Mississippi : comprising sketches of towns, events, institutions, and persons, arranged in cyclopedic form Vol. I, Part 18

Author: Rowland, Dunbar, 1864-1937, ed
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Atlanta, Southern Historical Publishing Association
Number of Pages: 1030

USA > Mississippi > Mississippi : comprising sketches of towns, events, institutions, and persons, arranged in cyclopedic form Vol. I > Part 18

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Attalaville. An old settlement in Attala county, now extinct. It was located about one mile southwest of the present town of Sallis. Its founder was Silas H. Clark, who owned its store and shops. He also constructed a turnpike and a bridge across the Big Black river on the road from Attalaville to the town of Goodman. The place once had, in the days of its prosperity, three residences, occupied

175

MISSISSIPPI

by S. H. Clark and his two brothers Robert L. and Simon S. Clark, one store, a blacksmith shop, a wood shop, and a male and female academy. The building of the Mississippi Central railroad (now the Illinois Central) a mile away from the town, and the death of its founder during the war, ended the life of the place.

Atway, a postoffice of Marshall county, 6 miles north of Holly Springs.

Aubrey, a postoffice in the eastern part of Noxubee county, near the Alabama State line, about 15 miles east of Macon, the county seat.

Auburn, a post-hamlet in the extreme southwestern part of -Lin- coln county, about 20 miles from Brookhaven, the county seat. Population in 1900, 57. It has a fine high school and a large church and a Masonic lodge.

Auburn. Auburn itself was never more than a country postoffice kept at a country store in Hinds county. It was shifted from place to place and is only noteworthy because the community which lived in its neighborhood was one of the most populous and refined to be found in the State before the War. The first postoffice of that name was located on the old Nashville and Natchez road, and the first store built in the neighborhood of the postoffice was kept by a man named Kinchen A. Martin, in 1835, on the northwest corner of section 17, T. 4, R. 4, West. It was sucessively owned and kept by M. J. Stannard and J. J. Lewis. In 1849 the postoffice was lo- cated at the store of J. P. Daniels a half mile east of this place. It was moved a few years later to another store in the same neighbor- hood, kept by one Wm. Montgomery, where it remained until finally abandoned after the Civil War. At the last Auburn there was a Baptist church called Harmony, and over it a Masonic lodge room. After the advent of the railroad in 1881, and the establishment of the town of Learned, the store and church buildings were moved to that place. Says Dr. Riley, in writing of this neighborhood: "The hospitality of the people was unstinted. Statesmen met there and debated the great political questions of the day, and magnificent dinners were given on the grounds on the 24th of June and 4th of July ; and the people vied with each other in the display of their equipages and wearing apparel. On an ordinary Sabbath at one of these churches one could see carriages and horses worth thou- sands of dollars each, and they were there by the dozens, not to speak of those by the hundreds of lesser value."

Augusta, until recently the county seat of Perry county, is situ- ated on the Leaf river, about 100 miles southeast of Jackson, and

176

MISSISSIPPI

19 miles southeast of Hattiesburg. Old Augusta was in an early day quite famous, as the Government land office was located here. Two miles south of old Augusta on the Mobile, Jackson & Kansas City R. R. is New Augusta (q. v.), the present county seat.

Auris, a post-hamlet in the northwestern part of Attala county, about 15 miles northwest of Kosciusko, the county seat.

Austerlitz, a post-hamlet in the southern part of Benton county, 10 miles from Benton, the county seat. Population in 1900, 21.

Austin, an old Mississippi river town of Tunica county, situated about 45 miles southwest by land from Memphis, and six miles southwest of Tunica, the present county seat, and the nearest railroad town of importance, on the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley R. R. Its present population is only 162 (1900), but it was once an important shipping point on the Mississippi, with a population of over 2,000, and did a thriving trade. It was for many years the county seat of Tunica. A fine courthouse was built here in 1868 at a cost of $38,000, and still stands as a reminder of the days when the streets of the old town were filled with the bustle of traffic.

Australia, a post-hamlet in the northwestern part of Bolivar county on the Mississippi river, about three miles west of Round Lake, a station on the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley R. R., and 15 miles north of Rosedale, the county seat. Population in 1900, 38.

Auter, a postoffice in the northeastern part of Sharkey county, on the Sunflower river, about 15 miles from Rolling Fork, the county seat.

Autry, James L., was born in 1830, in Jackson, Tenn., and after his father died at the battle of the Alamo, his mother brought him to Holly Springs, Miss., where he was educated at St. Thomas hall. He was a member of the legislature, 1854-59, and in the last session speaker of the house. He took a leading part in the or- ganization of volunteer companies in 1860-61, went to Pensacola early in the latter year, and was elected lieutenant-colonel of the famous Ninth regiment, under Col. James R. Chalmers. Later, he was elected lieutenant-colonel of the 27th regiment, of which he was in command when killed at the battle of Murfreesboro, Dec. 31, 1862.

Avanelle, a post-hamlet in the northwestern part of Union coun- ty, on Locks Creek, an affluent of the Tallahatchie river, and about six miles from New Albany, the county seat. Population in 1900, 20.

Avera, a post-hamlet in the northeastern part of Greene county,

177

MISSISSIPPI

on the Chickasawhay river, and about 16 miles north of Leakes- ville, the county seat. Population in 1900, 46.

Avondale, a station on the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley R. R., in the southwestern part of Bolivar county, 10 miles north of Green- ville. Population in 1900, 50.

Ayres, a post-hamlet in the southwestern part of Attala county, on Yellow Creek, an affluent of Pearl river, and about 15 miles southeast of Kosciusko, the county seat and nearest banking town. Population in 1900, 47.

Back Tax Cases. "The revenue agent instituted suits against the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley and Illinois Central railroads for about three-quarters of a million dollars, taxes alleged to be due the State and the counties traversed by what is known as the Lou- isville, New Orleans and Texas railroad, for the years 1892-95, on what was, prior to Oct. 24, 1892, the property of the L., N. O. & T. railway company." At the date last named the L., N. O. & T. had been united with the Yazoo & Mississippi valley railroad company, under the latter name. The company claimed exemption until its profits should enable it to declare a dividend of 8 per cent, under certain acts of the legislature applying to the former consoli- dation of the Memphis & Vicksburg railroad, which formed part of the system. The defendants in the suits also claimed exemption because of provisions of other old charters, running back to 1870. "The railroad company, as claimed by the revenue agent, con- tracted for the construction of the railroad or a considerable part of it, with a corporation known as the Financial Improvement company, the stock of which was owned by the same persons who owned the stock of the railroad company, and who were thus contracting with themselves for the construction of the road and were interested in making the apparent cost of construction as great as possible. It was also claimed by the revenue agent that nearly the entire stock in the Yazoo & Mississippi valley railroad company, which is the successor in fact of what was the L., N. O. & T. railroad company, is owned by the Illinois Central railroad company." This was the statement of Governor McLaurin in his message of 1898, and he added his belief "that upon a fair, just and equitable deal between the railroad company and the State the railroad company has long since been enabled to pay an annual dividend of 8 per cent upon the actual cost of construction of its road, and ought to pay its taxes as other citizens of the State are required by law to do."

Other cases were made against other companies, and the litiga-

12-I

178

MISSISSIPPI

tion passed through all the State courts, the United States circuit court, and court of appeals, and in 1900, five cases were pending before the supreme court of the United States. '

A synopsis of the cases decided by the United States supreme court was given in the governor's message of 1902. The principal case, known popularly as the back tax case, was that of the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley railroad, the chief question involved in which was whether the union of the old Y. & M. V. company with the old L., N. O. & T. company had resulted in merger or con- solidation. If in merger, then the exemption from taxation re- mained, under the old acts of legislature. The supreme court had held in the Lambert case (70th Miss.) that it was a merger, to which the old legislation would apply. This decision was overruled by a newly constituted supreme court, which held that the ex- emption did not apply. On appeal to the United States supreme court, the latter decision was unanimously confirmed, the court taking jurisdiction, examining the question independently, and ruling in favor of the State and against the railroad. The taxes involved were those for the year 1892 and subsequent years up to and including 1899. As the consolidation took place October 24, 1892, the railroad contended that the supreme court of Mississippi was wrong, at least as to the taxes of 1892, since the taxes of that year were not exigible till December 15, though assessable Febru- ary 1. And so, paying for all years except 1892, the railroad com- pany obtained a re-argument as to the taxes of that year. On this re-argument the supreme court held that the construction of State statutes by the State supreme court was not reviewable by the United States supreme court. The second case was that of the Gulf & Ship Island railroad, involving the question whether the exemption from taxation granted by the legislature of 1882 had been repealed or not ; also whether the original exemption was val- id. The State supreme court held that the exemption had been repealed, and that the act of 1882 granting the exemption, was void under the constitution of 1869, which provided that "the prop- erty of all corporations for pecuniary gain should be subject to taxation the same as that of individuals." This opinion, also, was affirmed by the United States supreme court. After the latter de- cision, about $130,000 back taxes was paid on the Canton, Aber- deen & Nashville railroad, and two cases contesting the same dis- missed in the supreme court. In closing the above synopsis, Governor Longino said: "It will be seen that the supreme court of Mississippi enjoys the very high distinction of having received

179

MISSISSIPPI

the concurrence of the United States supreme court on every material principle involved in said cases."

Mainly on account of these recoveries, Revenue Agent Adams, collected for the State and counties and municipal treasuries in 1900-01 the sum of $1,096,958.

Back Tax Law .- See Revenue Agent.

Baconville, a post-village in the north-central part of Madison county, about 10 miles northeast of Canton, the county seat and nearest banking town. Population in 1900, 21.

Bailey, a post-hamlet in the north-central part of Lauderdale county, about 8 miles north of Meridan. Population in 1900, 56.

Bainbridge County had a brief life of about one year. It was created by the act of January 17, 1823, which was repealed by the act of January 21, 1824. Its area was almost identical with the present limits of the county of Covington, being the western half of the original county of that name. (See Covington.)

The county officers, for the year of its existence, were Henry Ashton, Judge of Probate; John Terrell, Edward Curry, Associate Justices ; John Colbert, Assessor and Collector; Jesse Walling, Sheriff and Ranger; John Smith, Coroner; John Carr, County Treasurer ; John Welch, County Surveyor; Aaron Wilburn, Amos Edmonson, Duncan Thompson, James Tate, Briton Bridges, Ham- ilton Cooper, Uriah Flowers, Justices of the Peace, as shown by an old record in the Department of Archives and History.

Baird, an incorporated post-town in the southern part of Sun- flower county. It is 5 miles east of Indianola, the county seat, and is a station on the line of the Southern Ry. It was named for the former owner of the town site, Hon. John R. Baird. The Sun- flower river flows through the town, which is in the heart of the fertile Delta region of Mississippi. Population in 1900, 300.

Baker, a postoffice of Union county, five miles east of New Al- bany, the county seat.

Baker's Creek, battle, see Vicksburg campaign of 1863.

Baldwin, Joseph G., was born in the Shenandoah valley, Virgin- ia, about 1811. He arrived at DeKalb, Miss., in 1832, to practice law, but on the advice of Reuben Davis, sought a more promising field in Sumter county, Ala. Davis wrote, "In conversation he was the most entertaining man I ever knew, and his personal fascina- tion made him the delight of every crowd he entered." In Alabama Baldwin was a successful candidate for Congress in 1849. In 1853 appeared his famous book of character sketches, "The Flush Times in Alabama and Mississippi," published by Appleton and later

180

MISSISSIPPI

republished in San Francisco. He also published in 1853 a book entitled "Party Leaders." In 1853 he removed to Mobile, and a few months later migrated to San Francisco, where he rose to eminence as a lawyer and was elected to the supreme court. He died in 1866. Cyrus B. Baldwin, a brother of the foregoing, was a lawyer at Houston in his early career, and was immensely popular on account of his simplicity and honesty. In politics he was a Whig. His untimely death in the army was mourned by many.

Baldwin, William E., Capt. of Columbus Riflemen, at the orga- nization of the 14th regiment Mississippi infantry, in 1861, he was elected colonel, and after joining the army in Kentucky, he was put in command of a brigade. For his service at the battle of Fort Donelson he was highly commended in the official reports. He and his command were surrendered here. After his exchange he was on duty in Mississippi and was promoted to brigadier-gen- eral September 19, 1862. He commanded a brigade at Coffeeville in 1862, and throughout the Vicksburg campaign and siege of 1863, at the close of which he and his command were again sur- rendered. On being exchanged he took command of a brigade in the Mobile district, but died February 19, 1864.

Baldwyn, an incorporated town of Lee county, is an important station on the Mobile & Ohio R. R., 17 miles north of Tupelo, the county seat. It has telegraph and express facilities and supports a Democratic newspaper, the Indicator, established in 1897. Its chief industries are are a large oil mill, a brick and tile factory, an ice factory, a lumber and shingle mill, and a large cotton gin. It has an excellent academy, several churches, and a number of good stores. Population in 1900, 560; in 1906 the population was esti- mated at 750. The town has recently built a fine school building. Baldwyn was formerly the home of Col. Tison, deceased, who was one of its honored citizens.

Baleshed, a river town of Issaquena county, three miles south of Mayersville, the county seat. It has a postoffice. Population in 1900, 24.

Balize, a village near the mouth of the Mississippi, chiefly in- habited by pilots. The buildings are erected on piles to protect them from the action of the waters. It was named from the word "balise," meaning beacon, because the French had set up a sea- mark for the direction of ships seeking the mouth of the river. Even after the mouths of the Mississippi were surveyed, sounded and buoyed by M. de Serigny, the brother of Bienville, in 1719, vessels preferred to anchor at the harbor of Ship Island, than to

181

MISSISSIPPI

encounter the difficulties of crossing the bar and ascending the river to New Orleans, which sometimes took a month or more. The southeast pass was the only practicable entrance for vessels drawing 14 feet ; and to preserve it as well as to improve it, a mole built of piles was thrown up which preserved the channel from the extreme point of mainland to the sea. Here in 1722 the French established a water battery, a military post, store houses, a powder magazine and chapel on the bank formed by these piles. They usually maintained a garrison of 50 men, as well as pilots and a few sailors, and it was known as Balize Fort. When the French first occupied it, it was a little flat island called by them Toulouse, about a half mile in circumference, and their buildings were erected on the extreme edge of the Gulf shore beyond the bar. The de- posits of sediment by the river have been so great, it is now 3 or 4 miles from the sea shore, and the present mouths of the Missis- sippi. The magazine, and part of the fortifications, were swept away into the river, and a new Balize was established, by Don Ulloa, for the pilots, in 1768.

Ballardsville, in the west-central part of Itawamba county. A post-hamlet, about nine miles west of Fulton, the county seat, Population in 1900, 67.

Ballground, a postoffice in Warren county about 15 miles north- east of Vicksburg.

Balucta, a postoffice of Scott county.

Banking. A resolution of the Territorial assembly, early in 1805, asked for the establishment of a branch at Natchez of the Bank of the United States, but this was refused by the president and direc- tors at a meeting June 25, on account of the already great number of banks and "the reduced state of specie."

In December, 1809, the Territorial legislature passed an act for the establishment of a bank at the city of Natchez, to have a cap- tal stock of $500,000, divided into $100 shares, subscriptions to which were to be taken by "Francis X. Martin, Ferdinand L. Clai- borne, John Steele, Abner Green, Abijah Hunt, Samuel Postleth- wait, Ebenezer Reese, Cowles Mead, Joseph Sessions, William B. Shields, Winthrop Sargeant, Alexander Montgomery and Lyman Harding." The subscribers to stock were to be "a body politic and corporate, by the name and style of the President and Direc- tors and Company of the Bank of the Mississippi," and so continue until December 31, 1834. It was intended that the bank should is- sue currency, and by the law the total issue of paper money was restricted to three times the amount of the capital stock actually

182

MISSISSIPPI

paid in, together with the deposits. In case of excess the directors should be liable in their "natural and private capacity." Interest on loans was limited to six per cent.

The bank began business with $100,000 stock paid in, and was under the management of thirteen directors, elected by the stock- holders. Stephen Minor was the first president. In 1814, on ac- count of the war with Great Britain, the banks at New Orleans suspended specie payments. These banks had been the source of supply of the Bank of the Mississippi, which, desiring to maintain . specie payments, called on the North for gold, and obtained some, at great expense, but presently this supply was shut off, because it was found that British agents were endeavoring to drain the North of coin. When the British fleet appeared in the Gulf, the bank at Natchez was bound to follow the same policy, in justice to the government, and suspended specie payments. But according to the statement by Lyman Harding, agent of the bank, in Decem- ber, 1814, the bank had on hand and due from other banks three- fourths as much specie as the volume of its notes in circulation. The credits of the bank, in proportion to debits, was as eighteen to eight.

Following is the notice of the bank in 1817 in Marschalk's Alma- nac for 1818: "Bank of the Mississippi, at Natchez. Incorporated December 23, 1809. Stock not to exceed $500,000. Capital sub- scribed $300,000. Samuel Postlethwaite, president. Gabriel Tichenor, cashier. Directors for 1818: Lyman Harding, Lewis Evans, Jeremiah Hunt, John Minor, Samuel Davis, William Bul- litt, Jr., George Ralston, Henry Postlethwaite, William Ruther- ford, Park Walton, White Turpin, Charles B. Green. One dis- count day (Friday) in each week; notes for discount to be offered previous to that day."

The constitution of 1817 provided, "No bank shall be incorpo- rated by the legislature without the reservation of a right to sub- scribe for, in behalf of the State, at least one-fourth part of the capital stock thereof, and the appointment of a proportion of the directors equal to the stock subscribed for."

Accordingly, the legislature of 1818 passed a supplemental act, changing the name to "the Bank of the State of Mississippi." The governor was authorized to subscribe for one-fourth as many · shares as might be disposed of otherwise, and appoint five direc- tors, the other interests being limited to eleven directors. The cap- ital stock limit was raised to $3,000,000 and the life of the cor- poration extended to December 31, 1840. "The bills or notes-

MISSISSIPPI 183

payable on demand-shall be receivable in all payments to this State." The bank was authorized to establish branches for dis- count and deposit only, wherever desired in the state. "In con- sideration" of this broadened charter, the bank was to open books of subscription at Port Gibson, and Woodville, and in Marion county, and if enough stock was taken, to establish branches there. The bank was forbidden to deal or trade in anything but bank paper, or to hold land except as the same might temporarily come into its hands in the transaction of business. Monthly state- ments of condition were required to be made to the governor. This promise was made: "No other bank shall be established by any further law of this state, during the continuance of the aforesaid corporation, for which the faith of the State is hereby pledged."

The governor borrowed $20,000 of the bank in the first year of the State, and subscribed and paid for $5,000 worth of stock.

In 1819 the banks of Tennessee and Kentucky and nearly all in Ohio suspended specie payments. They had overissued their notes, and at the same time were heavily indebted to the Bank of the United States. The latter bank tried to protect itself, where- upon there arose a great popular clamor, incited by the State bank manipulators, that the United States bank was oppressive. This clamor was used politically in favor of Andrew Jackson as a can- didate for president in 1828. The remarkable laws passed by the legislatures in 1819-28 were declared unconstitutional by the United States supreme court, and this was the foundation for another battle cry for the preservation of the rights of the states, i. e., of the legislatures. In 1820, the governor was authorized to give official notice "in case the Mississippi bank, the Planters bank or the Louisiana bank should thereafter fail, or from any cause be rendered manifestly unable to discharge their paper." He ac- cordingly issued a proclamation in May, that reports concerning the Planters bank, of New Orleans, were such that collectors were warned not to receive its money in payment of taxes.

In January, 1821, the Bank of Mississippi reported $900,000 stock; deposits at Natchez $294,759, at Woodville $21,333, at Port Gibson $11,192; due by banks in Orleans and exchange maturing, $177,517; exchange on Philadelphia, $69,595; Specie at the three places of business, $93,432; bills receivable, $1,332,014; notes of other banks, $45,876 ; due to other banks, $4,094; bank notes in cir- culation, $395,050.

The new charter was bitterly criticised by Governor Poindexter

184

MISSISSIPPI

in his message of 1821. He said he would have vetoed the measure if he had been governor. "Exclusive privileges are by this act secured to a corporate body, without an equivalent to the state, until the year, 1840. The power to regulate the circulating medium and emit bills of credit ; to grant faciliites to agriculture, commerce and manufactures, or withhold them at pleasure;" to inflate prices and depress them at will; the result of which is unavoidable ruin to those whose credulity led them into the snare; these are the high prerogatives held by a few monied capitalists in this State, under the guaranty of a legislative sanction, without the reservation of a right to institute any effectual inquiry into the purity and im- partiality with which they have been exercised. He declared the pledge to incorporate no other bank was "an assumption of power, not warranted by the constitution. No one general assembly can bargain away the right of its successors, over a legitimate subject of legislation ; much less can they make a donation of privileges which shall bind posterity." He recommended that the bank be required to pay a bonus into the State treasury, according to the usages of other states. It does not appear that this was done, but bank stock was taxed 25 cents on the hundred dollars.

The Bank of Mississippi maintained that its monopoly was a "vested right," and the opposing sentiment, expressed by Poindex- ter, grew apace, many saying that the bank's "accommodations were for the few, and these only granted for the purpose of en- hancing the already bloated wealth of the stockholders, directors and their special pets." (Sparks, Memories). Robert J. Walker rode into fame on this wave of popular feeling, a decade and a half later, over the political ruin of George Poindexter, who first gave expression to the dissatisfaction, but later attached himself to the political fortunes of the bank of the United States.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Mississippi : comprising sketches of towns, events, institutions, and persons, arranged in cyclopedic form Vol. I, Part 18

Author: Rowland, Dunbar, 1864-1937, ed Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Atlanta, Southern Historical Publishing Association Number of Pages: 1030

Author: Rowland, Dunbar, 1864-1937, ed
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Atlanta, Southern Historical Publishing Association
Number of Pages: 1030