WARREN COUNTY
MISSISSIPPI
MSGENWEB PROJECT
Notable
People who lived in Warren County
If you have corrections or
information to
add, please contact me.)
D. H. Alverson - State Representative 1886
Dix (Dickson or Richard) H. Alverson was born about 1845 in Mississippi. He married Theresa M. Sexton on
April 3, 1873. Their children were David S. Alverson ba 1877, Dix H. Alverson born 1880, William M. Alverson
ba 1882 and Hattie R. Alverson ba 1887. His parents were John and Leonora Alverson and his siblings were
Alzada Alverson, Daniel Alverson and Indiana Alverson.
Sources: 1850-1900 Census of Warren County and Mississippi Marriage Records.
A. H. Arthur - State Senator 1854, 1856-1857, 1858
Alex H. Arthur was ba 1814 in Maryland. He married Sarah C. Thompson on October 24, 1939
in Warren County. Their children were Caroline Arthur ba 1842 and Letitia Arthur ba 1847. He was editor of the
Vicksburg Whig from 1845 to 1848.
Source: 1850 Census of Warren County, Mississippi Marriage Records
R. K. Arthur – State Representative 1850
Rufus K. Arthur is listed in the 1850 Warren County census in the household of Alex H. Arthur. Rufus was born
about 1816 in Maryland. He served as editor of the Vicksburg Whig from the early 1850’s until his death in the
summer of 1855.
Source: 1850 Census of Warren County
P. B. Barrow – State Senator 1872-1873
Barrow was born about 1841 in Mississippi and was a lawyer. He married Julia “unknown” and their children were
Joshua Barrow ba 1869, Peter Barrow ba 1872, and Chas Sumner Barrow ba 1875.
P. P. Barrow – State Representative 1870-1871 (May be same as P. B. Barrow?)
George Madison Batchelor – State Senator 1886, State Senator 1888
Listed in the 1850 Census of Warren County at Bovina with parents: W. B. Batchelor age 35, planter, born in MS,
Ellen, wife, age 30, born MS and Thomas Batchelor 12, George Batchelor 10, Victoria Batchelor 5, Ellen Batchelor 3
and Eugenia Batchelor 1. In 1860 his mother is listed as Head of Household with Thomas Batchelor, George
Batchelor (law student), Victoria Batchelor, Ellen Batchelor and Eugenia Batchelor. In 1870 Ellen D. Batchelor,
George, Victoria, Ellen and Jennie are in the household.
On January 19, 1876 he married Jennie R. Aldridge. In the 1880 Census George age 39, Jennie age 23, Edith
Batchelor 3 and Alfred Batchelor age 1 are listed. In the 1900 census listed are George and Jennie along with
children Edith Batchelor Newman age 23, A. Gordon Batchelor age 21, R. V. Booth Batchelor age 19, and Helen
D. Batchelor age 12.
(Although it’s likely the census transcript
shows W.B. Batchelor, that “W” should be an “N” since George
Madison
Batchelor’s father was Napoleon Bonaparte Batchelor (mother Ellen Dunlap Noland
was daughter
of Judge Pearce & Elizabeth (Galtney) Noland
– their
portraits were in Vicksburg’s Old Courthouse Museum
last
I checked). Both of George’s parents are buried in the family plot at Judge Pearce’s plantation (Sligo)
in
Bovina. George and his wife Jennie (Aldridge) Batchelor are buried at St
Alban’s.
Contributed
by Liz - ancestor@2listen.us http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Batchelor-500)
G. K. Birchett - State Senator 1880, State Representative 1890
G. K. was ba 1840 in MS and is listed in the 1850 and 1860 Warren County census with his parents, G. K. and Ann D.
Birchett, both born in Virginia, along with siblings Theopolis Birchett ba 1836 in Virginia, Ann Birchett ba 1838 in MS,
Mary W. Birchett ba 1842 in MS, Jane Birchett ba 1844 in MS and Anna Birchett ba 1845 in MS. His father was a
doctor. In 1880 he’s listed in the household of his brother,
T. G. Birchett.
G. M. Boyd - State Representative 1874-1875
W. R. Billingslea - State Representative 1880
Walter R. Billingslea was ba 1824 in Alabama. He married Rebecca Jane Reese on June 10, 1844 in Warren
County, MS. They appear alone in the 1850 Warren County census and in the1860 census have a son, W. Folkes
Billingslea age 5. They are listed next to Sarah Billingslea, age 53, born in Georgia along with Laura age 17 born MS,
Mary Folkes Billingslea age 8 born MS and Jas B. Billingslea, age 21, born MS.
J. W. Bourne - State Representative 1882
Is this the Joshua W. Bourne listed in the 1870 Warren County census? He is shown as age 26 born in Mississippi and
his wife, Loretta (?) is 19 and also born in Mississippi.
Bourne was a candidate for postmaster of Vicksburg in 1880 but the position was given to a political crony of John Roy
Lynch, who had been reelected to the U. S. House of Representatives.
According to the Official Register of the United States, Volume 1 – 1883 by the United States Civil Service Commission,
J. W. Bourne was a Deputy Collector for the IRS in Vicksburg.
J. H. Brabston - State Representative 1888, State Representative 1890
John Henry Brabston was born 24 August 1851 in Warren County, MS, the son of John Bryan and Nannie C. Reese
Brabston both of whom were born in MS. He married first, Mary Chesley Newman on October 14, 1875 in Warren
County. He married second, Eva Brian Willis on 24 May 1880. His children included Katie L. Brabston ba 1885,
Harriet E. Brabston ba 1887, and Kenneth D. Brabston ba 1890. He died 27 November 1909 and is buried in City
Cemetery in Vicksburg.
Source: 1880 and 1900 Census of Warren County, Rootsweb’s WorldConnect project.
A. W. (Alfred Watson) Brien - State Representative 1884
Born about 14 Feb 1814 in Tennessee, A. W. Brien was a lawyer. He married Amanda M. Cowen on June 21, 1841 in Warren
County. The 1850 census lists them with a child, Mary Brien, age 14 born in Tennessee. This was probably his second
marriage--there is a marriage record for A. W. Brien and Sally P. Stewart on October 26, 1835 in Wilson County, TN.
For more information, see http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Brien-49. Thanks, Liz!
Walker Brooke – Born in Frederick County, Virginia on December 25, 1813, Brooke died in Vicksburg on
December 18, 1869. He was a member of the Mississippi House
of Representatives in 1848 and was a member of
the Mississippi
Senate in 1850 and 1852. Elected to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused
by the resignation of
Henry S. Foote,
he served from 1852-1853. In 1857 he
moved to Vicksburg. He was a delegate to
the constitutional
convention in
1861 and was elected a member of the Provisional Confederate Congress from
Mississippi where he
served one year. He was then appointed a member of the permanent military court of the Confederate States.
C. L. Buck - State Representative 1854, 1856-1857, State Senator 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862
Charles L. Buck was born about 1824 in Kentucky. He’s listed in the 1850 census of Warren County as a lawyer
at age 26. On October 7, 1852 he married Maria Barnett. Maria was born in Virginia. They are listed in the 1860
Warren County census with children Horace age 6, Isabella age 4 and Mary age 2, along with Sarah Brune, age 80,
who was born in Virginia. Perhaps Maria’s mother?
In the 1850 census he is listed next to Charles Buck age 62 a merchant from Virginia, his wife, Lucy C. Buck age 57
also born in Virginia and their son Richard age 17, born in KY. Also listed is John W. Buck age 29 a merchant born in
Virginia, his wife Mary B. Buck age 26 born in KY and their son Charles Buck, born in MS.
C. W. Bush - State Representative 1872-1873
Charles W. Bush, African-American, served during the Reconstruction period. Is this the C. Bush listed
in the 1870 census of Warren County age 32 with wife, R. Bush age 21, and child M. (or W?). H. Bush age 1.
Occupation shown as hack man.
Freedman’s Bank records show an account in the name of Charles W. Bush in trust for William Henry Bush was
opened July 14, 1869. William’s date of birth is August 26, 1868. Another account in the name of C. W. Bush
was opened April 12, 1869. Occupation is shown as Hackman for J. Q. Arnold and it lists one child, Willie.
D. A. Cameron – State Representative 1865, 1866-1867
Daniel A. Cameron is listed in the1850 and 1860 Census of Warren County. He was born about 1817 in North
Carolina. In the 1850 census, Mary M. Cameron, age 70, born NC is listed in his household along with Rebecca
Cameron age 21, born in Alabama. Also shown in the census are his wife, Sarah J. (Sarah Jane Hebron – they
married November 20, 1848 in Warren County, MS) born about 1830 in Virginia, and children Gertrude Cameron
born in 1849, Rulena (sp?) Cameron ba 1854, Benjamin A. Cameron ba 1856, and Danl A. Cameron born in 1859.
Ham C. Carter – State Representative 1872-1873, State Representative 1876-1877
Hamilton C. Carter, African-American, served during the Reconstruction period. He’s listed in the 1880
Census of Warren County as a Retired Merchant at age 45, born in Indiana with a daughter, Mamie,
age 6 born in MS. Also in the household is his sister, Mollie Mayfield and her children Walter G. Mayfield
age 12 and Abbie O. Mayfield, age 7.
According to the census, Hamilton Carter’s father was born in New York and his mother in Louisiana
Thomas Clendinen Catchings – Born in Mississippi in 1847, died at Vicksburg on December 24, 1927,
and was buried in City Cemetery, Vicksburg. Catchings served in MS State Senate from 1875-1877, served
as Mississippi Attorney General from 1877-1885, and U. S. Representative from 1885-1901.
Also see: http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=C000247 and Catchings, Thomas Clendinen.
The
Catchings and Holliday families and various related families, in Virginia . Atlanta, Ga.: The
A. B. Caldwell Pub.
Co., 1919.
G. W. Chavis - State Representative 1874-1875
George Washington Chavis was born about 1818 in Tennessee, the son of Jordan and Eliza Jefferies Chavis. He and his
wife Ann are listed in the 1850 censes of Copiah County, MS with their children Calvin Chavis 9, Josiah Chavis 8, Levis
C. Chavis 4, and Parazetta Chavis 2. In 1860 he is listed in the census of Massic, Illinois with wife Ann and children
Isarh (sic) Chavis 17, John Chavis 15, Peredele Chavis 12, Alexander Chavis 9, Jerome Chavis 8 and Jomdon Chavis 3.
In 1880 he is listed alone in Warren County at age 63. See http://www.freeafricanamericans.com/free_Chavis.htm for
more information on the Chavis family.
J. M. Chilton – State Representative 1838, 1842-1843.
Is this John M. Chilton who appears in the 1850 Census of Warren County? Born about 1810 in Virginia, he is listed as
a lawyer, with wife Sarah N. age 27 born in MS, and children Sarah P. Chilton age 7, John M. Chilton age 5, Levi L.
Chilton age 4, Onick (sp.) W. Chilton age 2 male, and infant son 2 months old.
M. Coates - State Representative 1882, State Representative 1884.
Nicholas Daniel Coleman – Born in Cynthiana, KY April 22, 1800. Died in Vicksburg May 11, 1874 and is buried
in Cedar Hill Cemetery. Served in Kentucky legislature and as representative to U. S. Congress. Moved to Vicksburg and
served as postmaster from 1841-1844. See also http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=C000620
Information also available on WorldConnect at rootsweb.com.
James William Collier – Born on Glenwood Plantation near Vicksburg on September 30, 1872. Died in Washington,
D.C. on September 28, 1933. Buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Vicksburg. Served in MS House of Representatives from
1896-1899, Warren County Circuit Clerk from 1900-1909, and U. S. Congress 1909-1933.
He was the son of John Marshall and Sarah Elizabeth Newman Collier who married 9-17-1868. His siblings included
Laura Belle Collier, Stanford Newman Collier, and Mary Delia Collier. James William Collier married Emma H. Harrison
Klein on 2-20-1900 in Warren County. Source: Ancestry.com OneWorldTree.
James is listed in the 1880 Census of Warren County with his mother shown as head of household. Also listed are his sister
Laura B. Collier and brother Stanford Collier. He and Emma are in the 1910, 1920, and 1930 census of Warren County
with their children Emma D. Collier and Laura D. Collier.
Warren Cowan - State Senator 1878, State Senator 1880, State Senator 1882
Listed in 1850 Census of Warren County in the household of his mother, Sarah Cowan with siblings Charles, Irene, James,
Walker, William, Mary Cowan Hicks and her son, Granville Hicks. In the 1880 census, he’s living in the household of
Jessey Bass, with his wife Annie Cowan age 39, plus children Annie May 13, Warren W. 10, Ira Lee 6, Ethel C. 4, and
Carrie Lore 1. Warren Cowan was born in Mississippi and his occupation is shown as lawyer. The census indicates both
of his parents were born in Virginia. Sarah and some of these Cowan children are buried in City Cemetery, Vicksburg, in
a plot purchased by John Cowan who died 6-14-1844.
Albert G. Creath – State Representative 1820
A. G. Creath was still living in Warren County in 1845--he’s listed in the 1845 MS census. He bought land in 1840 and
1841 while a resident of Warren County. There’s a marriage record for Anna A. Creath and Gab B. Dunbar on June 6,
1827 in Warren County—probably a daughter.
A.
C. Downs – State Senator 1841
Alfred
Claiborne Downs had several plantations, including Beech Grove near Vicksburg;
Linlithgow, near Arcola in
Washington
County; and Deer Creek also in Washington County. Mary Robinson Downs died in Warren County at
the
home of
her sister, Mrs. James M.
Brabston.
Henry
Augustus Downs attended Oakland College in Claiborne County, Mississippi, from
1845 to 1848 and then
what is
now Princeton University from 1848 to 1852. After graduation, he traveled with
an aunt and uncle, Sallie
and John
Robinson, to New York, Ohio, and Kentucky before returning to work on his
father’s Deer Creek
plantation.
James Robinson Downs was born in Warren County, Mississippi, on September 1, 1832. He attended Oakland College
from 1846 to 1848 and Princeton from 1848 to 1852. He married Mary (Mollie) K. Thomas in the spring of 1855. In
November they were living at Belvin, his father-in-law’s plantation near Clinton, Hinds County, Mississippi. Their child,
a daughter named Pinky, was born in December 1855. They were living on the Deer Creek plantation in November
of 1856. Both Mary Thomas and Pinky Downs died in 1858.
On July 14, 1859, James Robinson Downs married Letitia (Lettie) Vick, the daughter of John Wesley and Letitia Frances
Booker Vick of Vicksburg, and the granddaughter of Newitt Vick, the founder of Vicksburg.
1.Alfred Claiborne Downs II born May
21, 1860, married Clara M. Buckingham (1864-1944) around 1884. They had
two children:
Letitia “Lettie” Vick Downs (1885-1964)
Alfred Buckingham Downs (1887-1968).
Alfred Clairborne Downs II. died 19 Feb
1906 at Arcola, MS.
2. James Robinson (Gyp or Jip) Downs,
Jr. Born 10 July 1861 in Vicksburg
married Lilly Wood (1860-1932) on
1 Jan 1886 in New Orleans. She was the daughter of well-known and
respected steamboat Captain Marion N. Wood
(1829-1906) and Martha M. Fislar (1838-1898).
Gyp and Letita had three children:
Marion Catherine Downs (1888-1953)
Gladys Downs (1890-1966)
Martha W. Downs (1892-1936).
Gyp died suddenly of cardiac failure on
23 September 1896 on a family Plantation at Anguilla, MS.
(This information provided by W. P.
Young)
Henry D. Downs - State Senator in 1820, appointed Clerk of Supreme & City Court on March 3, 1815, and appointed
Constable on October 16, 1816. He was a delegate to the 1817 Constitutional convention at Washington, MS.
A Henry D. Downs married Betsy Willis Breazealy on June 15,
1806 in Jefferson County, MS.
W. W. Edwards – State Representative 1874-1875, State Representative 1876-1877, State Representative 1882
Weldon W. Edwards was an African-American born in Warren County. In the document, “A Report of the Select
Committee to Inquire into the Mississippi Election of 1875,” he states that lived in the county until the Civil War when he
moved to Kentucky. He came back to Warren County in 1866 after the war ended. In 1872 he was appointed by
Governor Powers to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen of Vicksburg and elected to that position in 1874 when a
city election was held. The governor also appointed him to the school board, and he served as deputy sheriff
for a while.
M. Emmanuel – State Representative 1846
Is this Morris or F. M. Emmanuel born about 1804 in Virginia? He and his wife, Agatha A. M. Emmanuel, are listed in the
1850 census of Warren County, along with their children John M. Emmanuel 1, Lelia Emmanuel 8, Mary Emmanuel 9,
Virginia Emmanuel 5 and William E. Emmanuel 2. Also listed is Isabella Emmanuel age 37 also born in Virginia—
possibly a sister? His occupation is shown as druggist. F. M. Emmanuel is listed in the US Federal Mortality Schedules
as having died in June 1880 in Warren County at age 75 of a stroke. His occupation is shown as physician, doctor,
surgeon.
S. T. Fortson - State Representative 1880
Is this the Samuel T. Fortson listed in the 1880 census, age 38, in Warren County with his wife, Lizzie C. also 38? Their
race is shown as white on the census, but they are listed with an African American family—Joshua and Mary Collins. The
census shows he was born in Louisiana and his parents in Alabama and Mississippi. Lizzie was born in Mississippi but both
parents are shown as born in New York. Mr. and Mrs. Collins were both born in Georgia and so were their parents.
C.
A. Foster – State Representative 1870-1871
Thomas Freeland – State Senator 1823-1825 and 1826.
Freeland was born about 1788 in Maryland, the son of Frisby and Sara Rolle Freeland. He moved to
Mississippi around 1800. He’s listed in the 1850 Claiborne County, MS census with his son Frisby
age 27 and Sarah F. Buckner, age 36, F. J. Buckner, 17, Emily E. Buckner, 13, Sarah R. Buckner, 10,
Robt. A. Buckner 8, Catherine B. Buckner, 6, and Ellen F.
Buckner, 4.
Mississippi Court Records by J. Estelle Steward King lists the probate of the will of Frisby Freeland
on 8-24-1815 and it lists sons Thomas Augustus Freeland, the Children of Rebecca Chew, Elizabeth
C. G. Williamson, granddaughter, Sarah Frisby Freeland granddaughter, and Edward R. I. Allnict,
nephew. It mentioned money to be paid the estate in Maryland. Executors were: Waterman Crane,
Robert Crane and James Crane.
C. E. Furlong – State Senator 1874-1875, State Senator 1876-1877, State Senator 1878.
Former Union Army officer who moved to the Vicksburg area after the Civil War and organized a
Union League in the city. (Thanks to joe@cpm-houston.com)
From the obituary of Charles E. Furlong (Published in The New York Times 9-29-1907):
General Charles E. Furlong was born in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1840 and came to the United States in 1857 when he
was 17. He worked as a clerk at a dry goods store in New York for 2 years then moved to Madison, Wisconsin
where he worked in the accounting department of another dry goods store.
When the Civil War broke out he obtained a commission from the governor of Wisconsin to recruit men for the
17th Regiment, an Irish organization of state volunteers. He became a 2nd Lt in the winter of 1861-62 and was
assigned to Company F. He became attached to the Army of the Tennessee just before the Battle of Shiloh.
The 17th Wisconsin was stationed at Vicksburg until the close of the war and Furlong served as Quartermaster
of the garrison and was promoted to Captain. He remained in the service until 1866 and then went into the
grocery business in Vicksburg where he “made a small fortune.”
He became active in politics and was elected to the office of Sheriff of Warren County and then elected to the
State Senate.
Furlong sold out his grocery business and moved to Philadelphia in 1876 then moved on to New York City where
he lived at the Fifth Avenue Hotel until his death in September 1907. He died at the Falmouth Hotel in Portland,
Maine. “His funeral was held in Room 10 of the Fifth Avenue Hotel.”
Information for this obituary was furnished by a friend who had served in the same regiment during the Civil War.
The only relative of Furlong’s known to the friend was a cousin, Robert B. Williams, who came to the U.S. several
years after Furlong and settled in Janesville, Wisconsin and predeceased Furlong.
Robert Garland – State Representative 1839
Robert Ramey Garland was born about 1804 in Henry County, Virginia, the son of Peter and Mary Ramey Garland
and died in Warren County, MS.
Robert Garland is listed alone in the 1830 Census of Warren County, MS. He married Mrs. Ellen Herring in
Claiborne County, MS on September 2, 1840. They are listed in the 1850 Census of Madison Parish, Louisiana
with their children Cora Garland age 9, Willie W. Garland 4, and Ellen’s children from her first marriage: M. E.
Herring 17, John Herring 14, and Mary Herring, 11.
There is a record of a marriage between a Robert Garland and Sarah A. E. Atkwood on May 23, 1855 in Warren
County, MS. Sarah is listed in the 1860 census of Warren County with sons Walter Garland 4 and William Atwood
(sic) age 8.
A descendant of Robert Ramey Garland’s brother states that the family only has a record of his marriage to Sarah
Atkwood, so these may be two different Robert Garlands
David Gibson – State Representative 1856-1857
There are several David Gibson’s who lived in the Jefferson, Claiborne and Warren County area. David Gibson,
Jr. seems to fit the best. He was born in 1806 in Mississippi and died after 1860 in Warren County, MS, the son of
David Gibson, Sr. (Sr. was born c. 1767 in Mars Bluff, Florence County, SC and died December 12, 1868 in
Jefferson County, MS.) and Frances McKinley Gibson d/o John and Mary Connelly McKinley.
David Gibson, Jr. married Jane Cochran on January 21, 1838 in Warren County, MS. They are listed in the 1850
census of Warren County with their children Blanche Gibson 11, Stormes Gibson (male) 9, Ford Gibson 7, Adrienne
Gibson 5, Rose Gibson 3 and Edward Gibson 1. Also living in their household was Stephen Gibson 60, overseer.
See this WorldConnect page for more info on David Gibson.
Gibeon
Gibson - State Representative 1831
Is this the Gibeon Gibson born November 27, 1804 in Jefferson County? He died
January 12, 1864 in Warren County and is buried in Asbury Cemetery. He was the son
of Randall and Harriet McKinley Gibson. Gibeon’s first wife is unknown but they had
3 children: Randel Gibson, Mary E. Gibson, and Amelia Ann Gibson. He married
Adeline M. Stewart on June 8, 1829 in Jefferson County, MS and they had 5 children:
Tully Gibson, Eliza Gibson, Claudia Gibson, Matilda Gibson, and Harriet Gibson.
See this WorldConnect page for more info on the Gibson family
James Gibson – State Representative 1820, 1823-25, 1827
James Gibson was born May 14, 1795 in Warrenton, Warren County, Mississippi the son of
Nathaniel and Rebecca Darby Gibson. He was injured in a duel with swords in December
1828 and died on December 5, 1828. He was the first probate judge of Warren County.
He married Frances E. Gibson in Warren County on February 14, 1814 and they had 3
children: Rebecca Gibson born September 23, 1816, Rachel Gibson born January 19, 1818,
and James Jordan Gibson born September 10, 1826.
See this WorldConnect page for more info on James Gibson.
James Gibson, Jr. - State Representative 1880, State Representative 1882
James Monroe Gibson, born July 26, 1856 in Warren County, studied law in St. Louis, was
admitted to the bar in 1875 and returned home to Vicksburg where he opened a law office.
After serving two terms in the legislature, he was elected District Attorney in 1897 and served
for four years. He died in 1930 in Houston, Texas.
James M. Gibson was the son of James Monroe and Eliza Cordelia Stevens Gibson. They
are found in the 1860 census of Warren County listed with his siblings Randall Gibson 16, David
Gibson 15, Scott Gibson 13, Fannie Gibson 13, Jeannie Gibson 6, and Stanford Gibson 1.
He is the author of Memoirs of J.M. Gibson: Terrors of
the Civil War and Reconstruction days
J. W. Goodrum - State Representative 1878
James Whitaker Goodrum was born July 28, 1818 in Jefferson County, MS and died May 18, 1894 in Vicksburg. He
is buried in Antioch Cemetery. He was the son of Reuben and Charlotte Whitaker Goodrum. He married Mary
Sophia Adams on December 6, 1846 in Vicksburg. Their children were Albert, Seiborn, Duff, James, Jr. and M. E.
See this WorldConnect page for more info on the Goodrum family.
T.
J. Green – State Representative 1836-1837, State Senator
1838-1841
Francis Griffin – State Representative 1821
John I. Guion - State Senator 1831 and 1833, State Representative 1840, State Senator 1842-1843, 1844, 1846
John Isaac Guion was born November 18, 1802 in Adams County, MS. He attended law school in Lebanon, TN and
opened a law practice in Vicksburg with William Sharkey, a classmate. Sharkey later left the practice to be a supreme
court judge and Seargent S. Prentiss took his place in the law practice. After representing Warren County in the
state legislature, he moved to Jackson and was later elected to represent that city in the legislature.
When Governor John A. Quitman resigned in February 1851, the president of the senate was ill and Guion as President
Pro Tempore became governor and served until his senate term expired on November 4, 1851. Guion served as a
circuit judge until his death in Jackson on June 6, 1855. He’s buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Jackson.
Guion married Lucinda Jane McCaleb on April 15, 1834 in Claiborne County, MS. They had three children:
Eleanor. J. Guion, Laura S. Guion, and Caroline Winder Guion.
He married a second time in 1848 to Cornelia T. Hall of Tennessee, the widow of Edward D. Hicks. Their children
were: Irena Guion, Cornelia Guion, and John Isaac Guion, Jr. (the father of David Wendell De Fentress
Guion, the famous Texas composer)
J. Gwinn – State Representative 1838
G. E. Hasey - State Representative 1872-1873, State Representative 1874-1875
C. P. Head – State Representative 1870-1871
J. L. Hebron – State Representative 1876-1877
Listed in the 1850 census of Warren County, age 17 born VA, in household of his father John Hebron age 48
born in PA. In 1860 he is listed as J. L. Hebron MD and living alone, In the 1870 Census he is age 38
with wife Ellen E. (Ellen Ellington married 1-23-1861 in Hinds County) Hebron age 31 also born in Virginia
and children John 6, Ben Ellen 3 and Juliette 1.
“Dr. J. L. Hebron, was a physician and surgeon of Hot Springs, Arkansas, and formerly a resident of
Mississippi. He was in charge of the hospitals at Vicksburg during the Civil war and was a surgeon in
the Second Arkansas Regiment. Dr. and Mrs. Hebron were the parents of three children: J. L., state
senator and planter of Leland, Mississippi; Mrs. Bennie Hebron Lucy Burke (widow of Walter Lucy
and married #2 R. C. Burke); and G. B. Hebron. From CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.”
Patrick
“Pat” Henry
Pat was born near Helena, Phillips County, AR, February 15, 1861 and moved with his parents to Vicksburg
in 1865. He attended the public schools and graduated from the University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS,
attended the United States Military Academy, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1882. He began
his law practice in Vicksburg and was city attorney from 1884-188 and a member of the State senate from
1888 until he resigned to become district attorney in 1890. He was the district attorney for the ninth judicial
district from 1890-1900, a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1896 and was appointed circuit
judge of the ninth judicial district in 1900 and served until 1901. He resigned when he was elected as a
Democrat to the Fifty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1901-March 3, 1903). He was an unsuccessful candidate
for renomination in 1902 and resumed his law practice in Vicksburg where he died December 28, 1933. He is
buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Vicksburg.
He was a nephew of Patrick Henry of Brandon, Rankin County, MS who was born near Cynthia, Madison
County, MS on February 12, 1843 and served as a Major in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He
was a member of Mississippi state house of representatives from 1878-90, a delegate to MS state
constitutional convention in 1890, a U.S. Representative from MS 7th District from 1897-1901, and a member
of the MS state senate from 1904-08. He died in Brandon, Rankin County, MS on May 18, 1930 and is
buried in Brandon Cemetery, Brandon, MS.
Pat Henry’s grandparents were Patrick and Elizabeth Claiborne West Henry who were both born in KY.
Their children in addition to Patrick listed above were Virginia Louise Henry, Gustavus Adolphus Henry,
William Henry, Elizabeth Claiborne Henry, John Flournoy Henry, Robert Prior Henry, and Irene Henry.
Jno. P. Hogan - State Representative 1876-1877
Is this Jacob Hyland born October 29, 1780 – died November 9, 1830, the son of James and Eva Rhodes Hyland?
He married Matilda Steele on October 20, 1809 and they had one known child, William S. Hyland.
Elza Jeffords – Born Lawrence County, OH on May 23, 1826. Died in Vicksburg on March 19, 1885 and buried in
Cedar Hill Cemetery. Served as U. S. Representative from MS from 1883-1885.
A. Johnson – State Representative 1870-1871
W. H. Johnson – State Representative 1861-1862
Lake Jones –
Lake Jones was born 10 Feb 1867, in Vicksburg, MS, and was the son of Theophilius Allen Jones and Alice V. Lake, who
was the daughter of William Augustus Lake.
His father died between 1873-1880, and his mother moved to Florence, Lauderdale
County, Alabama. We do not know the
death date or place of his father.
Lake Jones was educated at the Northwestern University School of Law,
1909. He married Cecille Elizabeth
Moragne,
1892, in Putnam County, Florida.
Lake Jones, an attorney, became a Judge for the Southern District of Florida in
1924, serving until his death on 7 June 1930,
in Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida.
He was the father of two daughters.
This information furnished by a descendant—thanks Dorothy!)
William Augustus Lake – Born Dorchester County, MD on January 6, 1808. Died on October 15, 1861 in Hopefield,
AR and buried in City Cemetery, Vicksburg. Served in MS State Senate in 1848, U. S. Congress from 1855-1857, and MS
State House of Representatives from 1859-1861. He ran for the Confederate Congress in 1861 and was killed in a duel.
John Lane – He was a member of Vicksburg’s founding family and lived at 905 Crawford Street. After Rev.
Newton Vick’s death,
and continued the development of the town, naming it after Vick. He also held “church services in his blacksmith shop
and home until 1822 when a wooden church was built at Cherry and Grove streets.”
See http://www.riverfrontmurals.com/newittvick.htm
.
C. S. Langdon – State Representative 1870-1871
H. C. McCabe - State Representative 1886
Henry C. McCabe is listed in the 1900 census of Warren County in Ward 4 of Vicksburg with his
wife, Flossie Jack McCabe (married 6-3-1874 in Rankin County, MS), and their children Nancy J.
McCabe 25, Edward J. McCabe 20, H. C. McCabe 14, George W. McCabe 19, and Scott Aline McCabe
9. Henry C. McCabe is the son of George and Obedience Denson McCabe per rootsweb’s World-
Connect project.
Henry C. and Flossie J. McCabe are buried in City Cemetery in Vicksburg:
Henry Clay McCabe – born 1-31-1850 and died 5-20-1907
Flossie Jack McCabe – born 8-15-1854 and died 2-24-1948
Eugene Magee - State Senator 1833-1835
From his tombstone in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Vicksburg, MS:
“'of Irish Descent and a Native of Baltimore, Md., a graduated of Mary’s College, a polite scholar, a profound
Lawyer, a good citizen, and a generous friend. A member of the Mississippi Convention in 1832, and of the
Senate of the State in 1833-34, Died 1835. ______ by all who valued Human excellence. This monument
erected by two friends.”
Also buried there are his wife, Martha Jane, 10-14-1805/5-29-1855, and children Jane Magee 10-8-1831/
4-8-1832; Elizabeth Magee 8-18-1833/9-6-1838; and Eugene Magee 10-5-1835/6-15-1843.
L. W. Magruder – State Representative 1886, State Representative 1888, State Representative 1890
Lawrence William Magruder was born March 3, 1842 in Madison County, MS and died July 6, 1908 in
Crockett Springs, VA. He married Jessie Maxwell Kilpatrick on January 17, 1867 in Yazoo County
and they had nine children all born in MS: Thomas P. Magruder born 1867, Samuel Sprigg Magruder
born 1869, Edmund Henry Magruder born 1874, Louise Magruder born 1880, Walter Drane Magruder
born 1882, Lawson W. Magruder, Jr. born 1885, Carey Walthall Magruder born 1886, and Jessie Maxwell
Magruder born 1888.
See this WorldConnect page for more information.
W. H. Mallory – State Representative 1872-1873
African-American representative served during the Reconstruction period.
E. G. Marble – State Representative 1850, 1852
Martin Marshall – State Representative 1878, State Senator 1884
Thomas A. Marshall – State Representative 1852
E. Mason – State Representative 1848
T. M. Miller – State Representative 1884
A. Mygatt – State Senator 1870-1871, State Senator 1872-1873
A. (Alston?) is listed in the 1860 Census of Warren County, age 55, born NY, occupation “Preacher,”
wife Margaret (Burns?) age 45 born in Scotland, and children Maria Mygatt age 19 born Wisconsin
and W. B. Mygatt age 2 born MS. Also listed are Thos., Charles, Emma and Anna Hays., all born in
MS. A. Mygatt and his wife are also listed in the 1870 Census of Warren County living in Vicksburg,
occupation “State Senator.” More details on the Mygatt family can be found on Ancestry.com.
D. B. Nailor – State Representative 1848
J. Nailor – State Representative 1844
James C. Newman – State Representative 1856-1857
James C. Newman is listed in the 1860 census of Warren County, born about 1814 in MS, with his
wife, Laura born about 1825 in MS, and children Sallie Newman ba 1841 MS, Louisa C. Newman,
ba 1843 MS, James A. Newman ba 1848 MS, and A. C. Newman (female) ba 1853 MS.
Simeon B. Newman – State Representative 1854
Is this the Simeon B. Newman born about 1831 in Mississippi, the son of Benjamin F. and Arra Ann Cook
Newman? He’s listed in the Warren County 1850 census with his mother and stepfather.
W. C. Pegram – State Representative 1878
William Clark Pegram was born September 27, 1848 in Vicksburg, the son of Tilford and Margaret McLemore Pegram
who were born in Tennessee. He died October 1, 1897 in Warren County. He’s listed with his parents in the 1850-1880
census of Warren County. In the 1880 census his occupation is shown as lawyer. He and his parents are buried in
the Vicksburg City Cemetery.
Key Pittman – Born in Vicksburg on September 19, 1872. Died on November 10. 1940 in Reno, NV and buried at
Masonic Memorial Gardens in Reno. Served as U. S. Senator from Nevada. He and Vail M. Pittman were brothers.
Vail Montgomery Pittman – Born in Vicksburg September 17, 1883. Died on January 29, 1964 in Reno, Nevada
and buried at Masonic Memorial Gardens in Reno. Served as Lt. Governor and Governor of Nevada. He and Key Pittman
were brothers.
Ralph Regan – State Senator 1822
S. S. Prentice – State Representative 1836-1837
Seargent Smith Prentice (Prentiss) was born September 30, 1808 in Portland, ME. He immigrated to Natchez, MS in 1827
and joined General Felix Huston in his law practice in 1829. He moved to Vicksburg in 1932. His father, William Prentiss,
was a prosperous shipmaster in Portland. His grandfathers were Samuel Prentiss and Major George Lewis.
More information is available in A Memoir of S.S. Prentiss By Seargent Smith Prentiss at Google Books.
Harden D. Runnels – State Senator 1827
Died about 1839 in Madison County, MS. Married Martha B. Darden in 1836 in Jefferson County, MS. Children:
Edmond S. Runnels, Hardin Richard Runnels, Hiram A. Runnels and Howell W. Runnels.
Egbert J. Sessions – State Representative 1838-1839, 1844
Born 1828 in Adams County, MS and died August 9, 1855 in Warren County, MS. He was the son of Philip J. Sessions, Sr.
I. D. Shadd – State Representative 1872-1873, State Representative 1874-1875
African-American representative served during the Reconstruction period.
J. E. Sharkey - State Representative 1846, State Senator 1850-1852
William L. Sharkey – State Representative 1828-1829
W. C. Smedes – State Representative 1858, 1859, 1860, 1861
William Crosby Smedes was born May 18, 1818 (in NYC?) and died February 22, 1863
in Vicksburg. He married Anna Maria Marshall, daughter of Eliza Price and the
Honorable Thomas A. Marshall. Smedes was a prominent lawyer of Vicksburg and
president of a railroad. Their children were Susan Smedes who married a Dr. James R.
Barnett, Anna Smedes who married Captain William Vosburg on August 18, 1878, Ellen
Smedes who married Captain William Vosburg in May 1870 (she died leaving one child,
William Smedes Vosburg), Alice Smedes, Christine Smedes, Thomas Marshall Smedes
who married Olive Raworth, and John Marshall Smedes.
“When the
Southern Railway of Mississippi was constructing the line that was progressing
east out of
Jackson Mississippi, their original intention was to cross the Mobile &
Ohio at
Enterprise, MS in
Clarke County to the south of Sowashee. The railroad solicited the
officials of that
area for assistance in acquiring land for their right of way and a location
to build a
station within the town of Enterprise. They only met a dead end. The ever eager
businessmen in
Lauderdale county saw the economic opportunity of the Southern Crossing
the M&O and
came to the rescue providing the railroad with the required land they
desperately
needed so that the main railroad crossroads would be in Sowashee. The
Southern Railway
of Mississippi finished constructing the line into this area in 1861. On
May 29, 1861 the first train over the
"Southern" arrived at Meridian at 6:45 p.m., drawn by
a handsome little
engine, the 'Mazzeppa". The bulk of the passengers arriving on this day
were from the
volunteer company of the Confederate Army known as the Vicksburg
Southerners, 111 men
strong. On June 3rd the first train to leave Meridian for Vicksburg
departed at 8:45
a.m.. Hon. W.C. Smedes, the president and "father of the Southern
Railroad,"
upon reaching
here with his railroad adopted the name given by Mr. Ball and accepted by the
citizens and
suggested its adoption by the M&O Railroad, which they gracefully yielded
to,
and from that
date, it has borne the name "Meridian". “
Murray F. Smith - State Representative 1888, State Senator 1890
Smith was born about 1850 in North Carolina. An attorney with the law firm of Smith, Hirsch
& Landau, he served as counsel for the Yazoo and MS Valley railroad. He was a delegate
to the MS Constitutional Convention of 1890 and a delegate from the state at large to the
National Democratic Convention of 1892. He died in Vicksburg, MS on September 27, 1909.
He and his wife, Kate, built Ahern’s Belle of the Bends in 1876. It still exists as a bed &
breakfast and is available for tours. http://www.belleofthebends.com/
The 1880 Census lists him with his wife, Kate, and son, Victor, age 5 and Murray, Jr. 6/12.
Source: The Green Bag, Vol. 21 by Horace
Williams Fuller, Sydney Russell Wrightington,
Arthur Weiztman Spencer, and Thomas Tileston Baldwin.
W. R. Spears - State Representative 1880, State Senator 1882
B. F. Springer – State Representative 1839
T. W. Stringer – State Senator – 1870-1871
Dr. Stringer was a physician and minister, born in 1815 in Maryland and died at age 82 in Vicksburg. He
is buried in the Vicksburg City Cemetery.
Dr. Stringer migrated from Maryland to Ohio where in 1846 he was licensed as a minister in the African
Methodist Episcopal Church. He was in MS by the mid 1860’s and was instrumental in building schools
and Methodist churches throughout the state. He joined in the establishment of Bethel A. M. E. Church
in Vicksburg and was it’s first pastor. He was also instrumental in organizing the MS Conference of the
A.M.E. Church in October 1868, and in organizing Masonic Lodges throughout Mississippi. The T. W.
Stringer Masonic Lodge was organized in Vicksburg in 1867.
Source: Mississippi Black History Makers by George A. Sewell and Margaret L. Dwight.
Charles Swett – State Senator 1865, 1866-1867
Born April 18, 1828 in Georgetown, Washington, DC, the son of Daniel and Sarah Hunt Swett. He married Amanda
Susan Oates on October 22, 1851 in Warren County, MS. Their children were Mary Louis, Charles Jacob, William
Eugene, John Liddell, Albert Sidney, Virginia M., Hiland Ross, and Louis Chase Swett.
Swett was a Lieutenant of Artillery in the U. S. Army at the beginning of the Civil War. He resigned his commission
and joined the Confederate Army. He was Captain of “Swett’s Battery.”
Author of the book A Trip to British Honduras and to San Pedro, Republic of Honduras published in 1868.
See RootsWeb’s WorldConnect Project for more information.
P. W. Thompkins – State Representative 1841
F. R. Turley - State Representative 1861-1862
Henry W. Vick – State representative 1826, 1828-29, 1830
See Vick Family
William Vick – State Representative 1833, 1835
See Vick Family
William Willis – State Senator 1821
Colonel William Willis was born in 1788 in Robeson County, NC and died in May 1823 while serving as
State Senator. He was the son of General John Willis and Asenath Barnes Willis.
“Col. William Willis commanded a militia Battalion stationed in Concordia Parish, Louisiana from Dec 1814 to Mar 1815.”
From Joseph Vick of Lower Parish, Isle of Wright County, Virginia and his Descendants - Vol 1 - by John D. Beatty
and Di Ann Vick - published by Genus Publishing, Los Angeles, California Printed in China - Copyright 2004}
Willis married Martha Patience Vick on May 22, 1816 in Vicksburg. They had a son, John Willis, born June 30, 1819 in
Warren County and died January 17, 1906. He married Annie Ricks.
J. W. Yerger - State Representative 1844