Cato Baptist Church was established in 1830 located in the northeastern part of Rankin County was  named for Cader Price who was a noted Baptist minister. Among the earliest settlers who settled in the Cato area came from the Carolinas and Georgia.

Some of these earliest settlers were Frank M. Martin, Johnny McIntyre, Bill Easterling, Ferdinand Dent, Allen F. Chapman, George Johnson, William Kennedy, Henry Mangum, William George and Jim Barnett. Mr. Barnett was a carpenter and built the house that became known as the Frank Little Home.

According to legend, Cato was a trading center for miles around and boasted four stores, two saloons, and a rock warehouse long before the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad ran through Rankin County.
 
 

Source:
The following information consists of exerpts from information found in the Brandon Library.
Exerpt from the Baptist Record, Dated Thursday, Dec. 11, 1947