USA > Mississippi > Newton County > History of Newton County, Mississippi from 1834 to 1894 > Part 22
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The teachers occupy a very high and exalted and responsible position and one that requires much ability to fill. The teacher who only works for the salary promised, surely has missed his calling. When they only wait through the weary hours of a four month's free school to get $100.00 they are poorly equipped in mind or principle to teach school. No teacher ought to wish a certificate above what he knows he is not able to understand. Whenever they are interested in the teaching of children whose parents expect them to
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know much more than the pupils, every exertion should be made to impress the child with the import- ance of learning and to be fully able to teach the books in the hands of the scholars. A teacher should well understand the text-books that are taught in the grade he is teaching. Pride and a conscientious dis- charge of duty should always be the cardinal points to be observed by teachers. They have the grave re- sponsibility of training the children and the parents suppose they are competent. They should not abuse this trust. They should be proud of the position they occupy, and when they have discharged their duty they should have their reward, not only in dollars and cents, but in the gratitude of the public whom they serve.
The lawyers now in Newton county are Thos. Keith, T. B. McCune, both of Decatur, men who have long been engaged in the practice ; Mr. Keith is a graduate · from the law school at the State University, at Oxford. Mr. J. M. Gage, of Hickory, is the only member of the bar in that town ; is a sober man, having considerable experience in the legal profession. S. B. Ross and J. R. Byrd are young attorneys at Newton. E. C. McCord and J. G. Benson are young lawyers of Connehatta. All these men are devoted to their profession, and are doing as well as the limited litigation of the county will permit.
RESIDENT PHYSICIANS OF THE COUNTY.
Dr. J. B. Bailey, Conehatta; Dr. J. M. Cleavland, Union ; Dr. A. W. Grissett, Newton county ; Dr. W. A. L. Lewis, Union ; Dr. C. W. Carraway, Hickory ; Dr. F. B. Nimmocks, Lawrence ; Dr. L. F. Cotten, Lake ; Dr. G. G. Everett, Newton ; Dr. J. C. McElroy, - Newton; Dr. F. G. Semmes, Hickory; Dr. A. H. Pucket,
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Newton; Dr. E. B. Partin, Decatur; Dr. E. B. Pool, Lake; Dr. W. N. Davis, Battlefield ; Dr. G. H. McNeil, Newton ; Dr. J. J. Harralson, Conehatta; Dr. F. O. Horne, Union ; Dr. H. B. Ross, Newton ; Dr. S. B. Hinton, Decatur; Dr. O. L. Bailey, Lake; Dr. Wm. S. Norris, Stamper; Dr. Clarence Gilman, Hickory ; Dr. H. D. Leverett, Hickory ; Dr. Spivy, Chunkey ; Dr. John W. Ferrall, resident dentist at Newton; and Dr. J. P. Harris, resident dentist at Hickory.
SOME OF THE OLD DOCTORS OF THE COUNTY.
Dr. Josiah Watkins, who came to the county about 1850, was a man who ought to be remembered. He was a Virginian bybirth (and very proud of his State)-and also proud of his profession-a man of strong mind and felt that he was master of his profession. He would neither ask counsel nor did he desire consultation in a case to which he was called ; felt what he did not know was not known to the profession. He was devoted to his patients, a man of great energy and sobriety, and made quite a fortune practicing medicine. He died in 1873.
Dr. M. M. Keith, of Decatur, was a man who was thoroughly equipped for his profession ; was also a a Virginian by birth ; had a good collegiate training, was considered a fine physician ; a man who had his convictions and who had the courage to stand up for them. He was sometimes engaged in politics ; repre- sented the county of Newton from 1856 to 1861; was also a member of the secession convention of 1861. Dr. Keith died in 1883.
Dr. J. C. McElroy is a physician that has probably done more practice than any other doctor that ever lived in the county. He commenced in Decatur, after
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his return from the Mexican war, to which he went from Tennessee, his native State, and continued until 1862, when he took a company into the service of the Confederate States. He was Captain of Company D, 39th Mississippi Regiment. He also served Newton county in the Legislature from 1861 to 1866. He has been practicing medicine in the town of Newton and vicinity for more than twenty-five years. The doctor, though a small man, has been able to undergo great hardship-having always practiced on horseback. He is considered a fine physician, and has the confidence and practice of some of the best people of the county. He is still to be seen going his regular rounds of prac- tice or closely engaged on his farm. He has many friends and has done much for the poor of the county.
Dr. S. G. Loughridge, an old physician now residing at Garlandsville, was once a resident of Newton coun- ty. He long since moved to Jasper county, where he made quite a fortune, much of it by the practice of medicine.
Dr. J. S. Parker, who died last year, 1893, deserves more than a passing notice among the older physicians of the county. He was born poor and raised hard and without education, and until he was a man of family had no idea of practicing medicine. During the war he was thrown into hospital service and had the care of some patients and soon learned to administer medi- cine. He applied himself and soon became a good doctor, and at one time did as much practice as any physician in the county. He was called to several cases of yellow fever in the epidemic of 1878, which he faithfully, and in most instances, successfully treated. There was no man who ever practiced medicine in the county who did more for the poor, both white and colored. He visited the sick with the least assurance
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of ever getting any pay for it, and much of his labor was entirely lost. Dr. Parker was greatly respected. He was a conspicuous Granger and took lively inter- est in politics. Although he did much free practice, he realized a considerable sum from his profession.
Dr. Wm. A. L. Lewis is probably the oldest practic- ing physician in the county. He came to Union in the year 1837, and has been associated with all the changes incident to the prosperity and adversity of the county since. Dr. Lewis went into the Confederate service with the 36th Mississippi regiment, and was the assis- tant surgeon most of the time, often acting for the brigade. He was detached awhile as surgeon of Con. Ray's sharpshooters, and while thus engaged, was wounded. He was at Franklin and remained there with the wounded. Though now quite old, he retains his good health and cheerful disposition and still has a fine fund of humorous narratives with which to en- tertain his old friends when he meets them.
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CHAPTER XXXVII.
VARIOUS TOWNS OF NEWTON COUNTY.
THE town of Decatur was settled in the year 1836, and named in honor of Commodore Stephen Decatur, of the United States navy.
The act of the Legislature authorizing the county commissioners to buy, or receive by gift, eight acres of land for a county site, as near as practicable, in the center of the county, was passed on February 25, 1836. The land is said to have been donated by Mr. Isaac Hollingsworth, and is about three and one-half miles from the geographical center of the county. Some time in the same year a public sale of town lots was made, and the lots for the court-house and jail agreed upon. The first court-house, a small log house, was placed on the lot upon which the postoffice now stands, south of the present court-house and east of Gaines' blacksmith shop. It is supposed that James Ellis built the first court-house. Samuel Hurd is said to be the man who built the first jail. The second court-house is said to have been built by Willis R. Norman. It was situated where the present court- house now stands. It is not known who built the sec- ond jail.
This second court-house was burned by General Sherman's army, February, 1864, and the third court. house was built by Montgomery Carleton about the year 1867. The third jail was built by Thomas Wells.
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The third court-house was very peculiarly constructed. The court was held on the ground floor, the other rooms being on the second floor. This house was burned September, 1876, supposed by accident.
A fourth court-house was built of brick in the year 1877, costing the county about $7000. This building is a strong and substantial one, with court room and two ante-rooms in the rear of judge's stand on the second floor, and four commodious and comfortable rooms on the ground floor for the officers and grand jury. The court-house is furnished with a good iron safe, and in the fall of 1893 the board of supervisors had constructed of brick a vault on the outside of the court-house, immediately adjoining the chancery clerk's office. This fire-proof brick vault is for the better preservation of the county records. There is an excellent small jail, a frame house with iron cages for the safe-keeping of prisoners. The jail is comfortable and safe.
There has never been but one legal hanging in New- ton county, and that was Sam Suttles, a desperate negro, who murdered his wife, and was tried, and hanged by Sheriff G. M. Gallaspy.
Decatur was never noted for fine buildings, either store-houses, churches or dwellings. There was no church in the town until 1851, about twelve years after it was settled. Then the Baptist church, a plain, frame building, without paint or ceiling. In the year 1888 a new church took the place of the old one-a very much improved structure in size and finish. The first Methodist church, which was built after 1855, was burned by Sherman; it was a plain frame house, about as the first Baptist church.
The Methodists now have a nice church at Decatur,
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well built and neatly finished, of goodly size and ap- pearance.
No school-house of any good size had ever been built until 1886, when a good two-story frame building, suf- ficiently large to accommodate the town was erected.
Until about 1865 the people of Decatur paid very little attention to schools. Then it was that a spirit of improvement in that direction set in, and fine teach - ers were paid good salaries to take charge of the schools. The prominent teachers of those times were Prof. Marshall and his wife ; after that, Robt. Bell, a Presbyterian minister. Probably the most competent and accomplished teacher ever employed at Decatur was J. J. Perry, who was afterwards Maj. Perry, and after his return from the war, was sheriff and lawyer.
The prominent merchants of Decatur: Johnston & Johnston, Hurd, Dansby, Drinkwater, Nimocks & Lo- per, Steinheart-the latter probably the only Jew ever to sell' goods in the town of Decatur) ; George Arm- strong, Montgomery Carleton, Barrett, Russell & Hoye, W. H. Gallaspy.
Some the most prominent men of the town were : J. H. Wells, W. S. Nimocks, E. S. Loper, Sam'l Hurd, J. C. McElroy, Dr. Keith, Montgomery Carleton, E. Scanlan, J. A. Ware, Isham Dansby, J. J. Perry, J. F. N. Huddleston, T. B. McCunn, M. J. L. Hoye, Thomas Keith, A. McAlpin and E. Carleton.
Decatur, for many years after its settlement, was a great place of resort for people from all parts the county. From its early settlement up to about 1879 or 1880, it was noted for the liquor drank, and in that that town had been more fights and. murders than any other place in the county.
There were nine men killed by their fellow-citizens from its early settlement to 1858 or '59. The names
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of these men killed and the party killing will be found in chapter six of this History.
It is very pleasant to note the great change in the town of Decatur. It is now one of the quietest places anywhere to be found, and is a good point for busi- ness. Russell & Hoye, since the war, have carried on an extensive drygoods and general merchandise busi- ness with great success. There are now five places of business in the town, two good churches, one Sun- day school, a good school-house, good court-house and jail, a good hotel and some neat private residences.
Decatur will no doubt retain the court-house for many years to come. There are some excellent people living in and around the town. It is surrounded by good farming lands, and has good people and thrifty farmers living on them. It has a good steam-gin and and tan-yard, and some of the best Jersey cattle breed in the county.
UNION.
The town of Union was probably settled as early as 1833 or 1834 and it was the place where the courts were held. The original site was about half mile from the present village. There the first courts of the county of Neshoba were held in a black-jack log cabin with dirt floor. Jail in same proportion. The town is very centrally located for the county site when the two counties were together.
Union is situated directly on the stage line running from Montgomery, Ala., to Jackson, Miss. There was a large amount of travel on the stage before the rail- road passed through the country. There was also much mail matter received and distributed from that point. Dr. Lewis, of Union, says the first court held in the above named house was presided over by Judge
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Thos. S. Sterling, with John Watts, Esq., district attorney. The courts were held here until after the division of the county in 1836; then the county site of Neshoba county was removed to Philadelphia and the Newton county court-house established at Decatur.
Union had no very fine houses. Sherman's army passed through and burned much of the town ; since that time some better houses have gone up. The stores are small but sufficient for the business. There are some comfortable dwellings in the place. The town and surrounding country have always claimed some of the best citizens of the county.
This is a good place for business and has some dis- tinction as a place of educational advantages. A high school was established and maintained for years by Rev. J. C. Portis, assisted by an able corps of teachers. The school is now under the management of other per- sons.
Union has two frame churches-a Methodist church, which is new and attractive ; the Baptist church not so good. The school buildings are good and amply sufficient to accommodate a large number of pupils. Two Sabbath Schools are kept up at the place ; a good steam mill for grinding and ginning.
The merchants are : Viverett, Lewis, Cleavland and Portis. Among the early settlers of the town, Quimby, (merchant and a man of means), James J. Monroe, George Boyd, Mrs. Lewis and family and Mrs. Lane, afterwards Thompson, Daniel, Hunter, Lewis, Viverett Portis, Cleavland, Ragan, Park.
The neighborhood of Union is one of the best in the county, having good level lands of durable nature, good water and a very healthy and desirable place.
PINKNEY.
The name of Pinkney dates as far back in the history
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of Newton county as any other name in it. It is not known from what the town derived its name ; the prob- abilities are it was settled as early as 1837-probably earlier-and was a place of some importance and trade. Lane and Boyd, merchants at that place, are reported to have had a stock of goods of $10,000, who issued a fractional currency called " shin plasters," and were correspondents with the Decatur bank, and when the bank failed it naturally carried the firm with it. Where these people got their goods is not known, probably from Vicksburg, or New Orleans, or Mobile-all hauled in wagons over terrible roads.
This place has had from time to time, some business. About twenty years ago Mr. S. D. Daniel commenced a general meschandise business and sold a large amount of goods and made some money. The place has a good mill-seat that has from time served a good purpose and been a means of convenience and profit. The name of Pinkney has given way to Stamper, at which place there is a store kept by Mr. Boulton, also a postoffice with daily communication with the rail- road. The water-power is owned by Mr. Stamper, who has a turbine wheel which does fine work. This mill grinds, and is a great convenience to the people and profitable to the owner. It also furnishes a good place for "trouting." The families living about there are : Stampers, Bolton, Ferrall, Hansford, Freeman, Collins, Mapp, Russell and Norris.
TOWN OF NEWTON.
This is the oldest railroad town in the county. In the year 1855 J. N. Shofner had a country store about one mile south-east of where the depot now stands. No business was done at Newton until 1860. John R. Johnson, of Decatur, established a retail grocery ; W.
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A. Payne had a retail grocery, and family grocers Brame & Morgan, built a business house ; Hyde & Sharman had livery stable ; Johnson kept hotel; Roger W. Doolittle owned the land on which the town was situated, and sold to parties moving to the place as early as spring of 1860. The town was named for Newton Doolittle, now living near this place.
In September of 1860, the first train of cars reached the town of Newton, and from that time until. the first of June, 1861, was the terminus of the railroad. The stage line ran from Enterprise to Newton by way of Garlandsville, and a great many persons were conveyed through the country, taking the cars at Newton to go west.
These were exciting times, and a large number of distinguished people came to Newten to take the train. The year 1860 was a very dry year; not enough corn was made to do the country. It was the first time the people had ever seen corn shipped in sacks to this county. McGrath, a Northern man, built a good store- house on the lot now occupied by W. B. Richardson, in 1861, and did considerable business, but after the war had gone on for some time he went to the Yan- kees, as his sympathies were with them.
Newton was now a suitable place for military pur- poses. Being in a good country, conveniently situated for the gathering the tax in kind, a commissary de- partment was established at this place, probably in 1863. Large houses were built. Mac. Jamison had charge of this department, and afterwards it was taken charge of by J. J. Ludloe, assisted by Capt. E. Scan_ lan. This was also a healthy place and suitable for hospital, and one was established in the first part of the year 1863. Drs. Bozeman and Blunt were the first to take charge of the hospital; then Dr. Hurndon ; and
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after that by Dr. Carter, assisted by Coffman and Morrison. Dr. A. H. Pucket was for a time connected with the hospital at this place. This hospital and commissary required a number of houses to be built, and Willis R. Norman was awarded the contract for their erection. There were seven large houses built for hospital purposes and whatever were necessary for commissary stores. The number of soldiers supposed to have been treated here were about 1000. About 100 died.
These confederate soldiers are buried about three- fourths of a mile from the depot in a private burial ground of the Doolittle family, and when they were buried they had a wooden board with the name and command on it. These have all decayed, and there is not a vestige of anything to mark the last resting place of these Confederate soldiers. There is no other burial ground of Confederate soldiers in the county. Would it not be right that the citizens of Newton county erect a monument to the memory of these brave men, and that the citizens of the town of Newton make it their yearly duty to give some attention to the graves of the Confederate dead ? The United States govern- ment established at Vicksburg a national cemetery for the burial of the Federal soldiers. They searched this county for soldiers who had been killed, and their re- mains were carried to that city and interred. It is said that the cemetery at Vicksburg contains the remains of 16,000 Federal soldiers, more than any living popu- lation the city has ever had. They mostly fell around Vicksburg, but many were carried there from other places. This cemetery is one of great beauty, and is a fitting tribute by the nation to her fallen sons. We should recollect that we owe a debt of gratitude to those who fell on the Southern side, and the Federal 22
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government will not provide for them. Whatever is done will be done by private hands, yet we can do something and it should be no longer delayed.
On the 24th day of April, 1863, Grierson's raid of cavalry and artillery came through the town of New. ton. They destroyed McGrath's store-house and some goods, the store-house of Mr. Hamilton, and probably one commisary house or hospital. They burned the depot, and also destroyed some military stores which were loaded on the cars on the side-track. They did not destroy any private residences, or any private property.
Immediately after the war, in the year 1865, some little business was done. J. R. Johnson sold liquor and general merchandise. Marine Watkins, and E. & A. J. Brown, and W. S. Nimocks had some goods and and did some business during that fall ; some other business was done, but not to amount to much.
In the year 1866 some capital came to the town, and more business was done in a larger way than had been done the year before. The next year, 1867, Watts & Nimocks, J. N. Shofner, J. G. Moore & Co. were added to the merchants at Newton. In the year 1868 but little more business was added to the town. In August, 1869, the firm of Richardson & Co. came to the place. This firm consisted of W. B. Richardson, T. F. Pettus, and Maj. Stevens, of Brandon. They had large capi- tal, ¿put in a heavy stock of goods, and bought cotton very liberally. The business status of the town was now established. From that time it continued to grow. From less than 2,000 bales of cotton in 1867 it rose to something over 11,000 in the years 1888 and 1889. The trade of the town has continued to increase and is now one of the best towns on the A. & V. railroad.
Newton, originally very poorly built, most of the
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houses being rudely constructed, and added to from time to time as necessity required. All the original build- ings had become very much dilapidated, were closely crowed together on one street. The town had been for- tunate in escaping any fire of any consequence, up to the 29th of May, 1883, when a large part of it burned, supposed to be the work of an incendiary. This was one of the most terrible conflagrations that ever swept over a small town. The fire accured about 4 o'clock in the morning, and in about two hours it was a pile of smoking ruins. So swift was the fire, so terrible the . heat from the old wooden material, and the surprise by which the people were taken, that but very little little was saved. The principal sufferers were W. A. Dunagin & Co., Mack Watkins & Co., J. C. Barber & Co., A. E. Williams, T. M. Scanlan, R. W. Doolittle, H. S. Buckley, W. B. Richardson, T. C. Viverett, Geo. Davidson, Estate of M. J. L. Hoye, Mississippi Bap- tist, Mrs. Armistead, and Misses Watts & Brown. All these houses and their contents, and also the post- office, were swept away in a few moments. The books of all the concerns were in safes, and were saved. The aggregate loss was from $65,000 to $75,000, with prob- ably about half or little over insured. T. C. Viverett had no insurance ; R. W. Doolittle had none ; estate of M. J. L. Hoye lost one house, with no insurance. Scanlan & Dunagin had very large losses without the corresponding amount of insurance. The storehouses left were Buncum & Leverett, Rew & McClinton, G. C. Oliver, Mrs. M. J. L. Hoye, Bingham & Parker.
After the smoke of the great fire had blown away, quite a feeling of despondency at the losses of the town was clearly visible. Then came the insurance adjusters, who represented some of the best compa- nies in the country, and who acted in a spirit of fair-
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ness towards the losers in the fire. Terms were agreed upon, and very soon all the arrangements were made to pay most of the losses.
.The town council, at a very opportune time, passed an ordinance defining a limit in which none but fire- proof brick or iron houses should be erected. This was a very proper step, which resulted very favorable to the building up of the town in a better class of houses. Very soon persons came from a distance who well understood the business of brick work. Mr. Hugh Wilson, a good business man from Meridian, came and at once went to work about the first of July, after the fire, and by hard work and close attention, by the first of September had the first two hundred thousand brick ready for the brick-layers. A force of about twenty men were put to work under the able contractors of wood and brick work, Miller, Dabbs & Taylor. The two latter made as good time as any on the wall, and by the first day of October, one month after starting the wall, two new brick houses stood complete for T. C. Viverette. Then followed in quick succession W. B. Richardson's elegant brick store, 50x110 feet; next Geo. Davidson's ; next, two others for T. C. Viverette, on the east side of the main street ; next, the drug store and millinery · store built by W. B. Richardson ; next one by P. E. Blelack join- ing and between Viverette and Davidson, on the lot occupied by T. M. Scanlan ; next, Bingham & Parker, on the south end of the old commissary building, more recently the Clark, Dansby & Co., house. This house of Bingham and Parker is a splendid brick structure of two double stores of 25x100 each, fronting W. B. Richardson. All these houses have plastered walls, work done by J. J. Kane, of Meridian. The work overhead on the inside of these houses is of
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