xt7rv11vhq1f https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7rv11vhq1f/data/mets.xml Grenada County, Mississippi Mississippi Department of Archives and History 1940 Prepared by The Mississippi Historical Records Survey Project, Division of Professional and Service Projects, Works Projects Administration; Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Official Sponsor; Other contributors include: Mississippi Historical Records Survey, United States Works Progress Administration, Division of Women's and Professional Projects, Mississippi Department of Archives and History; v, 172 leaves, illustrated, 28 cm; Includes bibliographical references; UK holds archival copy for ASERL Collaborative Federal Depository Program libraries; Call number FW 4.14:M 69i/no.22 books English Jackson, Mississippi: The Project This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed in accordance with U. S. copyright laws. Mississippi Works Progress Administration Publications Inventory of the County Archives of Mississippi, Number 22 Grenada County (Grenada) text Inventory of the County Archives of Mississippi, Number 22 Grenada County (Grenada) 1940 1940 2015 true xt7rv11vhq1f section xt7rv11vhq1f   FW LLM:  
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, INVENTORY OF THE COUNTY ARCHIVES
Q OF MISSISSIPPI
{ A
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1 Prepared by
l The Mississippi Historical Records Survey Project
j Division of Professional and Service Projects
Work Projects Administration _
{
li Mississippi Department of Archives and History
fg Official Sponsor
)
( %
 
gf No. 22. GRENADA COWTY (GRENADA)
R .
  -
  Jackson, Mississippi
I The Mississippi Historical Records Survey Project
  April 1940
M
§

 §
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. , 1
Q
{
The Historical Records Survey i
Sargent B. Child, Director E
John C. L. Andreassen, Regional Supervisor {
Moina Evans, State Supervisor Q
Robert E. Strong, Assistant State Supervisor j
 _;
1
Division of Professional and Service Projects if V
Florence Kerr, Assistant Commissioner i
Leo G. Spofford, Chief Regional Supervisor E
Ethel Payne, State Director Q
 
 
1
WORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION §
F. C. Harrington, Commissioner S
Lawrence Westbrook, Regional Director ?
V Roland B. Wall, State Administrator §
E
 i
 i
E

 Q reassess
Q
 `
é The Inventory of the County Archives of Mississippi is one of a nu ber of
L bibliographies of historical materials prepared throughout the United States by
i workers on the Historical Records Survey Program of the Work Projects Adminis-
E tration. The publication herewith presented, an inventory of the archives of
i Grenada County, is number 22 of the Mississippi series.
i The Historical Records Survey Program was undertaken in the winter of 1955-
f 56 for the purpose of providing useful employment to needy unemployed historians,
g lawyers, teachers and research and clerical workers. In carrying out this objec-
2 tive, the project was organized to compile inventories of historical materials,
i particularly the unpublished government documents and records which are basic in
i the administration of local government, and which provide invaluable data for
Q students of political, economic, and social history. The archival guide here-
; with presented is intended to meet the requirements of day-to—day administration `
l by the officials of the county, and also the needs of lawyers, business men and
Q other citizens who require facts from the public records for the proper conduct
I of their affairs. The volu e is so designed that it can be used by the historian
Qi Vin his research in unprinted sources in the same way he uses the library card
i, catalog for printed sources.
T The inventories produced by the Historical Records Survey Program attempt
l to do more than give merely a list of records - they attempt further to sketch
E in the historical background of the county or other unit of government, and to
P describe precisely and in detail the organization and functions of the govern-
ment agencies whose records they list. The county, town, and other local in-
S ventories for the entire country will, when completed, constitute an encyclope-
· dia for local government as well as a bibliography of local archives.
g The successful conclusion of the work of the Historical Records Survey Pro-
f gram, even in a single county, would not be possible without the support of pub- V
» lic officials, the historical and legal specialists, and many other groups in
q the community. Their cooperation is gratefully acknowledged.
The Survey Program was organized and has been directed by Luther H. Evans,
and operated as e nation-wide series of locally sponsored projects in the Divi-
y sion of Professional and Service Projects, of which Mrs. Florence Kerr, Assist-
ant Commissioner, is in charge.
y F. C. Ibrringtcn
T Commissioner
I
/

 %
  Patrice
i Work on the Historical Records Survey began in Mississippi in February
§ 1956 as a part of the program of the Federal Writers' Project and under the
] supervision of William B. Haynie. In November 1956 the Mississippi Survey
I became a separate unit of Federal Project No. 1 with Mr. Haynic as State
{ Director. In July 1957 Charles C. Fisher, editer—in-chief, was made State
E Director and in July 1958, Dr. Percy L. Rainwater, for ll years in the depart-
i ment of history at the University of Mississippi, was appointed head of the
§ Survey. In August 1959 Dr. Rainwater resigned and Miss Moina Evans was named
Q Director,
I By an act of Congress, Federal Project No. 1 was abolished on August 51,
1959 and the Historical Records Survey was made a State project to bc main-
; tained under the official sponsorship of Dr. William D. McCain, Director of
E the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and under the cooperative
§ sponsorship of local governmental agencies. It now functions as a Statc—wide
§ project of the Division of Professional and Service Projects of the Work Pro-
§ jects Administration, of which Miss Ethel Payne is State Director. It is in
i the Research and Records Section of this division under the supervision of ·
g Felix J. Underwood, Jr.
i To attain its general objective, the Survey has examined thoroughly and
carefully, records kept by State, county, and municipal governments. In addi-
` ` tion, preliminary lists of historical manuscripts, maps, and early American
,1 imprints contained in private, official, and unofficial collections have been
D prepared. Much has also been accomplished in locating and inventorying the '
records of all churches in all counties. In completing this particular task,
1 the Survey will include the records of defunct churches if it is possible te
{ locate them.
The Survey has stressed the completion of a State-wide inventory of county
" records, and the preparation and publication of the completed inventories. It
`J plans to publish the Invcntery_of_the County Archives pf Mississippi in 82
I units, one for each county in the State. Each unit will be numbered separately
·1 from one to 82, its number depending on the relative position of the county in ‘
’ an alphabetical list of all counties. Thus, the inventory of the records of
l Grenada County, herewith presented, is number 22. The inventories of State
_l archives, and of municipal, church, and other local records will be published
separately.
, The survey of the records of Grenada County was started February 1, 1958
*1 and was completed August 10, 1958. The field inventory was rochecked between
January 6 and February 10, 1959. The preliminary draft received a further re-
I check in August 1959, and a final recheck in March 1940.
. The inventory of the records of Grenada County is the fifth county in-
ventory prcpared for publication. It is arranged so that the records of the
executive branch of county government come first, followed by those of the
recording, judicial, law enforcement, fiscal, and miscellaneous agencies.
. Included also is a short essay on each agency of county government including
iv
/

 Q organization of the agency in Grenada County, its present status, the method
4 of filling the office, and the term of office.
Q i The Survey has followed general regulations and procedures applicable
i to all WPA project units in the 48 States. Mississippi WPA officials have
Q given the Survey their cordial support and assistance. The Survey also
g acknowledges the interest and cooperation of the Grenada County officials in
Q its work in their county.
g The State office has profited in all phases of its work by the construc-
5 trnzadvice and criticism of the national office and its representatives.
E John C. L. Andreassen, Regional Supervisor, has rendered invaluable assist-
i ance during his visits to the office. This inventory in manuscript form was
edited by Mabel S. Brodie, assistant archivist in charge of public records
inventories, of the Library of Congress project staff.
' This unit of the Inventory 2f_the County Archives pf Mississippi is being
; issued in mimeographed form by the Survey for free distribution to State and
E local public officials and libraries in Mississippi and to a limited number
g of libraries and governmental agencies outside the State. The inventory was
{ prepared in the State office of the Survey by an editorial staff composed of
§ Elsie May Chambers, Bessie Kate Bradford, Zelma Ruth Jolley, Dixon Pyles, and 4
E Fred Beacham, editorial assistants; and Robert E. Strong, Assistant State
i Supervisor and editor·in—ehief.
` MOINA EVANS —
State Supervisor
The Mississippi Historical
Records Survey Project
U 202 Millsaps Building
j Jackson, Mississippi
l April 1940

 °g TABLE OF CONTENTS
3 I A. Grenada County and its Records System
T Page
Q 1. Historical Sketch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
gl Outline Map of Mississippi . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
I Map of Grenada County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l7
] 2. Governmental Organization and Records System . . . . . l8
§ Legal Status of the County. Registration of Title to
7 Property. Judiciary. Law Enforcement. Finance.
} Elections. Education. Public Health. Welfare. Pub-
; lic Works. Miscellaneous Functions. Records System.
E Charts of Govern ental Organization . . . . . . . . . 56
g 3. Housing, Care, and Accessibility of the Records . . . . 4O
T Floor Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
§ 4. Abbreviations, Symbols, and Explanatory Notes . . . . . 5O
I
A B. County Offices and Their Records
V I. Board of Supervisors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Proceedings: Sixteenth Section School Land Adminis-
7 tration; Tax Exemption.
II. Clerk of the Chancery Court as Recorder . . . . . . . . 58
J Real Property: Land Deeds; Tax Liens; Mortgages and
7 Deeds of Trust on Land; Liens; Tax Sales; Redemption
l of Land Sold for Taxes; Land Titles. Personal Prop-
erty: Tax Liens, Deeds, Mortgages, and Deeds of
_ Trust. Miscellaneous Permanent Records: Officers
Bonds; Rafting Record; Corporations; Marks and
Brands; Homestead Declarations; Military Discharges;
4 Maps and Plats.
III. Chancery Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
N Original_Case Papers: Chancery and Probate; Receipts -
For Case Papers. Dockets, Calendars, and Registers:
Chancery and Probate; Probate. Witnesses. Proceed-
7 ings. Legal Publications. Naturalization. Miscel-
A laneous.
’ IV. Circuit Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Original Case Papers: Criminal; Civil; Receipts For
l Case Papers. Dockets, Calendars, and Registers:
A Criminal; Civil; Bonds. Final Records. Witnesses.
Jurors. Fees and Costs. Proceedings. Naturaliza-
» tion. Reports. Miscellaneous
V. County Court of Grenada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Dockets. Proceedings. Final Records.
VI. Clerk of the Circuit Court . . . . . . . . . · . . . . 91
A Marriages. Professional Licenses.

   ..2..
2
j Table of Contents
  VII.GI‘8.Il<1Jl1I'y•.••••••••••••••...••••.93
1 VIII• Justice of the PGHCG • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Q 94
{ IX• District Attorney • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 97
g
§ X. County prosecuting Attorney . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
2 XIO  IIIOIOIIIIUCIIOOIOOIIII  
2 Process Dockets. Jail Records.
  XlloCOFOHGT••••••••·•••••••••••••••  
    COI-1-Sta·bl9S••••••••••••••••an••••  
  XIV•T9.Xj1SS€SSOI°•••••••••••••••••••••  
§ Tax Lists. Tax Survey. Census Records. laps.
1 XV. Sheriff as Tax Collector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
p Assessments. Tax Receipts. Register of Nbtor Ve- 4
hicles. Cash Books and Ledgers. Applications. Re-
ports. iiscellaneous.
C XVI. Clerk of the Chancery Court as Treasurer . . . . . . . 1lO
,{ Receipts. Reports. Ledgers.
1 XVII. Clerk of the Board of Supervisors as Auditor . . . . . 112
Cash Receipts; Reports; Bank Deposits; County Bonds.
Claims. Disbursements. Lcdgers. Audits. School
Funds.
XVIII. Clerk of the Circuit Court as Registrar . . . . . . . 118
ey Registration of Voters: Registration Book; Disfran-
» chisements. Eligibility of Voters; Poll Books;
I Poll Tax Receipts; Exemption Certificates. Primary .
I Election Records; Corrupt Practices Prevention.
` XIX. County Board of Election Commissioners . . . . . . . . 120
` )<.X• SU.p€rj.Y1`b€I1dGI1`b of Education • • • • • a • • • • • • •  
’ Teachers; Reports; Employment. Educable Children.
I Financial Administration; Pay Certificates. General
A Administration; Public School Record; Reports; El-
ementary School Scores; Correspondence; Miscellane-
I O`U.S•
XXI. Board of School Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
XXII• SC1100].TI"L1S'iS€€S••••••••••••••••.••  
XXIII} COUI].`bySChOOl Board •• ••••• • ••• • •• •• •  

   · 5 r·
  V Table of Contents
  V XXIV.   H€9.].`bh Offj.C€I` • •>• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •  
    RSgIlS'CI‘8.I` of   8Ild   • • • • • • • • • • • • •  
§;
  X-.·XvI• Pension Board of InQuj.I`y • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •  
  XXVII. COrOHGrB.SRa.ng€r•••••••••••Q•••••••  
H
E mIII•SU»1"VGyOr••••••·•·•••••••••••••••••  
s X}{IX• County Extension Department in Agriculture and Home 155
1 Economics
County Agent: Reports; Cotton Control; Soil Con-
; servation; 4-H Clubs. Home Demonstration Agent:
Reports; 4-H Clubs; WPA Projects; Correspondence;
  Miscellaneous.
  Bj.-b].j.Ogr&phy••••••••••••••••••••••  
  ChI`OI'lO10gj.C9~lITldCX ••••••••••••••••••   ~
  SU.bjGC`b3HdEh'l`bPyIIId€X••••••••••••••••  
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i (First entry, p. 54)
§ 1. HHSTORICAL SKETCH
Y d Grenada County, situated in the north central portion of Mississippi,
i contains 442 square milesl or 282,580 acres.2 It was created May 9, 1870 from
;§ parts of Carroll, Choctaw, Tallahatehie, and Yalobusha Counties, and is a
2* fairly regular parallelogram, bounded on the north by Tallahatchie and
. A Yalobusha Counties, on the east by Calhoun and Webster Counties, on the south
3 by Montgomery and Carroll Counties, and on the west by Leflore and Tallahatchie
Counties. The boundaries of the county, which have never been changed, were
y described as: "Beginning at the northwest corner of township 22, range 2,'east;
§ thence east along said township line to the southwest corner of section 54,
i township 25, range 5, east; thence north to the northwest corner of said section;
Q thence east along section line to range 4; thence north on said range line to
g township line 24; thence east along said township line to the northwest corner
i of section 5, township 25, range 5, east; thence south to the southwest corner
f of section 10, township 25, range 5, east; thence east along section line—to the
i eastern boundary of range 7, east; thence south along said range line to the
i southeast corner of section 15, township 21, range 7, east; thence west along
l section line to the southwest corner of section 18, township 21, range 2, east;
Q thence north to the beginning."4
l Varying from level to hilly land, and drained mainly by the Yalobusha
i River and its tributaries, Grenada County has a varying topography with no
i outstanding scenic features. The eastern and most of the central section of
I the county are included in the Loess Hill section of the State, while the cen-
; tral section along the Yalobusha River, as well as the western area, is in the
Alluvial Plain, known as the Yazeo Delta, lying between the Yazoo and Missis-
; sippi Rivers.5 The Loess Hills, composed of brown loam overlying yellowish,
j calcareous silt, are exceedingly fertile, although still not so rich as the
Alluvial Plain to the west. This Plain, enriched through many centruies by
the overflow from the Mississippi River and tributary streams, consists of
I dark, sandy loam near the streams, and black, sticky clay in other parts,6
The robust and extensive timber formerly growing thickly over the Loess
» .,_Hills consisted almost entirely of hardwoods, new largely cut off. Yellow'
popular, magnolia, honeyloeust, mulberry, lindcn, elm, chestnut, white oak, _
walnut, and beech trees still grow in parts of the Loess Hills not cleared.
Such smaller bushes or tree growths as: chinquapin, witchhazel, dogwood, crab
p apple, iron wood, pawpaw, red maple, and redbud flourish extensively in the'
_ county, together with the grey-moss and numerous climbing vines, wild grape,
“ Virginia creeper, poison—oak, crossvine, tru petcreeper, and, in the open
places, the Cherokee roso,7
I 1. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1950; Population, I, Table 5, 585,
2. Ibid., Agriculture, II, Part 2, Table I, 1050-1051.
5. PEr—a detafF§YTEEbription of the territory, see Minutes of Board of
4 Supervisors 1870--, in county archives of Grenada County, Grenada, Miss.,
; vol., A, pp. 1-2, see entry 1. Ikreafter cited as Minutes,
4. L. M., 1870, pp. 124-126. '
p 5. Ephraim Noble Lowe, Mississippi State Geological Survey, Bulletin Ho. 12,
Jackson, 1915, pp. 228-251.
6. Ibid., pp. 264-269.
7. Ibid., p. 251.

   ,_ . _ · - 5 -
E Historical Sketch (First Cntry, p_ 54)
i y The Delta section of the county where the forest trees still remain, has
< much the same profusion of timber growth as the Locss Hills, as well as a great-
1; er variety of oak, and many cypress and gum trees, willow, cottonwoods, and
{ syeamore. Along the stream banks grows the bluecane, and over all the Delta
{ section a large nu ber of vines and tree-growths, little different from those
, of the hills.
g The climate of the county is mild. Temperature readings covering a pe-
i riod of 58 years for this section of the State show a mean annual average tem-
; perature of 64.4; an annual average maximum of 75.5; and average annual minimum
E 53,4,9 The annual precipitation for the same area is 50.52 inchcs.lO
g The section of Mississippi in which Grenada County is situated was Choc-
§ taw Indian country. However, the Chocchuma invaded and occupied it until they
Q were exterminated in a general war, the last battle of which was fought on the
i Old Grenada Road six miles west of Bellefontaine in what is now Webster County.ll
E Early travelers considered the Choctaw treacherous or honorable according
§ to tho degree of success of their own dealings with them, but all admitted that
§ they were "ready witted, and endued with a flow of smooth, artful languagefglz `
{ They were usually courageous, with an intense love of their land. Unlike most
§ Indians, few of them could swim, since their country contained few large
§ streams or lakes. However, they excelled other Indian tribes in the raising
; of crops, chiefly corn, and they took pride in their ability to combine farming
g skill with fertile land and a favorable climate to produce rich yields. The
g Choctaw engaged in little hunting for subsistence. Their customs generally
i were not different from other tribes, except in their habit of flattening the
foreheads of their infants by fastening a bag of sand to the sku11.l3 Several
, place names in the county indicate an Indian Origin; the early towns of
7 Tusoahoma and Chocehuma, and such names of streams as, Buttaputtan, Lossa Scoona,
. Batupan Bogue, and Yalobusha. The Choctaw country, spread over most of central
Mississippi and into Alabama, had from 15,000 to 20,000 native inhabitants
_ around 1700, when the tribe first came into relations with French explorers,14
A More than a century elapsed, however, before the Choctaw relinquished their
, title to the territory which was eventually to become Grenada County. One mound _
south of Coffeeville in Yalobusha County remains as tangible evidence of Choctaw
I residence in this vicinity.l5
V 8. Ibid., pp. 272-275.
9. Mississippi State Planning Commission, Prooress Report pp State Planning
’ in Mississippi, Jackson, 1958, p. 16.
_ 10. Ibid., p. 25; Ephraim Noble Lowe, Economic Geogra h pf Mississippi,
‘ mimeographed by the author, Oxford, Miss., 1928, p. 8. ' '
T ll. J. F. H. Claiborne, Mississippi EENE Province, Territory, ppg State,
7 Jackson, 1880, p. 485. '
L 12. Dunbar Rowland, Encyclopedia of Mississippi History, Atlanta, 1906, 2
é vois., 1, szs. "`
15. Ibid. ‘
I 14. Frederick Webb Hodge, (ed.), Handbook pf American Indians North of Mexico,
Washington, 1907, 2 vols., I, 289. —--—U_-—“
of 15. Calvin S. Brown, Archeology ip Mississippi, University of Mississippi,
Oxford, lhss., 1926, p. 28.

 I - 5 -
,y Historical Sketch (pjygt gntfy, P, 54)
F_ In 1541 Hernando De Soto and his Spanish expedition passed through or
jj A near the land new included in Grenada County and spent the winter in "thc
I village of Chicasa situated in a beautiful plain in the valley of the
5 Yalobusha River."lé Spain thus established claim to this territory, but
I. "Spanish occupation did not keep pace with Spanish claims,"l7 and there was
1 no colonization. England claimed the land including Grenada County in 1629,18
Q and the French likewise in 1582,19 as did the State of Georgia.2O None of these
g claims had any influence in shaping events in Grenada County, since the Indians
3 continued to dwell unmolested there until at least 1798, when Congress created
§ the Mississippi Territory,2l and im igraticn was stimulated. In 1802 the Fed-
i eral Government paid Georgia $1,250,000for its claimszz and in 1817 the land
Q new comprising Grenada County was included in the State of Mississippi.23
g The Indian title to the region was extinguished by the Treaty of Dancing
2 Rabbit Creek, September 27, 1850.24 After the government survey of the Ces-
§ sion was comp1eted,25 the United States land office for the northwestern dis-
§ trict of Mississippi was established at the now extinct town of Choccahuma,
é 17 miles west of the present city of Grenada.26 In 1340 the Office was mgvcd
g to Grenada.27
1 On December 25, 1855, the lands obtained from the Choctaw Indians were
Q divided into 16 counties: Noxubee, Kemper, Lauderdale, Clarke, 0ktibbcha,‘
§ Winston, Choctaw, Tallahatchie, Yalobusha, Carroll, Jasper, Neshoba, Smith,
i Scott, Leake, and Atta1a.28 Three more, Bolivar, Coahoma, and Newton were
i organized in 1856 from counties already estab1ished,29 and in 1844 Sunflower
i County was created.5O
In the Reconstruction Period which followed the close of the Civil War,
f Grenada, Webster, Lcflore, and Quitman Counties were established; Grenada from
. 16. John W. Monette, History of the Discovery and Settlement pf the Valley
of the Mississippi, New crk, 1848, 2 vols., I, 42-45.
A 17. 4RT'ST—Cottcri1l, The Old South, Glendale, Cal., 1927, p. 60.
l 18. Ibid., p. 65. ——_-___- ' V
; 19. Francis Parkman, Francis Parkman’s Works, Frontenac Edition, Boston,
` _ 1902, 16 vols., V, LaSalle and thi Discovery of the Great West, 506-508.
_ 20. Dunbar Rowland, History of mississippi, The Hgart gf the South, Chicago
and Jackson, 1925, 2 vols., II, 501.
Q 21. 1 Stat., 549-550. 1
22. Knerizan State Papers, Public Lands, I, 115-114.
25. 5 Stat., 472-475.
A 24. 7 Stat., 555-542.
25. `For field notes of this survey, sce Field Notes, in county archives of
‘ Grenada County, Grenada, Miss., entry 40.
26. 4 Stat., 655.
` 27. 45 Stat., 595. For recorded copies of original land patents issued by
this office, see Tract Book, 1855--, in county archives of Grenada County,
Grenada, Miss., entry 59; for recorded copies of other original convey-
ances including sales of land by the Choctaw Indians, see Record of Hort-
, gages and Trust Deeds, 1850-70, in county archives of Grenada County,
_ Grenada, Miss., entry 26.
_ 28. L. M., 1855, pp. 511-514.
_ 29. Ibid., 1856, pp. 15, 14, 57.
` 50. Ibid., 1844, pp. 219-221.

 ,, `— 7 -
j Historical Sketch (First entry, p. 54)
V1 l park of Carroll, Choctaw, Tallahatchie, and Ya1obusha.5l
f` The act creating Grenada County designated the town of Grenada as the
al county seat and provided for the appointment by the Governor of five members
if of the board of supervisors, a sheriff, a coroner, an assessor, a treasurer, a
E surveyor, a clerk of the circuit court, a clerk of the chancery court, and a
§ competent number of justices of the peace, all of whom were to serve until the
i general election of 1871 and until their successors were qua1ified.32
Q Lebbeus French was appointed sheriff on Hay 18, 1870 and tax collector on
Q Lay 28.55 William B. Davis was appointed clerk of the circuit court on hay 25.54
i l J. D. LeF1ore, Dr. John L. Milton, F. P. Ingram, Andrew Davis, and Freeland
Q Towns were named to the board of supervisors.55 James B. Townsend was made
E clerk of the chanccry court June 25, James W. Hall, assessor on August 9, and
§ Thomas C. Buffington, Treasurer on December 2.56
i The board held its first meeting on May 50, 1870 in the office of Dr. John
§ L. Hilton above Lake Brother*s store. J. D. LeFlore was elected president and
E Dr. Milton was chosen secretary pro-tem, to serve until the appointment of a ·
i clerk of the chancery court, by law the clerk of the board. At this meeting
§ the board fixed the boundaries of the five supervisors’ districts and adjourned
§ to meet the first Konday of June.57
g The appointed members of the board served until their successors were
g elected at the general elections of November 1871 and sworn into office in Jan-
? uary 1872.58 The original board organized the county, provided for the first
i courthouse,39 ordered transcriptions made of the 1and'records of the territory
i in the counties from which Grenada County was created,4O ggtgbljghgd gghgglg,
and laid out and constructed roads and bridges.41
j County officers elected on November 7, 1871 were: Andrew Davis, Edward
1 Scott, Douglas Green, Freeland Towns, and Robert H. Turner, members of the
y board of supervisors; Charles P. Lincoln, clerk of the chanccry court; William
. B. Davis, clerk of the circuit court; J. T. Parker, treasurer- Lebbeus French,
sheriff and tax collector; and Henry B. Heath, tax asscssor.4é l
At its August 1870 meeting the board of supervisors appointed a commission
s 51. Ibid., 1870, pp. 124-126; ibid., 1871, pp. 51-54, 587-592; ibid., 1874,
_ pp. 220-224; Webster County was established originally as Sumner County
but the name was changed in 1882 (L. M., 1882, p. 148).
52. L. M., 1870, pp. 124-125. '
55. Record of Official Bonds, 1870--, in county archives of Grenada County,
Grenada, Miss., vol. A, p. 6, see entry 47. Hereafter cited as Official
Bonds. Seo also "Sheriff as Tax Collector?} p.lO6,,footncto 2..
L 54. Ibid., p. 7.
55. Minutes, vol. A, p. 1, see entry 1.
5 56. Official Bonds, vol., A, pp. 8, 9, ll.
57. Minutes, vol., A, pp. 5-5.
_ 58. Ibid., pp. 69-70, Official Bonds, vol., A, pp. 57-58.
50. Kdnutes, vol., A, pp. 10-12.
p 40. Ibid., p. 18.
I 41. Ibid., pp. 1-68.
42. Minutes, vol., A, pp. 69-70; Official Bcnds,vol., A, pp. 37-58,

 Q? - 8 -
,§ Historical Sketch (First entry, p. 54)
ALT I composed of Lebbeus French, the sheriff; Wil1iam.B. Davis, the clerk of the
K circuit court; and Dr. John L. Milton, a member of the board; to buy or lease
Ep a suitable place in the town of Grenada for a county courthouse.4$ On August
Q 4, the commission reported that A. S. Brown, a citizen of the town, offered
E to sell the county his frame store building and lot, situated on the north-
_ west corner of the public square, for $5 OOO. This report was acted on
3 favorably and the purchase was ordered.44 gt the same meeting the beard rented
Q two rooms on the first floor and the second floor attic to W. H. Harkins for
g $8 a month for a period of three to 12 months or longer.45
`l
3
E The commission was retained and was instructed to have the building
E painted and partitioned into offices, a courtroom, and jury rooms. It was
{ further ordered to procure suitable and substantial furnishings for the court-
4 Q house including "a water bucket, 50 split-bottomed chairs, one hair seat for
§ the court, one stone water pitcher, one metal dipper, one tumbler, three hoop
Q water buckets, and two reflector side 1amps."46
Q In September 1870 the board contracted with James Ladd to build a jail
l at a cost of $16,000.47 However, by 1880 extensive repairs were made to this -
g building by H. P. McDonald and Brother, for the sum of $2,562.50,4B paid by
Q warrants issued June 1, 1881.49
I
I
i Land on which to erect a new courthouse was purchased in 1885 and the
5 building now in use was completed in 1884.50
i The earliest known settlement in the territory which is now Grenada County
was Elliot, established by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign His-
sions, as a missionary station for the Choctaw Indians. The village prac-
_ tically passed out of existence after the removal of the Indians to the west
Y by the terms of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. It is situated 15 miles
4 south of the town of Grenada and has a population of 128. Another settlement
° I was Troy, made in the early 1850's five miles below Grenada on the Yalobusha
V River. This town died out as most of its inhabitants moved to Grenada. The
- 1 settlement of Tuscahoma, 12 miles northwest of the county scat grew into a
I town of 500 by 1856 when it was incorporated, but by 1850 it was extinct,5l `
The town of Grenada, situated at the fork of the Yalobusha River and
Batupan Bogue Creek, was formed and incorporated in 185652 by the merging of
_ two rival and adjoining settlements, Tulahoma and Pittsburg. The two villages
; 45. Minutes, vol., A, pp. 5-6.
Q4. Ibid., pp. 10-12.
2 45. Ibid. A
V   iii}?.
7 47. Ibid., p. 14.
L 48. Ibid., vol., B, p. 66.
i 49. Ibid., p. 82. "
I 50. See "Housin;, Care, and Accessibility of the Records," py.40, foot-- ·
notes 1-12.
, 51. Franklin L. Riley, "Extinct Towns and Villages of Mississippi," in
V Franklin L, Riley, (ed.), Publications of the Mississippi Historical
( Society, Oxford, Miss., 1898-1914, 14 vols., V (1902), 555. lbreafter
T cited as Publications.
52. L. M., 1856, pp. 507-508.

   - 9 -
E Historical Sketch (First entry, P. 54)
y I were settled soon after the Choctaw Cession was open to white occupation, '
Tulahoma by Hiram G. Runnels and Pittsburg by Franklin E. Plummer. Runnels,
{ Governor of Kississippi 1855-55 and Plummer, a United States congressman from
V Mississippi, were uncompromising political opponents as well as competitive
V land speoulators. The two villages carried on a bitter and partisan fight
2 for supremacy but consolidated in 1856 with the help of a law enacted by the
Q legislature and a mock marriage ceremony symbolic of the union.55
g Transportation and eommu ieaticn in the days of early settlement were by
1 means of meandering dirt roads or the Yalobusha Rivcr.54 Sometimes goods were
Q brought in or out by a land-water route, overland from Grenada to Manchester,
{ now Yazoo City, on the Yazoo River, and thence on that river to the Hississippi.55
‘€ A stagecoaeh line from Jackson to Memphis ran through what is new Grenada County,
§ the first coach going over the route in January 1858.56 The rate was 6%-cents
§ per mile.57 Travel, however, by river or land was apt to be affected by the
§ weather or the failure of means of transport, and there were complaints espe-
§ cially about the slowness of delivery of the mails.58
5 The town of Grenada was a railroad center lon; before it became the seat
i of justice of Grenada County. The Grenada Railroad Company was incorporated
1 Nay 15, 1857 to build a railroad from Grenada to Douglas, in Carroll County,
E a distance of 55 mi1es.59 In 1852, two railroads, both passing through Grenada,
4 were incorporated. These were the Mississippi Central Railroad6O and the
{ Mississippi and Tennessee Railroad Company.6l They were given permission to
i consolidate November 50, 1855,62 but it was not until March 2, 1859, that they
i actually m€rgGd.63 The railroad was completed from Grenada to Jackson, Tennes-
i see, January 51, 1860.64 Two years prior to this date, 145,488 bales of cotton
had been shipped over this road, and in 1860 the amount was doubled.65 Another
j railroad, the Grenada, Houston, and Eastern, was incorporated in 1860,