History of Mississippi - Clay County

Donated by Denise Wells

Source: Lowry, Robert and McCardle, William H. A History of Mississippi, from the Discovery of the Great River by Hernando DeSoto, Including the Earliest Settlement Made by the French Under Iberville, to the Death of Jefferson Davis [1541-1889]. Jackson, Miss.: R. H. Henry & Co., 1891. Pages 463-464.

CLAY COUNTY

Named in honor of Henry Clay, was established May 12th, 1871; carved mainly from Lowndes and Chickasaw counties, and therefore the history of those counties touching early settlers, etc., embrace the territory now comprising this county. The first Representative from Clay was J. W. Carradine. Lieut.-Governor W. H. Sims and Hon. F. G. Barry represented the counties of Lowndes and Clay in 1876-'7. The latter, Mr. Barry, was subsequently elected to the forty-ninth and fiftieth Congress. He is an able lawyer, of agreeable manners, and a brillian and forcible debater.

The towns in the county are West Point, the county site, with over two thousand inhabitants, situated on the Mobile and Ohio railroad. West Point has outstripped many of the older towns in the State, and it goes without saying that it is one of the most enterprising, progressive and prosperous county-towns within our borders; the other towns are Tibbee, Palo Alto, and Siloam.

The principal streams are the Tombigbee river, which traverses the eastern border, and Tibbee, Line, Houlka and Chickatouch Creeks.

The railroads in the county are the Mobile and Ohio, the Durant and Aberdeen branch of the Illinois Central, and the Georgia Pacific, all of which pass West Point.

Clay has 181,517 acres of cleared land; average value per acre, $5.63.

Total value of cleared lands, including incorporated towns, $1,513,189.

The population of this county as shown by the census of 1890: Whites, 5,552; colored, 13,054; total, 18,606.

SENATORS

1874-75
1876-77 - W. H. Sims, F. G. Barry.
1878 - F. G. Barry.
1880 - John L. Crigler.
1882 - John L. Crigler.
1884 - H. L. Burkitt.
1876 [sic. - should be 1886] - H. L. Burkitt, J. W. Barron
1888 - A. A. Montgomery, J. W. Barron
1890 - A. A. Montgomery, J. R. Nolen

REPRESENTATIVES

1874-75 - J. W. Caradine.
1876-77 - Frank S. White.
1878 - T. W. Davidson.
1880 - W. B. Gunn.
1882 - Frank S. White.
1884 - S. A. Crump, A. J. Russell.
1876 [sic. - should be 1886] - Ira P. Beasley, J. C. Hill.
1888 - W. B. Gunn, T. W. Davidson.
1890 - W. B. Gunn, T. W. Davidson.