of Rootsweb and/or Ancestry because so many sites are hosted by Rootsweb. While the project has been grateful for the free hosting of its sites, many feel its time to establish a separate identity. While this is not the only reason many sites will be moving, it is perhaps the most important one.

Several MSGenWeb sites have already moved, and others will be moving in the near future. Here are the ones which have moved in the last few days:

Claiborne County - http://claibornecountyms.org

Jefferson County - http://jeffersoncountyms.org

Early Southwest Mississippi Territory (consisting of present-day Adams, Amite, Claiborne, Franklin, Jefferson, and Wilkinson Counties) - http://www.natchezbelle.org/sw/

Forthcoming Book of Civil War Letters

2007-09-13T16:38:00.001-04:00

Jennifer W. Ford has edited a volume of letters written by Lt. William Cowper Nelson of Mississippi. It is being released at the end of the month by University of Tennessee Press. It is entitled: The Hour of Our Nation's Agony: The Civil War Letters of Lt. William Cowper Nelson of Mississippi.

Mississippi Architectural Landmarks

2007-09-10T22:05:00.000-04:00

A top 12 list (at least the headline claims 12; I only count 11):

Longwood Plantation (Natchez)
Windsor Ruins (Port Gibson)
Biloxi Lighthouse (Biloxi)
Dunleith (Natchez)
Beauvoir (Biloxi)
Old Capitol Museum (Jackson)
Woodworth Chapel, Tougaloo College
St. Richard Catholic Church (Jackson)
Mississippi Governor's Mansion (Jackson)
Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church (Madison)
Bailey Magnet High School (Jackson)

Apparently #3 is the Mississippi State Capitol.

Now - why are there no north Mississippi sites in this? Holly Springs, Columbus, Aberdeen, and other North Mississippi towns should feel slighted. It's obvious that the voting was not representative of a statewide perspective.

Farmington

2007-09-09T21:44:00.000-04:00

Farmington in Alcorn County is either 10 years old or was founded in 1838.

Bottling the Real Thing

2007-09-09T21:42:00.000-04:00

. . . in Corinth for 100 years.

Itawamba Historical Society Program - September 18

2007-09-08T10:33:00.000-04:00

Itawamba Historical Society has announced its September 18 program on the society's blog. Buddy Palmer will be speaking about the Battle of Ackia, a fascinating chapter out of the life of the area back when the area was occupied by the Chickasaw. The society also included a summary of the battle on the blog entry.

Did Your Ancestor Move to Detroit During the Civil Rights Era?

2007-09-07T09:23:00.000-04:00

If so, you might be interested in a new digital archive from Marygrove College which has recorded the stories of some of those who moved from the South to Detroit to escape the Jim Crow laws and discrimination.

Northeast Monroe County Plat Map

2007-09-06T21:05:00.001-04:00

Robin Linn has produced a wonderful plat map of northeastern Monroe County [PDF].

Update 9/7: I fixed the link.

Cummings/Ratliff Reunion

2007-09-03T20:34:00.000-04:00

The Cummings/Ratliff reunion is planned for September 29, 2007. Descendants of Tamsie Mitchell Cummings and Walter C. Cummings (and allied lines). Bring your old pictures!

The get together is at the Ratliff Community center, Ratliff, Mississippi. Come before lunch and bring your favorite dish. There's always lots of food and lots of good company. Our cousin, Walt Grayson, of Mississippi Roads television program will be there, and he is a barrel of laughs. For further information, see the Itawamba Reunion page.

2006 Mississippi Population Estimates

2007-09-03T10:16:00.000-04:00

. . . for the top 10 populous counties in the state. Here is the data for counties/parishes in all 50 states in Excel or comma-delimited format.

Mississippi - by Rank

Hinds County
Harrison County
DeSoto County
Rankin County
Jackson County
Madison County
Lee County
Lauderdale County
Forrest County
Jones County
Lowndes County
Washington County
Pearl River County
Warren County
Lamar County
Oktibbeha County
Lafayette County
Hancock County
Pike County
Bolivar County
Monroe County
Marshall County
Leflore County
Alcorn County
Panola County
Lincoln County
Adams County
Sunflower County
Neshoba County
Copiah County
Pontotoc County
Scott County
Coahoma County
Simpson County
Yazoo County
Union County
Tate County
Marion County
Prentiss County
Itawamba County
Grenada County
Leake County
Newton County
George County
Tippah County
Clay County
Wayne County
Holmes County
Covington County
Winston County
Attala County
Tishomingo County
Chickasaw County
Jasper County
Clarke County
Smith County
Stone County
Walthall County
Calhoun County
Tallahatchie County
Amite County
Lawrence County
Yalobusha County
Jefferson Davis County
Greene County
Perry County
Noxubee County
Montgomery County
Claiborne County
Tunica County
Humphreys County
Carroll County
Wilkinson County
Kemper County
Webster County
Choctaw County
Quitman County
Jefferson County
Franklin County
Benton County
Sharkey County
Issaquena County

Katrina Oral Histories

2007-09-01T18:31:00.000-04:00

Susan over at Family Oral History Using Digital Tools has a roundup of Hurricane Katrina Oral Histories.

End of Saga

2007-09-01T18:25:00.000-04:00

Ancestry.com claims the removal of the Internet Biographical Collection is permanent. They've apologized to Janice for stealing from her blog. It's time to move on to other topics. They will be there with some great materials for researchers willing to pay the price. They have competition which will hopefully also continue to bring new resources to researchers. I just hope that none of them will again "lift data" and repackage it. I have no objection to search engines which link to the original data, but copying the data without permission is another matter entirely. I applaud Ancestry.com's decision to permanently remove the collection.

Ancestry.com Infuriates Webmasters and Bloggers

2007-08-28T22:36:00.000-04:00

Ancestry.com is harvesting data from many websites and blogs and putting them in their Internet Biographical Collection. When the collection first began showing up, it was a paid premium site (for what was posted freely on the Web elsewhere).

You can keep up with the controversy at AnceStories, CowHampshire, or GeneaMusings. [These links are to specific posts, but I'm sure you can keep up with the controversy at these and other genealogy blogs by going to the main blog.]

There are some historical and genealogical societies and some USGenWeb county sites which may be removing their data from the Rootsweb pages because of this. Rootsweb is owned by Ancestry.com's parent company The Generations Network.

Update (8/29): They've removed the collection for now.

Buy Your Own Town in Mississippi

2007-08-25T11:32:00.001-04:00

That's right - the small town of Lawrence in Newton County is for sale. If you bid more than $136,000, you might just be able to own it.

Confederate Postal History of Grenada

2007-08-23T20:55:00.001-04:00

William S. Parks has written a very interesting and well-illustrated Confederate Postal History of Grenada, Mississippi.

New Blues Marker

2007-08-18T18:04:00.000-04:00

The Blues Front Cafe in Bentonia will be the 15th marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail. Marker dedication is set for August 25.