by E. R. Jones, 1904
To begin, one must go back to the time when the fertile hills of
the south western part of Mississippi lying east of its grand river,
inhabited by the powerful Natchez Indians, was discovered by French
voyageurs descending the river, and building Fort Rosalie at
Natchez, for their protection. The usual result followed aggression
by the whites, resentment and retaliation by the Indians. About
1720, because an Indian had been killed by a soldier, most of the
white people, were massacred the Indians. In 1723 several hundred
more soldiers were secretly introduced and the defenseless and
unsuspecting Natchez were slaughtered.
On the last day of
November, 1729, under the “Grand Sun” rose again and massacred all
the whites, including all the garrison in Fort Rosalie, so that of
seven hundred people, scarcely enough survived to carry news of the
destruction abroad. But the French soon put every engine in
operation to retaliate and aided by fifteen hundred Chickasaws, the
Natchez were totally exterminated, their women and children enslaved
at home and their remaining men sent as slaves to St. Domingo. Thus
utterly perished the once powerful tribe of the Natchez Indians
leaving only their name to the city of Natchez.
After their
extermination their country was “no man’s land,” yet claimed by many
people. The British claimed it and made land grants; so did the
French as part of Louisiana, and so did the Spanish as part of
Florida. The state of Georgia claimed it as being included in the
Oglethorpe grant and made a county of it named Bourbon.
The
Revolutionary War settled the British claim; the Louisiana Purchase
the French, while, in 1798, the American settlers, many of whom had
been Continental soldiers, induced the Spanish Governor, Don Manuel
Gayoso de Lemas his staff officers and retinue of soldiers to move
down the river to Baton Rouge.
On April 7, 1798, the United
States established Mississippi Territory and on April 14, 1802,
bought out all Georgia’s claim thereto, paying therefore one million
two hundred and fifty thousand dollars Into its state treasury.
Congress had in the meantime, by Act of May 10, 1800, applied the
ordinances of July 13, 1787, and of August 7, 1789, made for the
government of the territory northwest of the Ohio also to govern the
Mississippi Territory. Winthrop Sargent was appointed Governor and
by proclamation of April 2, 1799, divided the territory Into two
counties, saying, “the division of which shall be a line commencing
at the mouth of Fairchilds Creek and running direct to the most
southern part of Ellicottville, thence easterly along the dividing
ridge of the waters of Coles and Sandy creeks so far as the present
settlements extend, and thence by a due east line to the territory
boundary, the southern division of which is named Adams and the
northern division Pickering.” By act of January 11, 1802, the name
of Pickering was changed to. Jefferson. On January 27. 1802.
Jefferson county was divided as follows: “Beginning on the
Mississippi river at the mouth of Petit Gulf Creek, thence running
up. the main, branch of said creek four miles, or to its source,
should that not exceed four miles; thence by a line to be drawn due
east to the eastern territorial line, and all that tract of country
north of the., above-mentioned creek and east line, south of the
northern boundary of said territory and east of the Mississippi
river shall com pose a county which shall be called Claiborne. Thus
created, by mites and bounds, Jefferson county, which is today what
it was then, a parallelogram in shape, about fifty miles long, east
and west, by about twenty-five wide, north and south. Its boundaries
are mostly natural – Mississippi River on west, Homochitto River on
east, Fairchilds Creek on south and Pettit Gulf Creek on North.
The white settlers who were generally men of wealth here on
grants from the British, French and Spanish governments, were now,
the country being under the protection and control of the United
States, largely augmented by “people from every nation and every
way, for Uncle Same was rich enough to give every one a farm.”
Many Marylanders settled around Church Hill, so that for many
years District 4 was called the Maryland settlement. Around Union
Church, so many Scotch, that the portion was called Scotland. The
Irish located around Red Lick, while the southern, middle, northern
and western parts of the county was truly cosmopolitan. Rodney as
the Pettit Gulf is now known, was the first home of the cotton plant
and from there the Pettit Gulf cotton seed was distributed all over
the cotton country.
These early pioneers men of influence and
piety in their day, bringing their religion with them, and planting
churches and schools, whose influence for good is still felt among
their descendants. The first Protestant Episcopal Church in the
Southwest, with Rev. Adam Cloud as rector, was built not very far
from where now stands Christ’s Church at Church Hill. The Methodists
had Spring Hill and various other meeting houses, for Revs. Tobias
Gibson, Newitt Vick, John C. Johnson, J. J. Robertson and other
circuit riders, followed close after these early settlers. So did
the Baptists with Salem and Fellowship churches, while the
Presbyterians had churches at Ebenezer and Union Church.
Along the Natchez Trace, six miles apart, were settlements for the
entertainment and protection of travelers, for this was a rough
country then, the noted robbers Murrell and Macon and their gangs
frequently holding up, robbing and even murdering, the unwary. First
in order, twelve miles from Natchez, six from Washington, the
territorial capital where the southern line of Jefferson crossed the
trace was Selsertown. Six miles north on Coles Creek was Uniontown,
where Warner and Shackleford had a a tanyard and shoe factory. Next,
six miles away, was Cable’s Tavern and Hunt’s store, called Huntley,
Odoms Orchardville until by act of February 21, 1805, the town was
named Greenville, in honor of General Nathaniel Green, of
Revolutionary fame. With just a reference to the only other
settlement in the county, Shankstown, with its suburb of Coonbox, I
will tell of Greenville, the first county seat, its courthouse,
jail, etc. It was laid out on lands of executors of David Odom,
lands of Abijah Hunt and F. L. Claiborne, and a map thereof is
recorded in the back part of Book A of Jefferson county records. By
act of January 27, 1802, Wm. Erwin, Thomas Green, William Moss,
Jacob Stampley and Greenleaf, as commissioners, were appointed to
contract for and receive titles to two acres of ground from
executors of David Odom, or other proprietors of land, near Hunt’s
store, on Middle Fork of Coles Creek, for use of Jefferson county,
on which to erect courthouse, jail, pillory and stocks, and said
place is fixed upon for such purpose.
Drury W. Brazeale,
Henry D. Downs, Armstrong Ellis, Robert McRay and Robert Cox, by the
same act, were appointed trustees for the regulation of said town,
vested with full power for that purpose, and in case of the death or
removal of any one of them the others could appoint a successor by
instrument of writing under their hands some other person or persons
being an inhabitant and householder in said town. By act of December
8, 1815 Thomas Hinds, James K. Wood, David Hunt, David Ker and Isaac
Dunbar were commissioners to build new jail and pillory on the site
of the former jail and to raise funds for such purpose a tax equal
to one-halt of the territorial tax was levied for 1816-1817.
Courts were held on the fourth Mondays of April and October of each
year. It grew to be a town. of. several hundred inhabitants, was the
center of the intelligence and wealth of the county at that time.
Gov. David Holmes lived on his plantation on Coles Creek, about two
miles west, and Governor Cowles Mead on Chubbye Fork, four miles
north.
Cato West. Territorial Secretary, and at one time
acting Governor, lived, died and was buried on his plantation,
Sunshine, on Coles. Creek.
Mrs. Rachel Robards, wife of
Andrew Jackson (It was about her he killed Don M. Dickinson in a
duel), had a small farm on the Trace, a mile and one-half southwest
of Greenville, and it was In her home they were married. The spring
located in the lower end of her garden was for many years known
locally as Jackson’s Spring. It and the waterway was surrounded by
very luxuriant mint, some of which mixed with something else
inspired the Democratic orators at a grand barbecue near old
Greenville in 1876, in the dark days of reconstruction.
Thomas Hinds, a native of Tennessee owned a farm Home Hill, one mile
and a half south of Greenville on the Stampley town road, where he
was quietly leading the life of a farmer until the massacre of Major
Beasley and his company from Jefferson county at Fort Mims, on the
Tombigbee river, roused all that martial spirit, which after wards
made him famous. Collecting as many men as he could, he went out
after the Seminole and Creek Indians, who had committed the
massacre, and not liking the inertness of Major Dade of the
regulars, who made light of these “squirrel hunters,” he, with his
company, fell upon the Indians at Horseshoe Bend and so exterminated
them that their power was forever destroyed. In the war of 1812
Hinds again called, out the “squirrel’ hunters,” forming the
Jefferson Dragoons, which held Jackson’s left flank at the battle of
New Orleans with such coolness and fortitude, though not firing a
gun, as to win from Jackson the expression, “that such coolness,
firmness and fortitude was the terror one army and the admiration of
the other.
General Hinds’ subsequent history, as Commissioner
with Jackson, buying out the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians at
Dancing Rabbit Creek treaty, creating the State of Mississippi, the
empire county being named for the one and the capital of the State
for the other, is familiar history. Another company from this
county, commanded bi Col. Ely K. Ross, a native of South Carolina
but a resident of Red Lick, known as the Mississippi foot soldiers
participated in the Battle of New Orleans, behind the breastworks
and cotton bales and are justly entitled to share in the glories of
that triumph of American arms. These two commands, for they were
nearly regiments, were disbanded on the Courthouse square in old
Greenville at a grand barbecue on Jackson’s return march after the
Battle of New Orleans, as told by an eye-witness.
Colonel
Ross spent the mouth of September, 1840, in this county, within a
mile of General Hinds, and they were very often together, no doubt
recounting campaign stories so dear to all soldiers. Each died in
October of that year. General Hinds at Home Hill, where is his
grave; Colonel Ross at Mer Rouge, La. I have stood with bared head
beside the grave of each of these noted men, for the last one was my
maternal grandfather, and for whom I was named.
Captain
Samuel Bullen also commanded a company, stationed at Mobile, during
the war. Subsequently he settled In the. hills three miles south of
Greenville, and with commendable pride for the State of his nativity
he named his real estate holdings :“Green Mountains,” and his oldest
daughter “Vermont.”
The first cotton gin of the country under
the Eli Whitney patent was built and operated for years at
Greenville and the farmers all brought their cotton to it as “gin
receipts” were current coin for all debts, even for taxes. Many
noted men, among whom I will mention David Hunt, John M. Whitney,
Dr. John H. Duncan, Robert Cox and Frank A. Montgomery, set out in
life from old Greenville, but to even partially mention the many
others would require too much, space.
By vote of the people,
who wished the Courthouse nearer the center of the county in 1825.
it was located in Platner’s old field and the Court house
Commissioners bought of Henry Platner Jr., 37 acres of land that had
been allotted him from his fathers estate on which to locate the
county site. It was named Fayette, In honor of General Lafayette who
was at that time on his last visit to the United States as guest of
the nation. two acres were reserved on the northern line for the
Courthouse square. Four streets were laid and south, and two east
and west, as they all exist today.
Governor Cowles Mead and
Putnam T. Williams, Secretary of State, bought out Mary Platner’s
interest in her father’s estate and laid off Mead Street from Spring
Street to the Academy. Philo Cartley bought the “Racetrack field”
and laid off East Fayette.
The first Courthouse and jail was
built in 1825. Soon afterwards were built the Guilminot house,
Carradine’ s residence, the Methodist church, the old Parsonage and
the Academy, all of which are here today remodeled some what, except
the Courthouse, which was torn away and a new one built in 1880.
That one was destroyed by fire a few years ago. The present new
up-to-date one was erected on the same old site. The present jail,
the Presbyterian Church and the wing to the Jefferson County High
School were all built by Weldon Bros. before the war. Of Fayette,
its traditions and its memories much might be written, but I
forbear, mentioning only a few of its more prominent characters.
Charles Clark was a young lawyer here, raised a regiment, the
Second Mississippi, of which he was Colonel, for the Mexican war,
came back alive, but read his obituary in a New On leans paper. He
was a Major-General in C. S. A. and was desperately wounded at Baton
Rouge. Again read another obituary of himself, written by the same
man and published in same paper, but was restored to health and
strength again at Colonel R. H. Truly’ s in Fayette. He was
afterwards elected Governor of the State, making the third one from
Jefferson county to have that honor.
Captain V. S. Coffey,
recently from Tennessee, raised a company, of which he was elected
Captain, in Fayette for the Mexican war, which became a part of Col.
Clark’s regiment,. and it was disbanded in Fayette after that war.
He also raised a company for the C. S. A., the Thomas Hinds Guards,
and was wounded and captured at Williamsburg, Va., in one of the
earliest battles of the war, and was honorably discharged, never
being fit for service any more.
I can barely make mention in
this memorial that every man or boy in Jefferson county, able to
bear arms at one time or another, was connected with the C. S. A.
doing what they were ordered to do the first and only duty of a true
soldier. I have already mentioned the Thomas Hinds Guards. Those
there were the Charles Clark Rifles, the Rodney Guards, Jefferson
Artillery, Cameron’s Battery, Recruits in Tensas Cavalry, Withers’
Artillery, Captain J. J. Whitney’s Company, and Captain William
Thompson’s Scouts. Seven companies entire, be sides those in other
commands. A splendid record for so small a county.
When the storms of war were lowering
And
the North-men invaded our land
We left our bright and happy
homes
A brave, determined band.
How we met them at the
riverside,
On the hilltops, red and gory,
And fought
with the ardor of chivalry
Is famous now in song and story.
On many a bloody battlefield,
In many a lonely dell,
From the hospital cot and prison morgue
My comrades sleep
as they fell;
Yet o’er their graves of lone repose
No
pilgrim’s eye is seen to weep,
And no memorial marble throws
Its shadow where my comrades sleep.
Rest brave comrades,
rest tho’, not a dirge
Be yours, beside the wailing blast.
Time cannot in oblivion merge
The light your stars of
glory cast,
While heave our high hills to the sky.
While rolls our dark and turbid river
Your names and fame
shall never die,
Whom Freedom loves, will live for ever.