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Jefferson County

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Tidbits of

   Jefferson County, Mississippi

Bits & Pieces


This page is for bits & pieces of information that really don't "belong" anywhere, but are just fun! Ann Brown "Anebec" submitted all of these unless otherwise noted. Thanks for the fun stuff, Anebec!

 Some of the Remarkable Early Settlers

Some of the tradesmen in the early developmental years of Jefferson County were:

Plows, axes, and wagons were made at Clifton by Richard Surry, and by Ben Miller at Raccoon Box in the Cane Ridge District.
John Shackleford established a tannery at Uniontown, Dowd's Creek and Ellisland.
Jacob Warner established an extensive manufacture of shoes, but ultimately had to yield to foreign competition.
John H. Shanks had a tan yard at Shankstown.
John Christy was a Silversmith. He made cups and spoons out of silver dollars.
John M. Pintard was both a cabinet maker and carpenter.
Christian Getzendanner made bull whips.
Robert B. Farley manufactured hats.
David Greenleaf had a gin at Selsertown and conducted a successful business until 1807.
Oliver William Fuller who with his sister Harriet taught a female school in 1810 at the Fuller Field whose two brick kilns since have been burned near Red Lick.

This tidbit came from the WPA records!!!

The Harriston Oil Works

On June 29, 1899 the Harriston Oil Works was incorporated with a capitol stock of $20,000. S.R. Ewing was president and W. G. McNair secretary and treasurer for the stock company. A sum of money was borrowed by the company from S. Hirsch of Fayette in 1900 and as the concern was unable to meet the notes, Mr. Hirsch had the property sold at Auction August 5, 1901 at the
County Court House in Fayette. It fell into the hands of J. M. Frankenbush and Sons of New Orleans. The amount paid by Mr. Frankenbush was #5,325. There were other claims amount to $8,564., all satisfied by Frankenbush and sons.

On September 1901 the Jefferson Gin and Oil Works was incorporated at Harriston, MS with a capital of $15,000. / for the purpose of operating a cotton seed oil mill and public cotton gin; to buy cottonseed for manufacturing cotton seed oil, meal or cake, hulls and fertilizer. This mill
operated until 1911 and was owned by Joseph W. Frankenbush and Sons and was sold to Mr. Ewing. (Deed book LLL page 56)

More on Oil Mills

In an article written by D. H. Chamberlain in the Fayette Chronicle of February 18, 1898, he suggested that if the two gins could be consolidated there would be successful exploiting of an oil mill, and industry which would add more to the town than anything. Not only this, but another industry would be added, that of feeding cattle on a large scale.

The contract for erecting the Fayette Oil Mill buildings was awarded to Enochs and Davis of Vicksburg. The building was completed in 1900. It operated until 1906 and was then sold to the Butler Keyse Oil and Fertilizer Company of Birmingham, Alabama. The mill after a just a few years proved to be no longer profitable and this firm shipped the machinery to Birmingham and sold
the buildings to the Fayette Gin and Milling Company in 1912.

The Fayette Gin and Milling Company was incorporated in 1915. (Deed Book RRR, pg 207) James McClure was president of the Mill and Judge Jeff Truly, Vice president. T. B. Stone was the manager.

The Rodney Gin and Oil Company was incorporated in 1899 with a capital stock of $5,000. and continued operations until 1917 when the lands and personal property were sold in Fayette at the front door of the Court House to the highest bidder.
(Fayette Chronicle, April 20, 1917 - Deed Book, HHH, Pg 491)

More on Gins & Oil Mills

Prior to 1883 Fayette's nearest gin was on the Coffey place on the outskirts of the town. This was an old fashioned mule powered engine, but the farmers living near by took their cotton there, and by paying toll, had it baled. The summer of 1883 saw quite an improvement in the ginning method. Mr. Joseph Huber, and his son, Willie, came to Fayette from Natchez and erected the first steam gin in Jefferson County. In the fall it began operations as a public gin.

In 1886 Mr. Huber added a handle factory. In 1895 he sold out to McClure and Harper, Merchants and Cotton Buyers of Fayette, but continued its operation only a few years. The next public gin in Fayette was the Fayette Gin and Milling Company erected by S. Hirsch, Jeff Truly and others..

In 1915 this company incorporated and in the incorporators were: Hirsch, Hicks, Krauss Brothers and Noble. Domiciled in Fayette with a capitol stock of $6,000. "per value of shares $100. period of existence not to exceed fifty year. The purpose to operate a cotton gin, a grist mill, to buy and sell cotton, corn, cotton seed and all kinds of fertilizers, to buy and sell timber, brick, lumber, shingles and all building material, to buy, sell, and feed all kinds of live stock, to loan or borrow money, and to buy and sell wood and coal."

The Producers Gin and Warehouse Company was incorporated in 1917. It was domiciled at Fayette, Jefferson County, Capital stock $16,000., par value of shares $100. not to exceed fifty years of existence. The purpose, to run and operate a cotton gin, grist mill, public ware house, grind corn and other grains for the public, to buy and sell cotton, cotton seed, corn, peas and all
kinds of grain, feed products and fertilizers; also timber, lumber., cement, brick, shingles, and all kinds of building materials. There were thirteen incorporators, from Fayette and the county.
(Fayette Chronicle August 17, 1917.)

The Union Church Gin was founded in 1899 by L.A. Cato and was later owned by his son Paul Cato. The average number of employees were four with a payroll of about $500. per ginning season. The cotton was marked in New Orleans or Brookhaven and the seed was sold to the Hazelhurst Oil Mill.

So Sayeth the WPA records.

Gins & Oil Mills

The Cannonsburg Gin was founded in 1891 by W. P. Bisland. and after his death was operated by his wife. It was located at Cannonsburg on the Y. & M.V. Railroad. The number of employees were seven during the ginning season, and the payroll amounted to $1,000.

The Stampley Gin was located at Stampley and was founded in 1908 by C. M. Mardis. The number of employees during ginning season was six and the payroll amounted to $500. The cotton was marketed in Fayette and Natchez.

The Producer's Gin and Warehouse Company employed two regular workers, two part time and twenty during ginning season. The annual payroll was $6,887.

The Fayette Gin and Milling Company employed eight regular workers during the ginning season and the annual payroll was $1,238.

In 1899 the first Gin and Oil Mill was established in Rodney by a Stock Company. Later the gin was bought by August Reitze and operated until his death in 1936 at which time it passed into the hands of Vincent Piazza who operated it principally for his own use.

Scott Ellis established a Steam Gin in the 1890's at Lorman. Before 1902 Mr. L. Cohn bought the gin and pressed both round and square bales. The Gin was a up-to-date model and put out hundreds of bales each year. Mr. Cohn came to American from Alsace in 1872 and clerked in Rodney for two years. In 1875 he opened a store in Lorman. The Cohns owned large holdings of real and personal
property in Jefferson County.

Thus endeth the account in the WPA records of the Gins & Oil Mills in Jefferson County.

A Honey of a Deal

In 1884 H. B. Shaw of Gum Ridge Plantation established a apiary, and had all the latest patents to aid the busy workers in the manufacture of honey. He had one hundred and seventy stands under the management of an experienced apiarist from Michigan.

A swarm of Italian bees, which he considered superior to our native bees were imported. In 1885 he shipped four hives of bees to Ontario, Canada.

 Silk Worms in Jefferson County?

A unique industry was carried on in Fayette by Mrs. L. B. Harrison. She became interested in silk culture and purchased a lot of eggs of silk worms to experiment with. After the eggs hatched, the busy little silk makers webbed up, and Mrs. Harrison had a large basket filled with cocoons. Shipment was made to the Woman's Silk Culture Association in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This article appeared in the Fayette Chronicle, July 2, 1886.

Reckless Driving 1910

A complaint comes to us of the reckless driving of automobiles by Natchez parties who visit the Church Hill District of the county ... More or less frequently and it is stated that some of the these automobiles fail to give warning of their approach and on several occasions have narrowly averted running into vehicles in turning curves. Our information is from a prominent citizen of the district mentioned and his complaint is well-grounded and our prosperous Natchez neighbors should show the proper consideration for the rights of pedestrians and persons driving teams while visiting this county, as well as respect of the law forbidding a speed greater than twelve miles per hour on the public roads.
(Fayette Chronicle 6 May 1910)

From the Fayette Chronicle in the 1960's.

Of the 78,000 Mississippians, who went off to war in the Confederate Service in 1861, more than 59,000 either died or were wounded. That certainly was a huge price to pay for fending southern rights. And that's not to mention the millions of dollars of property damage done by the conflict.
Over 100 years ago the men of this state fought, and as you see, many died for the principle. They took up arms to defend what was right. What a contrast to our present day situation. There is such wide-spread apathy across our country that many people don't even know what a principle is let along stand and fight for one. And what's so ironic is that we all feel so sophisticated in today's educated society and those poor lads in 1861 who went to war to defend their way of life were over 90 percent illiterate! Somewhere along the years we have lost some of the quality to life."

Charlotte County

I found this tidbit in Rowland's MISSISSIPPI, Vol I A-K and thought that it might be of interest.

"This was the western division originally of British West Florida and included Mobile and the country to the Mississippi. Mobile was the seat of government, subordinate to Pensacola. The gulf coast of the present State was a part of it, also Baton Rouge. The gulf coast was opened by treaty with the Choctaws in 1765. After 1770 the Natchez district, to the Yazoo, was added, and the boundary established by treaty with the Indians. The population of the river border rapidly increased, and before 1778, or in that year, the county was divided, and the districts of Manchac and Natchez established." 




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