Early Arrivals in Scott Co., MS
Contributed by Ben Toney

In about 1833 a number of interrelated families came into the new Scott Co., MS. The dates in the Scott Co. Courthouse for their land acquisition and the dates given by the Bureau of Land Management are off by about 7 or 8 years. The BLM states that most of these lands were patented in 1841, but most of the following families appeared long before this date.

One of the very first persons to arrive in Scott Co. was William M. Toney and his two sons Charles Franklin Toney and James M. Toney. Sarah Toney, thought to be the wife of Richard Creel and the daughter of William M. Toney also arrived. Another daughter, Millicent Toney and her husband Jackson Pryor were also in Scott Co. but there is no record of Jackson having land of his own at that time. Anistasia (Toney) Fisher, niece of William M. Toney and a daughter of Benjamin Toney who had died in Washington Parish, LA between 1820 and 1830, and her husband John Fisher lived nearby. This family group first lived near Homewood, MS, but later removed to near Morton, MS.

At about the same time the Toneys arrived at Homewood, Albert Youngblood, brother of Nancy Ann (Youngblood) Toney wife of Charles F. Toney arrived with his wife Lillian, thought to be a daughter of William Toney, and their two sons James A. Youngblood and William T. Youngblood. Another family member Lucy Ann (Youngblood) Lampton and her husband William Lampton were early arrivals at Homewood. Lucy Ann was a sister of Albert Youngblood and Nancy Toney. There is no record of Albert Youngblood having had land in Scott Co. at this early date, but both of his sons were recorded as having had land.

Other early settlers were Joshua Collins and four of his nephews, Moses Z., Burton, Seaborn, and Thomas J. Collins, all sons of Capt. Moses Collins whose company fought at the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812. Joshua Collins was an uncle of Albert Youngblood, Nancy Toney, and Lucy Lampton whose mother was Susannah (Collins) Youngblood a sister of Joshua Collins.