USA > Mississippi > Pike County > Pike county. Mississippi, 1789-1876: pioneer families and Confederate soldiers, reconstruction and redemption > Part 9
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI
of his hat and coat being locked up in Kline's grocery. He climbed to the roof, removed the boards and brought them out, placing the boards in position as he found them. Kline knew he had left them there and wondered how he got them out. Sibley acknowledged how he had taken them out and he was reported on his own confession to Justice King and tried for burglary under the statute already given, convicted and sentenced by King to be hung on a certain day. Sibley complained at the severity of the sentence, as he had taken nothing but his own hat and coat. The justice of the peace was inflexible. He had sworn to support the constitution and enforce the laws of the land. Sibley had violated a law which provided against the breaking and entering in the night time the house of another, which also for- bid the taking and carrying away anything whatever. Sibley had taken and carried away his own hat and coat. He had violated the law and must hang on the day ordered by the court. He begged to be allowed an opportunity to fix up his business affairs in order to be ready to meet his doom. He was paroled on his own recogni- zance with the distinct promise that he would return for the execu- tion of the sentence. He was pursuaded and went to work and got up a petition signed by nearly all the men in the county and by the justice himself to the Governor for pardon. This was a great task, as the people were scattered over a large territory and took up so much of the valuable time of the petitioner that it would be a close run for him to reach the Governor at Washington in Adams County and return, in case his pardon was refused, in time to comply with his word of honor with the honorable court that had passed the sen- tence of death upon him.
One cold, drizzling morning Sibley rode into Holmesville and hailed at the gate of Judge Peter Quin.
"Hello, Billy, come in," said Quin, "come into the fire; what are you doing scouting around such a morning as this?"
"Going to Washington to see the Governor to try to get my pardon, and come in to get you to sign my petition."
"Petition for what?" asked Quin.
"Well, you know King had me tried for burglary for going into
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI
Kline's grocery through the roof that night, and taking out my hat and coat which I had left in there when he shut up and went away ; and he sentenced me to be hung according to law on a certain day, and I haven't got much time to lose now and get back on time, and I . want you to sign it."
"Let me see it," said Quin.
Peter Quin took good time and read all the names, and then called Patsey, his wife, and told her to have some breakfast fixed for him and Billy. "You mustn't go without your breakfast, Billy."
After examining the petition thoroughly he looked at Billy and crumpled the document up in his hands and threw it in the fire, to the bewonderment of the man whose life was in the scales suspended by the thread of Justice King's decree and who had ridden hundreds of miles to procure the signatures to this petition. It was a cold, heartless act. A personal friend, and yet he would thus doom him by the wanton destruction of his only hope for life.
With all his sense of honor, Billy was a fighter; Peter Quin was too, but he was a born commander-could control himself and others also. Billy Sibley got furious; he rose from his chair with tiger eyes gleaming at Peter Quin, and invited him out of his yard for settlement. Quin called Patsey and told her to hurry up breakfast, that Billy was in a hurry. "Don't go till you get your breakfast; come, be seated and get quiet, and wait till after breakfast." Billy yielded finally, but with a sad and desolate heart. It was a crucial moment. The gallows was being constructed already; men were practicing the formation of the hangman's knot with the rope that was to break his neck. The yellow clay that lay in piles on either side of the chasm that was to be the receptacle of his last remains floated before his vision. His appetite waned and breakfast was a "forceful conclusion."
When breakfast was over Peter Quin sat himself in front of Billy Sibley, and said:
"Billy, King may know something about the Bible, as I believe he is a member of your church and one of its deacons, but he don't know much about law. I have a right to set aside his decree, which he had no legal right to enter in his court. Go home and attend to
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI
your business and to your family affairs, and if King attempts to inter- fere with you, send him to me." And this was Sibley's pardon and a circumstance he delighted to relate in after years. He was a man of the highest integrity and honor. His word was his bond, and he would have returned to King's court and suffered himself to be swung from the gallows rather than violate his promise, but for the circum- stance above related.
John Brumfield and his wife, Margaret Kelly, came from York District, South Carolina, and settled in Washington Parish, Louisiana, in 1813. Their children were Jesse, Willis, David, James, Charles, Isaac, Nathaniel, Alexander and Lucy.
Jesse Brumfield married Hannah Youngblood, of Washington Parish, and first settled on Union Creek in Pike County, which place was subsequently owned by Harris Harvey. The names of their children are Benjamin, Henry S., Mary L., Jesse A., Joseph W., James Monroe, Susan Lucinda (Lucy), John R. and Leah E.
Jesse Brumfield afterwards settled a plantation on or near Bogue Chitto, south of Holmesville, formerly settled by William Love in 1809. He was elected sheriff in 1843 and served four years. In 1848 he was elected to the Legislature and served one term. He was for many years a member of the board of supervisors.
David Brumfield married Cynthia Holmes, daughter of Elisha Holmes, Sr., from Georgia; Isaac Brumfield married Elizabeth Holmes, her sister, and they were the parents of Nathaniel, Jr., Jesse K., Har- . rison and Lucy Jane, who married Green B. May; Sarah Margaret was the wife of Wesley J. Ellzey; Mary married Edwin May; Ange- line, Jabe Conerly.
William Leggett and his wife, Jemima Goff, came from Georgia and settled on Bogue Chitto near the Louisiana-Mississippi line, about 1807. Their children were Benjamin Wright and William Pinkney.
Benjamin Wright Leggett married Elizabeth Kennedy McGehee, daughter of William McGehee, of Amite County. Their children were John G., Jane Olivia and Virginia Ann.
B. W. Leggett settled on a place formerly settled by a man named White, on Loves Creek. His son, John G. Leggett, married Mary
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI
Simmons; Jane Olivia, Daniel M. Pound; Virginia Ann, David C. Walker.
Daniel Walker Pound and his wife, Julia Ann Clayton, emigrated from Tennessee about 1830 and stopped on the Homochitto and sub- sequently came into Pike and settled on Hominy Creek in the nortl .- western portion of the county, and afterward moved near Magnolia. Besides their son, D. M. Pound, they had two daughters, Virginia Ann, who married a German named J. F. Shoup, and Rachael F., who mar- ried Joseph M. Lewis.
Thomas W. Pound, son of Daniel W., with his first wife in Tennes- see, married Lucinda Hall, of Amite County; Eliza Jane was a daugh ter by his second wife.
Daniel W. Pound was surveyor of Pike County for eighteen years, and succeeded George Cato, who succeeded Sampson L. Lamkin. He was supervisor for a number of years, taught school in his young manhood, and was a lifelong member of the Baptist Church.
John Black and William Cage were among the first lawyers 10 locate in Holmesville. The former was elected United States Senator.
Harmon Runnels represented the two counties of Marion and Hancock in the General Assembly of the Territory; in 1814, previous to the erection of Pike County and after the creation of Laurence County, the three counties were represented by John Bond, Jr., in 1816, and after the creation. of Pike he was succeeded by Elbert Burton as the Representative of the district.
In 1810 the first Methodist camp-meeting was held near Magnolia, ยท under the supervision of the Felders and Sandells, and in their neigli- borhood.
At the October election in 1819 Vincent Garner, David Cleveland and William Dickson were elected to represent Pike County in the Legislature.
Charles Stovall represented the counties of Marion, Laurence, Pike and Hancock in the Senate from 1817 to 1821.
In 1820 John P. Hamilton was Judge of the Superior Court of Pike.
Anthony Perryman was the first man to establish a mercantile business in Holmesville after it was made the seat of justice.
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI
In 1822 Pike County was represented in the Legislature by Wiley P. Harris, William Dickson and James Y. McNabb, with David Dick- son as Senator for Pike and Marion. At this time Walter Leake, who succeeded George Poindexter, was Governor and the seat of govern- ment was located at Columbia, in Marion County, where Governor Leake was inaugurated. This same year the capital of the State was fixed at Jackson, located near Pearl River in Hinds County, being nearer the center of the State.
In 1823 Richard Davis and David Cleveland were Representatives, and the following December Davis was dropped and William Dickson and Wiley P. Harris were elected. In 1825 Harris was Senator for Pike and Marion and remained until 1830.
In 1823 James Y. McNabb was elected clerk in place of J. C. Dixon, and remained until 1833, when he was succeeded by George McNabb, who served as clerk until 1839.
In 1826 the Salem Baptist Church was constituted, near the spot where the town of Magnolia is located. The founders of this church were Rev. Charles Felder, Rev. Asa Mercer and Rev. Shadrack Coker.
The organization of this church under its original name was kept up until 1873, when its name was changed to Magnolia Baptist Church.
In 1824 Nathaniel Wells, Col. Peter Quin and David Cleveland were Representatives, and in 1826 Cleveland, with William Dickson and Vincent Garner, were elected. This year David Holmes was re-elected Governor, but was succeeded by Gerard C. Brandon in. 1827, who served until 1833.
In 1827 R. T. Sparkman was elected sheriff and served until 1838.
PIKE'S LEGISLATORS.
A complete list of the men who have represented Pike County in the Senate and House of Representatives of the State Legislature since 1817:
SENATORS.
1817 David Dickson
1818 David Dickson
1819 David Dickson
1820 David Dickson
1821 David Dickson
1822 William Spencer
1823 William Spencer
1824 William Spencer
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI
SENATORS-CONTINUED.
1825 Wiley P. Harris 1866 W. F. Cain
1826 Wiley P. Harris
1867 W. F. Cain
1827 Wiley P. Harris 1868 W. F. Cain
1828 Wiley P. Harris 1869 W. F. Cain
1829 Wiley P. Harris
1830 Wiley P. Harris
1870 John Gartman 1871 John Gartman
1831 William C. Gage
1872 Hiram Cassedy, Jr.
1832 William C. Gage
1873 Hiram Cassedy, Jr.
1833 Franklin Love 1874 J. F. Sessions
1834 David Cleveland.
1875 J. F. Sessions
1835 Jesse Harper
1876 R. H. Thompson
1836 James Y. McNabb
1877 R. H. Thompson
1837 James Y. McNabb
1878 R. H. Thompson
1838 Cornelius Trawick
1839 Cornelius Trawick
1879 R. H. Thompson 1880 A. H. Longino 1881 A. H. Longino 1882 A. H. Longino
1840 Franklin Love
1841 Franklin Love
1842 Christian Hoover
1883 A. H. Longino
1843 James B. Quin
1884 S. E. Packwood
1844 James B. Quin
1885 S. E. Packwood
1845 James B. Quin
1886 S. E. Packwood
1846 George Nicholson
1887 S. E. Packwood
1847 George Nicholson
1888 Thos. B. Ford
1848 Davis E. McCoy
1889 Thos. B. Ford
1849 Davis E. McCoy
1890 T. B. Ford
1850 Davis E. McCoy
1891 T. B. Ford
1851 Davis E. McCoy
1892 J. H. McGehee
1852 J. M. Nelson
1893 J. H. McGehee
1854 J. M. Nelson
1894 J. H. McGehee 1895 J. H. McGehee
1855 J. M. Nelson
1896 W. B. Mixon
1856 Franklin Love
1897 W. B. Mixon
1857 Franklin Love
1898 W. B. Mixon
1899 W. B. Mixon
1858 Franklin Love 1859 J. B. Chrisman 1860 J. B. Chrisman
1900 J. H. McGehee 1901 J. H. McGehee 1902 J. H. McGehee
1861 J. B. Chrisman 1862 J. B. Chrisman 1863 J. B. Chrisman 1864 P. C. Quin 1865 W. F. Cain
1904 Clem V. Ratcliff
1905 Clem V. Ratcliff
1906 Clem V. Ratcliff
1853 J. M. Nelson
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI
REPRESENTATIVES
1817 Elbert Burton.
1818 Elbert Burton
1819 Vincent Garner David Cleveland
1844 E. Millsaps
1845 E. Millsaps
1820 Vincent Garner David Cleveland
1846 B. W. Leggett E. Rushing William Simmons
1821 William Dickson James Robinson
1822 Wiley P. Harris
1847 B. W. Leggett E. Rushing William Simmons
1823 R. Davidson
1824 R. Davidson
1848 Jesse Brumfield
1849 Jesse Brumfield
1850 S. A. Matthews
1851 S. A. Matthews
1826 Peter Quin N. Wells
1852 J. G. H. Sasser.
1827 Peter Quin
1854 R. A. Ellzey
1829 R. Davidson
1855 R. A. Ellzey
1830 S. Sharp
1856 Levi Bacot
A. Cunningham
1857 Levi Bacot
1831 Franklin Love John Given
1859 H. E. Weathersby
1832 Franklin Love John Given
1861 H. E. Weathersby J. O. Magee
1833 Jesse Harper W. G. Martin
1862 J. O. Magee
1834 Jesse Harper W. G. Martin
1863 J. R. G. McGehee
1864 J. R. G. McGehee
1835 Franklin Love W. G. Martin
1866 J. W. Huffman
1867 J. W. Huffman
1868 J. W. Huffman
1869 J. W. Huffman
1837 Hardy Carter A. Cunningham
1870 W. H. Roane
1871 W. H. Roane
Thomas Denman 1872 V. J. Wroten
1839 W. A. Stone Thomas Denman
1874 S. E. Packwood
1840 Jesse Harper James Cunningham
1875 S. E. Packwood 1876 James M. Causey
1877 James M. Causey
1878 James M. Causey
1879 James M. Causey
J. A. Bradford
1880 James C. Lamkin
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1841 B. W. Leggett J. A. Bradford 1842 Hiram Terrell
1873 V. J. Wroten
1838 W. A. Stone
1865 J. W. Huffman
1836 Franklin Love A. Cunningham
1858 D. C. Quin
1860 H. E. Weathersby
1825 Peter Quin
N. Wells
1853 J. G. H. Sasser
1828 Peter Quin
1843 Hiram Terrell J. A. Bradford
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI
REPRESENTATIVES-CONTINUED.
1881 James C. Lamkin
1882 W. F. Simmons
1895 S. E. Packwood James M. Tate
1883 W. F. Simmons 1896 W. W. Pope
1884 James C. Lamkin J. B. Webb
George M. Govan 1897 W. W. Pope
1885 James C. Lamkin J. B. Webb
George M. Govan
1898 W. W. Pope J. B. Webb
1886 T. F. Causey James A. Bates
1899 W. W. Pope
1887 T. F. Causey James A. Bates
J. B. Webb 1900 P. E. Quin
1888 J. H. Crawford
J. M. Tate
S. M. Simmons
I90I P. E. Quin
1889 J. H. Crawford J. M. Tate
S. M. Simmons
1902 P. E. Quin
John A. Walker
1890 J. G. Leggett Theo. McKnight
1903 P. E. Quin
1891 J. G. Leggett
John A. Walker
Theo. McKnight
1904 W. B. Mixon
1892 S. E. Packwood
W. W. Pope
James M. Tate
1905 W. B. Mixon
1893 S. E. Packwood
W. W. Pope
James M. Tate
1906 W. B. Mixon
1894 S. E. Packwood
W. W. Pope
James M. Tate
The members of the Constitutional Convention of 1890 were S. E. Pack - wood and Frank A. McLain.
E. McNair was Judge of the Circuit Court of Pike County from 1853 to 1866.
Charles Bancroft held over as probate clerk until 1867 and was succeeded by William M. Conerly. Sampson L. Lamkin succeeded S. A. Matthews as circuit clerk in 1861, and served until 1870, when he was succeeded by Fred W. Collins, appointed by Governor Alcorn.
Fred W. Collins was elected to the same office in 1871, re-elected in 1873 and held until January, 1876, when he was succeeded by Dr. A. P. Sparkman by election in the fall of 1875.
Robert H. Felder succeeded Louis C. Bickham as sheriff, and held until after the close of the war in 1865.
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI
Levi D. Felder was appointed in his stead under the provisional government of Governor Sharkey. Robert H. Felder filled the term as deputy sheriff, as he could not take the "iron-clad" oath required under the reconstruction acts of Congress. Levi D. Felder held the office until Charles B. Young was appointed by Governor Ames. Young disappeared.
Ansell H. Prewitt was appointed by Governor Alcorn.
Prewett was assassinated on the cars while conveying the famous prisoner, Jas. W. Head, to Jackson. Head was charged with the killing of Abraham Hiller, of Magnolia. His confederates, said to be a portion of the noted Quantrell partisans of the Trans-Mississippi Department, stopped the train near Bogue Chitto station, killed Sheriff Prewett and wounded his son Elisha and Deputy W. L. Coney, and all made their escape.
In 1838 W. H. Gibson succeeded R. T. Sparkman as sheriff, served until 1840, when he was succeeded by Lemuel J. Quin.
In 1843 Jesse Brumfield succeeded Quin and served until 1846, when Parham B. Williams was elected, followed by Robert Bacot in 1850, and in 1861 .Louis C. Bickham was elected.
William A. Stone, so long a resident of Pike, acting a conspicuous part in her early history, was born in the District of Maine March 12, 1804, in the town of Livermore, Oxford County, where his father, Col. Jesse Stone, resided. He was a graduate of Bendoin College of the class of 1825. At this time forty-four entered the Freshman . Class, among them Longfellow, Abbott, Bradbury and Sawtelle, who became distinguished men. Wm. A. Stone studied law under Peleg Sprague, for many years District United States Judge. He was admitted to the bar in 1828 and settled in the town of Prospect, but shortly removed to Mississippi and settled in Pike, and was one of the conferees of Buckner Harris, Judge Hagan and Dillingham. He served in the Legislature, and in 1839 he sold his interests in Holmes- ville to John T. Lamkin, a young lawyer who had emigrated from Georgia.
While in Pike County he was appointed by Governor McNutt to fill the unexpired term of Judge Walker, who had resigned.
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI
Robert Love served as probate judge until 1836. Judge Hoover served until 1840, was succeeded by William Coney, but re-elected in 1842, and served until 1848, when James B. Quin was elected, followed by J. W. McEwen in 1849, and he succeeded in 1852 by Dr. George Nicholson. In 1859 Nicholson was succeeded by Hugh Murray Quin.
T. B. Paddleford was probate clerk in 1839, served until 1845, when Leonard Magee was elected. Magee resigned after serving one year, and was succeeded by H. M. Quin, who served until 1853, when Samuel A. Matthews was elected.
In 1855 Matthews was elected circuit clerk and served until 1861; Wiley A. Young, probate clerk in 1855, and re-elected in 1857 and 1859, and was succeeded by Charles Bancroft in 1861, who served until 1866.
The first Masonic lodge established in Pike County was Rising Virtue Lodge, No. 7, and was located near Holmesville. In 1846 it was succeeded by and merged into the Holmesville Lodge, No. 69, with George Nicholson, Master.
In the course of time the town of Holmesville had acquired a population of about four hundred souls, and good schools were main- tained here as well as other sections of the county. Samuel T. Gard, Professor Vincent, Mrs. A. L. Conerly, Joseph Smith, Thomas R. Stockdale, S. McNeil Bain, Charles Bancroft, Mrs. Cecelia R. Forshey, Mary Graves, Ann Strickland, John D. Warner, all figured as teachers here.
As the settlement of the county increased and the agricultural interests became enlarged, there was an impetus given to all classes of industry and the professions, excepting the manufacture of mer- cantile goods. The resources of the people were agricultural. The increase in the production of cotton induced an increase of slave laborers, purchased from traders coming from Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, and as the farmers became able many of them invested largely of their farm earnings in negroes. The markets for their cot- ton were Covington, New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Natchez, trans- ported to each of these places, except New Orleans, by ox-wagons,
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI
under the care of trusty negro drivers. Looms, spinning-wheels, cards and reels were kept in motion on the farms and plantations in order to provide the coarser fabrics for family use and clothing for the slaves. It must not be understood that all the citizens of Pike County were slave owners. Perhaps a large majority of them were not. The institution, under careful management and control, pro- duced wealth, and through its distribution an elevating and prosperous condition was manifested. The self-sustaining characteristics of the population engendered a feeling of independence and patriotism. The laws provided that all voters should be enrolled in militia companies and attend the muster drills, which were usually held in Holmesville or near there. Fourth of July celebrations were kept up in different sections of the county. Horse races, foot races and wrestling matches and other athletic sports were encouraged. At the schools these and townball constituted sources of amusement, and the large number of water courses in the county enabled the boys and many of the girls to learn to swim. The shotgun and the rifle were early placed in the hands of the boys, to become expert in their use. Their fathers and their grandfathers had to rely on them for defense of their families against wild animals that infested the country, and hostile Indians. Horseback riding prevailed altogether until at least three decades from the early settlement of the county. Buggies and carriages at $250 and $500 could only be afforded by men of large means. Those who owned them in Pike County prior to 1850 could be numbered on the fingers of the hand. Judge Christian Hoover is said to have been the first man in Pike County to own a buggy, a veritable curiosity in
the sight of the masses. Later on they came out with finer turn- outs-closed carriages and handsome spans, but these were few and far between. The great body of cotton planters, though able, stuck to the noble horse and saddle. The girls were all taught to ride horseback, and this is the way they went to church, the celebrations and to the fandangoes. The roads would be lined up with long columns of pairs on horseback.
At the Fourth of July celebrations great dinners were provided, with the finest barbecued meats and all the good things the county
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI
could afford. Everybody contributed. Holmesville was noted for these splendid occasions. Orators were provided, from whose lips gems of beautiful thoughts flashed and electrified the masses and made brighter the dreams of aspiring youth. The grounds were smoothe 1 off, or platforms erected, music provided, and the resplendent beauty of our country girls mingled in the mazes of the dance with the gallant and chivalric young men. The banks of old Bogue Chitto were decked with gayest attire. On what was once the island at the foot of the bridge in the beech grove was a favorite place for these events. The dawn was broke by the thunder of an improvised cannon, which was kept up through the day. Old Glory waved proudly from a staff a hundred feet high. The music of the fife and drum and the parading of volunteer companies, under officers with attractive uniforms and brass buttons, stirred their patriotic ardor.
At Tylertown, when the people of that section overflowed with love for their country, they got up a Fourth of July barbecue there. Cullen Conerly, as orator of the day, instilled their minds with the sentiments of '76, and William G. Tyler, one of Jackson's old artillery boys of Chalmette fame, made the indelible impress with the boom of his own manufactured mortars, over there across Magees Creek, where Mike Roark taught school, and limbered up obstreperous youthis with hickory poles. From Pike to Pinder Ridge, in Washington Parish, Flem Berkhalter with his noted violin, chased the midnight demons away and lit the halls where smiles and beauty beamed, with an inspiration that in memory floats adown the channel of time like an enchanting dream.
Holmesville got to be a great resort, and through the summer months was often crowded with people seeking rest and relief from the unhealthful atmosphere of New Orleans and the dangers of cholera and yellow fever which often prevailed there. Its healthfulness, picturesque scenery, pure water, facilities for outdoor sports and quiet pleasures, made it a desirable place for a summer vacation. It was a trip across Lake Ponchartrain and a carriage ride for sixty-five miles from Covington, but it was a mecca of country hog and hominy, pure milk and butter, solid clabber and cream, fat 'possum and sweet
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HISTORY OF PIKE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI
potatoes, eggs and chicken pie. The beautiful river with its crystal waters flowing past its doors afforded recreation in boating, bathing and fishing. How many angelic forms have been mirrored in its classic waters? Campbell, with his multiplied inspiring genius has not given mankind a touch of the picture Bogue Chitto offered then to the master poets and painters of the world. Its verdant banks, its cool retreats, its climbing vines, the perfume of its wild flowers, the trilling notes of woodland songsters, the thrill of the soul that beauty and loveliness bring.
In the forties Robert Ligon got possession of the Bearden-Sparkman Hotel. He had married Bearden's beautiful daughter, Angeline, a young woman of most pleasing manners, and being a man of fine address and social qualities, his house was crowded with guests. Barney Louis came in afterward, and in company with Robert Ligon, began the publication of the Southron, a newspaper very much needed, which acquired a large circulation and became a medium of great interest to the people. Later on, in 1853, this paper fell into the hands of Henry S. Bonney, who clung to its helm all through this eventful decade.
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