Noxubee County, Mississippi

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While browsing the Internet, I happened upon records in Perry County, Ala., which caught my attention. The 1830 census index is posted on the UsGenWeb site for Perry County. In that index was RUSSELL men listed as heads of housholds. The given names of the men, Caleb, Gibson, John, Jonathon, and William, made me double check records I already have. Caleb and Gibson appear in my records as names of children of Sarah Watson Hudson as well as given names of her brothers. "John" is a common given name, so it didn't make me sit up and take notice, however those other names did. Now, another provides me with the parents of Martha Russell, and it was John Russell (b. abt 1760) and his wife, Mary, whose last name is unknown.

Sarah's mother was Martha Russell. "Someone" in our family recorded that surname and passed it down thru my aunt, Neoma Hudson Savage, (1903 - 2001) who gave me the name. Martha Russell married Charles Watson. Most recently, December of 2002, another Russell researcher provided information where the marriage took place, in Jackson county, Georgia, in 1816. A daughter of that union is my great grandmother.

My great grandmother, Sarah Eliza Watson, born 14 January 1833, married my great grandfather, William Beasley Hudson, 23 November 1854, per family bible records, his second marriage. The location of the marriage has not yet been located. I have wondered where her family resided. William B. and Sarah Hudson lived in Shuqualak and the surrounding area, Noxubee county, Mississippi, where Sarah died in childbirth, the birth of my grandfather, Isaac L. Hudson, 24 April 1872. Both Sarah and William B. Hudson are buried in the family graveyard on the old Hudson Plantation, Shuqualak, Ms.

Again, browsing the Internet, I accessed the archived mail list for the surname of Russell and found that others were seeking information on Russell families that had lived in Mississippi, moving there from Alabama. Caleb Russell was a prominent name listed, with several persons providing "facts" for him. From those posted pieces, I collected enough "clues" to get me excited enough to post my own known information to the Russell-L mail list. Then, something "funny" happened.

I host the site for Noxubee County, Mississippi on the Internet. I have several published research sources for the county, and I never really made the tie to the Russell families who are listed in those books. I had located a marriage for Gibson Russell to Zenolia Crawford, 10 Jan 1836, marking it with a "question mark." The material was purchased while visiting Macon and Shuqualak in August of 1995.

As I received all this "new" information from others, I recognized not his name, but hers, and made the connection as being part of MY Russell family. It turns out that this Gibson Russell is acredited as to being a brother of MY Martha Russell Watson.

With this new found information, I sat down and scanned thru my Noxubee county material for RUSSELL. The following pieces of information were gleaned from various publications purchased from the Noxubee County, Mississippi Historical Society.

From the Marriage Books:

Gibson Russell 10 Jan 1836 Zenolia Crawford
Martha E.T. Russell 22 Dec 1842 Jonathan H. Bryan
L.C. Russell 31 Dec 1847 Robert A. Bryant
Elizabeth Russell 27 Dec 1859 George Brandon
George W. Russell 6 Feb 1866 Sinia A.T. Chambers
Elvira E. Russell 25 Oct 1866 Robert F. Stewart
S.E. Russell 24 Nov 1878 D.W. Metts (C.B. Russell bondsman)
Ella J. Russell 8 Oct 1889 Sidney Welsh
Eng Russell 24 Sep 1902 Margaret Green
C.B. Russell 3 June 1903 Mattie Strikland



From the Wills Book:

George D. Russell was one three witnesses to the will of James D. Fancher, dated 15 Sep 1896 and again on 20 June 1890, he witnessed the will of James S. Jones. (Both wills were probated much later.)


From "Abstracts of Death Notices from the Macon Beacon, 1817 - 1912":

13 Oct 1877 Perry G. Russell, an old citizen, died of cancer 8 Oct 1877

20 Apr 1895 Mrs. Eddie Hull Russell, wife of Geo. D. Russell, died April 17 at Mashulaville, bur. Yellow Creek, surv. By huband and one son.

26 Nov 1895 Perry Russell, son of the late Perry G. Russell, died Nov 19 in western Noxubee, bur. Yellow Creek, survived by wife and seven children.

16 Aug 1902 Mrs. Elizabeth Russell, wife of Chas B. Russell, died Aug 12. Survived by large family. Bur. Yellow Creek.

9 Feb 1907 Charles Benson Russell died near Mashulaville 3 Feb. Born 15 May 1833 in Habersham Co., GA., son of Perry G. and Martha Taylor Russell. Married (1) Elizabeth Reed in Kemper Co., (2) Mattie Strickland. Baptist. Co. A, 6th Ms Cav CSA, buried Yellow Creek. Five children.

31 Oct 1908 J.R. Russell died Oct 21 Clay county, Ms. Son of Perry G. Russell, reared in Noxubee county. Married Miss Fannie Clark. Member CSA.


From the "Tombstones" book:

Brooksville Cemetery.......

Grover Russell 1893 - 1956

L. Delbridge Russell 25 Aug 1914 - 13 Sept 1974
Geneva W. Russell 15 Dec 1916 -

Mashulaville Cemetery......

Chang P. Russell Jr. 16 June 1910 - 12 Apr 1950

Jessie R. Russell 20 Dec 1880 - 10 Oct 1965
Chang P. Russell 7 May 1872 - 9 Apr 1943

Mary Ann Russell 15 June 1835 - 25 Feb 1902
w. of George Peters
later George Richards

Lillian Glenn Russell 4 Dec 1908 - 9 Oct 1937
w. of W.M. Dye

Mary Lillian Glenn 23 July 1875 - 1 Nov 1959
w. of Geo. DeLorraine Russell

Geo. DeLorraine Russell 29 Apr 1865 - 19 May 1935

Eng Russell 7 May 1872 - 6 Apr 1938
Margaret L. Russell 29 Sep 1874 - 7 Mar 1949

George D. Russell No dates

Yellow Creek Baptist....... (200 yards west of the Noxubee - Winston county line) actually in Winston county, Ms.

Eddie Hull 1 Mar 1863 - 17 Apr 1895
w. George D. Russell

Eddie Elizabeth 23 June 1892 - 16 Oct 1892
Dau of George D and Eddie Hull Russell

Geo. D. 8 Jan 1891 - 19 Jan 1891
Son of Geo. D and Eddie Hull Russell

Ellen Russell 7 Feb 1853 - 4 May 1922

Inf son Russell No dates

Betty F. No dates
w. of J.M. Russell

Perry G. Russell No dates
41st Miss Inf. CSA

Elizabeth Reed 1833 - 1902
w. of C.B. Russell

Charles B. Russell 15 Mar 1833 - 3 Feb 1907
b. in GA.

Notations from "Dancing Rabbit"

Page 83
Perry G. Russell and Thomas Haynes were securities for Co. Tax Collector, J.B. Mastin, 1853

Page 113
Seburn Russell among original land purchasers of Noxubee County, T13N R15E, sec. 18
William C Russell among original land purchasers of Noxubee County, T14N R15E, sec 7
(The first location is same as Gholson, the second location is in the same area of Mashulaville.)

Page 138
Allen Watson purchased 1840 -1848, T16N R19E, sec. 9
Charles Wason purchased 1840 - 1848, T13N R15E (section unknown)

(His wife was Martha Russell) (their dau., Sarah Watson Hudson, lived T13N R17E)

Post Master at Mahulaville was Geo. D. Russell 1887 -1899, George De S. Russell 1904, and George D. Russell 1913 - 1935.

To your author, it appears that these families settled in the hills in the southwest portion of the county. The town of Hashuqa (pronouned "High Sugar") is located six miles southwest of Mashulaville (pronounced "Ma-shoe-la-ville"), near Fearn Springs in Winston County, Mississippi. The cemetery "Yellow Creek Baptist" is 200 yards west of the Noxubee county line, in Winston county. We may find more Russell material in Winston County.