History | Hancock County, MSGenWeb

Named for John Hancock, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, was established December 14th, 1812. The modest town of Pearlington, now largely interested in sawing and shipping lumber to different parts of the world, was intended in Territorial days to be a place of considerable commercial importance, and with this view, its founders dedicated a large area of land for the purpose of building up a city, and it was for a time a lively and prosperous place.

Among the first settlers of Pearlington and Hancock county, were Francois B. Lenoir, who represented the county prior to 1820 in the Legislature, Noel Jourdan, Elisha Carver, J. C. Monet, Leonard Kimball, General Nixon, Col. Strong, Judge Benj. Sones, Colonel Stewart, Peter Joor, Pierre Saucier, John B. Toulme, Judge J. W. Wingate, Gabriel Bradford, Sidney Lenoir, William and Joseph Wheat, Thomas Poitevant, Dr. Eagar, H. and R. Carre, J. W. Roberts, David Moye, Col. D. S. Dewees, Felton Conley, Francoise Netto, A. H. Hersey, Wm. Friarson, Jordan Smith, Dr. C. A. Calhoun, Chas. Litchfield, Capt. A. P. Boardman, Christian Koch, John Orr, Capt. Raymond Creveas, Dimitry Canna, A. Dimitry, Col. W. R. Hoyt, P. R. R. Pray, who represented the county in the Legislature, and was President of the Constitutional Convention of 1832, Louis Sportono, Alex. Bookter, Jas. A. Ulman, Onerzein Favre, Chas. H. Frazar, Luther Russ, Jesse Depew, Thomas Holmes, and John Dunbar. Among the foregoing names are many who were distinguished in the early days of the Territorial and State governments. Prior to the era of railroads members of the bar from different sections of the State made their way on horse-back to the courts of the coast counties, not only to attend to whatever legal business they might secure, but for the pleasure of enjoying for a few days the health-giving breezes of the Gulf.

The towns in the county are Bay St. Louis, the county site, a prosperous and pleasant little city of some two thousand inhabitants, Pearlington and Gainesville.

The principal streams are Pearl River, on the western border, which affords excellent transportation for lumber sawed in the county, Jordan and Wolf rivers, and a number of smaller streams.

The railroads in the county are the Louisville and Nashville, and the New Orleans and Northeastern, which afford easy and comfortable transportation.

Hancock county has 3,832 acres of cleared land, average value per acre, $2.93. Total value, including incorporated towns, $746,723.

The population of this county as shown by the census report of 1890: Whites, 5,758; colored, 2,526; total, 8,284.

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 480-482.

Mississippi

Hancock County is one of the three gulf counties of the State and was established during the territorial era. The county has a land surface of 611 square miles. It was named in honor of John Hancock, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and has had a varied and romantic history. The coast region along its southern border was first discovered by the Spaniards and later re-discovered and colonized by LaSalle and Iberville for the French. A part of the great French Province of Louisiana for a time, by the treaty of Paris in 1763, it became a British possession and was incorporated with the newly established province of West Florida. it was not until early in the nineteenth century that the settlements of the whites penetrated far into the interior of the county from the coast, as all of southern Mississippi was up to that time in the actual occupancy of the Indians. Under the treaties of Fort Adams, December 17m 181, and Mt. Dexter, November 16, 1805, the Indians relinquished to the United States all the southern portion of the present state of Mississippi, and May 14, 1812, the district of Mobile, lying east of Pearl river, west of the Perdido and south of the 31st degree of latitude, was annexed to the Mississippi territory. A few months later, December 14, 1812, all that part of this region lying within the present limits of Mississippi, was erected into the two large counties of Hancock and Jackson. The original act defined the limits of Hancock as follows: "All that tract of country lying south of the thirty-first degree of north latitude and west of the line running due north from the middle of the Bay of Biloxi to the thirty-first degree of north latitude and east of the Pearl river. February 5, 1841 that portion of Hancock lying east of the line between ranges 13 and 14 was embodied in the county of Harrison, and February 22, 1890, that portion of the county lying north of the dividing line between townships 4 and 5, and extending from the middle of ear river east to the line between ranges 13 and 13 west, was taken to form the new county of Pearl River. Among the early settlers of the county prior to the year 1825, were John B. Lardasse, Chief Justice of the Quorum in 1818; Noel Jourdan, Chief Justice of the Quorum, the same year; Elisha Carver, Assessor and Collector *1818); Samuel Slade, John Lott, George Sheriff, Alexander Frazar, Alex. Williams, Louis A. Caillaret, Solomon Ford, John Morgan, John Deal, William Stackhouse and John S. Brush, Justices of the Peace; John P. Saucier, Chief Justice of the Quorum (1820); Haman Hammond, James Toole, Elihu Carver, Sheriffs, and George H. Nixon and Zebulon Pendleton, Presidents of the town of Pearlington. The important gulf town of Bay St. Louis is the county seat, and, with the exception of Biloxi and Gulfport, is the most important city between New Orleans and Mobile. It is located in the extreme southeastern part of the county on the line of the Louisville & Nashville R. R., and contains a population of 3,500 inhabitants. It is the favorite pleasure resort of New Orleans people, one of the celebrated winter resorts for northern people and the center of a large coasting trade. It was originally named Shieldsboro for Thos. Shields, a pioneer settler, but subsequently was named for Louis XI of France, and given its prefix from its position on the Bay. Other important towns in the county are Pearlington, a thriving lumbering town of 850 inhabitants; Picaune, Gainesville, Logtown, Carriere, Nicholson, Westonia, Caesar, and the pleasantly situated little coast town of Waveland of 520 people. The principal streams in the county are the Pearl river, which washes its western border and affords transportation for the great lumber industry along its banks; the Jordan and Wolf rivers, and numerous tributary creeks. The prevailing timber is the long leaf or yellow pain and the face of the county is level or gently undulating. The soil is sandy, but, with reasonable fertilizing, will produce a great abundance of all kinds of vegetables and fruits. The pecan nut is also a source of profit, while sugar and molasses are extensively produced. Oysters and shrimps are found in unlimited quantities along Mississippi Sound and in the marshes along the coast, and the canneries of Bay St. Louis and Biloxi do a thriving business, their products going to northern and eastern markets and even to Europe. Salt and fresh water fish and crabs are also caught in great numbers in the gulf, bayous and streams of this favored region and provide a source of profit. Grazing lands are excellent and wool of a superior quality is being grown in the county. Besides the splendid water transportation facilities afforded by its rivers and the gulf, the Louisville & Nashville R. R. runs along its southern fringe and provides ample rail transportation. The New Orleans & Northeastern R. R. also runs through the county from northeast to southwest. The climate along the coast is invigorating and healthful, the salt ai, the piney woods, and the mild temperatures prevailing both winter and summer, are attracting an increasing number of outsiders every year, many of them invalids seeking a return of health in this land of flowers and balmy breezes.

Data taken from the twelfth U.S. Census, showing the agricultural and manufacturing development of the county and the number of its inhabitants, will prove interesting. The umber of farms in 1900 was given at 530, total number of acres in farms, 75855, acres improved 6,014, value of the land exclusive of the buildings $199,910, value of the buildings $131,940, value of the live stock $241,829, and the total value of farm products not fed to stock $170,339. The number of manufacturing establishments in 1900 was 40, capital $1,989,927, wages paid $270,858, value of materials used $746,710, and the total value of products was $1,446,344. The total assessed valuation of real and personal property in the county i 1905 was $4,030,028 and in 1906 it was $4,394,736, which shows an increase during the year of $364,708. The population for the year 1900 was, whites 8,356, blacks 3,530, a total of 11,886, and an increase of 3,568 over 1890. In 1906 the population of the county was estimated at 13,500. Artesian water of an excellent quality is found in all parts of the county. The county schools for both whites and blacks ae in an excellent condition, there being 46 white and 7 colored country schools, besides several excellent schools in the towns.

Source: MISSISSIPPI, Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form, Copyright 1907, by The Southern Historical Publishing Association, pgs. 834-836.

--submitted by Denise Wells, March 25, 2018.