Note: This was compiled and written by the staff of the Winona Time starting August 2, 1940 as a weekly article.

Chapter I

FORMATION

Montgomery County, established by an act of the legislature May 13, 1871, during the administration of Governor Alcorn, was formed from portions of Choctaw and Carroll county’s, nine miles being taken from west side of the former, and eleven miles from the east side of Carroll.

The first officers appointed by Governor Alcorn were. John C. McKenzie, sheriff; Thomas C. Blackmore, chancery clerk; W. H. Harris, circuit clerk; Thomas B. Brown, tax assessor; Frank M. Shyrock, treasurer, and W. H. Parks, superintendent of education. Members of board of supervisors were: W. H. Peery, Kli Cartledge, Thomas Curry, and James Thomas.

Five commissioners were appointed to adjust the financial affairs of the county in relation to the counties from which it was formed. This commission composed of John A. Binford, Sr., H. P. Turner, Samuel Hill, O.J. Moor and Willis Barefield, met January 16, 1872, at_, Greensboro, Choctaw County. After investigation, Choctaw County indebtedness was rated to be $12,260, and this was adopted as a basis of settlement between the two counties. The Commissioners found that Montgomery's prorata of indebtedness of Choctaw County amounted to $5,756. On March 6, l872, the board of supervisors of Montgomery County rated Montgomery's indebtedness to Carroll at $7,620, and ordered said amounts to be settled by the issuance of bonds. (1 (1. Minutes, Board of Supervisors, March, 1872, Vol. I; Page 69.)

Montgomery County was said to have been named in honor of Gen- eral Richard Montgomery a Revolutionary soldier who fell in the assault on Quebec and this supposition has been accepted by historians. But the war in which the name of "Montgomery" was chosen for the county is related by a citizen of Winona, who remembers many _.events of the early days Dr. W. W. Hart, of Lodi, a physician who resided in the area included in the new county, and was one of the first legislators after the formation, had lived in Montgomery County, Tennessee, prior to the time he settled in, Mississippi. It was at his request that the new county was named Montgomery, after his home county in Tennessee. (1) (1. Dunbar Rowland, "Mississippi the Heart of the South" Vol. 2, pages 7954.)

Montgomery County, in the Heart of Mississippi, is rectangular in appearance and has an area of 339 square miles. Since its formation in 1871, the boundaries have never been changed. It is bounded on the north by Grenada County; on the east by Choctaw and Webster; on the south by Attala and on the west by Carroll.

As they appear in the Mississippi Code the boundaries are; "Montgomery County is bounded by, beginning on the southern boundary of Grenada County, where it crosses the northwest corner of section 21, range 5, east ; thence south along section line, to the northwest corner of section 21 , township 21, range 5. east; thence along section lines to the range line between 5 and 6, east; thence south one mile; thence east to the northwest corner of section 27, township 18, range 6, east; thence south, to the southwest corner of section 35...township 17, range 6 , east; thence west to the Big Black River, and along it by its mean derings, to the point at which the line between townships 16 and 17 crosses it; thence east to the line of Attala County to southeast corner of section 35, township 17, range 6, east; thence north on section line to where Big Black River crosses the line between section 15 and 16, township 18.
range 8, east; thence up said river to where the township line between, townships 18 and 19 crosses it; thence west, to the northwest corner of township 18,range 8,west; thence north to Grenada county; thence to the beginning." (2.) (2. Mississippi. Code, Vol. II, pages 1746-1747)

Winona the original and present County seat of Montgomery County, and the largest town in the County, is located at the junction of the Illinois Central and Southern Railways, and is traversed by the U. S. Highways No. 51 and 82. It was first incorporated In Carroll County, May 2, 1861. 'The charter was attested by C.A. Brougher, secretary of state and approved by Governor John Pettus and Attorney General J. T. Wharton. (3): (3. Charter Book I, office of Secretary of State, Jackson, Miss.)

Winona is an Indian name, signifying "first born daughter." Miss Ella Moore, daughter of Col, 0. J. Moore, who was later known as the "Father of Winona," named the town. The commonly accepted version regarding the name of the tows is that at the time the Mississippi Central rail road was built through this territory, the land on which the town of Winona is situated a part of the farm of Col. O. J. Moore. The railroad passed through this property and the officials of the company placed the station, near the plantation home, granting Miss Ella Moore the privilege of choosing a name. .She could not readily make up her mind as to the choice of a name. One night during a dinner at the Moore home, where the railroad officials were being entertained an Indian girl, private maid of Miss Moore’s entered the room, and one of the guests asked her name. He was told it was "Wenonah". This lead to a discussion which resulted, in Miss Moore's decision to name the station, "Winona", for the Indian maid. (l): (l. Henry Hart, Winona, Miss.)

The first settles of the town was Colonel O. J. Moore, who moved here from Virginia in 1848. The present home of Dr. E. C. O’Cain, on Summit Street, was the first home built. When the final survey of the railroad was made, an influx of settle began, and soon the site was a busy little village.

What is now the business part of the town was then a cultivated field owned by Col. Moore; the valley southeast of the Illinois Central depot was fertile soil on which grew a fine crop of corn; Front Street and the incline back to where the Moore Memorial Methodist church now stands was in sedge grass.

As is usual in all new railroad towns, the first stores were groceries, the first of which was opened by B. C. Curtis. It is needless to state that the leading article was liquor, which was sold by the gallon. Soon Napoleon and John L. Burton, brothers opened a grocery store it competition with Curtis. During the War Between the States, Napoleon Burton was killed while gallantly leading his company in the Fifth Mississippi Calvary at the charge of Fort Pillow. The next store was that of Palmer and Spivey, which operated until it burned during the yellow fever epidemic of 1878. G. A. Spivey lived in the house occupying the lot Mrs. Vivian Tally now resides.

Other pioneer merchants were the Townsend brothers. Captain, L. R. Townsend fell while Leading Company E, Fourth Mississippi Infantry, at the sanguinary battle of Franklin, Tennessee, in 1864' (see chap. 9, Wars).

Winona's first hotel was the Nash House, which stood where Simpson's grocery now is. It was a two-story frame building, and Mr. Nash was noted for keeping a good table.

The first physicians were Dr. Ratliff find Dr. E. W. Moore, son of Colonel O. J. Moore. The first depot agent was Ed Carter, an old bachelor from Lafayette County; his successor was C. H. Campbell who was in turn succeeded by G. A. Spivey. Col O.J. Moore was Winona's first postmaster, the office being located in his store. The proceeds of the post office were not very lucrative in those primitive days.

G. S. Applegate was one of the Pioneers of Winona's early histories.

He did not at first live in town, but several miles away, where he had a sawmill that furnished a large portion of the lumber which entered into the construction of the town. W. W. Marshall, another old settler lived in an old-fashioned building east of the present compress, and carried on a mercantile business. This house, built by the Masonic fraternity, was a two-story frame; the upper story used Pythagoras Lodge No. 48, which had been removed from Middleton.

Winona was not behind in enthusiasm and support of the Confederacy, as two companies were raised in this town and surrounding country besides, numbers of our brave young men enlisted in other companies (see Chap 9, Wars).

Dr. B. F. Ward, born in Abbeville, South Carolina, in 1836, was the most outstanding citizen Montgomery County has produced. Bereft of his father when he was eleven years old, he came with his widowed mother to Choctaw County. Denied the education advantages which were his heritage, he overcame this handicap in the country schools by a close application of self-imposed studies at home. Early in life, he had a leaning to the medical profession and to this end, bent his energies and devoted his time and talents.
He taught in the country schools until he had saved enough
to attend a course of lectures in the medical department of the
University of Louisiana and, in 1859 received his medical degree at the Atlanta medical College.

Now fully equipped to practice his profession, he built up a splendid clientele, and was on the high road to affluence when the War Between the States began.

He immediately enlisted as a private in the Carroll Rifles, a company of the Eleventh Mississippi Infantry, commanded by Colonel Phillip Liddell. One year later he was elevated to the important post of field surgeon, and assigned to duty with the same company. In a short while he was promoted to junior surgeon on the staff in the brigade of General Joseph R. Davis. His ability was recognized to the point of other promotions, his next being an appointment in the Army Medical Board, with the division of Major Heath, in which capacity be served until the surrender at Appomattox. He received marked distinction through the campaigns of Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania At the battle of Gettysburg, where the Confederacy lost heavily; he remained on duty while Mead's host poured leaden death from Cemetery Ridge into Lee's staggering and bleeding army. When Pickett fell, and the beaten heroes fell back, he remained on duty, caring for the wounded until they were removed to Federal hospitals.

After he had done valiant service in caring for and helping to remove his wounded comrades to the hospital, he was made a prisoner of war, sent to Fort McHenry, and remained for five months, when he was exchanged and permitted to rejoin his regiment, with which he remained until the close of the war.

Dr. Ward then returned to his devastated homeland settled in Winona, resumed the practice of his profession, and became one of the leading authorities in therapeutics. He contributed much to the medical journals and other scientific periodicals of his day, and his theses in the different fields of thought won for him a nation-wide reputation. He served his profession as president of the Mississippi Medical Association, was identified with the American Medical Association, was chief surgeon of the Mississippi Division of the United Confederate Veterans, and was prominent in assisting to establish Mississippi's first Board of Health.

Dr. Ward was married to Miss Mary H. Hardaman, of Tennessee, and to this couple seven children were born: Melzana, wife of Henry Hart, planter in the Yazoo Delta and banker in Winona; Annie Bruce, and Hardaman, who died in infantry; William C., who up to the time of his death, seemed destined to a conspicuous Once in the affairs of the state; Mary, who died in the flower of her young womanhood; Ben, once editor of the Winona Times, whose motto attracted nation-wide attention in its unique phraseology: "I know not what the truth may be I tell the news as it was told to me;" and Maggie, now dead. Only one child survived the venerable doctor, Mrs. Henry Hart. Dr. Ward died in 1920. (1): (1. Henry Hart, Winona. Miss.)

The Witty family, of whom Captain William H. Witty was a member, were early settlers of Montgomery County. Captain Witty, born in Guildford County, North Carolina, in. 1829, came with his family into this state and at the outbreak of the War between the States, enlisted in the Confederate Army. He distinguished himself on the battlefield, and was commissioned a captain. Near the end of hostilities, he was taken prisoner of war and sent to Johnson's Island.

Captain Witty, for years the leading merchant of Winona, also established .the first bank in the county, it being known as the Witty Brothers and Campbell Bank. His partners were P. D. Witty and Charles H. Campbell, all Confederate soldiers.

William and P. D. Witty built a brick house at the corner of Front and Summit streets using the lower floor as a mercantile mart, and the upper story for an opera house. When the old courthouse burned in 1903, the upper story of this building was turned over to the board of supervisors for the county business, and was so used until the completion of the present courthouse in 1904. Captain Witty died in March, 1885 and was buried in Oakwood cemetery, Winona.

During the four years of strife between the states, business was almost at a standstill; there was no chance for development and growth. Winona, instead of building up, really retrograded. It was a desolate and abandoned looking place in April, 1865, when news came of the surrender (see Chap. 10, Reconstruction). One

By one the survivors straggled back, worn by toll and privation, but indomitable in spirit and with faith in Winona's future. Slowly the town began to revive from the benumbing influences of war and its attendant conditions.

Following close on reconstruction, came the yellow fever epidemic of 1878, which prevailed to some extent, carrying off some of her best citizens and causing the town to he almost depopulated by the refugeeing of many others.

Dr. D. B. Turner' another early citizen of Winona, came here from Alabama about the beginning of the War Between the States He married Miss Laura Moore, youngest daughter of Colonel 0. J. Moore. He made a deservedly high reputation in 1867 by the brave and chivalric devotion to duty during the cholera epidemic in Winona. Again, 1878, he displayed the same devotion in combating the yellow fever epidemic which held the town in its deadly embrace for several months. Dr. Turner died in 1879.

The most deservedly disaster, that ever visited Winona, was the great fire of April 21, 1888, which' destroyed almost the entire business section, consuming forty of the fifty business houses. Again in 1904, Winona suffered a heavy loss from fire, losing seven business houses, including the entire material and equipment of the Winona Times. (1): (1. The Winona Times, Winona, Miss., April 29, 1892.)

Winona today is a city of which her county may well be proud. Despite the adversities and setback encountered in her history, she has advanced in all phases, and is the county's largest and most progressive town, with a population of 2,500.

If it were possible for those early citizens who founded the town to catch a glimpse of modern Winona, they would undoubtedly feel gratified and assured that their plans had materialized in a way far surpassing their dreams.

With the removal of the Indians, this section was open for settlement by the white people, but many of the early settlements were established long before the county was organized from parts of Choctaw and Carroll.

Research reveals that most of the early settlers of our county came from Virginia and the Carolinas, with a small percentage from Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. All came in wagons, the majority of them drawn by oxen, with all the family and household goods loaded on the wagon; not many of them had mules or horses. In their search for homes the most important factor was good drinking water, and it is interacting to note the large number of homesteads of the early settlers that were located near natural springs. With the exception of a very few, the early settlers were farmers, who, having selected a favorable spot, immediately set up log cabins and began clearing the land. These first homes were constructed of hand-hewn log.

The price paid to the government for the land was in most cases $1.25 per acre; a few were sold for seventy-five cent per acre. The first application for lard patents were filed in 1833. (1):

(1. Tract Book 34, Montgomery County, Winona, Miss.)

MIDDLETON, the first settlement in what later became Montgomery County, was established about 1820. It was first called, Bowling Green, afterwards Oxford, and finally Middleton. This last name was chosen because the village was situated at the point where the Shongalo and Greensboro roads crossed, and these roads were the only ones in the county at the time.

Some facts concerning the early days of Middleton, as given by historians of Winona, follow: "Middleton, one of the finest and largest inland towns of Mississippi in this prime, the seat of Mississippi culture for over a half century now dead and nearly forgotten, a few miles west of Winona. There were two colleges, the Judson Institute for Women, and the Male College, which were the best schools in this section of the South."

The Judson Institute, which later became the Middleton Female Seminary, was a brick building with a capacity for sixty. A prospectus for 1855-56 gives a, list of the faculty members and board of trustees of the college. Faculty members were: H. F. McWilliams, Miss Mary L. Eldredge, Miss Mary H. Taggart, Miss Arizona Perkins, and Miss' Rachel Thompson. The members of the board of trustees were: O. J. Moore, John E. Palmer, Allen Gary, Dr. D. M. Lipscomb, William Y. Collins, E. G. Whitehead and Simon Stovall (see Chap. 14, Education) The course of study covered the primary, academic, and collegiate departments. The expense for ten months, including board and tuition, amounted to $120.

Besides these colleges there were six business houses, two hotels, a photographic studio, a Methodist, Baptist and Presbyterian, church. A singing and dancing school also helped to enliven the people. Several doctors practiced here, one of whom was the famous St. Louis specialist, Dr. Montgomery (see Chap. 21, Health). , James Z. George also practiced law here at the beginning of his career. (1): (1. Samuel Yolles, Winona, Miss.; Karl Artman, Winona, Miss.)

One of the hotels was the famous Bridges Hostelry, where many of Colonel Alexander K. McClung’s duels are precipitated. When he was United States Marshal for Northern Mississippi, he visited Middleton frequently. Once be was said to have been sleeping in a hotel there with a man by the name of Nelson. Du-big the night they were aroused by a great commotion and McClung thinking that Nelson was trying to play a trick on him, drew his gun and had Nelson on his knees begging for his life when the manager rushed in to explain that the noise was caused by an old gander that slept on the top of the dirt chimney, and occasionally lost his balance and fell inside.

One of the two living persons who were residents of old Middleton, Mrs. Mollie Lovett, ninety-one years of age, living near Winona, recalls the time that Jefferson Davis spoke at old Middleton. For this occasion great preparations were made: Circular benches, convenient to the speaker's stand, were built around a hill for the spectators; many cows were barbecued; and Brunswick stew was served at noon to a huge crowd. (2): (2. Mrs. Mollie Lovett-Winona, Miss.)

The Mississippi Central Railroad built in 1858, marked the decline of Middleton. The railroad having missed the town by about two miles, the citizens soon deserved and moved to Winona. Today only one citizen of the old days, Charlie C. Pace, lives at Middleton; he resides in the original house built by his grandfather when Middleton was a thriving center. No other building remains, and over the ruins of the cemetery, trees have grown to a huge size; tangled undergrowth springs from sunken graves, and vines cover the monuments.

POPLAR CREEK, small village in Beat 5 sixteen miles from Winona, derived its name from the stream, which runs near it.

The name originated from the large number of poplar trees growing along the course of the creek. James Armstrong from Tennessee made the first settlement in this neighborhood in 1836. He and his family lived the first year in an Indian cabin with a dirt floor. The nearest neighbor was H. B. Latham, ten miles distant, and James Lindsay; another neighbor lived still further away.

The next settler who found his way to the neighborhood was James Oliver, who settled about three miles northwest of Poplar Creek; John Stinson came in 1839 and located three miles north; John A. Mecklin came from South Carolina and settled in 1845; Robert Ward, a brother of Dr. B. F. Ward, also from South Carolina, came in 1848. There was an influx of settlers about this time, among whom were A. F. Winfrey and Dr. Davidson, from Georgia. A post office was established in 1849, with Matthew Young as first postmaster. The first public business to open up in Poplar Creek was the blacksmith shop of J. H. Gresham. Elisha Holmes came to the community in 1853; his sons, Giles and John, owned a tanyard and a shoe and harness shop.

Many others contributed to the building and growth of this village and the surrounding community. Some of these were the Boyd’s, Carters, Simpson, Dorrisses Tompkins' Creaths, and Townsend. (1): 1. (The Winona Times, Winona, Miss. May 27. 1892.)

HUNTSVILLE, a village in the extreme southeastern part of Beat 5, one-half mile from the Choctaw County line, was named for Wilson Hunt, who settled here in 1844. Though Hunt was the first person to settle within the
limits of the town, he was by no means the first settler in the community. Upon Hunt's advent into the community, he engaged in farming, operated a grocery store, a saloon, and tenpin alley. Old settlers relate that Hunt’s saloon
was not stocked with liquor brought from the North, as was the usual custom, but was manufactured by himself in a distillery of his own construction.

W. L. Holoway, coming from Coumbus in 1840, was one of the earliest settlers. W. C. Staples, who settled near Huntsville in 1847 came from Choctaw County, where he was a pro- minent citizens having been sheriff one term ands later representing that county in the legislature. At the beginning of the War Between the States he raised Company K, Twenty-fourth Mississippi Regiment, serves with distinction, rising to the rank of major. John Crowder, another old settler, was the first member of his family to come to Montgomery County.

Zebulon H. Simpson, settling near the village in 1840, was a prominent citizen of the community, both as a farmer and a school teacher. George Dashner arrived in May, 1840, to become a partner of J. H. Gresham in the mercantile business for many years. U. T. Wilson reached Huntsville in the early part of 1850, and established a cabinet shop. It was his custom to peddle furniture through the country when his stock exceeded the local demand. Dr. H. F. Atkins, coming here in 1848, was the county's first physician. He married a sister of Dr. B. F. Ward. (1): (1. The Winona Times, Winona, Miss., March 11, 1892.)

The old Masonic Lodge No. 331 formerly stood on a hill just east of the town. This building was for holding flotorial conventions during the period that Choctaw and Montgomery were in the same flotorial district.

DUCK HILL, a small town in the Northern part of Montgomery in Beat 2, on the Illinois Central Railroad and U. S. Highway 51, was so named for the hill that overlooks the town from the northeast, and for Dr. Duck an Indian, whose wigwam stood on the hill. Dr. Duck was living there when the first white man carne into this beautiful valley, and since it was the highest point in all the surrounding country, it was used by the Indians as a guide to direct their way in traveling. It is also said that the hill was used as a signal station in time of war.

South of Dr. Duck's, and very nearly where the residence of H. M. Caffey now stands, there lived another Indian names Jones. He was a farmer cultivating small field of about six acres that lay east of his cabin.

John A. Binford was the first white man to locate permanent in this community. He brought his slaves from North Carolina to Duck Hill in 1834, clearing a farm and building a residence thereon. Binford occupied a prominent position in public affairs representing Carroll County in the legislature three terms before the War Between the States and serving a term in the state senate after the surrender. He was also a delegate to a peace conference which met in Philadelphia in 1865. He presented the Illinois Central Railroad the grounds for a depot, which in turn, gave him and his son’s free transportation over the line for life.

The town was first name Binford, but at the suggestion of the founder, it was changed to Duck Hill. The first post office and store was located on the old stage road west of the present town, leading from Grenada, by way of Middleton, to Carrollton. The original town contained two stores, operated Thomas Allen and Lake and Bingham, two blacksmith shops operated by E. E. Waltz and Charley Holloway; and one wood shop. The first physician was Dr. J. J. Doty; Richard Eskridge, with his family and two sons-in-law, J. C. Weed and a Mr. Love, came here from Tennessee in 1835.

This year also brought the following North Carolinians: Dr. J, W. Butt, his father-in-law, Benjamin Campbell, his son-in-law, C. C. P. Campbell, and his brother-in-law, J. C. Finney. Their first settlement was made five miles west of Duck Hill on a stream bearing the singular name of "Jumping Gully." The D. D. Wilkins place was first settled by H. H. Burt in 1839; his brother. W. C. Burt came with him from Alabama.

Duck Hill furnished a number of soldiers for the Confederate service, having furnished the whole company — McClung's Rifle, mustered into service in April, 1861 and also about this thirty men to Stanford's Battery (See Chapter 9.Wars.) James R. Binford, son of John A. Binford went out as a private in the Duck Hill Company was appointee adjutant at Corinth in 1861, was elected major at the re-organization, and was afterwards appointed lieutenant-colonel. When the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Regiments were consolidated, he was made colonel, in which capacity he served with ability and distinction until the close of the war. Another who distinguished himself in this battery was Dr. T. R. Trotter, who served one year as lieutenant later he was appointed assistant surgeon and finally as surgeon of the Fifteenth Mississippi. (1): (1.The Winona Time; Winona, Miss., July 1, 1892.)

LODI, situated fifteen miles east of Winona, three quarters from the Webster County line, is on an elevation that overlooks the valley of west Wolf Creek. The country around Lodi was, settled by a class of thirty, enterprising farmers, a large number of whom were from North Carolina.

The first settler was Colonel William Dyer, who located two and one half miles east of Lodi. Coming in quick succession were Pleasant J. Campbell 1833, who located on some land two miles north of the present village; Abram Geren in 1835 and his three sons, Edgar, Laton, and "Fat Will" (the latter so called to distinguish him from a step-son of the same name, and who was remarkably lean). Simeon Geren, a married son, also came with his father, but settled four miles north of Lodi. He was a physician and in 1843 moved to Carroll County and founded the little town of Gerenton. Richard Witty, in 1837, became he first, settler on the site of the present town, and later sold the first lot in the town.

Thomas Frazier settled here in 1840 and reared a large family. They suffered severely during the war; seven sons, sons-In-law, and a grandson were killed. The old people survived the war, but died soon after, leaving behind no representative of their name in this community.

In 1850 Dr. Samuel Hill moved to the neighborhood of Lodi and entered upon the practice of medicine, soon making front rank in his profession. After over twenty years of successful practice, he moved to Winona in 1873. An- other pioneer physician of renown and one who helped make history in Lodi and surrounding country, was Dr. W. W. Hart, one of the county's most helpful citizens. During the dark days of Reconstruction his counsel, both as physician and political guide, made him outstanding. He was also one of the county's first legislators after its formation.

Henry Loggins was in founder of the Loggins family in Montgomery County. He came from Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, and located near Lodi in 1837, bringing with him a large at number of slaves and in a few years he amassed a fortune. His children were Reuben Burch, William Thomas, and Susannah. The two sons were both Confederate soldiers, William Thomas rising to the rank of captain during the first years of the war.

KILMICHAEL community was settled between 1830 and 1840, most of the old settlers coming from North Carolina to build homes and cultivate the soil. Among these who laid the foundation for a community were: William Flowers, John Flowers, Washington Ingam, Malachi Ingram, John K. Armistead, Amos Armistead, S. R. Baines, Daniel L. Roach, and Rev. Jim R. Locke, Jim Knox, and others.

Benjamin Lee came in 1837. He was postmaster, Leesville; established in 1839, named in his honor. Due to confusion in the mails on account of the similarity in the names, Leesville and Louisville, the name of the post office was changed. While the new name was being discussed, an old Scotchman, Duncan McKinley, proposed the name of Kilmichael, that being the name of a town in his native land, and one not likely to be duplicated. It Was adopted.

John D. Polson, another pioneer settler, located a half mile east of the old town in 1836. H. B. Barnes was from North Carolina. He opened a general store at, the Williams place in 1841 and also served as postmaster.

J. K. Armistead followed John Flowers and had the postoffice removed to his residence on the old Greensboro and Shongalo roads. For many years he held the position of magistrate and became noted for the wisdom and justice of his rulings and decisions. He reared four sons, two physicians and two lawyers, of whom acquired distinction in his calling. John A. Wilburn
came here in 1846 from Georgia; he enlisted and served through the Mexican War as a member of the Mississippi Battalion of Riflemen.

LEWIS CREEK, five miles from Kilmichael, was so called for an old Indian named Lewis. He was of the Choctaw tribe and had small farms near the creek, where he raised corn for bread. The forest and stream supplied the remainder of his diet. His death did not occur until the country was thickly settled. (1): 1. The Winona Times, Winona, Miss., June 10, 1892.)

MAYFIELD is situated on Wolf Creek, three miles from where it empties into Big Black, near the Webster County line. William Peery, coming here in 1833 from Tennessee, was the first white man to locate in the neighborhood permanently. William Barfield fixed the date of William Peery's arrival by the fact that it was the same year in which the stars fell. All who witnessed that, strange and startling phenomenon remembered it with undimmed vividness--flashing meteors, hiss-and darting crossing and re-crossing each others' paths so continuously as to make the night as light as day. Many though that the Day of Judgment was sit hand.

William Atkinson who came in 1836 from North Carolina was fond of sport and spent much of his time in hunting and fishing. Daniel Seale, a South Carolinian, located in the Mayfield community about the same time.

The Lindsey family was also South Carolinians. Vinea Lindsey, the founder, settled in the vicinity in 1832. (2): (2. The Winona Times, Winona. Miss., June 17, 1892.)

When Montgomery Count was organized, a part of Choctaw was included in the division, and stateland became a village in beat 3, Montgomery County. In 1880 a postoffice was established and the name changed to ALVA. The first postmaster was Wyatt Sturdivant; Captain J. M. Tinnon followed him in 1886; who in turn was succeeded by Mrs. Marine Wilson. Finally, the postoffice was moved to Sweatman. Alva was incorporated in 1915 with a population of 150; its first Mayor was Joe E. Philly.

The earliest settlers to each this part of the county were the families of Sam Parker and Stephen Poe, who came from Alabama in 1883. Stephen Poe bought land and located his home-stead on the place now owned by Mrs. Sam Parker. Sam Parker settled on what is now the property of M. H. Ingram. These men were farmers and highly respected citizens.

Terrell Rose, the next pioneer to arrive in the community, came in 1934, married Elizabeth Parker, and settled on and which is owned by W. L. O'Neal. He was the first person in the settlement to buy a marriage license.

Dr. Jim Love, coming in the 1850's, was the- first physician to locate here. He was followed by Dr. Elijah Pittman in 1870, and Dr. Steadman, and Dr. W. A. D. James in 1872. The latter married Laura Parker, and reared a large family. Among his children were two doctors, one lawyer, and one missionary to Mexico. (1) :( 1. M. H. Ingram, Sweatman, Miss.)

The small villages of Sibleyton, Eskridge and Minerva, were settled after the War Between the States. The latter community is located a few miles from Lodi.

SWEATMAN, located near Lodi, is another point of Later settlement, and was named for Captain D. L. Sweatman, who won his commission in the Confederate service, and later became one of the leading lawyers of Winona.

"Uncle Billie" Collins was one of the leading citizens who settled at Sawyer, a fagstop north of Winona, on the Illinois Central Railroad. This was a fuel station in the pioneer days of the Mississippi Central Railroad, where trains stopped daily to get wood which was cut and hauled by citizens who had contracted to do this work. The same is true of Foltz, located three miles south of Winona, on the Illinois Central Railroad. When the railroad was first opened, this stop was known as "62."

References

Montgomery is a high, rolling county, being from 450 to 500 feet above sea level. Two of the highest points, which are of equal height, are "Duck Hill" _and "Bogashie" Mountain. The lowest part is the extreme southeastern part of the county, where Big Black River enters Carroll. All the bottom land is surrounded by hills, but no place in the county is so rugged that it cannot be cultivated.

There are two watersheds in Montgomery County—the territory drained by Big Black River and the territory drained by Bogue Creek and its tributaries.

BIG BLACK enters the county at a point one mile east of Stewart, in the southeastern part, and flows in a southeasterly 'course, entering Carroll County three miles east of Powell’s Ferry crossing on Big Black. Almost every year when the spring rains come, Big Black River overflows its banks and the entire river bottom are under water from a week to ten days, and at rare Intervals, longer. Today, little inconvenience is caused, by these overflows, as highways have been built which withstand the onrush of water. In earlier days, when. Big Black run amuck, the roads were covered with water, and the citizen’s across the river from the towns were forced to use row boats to establish contact with the towns.

At this time there was no stock law. Cattle wintered in Big Black swamp, while hogs were ear-marked and left it the bottoms to feed on mast. Fences were built of rails. The biggest overflow in the history of Big Black came in the spring of 1892, when the water reached a depth of fifteen feet. All rail fences in the flooded area were washed away; and practically all the wild hogs, were drowned, (1): 1. Chesley Wilkins, Duck Hill Miss.)

BOGUE CREEK, with its tributaries, drain all the territory lying north of Duck Hill to the Grenada County line, and is formed in township 20 by the junction of McKenzie Creek and smaller streams. Bogue Creek flows, north, leaving the county in section? Township? , and empties into Yalobusha River in Grenada County. The creek was named by the Indians before the arrival of the white man. The name originally was Bat-a-pon Bogue. Bogue is the Indian word for creek, but use of the word Bit-a pon has long been discontinued. (1): 1. (Chesley Wilkins, Duck, Hill, Miss.)

EAST FORK BOGUE CREEK, one of the small tributaries of Bogue, rises on the J. L. Wray plantation in section 36, township 21, end flows north, leaving the county in township 21, and empties into Bogue Creek in Grenada County.

Mouse Creek, a small tributary of Bogue, rises on the J. L. Wray plantation in section 10, township 20. It flows north, and enters Bogue in section 20, township 21.

WORSHAM Creek, another small feeder of Bogue, rises in section 25, township 20. It flows northeast emptying into Bogue in section 5, township 20.

TAYLOR CREEK, raises section 12, runs northwesterly and empties Into Worsham in section 9. township 20.

SYKES CREEK, another Bogue tributary, flows northward, joining Bogue, as does Wilkins creek.

Hayes CREEK, one of Big Black's tributaries, rises in section 35, township 20, flows south and empties into Hays Creek Canal.

MULBERRY CREEK rises in section 30, township 20, and flows southeast into Mulberry canal, which flows on south and empties into Big Black River.

Poplar CREEK raises in section 35, township 17, and flows northwest, empting into the Big Black in section 29, township 18.

LITTLF Poplar creek raises in section 30, township 17, flows northwest, emptying into Poplar Creek in township 17.

DAVIS CHEEK, a very Small stream rises in section 31, flows north and empties into Poplar Creek is section 20. There are many smaller creeks which flow southward and empty into Big Black River. Among these are Baxter, Horse, Bogashee, Wilson, Clear, Panther and Wolf creeks. (1): (1. R. B. Robinson, Map of Montgomery County.)

The county abounds in springs and wells, and the water is pure and palatable. Well water is available at any point, at depths varying from ten to one hundred feet. However, there are only "two" artesian well in the county, both in Winona. One is on the right-of-way of the Illinois Central Railroad; the other is municipally owned and furnishes water for the city.

STAFFORD WELLS, two mineral springs located on one estate and within a hundred yards of each other, were at one time considered to have wonderful health-giving properties. Though in Close proximity, the water from these wells contain entirely different chemical elements, that from the lower is" recommended for kidney trouble, and that of the upper for, the treatment of liver disorders.

Peter Stafford, for whom the wells were named, sold the lands on which they are located to Dr. Sidney Washburn, who built a hotel and several cottages and opened a health resort, which for many years was very Top popular. This water was shipped to foreign points in large quantities. After a time interest in the resort waned and with the departure of Dr. Washburn it closed. Stafford Wells are of little importance now, although the water is sold to druggists elsewhere. (2): (2. Frank Stafford Winona, Miss., Dr. W. T. Hand, Starkville, Miss.)

WILLIAMS SPRINGS, a mineral one, is located on the farm of Lem Williams, in the extreme eastern part of the county. Although no chemical analysis of the water is available, it is com- monly accredited with healthful properties. (3): (3.C. C. Oliver, Kilmichael, Miss.) .

References:

The principal soil-forming materials in Montgomery County are limestone and Marl, calcareous clays, sandstones, sands, and granite.

Limestone’s and marls usually produce dark, calcareous clay soils, but the soils produced from these rocks mal be red if iron compounds are present or they may be sandy if the limestone should contain more sand than clay as an impurity. Sandstones and sands produce Sandy soil and loam which are usually gray or light yellow, or_, red in color. They are usually gray or light yellow if; the percentage of iron oxide is small and red if it is abundant, with a small amount of organic Matter. If there is sufficient organic matter present, the soil may be dark.

Clays, shale, and slates produce clay and silt soils which are often gray or dark in color, but the color is variable due to the presence or absence or iron compounds and organic matter. Sometimes clay is entirely devoid of coloring matter, and the resulting soil is white or gray until sufficient organic matter is incorporated to change it to a darker color. Granite and forms of igneous rocks produce clays, loams, and sandy soils. (1) (1. William H. Logan, Technical Bulletin, No. 7, Soils of Mississippi.)

About sixty-five percent of the soil in this county is applicable to the types of soil produced sand and sandstones; the remaining thirty-five per cent is equally divided between the type produce by limestone and marl and cay and shale’s. (2): (2. Rupert Dixon, assistant county agent, Winona, Miss.)

Montgomery County lies within the north central plateau soil region, and the characteristic soil over the whole area is a yellowish brown loam containing considerable proportions of silt and clay. This spreads like a blanket over many counties of the state and varies in thickness from fifteen inches to three or four feet. Lying just beneath this loam, over almost the whole area, is a variable thickness of red sand, which was formerly called Lafayette but is now believed to be weathered Eocene. The prevailing sloping surfaces of the land, the yielding mellowness of the soil, and the treacherous sand beneath which outcrops on the bills so as to be easily attacked by weather, render this region one peculiarly susceptible erosion. Marked evidence or erosion are to be seen in many places Productively, this brown loam is perhaps the most generally useful soil in the state, well adapted to almost any crop. The geologic formations underlying this region are the Lignite’s or Wilcox and the Claiborne. These are prevailingly, sand and clays, but over most of the state they contribute little to the soil, which is usually the brown loam alone, or on slopes, is mixed with the red sand of the Eocene formation. (1): (1. Z. N. Lowe, BulletinNo.16, Road Making Materials of MISSISSIPPI.)

The soil series found in this county are Collins, silty clay loam, Vicksburg silt loam, Oliver silt loam, Orangeburg fine sandy loam, Pheba silt loam, Guin sandy loam, Vicksburg very fine sandy loam and Lexington soils.

The surface soil of the Collins Silty Clay loam to a depth of about twelve inches is a heavy silt loam or silty clay loam of a pronounced brown color. The subsoil is usually of a texture similar to the soil, but is more or less mottled with gray and rusty brown in the upper part and becomes lighter gray in the lower part. The lower subsoil usually contains some yellowish-brown iron stains, and small brownish black concretions, indicative of poor under drainage and lack of serration. This type, found in the swamps of Big Black River, is mainly uncultivated and subject to frequent overflows. White oak, post oak, water oak, gum, hickory and ash are the principal trees which grow in this Collins silty clay loam area,

Vicksburg Very Fine Sandy loam, to six or eight inches Loam is light brown, very fine deep, grading into a brown loam, which, at an average depth of about twenty-six inches, is underlain by a mottled grayish-brown very fine sand. This type is developed in Big Black River bottoms, the only area of which lies near Stewart, in the eastern part of the county. The land is the richest in the county and is almost entirely in cultivation, corn and cotton are the principal crops. (2) :( 2. Hubert Dixon, Winona, Miss.)

Vicksburg Silt Loam consists of a mellow brown silt loam, usually underlain at about ten to fifteen inches by a lighter brown silt loam, which ordinarily shows but little change within the three-foot sections. All the type is subject to overflow, but the floods are of short duration and occur mostly in the winter or spring. A large part of the area covered by this type is in cultivation. Corn, cotton, and sometimes sugar cane are the principal crops.

Oliver Silt Loam consists of a brown silt loam, six to ten, inches deep, underlain by a yellowish-brown, silty clay loam which changes to a depth of twenty-five to thirty inches to a compact, rather plastic, grayish, silty loam, mottled with yellowish-brown and containing considerably rusty-brown or black concretion.

Orangeburg Fine Slimly Loam consists of a grayish-brown to slightly reddish-brown fine sand to fine sandy loam, passing into reddish fine sandy loam, underlain at six to fourteen inches by a subsoil of red, pliable, sandy clay. The subsoil material is sufficiently coherent to stand- in smooth perpendicular walls in road cuts and gullies. A large area containing this soil is found is Montgomery County.

Pheba Silt Loam consists of from six to ten inches of loam to silt loan light gray or grayish brown throughout, or consisting of an upper layer of these colors, and a sub-surface, especially in forested areas. The Pheba is known locally as "mulatto land" or as "mulatto clay land" and is one of the most extensive types, important area of_, which are found in nearly all parts of the uplands. It is the most important agricultural soil in the county. A larger proportion of it is farmed than in any other upland soil, about fifty per tent being in cultivation.

Shortleaf yellow pins are the most common tree in the forest cover, but all the hardwoods found in the uplands of the region are present. Post oak and red oak are more common than the other. Among the hardwood species found it This soil are dog wood, sweet gum magnolia, hickory, cherry, sycamore, persimmon, black walnut and cedar.

There are scattered areas which contain the Ruston fine sand, Ruston fine sandy loams, and the Guin sandy loam, type. The surface soil of the Ruston fine sand consists, of brownish-gray fine sand with a depth of about six inches. Some of this is in cult-ration, some in pine forests and other trees. Areas of Ruston fine sandy loam are found in almost all the hilly sections of the country.

Montgomery County lies mostly in the division of the Tallahatchie Claiborne marl formation, which characterized by glauconitic sands and sandy marls of a deep Indian red. Most of these deposits have an admixture of clay, with usually a little lime that causes the material, when properly spread out upon a roadbed, to cement very firmly and make an excellent road in both wet and dry weather. When a road passes through a region where those marl Outcrop, it is only necessary to shape the road up and provide for drainage. (1): (1. E. Y. Lowe. Bulletin No. 16, Road Making Materials of Mississippi.)

The brow, loam clays and the Wilcox clays are found in certain areas, and the Columbia clay formation, which is used in brick making, is found to a small extent. At one time, brick, were manufactured in Winona from native clay. (2): (2. W. N. Logan, Bulletin No. 8, ecological Survey of Mississippi)

A large amount of building stone is found seven miles, east of Winona. The Community House at Winona is constructed of this stone; it is a light gray approaching whiteness, and very attractive in appearance. (3) (3Susie Staton, Winona, Miss.)

                                                            References:

Flora

Our predecessors found in Mississippi a country clothed in the green of forests and prairie glasses, interspersed with a variety of wild flowers, herbs, and berries seldom excelled. The usefulness of this flora in providing shelter, fuel, transportation, and food had much to do with early settlements, and latre, in supplying our greatest manufacturing interests and industries with raw materials. Towns, cities, and railroads were built, in many instances, almost entirety on the basis of the adjacent virgin forest, which were eagerly sought for the up building of our county.

From naval stores and pines of the South, to hardwoods of the Delta and the mixed growth of the hills, the same general characteristics involve the use and abuse of our natural vegetation. The story is filled with, romance, woe, and good fortune, as is evidenced b this presentation of the study of the flora of Montgomery County. (1) :( 1. Mrs. G. H. Reeves, Jackson, Miss.)

Of the 265,360 acres in Montgomery County, from 63,000 to 3,000 acres are cropland; 20,000 to 30,000 acres are pasture land, and 100,000 to 110,000 are woodland and timber. The forest growth of this land is varied. In recent years the timber supple has been much depleted however, the forests are still among the county's most valuable assets. (2): (2. J. O. Cook, Winona, Miss.)

Of the conifers in the county, yellow or shortleaf pine is the molt important. It is a native of Montgomery County and is found in all hill sections. The leaves are soft and flexible, slender and sharp-pointed, and vary from three to four inches in length. The cones are from two to three inches long, and half as wide.

The wodo is dark and yellowish brown, often veined, which gives an ornamental finish that is much admired in the finished state. The lumber is in demand for flooring and general building purposes. The pine forests have been depleted to an alarming extent in recent years. (1): (1.Julia Ellen Rogers, Tree Every Child Should Know, page 123.)

The Red Cedar is found in irregular clumps in pastures, along fence rows, and in rough, uncultivated places. The peculiarity of this tree is its fruit. Instead of a cone, a blue, juicy, sweet berry follows the bloom, and the Mass of foliage is blue-green. The wood is pale in color and is no table for its durability when exposed to weather or water. Local farmers use cedar for fence posts. (2): (2. Ibid, page 128.)

The Cypress is another cone-bearing tree, which is not evergreen and is fast becoming extinct. The leaves are soft and pale green in color. These trees grow to a huge size and are found only in the low land near Big Black River.

Hardwoods grow more commonly in Montgomery County than do conifers. The White Oak, while not as plentiful as formerly, is; found in almost every section.

The wood is close-grained, heavy, and very durable. It is light brown in color, and it valuable for all general building purpose. White oak is often used as full in the country.

Black Jack Oak, found in sandy or rocky places, is seldom used for anything except fuel. The acorn, about three-fourth of an inch long and one-third of an inch wide, is a dark brown color and enclosed in a thick cup.

Water Oak occurs plentifully in Big Black bottoms, and bears on acorn about half an inch long. The wood is hard and very durable; light brown in color; and used for cross-ties, piling and fuel.

Post Oak is found in upland sections and bears an oval acorn set in a small cup. The wood is very heavy and coarse-grained; a light to dark in color. It is very durable and is used extensively for fence posts.

Red Oak is common to all upland sections of the county. The acorn from this tree is small, rounded, about half an inch long, and is set in a small cup. The wood of this tree is coarse-grained, rough, heavy, and very strong and is in demand for lumber and fuel.

Overcup Oak grows in Big Black swamp and the creek bottoms. It bears a large, oval acorn, from one-half to an inch long. This wood is hard, heavy, and durable, and is valuable as flooring, furniture, implements, and fuel.

The Elm, one of the most graceful of all shade trees, can be found everywhere; it is tough, and is used for hubs, of wheels, saddle trees, boats, barrel hoops, mauls, and everything requiring a very tough wood.

Sweet gum is found in all sections, but is more flourishing in the uplands. This tree grows a large size and is notable for a tasty gum which exudes from the bark. It is easily recognized by its height, bright, beautiful foliage and warty-appearing bark. The wood is used for furniture and for veneering, as well as for fuel.

Tupelo Gum is found in the river and creek bottoms, and the bark is darkable-brown. It bears dark blue berries similar to the Black gum. The wood is soft, light texture and is used in making handles and crates and for veneering.

Black Gum, a somewhat scrubby tree, is found in all sections of the county. This tree has a dark, reddish-brown bark and clusters of dark blue berries. The lumber is used for furniture and veneering.

Sassafras, a small tree found in upland sections, has a grayish-brown bark. The wood, light and very brittle, is used for fence posts. The sassafras has an aromatic odor, and the roots make a tea which is often used AS a spring tonic among the rural folk.

Dogwood is found scattered in all upland sections of the county. It is the most beautiful of the flowing trees. In the spring it is a solid mass of large white blossom edged with pale green.

The trees do not attain a large size but the wood is fine-textured and much in demand.

Holly is a small evergreen tree found near gullies and banks of streams. The bark is light gray with rough excrescences. It bears a bright red berry which remains on the tree throughout the winter and is widely used as a Christmas decoration.

Catalpa trees do not grew extensively in this county. The wood is course grained, very durable, and used almost exclusively for fence posts. It is one of the most beautiful of the flowering tree.

Beech, common to the creek and river bottoms, attains a huge size. The bark is gray and very smooth, and the lumber is used for barrel_, headings and staves.

Hickories, of which there are many different species, include the pignut, bitter pecan, scaly bark and others in this county. They grow in all sections of the county. The nuts are a source of food for squirrels and other wild animals, as well as for humans. The wood is valuable commercially.

Poplar, which is becoming scarce, grows on hills and lowlands. The wood makes a beautiful and lasting lumber, and no tree is more stately and tall. It has a beautiful tulip-shaped blossom.

The Chestnut, when is full fruit, is one of the most beautiful trees in the county. Although this species is becoming rear each year there are a few trees scattered over the county: some over a hundred years old. In former years chestnut hunting was favorite pastime with the, young folk. The lumber from the tree is suitable for certain kinds of furniture, but no tree in this county have ever been cut for this purpose. The wood is not a desirable fuel, due to the numberless gas pockets that explode when brought to a certain heat. (1): (1. C. C. Oliver, Kilmichael, Miss.)

The Chinquapin, a small tree without value, grows in old deserted fields and produces nut of chestnut flavor, which is seldom harvested.

Black Walnut can be found all over the county, but not in groups. Some of these trees grow to large size and produce as much as ten bushels of nuts, which, though of a very rich quality, have no value on the market. These trees are found the most part in cultivated or abandoned fields; never in the wild woods, and are of no value commercially.

Buckeye is a peculiar shrub, and is found only along creek, river, or branch bottoms. It receives its 'name from the resemblance of its fruit to a buckeye. Old colored people carry it about with them as a sort of charm and cure for various miseries, especially rheumatism.

Persimmon grows in all sections, but is more numerous in uplands and old fields. Its fruit is a round pulpy, salmon-colored berry which is very palatable when ripe. The wood is hard and tough and used for the same purpose as dogwood.

Mulberry is well known but not abundant. It grows in rich soil, and the fruit is dark blue or black. It is similar in appearance to the blackberry and supplies food for birds and animals. The wood is sometimes used for fence posts.

Wild Cherry is found usually in open fields, along roadsides and in the banks of streams. The fruit is a small, purple berry, almost the size of a navy bean, and has a tart, bitter taste. Birds and wild animals feed upon it. The wood is hard, strong, and fine-grained, and is in demand for furniture, tools and implement handles.

Crabapple grows in upland sections. It is of small size, having a reddish-brown bark and beautiful rose-colored, sweet smelling blossoms. Its fruit, small and orange-shaped, makes delicious jelly and preserves.

The Wild Plum thrives in isolated places, and the fruit is very desirable for makings jellies and preserves. It is one of the earliest trees to bloom in the spring. The Paw-paw a shrub that grows in lowlands; produces a novel fruit that is of no more value than the shrub itself.

A pear tree which is probably the oldest fruit-bearing tree in the county is located on 0. P. Taylor’s place about four miles north f Duck Hill. This tree was brought from Alabama it 1836 and planted here. Several years ago part of the tree was blown down, and a chain was fastened around the broken part to prevent the entire trunk from splitting.

Although part of the tree bole is a hollow. It still bears fruit. (1):

A Red Oak on the front lawn of the Horne Apartments, Church Street, Winona, is the largest red oak in the county. Under this tree about 1870 Jefferson Davis, it is said, made a speech during Reconstruction days. The tree measures seventeen feet, eight inches in circumference.

To a white oak tree near Duck Hill, Rube Burroughs, the outlaw, hitched his horse while he robbed the train there is 1889. Until a few years ago part of the rope that was used to hitch the horse was still hanging from the tree. (See chapter 8, Outlaw Days)

A cypress, the largest tree in the county, is located in Big Black swamp on Purnell Braswell's land, near Poplar Creek. It is a huge tree, thirty-one and one-half feet in circumference, and at least eighty five feet tall. A peculiar formation covers one-third of body on the south side of this tree, reaching from the ground upward and forming a part of the body of the cypress. On this formation a gum tree, an ash, and a grape vine are growing. (2) :( 2. Purnell Braswell, Kilmichael, Miss.)

The largest holly tree in Montgomery County is in the orchard of Billie Collins. It measures, five feet eight inches in circumference.

A pine tree, on O. P. Taylor's; about four miles north of; Duck Hill measures fifteen feet in circumference. The limbs begin fifty feet from the ground, and the tree is one hundred feet tall. It has been left standing because it is too large to be carried to sawmill. (3): (3.O. B. Taylor, Duck Hill, Miss.)

An old tree, a pin oak, grows on Jeff Herring's place four miles southeast _.of Winona. Two trees, each one and one-half feet in circumference, grew three feet apart. Two feet above the ground they met and grew together, forming one trunk. The tree is low, and the one body has a circumference of three feet. (4): (4.Jeff Herring, Winona, Miss.)

A freak peach tree on the same Place measures sixteen inches in circumference. It bears Clingstone peaches, but about every fourth peach is a peach with one side cling and the other side clear-stone. The fruit is delicious and extremely juicy. This was a volunteer tree from the stone of a grafted peach tree planted thirty-six years ago. (1): (1. Jeff Herring, Winona, Miss.)

Nothing impresses itself on the mind of a traveler more than natural beauty and scenery. Montgomery, as well as nearly all other counties in the state, has a profusion of wild flowers growing in her swamps, open fields, hillsides, and roadsides. Added to this is the beauty of cultivated flowers in yards and gardens surrounding homes.

The Garden Club of Winona, a division of the Woman's Club, sponsors the cultivation of flower and city beautification. The club has an annual plant exchange each spring and a semi-annual flower show in the educational building of the Methodist church. Garden pilgrimages when members of the different women's clubs visit all flower gardens in the city, is common occurrences.

A program encouraging the preservation of trees is sponsored by the Women's Club each Christmas. Prizes are offered for the most beautifully decorated living tree, which stimulates interest. (2): (2. Mrs. J. D. McDougal, W, Winona, Miss.)

A county-wide beautification project, in operation for some time, is a part of the program. A staff of workers is employed in beautifying all public grounds, such as schools and the courthouse, where flower-beds are made and shrubs planted.

Following is a list of the flowers commonly cultivated in this county: Rose, lantana, periwinkle, chrysanthemum, gladiola, zinnia, lily, larkspur, iris, holly-bock, marigold, hibiscus, daisy,

Snapdragon, bachelor button, coreopsis, verbena, nasturtium, violet, Jerusalem cherry, coxcomb, pansy, tulip; crocus, jonquil,

Narcissus, snowdrop, hyacinth, phlox, sweet pea, pink, poppy, pink rose, foxglove, sweet William, cosmos, cornflower, sunflower, Vinci, dahlia, gaillardia, cockier.

The shrubs are: Arborvitae, mock orange, syringe, spires, cal-acanthus, bridal wreath, althea, Nadine, spruce, crape jasmine, forsythia, privet, red dogwood, box, butterfly bush, Birdseye, Beautybush, juniper, English redwood, barberry, deutzia, Kerrie Japonica.

Mullein is found in dry fields, on banks, and stony waste land. The thick, velvety-hairy, oblong, gray leaves cluster in a rosette in the ground. The flowers are yellow, one inch or less across, seated around a thick, dense, elongated spike. (1): (1. Neltje Blanchen, Nature's Garden, page 329).

Blue Flag is found in patches in marshes and swamps. The leaves of this plant are erect and sword-shaped. The blossoms, blue, variegated with white, green, and yellow, appear from May to July. (2): (2. Ulla, page 9.)

Violet, royal in color and lavish in profusion, blossoms everywhere in woods and marshes, on meadows and lawns. The heart shaped leaves fold toward the center ^.when newly put forth, and the five petals, bluish-purple, golden-hearted blossoms are too familiar for detailed description. (3): (3. Ibid, page 29.)

Cherokee rose, a climbing, rambling rose, grows in great mounds all over the country. It blossoms during June and July.

Milkweed grows in fields, waste places, and along roadsides. The pale greenish-purple flowers appear from June until September and make ponderous, thick, warty pods of compressed seeds which are broadcast by the winds. (4): (4. Ibid. page 135.)

Ox-eye Daisy is to be seen in dry fields and open, sunny places from May until September.

Jimson Weed, or Devil's Trumpet, grows in light soil, fields, waste lands near dwellings, anti rubbish heaps, reaching a height of one to five feet. The flowers are large, showy green-white about four inches long, and the fruit is a dense, prickly, elongated capsule. The seeds and stem of this plant contain a powerful narcotic poison. (5): (5. Ibid, page 248.)

The Golden Rod is the most prolific of all our wild flowers. In the fall of the year a meadow covered with the flower resembles a huge golden blanket spread over the landscape.

One of the most beautiful flowers in the county is the purple, white and lavender Passion flower. It is often, a nuisance in cultivated fields, and the farmer regards it with disfavor.

Sweet William is a plant of the open fields and grows well in cold heavy lands. The blossoms are of delicate orchid shades. The plant blooms profusely and has a delightful odor.

These are many other wild flowers native to Montgomery County, Bitter-weed, snake-root, May-apple, stor-root, dandelion, buttercup, tiger lily, Burdock, and night shade.

Several varieties of vines are found in all sections of the country, but the favorite is the Honeysuckle. In the spring the sweetness of this vine permeates the country-side, though the vine may be hidden from view.

Poison oak, or poison ivy, has a beautiful tomato-colored blossom which is trumpet shaped.

Rattan, found in the swamps and low places, has a thick foliage and is very pleasing in appear, once. Rattan is useful in making lawn furniture.

Muscadine and grape vines, widely distributed in bottom and hillside alike, though not so ornamental as some of the other flowering vines, do have blossoms which are very pretty and fragrant. The fruit is delicious.

The morning glory thrives in cultivated grounds, especially corn fields. The blossoms, ranging in color from bluish pink to white and lavender, are an early morning flower.

Reference

Braswell, Purnell, Kilmichael, Miss.; Mrs. Genelle Brooks, Winona, Miss.; Cook, J. O., Jr., county agent, Winona, Miss.; Dixon, Hubert, assistant county agent, Winona, Miss.

Herring, Jeff, Winona, Miss. McDougal, Mrs. J. D., Winona, Miss.

When the first white man reached Montgomery_, County they found the wilderness bare of human inhabitants, though there was evidence that the Indians had only recently vacated it. Choctaw Indians were the first inhabitants of the county, and prior to 1830, when the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was signed, they owned the central and south eastern parts of the state. Montgomery, County was in the territory ceded by the Indians when this treaty was signed, and under the terms of said treaty the Indians were moved from the territory in 1832, and a new country was open up for white settlers.

The Choctaws were by far the strongest Indian tribe in Mississippi. Because their tribe was too big to be ruled by one man, the Choctaws divided their people into three groups, each ruled by a chief, known as the Mingo,

No Mississippi tribe made greater advances in civilization than the Choctaws. They were honest and trustworthy in their dealings. They were good friends and bad enemies, for they never forget a favor nor forgave an injury. The men were physically strong, brave, and able to bear considerable pain without flinching. They were fond of dress and took long hours to adorn themselves with paint, plumes and jewelry of red or blue color. They also wore fine metal ornaments, for the Choctaws early learned to make objects of metal. (1) :( 1. Pearl Vivian Guyton, History of Mississippi, pages 10, 11.)

In writing of the Indians Cotterill says:

"The Choctaws differed in many respects from the other southern Indians; they were the most sedentary of them all, depending on agriculture for a living. Early observers noted that the Choctaw people were unable to swim, and they offered the unsatisfactory explanation that there were no streams in the Choctaw country. The real reason probably was that they were afraid of snakes, as they undoubtedly were. This same dread caused time to build their corn cribs on posts. The Choctaws wore their hair long and for this reason they were called Pansfalaya long haired people. (1): (1. Robert Spencer Cotterill, The Old South, page 45, 46)

There is no case on record, or in the minds of the oldest citizens of the county, where the Indians ever caused any trouble. They were peaceful, quiet, patient, and forbearing. They drove the best bargains possible and were dontent to live by their own efforts. No roguery was ever reported against any of the tribes that settled temporarily in Montgomery, and never quarrel dountenanded.

It is alleged, and generally believed that the Indians bad a con- tempt for the Negro, but this was not true of these tribes. Their only associates, outside of their kind, were Negroes. Sometime when there were not enough women to meet the demand of a camp, a Negro woman was pressed into domestic service, but there are no known cases of a Negro man ever marrying an Indian woman. No marital rites were observed by Indians. When they moved on, the "bride" was left to pur- sue her former way of living.

Some Negroes living in the county today bear racial markings of Indian sires (and without exception, they boast of their Indian blood. However, they have none of the characteristics of their alleged fathers. (2) (2. Harriet Campbell, Winona, Miss.)

Courtship and Marriage customs of the Indians were unique. When a young Choctaw brave went to find himself a wife, he walked into the home of the maid's parents, where all the family were assembled and entered into conversation during which; he found himself an opportunity to shoot at her a little stock, or pebble. If the maiden returned the young brave's affections, she shot the stick or pebble shyly back at him. If she rejected his love, she arose from her seat with a forbidding expression on her face, and silently left the room. If his suit was successful, he returned in a few days with gifts for the girl's parents, and preparations for the wedding ceremony began.

A feast was prepared and all friends and relatives were invited. When the guests had assembled, the groom was shown into one room, the bride into another, and the doors closed. About two or three hundred yards from the tent, a pole was set up, and when the signal was given, the bride appeared and immediately started for the pole. Then the brave set out in pursuit, followed by loud laughter from the spectators. After he had caught her, he took her by the hand and led her back to the women, who met them half-way, and then in turn, led her to the front of the tent, where she was seated upon an Indian blanket which was spread on the ground. The women formed a circle around the bride; each began to throw gifts at her head. Each time a present struck her it was quickly snatched away by one of the women. Often, more than a dozen made a grab for the gifts, frequently clutching the bride's long black hair. After this distribution of gifts, of which the bride received none, the couple was considered married, the feasting took place and the crowd returned to their homes, (1): (1. Florence Rebecca Ray, "Chieftain Greenwood Leflore and the Choctaw Indians of the Mississippi Valley." pages 25, 26.)

"Ancient Burial Ceremonies and customs of the Choctaws were strange, peculiar, and offensive in many respects. When a death occurred, the body of the deceased was wrapped in garments made for the purpose, to keep them from being destroyed by beasts and birds of prey, then placed or high platforms with food and the things necessary for the journey to the 'Happy Hunting Ground.' They were left at these elevations for many months; then there was one among them known, as the official 'Bone Picker.' After a certain length of time, this prominent personage proceeded to remove all the remaining flesh from the bones, the platform was then burned the skeleton placed in a box and taken to what was known as the bone house. When these houses had been filled with bones, these bones were then placed in holes dug out for them and covered up, thus forming the Indian mounds of which we hear so muck—the earth having to be piled so high to cover the many bones from the bone house" (2): (2 Ibiel, page 28)

The Indians did not always work, as they had various forms of amusement. Playing games and telling stories were their favorite pastimes. Of their games, the Indians liked best to play ball, and the ball used was made by stuffing a piece of deerskin which had been scraped and moistened. They also played many; games of chance and betting on the score was freely indulged in by both players and spectators.

Many peculiar beliefs persisted among the Indians. Among these was one that when the sun was in eclipse, it was being eaten up by squirrels and other animals; when the sun began to darken, they would try to frighten the black squirrels away by beat on anything that would make a great noise, while the warriors shot arrows at the sun, and the women and children threw stones and sticks. (1): (1. Sydour-Bennett "Mississippi History"; pages 18, 19)

The basket making habit of the Indians brought many transited Choctaw to this county. When a boy, A. C. Robinson, of Winona, remembers visiting an encampment located in a large canebrake on the banks of Big Black River, about four miles south of Kilmichael. The Indians lived is tents and made baskets, which they bartered for food, usually trading a basket for the amount of food the basket would hold. For example, if a basket held a half bushel, a peek or quart, they would insist upon a trade for a half bushel, a peck or quart of meal, sugar, potatoes, coffee, or any product they desired, They had no seem of values.

An occasional band of Indians claiming to be Choctaws, frequently settled for short periods is the eastern, part of Montgomery, on Wolf Creek, about three miles south of Lodi, at a place called Double Bridges. Here cane grew rank and in abundance. Since cane was the raw material for their manufacturing, they made baskets and blow-guns, brought them into Lodi, and traded them for necessities.

The men sometimes rods; "calico" ponies without bridle or saddle; the women walked and packet the baskets. Two baskets of one-gallon capacity paid for ten yards of gaudy calico, the predominating color being red. When paid in bacon, the price of a basket was the area on a "middling" which the bottom of the basket would cover. (2): (2. Mort Knight, Winona, Miss.)

When the Indians traded their wares for other products than the articles named, that called forth a battle of wits, and the Indians usually came out ahead. In these barters the Indians were patient and affable. They studied their, prospective customers well and could tell by the eagerness, or difference expressed, how to regulate prices; when to frown and when to smile. One of their trade-winning customs was to take a papoose along, and get the people interested in the little fellow and to jabber Indian with them, thereby affording amusement and good will. Then they would proceed with the trade. The basket most in demand was from a half gallon to two gallons, and was used by school children as lunch containers.

The women made baskets while the men made blow-guns, the price of which was a dozen fish hooks, a pound of buck-shot, or two spools of number eight thread. The thread was used for twisting into fishing lines; the buck-shot for sinkers.

Winona, Duck Hill, and other trade centers had practically the same experience with these Indians. (1): (1. Miss Susie Staton, Winona, Miss.)

When the Indians were moved to their new territory in the west, a few would not leave their old homes, and in accordance with the terms of the treaty, these Indians were allowed to remain and were granted lands within the county. They were compelled, Zens and to obey the laws of the state and county.

Five Indians chose to remain here at this time. Che-ha-ka claimed the northeast quarter of section 26, township 18, and range 6 and was granted a land patent. Abe-took-chego, Opan-homa, Davenport, and Nacy also were granted patents May 23, 1846. (2): (2 Tract Book, Montgomery County, pages 35, 69, 71, 83.)

                                                                      Mounds

An Indian mound of considerable size is in the eastern part of the county, about fifteen miles from Winona, on the farm of W. E. Tompkins, Sr. It covers about one-fourth acre, and is not as-high as in years past. According to old citizens who remember seeing it, the knoll was considerably high. It was once excavated and large quantities of bones, pieces of metal, pots, and arrows were taken from it. This mound is now in cultivation.

When the land adjoining this farm was first settled in 1833, there was a clearing covering about six areas that had been an Indian field. At that time some peach tees still remained in the field which was located about one-half mile from the site of the Indian mound on the Tompkins place. (3): (1.Ceicil C. Oliver Kilmichael, Miss.)

The home of HanlyGreenlee, about fifteen miles southeast of Winona, is built over what was a large Indian mound. It was once excavated and skulls, pottery, arrow-heads, and bones were removed from it. This mound was also of considerable elevation, but has been leveled. (4): Walter Williams, Vaiden, Miss.)

Referees:

Campbell, Harriet, Winona, Miss.

The expression "ante-bellum" calls to mind a vision of oldtime southern aristocracy; charming hoop-skirted ladies riding in state in carriages drawn by magnificent horses, with Negro coachmen in attendance; snow-white cotton fields dotted with black slaves, singing as they pick the fleecy fiber, happy in the thought of returning at the close of the day to the "quarters" back of the "big house".

Such a picture is not consistent with the ante-bellum days of Montgomery County, however, as this territory had not long been settled and development was still in its infancy at the outbreak of the War Between the States. Only a few had acquired affluence sufficient for very large plantations and slaves, which enabled them to enjoy life of ease in the oldtime southern style. The people of this county were, for the most part, of moderate means, busily engaged in developing the natural resources which so plentifully surrounded then.

The erecting of log home to the sound of the ax, and saw, ox wagon laden with cotton and corn, and the passing of stage coaches was the order of the day during those early years. While hunting for wild hogs, deer, and bear was exciting sport, it was done of necessity, with the desire to fill the larder.

Notwithstanding the fact that those pioneers were engaged in practical things, the ante-bellum years were the most picturesque ones of Montgomery's history.

Mississippi is rich in beauty, history, and romance and the old homes now standing in Montgomery County form the links that bind us to the glamorous, historic, ante-bellum days. Hidden away in private parks or groves of state trees, the pre-war homes of the county stand as sentinels of the past, and within many of them are veritable museums of priceless treasures. Here the settlers lived for a time in regal splendors, surrounded by acres of fertile land on which the slaves produced bountiful crops for old Massa. A cordial welcome was extended to all who sought the hospitality of the homes, and here the elite gathered to spend many happy hours in feasting, music, and dancing—romance and history were in the making.

The OLD OLIVER HOME built in 1834, was a two-story structure of the Colonial type of architecture. It was made of heart cypress logs, 12x12x5, feet. The timbers were ax-hewn and fitted into grooves. The rooms were 20x20x18 feet, with a hallway between. Two rooms join each of the main rooms; the stairway, leading to the attic, was, in a corner of the living room. A huge fireplace, where all cooking was done, was wide enough to accommodate rails eight feet long.

James Oliver came with his bride from South Carolina in a covered wagon and settled on this property when it was a virgin wilderness. He was granted homesteads rights in 1833, and he hurriedly contrived a small one-room shack which he and his wife occupied during the four years that the big house was under construction. The nearest neighbors, who lived miles away, helped in the "house-raising," at which time a fifty-gallon barrel of whiskey was opened and stood convenient to all who felt the need of refreshments.

In this home the Oliver, reared a family of ten children, three sons being Confederate soldiers (See Chapter 9, Wars). They were not wealthy, hence gained no especial social prominence; they farmed for a living and were plain everyday people, comfortably circumstanced for that period. James Oliver was noted for his benevolence. In addition to his own children, he sometimes cared for as many as a dozen orphan children in his home at the same time. He did not legally adopt these children, but provided them with a home until they grew up and married, or could find a better home elsewhere. He did not attempt to teach them any social graces.

An interesting incident is told which may be repellent to people of today; nevertheless it is true and caused a little comment at that time. In the summer when the hour of the evening meal arrived, a huge wooden bowl, filled with milk and bread, was placed on the porch, and each child was given a wooden spoon an they ground around the bowl and told to eat. If a dog came sniffing around, he was given a whack with one of the heavy wooden spoons, and the meal was resumed. The children were put to bed at sundown.

A few articles used by this pioneer family, which are of no pioneer family, which are of no value except for the sentiment attached to them, have been preserved. These are a spinning wheel, an old side-saddle, a churn lid, whittled from walnut, an old-fashioned Arber-top bureau, and an old letter written to a member of the Oliver family, dated 1842, New Orleans, cracked and broken where it has been folded, but the writing is plain and distinct. A quotation from one of the pages reads: "John' came down the river on a raft in March; landed safely in New Orleans."

Since the day that James Oliver was granted homestead rights from the Government, the home has been in possession of the Oliver family and is an excellent state of preservation. Cecil Oliver, grandson of James Oliver the present owner. (1): 1.Cecil C. Oliver, Kilmichael Miss.)

The PACE HOME on U. S. Highway 82, two miles west 4 Winona, was built by a Mr. Gary, then a resident of Middleton. It is the only remaining structure of the town of Middleton and is not an imposing edifice, although one of the oldest houses in the county. The date on which it was built is unknown, but an inscription on the chimney reads, "Henry Merritt, 1837," so the inference is that it was erected in that year.

Standing on a hill, it is almost hidden from view by large cedars. It is somewhat on the Colonial style, with four large rooms and an enclosed hallway extending entirety through the house. A front porch with six square pillars spans the front. Slave labor was used in preparing the hand-hewn heart pine logs of which the house is built. All timbers were fitted into grooves and secured with wooden pins. The house is now ceiled, weather boarded and painted white. With the exception of the Binford home, it is the only home in the county that Federal soldiers raided during the War Between the States. James C. Pace, one time mayor of Middleton bought the place from, Mr. Gary in 1850, and his son, C. C. Pace, now owns it.(1): (1. C. C. Pace, Winona, Miss.)

The E. C. O'CAIN HOME, 316 summit Street supposedly the oldest house in Winona, was built for the farm home of Colonel O.J. Moore about 1834. Typical of the old Southern style, it has two rooms built of, logs on the front, a wide hall with stairway, dining room and kitchen, and a porch at the rear. A servant's stairway leads: to rooms on the second floor. Six tall columns reach to the roof of the wide, low front porch. Many changes have been made but the original structure still stands, and the general outline remains the same.

It was in this home that the officials of the Mississippi Central Railway Company were entertained while conferring with Mr. Moore as to the future location of the station. (See Chapter 1 Formation (. Dr. E. C. O'Cain present owner bought the house from the Moore heirs in February, 125. (2) Mrs. Lizzie Casteel Williams, Winona, Miss.)

The Young Home, built by Thomas C. Young in the fall of 1840, soon after his arrival here from Georgia, is of no distinctive type of architecture, and was, originally only two large log rooms, separated by a large hall . One of these rooms had a big fir-

Place with a crane, where all cooking, was done. A large porch spanned the front of the house but in later years two rooms one at either end, were built on the porch.

At the time the home was built, Mr. Young's nearest, neighbor lived eight miles away. The surrounding, country was densely wooded, and game was plentiful. Wild meat and fish were used for food throughout the year, as it was possible at any season of the year to go into the woods and kill wild hogs and game if they were needed. Bears were also numerous.

Mr. Young's water supply came from a spring at the foot of till hill below the house, and here the family washing was done. Soon after the new house had been completed, Mrs. Young and a Negro woman were washing the clothing at the spring, and a litter of pigs were feeding at the edge of the woods nearby. Suddenly the women hear a pig squeal; looking up, they saw a big brown bear seize one of the pigs. The Negro woman snatched ups the stick with which she had been battling the clothes, and running to the bear, struck it several blows on the head. The pig was quickly released and the bear disappeared into the woods. Deer abounded in the forests, and Mr. Young's children and grandchildren still relate a story of his killing two deer one Sunday morning before breakfast.

Greensboro was the nearest town, though twenty miles away. In those days the Young family visited Greensboro two or three times a year to have deeds acknowledged and to buy necessities. There was little social life or anything other than family contacts.

The dwelling is still in a fair state of preservation, having always been occupied by a member of the Young family. In 1932 it was sold to William Liston, who now resides there. (1): (1. James C. Young, Kilmichael, Miss.)

The LOGGINS HOME, built by W. T. Logging, about 1850, was an imposing white two-story loose of Colonial design. It contained ten rooms, eight of which were 20x20 feet each. It was built of popular logs hewn to dimension and covered with weatherboarding which was hauled by mule team from Vicksburg, the near market for dressed lumber.

The combination library and music room was the most interesting feature of the house. The walls were covered with library shelves containing classics, histories, scientific works, and standard fiction; at the west end stood a piano, Italian harp, and minor instruments, all of which Mrs. Logging played.

Mr. Loggings was a farmer but did no manual labor, as he owned a large number of slaves, which had been given him by his father, Henry Loggins. A story is fold regarding the treatment of the slaves, giving an insight into the manner in which owners treated their Negroes. A rule, which was rigidly followed, forced all slaves to be in their cabins by nine o'clock at night. "Uncle George," an old slave, had just married When nine o'clock approached be had not come home. It. was not until daylight the next morning that he did return. Mr. Loggins asked where he had been all night, and was told, "Me an Hannah stayed at de dance." Ordered to pull off his cold, be did so, and after Loggins had procured a switch the negro asked him to please whip him on one side; then when he had finished, to please give him Hannah's lashes on the other side. Loggins looked at the Negro a minute, threw down the switch and walked away.

The three Loggias children had all the advantages usual to the aristocracy of that day, but they were dealt with firmly and in a most exacting manner by their parents. Self-reliance and fearlessness was stressed in the Loggins family. As an example: Loggins bad a habit of leaving the lawn gate open every evening; after supper, when night bad fallen, one of the children was requested to go alone and close the, gate, which was about five hundred yards from the house--boys and girls alike taking their turns. Loggins explained that he wanted them to learn to face the dark and at the same time find that there were no hobgoblins around.

After the war the slaves, who still remained faithful, could not grasp the fact that they were free and remained on the plantation. "Aunt Cilla," who was one of the upper-class slaves, remained in her cabin, where Mollie, the six-year-old daughter of the Loggins, paid daily visits and listened with interest to "Aunt Cilla's" tales of what occurred when "Yankees" visited the plantation.

Only one piece of the Loggins' furniture remains, the rest having been destroyed when the home of Mrs. H. H. Harris, daughter of N. T. Loggins, was burned. This remaining piece is a Chippendale center table and is now owned by Mrs. W. H. Talley, Winona; niece of Mr. Loggins.

At present the house is in a bad state of repair, as it has not been occupied for many years, and has practically fallen to pieces. The land on which the house stands is owned by Eli Roberts, colored, descendant of the Loggins slaves. (1): (1. Edward Logging, Sr., Winona, Miss.)

The HENDERSON HOME was settled when Thomas C. Henderson came from Georgia about 1845 to what is now Montgomery County and bought eight hundred acres of land. Upon this estate he built a home which was completed in 1846.

The house, facing south, is a five-room log structure, with a wide hall and front porch the length of the house. All the rooms are weather-boarded and ceiled, and a huge brick chimney furnishes heat. The foundation is made of hand-hewn solid oak timbers, with sills 3x3 feet square. All pieces are joined with oak pegs—not a nail being used in the foundation. This house is in a splendid state of preservation and has never been remodeled. It has one new roof, which was put on in 1935. .An immense log barn, built at the time the house was erected, is still in use and well preserved.

An amusing incident is told of Bob Henderson, Jr., the veracity of which is vouched for by his wile and relatives: When he made up his mind to get married he mounted his mule, rode a distance of twenty-five miles to the house of his sweetheart, found her in the garden, and called to her: "Laura, what about us getting married?" She answered, "All right." Whereupon, he turned his mule homeward saying, "I'll be back in a day or two." True to his promise, he returned within two days and was duly married to the lady of his choice.

This property has been handed down front generation to generation; has never been sold, and is still owned by the Henderson’s; the present owner being Edwayne Henderson, grandson of Bob Henderson. (1) : (1 Mrs. Edna Henderson, Kilmichael, Miss.)

The HART HOME at Lodi is a two-story log structure, built by Dr. W. W. Hart in1857. Dr. Hart, born in Adairville, Kentucky, in 1827, a graduate of the Kentucky Medical College, settled in Mississippi in 1848. (See Chap. 21, Health.)

The house consisted of eight rooms; four on first floor and four on the second; a wide hall divided the rooms on the ground floor, and the stairway led from the parlor.

As was true of most of these early homes, the kitchen was separate from the house proper—some fifty feet to the rear—connected only by a covered latticed pass way through which food was carried to the dining room.

Back of the, kitchen were the servants quarters, made of logs and daubed with mud. The house slaves occupied these cabins.

The kitchen was ruled by "Aunt" Caroline, who was not, only cook and nurse, but a tried and true friend, and upon her shoulders rested the responsibility of keeping the household machinery running smoothly. Her services to the family during the war were invaluable and were never forgotten by the family. After the slaves were freed, Aunt Caroline, indignant at the idea of leaving her white folks, remained with Mrs. Hart until the letter's death.

Several months after the death of Mrs. Hart, Aunt Caroline with her two daughters, suddenly disappeared, and though Dr. Hart searched everywhere, no trace of them could be found. It was thirty years later that a friend of Henry Hart's, son of Dr. Hart, happened to mention that an old negro woman, named Caroline Hart, who had lived at Lodi; he further stated that the old woman was blind. Henry Hart immediately boarded a train and went to investigate the matter. Arriving at the cabin, he found his old servant sitting on the porch and called to her, "Hello, Aunt Caroline," to which she answered "Bless God, if it ain't little Henry, come here and hug your Aunt Caroline's neck." The two were equally thrilled at the meeting. Mr. Hart, on leaving, gave her food, clothing, and many other things, one of which was a black silk dress, in which Aunt Caroline was buried a few years later.

During a period of culture and class distinction were stressed, the Hart family, though they had no high financial rating, was classed among, the county's aristocracy. Dr. Hart was an avid reader and had one of the most complete libraries in the state.

The five Hart children were not permitted over-indulgence when it came to the question of spending money. A circus visited Winona once each year, at which time Dr Hart gave each of his children sixty cents." Fifty cents for gate fee, five cents for red lemonade, and fire cents for peanuts to feed the elephants. That was their year expenditure.

The home_, still owned by Henry Hart, is in an excellent state of preservation, though it has been occupied for the last thirty years by a Negro family. (1): (1. Henry Hart, Winona, Miss.)

The ARMISTEAD - FORREST HOME, a one and a half story building, was built by Dr. John Armistead sometime between 1840 and 1660, and stands three-quarter of a mile northwest of Kilmichael. A distinctive feature of the home is a Circular stairway, which leads to the second floor. On the east side is a long, open porch; on the north, a lattice porch, and in the rear, a back porch on which is a brick curbed well. The building is heated by three massive stack chimneys, with six fireplaces on the_' first floor and two on the second.

On the front lawn are huge cedar and arborvitae, and locustae and mulberry trees surround the dwelling, Mock oranges from the house to the barn. A driveway winds through a grove of oaks from the public road to the house on the hill

Near the house was a flowing spring, curbed with a large beech keg, hollowed by hand for the purpose. Extending from this spring was a long, hollow log watering trough, where travelers often stopped to water their thirsty teams.

Dr. Armistead died in this house and superstitious Negros declared they could see his ghost sitting on the long front porch in the late afternoons. One Negro woman, while washing for the Forrest family, declared that this ghost came to the window; and knocked until her attention was attracted, when it vanished. (2): (2. Mrs. Edna Henderson, Kilmichael, Miss.)

On March 29, 1905, Edna Forrest was married to Wayne M. Henderson in this house; later, Mr. Henderson was elected tax assessor of Montgomery County, which position he held until his death. His wife, Edna, was elected to fill his unexpired term, becoming the first legally woman officer in Montgomery County, and the first women tax assessor in the state of Mississippi.

The FLOWERS HOME was settled in 1841 by William Flowers, who with his wife and four children and his younger brother, John, left their home in Anson County, North Carolina and came to Mississippi. Immediately following their arrival here William Flowers bought several hundred acres of land and at once built a small house about two miles from the present town of Kilmichael. The present home was built some years later

; it consisted of one large room, 18x20 feet, with wide wainscoting and up and down ceiling, and two smaller rooms and a kitchen. In 1862 the house was remodeled into a nine-room structure, thus its stands today, except for a few minor changes. The woodwork, doors, window facing, and base boards are all hand made adding to the interest of the building.

At the outbreak of the War Between the States, three of the Flowers sons joined the Confederate Army; none of these were killed in battle, though two of them contracted diseases and died during the war.

In dividing his property, Mr. Flowers gave the land on which the home was built to his son, John, and it is still in the possession of his family. The house is in a good state of preservation. The log living-room is still the center of interest and admiration of all who see it. (1): (1.Viola Flowers, Kilmichael, Miss.)

The ROACH HOME, located just back of the Ellis garage 1838, was built in 1857; two years after Daniel Roach had bought from Wash Ingram all the land on which the town of Kilmichael now stands. It is a one and a

half-story frame structure, with seven rooms, and a hall on the first floor, and two rooms on the second floor. The wide front porch faces north. At present (1938), the house is owned by, Will Keith and is in a fair state of preservation. (2): (2. Leo Roach. Kilmichael, Miss.)

The JOHN FLOWERS HOME another ante-bellum home of Montgomery County stands about two miles west of Kilmichael. Mr. Flowers, a native of North Carolina, came to Mississippi with his brother, William, in 1841 and built the home in 1853-54. The structure, a nine-room home; a story and a half high, is plastered inside and much of the wood work is hand made, the wainscoting and paneling above the front porch being an interesting.

After the War Between the States, due to the loss of property and the freeing of the slaves, Flowers went to British Honduras, and while there, contracted yellow fever and died in 1869. The home was sold in later years to Wallace Newman, of Columbus, who still owns it (1938). (1):

A number of antiques and relics are kept in various homes of the county. Mrs. William Witty, of Winona, has a portrait of Otho W. Beall, her great-grandfather. She also has a bedroom suite of rosewood, one hundred years old, formerly owned by Daniel Beall.

Mrs. L. Small has a portrait of Daniel Beall, her grandfather, in her home in Winona.

A walnut spool bed, first owned by Mrs. Robert Cooper, of Walnut Grove, is now in the possession of Mrs. E. C. O'Cain, Winona, a great-great nice of the first owner.

Albert Herring, of Winona, has an interesting collection of antiques, which include a mahogany dresser and a mahogany drop leaf table with spiral legs, brought from Alabama; a lamb made in New England, with spiral column, glass bowl, and a vase thirty inches high, brought from Virginia by Phillips St. George Cocke; an imported, hand-painted shaving mug bearing the date 1822, formerly belonging to George Marguess; a soup ladle made from thirty silver dollars, dated 1836; hand-made wooden, Eli Terry clock, dated 1820; and a Seth Thomas eight-day clock, with brass works. (2): (2. Mrs. Albert Herring, Winona, Miss.)

Mrs. M. K. Horne, of Winona has in her home the following antiques: Chippendale secretary and candle lamp, the latter being 125 years old; a what-not of rosewood; one dozen pressed glass wine glasses; a soap tureen of the same date and design as that at Mount Vernon; a grandfather clock, 125 years old; a cradle one hundred years old; and a silk crepe shawl. 125 years old. (1): (1. Mrs. M. K. Horne, Winona, Miss.)

A set of teaspoons made of half dollars by a traveling silversmith seventy-five years ago, is owned by Mrs. Lizzie Oldenburg of Winona.

Pewter Plate, hammered into shape, and used by soldiers, during the War Between the States, is owned by W. E. Tompkins, Sr., Kilmichael.

References

Flowers, Viola, Kilmichael, Miss.; Hart, Henry, Winona, Miss.; Henderson, Mrs. Edna, Kilmichael, Miss.; Herring, Mrs. Albert, Winona, Miss.; Horne, Mrs. M. K., Winona, Miss.; Loggins, Edward, Sr., Winona, Miss.; Oliver, Cecil C., Kilmichael, Miss.

History in any form has a fascination for almost every thoughtful reader, but after all the greatest interests is in people, their various customs, manner of life; and home influences. Everything centers around man; the world was made for the happiness and, comfort of God's crowning creation, the human being, In view of this fact, the writers compiling this history have listed in this chapter all available material pertaining to human interest, customs, dress, religious observances, folk tales and legends, and other features which influence the life of a community. Each county has customs particularly its own, yet in a general way all Mississippi history of this character is much the same.

Negroes with their superstitions, as slaves on the southern plantations, have left an influence that only time can dispel. And the romance of Indian legends never falls to add mystery and charm. Furthermore, the white People have adopted certain community, customs which make them different from other people. This chapter portrays a cross-section of the general folklore and folk custom of Montgomery County.

                                                        Particular Days

THANKSGIVING is a day set apart by proclamation of the President of the United State, to give thank for the harvest and other blessings. In this country, all business is suspended and schools are closed. Industries art shut down and the laborers given an opportunity of revel in the great out-doors. The various church unit in a common service; often the pastor of one denomination conducts the service in the church of another.

The younger men, whenever possible, go to the fields with their dogs and guns, or to the lakes or fishing streams. This rivals Christmas Day as a time of homecoming and reunions, and the festival board was, laden with the fruits and the field, orchard and garden. On this occasion people share their blessings with their less fortunate neighbors. Supplies are sent to the Old Ladies Home, to the Old men’s Home, and to other worthy charities, benevolent societies, an to individuals.

CHRISTMAS is the most, eventful day of the year; it embraces a season instead of a day. The pious attend devotional exercises, and the young, boiling for weeks with pent-up action, turn themselves loose for a glorious time. Many sportsmen go to the fields with their doge and guns, just as they did on Thanksgivings thought not as extensively. A long time before the holidays parents kept the little ones reminded that if they are good, and will write a letter to Santa Clause and send it up the chimney, this, jolly old fellow will bring them what they ask for; and he usually does. On the other hand, they are taught that if they are naughty, the sandman will come and fill their little stockings with ashes and switches.

The benevolent societies are active in behalf of the poor. They, as well as individuals, send boxes of fruit and knick-knacks to children of the poor, and to their unfortunate parents, more substantial offerings.

HALLOWE'EN, in many classes of society, is celebrated much clean fun and entertainment. A Halloween party is acclaimed with joy, and the young people attend masked and decked out as witches, black cats, ghosts, and other similar spirits.

Entertainment, on these occasions consists of bobbing for apples in a tub of water, fortune-telling, by a grotesquely attired witch and other weird games as awesome as can be planned, in order to create a ghostly atmosphere. Another way of celebrating the occasion, adopted by mischievous boys, is to play tricks

On the citizens, taking down swings, removing porch furniture,
piling rocks on porches, soaping windows, etc. Instances have been known where these celebrants rolled buggies, on tops of barns. Citizens accept these pranks in an amicable manner, making allowances because it is Halloween.

FOURTH OF JULY is the one day in the year when the patriotic spirit is at its highest point. Flags fly from public buildings, from tall spires in parks, from places of business, and from private homes. To furnish entertainment for the vast things that gather in Winona on this occasion, the picture shows open at ten in the morning and remain open until midnight. The Country club opens its gates to all visitors early in the morning, and stages a dance, in its spacious hall at night, whey pick orchestras furnish music. Swimming pools are open until a late hour. In the lovely shaded groves throughout the county, barbecues and picnic dinners are served. While the dinner is in preparation, orators entertain the crowds in the main topics of the day; after dinner four-minute speeches are made.

There are many folk customs regarding the cure of different illnesses that have been handed down through generation which have not been altogether abandoned today. One of the most popular of these is the belief that a posthumous child, or person, can cure a baby suffering with "thrash" by the simple expedient of blowing the breath in the patient’s mouth. Repulsive though this may be, it is a custom still practiced among certain classes.

Another custom, equally as farfetched, is the superstition that rabbit brains, taken from the animal while it still retains body heat and rubbed on the gums of a baby, will relieve the pain and suffering of difficult teething.

The advancement of medical science has not yet destroyed old custom among Negroes and a few others, of letting a toad frog breathe into the mouth of a child suffering from croup. According to these darkies, it never fails relieve, and is administered in connection with parched hog hoof tea for croup complicated with pneumonia. (1): (1. Susie Station, Winona, Miss.)
Birth, Death and Burial Customs

In the old days when Montgomery County was a part of Choctaw, a new baby in the home was received with little ceremony. The event was supposed to be attended without any serious consequences. In the absence of the country doctor a mid-wife was in charge, and as soon as conditions adjusted themselves their neighbors flocked in; to lavish compliments on the new arrival.

When deaths occurred no undertaker was called in. There was not an undertaker in the county, and the word "mortician" had not been coined. Neighbors took turns sitting up with the corps; the first group watched until mid-night, when they were relived by others, who stayed until the burial. A neighboring carpenter made the coffin of such material as could be secured, usually rough pine lumber which was covered with black calico or velvet, according to the finances of the bereft. Neighbors dug the grave and took charge of the ceremonies; the family, farm wagon transported the corpse to the grave, where the service was held. After the grave was filled, topped into a coffin-shaped mould and smoothed with spades, the attendants sung a hymn and left. Six months or a year latre the funeral was preached in the church of the late communicant. This gave the pastor time to prepare his sermon; and also served as a minder of the dead’s sterling qualities.

This was a serious undertaking in the old days, and when a boy found "the only girl," he developed symptoms that were akin to idiocy. When he received an invitation to a "sociable" he immediately wrote his girl the following note: "Compliments of George Washington Tubbs to Miss Susanna Simps and would be pleased to accompany her to the sociable at Mrs. Lunk's tomorrow night." This was the accepted ormolu and no one ever had the hardihood to change it. The answer that usually came was "Compliments returned, company accepted." They usually rode to the said sociable" in a buggy. After hitching the horse and mule, in the young gentleman were "a wag," he would help the girl from the conveyance; crook his arm and say, "Fond of chicken? Then take a wing" She took it very gingerly, with a good deal of perturbation of soul. The marched into the hall of revelry and _.joined in such games as "Clap in and clap out," "I'm pining for somebody," "Snoop." and "Thimble."

The solemn marriage ceremony was always in the home of the bride and was usually followed by an affair which was pretentious or otherwise according to the financial status of the bride’s parents. If the bridegroom's father had a mule to spare, he gave it to his ton; the mother was expected to give a cow, a feather bed, feather pillows, and quilts.

The camaraderie among men and women of today was unthinkable in the old days. In public, a woman was treated with the most profound deference. The older people had no diversions except going to church, a picnic once a year, a fish fry perhaps once in five years, and political pow-wows every two years. Sometimes a few of the citizenry attended a magic lantern or a "Punch and Judy" show; these last two diversions, however, were frowned upon by the church, and only the bolder and most defiant spirits went to them.

The church was their temporal as well as spiritual salvation; it was in church attendance that men showed their gallantry. At the church the husband sprang from the buggy, took the smiling wife by the hand and helped her from the buggy, escorted her to the church door, took her by the arm and helped her mount the one or two steps, then left her and went to the gentleman's entrance. For men and women to sit together in church was a thing unheard of; such a radical infraction of established rules would have created a riot.

The country church, in addition to serving as a place of worship on Sunday, served as a forum during the week. No church had more than two services a month, and these were on the same day, at eleven o'clock in the morning, and "early candle lighting" in the evening. During a protracted meeting it was different; the services continued without Interruption sometimes as long as two weeks. "The doors of the church" were seldom opened for membership at the morning service, but were in the evening.

Among the social customs of the long ago log-rolling, cornhuskings, quilting’s, and house-raising’s were most popular, in that they combined utility with pleasure. Log rolling and quilting usually ran "hand-in-glove," for they were staged at the same time and in the same place. They were followed by the old square dance; a Negro and fiddle usually furnished music for the occasion.

Among the ladies of the rural sections quilting are still common occurrences. Housewives who have a number of quilts ready for quilting invite the neighboring women to come on a certain day and bring needles, thimbles and scissors. Work begins in the early morning and ends when all the quilts are finished. An elaborate mid-day meal is always served by the hostess.

These differed according to culture and social correctness. An old back mammy or her offspring prepared, the meals and another descendent served them, which service has never been surpassed in the modern home. Neither have the meals. Most of the families in the old days were big ones, which necessitated a long table, and even small families used long tables to accommodate visitors, for hospitality was an outstanding characteristic of that period.

Above these tables were "fly-shooing" fans, made by attaching newspapers to light wooden frames manipulated by cords in the hands of a little Negro boy who stood conveniently near. There were no wire screens in those days, and this invention was a coveted contraption. A more ornate fly-disturber was a long brush made from this gaudy tails of peacocks, but this device was seldom used except when distinguished company was present. Its motive power was the same as that used by the fan, pres a Negro boy, a huge cruet containing condiment usually sat in the middle of the table, and by the side of each plate stood a tall goblet with a napkin.

In case of a visit from a preacher or a deacon, one of these dignitaries was asked to "return thanks," or "ask the blessing." They were usually of considerable length, especially when the preacher was performing this service, for their gratitude took in much territory.

Food was never passed; those desiring it, called for it, or else the desire were anticipated by the hostess and the dish came forward through many hands; with biscuits however, it was different, a platter of hot biscuits was always on the move.

Sixty years ago the Hoop Skirt was a popular vogue among the women. This wide-flaring wire frames were very awkward and made passage through doorways difficult; but that did not deter women wearing them, for they enjoys the reign of popularity,

The Leg-o-Mutton sleeves were also a popular style of that period. These long, full-length sleeves shaped like the leg of mutton, often extended above the wearer's head.

Men's apparel has changed little in the past two generations. The Prince Albert was the conventional dress coat, though the long cut-away, with pockets in the tail, was worn quit a bit. These were called "Jim swingers"

This story is told of a young man who lived near Lodi some fifty years ago:

He had been forbidden by the parents of his best girl to pay her court, but on learning of the absence of the parents, he donned his "Jim-swinger," placed a big orange in each tail pocket and proceeded to the home. Scarcely had he entered the parlor, when the parents unexpectedly returned. He raised a window and jumped out, but the window in coming down caught his coat-tail with the two big oranges. He couldn't be worried about a coat and couple of oranges, so he shed his coat and made his escape. (1): (1.Edward Loggins, Sr., Winona, Miss.)

All members of the Holy-roller or Church of God denominations must compulsorily abstain from every kind of drink except milk and water; no tea, coffee, coca-cola, or even grape juice is allowed. Female members are not allowed to cut their hair use rouge, lip-stick, or jewelry. If they possess jewelry it must be disposed of when they join the church. Only the pianist of clothing is worn. This sect does not believe in a physician in case of illness, but depends on prayer and faith to restore them to health. (1): (2. Mrs. Mary Roberts, Winona, Miss.)

In the early days when a member of a church was caught in the act of wrong he was "Churched" and required to make a public acknowledgement and promise not to repeat the offense. If be re-church." This practice was more fused he was "turned out of the generally exercised by the Baptist than other denominations. This custom is practically non-existent today.

Foot-Washing is observed only, by Primitive Baptist, locally known as "Hard-shells." The rite is performed twice each year, and every member must be present and the whole congregation must be in perfect accord before the "foot-washing" can take place. If there is any discord in the church, or any unsettled question the observance is postponed until the matter is settled.

When the day for the "foot-washing" arrives, at the conclusion of the preaching hour all members equip themselves with wash basins and towels, the towels girded around the waist. The members separate into couples according to sex, and one of each couple kneels at the feet of the other, removes the shoes and stockings, and washes the feet; when the first person's feet has been washed, he or she, in turn perform; a like ceremony for the other. The foot-washing concluded, the congregation sings a song as members pass down the aisle and give to each a "parting hand." (1): (1.George Jefcoat, Poplar Creek, Miss.)

Singing Conventions were popular in years past. These often lasted through Saturday and Sunday, on which occasion dinner was served on the ground. Nothing was sung but church hymns, the most popular of which were "Hark From the Tomb," "on Jordan's Stormy Banks," "Amazing grace," and "Ninety and Nine." There singings served a double purpose--praising the Lord, social intermingling, and were hailed everywhere with glad acclaim.

The "Legend of Fawn Tower" is a familiar story in Montgomery County. A short distance northeast of Duck Hill there stands a rugged hill, rivaling the altitude of any elevation in the county. It is called "Fawn Tower," from folklore of olden days. From this old folklore the following legend has been handed down from father to son:

In the long ago, this hill and its terrain was a wilderness, the sanctuary of wild animals. Dees and bobcats abounded, and wolves on their hunger march ravaged their defenseless prey. The story goes that a hunter "stalked" a young fawn and shot; it, inflicting a mortal wound; the wounded animal fell at the feet of a beautiful young woman who had climbed the height for wild flowers. The sudden appearance of the innocent little animal startled her and she sprang to her feet with an impulse to flee. The sight of blood, however, reveals to her the fact that the animal had been shot, and as she stooped to minister to it the hunter appeared. When he saw the young woman administering to the dying fawn, he realized the heartiness of his sportive play. Deeply repentant, he poured out his contrition and the young woman, recognizing his sincerity, was deeply impressed. Together they placed the dead fawn in a cliff of the hill and banked it with flowers; then, hand in hand, they strolled down the hill, and so on through life.

"The Legend of the Diamond Ring" is another favorite story of this county. In the long ago a young gentleman came into Lodi and, being of a likeable nature, soon was on amicable terms with the citizens. He had not been in the community long when a ghastly murder was committed—the belle of the village was brutally murdered. The fact that the victim was last seen in company with the stranger aroused suspicion and so strong was the feeling against him that he had to flee from the vengeance of the outraged citizens.

Posses was immediately formed and set out to affect his capture, and by nightfall all the roads were patrolled. The reputed bravest man in the community headed a posse that took the west road, leading by the old Mulberry cemetery. The moon was shining bright as they approached the graveyard and the leader, directed the boys to keep to the road and travel west, while he kept a lookout about the cemetery.

In the old cemetery were two tombs built above the ground and covered with marble slabs, one of which was broken entirely across the center. In these tomb reposed the bodies of a wealthy couple long dead; the wife beneath the broken slab. It was alleged that the lady therein had requested on her deathbed that her jewels, one of which was a beautiful diamond ring, be buried with her just as she wore them in life.

The lone watcher in the grave-yard, tired of his fruitless quest, sat down on the broken tomb, rested his elbows on his knees, and with his face in his hands, fell into a light sleep. He was He was suddenly awakened by a hand easing through the cleft in the tomb. On one finger was a diamond ring which flashed the moon's rays from its many facets. The sentinel sprang to his feet, cleared the fence, and forgetful of his horse, made a mad dash for home. Gullibility, aided by superstition, gave credence to this tale and it was accepted as a fact.

Years later, a Negro was shot while burglarizing the postoffice and knowing death was upon him, confessed having killed the young woman, thereby establishing the innocence of the young man who had been forced to leave the county. Learning that his innocence had been established, the young man returned to the community, where he was heartily welcomed. In the midst of the festivities at a social given in his honor, the young man held up his hand, and, shaking the diamond ring in the lamplight, said to the gentlemen who nodded on the tomb, ""Ever see anything like that, Jim?" Jim recognized the hand and ring and, in a fit of mad fury, would have slain him' but: for timely intervention. Under pressure, however, Jim agreed to let the matter drop, on the solemn promise of all assembled that the subject would never be mentioned again in his presence. (1): (1. Edward Loggins, Sr., Winona, Miss.)

"The Legend of Oil Grundy" is another favorite story in this section. Old Grundy was a water moccasin that inhabited Oliver's Lake, in Big Black swamp, where picnics were periodical and fishing frequent. He was four feet, nine inches long, with a sixteen-inch girth. The length is exact, the girth estimated, as no one has bothered to circle him with a tape. That he was the biggest snake in the state was the verdict of the many that had seen him at the picnic grounds and elsewhere.

Four generations have seen this huge reptile sunning himself on an old cypress log which extends thirty feet into the lake. Visitors have seen him majestically gliding over his watery domain, unmindful of shouting’s and jeer from the bank. He never seemed to resent man's presence—never bared his fangs at his hereditary foe, which was under Divine command to bruise his head. He newer showed angers or spite and semen content to keep his deadly venom stored away in his cavernous mouth.

For many years Negroes of the community regarded Old Grundy with superstitious awe. They claimed that when he died a fiery comet would sweep across the heavens announcing Armageddon or something worse. Five years ago a stranger who had heard of O1ivers' Lake as good fishing, grounds but had never heard of Old Grundy, visited the place to cast for trout, He stepped out on Grundy's log, saw the monster coiled in peaceful sleep, whipped out his pistol and fired at him.

The ball went wild and the sake rolled into the water; in the excitement the fisherman lost his balance and toppled in. He scrambled out, the worst frightened man that ever cast a fly, but his pistol is still lying at the bottom of the lake. •

No one ever saw Old Grundy feeding or in company with his kind, yet in the very nature of things, he must have been an in- ordinate eater, feeding seldom, but enormously—several hundred little fish at a time.

Where he remained in winter, when Big Black River bottom was a rushing torrent, is not know, but when spring opened up he was back on his log.

The age of old Grundy is a matter of conjecture, but the story has come down through generations that he was a huge size decades ago.

The legend of old Grundy, as regards calamities in the event as his death, was disproved when be came to an untimely end in the spring of 1937 and the forebodings did not come to pass. A hunter with an extra supply of cartridges could not resist the target supplied by Old Grundy as be sunned himself peacefully on his cypress log. Although Old Grundy is dead, the fishers fear him no more; the legend still survives, and in all probability will be handed down for many generations yet to come. (1): (1. Edward Logging, Sr., Winona, Miss.)

The story of Dave Brack's coon Dog is a familiar one, and is a beautiful example of the loyalty of a dog for his master. Dave was an inveterate 'coon hunter and owned the finest pack of 'coon dogs in the county. He died five years ago, the result of an accident which occurred as he drove an old T-model Ford truck over a rickety bridge on his return from a hunt. After his burial, one of his dogs which had followed the hearse and had stood mournfully by the grave of his late master until the last attendant had gone refused to leave. The next day one of Dave’s boys returned to the cemetery and found the dog just as they had left him on his father's grave. He tried in every way to induce the poor beast to follow him, but failed. The boy returned to his home and brought food and water; the dog partook sparingly of the water, but refused the food. This went on for two weeks, and one morning the boy found the dog dead where he had first settled himself on his master's grave. (1): (1. Reponsa Brack, Winona, Miss.)

This hot weather story was told by an old citizen of Montgomery County, long since dead, who swore on his honor that it was, true in every detail:

Back in the sixties, the weather was so hot that farmers had to stay in the shade during the day and worked their crops at night by the aid of a pine torch. Despite the heat, this old citizen decided to rob a bee tree during the heat of the day, so he hitched his horses to the wagon and went to the heart of Big Black swamp, where a bee tree was located. After the tree had been cut the bees and honey "loaded" in the wagon, a sudden shower came up; eager to get home, he whipped up with all their might. The harness the horses and they began pulling was made of rawhide and he noticed that although the horses were advancing, the wagon was standing still. Too amazed to move, he sat in the wagon and watched the rawhide traces stretch until the horses disappeared, the wagon remaining in the same place. When the shower was over, the heat of the sun began to draw up the traces, and in a short time the wagon was pulled to the house, where the horses were standing, a distance of four miles. (2) :( 2. Selma Oswell, Kilmichael, Miss.)

Jean Hovas, who lives in the county, claimed that he had the Smartest 'coon dog on record: the name of the dog was "speck^.' and Hovas avows that when "Speck" was trailing a coon and came to a hot 'possum scent he would leave he 'coon trail, take up the trail of the 'possum until it was treed and caught, then would turn to the 'coon trail.

Uncle Dave Green told about a Feist Rat-catcher that he once owned. In an effort to rid his corn crib of rats, be took the feist to the corn crib and started moving the corn, and as the rats ran out, the dog would spring and catch them. As he neared the bottom of the pile and rats began moving faster and it was discovered that some of them were escaping through a knot hole is the corner. The dog ran to the corner of the crib, stuck his tail in the hole and caught every one of them. (1): (1. Eugene Hovas, Kilmichael, Miss.)

This fish tale is told by Tom Knox, of Winona: One hot, sultry day Tom and a friend were fishing over at Four-Mile Lake; the fish wouldn't bite; they tried all their tricks, and still luck was bad. Late in the day, just as they were in the act of giving up in despair, one of their friends came along with a bottle of "homemade corn-licker." The boys were smacking their lips in anticipation of a good drink, when they found that, there was only a swallow left in the bottle. In disgust they poured the remainder of the whiskey in their minnow bucket. The minnows were all wilted and listless, but the corn-licker put new life into them; they shook their tails and began leaping and jumping about in the pail. Tom chose one of the lives’ of the bunch; nonchalantly cast his hook into the lake. The little minnow felt so big that he decided to grab a trout. Tom hadn't more than cast, when the cork went under; happily, he reeled in his line, and there on the hook was a nice large trout, held fast by a drunken minnow. (2): (2 Frances Knox, Winona, Miss.)

Almon, Myrtle; Poplar Creek, Miss.; Brack Reponsa, Winona, Miss. Hovas Eugene, Kilmichael, Miss. Jefcoat, George, Poplar Creek, Miss,

Knox, Frances, Winona, Miss.; Loggins, Edward, Sr., Winona, Miss.

Oswell, Selma, Kilmichael, Miss. Roberts, Mrs. Mary, Winona, Miss.

Spencer, Mrs. Thomas. H. Winona, Miss.; Staton, Susie, Winona, Miss.

Fortunately, Montgomery did not have as many bloody day and deeds as those of some of the bordering counties.

The Ringer Gang had its beginning about 1868 or 1869 With a family of men, Joe, Bill and Henry Ringer, who lived near Winona. Although they had not at this time committed any major Crimes, they were usually drunk and disorderly, committing petty offenses', and were generally lawless. Horse stealing was their specialty, and they worked jointly with the Bud Davis gang at Greensboro.

For some reason a Negro, Harry Ringer, who worked with the Ringer boys, was murdered. Suspicion rested on the Ringer men, and Arnold Brantley, mayor of Winona, who had grown tired of the Ringers' lawlessness, determined to convict them of murder. When he became too active in his investigation, the Ringer brothers, according to reports, decided it best to dispose of him, and so one 'night, while he was at the theater in Winona, he was shot and killed. No one knew who committed the crime, but the citizens assumed that it was the work of the Ringers. General William F. Brantley, Of Civil War fame, and brother of Arnold, began an investigation, and find practically secured enough evidence to hold the lawless brothers, when he was shot from ambush and killed. The entire gang immediately fled the county and has not been heard from since. (1) (1. William Brantley, Kilmichael, Miss.; Milton Fox, Winona, Miss.)

The Ballard Gang composed of bank and train robbers who operated, in Attala County, about 1876, established a hide-out in Montgomery County in Big Black swamp, near Poplar Creek. Leaders were Lige Bennett; Curb Ballard; Frank Chambers

and George Naill. After pulling a robbery, these outlaws would flee to their hide-out and remain until they considered it prudent to venture out. They committed no depredations in the county, and many citizens knew of their presence, but through fear, did not notify the officers as the gang was reputedly very vicious and given to revenge.

Once while Joe and Bry Herring, citizens of Montgomery were hunting in the woods, their dog treed something in a hollow log. Investigation revealed a man concealed inside; Frank Chambers; who crawled out, pulled his gun on the boy: and forced them to walk ahead and show him the way to the Attala County line. Arriving there, Chambers commanded the boys, "Take one end of the road and I will take the other, and you had better keep your mouths shut." (1): (1. Cecil C. Oliver Kilmichael Miss.)

In the fall of 1888, the notorious Rube Burroughs, of Alabama, held up an Illinois Central train between Winona and Duck Hill, took $3,000 and escaped into the woods, where he joined his brother, Jim, and four other members of the gang, who were waiting With horses. They crossed Big Black River near Kilmichael, stopped near the river to divide the loot, and made their escape into Alabama. The Montgomery County sheriff and deputies trailed them, without success. Only a few days before the robbery, a man from near Winona, who, had been to Memphis with a drove of mules which he sold, was killed and robbed by Rube Burroughs. (2): (2: Cecil C. Oliver, Kilmichael, Miss, William Vaughan, Kilmichael, Miss.)

The Murrell Clan, which operated north and south, is known to have operated in Montgomery at intervals, although they were never officially caught, Members supposedly respectable citizen, had .their residence here, and it was through these that horse stealing was successfully conducted. A member of the clan would steal a horse or mule in another county, and carry it immediately to a member in another county, who in turn, would do likewise until the animal would be safely disposed of and sold.

There were many sporadic thieve individuals who were, no part of any gang but who operated independently and piled their trade. When a horse or mule was stolen the owner would immediately start on the trail of the thief, and quite often catch him. If the thief was caught with the stolen animal in his possession, it was no rare occurrence for him to be hung on the -spot.

In the old days when saloons were legally operated, whiskey was sold in any amount; by the drink, pint, quart, or gallon, or any quantity desired. A slatted door was swung at the front of the

Saloon to prevent passerby seeing inside, but there was generally very, little drunkenness or disorderly conduct. The law at that time prohibited the selling of whiskey to a drunken man, or one who was drinking when be entered the saloon, and this law was usually respected by operators of saloons. A small room in the rear of the bar room was used for keeping drunks until they became sober. Some keepers operated licensed gambling games that were sometimes extended from one night into the next. It against the law to sell whiskey to anyone under twenty-one years of age. Boys and women did not drink, and it was seldom that a young boy became intoxicated. However, some saloon keepers naturally violated the rule regarding selling liquor to minor’s and to drunken men. Whiskey was sold wherever there was a general store; Winona, Lodi, and Duck Hill being chief gathering places of drunken carousals. Killings were rare however, and the drinking element usually gave the officers less trouble than they do now (1938), when whiskey is illegal. All large dry good stores kept barrels of whiskey, in the rear, where both owners and customers drank.

When, in March, 1884, the State Legislature ordered a special election in all Mississippi counties to submit the question of liquor traffic to the voter, the result was prohibition for Montgomery; so, in July, 1884, the Board of Supervisors ordered the closing of all saloons. (1): (1. Yee Young, Winona, Miss. Marshall Bryan, Winona, Miss.)

An old-time resident of Winona gives incidents concerning saloon days in Montgomery County:

"In 1885 three Young men, each twenty-three years old, blew into Winona with the idea of going into business here. The young men were James K. Vardaman, Herman Hunger, and myself. Jim Vardaman and myself were just greenhorns---both country boys—but Jim had somehow managed to get himself a law degree, while I had been a farmer at; Lodi, but Herman Hunger came from New Orleans.

"I went into the mercantile business and Herman Hunger opened a barber shop. Of course Jim hung out a shingle.

"At this time Winona had nine saloons and conditions in the town were awful, especially on Saturdays. Drunken men filled the streets. No ladies were seen on the streets on Saturday" because they would not expose, themselves to the foul language and rowdies they were certain to hear and encounter.

"The operators of the saloons were respectable citizens, no better and no worse than the saloon keepers in other places, and the saloons alone were not so bad. But there was a gambling place in the rear of every saloon, and the men would get to drinking, and more often than not, get into a game and lose their money.

"As Christmas time there was a drink served called 'Tom and Jerry' that would make a person very drunk? The second Christmas I spent in Winona I walked down town after dinner and it was a deplorable sight I saw. There had been too many 'Tom and Jerry’s', and you could hardly walk for drunkards, both white and black. .

"Well, Jim Vardaman, Herman Hunger, and I decided something must be done about it, so we mapped out a plan to try to get rid of the saloons.

"One of my reasons for wanting saloons out was a selfish one. I was in the mercantile business and buying cotton and I was in a position to know that when farmers came into town with cotton and other produce they would immediately go to the saloon and waste their money, either drinking or gambling, or both. Another reason was almost every Sunday morning when I wanted to stay home and rest, someone would come to my house tells me to come and get some customer out of jail. I'd go to the jail and probably see a fourteen-year old boy, cold and thinly clad, on a mule after his father. The officer would say, the only charge against this man is drunkenness and disorderly conduct; pay seven dollars and sixty cents and I will let him out. I'd pay it, and the man would go home, but I did that so many times I grew tires of it. That is one thing that made me a rank prohibitionist.

"When they passed a law in 1884 to vote whiskey out, the prohibition fight in Winona was led by Vardaman, Hunger and my- self. We made speeches, and Jim Vardaman was a born orator. I wish you could have heard some of that boy's speeches! The anti-projectionists put up a bitters fight. They brought a Negro down from Memphis to talk to the local Negroes; they allowed the Negroes to vote, and the antis controlled the negro vote that time, for a negro naturally likes whiskey.

"I remember very well the negro who came from Memphis--a mart, well-educated, yellow scoundrel who could make a good speech. One thing he said in his speech was, 'He who enters this place under the sign 'Drinking 'Saloon' leaves the hope of future progress and advancement behind. I do not advocate the sale of whiskey, or encourage drunkenness', but folks are going- to have it, so you just as well let them have it.'

"When the people voted on the question in August, 1884, we won; but we put up a fight—I mean verbal fight. , We had no tragedies, and it was not easy; but much of the delight of the prohibitionists, We put it over." (1): (1. Henry Hart, Winona, Miss.)

During Christmas week, on a Sunday night in 1896, G. D. Brooks, age 75, reputedly wealthy, who lived alone in his farm home near Poplar Creek, was found murdered. The body was first discovered by Albert Worthy, a Negro who lived on Mr. Brooks' place. He immediately notified Monroe, son of the murdered man. When they entered Brook's room they found the body tied in a sitting position on the bed, his suspenders having been used to tie him to the bedstead. A bloody hatchet on the floor had been used to chop off his head. The sheriff was notified and arrived next morning. Meantime, almost every, man in the beat had appeared at the scene of the crime. The sheriff made no arrests, but deputized squads of men in the vicinity to co-operate with the beat officers to investigate all clues and rumors which would aid in apprehending the criminal.

Suspicion rested on Albert Worthy and Robert Bowen a young Negro who lived in Choctaw County, near Chester. Worthy and Bowen had been together the night of the crime; and, too, the deduction was that it was a typical Negro job. When the two Negroes were caught and questioned, they denied knowledge of the crime, and were released, since there was not sufficient evidence to hold them. However, three days later the Negros was again taken into custody, and although they still maintained their innocence, were given a severe beating. As a result, Bowen confessed that he and worthy killed Mr. Brooks, and that the dead man's watch was buried under a tree near Chester. Bowen was taken to Chester, where the articles were found. Worthy stoutly denied that he was implicated, but after a series of whippings, he, too, finally admitted his part in the affair.

The citizens then notified the sheriff that they had the guilty parties, but had no intention of delivering them to the law. A mob of five hundred men waited outside the Brooks home, where the Negroes were being held. Worthy asked for a preacher to come and pray for him; the mob waited until the preacher arrived, and there, in the room where the crime had been committed, the preacher knelt with the two Negroes, and prayed. When the prayer was finished, the mob took them out and both murderers were hanged on the same limb of a tree. (1):

(1. This story was related by a citizen who helped run down the criminals, was present at the confessions of Bowen and Worthy, and witnessed the lynching. The name is withheld at the request of the narrator.) .

In 1895, Alex Crawford, a Negro who lived on a farm near Winona, opened a dispute with Victor Loggins, of Winona, and during the argument the Negro shot the white man, killing him instantly. Crawford fled and was not caught until four months after the crime. He was Placed In jail at Winona to await trial, but shortly after his incarceration a mob of 1,500 men stormed the jail, took him out and hanged him to the railroad bridge, about two miles from Winona. (2): Edward Loggins, Sr., Winona, Miss.)

Montgomery County has been creditably represented in the wars she has been called upon to take part in and has produced her quota of heroes. From pioneer days to the present, the citizens have bent their gest energies to preserve peace. The men of this county have responded to every call, and it is with a feeling of gratitude and reverence that their brave deeds are recorded in this chapter. All Information is accurate, and if some passages are over elaborate, it may be attributed to the pride and admiration which fills the hearts of every citizen in regard to his soldiery.

MEXICAN WAR
Fighting Units

In 1846 when soldiers were needed for the Mexican War, Company D, First Mississippi Regiment, was organized with Carroll County men. (At that time Montgomery was a part of Carroll, and the company enlisted men who later became citizens of this county.)

Officers of Company D, First Regiment, Mississippi Volunteers, were: Bainbridge D. Howard, captain; Daniel R. Russell, first lieutenant; L. T. Howard, second lieutenant; Samuel A. Young, first sergeant; Marcus C. Wellons, second sergeant; D. E. Love, third sergeant; James M. Ramsey, fourth sergeant; W. E. Hollingsworth, first corporal; J. Durdin, third corporal; E. Beall, fourth corporal; Jesse S. Strickland and H. W. Jones, musicians.

Privates were: J. G. Adair, T. M. Adair. T, G. Adkison, Richard Applewhite. H. B. Beard, John C. Benthal, James W. Blake, Thomas Brown, John A. Buckholts, James Burwell, Daniel Capshaw, Young Carr, Robert Clark, Altheus Cobb, D. P. Cocke, John Cokeley, Samuel G. Golburn, Henry Creamer, T.B. Davidson, David R. Boyle, W. T. S. Durham, J. G. Elliott, A. Erving, J. Erwin, Samuel Ferguson, Ripley Fields, Joel Forbes, J. D. M. Gage, James Z. George, William P. Gray, William M. Gunter, Harmon G. Hall, Marion Hanks., T. Hanks, Wells C. Carroll, John R. Harper. J. B. Heath, Benjamin L. Hodge, Parker F. Hood, Alfred Hudson, Warren Huffman, D. W. Jefferson, James Johnson, O. W. Jones, R. A. Lewis, William Lott, Neil McAlister, John McAula, Andrew J. McLendon, James A. Mcoy, W. D. Martin , S.S. Munday, Oscar L. Nixon , B. F. Norman, Hiram G. Norman, William Orr, Frank Pleasant, A. S. Powell, George W. Ramsey, John Q. Reynolds^,, H. A. Reynolds, Sherod Reynolds, Benjamin R. Rose, Govan Rowe, H. Lindsey Russell, John Shooke, James Somerville, B. F. Taylor, M. Taylor, Leon Trousdale, G. W. Vance, J. B. Vance, Daniel Wacanon, David Wilgus, George Willis, R Williams, J. N. B. Williams, R. P. Winns, Albert Young, Jacob T. Young. (1): (1.J. K. Hamilton's Military annals of Carroll County.)

In writing of the War Between the States, especially where data, are obtained from 'old records, it should be remembered that Montgomery County was not established until 1871. It was then formed from portions of Carroll and Choctaw counties so name of all Confederate veterans are listed as coming from Carroll or Choctaw County. Only names of unites that were in what later became Montgomery have been taken (see addenda)

In May, 1861, at Corinth, the organization of the Fifteenth Mississippi Regiment was completed. Of the companies comprising this regiment, two were from Carroll County --company B, "The Winona Star=," and Company E, "The McClung Rifles,' of Duck Hill. Their service was uneventful until January 19, 1862, then the, enemy advanced upon the position' held by General Zollicoffer's' brigade at Mill Springs, or Fishing Creek ,Kentucky. Here against overwhelming numbers, the men of Zollicoffer's brigade contended in battle and although defeated, maintained their honor and received high commendation for their courage. The laurels won by the Fifteenth... Mississippi Regiment at this time never withered. No other gallantry on any battlefield was more daring. At Shiloh, when the battle raged the fiercest, the Fifteenth Mississippi was in the thickest of the fight; the wild shouts of the gallant Mississippians as they led the charge after lunge served as inspiration to their comrades. The battleground where the Fifteenth Mississippi fought, and over which their restible charge were made, was strewn with dead and wounded.

After Shiloh through all the campaigns in which the army of Tennessee took part, the Fifteenth Mississippi Regiment was always on the fighting line, and always in front.

The regiment, under command of Colonel Farrell as disciplinarian and drill officer, won the admiration of the army. Colonel Farrell was assisted by young Major James R. Binford, also a Carroll County boy, who afterward commanded the remnant of survivors. It is unfortunate that in the pennons won in match drills could not have been preserved and placed in Mississippi's Hall of Fame. (1): (1.J. K. Hamilton's "Military Annals of Carroll County.)

Company B, Fifteenth Mississippi Regiment, "Winona Stars,' organized at Winona February, 1861: Thomas J. Booth, captain; N. B. Burton, first lieutenant; H. O. Freeman, second lieutenant; W. L. Tyson, third lieutenant.

"Privates: C. Applegate, Jack Andrews, William Allen, M. H. Allen, M. M. Bennett, B. Bardwell, William Brister, W. C. Billingsley, J. Bardwell, George Bird, J. R. Burton, Robert Burton, F. H. Collins, Alex Collins; F. T. Coulson, James Campbell, R. M. Coleman, James Cowan, D. L Curry, M. O. Conley, J. W. Conley, John Conlon, A. Carroll, W. N. Coopwood, J. G. Davis, C. J. Davis, W. P. Davis, R. W. Duke, George Duke, J. M. Denman, W. H. Duren, J, M. Duren, John Emerson, R. F. Eskridge, E. G. Ford, P. J. Ford, P. J. Freeman, Thomson Gray, Jabe Gray, Robert Gray, Press Gant, John Gant, S. M. Gardner, Hamp Griffin, L. Huffman, P. E. Holmes, P. A. Hairston, H. J. Herring, Louie Huffman, Dr. W. A. Hurt, Dr. J. P. Hamer, E. Hamer, George Hansell, Henry Hunter, Pink Hunter, Whit Hunter, Frank Hammond, Harley Hammond, John Johnson, John Kilsoe, W. H. King, J. A. Killingsworth, Wiley Laster, J. L. Lundy, G. T. Ledbetter, A. McKeam, John C. McKinsey, B. H. Maxwell, R. J. Maxwell, J. M. Maxwell, E. C. ,McCoy, G. E. Morgan, John McAlester, W. N. McNair, A. McFatter, R, P. Nolan, J. M. Nabors, John W. Powell, P. H. Palmer, John W. Palmer, Joseph Pullen, Jackson Pullen, Berry Pullen, Carter Pullen, James Pullen, Allen Pittman, Robert Pierce, N. A. Rose, John Ryan, F. F. Rowland, F. H. Steele, Charles Stafford. J. G. Spivey, Mr. Spivey, John Spralls, W. L. Shamberger, A. Scott, B. J. Stovall, W. L. Stovall, W. P. Stafford, W. E. Satterfield, J. G. Townsend, A. J. Townsend, J. P. Thompson, William Thompson, E. N. Thompson, R. S. Timberlake, George Trainer. William Trainer, P. D. Tucker, E. Winslow, O. W. Williams, G. J. Weissinger, J. M. Weissinger, G. L. Wilson, D.W. Wilson, John Ward.

Roll of the Fifteen Mississippi Regiment, Company E. McClung Rifle, organized at Duck Hill, April, 1861: Edgar Sykes, captain; John A. Binford, first lieutenant; R. A. Shelton, second lit lieutenant; Thomas W. Allen, third, lieutenant; Jack V. Lott, first sergeant; James F. smith, third sergeant.

Privates: Daniel W. Alderman, James R. Binford, John Brady, Henry W. Butt, John Brewer, Hiram Bennett, Henry C. Bennett, C. W. Benton, John Buckley, M. Butler, Albert R. Brown, Oliver A. Bennett, William Baker, William Bennett, C. H. Campbell , Clarence Chears, McCantry, Joseph M. Campbell, Robert Chatham, John C. Chambley, John W. Chatham, Thomas J. Colvin, Berry Chambley, Marion Corley, Abraham Cook, David L. Curry, D. C. Curry, Isaac Castle, E. V. Davis, Joseph Davis. Jasper Davis, Deuben T. Dollar. Joshua Denman, Harvey C. Douglass, H. M. Epperson, Erasmus B. Estes, William J. Estes, Ramson M. Flutey, John B. Foster, C. Gatsinger, Isaac G. Gray, Jesse S. Hiss, James Heywood, J. W. Halbert, Joseph Hughes, Newton Holland, Richard A. Hazelwood, Nathaniel Haywood, John B. Howell. John Jerkins, John Jordan, C. Jordan, John S. King, William J. King, William J. Kent, Thomas Kent, Joseph Linville, Daniel B. Lonville, Bright Lamb, David Lamb, Andrew Lott, A. W. Lott, William Lott, John V. Lott, Talford Lott, Battle Mann, Reuben Mann, John C. McNamara, J. H. McNamara, Neill McNeill, John A. McNeill, Allen Miller, J. H. McMath, James T. Moorman, Jesse Moorman, Hillsman Moorman, David Moore, Isaac Moore, Nathan Myers, Allen Myers, John C. Neale, Benton Neale, Matthew A. Neale, J. Newsome, John Newsome, Ala O'Neale, Jefferson S. O'Neale, Benjamin C. Pierce, John W. Pittman, John D. Pittman, James T. Penal, George T. Poe, William T. Poe, Andrew Hammond, Zachariah P. Rose, Jackson Rogers, Samuel C. Ratliff, James Rustin, Thomas A. Sabin, Wallace Scrivener, J. H. Shaw, J. F. Shaw, Joe Crivener, J. Green Spright, John A. Salley, John T. Taylor, John W. Taylor, Giles H. Taylor, James W. Taylor, W. N. Tindall, James A. Townsend, John R. Tyler, William D. Tyler, James M. Tyler, Henry Tindall, James Tindall, William Thadham, Thomas J. Webb, F. J. Webb, Cal T. Witty. (1): (1 J. K. Hamilton's, "Military Annals of Carroll County".)

Soldiers in First Mississippi Regiment were: G. Henderson W. B. Hardin, J.S. Eiland, William Oliver, Company C; S. A Kent, William Parker, company 36; William B. Overstreet, J. I. Tidwell, W. M. Gibson, Simon Beckham, Bob Parker, Daniel Roach, David L. Green, Company E; Joseph Goodwin, Company L; J. H. Greer, Company A; Robert Sommerville, Company L; J. C. Stewart, A. P. Ray, S. Rodger, Paytin K. Duke, A. D. Inrhaham. Company C; W. H. Wood, Company K; William Parker, Company H; H. J. Whittle, Company A; M. J. McClelland, Sylous Henry Hawkins, C. Moorehead, Company E; William Thomas Hawkins. Company C; H. T. Howard, Company D; M. J. Gray.

Men in the Second Mississippi Regiment were: D. S. Tillman. G. W. Palmertree, Company B; J.T. Gardner; Company G.

Soldiers in the Third Mississippi Regiment were: John Blaylock, J. S. Blaylock, B. D. Hudson, Company A; Sith R. Mitchell. Company C; A. J. Pyron, Company D; Montgomery Countians in the Fourth Mississippi Regiment were: W. A. Curtis, W. J. Harris, Lott Howard, H. J. Russell, Luke Devare, M. A. Sandridge, Robert Gray, G. J. Stovall, Company E; E. P. Holmes, George Tyson, Company C; Henry Robinson, Company A; T. B. Powell, John F. Rowland, Joe Small, Allen Townsend, John Henry Aldridge, K. I. Adair, Media Lamb, L. K. Moore, Isaac Yelvington, Company F; H. R. Coleman, Leonidas Bailey, Ruse Doyle, Sam Baines.

Men in the Fifth Mississippi Regiment were: Thomas A. Jefferson Polson, M. E. Baker, Company A; James Allen Holmes, John Earl Holmes, George W. Jordan, Company B; W. L. Edwards, Company G; T. D. Anderson, Company K; Henry H. Harris, Richard Townsend.

Only one man from this section was in each of the following regiments: In the Eighth Mississippi Regiment, C. S. Clark; in the Eighteenth Mississippi Regiment, M. J. Brady, company E; in the Twentieth Mississippi Regiment, John M. Reeves, Company C; and in the Twenty-Second -Mississippi Regiment, J. T. Gardner, Company G.

Members of Company K, Twenty-Fourth Mississippi Regiment were: A. D, Cross, W. T. Barrentine, G. B. Garrett, D. H. Herring, James Ingram, Dee James, J. W. Meece, Bill Staples, Owen Oliver, Thomas Jefferson Oliver, James Tompkins, and W. J. Matthews.

John P. Carpenter was the only man from this section to serve in the Twenty-Ninth Mississippi Regiment.

Soldiers in the Thirtieth Mississippi Regiment were: W. K. Burt, Company A; J. C. Hightower, J. Pittman, S. L. Wray, Company C; W. B. Mullens, Lewis Rowland, W. W. Shaw, G. W. Bennett, J. D. Johnson, Company E; A. D. Peacock, Company I; Alexander Lisenbee, Company K; W. E. Mullen, Bill Wray.

Members of the Thirty-Third Mississippi Regiment were: George W. Lewis, Company B; J. G. Stephens, Company F; R. F. O'Neal.

Only one man from this section fought in the following units: Thirty-Eighth Regiment, Pinking Lehr, Company A; Fortieth Mississippi Regiment, W. C. Lenard, Company A.

Men in the Forty-Second Mississippi Infantry were: S. P. Ezell Berry Benson Blaylock, L. T. Holmes, Albert Branch, J. P. Caffey, Marion Jefcoat, Company A; L. L. Doty, J. I. Hill, Company C; J. C. Wadsworth, Company K; Charlie Tanner, Theodric Tamer, Louis Tanner, Franklin Tanner, G. W. Peeples, J. S. Cain, W. R. Davidson, W. R. Love, George Aldredge, James Killough, H. R. Young, Louie Young, J. M. Scoggins, Oscar Gould, E. L. Greenlee, Thomas T. Griffin, Henry Witty, Nathaniel Williams, P. L. Ellis, James Collins, Robert W. Sullican, Wiley Wilson, Doc Oreland, John W. Porter, Edward Brister, J.. P. Mortimer, Captain Thomas Martin Billingsley, Charles Baskerville,

Rose, H. T. Peeles, John H. Drane, George Seymour, Felix Dorris, F. M. Wingate, Joe Haskins, (servant), and Richard Applewhite, (servant, (1): (1. Record of Pensions, Vol. 1. Montgomery County Chancery Clerk's Office, Winona, Miss.)

"In obedience to order the day the following report of the number of guns in the 15^th. Regiment is submitted:

'The guns of the Grenada Rifles are Muriff Rifles, Saber bayonets, furnished by themselves, amounting as shown above,102 Number of guns belonging to state, 518.

The following article, written by Dr. B. F. Ward, was taken from the "Winona Times," 1917:

"I reached here from Appomattox in the fall of 1865. I rode horse back from Northern Virginia to this place, a distance of about fifteen hundred miles by the route I traveled through Virginia, North Carolina., South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. I had a fine gray horse named Charlie, which belonged to Colonel P. F. Liddell when he was killed at Sharpsburg, Maryland.

The Colonel prized him very highly and had named him for his friend, Governor Clark, of Mississippi. I had to have him shod twice on the road, once in North Carolina, when I paid the blacksmith with a bottle of morphine, and the next time in Georgia, when I gave away the last pair of blankets I had.

When I crossed the Mississippi line I felt better, but that very, day I stopped at a fine old country mansion to ask for something to eat. A well-dressed Negro woman came out, and when I told her what I wanted she went back and brought me some cold bread and meat on a plate. I sat down on the steps and ate it. While I was eating, the very aristocratic looking lady of the house came out and passed by me but did not speak to me, and I experienced the sensation of being a tramp in my own state. I had been in the service four years, and from that day to this I have hated war." (1): (1. Dr. B. F. Ward, Winona Times, Winona, Miss., April 6, 1917)

Three brothers, Thomas J. Oliver, William Oliver, and Owen Oliver, were in the service during the War Between the States. Thomas J. Oliver was the first to enlist. He served in the Twenty-fourth Mississippi. After a year's service he was sent to a hospital near Corinth with typhoid fever, and his wife was notified that he might go home until he was able to get back to the front. Mrs. Oliver went for her husband in a wagon. When he had regained his health he returned to the company.

During the Battle of Lookout Mountain, Mr. Oliver received word by a fellow soldier that his eighteen-year-old brother, Owen, had been killed. The captain gave Oliver permission to carry his brother's body off the field. After the task was completed, he returned to the thick of battle. Oliver was captured by the Federal during this conflict and was carried to a prison camp at Rock Island, Illinois, where he was kept for eightieth months. The journey to the prison camp required five days, and during that time he had one small piece of bread.

The prisoners traveled on a rain and were routed through Baltimore, Maryland. When the train arrived in Baltimore the ladies met it with plenty of food, but the Federal officer would not permit the soldiers to eat. Oliver declared that while in the prison camp the Federal officers threw green cow-hides to the prisoners. The hides were eaten raw—after the hair had been scraped off. (2) :( 2. Cecil C. Oliver, Kilmichael, Miss.)

Two Confederate Veterans are now living in the county. One of them, James Allen Holmes, now ninety-one years old, enlisted when he was eighteen. On being questioned about his war experiences, Mr. Holmes, who has lived here all his life, replied:

Well, girls, I don’t know just exactly what it is you want me to tell you, but I reckon you want we to tell you about being in the war. I'll just begin and tell you about it from the time I went in till the time I came out, and if you can use it, you are welcome to; and if I tell you something you don't want, just leave it out:

"I joined up in northeast Mississippi. I was in the Fifth Mississippi Regiment, Company B; a private in General Forrest's Cavalry. We first went to Alabama and trained a short time, and then, we were ordered to Tennessee. I was in my first scrimmage there, it wasn’t a regular engagement. We came upon a party of Yankees riding through the woods, and the captain ordered a halt to see what to do. To go back before that; my brother had been in two cavalry charges and hadn't got to fire a shot, so I made up my mind I was going to shoot the first Yankee I saw. Well, the captain told us to follow the Yankees but not to do any fight yet. We got pretty close them, and I looked out to the left of me and saw one of them sitting on a gray horse, so I just rode out of line and shot that Yankee.

''My brother, J. E. Holmes, of Company E, Fifth Mississippi Cavalry, was captured at Selma, Alabama. He was taken to Columbus, Georgia, where he was paroled. From_, there he walked home."

Mr. Holmes told many of his experiences and gave an account of the last battle he engaged in before the close of the war, which the Confederates were badly routed at Demopolis, Alabama. Many of the horses were killed or captured, and General Forrest sent Mr. Holmes home to remount" himself. This was only two days before the surrender and he was on his way home when he heard of it.

Mr. HOLMES said, ‘‘there are two things I regret, always have, and always will: One is, that we lost, the last battle; and the other is, that I wasn't with General Forrest at the time of the surrender. I never laid eyes on him after that day at Demopolis, when he sent me home after a horse." (1)

Among the papers in the department of Archives and History, the interesting experiences of Cicero N. Stephens, a private in the 35th Mississippi Regiment, and of W. J. House, are recorded. As told in their own words, they follow:

"At siege of Vicksburg, a shrapnel shell, 12 lbs. weight, came through 6 feet of earthworks: draft on parapet between George E. Critz legs, rolled under my left and against George's right leg. Critz and I were sitting down. He first picked it up and threw it out of the ditch, the fuse smoking; lucky for us, the dirt put the fuse out. About one hour after, Critz crawled out, got the shell, unscrewed it, and took out 27 cast balls out of it. He was my mess-mate, and I say he was honest, quiet, religious and brave.

"Very strange, I made my first shot in the war at Corinth, Miss. and was wounded while leaning on my gun; and my last shot at Blakely, Ala., and was wounded and captured while leaning on my gun.

Cicero Watkins Stephens, A Private in Co. K and 35^th Miss. Regt." (2): (2. Historical Data, Department of Archives and History, Jackson.)

"In 1863, for gallantry, there was organized a battalion of sharp-shooters from the 24, 25, 27, 29, 30 and 34 Miss., Regiment: Major Reynolds, commanding, he being one of the bravest men I ever knew. I have the honor of being one of the numbers of tart command.

"In North Carolina the five regiments of Walthall's old brigade was made on regiment. R. W. Williamson was made colonel, and Brantley, commanding Brigade's Hill's Division Lee's Corp of Tennessee.

In the organization my co. was co. B, 24th Miss. Regt. My captain was Joe Gale. I was 1^st. lieutenant.

Hamburg, Ark. (1): (1.Historical Data. Department of Archives and History, Jackson, Miss.)                                            Distinguished Individuals

William Marshall Webster, son of Robert P. and Sarah Anderson Webster, was born in Maury County, Tennessee, near Zion church, October 29, 1839. His father, Robert Webster, moved to Holmes County, Mississippi, in 1851, where William attended the country schools, afterwards, entering college at Clinton.

When the war began he enlisted in the Confederate service, joining Company G, Twenty-second Mississippi Regiment, under Col. Bonham. Other officers were: -Captain, Jim Reed; first lieutenant, Wash Stanley, and second lieutenant, John Usher. The company organized at Black Hawk, Mississippi, and Webster served in the regiment two years, during which time he took part in the following campaigns: Iuka, Memphis, Union City, Tennessee; Fulton, Kentucky; Nashville, Murfreesboro, and Corinth. He left Corinth on sick leave, missing the Battle a Shiloh, in which his, regiment was badly cut to pieces. Webster rejoined his comrades when the regiment was ordered to Vicksburg. On arrival there, William was transferred, in July, 1862, from the Twenty-second Mississippi Regiment to Wafford's Battery, Withers' Artillery, of which, Colonel W. I. Withers, Major Holmes, Captain Jeff Walker, Lieutenants Cole, Weaver, Green and Lee Webster were officers. William remained in Vicksburg during the entire siege.

After the Battle of Chickasaw, which lasted for two days and nights, he captured forty Federal officers and their major, who had been separated from their command. This major, who surrendered his sword to Webster and marched with the other prisoners to the rear, was from an Iowa regiment. His sword is now owned by William Strong Webster, of Winona. After the surrender of Vicksburg, Webster's Battery was ordered to Mobile, Alabama, to man the heavy artillery. It remained there until Lee's surrender, April, 1865. (1) :( 1. W. S. Webster, Winona, Miss.)

In April, 1861, B. F. Ward enlisted as a private in the Carroll Rifles, and served as such in Company K. Eleventh Regiment, until April, 1862. As a soldier, he was of the best and most faithful; as an individual, he was popular and esteemed for all the fine characteristics that marked the grand and noble man. Although he was only a private, he ministered daily to the sick of his company and regiment. There were many splendid representatives of the medical profession who served with distinction in the ranks of that command.

Dr, Ward was appointed from the ranks and at once entered upon his duty. The appointment being made a very short time before the Battle of Seven Pines, Dr. Ward did his duty as fully, faithfully, and cheerfully as any man could have done.

When the Battle of Gettysburg was fought in 1863, he was the ranking surgeon of General Heath's Division, which suffered such heavy losses during that memorable campaign (see Chapter 1, Formation; Chapter 20, Health). (2) (2.J. K. Hamilton's; Military annals of Carroll County.)

A true sketch of Col. J. R. Binford's military life would be a history of the Fifteenth Mississippi Regiment. Enlisting as a private, he expected to meet every Obligation of the men in the ranks. When the regiment was organized at Corinth, Mississippi, in May, 1861, Private Binford was appointed its adjutant. For Twelve months he served in that capacity and always answered every roll call. When the regiment reorganized after twelve months enlistment expired, Adjutant Binford was elected its major, He was always at his post of duty and did well every task that was assigned him. After the Battle of Franklin, "where the gallant Colonel Farrell poured out his life's blood, Colonel Binford commanded the Fifteenth. To Say that his men loved him would be faint praise—they idolized him—and the survivors show to him now, still, living, their undying devotion." (1) (1. J. K. Hamilton’s "Military Annals of Carroll County.)

William F. Brantley, brigadier general, was appointed July 26, 1864. (2) "At Ezra Church, July 28, the third of Hood's assault, Walthall's, old brigade, under Brantley, now a brigadier general, and Sharp's Brigade (Tucker's) were particularly commended for energetic action. Sharp lost 214, Brantley 126. The division Including these two Brigade was then under the command of Patton Anderson, and General Featherston commanded Loring's Division_, his brigade being led by colonel Berry. The two divisions entrenched on the lines held by Brantley and Sharp on the 28, and held it during the siege." (3), sharp and Brantley were also in the Battle of Jonesboro, August 31.

(2. Dunbar Rowland's "Mississippi, The Heart of the South." Vol. 11, p. 68.) (3.Ibid, Vol. 11, p. 40.)

Conditions in this county were not as grave as in other sections where actual hostilities occurred. Food was scarce and plain. Sugar, salt and coffee could hardly be bought at any price. In the later years of the war very little buying was done. Almost all food used was home grown, and what was not grown at home, the people did without.

Farm animals were scarce, due to the fact that nearly all healthy mules and horses were used by the armies. Few clothes were bought; the women patched the old ones, or spun thread and wove cloth to make what was absolutely necessary.

The attitude of the slaves during the war is worthy of the highest commendation; without exception, they were loyal and faithful and did their best to shield the women from hardships. Truly, they had the well being and interests of their mistresses at heart. There is no record or knowledge of any behavior of any kind on the part of the Negro slave in this county during the war. (1) :( I. Henry Hart, Winona, Miss.)

During the war, Lodi was visited by Grierson, who burned nearly every business house in the place, including the government supply depot. He stole a number of mules and horses and plundered private houses of what goods he and his men could carry. (2): (2. The Winona Times, June 17, 1896.)

The Federals had possession of Duck Hill twice during the war; once in 1863 when a group of Yankees came down the railroad and raided the place, and again in 1864 when Grierson burned the depot, which contained three thousand bales of cotton belonging to the confederacy. They spared the business houses and residences (See Chap. 11, the Negro.) (33: (3 Ibid, July 1, 1892.)

Camp Douglas, Ill. January 18, 1864. Mrs. L. B. Sykes:

Dear Mother: I write you again, hoping at least if I cannot hear from you, that you may hear from me. I have not heard from home since Sept. 5th. All the boys of our neighborhood are well. Buck Estes, Phil Palmer, came here three weeks since, capture at Nashville. My health this winter so far has been good. Billy Smith from Grenada got here yesterday, captured near Vicksburg. I want you to write me all about every one of the family; McGowan's, Dr. Austin, Mr. Miller, and Dump. If in the service, to what commands, they belong and if Jane and Beck are still with you? Also, about Solon, Billy, Edgar and Cousin Oliver. Write to me soon. I am anxious to hear—write and do as I directed you in former letters; send by the route you think expedient. My love to all the family. Very affectionately,

Dear Mother:

Your note accompanied by a pair of underwear was received by me while on the train yesterday; handed me, by McKeyser. I am very much obliged for them. Can't imagine how I lost the pair which you sent me sometime ago. I returned last night from Attala County, Came from Durant station by train. John failed to get his horse (in whose possession the horse now is) not being ready for the trail—john will now try the military on Thurs. Hope he will succeed:

I guess it will be best to keep Bill at home now, as he might possibly run away from Drummond being as he has displeased you; you can work about the yard to employ him for sometime.

By the way, have you ever had the yard worked on as I suggested when I was at home last? I hope that Dr. will, as soon as he can conveniently, have those washes stopped, in front of the house and gate. It car be done so much more easily now than it can ever be done afterward. I send you the latest dispatch-- Hope Wheeler will continue with his good work. He is now menacing Nashville though I support in reality, has no idea of attacking the place, still nothing from Colonel Farrell. I send you a piece of calico I spoke to you of having sometime ago. If it is enough, please have a bosom made of it and put into the white shirt which is good all but the bosom. I am sure there is enough of it to make a plain bosom, it is slight1y mildewed but no matter for that. I hope when I write again to be able to send you the stamps you requested me to get for you. Citizens through the country are now grinding up their sugar cane; it makes as fine syrup as any I have ever seen. I wish you had enough of it to be of some service.

Thurs. nite: Since writing the above, I've been requested to accompany John Binford to Grenada, still in search after his horse. We will go up on tomorrow's train. I will leave this at Duck

Hill as I pass. Dispatches received this morning state that Gen. Hood has engaged and driven bark a portion, of Sherman's Army at or near Jonesboro and that Sherman was falling bark at Atlanta. Dispatches say our losses there in the last week will not exceed 1800. I will return to this plan by down train on Saturday.

Sorry I will not have time to visit you; write soon

How is my colt looking, and the bay?

Camp near Linjoy Station Ga.
Sept. 13, 1864.

Dear Mother:

I read your letter of the 28^th.last month a day or so since, I also read one from Willie of Sept 7th, that same mail; I was very glad indeed to receive your letters as I had not heard from you for some time previously. I have been expected to hear from Sis Sarah for some time. I wrote you about a week since, since which time nothing of special interest has occurred except the suspension of hostilities for the space of ten days between Sherman's orders to the citizens of Atlanta expelling them from the city. Such as desire it is to be sent north, the others are to be sent south. This truce commenced yesterday, the 12th; will terminate on the 22nd. Sherman will provide such as wish it transportation to Ruff and ready station some ten or twelve miles south of Atlanta at which point they will be met by transportation furnished by General Hood. Sherman offers no apology for this act of barbarity but, simply says in a letter to General Hood that he deems it to the interest of the U. S. that the citizens should all be removed from the place. This order will necessarily entail great suffering on the poorer class of citizens. Indeed but a few of that class remained in Atlanta. The Army is now, whilst this truce lasts, enjoying a season of rest, the severe marching consequent on the evacuation of Atlanta having been or proved very exhausting to our troops, who have been lying behind breastworks so long. I find that a great many of our soldiers are suffering with sore feet. I had the pleasure of seeing Solon a few days ago, he was quite well. I sent him on yesterday by the hands of Col. Adams your and Willie's letters, which I had received the day before. He wrote me a note in reply last night thanking me for sending him over the letters and stated he had not as yet heard a word from home since he left. Our division (Clayton's) is on the extreme right of the army, 'whilst his division (Loring's) is on or near the extreme left. Our camps are distant some seven or eight mile the consequence is, we cannot see each other often. I have been back to the company now some days. My eyes are in better condition than they have been since first attacked. I am glad to learn that Miss Miller designs sending the children to school. I think it much the best for Lutie she should return to Columbus. I suppose from Willie's letter that Miss Mollie's school has commenced before this. I hope she will have a good school. Willie mentioned in his letter that you had heard from Ed recently and that he was quite well. You did not mention the receipt of any recent communication from him. I have found since my return to the company that we are getting very small rations. They issue but seven pounds of beef daily and no deduction made for bone, this makes but one meal of meat per day, and none too much at that. I suppose you have had plenty of melon and vegetables this summer. I have eaten but few vegetables and have not touched a melon. Is Dr. Austin called out by Governor Clark's order? Willie writes me that Townes is again in the service. A Lieutenant in the Reserve Corps, I received a letter a short time ago from Beck. I understand they are making an effort over at Loring's division to call in all details. I regret to hear this as I know Hood will approve it and the consequences will be that Willie will be ordered back to his regiment., If you can find an opportunity send the pants you referred to as I will need them before I can possibly get them, as I have nothing but Summer pants. The nights are quite cool, making two blankets necessary for comfort. In your reply give me the history of Mount Zion protracted meeting. They are about commencing a protracted meeting here in the battalion whilst we are quiet. I will write to Willie this evening. Tell them all to write and let me hear from you soon, I remain, your son,

"I am much obliged to you for the money you sent me. I will, send this letter by Col. B. C. Adams who starts home tomorrow."

6 o'clock in the evening.

Dear Mother:

Since writing the rest of my letter this morning it has been determined to send one man home for supplies for the company, and Ben Butts has proved to be the fortunate man. I think him to be a safe chance and think you might safely send anything you may have ready for him. If you can do so, send me some socks. I have but two pairs and one of those were given me. Send me woolens if you have them. If you can send me pair of gloves do so. Send the pants and over shirt I mentioned in the other part of my letter. If you have a heavy warm quilt send me one; and above all things try and get the boots made up. Get the Dr. to go and see Young as soon as you get this and perhaps he will make them in time. Ben Butts has but twenty days to go and come in and you will have but little time to prepare in. You bad best put up the things securely so they will not get mixed in other places, and put my name in full on them. I learned today that we are certainly going to Tennessee and with the purpose of staying until whipped out. So I now have no idea of getting a furlough. Anything else you think I might need, put it up, and Mr. Butts will bring it; you might smuggle in some butter and little edibles. I regret that this move will, I fear, break up all chances of my getting home this winter. I suppose will have some heavy fighting to do in Tennessee. Cheatham's Corps are across the river this evening and Stuart will cross early in the morning. It is possible we may not start till tomorrow evening but then, certainly. Tell all my friends to write me by Ben Butts on his return. Send me some thread, coarse, and needles. Tell Miss Mollie to send me the needle case she promised me. Bennie will perhaps call, if so, tell the affairs of home. I am very glad indeed this opportunity has occurred, as I was very much in want of the articles but was afraid they might be lost if sent by anyone who was not on this particular business. Since I have commenced writing I have determined to ask you to send Pope by Mr. Butts as I have not needed his services heretofore, but am now in a mess when there is no servant and can hire none. Can scarcely, get my washing done. If you send Pope you might send me a box of edibles, as he can take care of them. Start him with enough to last him through so he will not have to open the box.

(The above four letters were copied from originals belonging to Mrs. C. E. Sykes, Duck Hill, Mississippi. They were written to Mrs. Lucy B. Sykes, the mother of four soldiers who ware all in the Confederate service. The letter from Edgar Sykes is from a prison camp in Illinois. Edward, the youngest son, was sixteen years old at the time of his capture.)

Montgomery County’s part in the Spanish-American War consisted of a few men who enlisted from the county and joined various companies made up at different points the state. None of the veterans who have been interviewed saw active service. The following list comprises, as far as can be ascertained, Montgomery’s roster of Spanish-American War veterans: G. H. Baker, S. C. Caruthers, Lee Davis Drane, T. G. Hovas, Company M, First Texas Regiment, Infantry; S. Liston, Pat Luter, Sidney Mitchell, Emmett Mortimer, Oliver Pullen, Lynn Richey, Otho R. Odom, Company, K. Second Mississippi Regiment; captain Mobley, Edward Shelton B. F. Ward, Jr., Taylor Wood. (See Addenda) (1): (1. Montgomery County Roster, Spanish-American War.)

No fighting units were composed entirely of Montgomery County men; however, the county gave her share of men to serve in other units. Six served in the famous 155th Regiment. They were Mack Bennett, private in Company D; Eugene Turner Hill, J. B. Harpole, Hugh H. Kent, private, Company K; Gynne Johnson private, Company G (for World War roster, see Addenda).

Eugene Turner Hill enlisted it the First Mississippi Infantry from Duck Hill July 16, 1916 serving on the _.Mexican border awhile. After was declared the regiment, became the 155th. He received orders to go overseas, June 1, 1918.

He was transferred to Company K, Thirty-eighth Infantry, and Third Division. While helping a comrade carry a wounded soldier to a first aid station at night, he stumbled on a party of German soldiers in "No Man's Land." Both he and his comrade were captured and sent to a registered prison camp at Rostatt. They were re- leased December 5, 1918, and placed in a hospital in France. Again, Hill was transferred; this time to the Ninety-first Division. He sailed with his division front, France, April 1, 1919. (1) :( 1. Eugene Turner Hill, Winona, Miss.)

Sergeant J. B. Harpole, Company K, First Mississippi, served on the Mexican border before the regiment was changed to the 155th. He was transferred to the regular United States Army, did guard duty in United States, and was sent later to France with the American Expeditionary Forces for the duration of the war. Sergeant Harpole engaged in several major battles, was gassed, sent, to a hospital, and upon release from the hospital, served with the Army of Occupation in Germany. (2) (2. Susie Staton, Winona, Miss.)

Among the soldiers from this county were six who won distinction for bravery and were awarded medals. They were: Thomas E. Jacks, War Victory Medal with clasp for France; Commie Chesteen, Bronze Victory Modal ; Mark Bennett, Victory Medal with clasp for France; Thomas Wilburn Holmes, one gold War Service Chevron from War Department ; Ernest Small, Victory medal, with clasp for France, and Richard Montgomery, B. N. Victory Medal with clasp for France. : (1) ( 1. Discharge Records, U. S. Army and Marine Corps Chancery Clerk's Office, Winona, Miss :)

Dr John W. Barksdale is Montgomery County's_, most distinguished World War veteran. He went from Winona as major to camp Grant. Rockford, Illinois, and was sent to Rina Court, Haute-Merle, where he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel of Medical Reserve Corps and placed in charge of six base hospitals that served the duration of the war.

Dr. Thomas Wilburn Holmes enlisted from Winona and entered the army as first lieutenant in the medial corps. He was assigned to base hospital, camp Doniphan, Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Later, he was attached to base hospital No. 28, at Rina Courte but was transferred to Souilly on the operating team with Evacuation Hospital No. 7 and served until the end of the war. Dr. Holmes was discharged May 15, 1919 at Hattiesburg, Mississippi, a captain in the Medical Corps. He was cited April 19, 1919, for conspicuous and meritorious, service at Base Hospital No. 58, and WAS commissioned major in the Reserve Corps, August, 1919. (2) :( 2.Susie Staten, Winona, Miss.)

Nick T. Pegues, Jr. enlisted in the United States Army in 1916 and was a member Of Company I, 155^th, Infantry First Mississippi Regiment. He was sent to France in September, 1918. His company was, used for replacement, and he was enrolled in Company K, Thirty-second Division. He was killed in the Argonne Forrest November 10, 1918, by a machine gun bullet. The Nick T. Pegues Post, American Legion, was named in honor of Mr. Pegues. (3) 3. Mrs. Ezilda Pegues Winona, Miss.)

This data has no place in World War history, but as it more or less concerns war history; it is included in this chapter:

In June, 1913₁^, William DeVotie Billingslye of Winona, an ensign in the naval service at Annapolis was killed in an airplane accident. It was the nation’s first airplane casualty. A monument to the memory of Billingsley was erected in the cemetery at Annapolis; also a bronze tablet was placed on the campus at Annapolis. A destroy was named in his honor, and Miss. Cleora Billingsley, a sister the deceased, was requested by governor to christen it.

The follow is copied .from a volume containing the history of the Winona Billingsley:

"William DeVotie Billingsley, April 24, 1887, G. O. number 512 Navy Dept, Washington, DC. Nov. 11, 1919. Destroyer No. 293 under construction at the Bethlehem Ship Bed Co., Scranton, Mass., Named in honor of D.V. Billingsley U. S. N. born in Winona, Miss. April 24, 1887. Killed in airplane accident June 30, 1913, and buried in the Naval Academy Cemetery, Annapolis, on June 28, 1913.

"Appointed Midshipman, July 5. 1905, graduated June, 1909; Ensign June 5, 1911, cruised on U. S. S. Petrol, on Special Service, 1911 and 1912. On June 30, 1913, he started from Annapolis in a Wright biplane converted into a hydroplane, when about ten miles down the bay a gust of wind struck the plane and caused it to dive. Ensign B. was thrown out and fell into the water. This was the first fatal accident to an aviator of the U. S. N. He was an officer of determination and fearless courage.

The Montgomery County, Mississippi, chapter American Red Cross was formally organized July 26, 1917, with fifty charter Members. W. N. Fitzhugh, of Vicksburg, aided local patriots in securing the chapter for this county and the following officers were elected; Chairman, Judge G. A. McLean; vice chairman, Mrs. Henry Harris; treasurer, R. H. Purnell, secretary, Mrs. Guy Hester; assistant secretary, Miss. Louise Dunstan.

Citizens donated sewing machines, chairs, and other equipment, also material with which to begin work until supplies from the division office at New Orleans should arrive. A knitting
class was established under the supervision of Mrs. M. E. Hamer, and so proficient did they become that by the first of October they had ready for shipment forty- eight pairs of socks, eleven sweaters, nine mufflers, and five pairs of wristlets.

Workrooms were established at other towns in the county. Duck Hill, with Mrs. E. D. Wilkins, Miss. Sallye McCuiston, and Mrs. J. D. Wilkins in charge; Kilmichael, Mrs. W.A. Ward; Mars Hill, Mrs. Edward Shelton; Lodi, Mrs. J.P. Synnott; Pine Bluff, Mrs. Luna Garner and Miss. Lillian Williams; and Poplar Creek, Mrs. Mark Hearon.

Cash, donations sent front the chapter amounted to $8,625. The first drive took placed the quota at $3,500, but $8,000 was raised. Total number of garments made were: 863 pairs of socks, 605 sweater, 27 mufflers, 28 pairs wristlets, 5 helmets, 563 suites winter pajamas, 378 hospital shirts, 49helpless case shirts, 190 operating caps, 22 convalescent jackets 48 nightingales 52 band-age foot socks, 55 hot water tag covers, 310 petticoats, 150 undershirts, 17 men's shirts, 60 comfort kits, 10 bedspreads, 5 sheets, 10 pillow cases, 41 gunshot-wound packets, 170 aprons.

The National War Savings Committee in Montgomery claimed 944 members who worked diligently to bring the county's quota up to standard. In every drive the amount of stamps and Liberty Bonds sold far exceeded the quota.

"American YMCA"

Paris, 6-20-1919

"Dear Kathryn:

"I have been into Paris twice with trucks today for loads of ice cream. Among others duties I am to we that the inter-allied games are supplied with beau coup ice cream. The coutes tauts from all the allied nations have moved into camp and tonight we are having a great blowout. The big Y is being opened and amidst all the hub-bub of that opening I am sitting here trying to write. It is music and conversation now; later, it will be speech-making and dancing and what not. Just now instructions are being given about the Dance. It is a strange old world. Now a Frenchman is translating the instructions into French.

"Tomorrow the games open and the Pershing Stadium will be a center for the eyes of the entire world. Unless Germany acts foolish perhaps we will have more space in the paper than anything else.

"I am afraid I shall see very little of the contests and that is bad, but someone must do the work. There are some fine specimens of physical manhood here and of course one hopes that America will win, but it will be some job!

"Here I sit, the band plays, the officers and Mademoiselles dance within a few feet of me, but my heart is some five thousand miles away. I am thinking of my own and I feel like playing the baby and breaking down and having a cry. Of course I won't do that for I know that would be giving way to nervousness. I take comfort in the thought that in three more weeks the strain will be lifted and I shall be turning my face toward the Statue of Liberty and home.

"Lieutenant Paddock has just come over to the table for some envelopes, and another officer is calling my attention to him and is getting me to watch him in the meet. He is a fine looking specimen.

"I shall be sure to be at home by August 1^st. unless Germany refuses to sign. In that case I don't know, but no one seems to think there is any doubt; of course precautions have been taken and the allies will move from here into Germany.

"It has just been suggested that in the next dance that the ladies shall ask the gentlemen for a dance and, that each shell ask a man of different nationality from herself. That will be some mix-up in such a crowd as this.

"Well you see I am incapable of writing a real letter, but I'll send this just as it is. Give my babies lots of love and millions of kisses from me and with lots of love.

"France, Thursday, July11th.Dear Mama:

"They always speak of this country as `Sunny France,' but honest, I'll take Mississippi for sun any time; I've seen more rainy days and disagreeable days, over here than I have seen sunny ones. The weather is so changeable that it has been a hard thing for us to get acclimated, and a good many of the fellows are carrying summer colds.

What I want most these days is a good vegetable dinner with bread and buttermilk. Honest, I get so hungry for greens and beans and cabbage that I don t know what to do. It’s taut Jour pommel de-terre (always potatoes) and meat, red navy beans, and rice—I have dined several times with French families. If they only had white bread instead of brown, you could not tell from the meal that there was a war. Had a perfectly delicious dinner on the Fourth, hard boiled eggs, with mayonnaise dressing a splendid roast., a boiled chicken, potatoes chipped very thin, made into rolls the size of your thumb and fried in butter-- two kinds of cheese, and all the champagne we could drink. Then, a big tapioca pudding covered with chocolate an inch thick. My, but it was some meal. Then for supper—ham, sugar cured, fried ham and scrambled eggs—oh, boy —but that's one time we slipped it over on our dear old Mess Sergeant—Dear Fellows! I know his eyes would water if he ever heard about it.

"The French were very loyal to the boys in Khaki' on the Fourth. At four p. m. they gave us a concert at the 'Theaters De Font, which would do credit to any Orpheum theater in the states. Some splendid French and Italian songs, another played the violin, several made talks (which I understood but little), two of our boys put on a boxing match—and another danced. But the two best numbers were a complete surprise to the audience for they were not listed on the program. A Miss Williamson from New York City, with the YWCA sang us some real American songs. It is sure great to hear an American girl's voice and we let her know we were in the audience.

"Am going on a vacation soon down in the French Alps; will be gone for ten days. The scenery around that section of the country is wonderful, it is said, and I am quite anxious to go. My name was the first drawn and I am quiet excited. Will, write a letter telling all about my trip soon as I get back.

ROBERT." (1): (1 Letter to Mrs. Cato, mother of Robert Cato.)

Marion Latham was killed in France, but Mrs. Latham does; not know much about the details concerning the death of her son. She received a, telegram from his adjutant general, Harris, informing her that her son was killed in action October 25, 1918, but she was not notified until March 1, 1919. The telegram read: "Deeply regret to inform you that James M. Latham is officially reported as killed in action October twenty-fifth. Harris, the Adjutant General." A picture of his grave in Flanders Field was sent to her by the War Department. A number beneath the cross on the grave reads D366813.

Two years after his death his body was sent home for burial, but Mrs. Latham fears that it was not the body of her son. A comrade who was with Marion at the time of his death who now lives in the county, told Mrs. Latham, that he was standing near her son, when_, a huge shell exploded and blew him to atoms; he stated they could not find a piece of Latham's body. (1): (1. Mrs. L. L. Latham.)

Charlie Norwood (colored) gives the information concerning his war service: He joined Company E, 829 Transportation Corps, is the early fall of 1917. He left Winona in charge of twenty-four other soldiers and went to Camp Pike, Little Rock, Arkansas; from there he went to Camp Hill, Newport News, Virginia, where he took non-commissioned officers training and was promote to corporal. Leaving Newport News, Virginia, he went to New York, where he boarded the "George Washington" with five thousand other soldiers. On sailing across the "Deep Blue' Sea," his ship was overtaken by a rainstorm and was blown off the coarse, lengthening the crossing to seventeen days and nights. He landed at Brest, France; from there went to Bordeaux, France, at which time he was promoted to sergeant in charge. From this time he went from place to place looking after supplies from the waterfront to the front-line trenches. He stayed in France eighteen months; and all the while he served in the army he never went A. W. O. L. In speaking of the experience he said "I tried to do my duty all the while I was with ' Uncle Sam'. When the war was over he boarded the "Black Arrow," July 1, 1919, and sailed for home, landing in the Unites States of America July 12. He received an honorable discharge at Camp Shelby, Hattiesburg, Mississippi. (2); (2. Charlie Norwood; colored)

Leon Trotter has the rare distinction of being represented in the Hall of Fame in the State Capitol by two portraits, one of a paternal ancestor, Judge James Fisher Trotter, and the other of a maternal ancestor, Captain Thomas Buck Reed.

Mr. Trotter was presented a bronze medal by the United Confederate Veterans at Greenwood, Mississippi, because he could trace some member of his immediate family as having taken part in every war in the United States from early Colonial days up through the World War. He himself is a, veteran of the World War. Mr. Trotter's mother, Mrs. Ida B. Trotter, went through the siege of Vicksburg.

"The Department of Archives and History, State of Mississippi, June 27, 1936 State of Mississippi; County of Hinds; City of Jackson.

This is to certify that the Official Confederate Military Records on file in the Mississippi Department of Archives and History show that I. P. Trotter was a member of the Fifth Regiment of Mississippi Cavalry C. A. S., and served as Captain of Company B of that Regiment. James Z. George was Colonel of this Regiment.

Witness my hand and seal this twenty-seventh day of June, nineteen hundred and thirty-six. DUNBAR ROWLAND, Director.

Captain I. P. Trotter was Leon Trotter’s grandfather. "Department of Archives and History, State of Mississippi, June 27, 1936 State of Mississippi; County of Hinds; City of Jackson.

.......This is to certify that the Official Confederate Military records on file in the Department of Archives and History show that A. P. Trotter was a member of the Second Regiment of Mississippi Cavalry, C. S. A. and served as a private soldier in company G, that Regiment.

Company G. Pontotoc Rangers, of Pontotoc County enlisted at Cherry Creek April 30, 1862 Captains Joshua T. Pitts; R. B. Pitts.

Witness my hand and seal this the twenty-seventh day of June, nineteen hundred and thirty-six. DUNBAR ROWLAND, Director."

A. P. Trotter was Leon Trotter’s father. A. P. Trotter died in 1905. (1) :( 1, Leon Trotter, Jackson, Miss.)

The Adjutant General's Office Washington

Statement of the Military Service of Alden Trotter

Born in Winona, Mississippi April 26, 1875; Appointed from Mississippi.

Private, Company "K" 2nd Mississippi Infantry, May 26, 1898 to July 26, 1898.

Captain, 3rd Mississippi Infantry, July 27, 1898, honorably mustered out March 15, 1899.

Second Lieutenant, 2nd Infantry, accepted Jan. 22, 1900. (To rank from Dec. 1, 1899) Transferred to Artillery Corps June 19, 1901; First Lieutenant, July 1, 1901. Captain, January 25, 1907. Major, Coast Artillery Corps, May 15, 1917

Lieutenant Colonel (temporary) Jan. 28, 1918 to June 30, 1918;

Colonel, Coast Artillery Corps; National Army Accepted, July 1, 1918, to rank from June 25, 1918)

Honorably discharged as Colonel, National Army only, reverting to Major, Coast Artillery Corps, Sept.2, 1919.

Retired from active service with rank of Lieutenant Colonel July 1, 1920; Graduate Artillery School, 1906.

He was on duty at Fort Thomas, Kentucky, from February 11, 1900, to August 14, 1900; en route to and at San Francisco, California, to August 21, 1900, when be sailed for the Philippine Islands; arrived in Philippine Islands, September 16, 1900; on duty with the 2nd Infantry at Siniloan to October 1900; Catabalogan, Philippine Islands, to January 30, 1901; Romblon, P.I. To March,1901; Laguan, P. I., to May, 1901; Lucens, P. I., to June, 1901; Pagbilas, P. I., to July, 1901; Antimonan, P. I., to September 1, 1901; Collector of Internal Revenue at Antimonan, Tayabas. P. I., from September, 1901, to March, 1902; with 25^th. Company, Coast Artillery Corps, Manila, P. I., to August 28, 1902; on duty with Army Inter-Islands Transport Service, Manila, P. I., to February 27, 1903; in leave of absence, to March 3, 1903; Commanding 31st Company, Coast Artillery Corps, to April 20, 1903 (en route to the United States) March 6, 1903, to April 3, 1903, and en route to and at Fort Caswell, North Carolina, to April 20, 1903; on leave of absence to May 18, 1903; with 25th Company, Coast Artillery Corps, Presidion of San Francisco, California to, July 19, 1903; Fort Miley, California, to April 28, 1904; sailed with 28th Company, Coast Artillery Corp from San Francisco on April 30, 1904, and arrived at Honolulu, May 8, 1904; at Camp McKinley, Honolulu, to July, 1905 (arrived at San Francisco, California, October 17, 1904, on leave of absence for three months. En route to Honolulu January 25, 1904 to February 2, 1904; arrived at San Francisco, California, July 29, 1905; temporarily at Fort Rosecrans, California, to August 8, 1905; on leave of absence to August 18, 1905; en route to and on duty at a student at Artillery School, Fort Monroe, Virginia, to August 5, 1906; on leave of absence, to September 5, 1906; Presidion of San Francisco, California, to February 5, 1907; en route to the Philippine Islands to March 4, 1907; Fort McKinley, Philippine Islands, to June 15, 1907; en route to the United State to July 17, 1907; Fort Baker, California, to February 4, 1909; on leave of absence, to March 28, 1909; Fort Hancock, New Jersey, to March 8, 1911; Galveston, Texas, to June 15 1911; Fort Hancock, New Jersey to July 12, 1912; Fort Caswell North Carolina, to April 21,1915;Fort Michie,New York, to

September 8, 1916; Fort H. G Wright, New York, to December 31, 1917; commanding 4th Ammunition Train, Camp Greene North Carolina, to May, 1918 temporarily at Camp Merritt, New Jersey, to May 22, 1918; en route to France, on duty commanding the 4th Ammunition Train to July 2, 1918; student, Heavy Artillery School to September 8, 1918; with the 54th Artillery Coast Corps; to September 29, 1918; on duty with Motor Transport Corps, Tours, France to October 26, 1918; Motor Transport Officer, 2nd Army American Expeditionary Forces to December 9, 1918; awaiting orders to December 31, 1918; Assistant Inspector, American Embarkation Center LeMans, France. to April 21, 1919; sick and en route to United States, to June 26, 1919; while overseas he participated in the Meues-Argonne Offensive; en route to and sick at Letterman Hospital, Presidion of San Francisco, California, to October. 2, 1919; Fort Winfield,

South Carolina to date of retirement;

Lieutenant-Colonel Trotter died near Lower Lake, California, December 27, 1924, by authority of the Secretary of War.

(Seal)E. T. CONLEY, Major General, the Adjutant General

Leon Trotter of Montgomery County enlisted in the army October, 1917 at Memphis, Tennessee. He trained as pilot in the Aviation Corps of the United States Army; received his military training at the School of Military Aeronautics, University of Texas, located in Austin, Texas; received his honorable discharge, March, 1918; re-entered the United States Navy, April, 1918; received his naval training at the Naval Training Station in New Orleans, Louisiana. On account of his age be was transferred to the Naval Intelligence Department, commonly known as Secret Service. He served in tics capacity until the Armistice was signed. A temporary discharge was given him, January, 1919. He received his permanent discharge in April, 1919.

In giving the data on Montgomery County's struggle through Reconstruction, it is to be remembered that for the first six years following the close of the War Between the States, Montgomery as a county, was non-existent. The happenings during the period from 1865 to 1871 (the latter being the year that Montgomery County was formed from portions of Carroll and Choctaw counties and when the whole state was under military rule) concern Carroll and Choctaw county history. No persons are living who remember intimate, local details, and as county records belonged to Carroll and Choctaw counties, we have no source of information covering this period; consequently, this chapter does not give data on the first years following the close of the War Between the States.

Immediately following the war the situation in this county, as well as the entire South, was grave indeed. Train service was disrupted; few mules and horses were left; a scarcity of vehicles prevailed generally, and the roads were in very bad condition. The journey from Winona to Carrollton was considered a noteworthy event.

Farms and plantations were run down and few farms had implements with which to operate. There was little or no money with which to buy food, seed, and other necessities. The large plantation owners, who had formerly used slave labor, were faced with the difficulty of obtaining labor to work their land, and in addition, there were hundreds of freed Negroes who had not the slightest idea of how they should "fend for themselves."

Social life was, for a time, driven into the background by the problems of readjusting the entire structure of living which had been torn apart by the war and the freeing of the slaves. (1) :( 1. Susie Staton, Winona, Miss.)

Following the establishment of Montgomery County in May, 1871, Governor Alcorn appointed the first officials of the county. At the time when every other county in the state was struggling under the burden of Negro officials, Montgomery, fortunately, had no officials except white Democrats. The first officers were: Board of supervisors, W. B. Peery, president; Eli P. Cartledge, Thomas C. Curry, and James Thomas: sheriff, John C. McKenzie; chancery clerk, Thomas J. Blackmore; and treasurer, F. M. Shyrock. (1): (1. Minutes of the Board of Supervisors of Montgomery County Vol. 1 p. 1.)

There was not a Republican among these first officers, but the statement has been made that Governor Alcorn, under pressure, removed these first appointees and placed Republicans in their stead. This is corroborated by records which reveal that the first officials served only three months. In September, 1871, an entirely new set of officials was appointed by Governor Alcorn, and all of them were Republicans. The Board of Supervisors was composed of R. B. Keith, R. A. Pool, Walter Gould, and John Curtis. The later was a Negro, and the leader, or instigator, of most of the Negro devilment that was later to come.

After the election of November, 1871, when the Democrats won the_, fight, these officers were voted out and Democratic officials, put in. The Board of supervisors, who began serving in January, 1873, were J. W. Garner, Eli P. Cartledge, W. B. Peery, Henry Loggiss, and Thomas Curry (2):(2. Ibid, Vol. 1, page 50.)

The first general election for county and local officers since the beginning of Reconstruction occurred in November, 1871. There was a determined Democratic organization in the county, composed of men who would not countenance the thought that their former slaves should have the right to vote into office re- publicans who were not interested in the county welfare. The outcome of the county election was an overwhelming Democratic victory. It is true that there was a majority of Republican votes polled, for the Negro population was large and every Negro voted. An eye-witness at the election which occurred at the Lodi precinct has related exactly was took place that election day. November, 1871. Practically the same thing occurred at every voting precinct in the county.

No attempt was made to keep the Negroes from voting, for Federal troops were sent to each precinct to maintain order and see that the Negroes were permitted to cast their ballots. At Lodi, four soldiers with bayonets on their guns were stationed at each side of the ballot box. No disorder of any kind Occurred and affairs were conducted quietly all day. When the polls closed that evening Sam Hannah, a Democrat and ex-soldier, who operated a saloon at Lodi, approached the soldiers and invited them up to his saloon for a round of drinks. Hannah told them that political views had no effect on Southern hospitality, and though he was a Democratic and they Republican, there was no reason why they should not have a drink on him, a supper afterward. They accepted gratefully and so thorough enjoyed their entertainment as to become intoxicated—just as Hannah had intended. In the mean-time, Captain Ott Allen, another Democrat and ex-soldier, had taken the keys, unlocked the ballot box, and removed nearly , all the Republican tickets, placing Democratic tickets instead. Thus, it was entirely by fraud that Democratic officials were elected at that time. (1): (1. Henry Hart. Winona, Miss.)

                                                        Economic Adjustment

As Montgomery County was not within the area where fighting occurred, the economic problem sharing the Reconstruction was not as grave as in other counties of the state. The scarcity of farm animals and food; practically no

Though two major economic problems were the high rate of one had any money and farms were in a run-down condition, taxation, which was virtually impossible for property owners to pay, and the labor situation, caused by the emancipation of the slaves. The labor question here was not as serious as in areas where greater numbers of large plantations had operated with slave labor.

The section which became Montgomery County was comparatively new and the settlers of the county, as a whole, being generally of moderate means, had filed on government lands, worked single-handed, so to speak, and had not up to the time of the war, acquired large holdings, All of that part of Montgomery County southeast of Big Black River, was comparatively, newly established. There were a few land owners, who had three or four slaves, some with more, but taken as a whole, slaves were few, and farm' labor was done by farm owners and their families. The territory occupied by the earliest settlers near Winona, Middleton, and Lodi, were the areas where almost all of the slaves owners resided. In this section were large plantations where all labor was done by slaves. The wives of the plantation owners were unaccustomed to work, and some of them never did this, as their former slaves remained with them after the war.

The economic question was solved by the poor people after returning home from the war, in making use of the little that remained to them and by going to work. If these people did not have a needed article, they managed without it.

Women made the necessary clothing by knitting and spinning, for there was no money with which to purchase even necessities. The grandmother of a prominent family now living in the county took the cotton from a home-made cotton mattress and sold it for 1.25 per pound to secure money to buy farm implements. Slave owners who operated large plantations, almost without exception, contracted with their former slaves to work their lands. (1): (1 A. C. Robinson Winona, Miss., C. C. Oliver Kilmichael, Miss.)

Quoting from J. W. Garner's "Reconstruction in Mississippi":

"The most common method adopted was the 'share system'; the planter agreeing to furnish the land, the seed, the farm implements and animals and furnish the merchant with security for any supplies which the freedmen might use. On the other hand the freedman was to plant, cultivate, and harvest the crop for a certain portion of it. This was usually one-half." (2.) The labor situation was handled thus in this county and proved successful. It was carried in this manner until the Negroes accustomed themselves to the idea of being their own masters, and by then land owners had had time to work out a labor system which did not involve slaves. (2. J. W. Garner, Reconstruction in Mississippi. p. 137.)

The high rate of taxation was one of the greatest burdens the people faced. The tax levy in Montgomery County in 1874 was: State tax, 14 mills; county tax 10.8 mills; the whole making a total of almost four per cent, notwithstanding this high rate, not a single instance of any land in the county being forfeited during this period is on record. (3) :( 3. Ibid, p. 939.)

The real social adjustment which came with the close of the war and Reconstruction was the answer to a question which would have been a major social problems had the war not intervened to break up the so-called aristocracy of the South. Before the war, the "poor white trash." or people who owned no slaves were looked upon as being inferior to the aristocracy. The Negro slaves, taking the cue from their "white folks, thought themselves higher class I than the" poor whites. This class was looked down upon by large plantation owners. In an instance when it became necessary that one of the common classes eat a meal in the home of an aristocrat, he was sent to the kitchen door, and on no occasion did one of them enter the front door, but went to the rear. The lady of the house did not come in contact with them under any circumstances.

The hardships and poverty following the war did nothing to materially lessen this sentiment on the part of the aristocrats, many of them retaining these old opinions so long as they lived, just as they retained their household Negroes, who served them as they always had. It is true that Negroes were free to go had they wished, but many did not wish to leave. They were held by bonds of real affection to their former mistresses and masters, and were reluctant to leave them, for in many cases these servants were guarded and cared for their own too long to wish a change.

The social life of the Negroes during the Reconstruction period marked a greater change than that of the whites. When a Negro man owned by one master had married a girl belonging to another master, the offspring was the property of the owner of the mother. Montgomery has one instance of a former slave whose wife lived on a farm five miles from his own master's plantation. This slave had thirteen children, some of whom had been sold to different owners. Following emancipation, the Negro man gathered together his wife and all of the children, rented land from his former master; and kept the entire family with him until hi death. Two of these children, Jim and Charlotte Billingsley, are living and reside in Winona. (1) (1. Henry Hart, Winona, Miss, Jim Billingsley, Winona, Miss.)

Very little can be learned concerning educational and religious adjustment. It is a belief among Negroes of the county that the first Negro school in Montgomery was built on a plot of ground bought by Republicans and taught by white northern women. The present Negro school of Winona is presumably situated on land bought by Republicans, but we have been unable to authenticate this statement.

When the Mississippi school law was passed in 1870, schools were established for both white and black, and the attitude of the whites toward educating the Negroes was very liberal. At no time were Montgomery citizens opposed to educating the Negro.

The operation of Carpetbaggers in our county must have been negligible, for no information regarding them can be obtained. The men who have told the facts given in this chapter are reticent about giving names of southern Republicans. The reason for this may be that they wish to spare the feelings of citizens now residents in the county, whose relatives were formerly Republicans. (1): (1. Susie Staton, Winona, Miss.)

The leader of the Loyal League in the county was a Negro, John Curtis, who had once been a member of the board of supervisors. Prompted by the leaders of the Republican Party, he organized Loyal Leagues among the blacks, agitated uprisings against the whites, and was the instigator of the only near riot that ever occurred during Reconstruction. In 1875 a Loyal League meeting at Spring Hill Church, near old Mayfield (Kilmichael), was interrupted by a party of Red Shirts. Curtis was overheard in a speech he was making, "We will have the white women bending their backs over washtubs, while our women sit up and rest; we will have equality if we have to ride in blood up to our bridle bits." When Curtis reached that point in his speech the white men rushed into the building and captured the other two Negro leaders, Lon Hamer, and a Negro whose name cannot be recalled; Curtis escaped during the confusion and fled the country. The other two Negroes were taken from the house and shot. This practically ended the Loyal League in the county. (2) :( 2. Henry Hart, Winona, Miss,)

Between 1871 and 1875 there was little disorder or lawlessness until a few weeks before the election of 1875. The white voters had been successful in placing their men in office, and the officials had the respect of most of the Negroes. In the week’s pre- ceding the state election of 1875, the dominant feature of the campaign was the operation of the "Red Shirts." The Democratic voters over the county were organized into Democratic clubs and red shirts were worn by all democrats and even very young boys. The chief aim of the Red shirts was to so terrorize and intimidate the Negroes before election Day that they would be afraid to come to the polls and vote.

In Winona the Democrats were led by A. B. Hurt, who was later editor of the "Winona Advance." One of the Republican leaders was a scalawag, Walter Gould, president of the board of supervisors in November, 1871.

One interesting incident during the campaign was a, Red Shirt parade through the town of Winona, a half-mile long, and all wearing red shirts; the band was led by an old Negro, Hudson Palmer, riding A donkey. Palmer was a true Democrat and the only Negro in the parade. It was said of this old Negro that he stood near the ballot box, and when a Negro came to cast his ballot, Hudson would watch, and if the Negro voted a Republican ticket, Hudson would follow him off and give him a beating. The night before the election about twenty-five Red shirts, carrying pistols and riding horses, broke up a Negro gathering; threatening them with dire calamity if they should come near the polls the next day. These same went from Winona to other points in the county, visiting Negro gatherings and frightening them. Three Negroes were killed that night, but it has never been officially established who was responsible. (1) :( 1. Harvey Moss Winona, Miss.; A. C. Robinson Winona, Miss.)

Torchlight processions and shooting anvils were other methods used to impress the Negroes. The few Republican votes polled were sufficient evidence that the methods wed by the Democrats were effective.

During the voting at Lodi not a negro was to be seen; at noon no negroes had voted and Dr. W. W. Hart, who once had been a member of the Legislature from Choctaw County, but lived within the portion later allotted Montgomery, became uneasy about the entire absence of negroes and Sent his son, Henry, to bring Some of the darkies to the polls. Henry went to the cotton field where he found two Negroes picking cotton and told them his father had sent for them and wanted them to vote. They reluctantly accompanied him and voted the only two Republican tickets at the Lodi precinct that day.

The Ku Klux Klan was organized in the county, but its operations were of small importance, as the Negroes were seldom unruly, and there were very few occasions when force was a necessity. The only instance that can be recalled was the case of Arnold Peeples, a freeman on the plantation of Dr. W. W. Hart, Lodi. Peeples had been impudent in a conversation with a white man, it was reported, and the following night members of the Ku Klux Klan called at his house, carried him out, and gave him a beating. No names of leaders or members of the Klan which operated in this county can be obtained. (2): (2 Ibid.)

References

                                                               CHAPTER XI

The proportion of the Negro population equals 43% per cent of the whole, according to the 1930 census.

There are 195 farm owners, and the average farm contains 94 1/2 acres. No available figures on the number of share-croppers and renters have been found. Three Negro blacksmith and wood- working shops are here. There are no Negro merchants, lawyers, or physicians residing in the county, but some who were born, reared, and educated here; have gone elsewhere and entered these professions. Among them are: A. D. Bradberry, M. D., Kansas City, Missouri; O. J. Garner, music teacher; Sadie Walthall, teacher, Grenada city schools; Johnnie Hill, undertaker, Canton, Mississippi, and Dr. Leon Young, New Orleans, Louisiana. (1): (1. A. L. Hill, Winona, Miss.) Florence A. Donnell, home demonstration agent for the Negroes has made a splendid record as painstaking executive in her line of work.

Katie Baker is well known in the colored section over the county for her singing. She sings at weddings, churches, and other public musical activities; excelling especially in Negro spirituals.

Valley L. Lester, of Winona, is a lecturer, and has delivered moral and philosophical lectures throughout the South. Lester is the most prominent, the most intellectual and the most versatile Negro in the county. He is dignified and courteous, possessed of an exceedingly pleasing personality. On one occasion, while delivering a lecture in Sullivan's Hollow he came very near being lynched. The harrowing experience is given in detail in his book, "My Appeal against Mob Violence." (2): (2. Valley L. Lester Winona, Miss.)

The Negroes have worked faithfully in trying to build up the schools of the county, and without any outside aid, they have established and maintained a college in Winona for almost fifty years. The county has produced a number of teachers who have made excellent records here and in other counties of the state. Many preachers, one physician, and one lecturer have gone out.

Zion Baptist College was established in 1894 by the members of the Baptist Zion District Association of Montgomery and Grenada Counties.

The first building, a one-story structure, was erected in South Winona. No public funds were used in its maintenance; the Negroes themselves supported the institution. The first trustees were E. L. Harper, A. Nabors, R. Kinney, J. Harvey and A. W. Nail, and the first teacher was Professor W. A. Hutchinson. Only students from Grenada and Montgomery counties attended this college.

In 1918 the building burned, and from 1918 until 1923 the school did not function. It was reorganized in 1923, and the location changed to Northeast Winona. A new board of trustees was elected; all from Montgomery, as the members of the Grenada Baptist Association refused to share in the undertaking. Money was borrowed from a finance company to build the new college, the Negroes giving a mortgage on the lot for security. The present (1938) building is a two-story frame structure; the auditorium, class rooms, and dormitory all under one roof.

The new board of trustees was Rev. E. L. Harper, Rev. J. A. Garner, Rev. A. L. Hill, J. H. Harver, and Rev. J. W. Sanders. The first faculty consisted of A. B. Godwin, president; Mattie J. Miller, and Geneva Bidds. They served until 1926, when they were succeeded by Henry Powell, president; Clotilde Trotter, Mamie Matthews and Collie Sanders. The present faculty is William H. Turner, president; G. P. Laster dean; Mary Kendall, teacher and matron; Sadie Griffin, monitor; Samuel Winbush, music, and Woodie Wilson primary department. The present enrolment is fifty.

There has been no public fund to maintain this institution; the Negroes themselves pay the teachers and supply all expenses. Prior to September, 1936, the indebtedness on the institution was paid in small sums yearly, but on that date, the amount was paid in full and the Negroes had quite a celebration, which they termed the "Mortgage Burning." (1): (1. A. L. Hill, Winona, Miss., and Perry Harper, Winona, Miss.)

Ratcliffe Elementary School was organized in the Columbiana community about 1872. The first building was a frame structure, once a Negro dwelling. The first trustees were William Sanders, John Sanders and Robert McNutt, the first teacher a Baptist preacher, Booye, and the enrollment for the first term was seventy-five. Booye taught this school until 1879, when he was succeeded by George Sledge, who served as principal until 1884; the first board of trustees still acting. In 1884 the school was reorganized, a plot of ground was bought from Manning V. Branch, and a new one-room school house was erected on the present site of the school, four miles southeast of Winona. The present (1938) enrollment is sixty-three, with F H. Bradberry, principal, and Eunice Lindsey, assistant.

Some of the pupils who have graduated from Ratcliffe School have attained prominence are: Rolie Clark, Essau Harvey, Ardelle Wilson, John Wilson, and Artellia Shannon. (2): (2. Frank Bradberry, Winona, Miss.)

Winona School: The first Negro public school in Winona was taught in an old house located about one-fourth mile northwest from the present school. It was on a five-acre plat, said to have been purchased by Republicans for a Negro school. The school was taught during the first several years by white teachers, the last two of whom were Mr. Fitsgerral and Mrs. Neel. This school was begun about 1878. Succeeding Mr. Fitsgerral and Mrs. Neel, who taught together, were J. H. Evans and wife, the first Negro teachers. They took charge of the school about 1882 and taught about six years. The trustees of the school have always been white. One person living, who went to the school under Professor Evans, is Mary McMath, of Winona.

One of the most outstanding accomplishments in the entire history of the school was the erection of a present six-teacher type Rosenwald School, built at cost of $8,000 in 1928.

One of the irrevocable requirements of those seeking aid from Rosenwald Fund is the possession of at least a two acre plat of ground on which to build the school. These Negroes owned only one acre, therefore the city of Winona came to their aid with the purchase of the additional acre.

The school was built entirely by colored labor. The trustees who led in the movement for securing the school, and under whose management success was achieved and to whom the colored people of Winona and adjacent communities will always be indebted, were Messrs. N. V. Hutchinson, president; V. D. Rowe, A. S. Carl, Ed. Allen and W. G. Baker.

Some outstanding accomplishments of the last four years are: Buying seats for the auditorium, wiring the building, using only pupil labor; beautifying the grounds, making substantial walks about the building, and adding a boy's shop.

The school is now a County Training School, having met all requirements and is recognized by the State department of Education. (1) :( 1. J. J. Knox, Winona, Miss.)
Spring Hill Vocational School, Situated fourteen miles northeast of Winona on the Winona-Alva rood, has four teachers and 176 pupils, with C. H. Dukes as principal.

Prior to 1934 this school was known as Spring Hill Negro School, and only grammar grades were taught. In August, 1936, the patrons of the school, needing money to better equip the building, borrowed $1600 from the Bank of Kilmichael. With this money they purchased material to build and furnish six new rooms. As there are no public funds to repay this borrowed money, the Negroes are paying it themselves. The school owns a plat of ground in which cotton is planted each year and the proceeds, used for the benefit of the schoo1. They have a comfortable teacher’s home. (2): (2. Guy Fisher, Superintend of Education, Winona, Miss.)

Duck Hill Colored School is a two-teacher school, accommodating 135 pupils. Henrietta Fullilove is principal.

In addition to the specially mentioned schools there are thirty- one other Negro schools in the county, with thirty-six teachers and fifteen hundred pupils. A list of the names of these schools follow: Bethlehem, Center Side, Chisholm, Evergreen, Eskridge, Hays Creek, Hazel Chapel, Means Chapel, Mount Zion, Pittman, Prospect, Ratcliffe, Stewart, Wilkins Chapel, Young’s Chapel, Sweet Home, Lindsey Chapel, Edwards, Saint Marks, Saint Paul, Saint Johns, Sally, Powell Chapel, Lake Zion, Campbell, Spring Hill No. 2, Eldhorn, Perry and Harvey. (1): (1. Guy Fisher, Winona, Miss.)

Churches

There are twenty-nine Negro churches in the county; twenty-two are Baptist and seven are Methodist. The total Baptist membership for the county is 2351. The total Methodist membership is 807. (2) :( 2. Minutes of the Zion District Association, and A. A. Wright, Winona, Miss.)

Haven Memorial Methodist: This church is a brick building which was erected on Church Hill, Winona, in 1929. In obtaining funds to build this church the members of the congregation raised part of the money by volunteer subscription and borrowed the remainder from the Bank of Winona.

At the time the church was built, Harry Hart was pastor and it was at his suggestion that the church was named Haven memorial in honor of one of the bishops.

The members of the church are assessed a certain sum yearly for preachers' salary, etc. A list of all members whose assessments are paid is placed in a glass covered frame and hung on the wall of the church. It is interesting to note that the frame containing this list of names is secured with a Yale lock.

The present pastor is A. A. Wright; services are held twice each month, and the membership is two hundred. The vested choir, composed of twenty members, is led by Professor J. J. Knox. (1): (1. Valley L. Lester, Winona, Miss.)

Winona Baptist Church: This church was organized in 1867 at Winona. The meeting to discuss plans for organizing the church was held in the white Baptist church, Winona. A. H. Booth who was pastor at the time and nine Negro members were present at the meeting. The result of this meeting was the erection of a small frame building, made of pine boards, which is said to be the first Negro church in Winona.

The present building was erected on Campbell Street in 1924; Church organizations include Sunday school, Woman's Missionary Society, B. Y. P. U., Busy Bee Club, and Willing Workers. The Vested choir, composed of thirty members led by Frank Bradberry, is excellent.

The membership numbers three hundred; services are held twice monthly, and the pastor is 0. J. Turner. (1): (1 O. J. Turner, Winona, Miss.)

The following list comprises all of the negro churches in the county: Baptist—Acono, Bethlehem, Harmonette, Hays Creek, Hazel Green, Mount Olive No. 1, Mount Olive No. 2, Wilmount, Mount Zion, Lindsey Spring, Summerfield, Mount Nebo, Pleasant Grove, Prospect, Winona Baptist, Pleasant Hill, New Fountain Grove, Spring Hill No. 1, Mount Vernon, Saint John, Sweet Home, Pinkney Grove, Union Grove, Piney Grove, Young’s Chapel, and Pleasant Spring. (2): (2 Minutes of the Zion District Association.)

Methodist: Bethlehem; Binford; Columbiana; Evergreen; Haven Memorial; Mount Zion; Shady Grove. (3): (3 A. A. Wright, Winona, Miss.)

Ante-Bellum Negroes

Melissa Munson, Duck Hill, is 101 years old, and the former slave of Colonel J. D. Binford. She has a clear memory of a visit from Yankee soldiers during the War Between the States.

This is Melissa's version of the visit:

"It was enderin" the war and Mr. Thomas Purnell, that lived about two miles from Old Marster, come to give warnin' that the Yankees wuz comin'. He said dey would be here next mawnin'. Ole Marster warn't at home when he come, so he went on; but he hadn’t got out O' sight when Ole Marster rode up. He got down and hitched his hoss, a’n 'bout dat time he say the Yankees. Well, I can see him right now jump dat fence and run right tru de yard to de back an' on into de field back o' de barn.

"De Yankee comes on, an' ole Marster's cousin, from New Awleen', dat was keepin' house for him, come to de do'.

"'who was dat doin' de runnin'? Asks one of de men, Dats de overseer,' says Ole Miss. 'You's jus' a lie, dats ole man Binford.' "Well, de Yankees come on in
de house an’ went thru eve drawer an' took all de valuables an’ niggers’ jus' stood ' roun' an' wuz purty near scared to death. Dey went out to de smokehouse an' Ole Marster had about twenty hawgs killed an' in dere, so dey called us all slaves out and gives us a middlin' apiece. Ole Marster had barrels of brown sugar dat he brought from the market once a year an' dey 'vided de sugar an' all de s'plies amongst us niggers an' tol' us to have, a feast. But we didn't have no feast. No mam. When de Yankees got gone we went an' carried ever speck o' dem eats back an' give 'em to Ole Marster.

"Jus' befo' de Yankees got ready to go, one of de mens struck a match an' throwed it in de bed, an' just went on an' let it burn; den when dey all come down de stairs one of de fellers brought down Marster's white sheepskin apron what he got from de Masons, and when de Kuh'nel of de Yankees saw dat apron he made dem go upstairs and put out de fire, an' dey lef' right den an' didn't bother us no more."

"Melissa," she was asked, "didn't you have a better time then than you do now wasn't it easier living?"

"Miss, I sholy did, data what I been tellin' dese niggers all de time." (1): (1, Melissa Munson, Duck Hill, Miss.)

The surviving slaves who still reside in the county are Dick Applewhite, Jim Billingsley, Charlotte Billingsley, Manuel Wadlington, and Eliza Stoudmire. (See Chap. 21, Health, for information regarding Melinda Sawyer and Susan Burrow.)

The Purnell monument to slaves is located on the old Purnell plantation, two and one-half miles southwest of Duck Hill, and a short distance west of Highway 51.

The marble monument, set in the center of the burying ground, is six feet tall with a base thirty inches square supporting a second section somewhat smaller, upon this rest, the shaft with this inscription:

"This monument erected by James C. Purnell, the youngest son of Micayah Thomas Purnell and the only surviving former slave holder of the family. To the memory of and in testimony of the faithfulness of our old slaves both in Peace and in War.

On the other side of the monument is carved:

"This monument marks the center of one square parcel of land containing four acres on the plantation of Micayah Thomas Purnell, set apart by him in the year 1884, as the burying ground for his family and slaves. All their descendants shall ever have the right to bury here free of charge". Purnell

Hays Creek Baptist Church, organized in 1837 and named for a Mr. Hays, was first housed in a very small structure made of jack-oak logs. In 1842 a more fashionable and larger house was built of hewn pine logs, and measured 30 x 30 feet. A partition in the east end served to separate the slaves from their masters, as there were no churches for colored people in those days. The men of the congregation occupied one side of the church and the women the other; in no case did the sexes sit together.

The first pastor, Rev. R. White, preached to his congregation one Sunday each month, and in the summer a protracted meeting was held. An annual public graveyard working, with dinner on the ground, was one of the events of the year. Singing conventions were also popular. (1): (1. Rev. Joel Baskin, article "Winona Advance," Winona, Miss. March 12, 1886.)

The First Baptist Church of Winona was organized at Middleton in 1837, Joe Morris, being the first pastor and Rev S.S. Lattimer, the second. During Rev. Lattimer pastorate, in 1839, the Judson Female Institute at Middleton, a Baptist institution, was organized and he was made its first president. He was succeeded both as pastor of the church and as president of the Judson Institute in 1940 by the Rev. A. S. Bailey.

In 1847, the Rev. Henry Pittman was called as pastor and served_, 10 years. During his pastorate the church passed through a stormy period in it history. A new sect, founded in Alexander Campbell, had gained wide influence, throughout the Nation, which influence had invaded the Middleton church and caused considerable dissension. A large and stormy body of the members left the church and affiliated with the "Campbellites or the "Disciples of Christ."

The church at Middleton had been a very strong and potential body, having about three hundred white members and about two hundred colored, but this division, with the coming of the Mississippi C e n t r al Railroad through Winona, and the War Between the States, caused its collapse and removal to Winona in 1867.

It was for several years the only church building in Winona and was used by all denominations. A large union Sunday school was held in it, with J. C. Kittrel1 as superintendent. (1): (1. Mrs. V, E. Boston, Article in the "Winona Times," Winona, Miss. Nov, 20, 1931.)

A record of the organization of the Poplar Creek Presbyterian Church was secured from the "Poplar Creek Presbyterian Church Sessional Record Book." The first book of records having been burned, the following sketch of history was supplied by John A Mecklin shortly before his death.

"Poplar Creek Church was organized the second Sabbath of October, l846, at Mecklin's tan yard under the bark shelter, with ten members. H. G. Bardwell, of Tombigbee Presbytery, and W. H. Harris, of Clinton Presbytery were at the organization. Charter members were: John A, and Elizabeth Mecklin, Marit R. Johns, Matthew Young and his wife, C. and Mary O. Howie, Mrs. Anna W. Mecklin, Mrs. Sarah L. Powers, Minerva G. Christopher, all members of Good Hope and Providence churches, South Carolina. John A. Mecklin, being recognized as an elder in the Providence church, was elected elder in Poplar Creek church. John Andrews and William Simpson, the children of A. P. and E. A. Mecklin, were baptized by H. G. Bardwell, and the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was administered in the old styles with tables.

"The Reverend W. L. Downing, D. D., eighty-four years of age of French Camp, states that when he was a boy he had seen the Lord's Supper celebrated in the old style with tables and that long tablet were set up with the communicants seated around, each giving the token when served from the session by these members entitled to participate in the celebration, and were small metal discs." (2): (2, Horace L. Ville, Winona Times, Winona, Miss., Oct. 19, 1933."

The first service, and for three years thereafter, was held in the bark shed of the tan yard.

The church, built about 1849, was a small frame building, with a nearby smaller building known as the session house, where all transactions were held. The church was financed by volunteer

Subscriptions and service was held once a month.

There was no Sunday school or other organizations in the early days of the church. That Negros was allowed membership and that church discipline was strictly adhered to, is shown in the records of the Book of Sessions: "Coot Feanenck, Andrew Jackson, and Sam Creath (all colored) were received into the church October 24, 1869."

"In 1852, U. Young and J. C. and W. Howie had some difficulty and, would not become reconciled. They were brought before the church, but W. Howie failed to appear. After having been cited thrice, he was excommunicated for contempt of court U. Young and J. C. Howie were tried and found guilty, but was not willing to take any acknowledgement or show any signs of repentance. Both were excommunicated until they show some sign of repentance. Neither William nor John C. Howie ever Come back to the church.

In November 1870, Coot Feanenck, Sam Creath and Andrew Jackson were summoned before the session on the charge of profanity; Andrew Jackson (colored) and Sam Creath (colored) appeared, pleads guilty and made acknowledgements, and was pardoned."

Services were held in the original building until about 1890, when a larger, more modern frame building was erected, which is still in use. (1): (1. Horace L. Villee, Clarksdale, Miss.)

Mars Hill Methodist Church was organized by members of the Methodist denomination of Mars Hill community in 1850. The building, financed by public subscription, was constructed of logs, with shuttered windows, equipped with benches made of split pine logs, with a big box-like pulpit at one end. All labor on the building was done voluntarily by members.

Only one camp-meeting is known to have been held there, and it took place before the War Between the States. Visitors from miles away came in wagons, buggies, on horseback, with tents and sufficient supplies to last the duration of the meeting, which was usually a two-week period. Cooking and eating was done in the open near a spring, and the services were held under a brush arbor at frequent Intervals during the day and early evening; preachers from all over the country took turns conducting them; the whole congregation joined in the singing.

These gatherings were not only special sessions of worship, but served as get-together meetings as well between services there was much social intercourse, which resulted in a good time for all.

There is no record of the existence of a Sunday school in this church. (1): (1. Ed Reeves, Sweatman, Miss.)

Friendship Methodist Church was built about 1853 near the present town of Ki1michael, prior to which time churches services were held in the homes of the settlers. The history of the church is as follows:

Rebecca Cross, wife of Frederic Cross, William Flowers, and Dick Flowers, a slave belonging to William Flowers, organized themselves into a church body, most of the settlers soon joining them. Billie Flowers conducted the services and oftentimes, when overcome by his emotions, he would say to the old slave, "Pray, "Dick," at which command the old Negro would lift his quavering voice, begging blessings, first on "Marster’s chilluns." then on '"dis humble servant and his chilluns."

The first log church-house was built by a man named Kelly and William Hankins, a young lad who had emigrated from Alabama in 1845 and who later married Lavina Cross, Levi Pierce was among its first pastors, buts Billy Flowers and Fairfax Finch often filled the pulpit.

About 1870, a larger and better structure was erected. This was a frame building about 60x80 feet, nicely ceiled and weather-boarded, and with large glass windows. J. J. Evans was the last to serve this charge before the church was moved to the present town of Kilmichael. (2): (2. George Flowers, Kilmichael, Miss.)

The Winona Presbyterian Church was organized in 1838 by the Rev. Alexander Newton, in Middleton Carroll County (now included in Montgomery County). Sessional records prior to 1881 are not available, but much interesting information about the early organization is known by tradition.

With the coming of the Mississippi Central Railroad, which missed Middleton by two miles, the population moved to the railroad station, which was the present site of Winona. About 1871, this frame church was moved from Middleton to Winona and located on the property of Col. O. J. Moore just west of the site of the present church on Summit Street.

D. L. Young served this church as elder longer than anyone else having been ordained at Biddleton in 1849, and serving until 1895, when he moved to Plant City, Florida. Dr. B. F. Ward served in the same capacity from 1885 until his death in 1920.

In 1881, the Presbyterians purchased from Jesse Pace the lot on which his old blacksmith shop was located, on the corner of Summit and Sterling streets, and built their second church house, The old church building was moved to a lot on Webster street and used to house a primary school taught by Mrs. Ruffin Thompson, Later it was sold to O. W. Sturdivant who used the lumber in the construction of the home now owned by Mrs. B. A. Talbert on Jones street. (1) :( 1. Horace Villee, Clarksdale, Miss.)

The Singing School flourished and was very popular in its association with the pioneer churches. This school always promised a grand vacation time for the young men and women of the community. First, the singing master arrived and solicited pupils at a dollar per person for a two weeks' term. Usually, then to his pupils he sold books containing shaped notes, and finally the class began.

After the master had divided his class into groups of sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses, he gave each of these divisions, its tone by striking his tuning fork to get the "sound." Then he led with his do, re, me’s and the groups followed with theirs. When the singing master had, practiced his class in this way until it was letter perfect in one particular song, he passed it on to another. At noon the, pupils usually spread their lunches picnic fashion. Many a courtship was begun as the couples strolled to the spring for water, and many a courtship ended in an October wedding.

Other pioneer church activities which afforded social Intercourse and the opportunity for courtships were the Methodist quarterly meetings and the Baptist associations. These usually lasted two days and the crowning feature was "dinner on the ground." While the elders transacted the business of the church, the young people took buggy rides or sat under the shade of a tree.

The First Presbyterian Church, Winona, was erected in 1913 at a cost of $14,000. This dome crowned brick church is a one story edifice of the Grecian type with an entrance supported by four large concrete columns, and has a seating capacity of eight hundred. In the church auditorium is an excellent pipe organ and chair loft; back of the auditorium are the Sunday school rooms which consist of an auditorium from which open class rooms and the pastor's study. All windows are of stained glass. The basement has a heating plant, and large ceiling fans make the church comfortable in summer.

The manse, also of brick and one of the most completely equipped homes in Winona, was built in 1931, on South Church Street at a cost of $8,000.

The first permanent missionary society was formed in 1910 with Mrs. J. C. McMullen as its president. In 1920, the Woman Auxiliary was formed with Mrs. M. G. Staples as its president. Today the Auxiliary has fifty members, with Mrs. S. L. McGowan, president.

A graded Sunday school is maintained under the supervision of the pastor, Reverend R. S. Lowe, J. A. Dantzler, W. T. Knox, Dr. and Mrs. B. C. Scott, Mr. and Mrs. Edd Allen, Mrs. M. K. Horne, and Mrs. Johnson Rowe.

Rev. John Mecklin Simpson, who is preaching in the Meridian Presbytery, went from this church. In 1915, Miss Nettie McMullen, a member of this church, was the first volunteer for foreign mission service. (1): (I. Rev, R. S. Lowe, Winona, Miss.)

The First Baptist Church, an imposing brick structure of Gothic architecture, located at the corner of Church and Summit Street, Winona, was erected in 1907. Its porch has four large brick pillars for support. One large memorial window is placed at the front of the church, with smaller memorials at the sides. This is the best equipped church in Winona. The Sunday school department meets all the requirements for the modern accredited Sunday school, and in the basement are an assembly room, a kitchen, a dining room, and several smaller rooms.

The church was dedicated December 1, 1907, when a special program was rendered, the dedicatory being preached by Rev. I. P. Trotter. The parsonage, a modern frame building erected in 1926 at a cost of $7,000, is located on the corner of Campbell and Church streets.

A well organized Sunday school is maintained, having the cradle roll, beginners, primary, junior, intermediate, young people, adults and home departments. Other organizations include the Woman's Missionary Union, which was organized in 1881, Baptist Young People's Union, organized in 1895 with Arthur Flake as president. Arthur Flake, a product of this church, has won prominence among Baptists of the South, having filled many responsible positions in B. Y. P. U., and Sunday school work. At present (1938) he is connected with Baptist Hospital work in Texas.

Miss Millie McLellan and Mrs. Alyeen Watts Yerger are members of this church who have won recognition as Christian field workers. Mrs. Yerger is employed by the Baptist Sunday School Board, at Nashville, Tennessee, and Miss McLellan is superintendent of Good Will center, Meridian, Mississippi. (1): (1 Rev, N. G. Hickman, Winona, Miss.)

Moore Memorial Methodist Church, Winona, a brick building of Gothic style, was erected in 1898. The erection of this building was made possible by the generosity of J. T. Lay, of Winona, who offered to give four thousand dollars if the membership would raise six thousand dollars. The official board accepted the offer and appointed a committee to raise this amount, which was secured in less than four months.

The cornerstone was laid on Christmas day, 1898, at half-past three o'clock in the afternoon, the dedicatory services being conducted by J. A. Bowen. The official board passed this resolution: "Resolved, That as a token of our high appreciation of the long and devoted service of our, departed brother, Colonel O. J. Moore, that the church shall be known as the `Moore Memorial."

In 1928, the educational building was added, a brick structure which is used for religious and cultural meetings. The parsonage, a modern frame bungalow, is located on Sterling Street.

The Emmanuel Episcopal Church, located on the corner of Summit and Fairground streets in Winona, was erected in 1909. This church, including the lot and the cost of the building, was the gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Purnell to the parish. It is a brick structure of the Gothic type of architecture and, with the exception of the Catholic, is the smallest in size and membership of all Winona churches. The windows, several of which are memorial, are of stained glass. A belfry topped with a cross is a feature of the building, this being the only church in Winona that clings to the old custom of calling its members to worship by ringing a bell.

The first Episcopal Church in Winona was erected in 1875 and used until the erection of the new church in 1909. In 1876, the parish was duly organized, with the Rev. W. W. Shields_, in charge. Miss M. J. Holliday gave the lot on which the rectory was built. The church was consecrated in May, 1878, and the parish admitted into union with the diocese in 1881. In 1898, the rectory was destroyed by fire and the present rectory, a frame bungalow on Summit Street, was built by contributions of the parish communicants.

Rev. Pipes Jones is the present rector. Church organizations include the auxiliary, missionary society and a Sunday school. (1): (1. Mrs. Thomas J. Whitehead, Winona, Miss.)

Bethsaida organized 1842; located four miles east of Winona. T. F. Stroud, pastor; holds service three Sundays a month, and has 128 members,

Bethlehem, organized 1884, located eight miles east of Winona. N. G. Hickman pastor, one Sunday a month, 85 members.

Duck Hill organized 1880, located at Duck Hill. N. H. Roberts pastor, two Sundays a month, 150 members.

Eskridge organized 1927; located at Eskridge. W. M Hu11, pastor, three: Sundays a month 110 members.

Hays Creek: organized 1837; located six miles east of Winona. N. G. Hickman pastor full time, 102 members. fifteen miles south of Kilmichael. W. M. Hull, pastor two Sundays a month, 138 members.

Kilmichael: organized 1895, located at Kilmichael N. H. Roberts, pastor; two Sundays a month; 219 members.

Mulberry, organized 1878, located at Lodi. N, G. Hickman, pastor, one Sunday a month, 41 members.

Hebron: organized 1892; located

Milligan organized 1865, located seven miles southeast of Winona. J. B. Middleton, pastor, three Sundays a month, 65 members.

Poplar Creek organized 1848 located seven miles south of Kilmichael. J. W. White, pastor one Sunday a month, 159 members,

Poplar Springs, organized 1904 located Three miles north of Poplar Creek. J. W. White, pastor, one Sunday a month, 70 members.

Pine Forest: organized 1918; located eight miles north of Vaiden. W. W. Murihead, pastor; three Sunday a month; 74 members,

Pine Bluff: organized 1854, located thirteen miles south of Kilmichael. Lloyd Grantham, pastor one Sunday a month, 216 members.

Prospect: organized 1860; located five miles northeast of Duck Hill. W. M. Hull, pastor, full time, 30 members.

Shiloh, organized 1904; W. M. Hull, pastor three Sundays a month, 100 members.

Scotland: located six miles southeast of Winona. N. H. Roberts, pastor, full time, 224 members.

Stewart: Organized 1928; located at Stewart, J. B. Middleton, pastor; two Sundays a month; 24 members.

Unity, organized 1901; located eight miles northwest of Duck

Hill, L. F. Fowler, pastor full time, 62 members.

Union: organized 1890; located five miles south of Stewart. L. D. Sellers, pastor, 40 members.

First Baptist: organized 1886; located at Winona. N. G. Hickman, pastor, full time, 470 members.

Mission: located five miles northwest of Winona. N. G. Hickman pastor, two Sundays a month, 40 members.

Fundamentalist: located in South Winona. Lloyd Grantham, pastor, one Sunday a month, 60 members.

Hardside: Primitive Baptist„ organized 1936; located four miles south of Duck Hill. Rev. McDowdle, pastor, one Sunday a month, 275 members.

Friendship Primitive Baptist: located five miles south of Kilmichael J. M. Palmertree, pastor; one Sunday a month; 15 members

Emmanuel: organized 1875; located at Winona. Pipes Jones pastor; full time, 29 members.

First Presbyterian: organized 1838; located at Winona. R. S. Lowe, pastor, full time, 105 members.

Poplar Creek: organized 1846; located at Poplar Creek. R. S. Lowe pastor, one Sunday a month, 20 members.

Moore Memorial: organized 1817, located at Winona, William Mounger, pastor, full time, 500 members.

Friendship: organized 1853; located at Kilmichael W. 0. Hunt pastor; two Sundays a month; 200 members.

Salem: located four miles south of Minerva. W. 0. Hunt pastor, one Sunday a month, 45 members.

Stewart: located at Stewart. W. 0. Hunt pastor, one Sunday a month, 50 members.

Bethlehem: located five miles east of Winona. W. L. Langley pastor; one Sunday a month; 125 members.

Columbiana: located nine miles southeast of Winona. W. M Langley, pastor; one Sunday month, 120 members.

Bethel: located nine miles south of Kilmichael. W. H. Burns, pastor; one Sunday a month; 80 members,

Mars Hill: organized 1850; located eight miles east of Duck Hill. S. B. Potts pastor one Sunday a month, 100 members.

Bethesda: located seven miles east of Winona. W. M. Langley pastor; one Sunday a month; 80 members.

New Hope: located four miles north of Winona. W. M. Langley. Pastor, one Sunday a month, 35 members.

Poplar Springs: organized 1904; located seven miles south of Kilmichael. M. A. Burns, pastor, one Sunday a month.

Duck Hill: located at Duck Hill. S. B. Potts, pastor, two Sundays a month, 100 members.

Wilmount: Kilmichael; F. Mead, pastor; one Sunday a month; 125 members.

Mt. Zion: A. L. Hill, pastor, one Sunday a month, 345 members.

Linsey Spring: P. L. Morgan, pastor; one Sunday a month; 115 members.

Summerfield: J. A. Gorman pastor; one Sunday a month 175 members.

Mt. Nebo: J. C. Phillips, pastor; one Sunday a month, 80 members.

Bethlehem: S. J. Jones, pastor one Sunday a month, 95 members.

Piney Grove: W. P. Randolph pastor; one Sunday a month; 39 members.

Prospect: P. L. Morgan, pastor; one Sunday a month, 35 members.

Winona: Winona; O. J. Turner, pastor; two Sundays a month, 300 members.

Mt. Ollie No. 1: W. A. Gaines pastor; one Sunday a month, 38 members.

Pleasant Hill: J. W. Randolph, pastor one Sunday a month, 100 members.

New Fountain Grove: C. H. Bland, pastor, one Sunday a month, 64 members.

Spring Hill No. 1: M. L. Titus, pastor; one Sunday a month 350 members,

Mount Vernon: S. J. Jones, pastor one Sunday a month, 80 members.

Harmonett: J. W. Randolph, pastor; one Sunday a month, 133 members.

St. John, J. A. Gorman, pastor; one Sunday a month; 80 members,

Sweet Home: C. L. Golden, pastor; one Sunday a month, 80 members.

Pinkney Grove: J. H. Ross, pastor; one Sunday a month, 80 members.

Union Grove: W. A. Gaines, pastor one Sunday a month 28 members.

Spring Hill No. 2: W. C. Holmes, pastor; one Sunday a month; 24 members.

Hazel Grove: S. J. Jones, pastor; one Sunday a month, 188 members.

Acona: A. C. Cade, pastor; one Sunday a month, 47 members.

Pleasant Grove: B. M. Moss, pastor; one Sunday a month, 39 members.

Hays Creek: W. C Holmes, pastor; one Sunday a month, 51 members.

Pleasant Springs: W. A. Gaines, pastor; one Sunday a month, 22 members.

Young's Chapel: C. L. Golden, pastor; one Sunday a month, 100 members.

Mt. Ollie No. 2: T. L. Morgan, pastor; one Sunday a month, 65 members.

Haven Memorial: located at Winona. A. A. Wright, pastor: two Sunday a month, 200 members,

Bethlehem African: located in South Winona. C. L Wright, pastor full time, 43 members.

Evergreen: located five miles southeast of Winona. D. T. Jackson, pastor, two Sundays a north, 83 members.

Columbiana: located four miles east of Winona. D. T. Jackson, pastor; two Sundays a month; 100 members.

Shady Grove: located five miles north of Kilmichael. D. T. Jack- son, pastor; one Sunday a month, 175 members.

Binford: located at Duck Hill. James M. Hill pastor, one Sunday a month, 106 members.

When a community was settled in the early days the first thought of the pioneers was of schools for their children. This was a personal problem, one in which state and county were not concerned at that time. Most of the settlers were persons of education who come from cultured homes in the mother states, and they considered the establishment of schools as a matter of course. From the little red, schoolhouse of the pioneer came forth men and women who were to play a prominent part in the county's history. Recalled the obstacles encountered by them in their pursuit of knowledge, it is obvious that they were persons of courage and persistence. Following the development of schools from the one-room log cabin to the modern, well-equipped, graded schools of today, the progress noted is gratifying indeed.

The Judson Female College, a brick structure, was established in 1832 at old Middleton, then a part of Carroll County. The school, the first in the county, was founded by Rev. A. S. Bailey, a Baptist minister, with the assistance of the members of his church, and he served as principal and teacher for the first five years. Some teachers assisting him were H. F. McWilliams, Mrs. William Barrow, and Mrs. William Whitehead; some of the students who attended the institution were Jennie Whitehead, Ella and Laura Moore, Mary Jane Gray, Mary Wadlington, and Virginia Stovall. The name of the academy was later changed to the Middleton Female College. (1): (1. Mrs. J. Z. Williams San Jose, Calif.)

Members of the Presbyterian Church established the Peoples Academy at Middleton about 1832. It was a contemporary of the Judson Female Academy. In later years the name was changed to Middleton Male Academy. Among the pupils who attended this school were Will Wadlington, West Gary, Bill Barrow, Raford Gary, J. Z. George, and John Hanna. (2) (2. ibid.)

The early history of Lodi Academy, a one-time great educational institution, is shrouded in mystery. No records were kept; none were needed. It was independent of any legislative regulations, being built and maintained by the patrons, each of whom had a voice in the choice of teachers and the curricula. It was a subscription school, and the tuition was one dollar per month for each child. Teachers were given free board by the patrons.

The exact date of the erection of this school is not known, but it an established fact that it was functioning about 1845. The building was used as a recruiting station during the War Between the States.

The frame building today stand, on its original foundations of limestone rock just as it was constructed. Originally it has two stories, each 12x40x60 feet, the upper story being used by the Masonic fraternity as a lodge hall, the lower as a schoolroom. A four-foot partition across the building separated the girls and boys.

After many years service the second story was removed, but, no other changes have been made. The interior remains as it was when it left the hands of the craftsmen; the original desks were used until 1935, when this school was consolidated with Alva, seven mile distant. Although never painted, the weather-boarding is still in good state of preservation.

The founders were: Henry Loggins, his two sons, R. B. and W, T. Loggins, T. W. Billingsley, Dr. W. W. Hart, Robert Oglesby, J. R. Freeman, I. P. Trotter, Alex Morrow, Gus Gray, Grain Adair, M. H. Allen, John Holiman, Sandy Townsend, Abner Mitchell, John Kirk, James Oliver, Tom Fraiser, and Sanford Pullen.

Among the first teachers were a Mr. Higgins, Judge Keeler, W. T. Loggins, J. P. Thompson, M. H. Allen, Abe Peeples and Roland Freeman. The first to teach a free school under the Mississippi law was Hub Parker, who was indiscreet enough to pad his roster in 1873, for which the grand jury indicted him.

Writing was taught in a perfunctory way. Those who cared to major in this art had the privilege of doing so at writing schools that always filled in the time between the first and second semesters. After a pupil had advanced to McGuffey's "Fifth Reader," he was considered eligible to join the reading class, which sat on a long recitation bench that extended nearly across the room. The pupils read by turns verses or paragraphs from Milton's "Paradise Lost," Pollock's "Courage of Time," Rollin's "Ancient History," and the Bible This was a daily event in the school, and all the children who desired to do so could listen and thereby acquire information that they otherwise might not have received.

A spelling class opened each day's session, Webster's, "Common school Dictionary" 'being the text-book used. Often as many as thirty-five pupils composed the class, and most of them were splendid spellers. The head mark system was observed; when one remained at the head of the class a full week without being "turned down," he received a head-mark. This accelerated interest and created a friendly rivalry that was beneficial. This custom continued for more than half a century without alteration or amendment and produced many good spellers.

In its day, the Lodi Academy was the great educational institute of Choctaw County, and many who matriculated in Webster's "blue Back Speller," McGuffey's "Readers," Smith's "English Grammar," and Davies' "Arithmetic," went out into a busy world and made marks for themselves. Among these were R. H. Hitt of Winona, who became one of the wealthiest men In Central Mississippi; Henry Hart, president of the Bank of Winona, and once president of the Mississippi Bankers Association, prominent merchant and extensive planter; W. S. Hill, one of the most brilliant lawyers the state ever produced; sixteen years a Congressman from the Fourth District, and United States District Attorney at the time of his death in 1922; W. T. Loggins, one of the builders of_, the modern Greenwood, president of a chain of Delta banks; W. H. and P. D. Witty, merchants and bankers of Winona; D. V, Billingsley, bank official, and one of the most

prosperous planter-residents of Winona; Mrs. H. H. Harris, who taught a country school at the age of fourteen, and who became one of the most outstanding women in central Mississippi. (1): (1. D. V. Billingsley, Winona, Miss.: Henry Hart, Winona, Miss., M. H. Allen, Duck Hill, Miss.)

Poplar Creek School was first located about one-fourth of mile east of the present Poplar Creek Baptist Church. The house, built about 1848, was made of logs. Later, a frame building was erected about a half mile west of the church, and the school was moved there.

Among the patrons of the school were: Messrs. Pearson, Austin, Henderson, Dorris, Dyre, and Nations. Some of the pupils were Monroe and Fannie Pearson, Will Henderson, James and Hilliard Dorris, Dee and Mary Nations, Henry Dyre, and Jane Austin.(1): (1. Mrs. Lynn Watson, Kilmichael, Miss.)

The Kilmichael School, first taught in a log house about 1848, was a short distance from Friendship Cemetery. It had a puncheon floor as well as puncheon seats. Miss Caroline Hubbard, the first teacher, was followed by Fairfay Finch; a Mr. Sparks; Mrs. Dunn; J. E. Flowers and Dr. J. W. Armstrong. Soon after the close of the War Between the States the old structure burned and land was bought just north of the cemetery where a new house was constructed. This structure, about 40x60 feet, was heated by a huge rock fireplace in one end and a stove in the other. The girls sat by the fireplace and the boys around the stove.

Among the early teachers were Rev. McMath, a Baptist preacher; Major Simmons, Miss Maggie Boone, and George Anderson, who later became a lawyer and a circuit judge at Vicksburg; Miss Eliza Holmes, and Mac Lott. The last teacher of the old school was H. F. McWilliams, in 1889-1890, when it -was abandoned. (2) :( 2 George H. Flowers, Kilmichael, Miss.)

Emma Boston School, establish bout 1852 in a small log house near the present site of Upper Milligan Baptist Church, was called Wooley School, and was Lear the dividing line between Webster and Montgomery counties. Later, a larger school was built and called County Line School, because students of both Montgomery and Webster counties attended.

In 1881 the school was divided, the Montgomery portion being moved to a new frame building, which was erected about two miles southeast of Milligan Church, and called Emma Boston School in honor of a child. Two early teachers were, George Weissiner and Miss Annie Locke. The first trustee, trustees were George Pittman, L. M. Stowers, and Dr. Wooley. Some students who attended this school were: Ida and Will Tanner, Virgie and Zilla Pittman, and Sallie and Lallie Wooley.

About 1902 the building was destroyed by fire and another smaller frame building was erected and used until 1929, when the school was consolidated with Stewart and Kilmichael. (3): (3. Mrs. Will Box, Kilmichael, Miss.)

No definitely established facts are known about Shiloh School, but it is said to have been established in 1856, with a Mr. Watson as its first teacher. A small log building was used for ten years, or until a frame building was erected to serve both a church and schoolhouse.

Some of the teachers succeeding Mr. Watson were Roland Freeman, Jack Pyron, W. J. Taylor, R. V. Loggins, Bill Walker, and Lee Townsend. The school discontinued in 1933 when it merged with Duck Hill consolidated School. (1):

The original Bethel Schoolhouse was a small log building located about one mile south of the present site of Bethel Church. Soon after the organization of this church, the school was moved near the church site and a now log house erected, perhaps about 1853. This log house was later replaced by a frame structure, which was used for many years. In 1900 the patrons, finding this house inadequate, erected a new frame building, which was used until it was destroyed by fire in 1920. A smaller house was built and used until the school was merged with the Nations and Kilmichael schools in 1928.

Among the first patrons of Bethel were Wiley, Billy and Meredith Wilson, Leven Turner, Martin Liston, Tom Young, Squire Austin, and P. Harris. Albert Martin was the first teacher. Some of the first pupils attending were Jim, Joe, and Mary Young, Dan Henderson, Suphelia and Amanda Wilson, Charlie Franklin, and Theodore Tanner. Students who matriculated in this school and later attained notable success were: Dr. S. C. Tanner, of Leland, an Ed. A. Tanner, banker of Indianola, both of whom served in France during the World War; and Victor Liston, who is at present a city mail-carrier in Nashville, Tennessee, and who served in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War, was with Pershing in Mexico, and then volunteered for service with the American Army in France. (2): (2. W. Bond, Winona, Miss.)

Winona Pay School, the first in the town of Winona, was erected in 1858 on the Wes Baskerville lot north of Summit Street. The school was said to have been taught by Professor Brown. The building was destroyed by fire just before its completion and was never rebuilt.

The second school in Winona was established in a large grove of trees across the street from this first school on a lot owned by Mrs. Florence Baines. Miss Baines was the first teacher. After functioning ten years the school was abandoned, the building razed, and the material used in building Negro cabins. Two well-remembered pupils were Miss Jennie Hawkins (Mrs. J. C. Purnell) and Mrs. Mecklin, who became a prominent educator. (1) :( 1. Ed Loggins, Winona, Miss.)

Fairground School functioned for two years in Winona, from 1860 to 1862. No data can be obtained as to the founders or pupils. Professor William Johnson taught the school. (2) : (2.Ibid.)

Bethsaida School, a "Pay school" where only grammar grades were taught, was organized by Captain H. D. Stone, W. E. Thrailkill, E. P. Cartledge, E. T. Ellis, Thomas Gary, E. D. Brooks, and T. E. James and began in 1859. The school building was made of logs and located on a plat of land donated by Eyk Cartledge. Some of the patrons were: J. D. Chambers, W. C. Mathews, J. D. Smith, John Strain, Henry Ricco, L. A. Winters, and W. T. Nunn. The first teacher was D. A. Jones from Attala County.

In 1873 the school was moved to a new building about two miles from the first location; this was later abandoned and other buildings succeeded it, the last one beer school is still functioning there.

Some prominent men and women who received their education there were Deck and Van D. Stone, E. L. Ellis, Jr., R. F. and W. J. Cartledge, D. E. Jones, Misses Laura Matthews, Daisy Biggers, and Eva Jones. (3): (3. Ed Brister, Kilmichael, Miss., and E. A. Jones, French Camp, Miss.)

Northern Grocery School, a "pay school" organized about 1860 by D. M. Dotson, A. B. Robinson, William Britt, Allen Stoker, Bill Northern, James Elmore, William Hanes, Richard Wood, John Britt, William Trainor, and Press Semore, was located five miles west of Lodi near the grocery store of Bill Northern, hence the name. It was a rough frame building, 14x18 feet.

The first teacher on record was Professor Bill Taylor, who taught in 1876; following was Gus Robinson, who was succeeded by Miss Manda Williams. The school ceased to function about 1878 and was never re-established. (1): (1. Joe Dotson, Winona, Miss.)

Hebron school, organized about 1866 and located fifteen miles southeast of Winona near the church of the same name, was first housed in a one-room, split-log structure with two shuttered window.

Some of the organizers were Lige Ellis, Aaron McClelland, Jim Braswell, Bob Ell s, and Mr. Overstreet. Prior to the time of the Mississippi public school system, it was supported by subscription. Among the early teachers were Lige and Tom Ellis and John Cameron. The school term lasted only four months —two months in summer and two in winter. In summer the oldest pupils were permitted to sit out-doors in the shade.

The log house was burned about 1890 as were the two buildings which later succeeded it. The last one, a three-room frame structure built about 1923, is sill in use, and the school functions with two teachers under the supervision of the superintendent of the Big Black Consolidated' District. (2): (2. Purnell Braswell, Kilmichael, Miss.)

Biddle school, located two mites east of Bethel Church, was organized about the year 1866 by Messrs. Biddle, Wilson, Liston, Tanner, Brooks, and others. Each patron paid the teacher an assessed amount for each child sent to school. Miss Mollie Finch was the only, teacher. Among the pupils were John Wilson, John Biddle, Monroe; George and Ann Brooks, Martin and Joe Liston, and Geo. and Fannie Tanner. After two years the school was absorbed by Bethel school. (3): (3. John Wilson, Kilmichael, Miss.)

Montgomery school was established about 1870. As no building was available, classes were taught in the homes of patrons for twelve years. Miss Emma Merrill of Carrollton was the first teacher and lived in the home of Wilson Herring.

In 1882 Bud Montgomery donated a plat of land and a one- room structure of rough boards was erected. Virginius Applewhite, a Mr. Phillips, and Bud Montgomery, as trustees, selected Charles Spivey as the teacher. This schoolhouse was destroyed by a tornado in 1824, but was immediately rebuilt a short distance from the original site, on land donated by Sanford Pittman. Later when this building was destroyed by fire, the school consolidated with Kilmichael.

Pupils who attended this School and attained prominence in their profession were: Abner Calvin, and David Applewhite, doctors; Walter and Lee Griffin, Lee Herring, and Saunders Wilburn, lawyers; forty pupils became teachers; and Sally Emma Matthews, Nellie Crawford, Ruth Montgomery, and Zadie Stovall, graduate nurses. (1): (1. Claudine Cook, Winona, Miss.)

County Line School, established in 1870,was as its name implies, located on the old Carroll and Choctaw county lines eight miles east of Winona in Montgomery County. The building measured 30x40 feet, was framed and weather-boarded, with the usual big fireplace for the winter months. It WAS a subscription school and operated through the summer and winter months.

The organizers and patrons were Andy Bruns, Felix Thompson, Mr. McWilliams, William Hamer, E. J. Bond, John Turner, Simon Beckun, Henry Hammond, Mr. Castle, A. B. Robinson, W. M, Trainer, John Wilburn, Abram Gooch, and Sam Hammond.

Among the first teacher were Was Miss America Martin, Mr. Finch, and Miss Alice Kelly, daughter of Captain C. D. Kelly, of Winona. Some of the first pupils were John, Joe, and James Townsend, Laura and S. M. Beckum, Beulah, Mattie, and Wirt Bruns, Crawford Applewhite, T. L. Wilburn, who later became a prominent physician, and Henry Hurt, who is now (1928) an eminent Baptist minister in Memphis, Tennessee.

Sometime in the eighties the house was torn down, moved to a site about one mile west and there rebuilt. This change was made in order to accommodate more pupils. Misses Annie Locke, Ella Crider, and Sid Robinson 1, were among those who taught there. (2): (2. W. Bond, and B. D. Dotson, Winona, Miss.)

Duck Hill School, organized in 1871, was first housed in a one-room frame structure near the site of the present Methodist Church. Among those who organized it were Colonel J. R. Binford, Dr. Trotter, Mr. Baker, and Mr. Hester. It was maintained by subscription and tuition, paid by students outside the district, and was directed by managers, or those who organized it, rather than by trustees. The first teacher was a Mr. Gill, who was succeeded in turn by Miss Sallie Kimbrough and Dr. Guy Gillespie. About thirty pupils attended, and a full eight months term was taught (see "Schools of Today"). (1): (1 R. C. Fox Duck Hill, Miss.)

Pine Bluff School, was first organized in the 1870's, was "Old Pine Bluff. It was about two miles north of the present location, on land then owned by Edmond Chastain. The house was built of logs and contained one door and two sliding windows, it accommodated about forty pupils.

Among the first patrons were Simon Chastain, George Seymour, John Herring, Mr. Rushing, Bill Austin and Mr. Holmes. Some of the pupils were John, Jim and Louella Seymour, Jeanie Chastain, Shelby Rushing, Cora and Sallie Austin, Ben, Jesse, and Lillie Herring, and Breland and Guy Holmes.

This school was continued until 1890 when it, was removed to the present Pine Bluff church, For perhaps fifteen years the school was taught in the church after which a two-room

Frame house was built at the present site of Pine Bluff School, and two teachers were employed. In 1934 the schoolhouse was burned, and the school now (1928) functions in a smaller house on the same site; however, it is under the supervision of the, superintend of Big Black Consolidated School District and the high school students are conveyed to Kilmichael. (2): (2 Edd Austin, Winona, Miss.)

Bethlehem School was organized during the seventies, when a log schoolhouse was built just north of Bethlehem Cemetery. One of the earliest teachers was George J. Weissinger, who taught for several years. He was followed in later years by Misses Lisa Holmes, Willie Conger, Kate Baker, Myra Persons, and others.

The school term was usually four months duration, but in some years, because of farm work, one month of the four would be postponed until summer. Grade work was unknown in the curriculum, but the same teacher taught the pupils from the beginner's department through higher mathematics, grammar and other subject.

Nothing is left to mark, the spot where this old Bethlehem School building stood. It was supplanted by another of the same name, half a mile northwest of Bethlehem Church. This school consisted of two rooms and for a number of years employed two teachers; at present (1928) it is a one-teacher school. Some of the most recent teachers were Misses Minnie and Agnes Wright, Lottie and Lois Box, Irene Taylor and others. (1): (1. Mrs. W. H. Mortimer, Winona, Miss.)

Dripping Spring School, organized about 1876, was first called Buchanan in honor of a Mr. Buchanan who donated land for its location. This was near Minerva on the Kilmichael Road on land now owned by Caliph Townsend. The house was a small frame building containing three doors and six glass windows.

Mac Lott and Sid Robinson were the first teachers, and the early patrons and organizers were, J. A. and I. D. Holloman, Bill Northern and Sandy Townsend. Some of the pupils were Sue, John, Pink, Rube, Pleas, Frank, and Henry Holloman, Lee Gray, W. B. Marshall, Mac Trainor, and Arcenia, Annie, Alice, Janie, and Will Northern.

In 1890 the school was moved a mile west and located on top of a hill, at the foot of which was a spring of very cold water. This water issued from the hill in a continuous drip, drip, drip, and from this fact the school was named Dripping Springs School. In 1895 the school was moved a mile each of Old Minerva postoffice on the Winona-Lodi Road and the name was changed to Minerva. In 1932 it was consolidated with the Kilmichael School. (2): (2. M. H. Allen, Kilmichael, Miss.)

King Hill School, organized about 1876, was first taught in a little log cabin formerly used as a dwelling. It was less than one-fourth of a mile west of the present King Hill church. The small room, in which the school was taught, contained two sliding windows, and twenty-five or thirty pupils attended. The term was divided, two months being taught during the summer. Ben Young was the first teacher.

Among the organizers were S. S. Brooks, S. H. Garrett, Tommie and Joe Young, Milton Henderson, Wes Bramlet Sr., and Rafe Stowers. Some of the pupils were Jim, Tom, Mary and Laura Brooks, W. P .Young, Will and Bob Henderson, Jr., Harley and Charley Garrett, Zoe and Ophelia Young, and Love Stowers.

After two or three years in this little log house by the road, a large and more comfortable frame building was erected a short distance west of the old site. Several years later the school was again moved farther west, about a half mile from the present King Hill Church where it remained for several years. The length of the term increased to four months, two during the winter and two during the summer months. The next move was to merge the school with Free Will School in Choctaw County. After two, years it was brought back to the last described building, where is continued until 1812, at which time the patrons erected a nice, modernly equipped frame building across the road from the church.

In 1927 the school was consolidated with Nations and Kilmichael. (1) :( 1. Mrs. Hassie Bailey Baltimore, Md.)

Armstrong male and Female Academy, Established in 1884 by Dr. J. W. Armstrong, Joe and S. V. Cartledge, T, J. Oliver, J. S. Simpson, G. D. Flowers, and Dr. W. H. Frizzell, Sr., was locate near Poplar Creek and consisted, of three buildings, an auditorium, a music and arts building, and one-room structure where primary grades were taught. The institution drew patronage from Holmes, Carroll and Montgomery counties. It was an accredited college and degrees were awarded after the required course was completed. The faculty consisted of Dr Jesse Armstrong, principal; Miss Mattie Armstrong, music and arts, Miss Annie Mecklin, primary; and Miss Johnnie Hamilton.

Among the patrons were L. M and D. L Boyd, John Grice, Joe Stinson, Joe Armstrong, T. J. and Tom Henderson, and others. The following is a partial list of students: Jesse, John and Joe Armstrong; Joe and Ary Applewhite; Will and James Boyd; Abbie and Luther Crook; Cecil, Reuben and Alvin Oliver; Homer, Will, Jerry and Horton Frizzell; Lige Ellis, Guy Burton, John Townsend and Sid Robinson. In addition to the usual curriculum of the schools of that day, algebra, geometry trigonometry, and the classics were taught.

Among the pupils of this school who became prominent citizens and stood high in their professions were: Drs. Walter and Henry Kent, Drs. Horton, Homer and Will Frizzell, Dr. Armstrong, Dr. Lige Ellis (see Chap. 20, Health), Guy Burton, Jerry Frizzell, and Sid Robinson, who became superintendent of education of this country.

Dr. Armstrong died in 1894, and the trustees, unable to replace him with a suitable teacher and leader, changed the curriculum and converted the academy into a county school, which was maintained by the public funds; however, it continued to function under the name of the Armstrong school, in honor of its founder.

In 1908 the building was torn down and the materials used in the erection of, the Poplar Creek and the Poplar Springs school buildings. (1): (1. Cecil C. Olives, Kilmichael, Miss.)

Winona Female College, established in the eighties by Professor Baird, who was soon succeeded by Professor Bacon, was opened in the old two-story brick building on the east side of the Illinois Central Railroad, now the residence of Ed Simpson. Mr. Bacon's assistants were his daughter, Mamie Baker, Mrs. Julia Richard, and Jesse Richard. The trustees were Major Frank Hawkins, R. W. Williams, D. L. Sweatman and L. Bailey.

The first graduates were Misses Lee Crider, Mamie Hill (Mrs. P. E. Pegues), Eoline Steen (Mrs. Arthur Howze), Maude Rogers, and Will Witty (Mrs. Neff).

Mr. Bacon died May 10, 1886, and was succeeded by Dr. Zealy, an eminent Baptist preacher. Some of his assistants were his daughter, Miss Mamie, Mrs. Womble, Miss Bell, of Nashville, and Miss Weatherby, art teacher. On the death of Mr. Zealy the school was permanently closed and the building used as a residence. (2) :( 2. Edward Loggins, Winona, Miss.)

Chalk Hill Academy, another school of the old days, was an insignificant Institution of learning, but, running true to tradition, it, acquired the imposing name of Chalk Hill Academy, taking its name from the hill that towered above it to the east. It was situated three and a half miles west of Lodi and was a neighborhood school, owned and operated by its patrons, R. B. Logging, John Allen, Berry Holloman, Bill Northern, Mr. Roland, Jake Weldon, S. L. Wray, Mr. Kirk, Mr. Britt, and J. R. Stoker. The schoolhouse was built in 1884, each patron donating either materials or labor. The only cash spent, less than one dollar, was for nails. Locks and hinges were not used, as the doors sung on leather hinges made of discarded boot tops and were fastened with a latch.

The building had no partition and the windows were closed with sliding shutter. The walls were of rough clapboard. At the east end stood a massive chimney built of sand, native rock, and mud. The width of the fireplace was more than four feet. The only chair in the room was that of the teacher, a home made one with a cowhide bottom. Split logs without backs were used for seats, split side turned up and hewn to a reasonable smoothness. Four holes were bored, in the underside, into which hickory poles were driven for legs. Blackboards were unknown in these days. The children, who were far enough advanced to study Davies' "Arithmetic," used slates and expunged their mistakes with shirt sleeves and sputum. School began as soon as crops were laid by and continued two months then closed to let the children assist with the harvest; after the crops were gathered, school reopened for another session of two months. The first arrival at school in the morning was supposed to build a fire. No one was ever known to arrive ahead of time.

The school had no playground when the proposition was submitted to clear off a lot for this purpose; one of the all-too-serious patrons entered a protest with the declaration, "I ain't sending my chaps here to play. We ain't paying a teacher to learn'em to play: I'm sending em here to learn readin’ and figgurin'." So there was never a playground at the Chalk Hill Academy.

The youngest to attend this school was eight years old, a bright little fellow well along in McGuffey's "Second Reader," the

Oldest was twenty-two. At the end of the first semester, the adult was still struggling with the first part of the first reader. This ambitious young fellow eventually became a Holiness preacher, in which high calling he spent the last days of a long and turbulent career. He died in 1934 in Arkansas.

The first teacher to take charge of this school was Miss Mollie Loggins, fourteen years old; William Thomas Loggins was a student of this school. Not a vestige of the old Chalk Hill Academy remains to mark the place where the crude building stood. The foot-paths have been transmuted by erosion into unsightly gullies, and the surrounding woods are just as they were in those faraway days when barefoot children trekked the long miles to this humble place of learning. (1): (1. Edward Loggins, Winona, Miss.)

Hays Creek School had its home in a small log cabin situated half a mile west of the present Hays Creek Baptist Church, which is seven miles northwest of Winona. W. J. Herring taught the school in 1888, but it is not known whether or not he was the first teacher. According to best information obtainable, Rube Robinson, Wilson Townsend, and Mr. Holiman were among the first trustees.

About 1900 the school was moved to a site eight miles northeast of Winona where a nice frame building, 20x30 feet, was erected. This building burned, and in 1932 Hays Creek was merged with the Kilmichael School. Near this school was the home of Mrs. Mollie Thompson Hill, who had been bereft of her six children five of whom died in infancy, one son reaching the age of eighteen. In her yearning for her own children, "Aunt Molly" as she was lovingly called, sought consolation in mothering the boys and girls of this school. Her home was the Mecca for them all; here the ill or injured received first aid treatment. Some, no doubt, feigned illness to receive her ministrations and partake of delicious home-made candy and other dainties dispensed at her hands. She died in 1933. (1): (1. Lola Bab Townsend, Kilmichael, Miss.)

Some of the trustees of Hays Creek School now living (1941) in Montgomery County are J. M. Dotson, Emmett Payne, Pleas Holiman, Jim Baskin, Tom Land, John R. Townsend and Pleas Mitchell. Some of the teachers now living (1941) are Miss Bessie Stoker, Marks, Miss.; Mrs. Homa Sledge Cleveland Miss.; Mrs. Hessye Bailey. Baltimore, Md.; Bryan Smith, Como, Miss.; Mrs. Frank Carwile, Winona; Mrs. Benson Box, Winona; Mrs. B. C. Penn, Greenville, Miss.; Mrs. Albert Mansker, Kilmichael, and Miss Mabel Bland; Memphis, Tenn. Among some of the pupils who attended this school still living are Miss Gladys Elmore, Cleveland, Miss.: Mrs. A. Gaham, Greenville, Miss.; Mr. and Mrs. Aubrey Hudson, San Antonio, Texas; Rev. Oscar Dowdle, Methodist minister, Mississippi; Rev. Wilson Hudson, Baptist minister, Tennessee; Wayne Holiman, Edinburg, Texas; Elmer Holiman, Jackson, Miss; Charles D. Townsend, Denver, Colo.; Roscoe Townsend, Birmingham, Ala.; Oscar Cox, Sacramento, Calf.; Ward Sykes, Monroe, La. Some now living in Montgomery County, are Allen Holman, Winona; Joe Willie Herring. Winona; Mrs. Lamar Jones, Winona; James Leigh Dowdle, Stewart; Mrs. Lynn Williams, Duck Hill; Miss Lola Bob Townsend, Winona; Jimmie Townsend, Montgomery County's best potato farmer; John L. Baskin, Montgomery County school "bus driver; Miss Minnie Lee Stoker, home economics teacher; Erskine Sykes, C. & G. R. R. employee, and others which space does not permit to include.

The benches of this school were about four feet long, made of rough lumber, foot wide planks with boxed backs. The desks were about three feet high, made of foot planks, table fashion, about four feet long. The room was heated by a long log heater placed in the center of the room. The blackboard was one side of the wall painted. In the corner one side of the room was a closed closet, the school library filed with books. Around the walls were nails for the children to hang their coats on. There were also nails with pictures and mottoes on them. One of the mottoes was "THINK!" (a)(a. Miss Lola Bob Townsend, Winona, Miss.)

Sibleyton School, organized in 1897 by Wile Johnson, Vince Hays, and Bill Lott, with Mist Connie Bowles as it; first teacher operated the first year in a tenant house which still (1938) stands at Sibleyton. It is a few yards west of Wiley Johnson's residence. The following year a school house was erected about a half mile north of Sibleyton, and school continued here until 1912, when, it was merged with Kilmichael.

Among the first pupils were: Edison, Annie, Will, Yancy and Bertrand Lott, Frankie, Nannie and Willie Johnson, Nora, Clyde, Laura and Neaman Hays, and Jasper, Howard, Emma, Mattie, Nola and Pleasey Williams. (2): (2. Mrs. Frank Curtis, Kilmichael, Miss)

Brownfield School, located about three miles southeast of Winona near John Harpole's home was organized in 1895 by John Harpole, J. P. Mortimer, Bill and Torn Gee, John Hays, Henry Watson, Charles Gady, Kintchen and Torn Sandige, and Jim Yelvington, the first patrons. The school house was a one-room structure 20x30 feet.

Among the first pupils we Judith, Finch and Tommy Gee, Annie, Hugh and Daisy Harpole, Hellie Hays, Mary Gady, Thornton and Carry Sandige, Effie Small, and Taylor Yelvington.

The first teachers were: Rev. T. N. Lusk, Annie Locke, Jerry Frizell, and Mattie Kindred Taylor.

In later years the home was torn down, moved about three miles southeast and rebuilt. It continued to be called Brownfield until 1930, when it merged with the Winona school. (1): (1. Mrs. S. I. McGowan, Winona, Miss.)

The Grider School for Girls, taught from 1895 to 1905 in Winona, was the most select school ever established in the county. It was owned and operated by Misses Lee and Ella Grider, two highly educated women of the state, and it has been repeatedly stated that a girl could acquire all the graces of womanhood merely by associating with these two splendid women. The town considered it a calamity when their work took them to broader fields of action. (2): (2. Harvey Moss, Winona, Miss., and Mrs. Walter Trotter, Winona, Miss.)

Crossroads School, organized in 1900, was located about seven miles west of French Camp at a point where two public roads crossed, hence its name. The school house was a frame building, 24x30 feet, well lighted and ventilated. Among its first patrons were W. F. Teer, John and J. S. Jones, Ben Stevens, and Ben Tankersley. Walter Griffin was among the first teachers; probably the first.

School was taught there about fifteen years when, to accommodate more pupils, the hones was razed and moved about one mile south. Because it was now near the center of the district, the, name was changed to Center. In 1926 it was merged with Bethsaida school. (3); (3. John Jones, French Camp, Miss.)

Rocky Springs School, located about five miles northwest of Winona on land donated by Jas. Morgan, was organized in 1873 by the following patrons: B. V. and John Blaylock, J. P. and W. J. Collins, James and E. Morgan, C. C. Howard, W. W. Parker, Hampton Rogers and Elijah Hammond. The school house was a fume structure, 30x30 feet.

Some of the first pupils were Henry Ella, Walter, Ed, Ben and Sallie Blaylock, Ellie, Luna, Maggie, Joe, Lettie, Lillie, Elbert and Ward Collins, Ed, Gus, Ellen, Charlie and Frank Morgan, Dudley Coleman, Wiley, Missouri and Laura Parker, and Luther and Maggie Hammond. The first teacher was H. H. Gould, who was followed by Miss Bettie Young; she, in turn, being succeeded by Amos Bachman.

In 1888 a new school house, located on a two-acre plat donated by W. T. Turner, was built about one mile east of the first location and absorbed a section of the Rocky Springs school, the remainder being carried to Mission, a line school between Montgomery and Carroll. The new school was named New Hope.

The first trustees of New Hope School were Henry Blaylock, H. M. Knight, and W. S. Rogers. These trustees were among the first patrons, as were B. S. Elliott and C. C. Howard. Among its first pupils were: Effie and Willard Elliott, Ben, Ed, and Sallie Blaylock, Mollie and Emma Rogers, Jennie, Alice, George Eva, Walter and Ernest Stokely, Thomas, Walter and Jim Knight, Alma, Robert, Alice and Etta Webb. The first teacher was Miss Sallie Locke, followed by Miss Johnnie Hamilton. New Hope School was finally consolidated with Winona School. (1): (1. Jim Knight, Winona, Miss.)

Gum Branch School, first organized about 1876, was located about five miles southwest of Winona on land then owned by Captain Lay. The school house was a frame structure, 16x18 feet. Its organizers were Bishop, Reed, Tyson and Captain Weeds. Some of the first pupils were Jim, Frank, Neva, and Caddie Bishop; Johnnie, Victor and Addle Reed. Minnie Tyson and Della Woods On account of small attendance the school was discontinued in 1900 but in 1903 it was reopened in a new school house some two miles north of the first location on land then owned by Frank Fisher, Sr., where it continued until about 1920, when it was consolidated with the Winona school. (2): (2. Thomas Sullivan, Winona, Miss.)

Dorris School was first located three miles northwest of the present Poplar Creek Baptist Church by the side of the Kilmichael-Huntsville road, about 1880. Some of the organizers were C. H. and G. C Chesteen, H. D. Watson, James Ingram, Joe Dorris, Frank Crossley, John Childress and a Mr. Miles. Ben Dorris was the first teacher. Among the early pupils were: Tails, Beulah, Charlie and Josephine Chesteen; Cornelia and Caddie Watson, Jimmie and Laura Crossley, Billy and Lee Miles, Belle and Ronnie Doris, Will and Allie Childress, and Woodie and Will Ingram.

After operating four or five years the school was moved a mile southwest on the Dorris-Poplar Springs road, where a crude new one-room log schoolhouse, containing one door and one shuttered window, was built. Pet Young was the first and only teaches in this building, as the following year a nice frame building was constructed across the road from the log house. School continued there until 1928, when it was consolidated with Nations and Kilmichael schools. (1): (1. Charlie Watson, Kilmichael, Miss.)

New Liberty School, a one-room frame structure located four miles north of Lodi on the line between Montgomery and Webster on land donated by John Townsend, was organized in 1881.

Among the early patrons were John Townsend, P. J. Lusk, Licurgus Hammond, Joe Parker, John Hood, E. H. Pittman and Jesse and Jim Patridge. The first teacher was Rev. T. N. Lusk. Jim Adair, Jack Davis, Bill Walton, Miss Louise Jones, Miss Dolly Griffin, and Alec Moore, with Miss Maggie Hightower as an assistant, were some of those who followed him. Among the first pupils were: Luther, Lee and Lallie Townsend, Austin Hood, Will Lee, Pleas and Harry Hammond, Julia and Dora Lusk, Willie and Daisy Parker, Willie and Byrd Shelton, Jessie Patridge, who is the present postmaster at Duck Hill; Sherman Lusk, who is now an employee of the railroad; Charlie Oliver, who late became Chancery Clerk of this county, and John D. Johnson, who is a rural mail-carrier at this time.

In 1896 it became a high school --the only one in that section. Students came and boarded so that they might obtain the advantage of this institution.

In 1901 a new four-room school house was erected on Joe Parker's estate, a half mile south of the first location, and the school was moved there, where it continued until 1920, when it was merged with Alva Consolidated School. (2): (2. W. T. Hightower, Sweatman, Miss.)

Mission School, a county line school located about six miles northwest of Winona, was first established in Carroll County but later was moved to Montgomery. Its old site is now owned by Tom Vance. The first old Mission
school, was established in 1887 just a little southeast of the present Mission Church. For a number of years it functioned in this little frame building. Some of the best teachers of that time were employed. Among them being Ed Eiland, Louis Southworth, Judge Simpson and Mr. Wellons. . Later teachers were Misses Mattie Kindred, Maggie Patterson, Minnie Hankins, Bessie Holmes (Mrs. W. H. Mortimer), and Lucy Johnson, Garnett Ray, Johnnie Bennett, Carrie Gibson, Alma Holmes, Allie Childress and others.

About 19l0 the patrons sold the old school building and built a neat well-equipped, frame structure just west of the church. In 1930, on account of decreased attendance, the school was consolidated with the Winona High, School. The building still stands as a reminder of old Mission school.

Early patrons of the school were H. V. and C. Mortimer, Mrs. Arthur Mortimer, Mrs. Elizabeth Swain, William Blaylock, a Mr. Morgan, B. Bamberg, Tarn Vance, Jim Thompson, Gus Wadlington, and many others.

Steve Richey School was purported to be a boy’s school, but a few exceptions were made. It was located just north of the Zealy School in a rambling building and functioned for three years, after which tune Richey accepted a position with the Federal Government in the Philippines. (2): (2. Edward Loggins, Winona, Miss.)

The curricula of the schools in the early days planned the old standards—Webster's "Blue back Speller," "McGuffey's" Readers and Geography, Smith's "English Grammar," Davies "Arithmetic," Webster's "Dictionary." A few taught; algebra; geometry; the classics, and a few other books of the higher branches of learning.

School hours were from eight to four, with an hour at noon and short morning and afternoon recesses. In most of the schools the playground was divided, one-half for the girls and the other half for the boys, and woe to the "scholars" who crossed the deadline! In the absence of a janitor, the older girls swept the schoolroom, two girls being assigned to certain days. The larger boy; made the fires, and there was no greater joy for the little boys than to go after water. Occasionally, on Friday afternoons, parents would be invited to a "speaking" and "cross-spelling" to note the progress and eloquence, of their off-spring.

A lifelong citizen residing fifteen miles east of Winona, gives his version of early school days:

"The first school I attended was taught in the old Hardshell Church, about two miles from home, when I was five years old. I don't remember a thing about going there except that Jim Canterbury was digging in the spring with his hand for crawfish and a moccasin bit him on the thumb. Yes, I do remember the old man's name that taught was Luther Martin, and he could raise a knot on our heads the size of a hickory nut, thumping us with his middle finger when we whispered too loudly.

"When I was, about nine or ten I entered the Armstrong Male and Female Academy. It was three miles from home and I never missed a day because of bad weather. My mother made me a book-sack out of some jeans cloth left over from making breeches for we all wore home-made jeans pants. I carried my dinner in a five-pound bucket, and we called it dinner; we never spoke of it as lunch. There was a creek between the school house and my home that would overflow after a big rain, and I have waded waist deep in the water for a quarter of a mile many times. I never will forget one time an old Negro, Ned Hearon, picked me up and rode me on his mule across the water. It was a little old black mule and I was afraid he could not swim across the creek with both of us, but he never made a single miss-step.

"All the pupils used slates; we hardly knew what a pencil was. If anyone in school had a pencil all the other pupils were so envious they would call the owner of the pencil 'stuck up’.

"Old Professor Armstrong was the teacher and he always read a chapter in the Bible every morning and prayed a long prayer. The rule was, when you entered Armstrong Academy, you left off all social affairs whether you were a boarding student or not. You couldn't go to a party of; any kind, even on week-ends. The only time during the term we could frolic was during the Christmas, holidays. I shall never forget what a scrape we had once when nearly all the students disregarded the rule and went to the wedding of a friend one Saturday night. When we arrived at school Monday morning, we knew Professor Armstrong had heard about it. After he finished with us, we never repeated the offense.

"The students who boarded were usually called for on Friday afternoons and carried home in buggies or on mule or horseback.

"We had to learn our lessons and there were no half-measures; you had to know your lesson and if you did, not, you would be kept in a time or two; then if you did not know it you would get a whipping that was really, punishment.

"I have seen Professor Armstrong teach as many as 125 pupils in one room, from the beginners to the most advanced students. The house was forty by one hundred-sixty feet and both rides of the, room were black-hoarded. He would have two sections of the board marked off for first and second-year algebra classes, one section for geometry and one section for the three different arithmetic classes. He would instruct and "keep an eye on every pupil at the board and have two reading classes at one time. Nothing ever escaped his eye anywhere in the room. You would not think, the way the schools are run now that he could have done justice to that many children, but he did, and they learned just as much as they do now." (1) :( 1. Cecil C_. Oliver, Kilmichael, Miss.)

Are they not part and parcel of a day that is done? Pleasant memories are attached to them and old men and women of today might appreciate preserved records of the sports that thrilled them in the days of long ago.

Town ball, fast becoming a dim memory, most have been the forerunner of baseball. In some respects they are similar; both are played with ball and bat and each has a home plate and three bases. There were never any fixed teams. Each day, two of the acknowledged best players chose for partners, casting lots for first choice in this way. A bat tossed from one captain, head of a team, to the other was caught at random; the catcher's hand would remain fixed where he grasped the bat and, hand-over-hand, they would measure the distance to the tip. The hand that clutched the tip of the bat had first choice, and selection proceeded until all the listed players were chosen. In the same manner they would choose for position. The place of preference was "in town" or at "the hole." The other side deployed throughout the extensive fields, Batter and pitcher were on the same side; the catcher on the opposite. The pitcher put forth his best efforts to place the ball right where the batter would hit it—the very reverse of baseball. A hard rubber ball was used and when a hefty batter "got in a good wallop" with a three-foot hickory club, the ball would go sailing away like a clay pigeon from a trap, often clearing the top of the two story school house three hundred yards away, When this happened, it usually meant a lost ball, which was seldom found until the leaves were fired and the smell of burning rubber revealed its where-about. Immediately on, hitting the ball, the batter would run the bases. If a chance throws from, the field hit the runner he was out; if the ball passed in front of him, he was crossed out, and had to return to the base he had just passed. Each player had a chance at bat. If he were "caught, out" or hit with a ball while running the bases, he was "done, for." When every player had been thus qualified, the game was lost.

Hot Ball was supposed to be played with a hollow rubber ball; but in the absence of this particular kind, a ball was made from the raveling’s of an old woolen sock. In the beginning, the ball was tossed up; whoever caught it had the privilege of hitting anyone they chose. The fat boys in the game received the greater part of punishment, for their bulk made a better target. No scores were kept. It was rough and tumble- --everybody for himself and a howl from the target.

Bull Pen was played mostly in a hurdle. A ring about forty feet in diameter was drawn, on, which line stood six or eight boys. In the center, or "bull pen," fifteen or more boys were corralled. A boy on the line would throw1 across the ring in the hope of hitting one of the "bulls." If he missed his mark, he was out; if he hit, the victim of the ball was placed on the line; thus it went until the last boy had been knocked out of the "bull pen."

Prison Base was a most fascinating game to those of a romantic mind. Boys and girls played it together, and when a hap- less "Guinevere" chanced to get in the jug, which was a ring about eight feet in diameter it was the duty and exceeding high privilege of some gallant "Lancelot" to rescue her or share her, fate in the "Donjon Keep" If the girl impounded happened to be one of the belles of the school, that meant a battle royal and often produced liver-blue eyes and resulted in the loss of a bicuspid. The game was prosecuted with vigor and determination till all on one side landed in the detention camp of the opposition.

Ante Over was played by both boys and girls. Sides were chosen and opponents took their positions on opposite sides of the building. After an exchange, in turn, of the signal "Ante," "Over," "Here she comes," the ball was tossed over the house; if caught by the opponent, position were changed. In the flight around the house, if an opponent was struck with a ball, the luckless one was tagged" and went over as a player on the side of the enemy. This was kept up until the school-bell rang, or until all on one side were transferred to the other.

Only four could play Marbles at the same ring—two on each side. A square about nine inches each way was drawn on the ground; a marble was placed on each corner and a "hog eye" in the middle. The player stood at "taws"— a line about twenty feet away. The object was to knock out the middle marble; this constituted a game. If the shooter knocked out one of the corner men and succeeded in four consecutive shots to knock out the others that was a game. If one player, after the game had started, succeeded in "killing" his opponent, which murder was done by hitting his taw, the game was won.

For the moat part, the girls played among themselves, parlor, or sociable games—"Heavy, heavy hangs over your head," "Cross questions and crooked answer," "Thimble," "Going to Jerusalem," ''Stealing dry goods," and "King, King, Katoko." Some of the old favorites are still played by the school children of today.

The first common school system, which immediately followed the Mississippi School Law of 1870, consisted of a county superintendent of education, who had supervision of all the schools in the county. School houses, which were usually small log or frame buildings or abandoned residences, were set up in the different communities. In the case of a new building being necessary, the patrons built it. If an old house was used, it was rent free. Teachers' salaries were paid from state' funds for a four-month term each year usually two months in winter and two in summer. There was not a school in even community at the beginning. "Scholars" living from three to five miles from the school had a difficult time getting back and forth. There were no high schools; only eight grades were taught. Th. teachers, in most cases, were given their board and lodging by various patrons; alternating from week to week with different patrons.

County schools today are financed by sixteenth section funds, county and state taxes, separate school district, equalization funds, and Smith-Hughes fund. All money collected from sixteenth sections, rent or sale of timber is deposited in a bank, with the board of supervisors as trustees. The interest only is used for the benefit of public schools. Montgomery County receives sixty-two cents per pupil from the equalization fund. Separate school district funds are realized from a special tax levied upon the taxpayers within the separate districts. Smith-Hughes funds are obtained for vocational teachers' salaries by the county school board paying an equal amount with the Federal government.

Negro schools that can qualify receive aid from the Rosenwald fund; only two schools in the county are eligible for it (1): (1. Guy Fisher, superintendent of education, Winona, Miss.)

The consolidation movement began in 1930. The aim of the school board was to locate the rural schools at central points and transport the children to these schools. This objective has been accomplished within the last five years. Few small schools are left in the county and no doubt they will be drawn into the consolidated territory at an early date.

For transportation, Montgomery County has forty-one schools motor vehicles, with drivers under contract for two-year periods. The chassis are furnished by driver but the bodies are specially built and owned by the county. (2): (2. Ibid)

The county has city consolidated schools, special consolidated, rural consolidated, and a few rural elementary white schools. There, is only one consolidated Negro school in the county and one city school. The others are elementary rural schools with one or two teachers.

Adult Education is encouraged by WPA adult education programs. This program was begun in Montgomery County in 1933 by lie ERA. The WPA now employs five white adult education teachers who teach five schools, with 144 students and three Negro teachers whose three schools have an enrollment of 101 students. (3): (3 Ibid.)

The Kilmichael School had its beginning in 1891 when a large, two-story frame building was erected. The first floor was used for class rooms and the second for an auditorium. Professor W. N. Lewis was principal and Miss Lula Doty his assistant. The first session was taught in 1891-92. Professor Lewis was followed in turn by Walter Lucas, V. D. Rowe, Saunders Wilburn, Powell Trotter, Calvin C. Applewhite, Gay Anderson and J. D. Thaxton.

In 1910 Professor W. N. Taylor led a movement which organized and located the Montgomery County Agricultural High School at Kilmichael. The town floated bonds for building the school property, a two-story brick school house, a two-story frame boys' dormitory and a two-story frame girl’s dormitory.

Professor W. N. Taylor was elected superintendent of this school and served in that capacity for five years. He was followed by J. M. Kenna, F. L. McCue, L, H. Jobe, W. H. Landrum and J. R. Brinson. The Agricultural High School served a splendid purpose in its day; during its twenty-three years of operation more than six hundred boys and girls received high school diplomas. In 1934 the people of Kilmichael and surrounding territory realized that the agricultural school had outlived its usefulness, and it was discontinued.

The Big Black Special Consolidated School District, which covers about half the county and offers common and high school training to over one thousand white children each year, is an outgrowth of the agricultural school. Located in this district, is the Central High, at Kilmichael, Nations Consolidated, Poplar Creek Consolidated, and Bethlehem schools. At the time of the organization of the Big Black district the Smith-Hughes fund was procured, and, in addition to this, a new teacher’s home was erected in 1935 by the WPA.

At present (1937) the following ten teachers are employed in Central High: J. R. Brinson, superintendent; Mrs. E. B. Harrison, principal; Mrs. W. V. Metts, Paul Scott, Minnie Lee Stoker, Lena Bruns, Carrie May Young, Mary C. King, Mrs. A. C. Greenlee, Luther Atkins, Mrs. J. A. Perkins, Mrs. J. W. Fisackerly, Maidee Flowers, Ardell Castle, Daisy Turner, Oleen Mortimer, and Lucille Curtis.

Nations Consolidated School faculty includes Morris Palmertree, principal, Mae Ingram, and Minnie Chesteen.

Poplar Creek Consolidated School faculty include, Alvin Austin, principal, Corenlia Chesteen, Ruby Evans and Charlie Brown.

Stewart faculty members are Mrs. C. W. Dodd, principal; and Mrs. W. W. McKnight.

Bethlehem is a one-teacher school taught by Miss Mae Jacks.

(1): (1. George Flowers, Kilmichael, Miss.)

Alva Consolidated School is a "line" school patronized by pupils from Montgomery and Webster counties. The present, one-story structure, valued at $12,000 was erected in 1933 by CWA labor. The school is equipped with home economics accessories, a workshop for boys, a well-stock library, and an athletic field. The Smith-Hughes department was added about 1931.

The enrolled pupils number 375. The faculty (1936-37) consisted of J. C. Hinton, superintendent; R. C. Neal, Smith-Highes: teacher; Miss Pattie Sledge, home economics; Miss Hazle Applewhite, Miss Lucile McDaniel, Miss Agnes Lamb, Mrs. J. C. Hinton, Mrs. Minnie Baker, Wyatt Milton, and Miss Peacock. (2) (2. Guy Fisher, Winona, Miss.)

Duck Hill Public School had its beginning in 1881. The one-room frame building, lactated on a hill west of town, was erected on land given by Colonel J. R. Binford. Private funds were used to build and maintain the school. Citizens who were responsible for organizing it were T. C. Curry, Richard C. Fox, D. D. Wilkins, Dr. Trotter, J. R. Binford, and Mrs. McNeil; R. C. Fox was business manager. Each patron paid a certain sum per pupil and tuition was paid by students outside the district. A full eight-month term was taught; enrollment was about forty-five. The first teacher was Mr. Roby, who was later succeeded by Mr. Thornton and Wayne Henderson.

Some citizens of today who received their early education here are Lloyd T. Binford and Campbell Curry, Tom and Eva Curry, and R. C. and Ellen Douglas Fox. The school here today is an outgrowth of this old school.

The grammar school is a two-story brick building on Binford Avenue and was erected in 1906 by a $6,000 bond issue. The first, trustees were Dr. Guy Gillespie, C. E. Sykes, J. D. Johnson, T. C. Curry and G. B. Taylor. The first term opened in the autumn of 1906 with an enrollment of two hundred; C. E. Grady was superintendent and five assistants were employed. In 1918 another bond issue was floated to procure additional funds, with which the building was repaired and enlarged and a high school department added. The entire Duck Hill school system was carried on in this building until 1930.

Binford High School, housed in a one-stock brick building erected in 1930 on a six-acre plat of ground donated by Lloyd T. Bin-ford, obtained its building and equipment through funds secured by a $150,000 bond issue voted by citizens of the separate school district. It is included in Duck Hill's school system, which has fifteen teachers and 450 pupils and is under the direction of J. E. Aldridge, superintendent, B. M .Trapp, Smith-Hughes vocational instructor; Aileen Elliott, home economics, L. M. Hamlin, Huth Smith, Mary Holmes, and Kitty Tuesdale.

The grammar school faculty includes Mrs. A. L. Tailor, principal; Mrs. K. J. Rearm, Geneva Caffey, Nancy Stoker, Sallie Mae Walker, and Mr. and Mrs. Carl Engleman. (1): (1. R. C. Fox, Duck Hill, J. E. Aldridge, Duck Hill, and Guy Fisher, Winona, Miss.)

The Winona School occupies three buildings—Purnell Hall, Winona Grammar School and Winona High School. The three are located on Fairground Street and are under the supervision of Superintendent J. S. Hattox. Present (1937) enrollment is 636.

The first public school of Winona was built in 1889, when citizens voted a $10,000 bond issue to erect the building, a two-story brick: This building is a part of the present large grammar school. The first teachers were Professor W. J. Taylor, Miss Anna Bailey, and Misses Lee and Ella Grider. First trustees were Dr. Samuel Hill, Major Frank Hawkins, and Captain L. Bailey. The first term opened in the autumn of 1889, with an enrollment of two hundred. Succeeding Professor Taylor was Professor Warren, who was followed by Prof. John Foster. Dr. Oliver Abbot Shaw succeeded Foster as superintendent in 1889 and remained at the head of the school for twenty-five years.

In 1904 the first class graduated, and four students received diplomas. The first high school football game ever played in Mississippi was between Winona and Yazoo City. Seven to nothing was the score in favor of Yazoo City. The Winona eleven consisted of Dewitt Billingsley, Deeks Branch, Leon Trotter, Roy Teal, Cliff Fisackerly, Tom Patterson, "Ape" Staples, "Chuck" Trotter, John McLean, Earl Pace and Tom Wood. Arthur Howze was coach for the Winona team, and Miss Julia Boyd Talbert, sponsor.

In 1924, Dr. Shaw resigned as superintendent and was succeeded by Professor Henry Frizzell; Professor Ralph Applewhite succeeded Frizell; Applewhite, in turn, was succeeded by Professor J. S. Hattox, present (1937) superintendent.

At present (1937) eight teachers are employed in the grammar school: Miss Ada Ballard, principal; Miss Alto Gary, Miss Fant Jewel Roberts, Cora Erwin, Mrs. T. U. Furness, Juanita Hull and Dorothy Laughlin.

The two-story brick building that house the Winona High School was erected in 1926. The City of Winona and the surrounding district floated a $60,000 bond issue to build the school. A share of the credit goes to Professor Applewhite, superintendent at that time, for his earnest and untiring efforts in helping to secure this building. The trustees who served at this time, and to whom due credit is given, were Judge V. D. Rowe, N. V Hutchinson, and W. G. Baker.

At present (1937) eight teachers are employed at the high school: J. S. Hattox, superintendent; R. C. Berry, principal; O. L. Smith, Jen Jenkins, Misses Ora Sneed, Vesta Hanon, Edith Rhyne, and Mrs. E. R. Glenn.

In 1916 a one-story brick building of Southern Colonial design was built on a lot donated by James C. Purnell for the use of the first, second and third grades. It opened the same year with 167 pupils enrolled and Miss Mamie Buckley as principal, and Misses Fannie Morrow and Julia Boyd Talbert, teachers.

In 1922 an additional teacher was employed for the first grade, and in 1927 the enrollment was so heavy that still another section was added, and the "B" section of the third grade was removed to the grammar school. At present 160 pupils are enrolled, with Mrs. Julia Boyd Haley, principal, and Misses Beulah Buckley, Lillian Wall, and Eleanor Whyte as teachers. (1): (1. Decks Branch, Winona; Mrs. Walter Trotter, Winona; Guy Fisher, Winona, and Miss Beulah Buckley, Winona, Miss.)

The Huntsville School, organized in 1876 at the present (1937) village of Huntsville, was housed in a frame building 18x20 feet. The first teacher was Miss Ada Bush. The chief organizers were John Staples, Sr., Jim Lane, Jim Young, B. F. King, Sr., Dashner and White. Some of the pupils who attended this early school were: Billy and Bell Dashner; Tom, George and Bell White; Will and John Staples; Carrie and Ed Lane.

After a few years the school was moved to a small new building, about a half mile west of Huntsville, to accommodate pupils who lived farther west. Four years later the school was moved back to the original building in Huntsville and continued there for several years, when the school house was accidentally burned.

This necessitated another building program, and a nice two-room frame structure was erected and two teachers were employed to take care of the increasing number of pupils in attendance. The school is still functioning but is now (1937) a one-teacher school, with a small number of pupils. (1) :( 1. Hessie Bailey Baltimore, Md.)

Debating Clubs, Girl Reserves, and Hi-Y Clubs are the principal extra-curricula activities is the high schools. Football and basket-ball, both boys and girls and baseball are as much a part of the high schools as the regular curriculum, but no credits are given for athletic activities.

Parent-Teacher Associations are maintained in the city schools and meet once each month. Faculty meetings are held monthly among all teachers of the schools. If the occasion arises, a call-meeting may be held at the discretion of the superintendent.

Cafeterias have been maintained by WPA aid in almost every school in the county for the last three years, these being the only school cafeterias in the county. (2): (2. Mrs. S. I. McGowan, Winona, Miss.)

To qualify as a teacher today, a person must have attended college. Although a college degree is not technically compulsory, no applications are considered unless the applicant has had college training. All teachers usually take special courses in teaching or attend teacher’s normals every summer. They must have a pleasing manner, tact, and ability to command respect from pupils by personality, rather than by force. Morality is a requisite factor.

Living conditions of present-day teachers do not compare with the earlier days, when teachers boarded among the patrons. Some schools have teachers' homes that are maintained by the county. If teachers' homes are not supplied, the teachers have regular boarding places, as the salaries paid them are adequate to-afford comfortable living.

Winona High School, Beat 1, a brick building, valued at $60,000, equipped with library, commercial department, home economic (equipped with stoves, sewing machines, etc.), science department, indoor gymnasium, and well-lighted athletic field; Winona Grammar School, a three-story brick building, approximate value $50,000; Purnell Hall, a one-story, brick building, valued at 10,000, equipped with music department, library and playground.

Binford High School, Duck Hill, Beat 2, value of grounds, building, and equipment $150,000. Equipped with library, home economics, commercial, science and music departments; athletic fields and boys manual training department; Duck Hill Grammar School, Beat 2, brick building, $10,000 value; Eskridge Grammar School, Beat: 2, one-story frame building, $1,000 valuation.

Big Black Special consolidated School, Kilmichael, Beat 4, high school, two-story brick building, valued at $51,500; grammar school, one-story frame building, valued at $15,000, with equipment consisting of two teacher homes (one for the superintend and one for the Smith-Hughes vocational teacher), well equipped library, commercial and home economics department, boys manual training department, music department, and indoor athletic court. Nations Consolidated School, Beat 4, one-story frame structure, $8,000 value; equipped with teachers home, outdoor athletic field, and library; Poplar Creek Consolidated School, Beat 5, one-story frame building, $5,000 valuation, equipped with library.

Alva Consolidated School, Beat 3, one-story frame, $5,000 value

Stewart School, Beat 4, one story frame, $2,000 value.

Fairview School, Beat 1, one story frame, $8,000 value.

Hebron School, Beat 5, one story frame, $3,000 value.

Huntsville School, Beat 5, one story frame, $1,000 value.

Pine Grove School, Beat 1, one story frame, $800 value. (1): (1. W. A. Ward, tax assessor Kilmichael, Miss., Guy Fisher, Winona, Miss.)

In the early days the superintendent of education did not receive a stated salary, but a certain sum was allotted at each meeting of the board of supervisors. According to old records the sum paid averaged about $15.00 per month. They did not devote full time to the office. Some of them were otherwise employed during the week and kept the superintendent's office open only on Saturday.

The following gives an accurate estimate of the quarterly salary of the superintendent of education at that time: W. H. Parker, 1871, allowed $265.00 for balance of quarter, $130.00 allowed for superintendent of education, November, 1871." (1): (1. Minutes of Board of supervisors, Montgomery County, vol.1, page 41. Found in office of chancery clerk, courthouse, Winona, Miss.)

The first superintendent of education was W. H. Parker, in 1871. Walter Gould served from 1872 to 1875 and received a salary of $365. Mr. Gould made application to board of supervisors for a tax on taxable property to buy ground and erect a building for a school in the town of Winona. A tax of one-sixteenth of one per cent was levied, with which the school was built and equipped.

Tip Gamble, 1875-76, received a salary of thirty-eight dollars per quarter. During Mr. Gamble's term of office, fifty-six free schools were established in the county.

Other superintendents were W. H. Johnson, 1876-1878, salary, twelve dollars per month; A. B. Hurt, 1878-1879, salary twelve dollars a month; W. E. Simpson, 1880-1896, salary twelve dollars per month; Sid Robinson, 1896-1904, salary, thirty dollar per month; J. L. Frizzell, 1904-1912,salary, thirty dollars per month; Guy Burton, 1912-1920, a salary, eighty-six dollars per month, W. R. Applewhite, 1920-1922, salary, $178.96 per month; Leslie Townsend, 1922-1928, salary $147 per, month; F. 0. Martin, 1928-1932,' salary, $167.16 per month; Mose Taylor, 1932-1936, salary, $135 per month; and Guy Fisher,1936 salary,$135.34 per month(2): (2. Minutes, Board of Supervisors, Montgomery County, Vol. 1-12.)

Miss Mamie Buckley, a familiar figure and well-beloved teacher in the Winona city schools for many years, was born in Holmes County, but when a very small child moved with her parents, Captain J. T. and Mrs. Emma Cain Buckley, to Vaiden. Her first school days were passed at Vaiden. Later the family moved to Carrollton, where Mamie entered the Carrollton Female College. After finishing at this school, she attended Industrial Institute and College, Columbus for two years.

In 1901 she came to Winona as a teacher in the city schools and taught here as long as she lived. In edition to teaching in the Winona schools, she taught in summer schools at Millsap’s, State Teachers College, Agricultural and Mechanical College, the Mississippi College. She was for many years a member of the Montgomery County Examining Board, and at the time of her death was principal of the primary school, Winona.

When the 4-H Club movement was launched in Montgomery County she was one of the organizers: she also assisted in the organization of the Twentieth Century and Bay View Clubs, Winona. During the World War, there was no more faithful or patriotic worker in Montgomery County, she being one of the charter members of the Red Cross chapter. Miss Buckley was a member of Moore Memorial Methodist Church and taught a Sunday school class there for many years. She was for a time conference recording secretary of the Woman's Missionary Society and was state recording secretary of United Daughters of the Confederacy.

She "died October 30, 1918, a victim of influenza, which she contracted while attending a Red Cross conference in Memphis. She was buried in Vaiden. (1): (1 Miss Beulah Buckley, Winona, Miss.)

The following are negro schools: Bethlehem, Beat 1, Campbell, Beat 2; Center, Beat 3; Chisolm Line School, Carroll County; Edward, Beat 3; Eskridge, Beat 2; Elkhorn, Beat 3; Evergreen, Beat 1 ; Harvey, Beat 1; Hays Creek, Beat 1; Hazel Green, Beat 1; Jones Chapel, Beat 3; Like Line, Beat 2; Linsey Springs, Beat 4; Means Chapel, Beat 4; Mount Zion, Beat 4; Perry, Beat 1; Prospect, Beat 4; Pittman, Beat 3; Powell Chapel, Beat 1; Ratliff, Beat 3; Sally, Beat 2; Shady Grove, Beat 3; St. Mark, Beat 2; St. John, Beat 2; St. Paul, Beat 4 ; Stewart, Beat 4; Young's Chapel, Beat 3. These are one and two teacher schools and were built at an approximate cost of $500 each.

Winona Colored School, Beat 1, with a value of $10,000, is a one-story frame building, and receives aid from the Rosenwald fund.

Chapter XIV

                                                                  The Arts

Fred Witty, at the time of his graduation from the University of Mississippi, wrote as his graduation thesis "Reconstruction in Montgomery and Carroll Counties," which is now in the State Department of Archives and History.

He was born in Winona, October 19, 1888, and attended the Grider School at Winona, graduating from high school there. He received both his master and his law degree at University of Mississippi, where for two years he was editor-in-chief of the university annual.

Fred Witty has been a member of the Winona bar for twenty years. He began as junior partner of the firm of Hill and Witty; later becoming a member of the firm of Osborn and Witty. He is now engaged in the practice of law at Greenwood. (1): (1. Mrs. Minnie Witty, Winona, Miss.)

Mrs. Claude Hill Minga has won county-wide acclaim as a poet, though only one of her poems has been published.

Mrs. Minga is the daughter of late Congressman Shed Hill and grand daughter of late Senator H. D. Money. She was born in Winona, and received her early education there under the tutelage of a private instructor, later attending college in Washington; D. C. Mrs. Minga is now a resident of Winona.

Her prize poem "Bubbles," which won first place in the Fourth District Mississippi Federated Women’s Club contest, and which was published in the "Woman's Magazine," follows:

"Blowing bubbles– -

Floating lightly in the air,

Blowing bubbles--

A game we all must play at first,

And though we smile back through the years—at

With tears of those

That we gaily blew, and burst."

Mrs. B. D. Smith, nee Elizabeth Shelton, is a native Tennessean, but a Mississippian by adoption, having lived in Winona for many years.

She is a poet of rare ability, having written beautiful lyrics for a number of songs. Her poems have been published in various magazines and newspapers. In 1934 several of her poems appeared in a volume entitled "American Lyric Poetry," which was edited by Gerta Aison and published by the Gallion Press, New York City. She is also writer of short stories and is a talented musician, possessing a lovely voice. (1) (1. Mrs. Vivian Talley, Winona, Miss.)

Ruby Powers, author of a number of Gospel poems which have been printed in book from, was born in 1904 at Kilmichael. Blind from birth, she attended School for the Blind at Jackson and finished high school in 1924.

Her father died before the completion of her education, and she was forced to earn her living, which she did by selling cosmetics and hosiery. At present she is an employee of WPA, writing the Bible in Braille. Her home is at Marks, Mississippi. (2): (2. Mrs. Bessie Bailey Baltimore, Md.)

Edward Loggins, Sr., born and reared at Lodi, was a self-educated man, never having an opportunity to even attend high school. Having had access to his father’s extensive, library, he attained an education parallel with most college graduate. His volume, "Under the Black Flag," dealing with the Trans-Mississippi Department during the, War Between the States, was enthusiastically received by the public. The entire edition of ten thousand copies was sold in sixty days. Another of Mr. Loggins' books entitled "The, Autobiography of Elisha," gained wide popularity.

At an early age he moved to Winona and engaged in business, which he continues to operate (1938). (1): (1. Edward Logging, Sr., Winona, Miss.)

Dr, B.F. Ward was born February 25, 1836, in Abbeville, South Carolina. At the age of eleven, his father died and he and his mother settled in that part of Choctaw County, which is now Montgomery (see Chapter 1, Formation). He went to county schools and studied at, home for his early education. In 1859, he received his medical degree at Atlanta Medical College. Dr. Ward settled in Winona in 1867 and practiced medicine here for fifty years, being a great surgeon, and a writer of medical articles. He ^.wrote articles pertaining to the history and defense of the South, many of which were widely published throughout the country, among them, editorials for the Commercial Appeal at the behest of Editor C. P. J. Mooney. His poems have been widely published; one, "Alone," was written in memory of his wife and was his best. (2):

Bernard Cohen, who has given violin lessons in Winona, was leader of the Winona High School orchestra and played for all civic activities. He was once a member of the Orpheum Theater Orchestra at Memphis, where he won different medals for his excellent performances. For many years he was violinist at the First Methodist Church, Winona. Mr. Cohen was born in Memphis, but came to Winona when an infant, and received early training here; he moved to Memphis in 1934. (3) (3. Mrs. S. I. McGowan, Winona, Miss)

Mrs. N. V. Hutchinson, the county's most outstanding pianist, is head of the music department of the woman’s Club, Winona;

she plays for weddings and all civic programs, and is the organizer and director of the best vested church choir in the county. While Mrs. Hutchinson excels as a pianist, she also plays the organ and is accompanist for the choir at the First Methodist Church. From a civic point of view, Mrs. Hutchinson's services are invaluable, for she cooperates in school musical programs and exerts every effort to promote the art of music here.

Mrs. Hutchinson, nee Miss Emma Peacock, has resided in Winona since she was a child. After graduating from Grenada College, she studied music three years at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. (1): (1. Suhie Station, Winona, Miss.)

Lurlene Burton, representing the Winona High School in the State Field meet in 1925, won first place in the piano contest. She is the daughter of G. Y. Burton, former superintendent of education of Montgomery County, but is not residing here at present, (2): (2 Mrs. S. I. McGowan, Winona, Miss.)

Charlie (Sam) Jones, Poplar Creek, is knows all over the county as a "good fiddler." and although he had a violin lesson, he has won many prizes in "fiddler,' contests."

Lonnie Ellis, French Camp farmer, born and reared in Montgomery County, has never taken a violin lesson but is well known for his fiddling, having won prizes in local contests, and furnished music for the Victor Recording Company.

George A. Gunter, Kilmichael, a talented violinist, was not born in this county, but has been a resident here for twenty-five years being employed as station agent at Kilmichael. (3):

Floy Sturdivant Albritton is probably the most outstanding and versatile musician in the county. She excels in playing the piano, pipe organ, and violin, and has served as organist in First Baptist Church of Winona for years. She teaches violin, piano, voice, and expression, and at one time was co-director of Winona High School orchestra.

She has made regular appearances over radio stations WJDX, Jackson, and WMC, Memphis, where she sang and played. She was born and reared in Winona and finished high school there; she attended college at Blue Mountain, where she received her degree, later, studying three years at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. She left Winona in 1933 and went to Detroit, Michigan, where she has been employed since. (1): (1. O, W. Sturdivant, Winona, Miss.)

Mrs. Louise Wingate Flowers taught piano for several years at the agricultural school, Kilmichael, and her performances on the piano are especially enjoyable to local people.

B. J. Herring, living near Vaiden, is well known over Montgomery County; he plays any musical instrument, has composed music, has taught singing schools throughout the county for years, and has led in choirs and performed for many civic programs. Mr. Herring is the father of eleven children, each of whom is musical. Members of the Herring family often sing publicly in quartettes, trios, and duets, or play the violin, guitar, and piano for school programs. They also broadcast from radio station WHEF, Kosciusko, and make a specialty of old-time singing.

Arnold Pete Herring who is a splendid guitar player and blues singer has broadcast many times over WHEF, Kosciusko, and has had records made by the Victor Record Company. (2): (2 B. J. Herring, Vaiden, Miss.)

Sarah Virginia Harpole, daughter of Mrs. Mart Harpole, Winona, is a talented singer and dancer and has appeared on many different radio programs. "Toots," as she is called, has been taking leads in school plays and activities sponsored by clubs of Winona since the age of five. Her first appearance on the air was from WMC, Memphis, on the Leo Kahn program, where she won first place singing and dancing.

Miss Harpole appeared on the Major Bowes' Amateur Hour Program, unit 14, at Greenwood, where she won second place; she also won first place, which carried a twenty-five dollar cash award at the Automobile show in Memphis, over WMC. On this program fifty contestants were eliminated, and Miss Harpole won much acclaim in tap dancing and singing. (3): (3 Mrs. Mart Harpole, Winona, Miss.)

Minnie May Doty, dancer and singer, has appeared for some years in Chautauqua, and is now on the stage in New York City. She was born and reared in Winona and graduated from high school here. (4): (4 Ibid.)

Mrs. Mary DePoyster Herring, of Winona, began her musical career at the age of seven under Mrs. M. H. Watkins, of Water Valley, and subsequently worked under Walter Chapman and Patrick O'Sullivan, both noted musicians and composers of Memphis, Tennessee. She studied organ in New York City under Muro-Cottone.

At the age of eight, she began composing song, an evidence of remarkable talent. One of her compositions, "A Dream" (Lulla-by), won first place in a Mississippi state contest for origin work in 1935. Again in 1936, she was awarded first place on "This Would Be Heaven." which song was given a place on the program of the annual convention of the Federated Clubs at Jackson in October of that year. All of her works are of the semi-classical type, she having the unusual gift of writing lyrics for her songs, (1) :( 1. Mrs. Albert Herring Winona, Miss.)

Wilson Bingham, Poplar Creak, has composed the words and music for several school songs, also the music to "Work for the Master," which was published is a song book of Gospel songs in 1935. In addition to his ability as a composer, he is an excellent guitarist. (2): (2 Barksdale Garner, Winona, Miss.)

Billy Golden was known over the south for his ability as a musician, and especially so in his native county, Montgomery. He composed many sacred songs, both words and music. A volume of these was published and used for many years.

Mr. Golden has taught music and voice in many southern states, and has led in singing for prominent, evangelists, and numerous phonograph records have made of his singing. He served an eight-year sentence in the state penitentiary, during which time most of his sings were composed He was born at Lodi about 1870, and has been dead a number of years. (3) :( 3 Cecil C. Oliver, Kilmichael, Miss.)

The Winona High School Band, organized in 1933, is composed of twenty-nine members, with Roy Mortan as leader (1938). The instruments used in this band are: Four Saxophones, two drums, three French horns, two baritones, two bass horns, four trombones, two trumpets, three cornets, seven clarinets. New uniforms were recently provided for the members (1938). (4) :( 4. Mrs. J W Conger, Winona, Miss.)

Each high school in the county has a quartette; these sing for church and school programs, and represent their schools at the annual field meet held in the district every spring. Private classes in music are taught in all the larger schools of the county, but no public school music is taught here. The Woman's Club of Winona has a Department of music. There are three choirs in the county, the most outstanding of which is the First Methodist Church choir, composed of eighteen members and led by Mrs. N. V. Hutchinson. (1) (1. Mrs. S. I. McGowan, Winona, Miss.)

Miss Mollie Loggins, the only professional artist in the county maintains a studio in the City of Winona, where she works and teaches, devoting most of her time to painting china. Miss Log- gins exhibits have been awarded blue ribbons at New York State Fairs on several occasions; other exhibits which have been entered at different fairs have won cash awards.

She was born at Lodi, studied three years at the Art Academy in Cincinnati, and spent eight years studying under instruction of the leading artists of New York City, Buffalo, Chicago and other cities. (2) (2. Miss Mollie Loggins., Winona, Miss.)

Ruth McGeary was born, in Winona and received her early education here. She later studied six years at St. Mary of the Woods, Indiana, and four years at Sophia Newcomb in New Orleans, where she received her B. A. in art. She is now a resident of Memphis, Tennessee, where she has been gaining a livelihood as a free-lance artist for the last three years. (3): (3. Mrs. Mamie D. McGeary, Winona, Miss.)

Miss Tillie Hill, considered one of the best artist in Central Mississippi, received her training in the M. I. C. Institute, Jackson, Tennessee, u n d e r Mesdames Hodges and Rand, where she won a medal offered for the best crayon drawing, also distinction in oil paintings, water colors, and pastels.

She, a sister of late Congressman Shed Hill, was born in Winona and lived here all her life. Several of her paintings adorn Winona homes, (4): (4 Mrs. Claude Minga, Winona, Miss.)

Mrs. B. A. Talbert, native of Carroll County but a resident of Montgomery for years, won distinction and a fifty dollar cash award at the Cincinnati Art Exhibit in 1900 for her oil painting, "The Chariot Race." After reading, "Ben Hur", Mrs. Talbert conceived the idea of putting on canvass, her conception of the chariot race, as depicted in the book. She presented one of her paintings to the Winona Community House. (1): (1 . Mrs. B. A. Talbert, Winona, Miss.)

Dell Tidwell, born and reared in Montgomery County, and now living five miles southeast of Kilmichael, makes excellent furniture in his simple blacksmith shop. At the county fair in 1936 his home-made bedstead won first place. His talent for this work is natural, for he has had no special training.

Robert Clark, living two miles west of Stewart, has a talent for wood carving, the greater number of his articles being made from cedar. He was born and reared on the farm where he now lives with his parents, and has had two years in high school, but no training in wood carving. (2): (2. Mrs. Hessie Bailey Baltimore, Md.)

The Community House, Winona, built of native stone by WPA labor in 1936, is a very attractive building of the Elizabethan type of architecture, and is the only building in the county made of stone. It was erected at cost of $13,000, being completed July 1, 1936. It contains an assembly hall, library, Woman’s Club room, cloak room, kitchen two closets , and rest rooms.

Winona’s Post Office, a two story brick edifice, was erected in 1934 at a cost of $68,000. The roof is of tile and the structure is entirely fire-proof. Besides the necessary space and offices for the offices for government affairs, it houses the county and home demonstration agents. It is located on Summit street, near the, First Presbyterian Church.

The Court House was erected 1906 after the burning of the former building, which was located on almost the same site. The building is a two-story brick, surmounted by a large clock. The interior has a balcony for Negroes above the courtroom, which is on the second floor. The offices in the building are the necessary bureaus for county officials; a large well-lighted board of supervisor’s office was added by WPA labor in 1935.

The Burns Home, one of the latest dwellings erected in Winona, is located on Summit Street, on the site of the old Episcopal Church. This house was completed in May, 1937, most of the lumber used in its construction being taken from the old church. It is a frame cottage, with an attractive small entrance porch of concrete, supported by a frame of native stone; a large outside chimney is also of this stone. The floors are of hardwood, and the building is modern in equipment.

The Ben Moore home, Winona, was originally a two-story frame structure owned by Dr. H. J. Small. After his death in 1916, it became the property of his daughter, Mrs. Ben Moore. In 1930, the structure was remodeled by veneering the walls with brick, adding a large brick enclosed front porch, cutting openings for numerous windows, laying hardwood floors throughout, etc. This home with its well-kept grounds and flower gardens is one of the show places of Winona. (1): (1. Mrs. Rema Weed, Winona, Miss.)

                                                                  Landscaping

The most beautiful piece of landscaping in Montgomery County is the sunken garden of Mrs. N. V. Hutchinson, of Winona. It is a rectangular plot of ground, set about four feet below earth level; two oaks form the background for the east side, and a privet hedge encloses the whole. On each side of the center, four privet hedges, inside of which are planted shrubs and annuals of different varieties; beds of pansies dot the space on the outside of these hedges. Opposite the fish and lily pond, on the not the side are a sun dial and a bird bath. To the rear is a large rose garden with a background of dahlias and chrysanthemums. Dogwood, redwood, and crepe myrtle trees are placed in the corner behind the rose garden. (2): (2. Mrs. N. V. Hutchinson, Winona, Miss.)

The Purnell Home owned by Miss Jennie Purnell, located on Summit Street, Winona, rivets all others in the county for stateliness and beauty. The colonial home, with its large columns extending to the balcony on the front, is surrounded by stately magnolias and oak trees, which add dignity and grandeur to the scene.

The garden, which is on the northeast side of the house on Fairground Street, and on which landscaping has just been completed, is a delight to all who see it. The sunken garden centered with a large gazing globe, is a colorful mass, of lilies, iris, pansies, etc.

Beyond this garden a large space of smooth sod, dotted here and there with semi-circular beds of varicolored flowers. To the north is a rose, arbor on which grows many varieties of roses; a thick hedge forming a background for the whole.

(1): (1. Miss Jennie Purnell, Winona, Miss.)

Montgomery County is a farming section, hence few industries of importance, with the exception of lumber, that do not depend on agriculture. All citizens in the rural area of the county rely on farming for a living, and most of the food is home-grown. Cot- ton is the chief commercial product, all other crops being mainly for home consumption. Milk, butter and cheese, corn meal, molasses, meat, lard, and garden, produce are local essentials.

Montgomery farms do not furnish employment to foreign labor, as the farmer usually cultivates only as many acres as his family can work. We have few large farms, and home labor is employed almost exclusively, though a small number of cotton choppers and pickers are sometimes hired.

The total number of acres in farms, according to survey made by county agent in 1935, are 221,720, divided among 2,436 farms, of which 799 are fully owned, and 98 partly owned. There are 1,539 tenants and 901 sharecroppers, (1) :( 1. Census Report 1935.)

At the time Montgomery County was established, cultivation methods had advanced to the use of plows and horses and mules. However, the very early settlers in that territory had to resort to a much more primitive manner of cultivation; oxen were used almost exclusively in breaking the land and opening the rows, into which cotton and corn seed were dropped by hand and covered with a hoe or harrow. Gristmills, sawmills, and some gins were run by water-power, commonly known as water-mills. Almost every farm had a gin which, unless situated near a stream, was run by mule or horse-power. It required eight mules to operate a gin, and even the teams worked in shifts, as the labor was too heavy for one team to work all day. The pressroom was located about sixty feet from the lint-room, the lint being carried by hand from one room to the other. The process room to the other, the process was slow, and four bales were considered a big day's ginning. The ginning was never started until, all cotton was picked and other harvesting finished.

When the ginning began, all farmers started to market about the same time, which was near the middle of December. Ninety per cent of the cotton was hauled to market by ox-teams. -There was no sale for cottonseed, and they were either left at the gin or hauled into the fields and scattered over the land as a fertilizer. Livestock were allowed to roam at will, so all fields in cultivation were fenced in with hand-split rails. (I): (1. Henry Hart, Winona, Miss.)

                                                                 Cotton

Cotton was introduced into this territory by early settlers from Georgia, Virginia, and the Carolinas, where it had long been the chief crop. Settlers brought seed with them and continued to plant it as they had in their mother states.

The War Between the States and emancipation put an end to slavery before the settlers in Montgomery had acquired large plantations, or a very great number of slaves. A few owners of large farms had slaves, and of course, the cotton on such plantations was made and harvested by Negro labor. Generally speaking, the amount of cotton grown by slave labor was negligible.

Today, the raising of cotton is no problem; mules, horses, and tractors are plentiful, and cultivation is not difficult. Trucks are used by two-thirds of the farmers to transport the seed-cotton to the gin, where it is ginned in a short time by electricity. Seed bring a price sufficient to pay for the hauling and ginning, which is an appreciable saving over the old method of dumping them in the field.

Insect pests, which attack virtually every plant in the county, make no exception of cotton. The boll weevil, found in great numbers, and army worms are the worst enemies of cotton. Some of the more progressive farmer in late years has waged a successful war in the boll weevil; the most successful method uses so far is to dust with calcium arsenate on the plant, but on account of the expense, only a few farmers have adopted this remedy.

Army worms appear periodically; sometimes once in five years, a horde will attack a field of cotton and devour all the foliage in a short while. Calcium arsenate is used to dust the plans in infested areas.

The large average annual yield of cotton per acre is 170 pounds, and in 1936, 13,340 bales were ginned. Despite the reduction of over 8,000 acres in cotton, the crop cultivated in Montgomery County increased 2,394 acres. Crop failures occurred on about one thousand more acres in 1934 than in 1929; about two thousand more acres were left idle or fallow.

All cotton in the county is picked by hand by local labor, and most of the crop is usually sold as soon as ginned to local buyers or marketed through government agencies, (1): (1. J. O. Cook, Winona, Miss.)

In years past wheat flour was almost unobtainable, and due to this fact, corn was used almost exclusively for bread by the early settlers. In addition to the food for human consumption, it was about the only grain available for feeding livestock. There were no, feed mills, no mowing machines, and farmers had to depend entirely on corn for feedstuff. It is still the most important grain raised in the county, being used for bread, food for stock, and forage.

The approximate annual yield in this county is fifteen bushels per acre. Corn planted in 1935 amounted to 27,290 acres, of which 27,180 acres were harvested for grain. Total number of bushel produced in the county was 356,313. Practically all corn grown in Montgomery County is consumed at home.

Insects do much damage to corn crops. During late years the white grub, or June beetle, has become a serious problem. When the corn plant is very young the insects attack the root, causing, it to wither and die. On account of this pest, it is difficult to obtain a stand of corn; sometimes the third planting is necessary. As yet, no successful method of control has been discovered.

The earworm, which feeds in the tip of the ear of corn when it is in the roasting stage, is not considered a-serious menace, or as detrimental to corn as the granary weevil, which is the most destructive grain weevil in the county. Few cribs of corn are free from this pest. (1): (1. J. O. Cook, Winona, Miss.)

Tomatoes, beans, peas, corn, lettuce, cabbage, turnips, mustard, and other vegetables are raised here. All products are marketed locally; some of them being peddled from house to house; some to home grocers.

According to census reports, there are twenty-seven acres of beans, one of cabbage, one of corn, one of tomatoes, sixty-six of water-melons, and three of other vegetables grown in the county on 1,929 farms, which crop was valued at $75,709. Beans, peas, butterbeans, and okra are dried other surplus vegetables are canned by steam pressure or other processes, in glass or tin containers.

Practically every variety of vegetable grown in the county is attacked by insects. Repellents are necessary in all cases to protect the plants against these pests. Cutworms, Colorado potato beetles, squash bugs, cabbage worms, and lice present the most serious problem which vegetable growers have to combat. (2): (2. Ibid)

By far the greater number of chickens raised in the county are eaten at home. Farmers have fast learned that there is more economy in eating the chickens raised than in selling them; however, quite a number are sold. Progressive farmers supply their tables with poultry and eggs during the entire year.

The 196 families with whom the home demonstration agent works, raised 16,820 chicks is 1935; an average of 85 chicks per family. There are 1,287 families who do not own poultry.

Enough chickens are sold to local merchants; to supply local

Needs and the surplus are shipped. The local poultry trade per week averages approximately one hundred chickens, including fryers, hens, and roosters. The poultry sold average from three and one-half pounds each, totaling about 300 to 350 pounds of chickens per week; making an annual total of 15,600 to 18,200 pounds. (1): (1 Ladella Covington, home demonstration agent, Winona, Miss.)

The five year Federal farm census, taken as of January 1, 1935, reveals an increase of eighty-six per cent in the number of Cattle on farms in Montgomery County since April 1, 1930. This report shows 15,670; head in the county, including 8,100 cows and heifer two years old and over.

An experiment on baby beef is being tried by four citizens, Geo. P. Harris, O. H. Campbell, J. P. Dolar and T. Townsend. Pure bred bulls are crossed with scrub cows, and the calves are milk- fed. At the age of six months the calves average from four to six hundred pounds, and top every market at which they are offered. Surplus cattle on farms are purchased by local stock dealers, transferred by trucks to Memphis, and sold; a few reach other markets. An average of about two hundred cows and yearlings are bought and sold weekly, at an average price of $20 per head. There are five cattle dealers in the county.

Hogs increased thirty-nine per cent between 1930 and 1935; the Montgomery census of 1930 shows 4,925 head, and that of 1935, 6,863.

In 1930 there were fifty-six sheep and lambs in Montgomery County; is 1935 there were twenty-nine. A few farmers raise goats to eat the weeds from their pastures; none are of commercial value.

The farm census of 1935 shows 508 horses and colts in the county, the census of 1930 Showed 802. Mules and mule colts in 1935 numbered 3,117 in 1930 there were 3,164. (2): (2. J. O. Cook, Winona, Miss.)

The principal pests which infest poultry are mites, lice, and Southern chicken fleas or stick-tights as they are locally called, The most practical method of controlling these pests is to dust infested fowls with insecticide, then spray the premises with creosote dip solution or kerosene.

Livestock has to contend with insect pests from early spring, which brings a horde of buffalo gnats, followed in a few weeks by horn flies, horse flies and stable flies until frost.

Lice, which infest hogs, horses and cattle, remain with their hosts the year round; and are to be found in numbers all over the county. (1): (1. Hubert Dixon, Winona, Miss.)

Long ago rural homes in this section of the state were poorly equipped. There were no stoves, and all the cooking was done in great open fireplaces, with cranes on which to hang pots. The cooking utensils included black iron pots for cooking vegetables; long-handled skillets for frying; three-legged iron ovens with lids on which live coals were heaped for cooking corn bread, potatoes, pies, cakes, biscuits, etc. Over the open fireplace, the housewife stooped day after day and cooked for her family; no matter how hot the weather; there was no way to break the routine. There was no ice in summer for any purpose; the only way to cool milk was to sink the contained in the spring or well.

There were few sewing machines in the early homes, and most of the family sewing was done by hand; all socks and hose were knitted of hand-spun thread. Each member of the family was assigned an after-supper task of carding cotton into rolls, spinning thread, or making garments. Cards and the spinning wheel were important factors in the home, and some were equipped with looms with which to weave cloth.

Homes were unscreened, and little thought was given to sanitation. There were no telephones, and the only channel of communication was to send messages viva voce or written messages by special messengers. Methods of transportation were by ox-wagons, mule-teams, or on horseback. Very little visiting was done, and recreation was almost unknown.

Today, however, cards, looms, and spinning wheel are unknown, and practically all rural homes are screened and provided with sanitary outdoor toilets; they are equipped with sewing machines, cooking stoves, and steam pressure cookers, any many have refrigerators; ready-made clothing for each member of the family can be bought as cheaply as it can be made at home, thus the drudgery of the housewife is greatly reduced.

By means of telephone, farmers communicate with one another; the rural free delivery brings mail to the farm; daily papers have become a necessity rather than a luxury; and many farm homes are equipped with radios. While mules and wagons are still indispensable to the farm, improved farm machinery relieves both man and beast of farm drudgery. Improved roads and automobiles make it possible for farmers to go to town or city as often as they desire.

The services of the County Agent are invaluable. He helps to promote all Government programs, cotton reduction plans, and soil conservation programs; cooperates with Smith-Hughes Future Farmers Clubs in giving advice and instructions; advises farmers on all questions that arise pertaining to agriculture, livestock, etc.; encourages the promotion of soil building; cooperates with the farmer in obtaining seed for planting; gives demonstrations in terracing; and arranges for the sale of all farm products, both livestock and agricultural.

The first official county agent was appointed by the board of supervisors in January, 1917. Others who have served from the date that the office was established until the present (1937) are: J. S. McKewen, from January, 1917, to September, 1920; J. N. Robbins, September 1920, to January, 1922; G .C. Mingee,1922 to 1924; Mose Shaw, 1924 to 1929; E. E. Johnson, 1929 to 1932; C. M. Chaffee, 1932 to 1936; and J. O. Cook, who took over the work when Chafers resigned, from 1936 to the present.

The 4-H Clubs grew out of the united efforts of Dr. Seahon A. Knapp, of the United States Department of Agriculture, the General Education Board, and Miss Susie V. Powell, Panola County, Mississippi. In 1903, when the Mexican boll weevil began its devastations, Dr. Knapp established a community demonstration farm at Terrell, Texas, for the purpose of showing farmers how cotton could be raised despite the boll weevil.

In a series of conference in Washington, Dr, Knapp's varied agricultural activities and experiences were thoroughly discussed, with the favorable result that the General Educational Board Provided: "That the farmers co-operative work, in which the General Board of Education is to become interested, shall be entirely dispensed in territory and financed from that carried on solely by the Department of Agriculture." The plan was "that this department shall supervise the work and appoint all special agents." Since then the work has expanded wonderfully. Demonstration farms are thickly studded all over the state, and in 1908 the Boys' Corn Clubs were organized with the view of educating the farmers of the future.

By 1910 the need of enlisting the corporation of the women and girls in promoting the program was realized, and steps were taken to organize them. Miss Marie Cramer, a teacher of South Carolina, had organized some canning clubs, and from that suggestion Dr. Knapp conceived the idea of regularly appointed home demonstration agents to encompass the entire South; from which the vision our present indispensable agricultural system of home demonstration agents developed.

In 1911 an initial appropriation of $5,000 was made for this work

And early 1912, Miss Susie V. Powell, who had already done outstanding work along this line, was chosen to serve as the first home demonstration agent in Mississippi.

Miss Powell attained universal fame through the successful organization of Girls Tomato Clubs, and her lectures, and active work in the field prompted beautification of school grounds and more pleasant and healthful conditions generally; and to Miss Powell credit is given also for installing the sanitary drinking-cups. She served as home demonstration agent for fourteen years, resigning in 1924; but her interest has not lagged, and the present strength of the 4-H Clubs is a monument to her unfailing efforts.

Through her first years of service—the pioneer period of home demonstration work—many obstacles were overcome in clearing the way of the organized extension courses, which were given is all parts of the state following the passage of the Smith-Lever Act in 1914. The work then began to grow in a comprehensive way. Outstanding developments of the first three years were the adoption of the local-leader plan and the definite organization of boys and girls into clubs, which included not only tomato clubs, but poultry, garden, canning, dairying, and all forms of rural home improvements.

The agricultural and home economics headquarters at Agricultural and Mechanical College (Mississippi State) made it possible to publish printed and mimeographed circulars applicable to local conditions; giving definite instructions as to demonstrations programs, etc., for the improvement of the farm and home through 4-H Clubs. These clubs have grown in efficiency and numbers, and today thousands of boys and girls throughout the state are demonstrating the wisdom of such an organization.

The Home Demonstration Agent assists and gives advice about canning, sewing, poultry raising, and gardening; sponsors home improvement clubs; beautification projects, cooperative egg shipping and promotes all club activities, including 4-H women's and home economics clubs. (1) :( 1. J. O. Cook, Winona, Miss.)
As early as 1911, when girls' tomato clubs were being organized, a director of home economics, Miss Mamie Buckley, was employed in Montgomery County. She was not an official home demonstration agent paid by county funds but, as far as can be learned, was paid by the Government. (2): (2. Mlle Beulah Buckley, Winona, Miss.)

Mrs. Della Blanch Alley followed Miss Buckley in 1912 as director of club work and continued in this capacity until 1915, when the board of supervisors ordered that a department of home economics be established; salary to be paid from county funds. Mrs. Alley was appointed home demonstrator.

Following Mrs. Alley, who served from September, 1915, to June, 1917, were: Mrs. J. P. Strafford, June, 1917, to June, 1918; Miss Flora Love Hones, to September, 1919; Miss Lucy Watson, October, 1923, to 1925; Miss Sarah Craig, 1925 to 1926; Miss Luta Moore, 1926 to 1929; Miss Minnie Sturdivant, 1929 to 1935; Miss Laden Covington, 1935, to the present (1938).

In September, 1919, the department of home economics was discontinued, and Miss Flora Love Hines was removed by the board of supervisors. During the period from 1919 until October, 1923, Montgomery County did not employ a home demonstrator. In October, 1923, a special election was held for the purpose of submitting the electors the proposition of employing a demonstrator, and the citizens voted for the reestablishment of the office, and Miss Lucy Watson was appointed. (1); (1 Minutes of Board of Supervisors, 1917 to 1938 Chancery Clerk's office Winona, Miss.)

Beginning in 1911, Montgomery County, was one of the first ten in the state to organize girls' tomato clubs. According to a news item in a local paper; Miss Susie V. Powell, of the school improvement work, has announced the full list of counties which have the Tomato Clubs for the girls this year. The government decided it would only extend aid to ten counties in Mississippi, and after careful deliberation, she has fixed on Lincoln, Copiah, Holmes, Jones, Lamar, Forrest, Oktibbeha, Montgomery, Claiborne, and Wilkinson. These counties have shown the best teachers' organizations, and the people of the counties have shown more anxiety than other counties. It is likely the work will be extended next year, but ten counties is the limit this year. (2):

Tomato Clubs were composed of girls from the ages of ten to twenty, and each member kept a memorandum of her work throughout the season, with accurate dates. This included dimension of plat, location, kind of soil, fertilizer, time and manner of planting, disease, preparation of seedbed, cultivation, etc. The size of the plat planted in tomatoes was one-tenth acre.

The superintendent of education and local teachers at first cooperated with directors and assisted club members in measuring plats holding meetings, etc. The first clubs were organized—one in each of the five beats of the county. (2)(2. Kilmichael Record, Kilmichael, Miss., Oct. 20, 1911.)

The boy’s corn club movement was begun in Montgomery County by the superintendent of education and the teachers of the county. Superintendent J. L. Frizzell, O. A. Shaw, C. E. Grady, L. M. Jones, Miss Sallie Ringold, Miss Mamie Buckley, and Mrs. Lille Fisackerly were teachers and members of the School Improvement Association, and all took a leading part in launching this movement.

Superintendent J. N. Powers, in an address at Winona; "urged that the teachers of the county organize the boys into Corn Clubs for the purpose of growing corn." In response, a meeting was held at the courthouse in Winona Saturday, March 15, 1909; W. H. smith, of Durant, pioneer of the Mississippi corn club movement, was present, and, with the aid of J. L. Frizzell, the first boys' corn club of fifty members was organized. Frizzell, who, with the assistance of the teachers throughout the county, directed the work, donated to each member one and a half quarts of seed corn. Later developments consisted of bulletins sent to the members and lectures by Mr. Blakeslee and others who were interested in club work. (1): (1 Winona Times, Winona,Miss., March 15, 1909.)

On November 19, 1909, an exhibit was held at the courthouse in Winona by the corn club boys. Out of twenty-two exhibits three prizes were awarded—one for the best, one for the second best, and one for the third best ten ears of corn. Prize winners were: Dorris Stafford, first prize, $7.50; Hester Stevens, second prize, $5.00; Lattie Thompson, third prize, $2.50. (2): (2. Ibid, Nov. 19, 1909.)

Smith-Hughes Schools have taken the place of the agricultural school in Montgomery County there being three of these in this county. Vocational teachers instruct the students in all modern and scientific methods of farming. They organize and direct the Future Farmers Clubs for the boys, give demonstrations on tanning leather, on terracing, and on other farm activities. These teachers cooperate with the county agent in all plans and experiments pertaining to modern agriculture. (3): (3. J. O. Cook, Winona, Miss.)

Montgomery County, in the heart of North Mississippi, is an industrial center, as well as an agricultural county. Her manufacturing plants, which include cotton mills, lumber mills, and dairy products, bring many thousands of dollars to the county, furnish employment for local citizens, and afford a local market for native produce. Many of Montgomery's outstanding citizens are connected with these enterprises, and the fact that they have the interest of the county and its people at heart is evident from the business they do Montgomery and its citizens are as progressive in industrial lines as they are in other phases of modern life.

The Cotton Mill Products Company, first known as the Winona Cotton Mill, was organized at Winona in 1900 by J. H. Frazier, with a capital stock of $150,000. Its first officers were: J. H. Frazier, president; J. C. Purnell, vice president; G. R. Kelso, secretary, and Henry Hart, treasurer. Others connected with the enterprise were: D. B. Turner, E. R. Blackston, and G. A. McLean.

The mill contained 8,736 spindles which made drilling and sheeting, and the amount of production averaged ten thousand Yards per day. Two hundred bales of cotton were used monthly and the mill ran about sixty hours a week with one shift.

In 1924 the same mill was changed to the Cotton Mill Products Company, with a board of directors, of which J. W. Sanders was president. At present 8,736 spindles and 220 looms are in operation, and the daily production averages 5,500 pounds, or 15,500 yards. The type of cloth produced is unfinished drilling and sheeting, while the number of bales of cotton used per month averages 225. The mill employs 140 workers, and the payroll amounts to approximately $2,600 every two weeks. It runs on an average of two forty-hour shifts weekly. The material is sold through selling agents and is shipped to wholesalers throughout the United States and to foreign countries. (1):

The Stewart Cooperage and Plantation Company organized at Stewart in 1908 by O. Martin and J. S. Means has operated there for five years. In 1920 the plant was moved to what is now known as Means, where the Columbus and Greenville Railroad intersect U. S. Highway 82. After the death of O. Martin, in 1924, the company was incorporated as the Steward Cooperage and Plantation Company and continued to manufacture slack barrel staves. A few years ago the making of staves was discontinued and the plant now operates sawmill and cut dimension stock.

Raw material is bought from farmers and owners of timber who have it for sale. Standing timber, which is logged by the company, is also bought. In connection with the timber operations, the company owns and operates a plantation consisting of 1,700 acres, with six hundred acres in cultivation.

The prevailing prices paid for raw material average about $10 per thousand feet, log scale. The weekly payroll is $1,000. What this industry means to Montgomery County is evident, for in addition to being a ready market for timber, it employs local labor. The value of the manufactured products shipped during the twenty-eight years of operations is approximately $2,000,000. (2): (2. J. S. Means, Stewart Miss.)

The Winona Oil Mill was established in 1879 by C. R. Kelso, R. A. Allison, E. R. Blackston, J. T. Lay, R. H. Hitt, W. R. Trotter, and others with a capital of $30,000. J. T. Lay was the first president, serving until his death in 1899. He was succeeded by R. A. Allison, who was president and general manager until his death in 1908. M. K. Horne was elected to succeed Mr. Allison and acted as local manager as long as the plant operated.

In 1927 the business was reorganized with a capital of $100,000 and became a unit of the Mississippi Cotton Seed Products Company of Jackson, Mississippi The plant used an average of seventy thousand tons of cotton seed annually and gave employment to about eighty men. In 1935 the machinery was sold to Sikeston Cotton Oil Company and was moved to Sikeston, Missouri.

At different times in the history of the plant other departments were added, including a cotton gin, fertilizer factory, ice plant, and mixed-feed mill. The fertilizer plant and cotton gin continue to operate under the management of J. E. Allen.

Eight men are employed regularly and the annual payroll is about $2,400. At present (1938) activities in the fertilizer and feed mill have been suspended but, an ice plant has been recently installed in the old oil mill building, which is owned and operated by J. E. Allen. Five men are employed in this enterprise. (l): (1. M. K. Horne, Winona, Miss.)

Farmers Gin Company; Kilmichael, organized in 1930, sold $15,000 worth of stock to local citizens, and erected the gin. Tom Townsend, president of the corporation, was the principal organizer. Other stockholders are J. L. Flowers, E. A. Wilson and H .J. Flowers. This enterprise employs five men during the ginning season, during which 2,600 bales of cotton were ginned in 1936. (2): (2. A. E. Wilson Kilmichael, Miss.)

A. Austin and sons Gin Company consists of two gins, one located at Kilmichael, the other at Stewart. Eight men are employed at both gins for about three months each year, the output of which was 1,904 bales of cotton during the 1936 season. (3): (3. Charlie Austin, Kilmichael, Miss.)

Two gins are owned by John Caffey, of Winona, one at Duck Hill, the other at Sweatman. The gin at Duck Hill began operation in 1935, the one at Sweatman in 1936. Three men are employed at each gin. In 1936 the combined ginning of the two gins was 1,300 bales.

D. D. Wilson and Son own and operate an electric gin at Duck Hill; the Mitchell Brothers operate an electric gin located at Lodi; and G. S. Windham owns and operates a steam gin six miles from Duck Hill. (4): (4 John Caffey, Winona, Miss.)

Raper Lumber Company, organized at Duck Hill in 1925 by R. E. and R, H. Raper, has a plant valued at $6,000. An average of forty thousand feet of board timber is cut daily; pine, the only timber used, is all bought from local owners; the lumber is shipped to northern markets. Fifteen men are employed regularly at this mill. (1) (1. W. R. Raper, Winona, Miss.)

The Sumner Planer Mill, Stewart, owned and operated by E. H. Sumner, began operations in 1916. Pine timber only is used for manufacturing floors, ceiling, and weather-boarding, all of which is bought locally for about $12 per thousand feet. An average of fifty thousand feet per day is cut, about fifty carloads of lumber per month is shipped to northern markets, which brings an average price of $ 350 per carload.

Colson Hickory Mill, Winona, which began operation in 1935, is owned and operated by W. L. Colson. Only hickory timber is purchased from local citizens and cut. Lengths are sawed for picks, shunts, sledges, and scotch squares. All lumber is for export and is shipped to England. The price paid for logs delivered to the mill is $25 per thousand feet. About three thousand board feet, log scale, is cut per day. Four carload of lumber are shipped per month, brining an average price of $1,500 per carload. (3): (3. W. L. Colson, Winona, Miss.)
In addition to the larger, saw-mill, there are about thirty portable sawmills, locally called tractor mills. Few of them cut hardwood. Tracts of pine timber are bought, and a tractor is used to supply power to run a circular saw. Pine, the timber mainly used, can be bought locally for $2.50 per thousand feet stumpage. After it is sawed, the prevailing pries is around $10 per thousand. Sawmill operators sell the rough green lumber to local planer mills, where it is kiln-dyer and manufactured into flooring, ceiling, and siding. Some dealers ship it in carload lots to other markets—St. Louis, Detroit and other places.

These tractor mills do not run regularly; they have been operating at intervals for the last ten years but, taken as a whole, the sum of money obtained from the operations in timber and lumber, is enormous figure. (4): (4. W. M. Williams, Vaiden, Miss.; C. C. Oliver, Kilmichael, Miss.)

National Dairy Products Company was organized in 1928 under the name of the Kraft Chess Company; Henry Hart, W. G Baker, and Walter Blackston were the principal founders. After selling $24,000 worth of stock to, citizens of Montgomery and Carroll counties, a plot of ground was bought, the building erected and the machinery installed. Under this management the business operated successfully for a period of five years. In 1933 the plant was reorganized, and the name chanced to Kraft Phoenix Cheese Corporation. This corporation bought the interest of all local people, and continues to operate under the name, National Dairy Products Company.

During the month of August 1937, 15,000 pounds of sweet milk were received daily at the plant. An average price of $1.85 per hundred pounds was paid to producers, and approximately sixty per cent of the milk was produced in Montgomery County. Average daily production is about nine thousand pounds. A branch plant of an evaporating milk company operates in a neighboring county, and many of its patrons reside in Montgomery County. This plant, in providing a ready market for milk, has proven one of the most important industries of Montgomery County. (1) :( 1, W. G. Baker, Winona, Miss. and George Burchman, Winona, Miss.)

Randle and Townsend, whole-sale grocery and feed stuff merchants of Winona, began operation in 1927. Five people are regularly employed. (2): (2 Leslie Townsend, Winona, Miss.)

Billingsley Wholesale Grocer, Company was established in Winona in 1931; five employees work regularly. Products handled are groceries and feedstuff. (3) (3 M. C. Billingsley, Winona, Miss.)

Hammonds' Wholesale Grocery began operation in April, 1936; selling feedstuff and groceries. It is owned and operated by O. A. Hammond and Robert Hammond. Two, besides the owners, are employed, (4): (4 E. A. Hammond, Winona, Miss.)

Mississippi Power & Light Company provides power and light for Montgomery County. The officers of this company are located at Winona. Four workers are employed there. (5): (5 P. A. Mitchell, Winona Miss.)

Southern Bell Telephone Company has three exchanges in Montgomery County. They are located at Winona, Duck Hill and, Kilmichael. Fifteen people are employed. (6): (6 Miss May Dodd Winona, Miss.)

Western Union Telegraph Company maintains one office in Winona, Montgomery County. The company employs only one person at this office, which is located on Front Street. (1): (1 Mrs. Ruth Crouch, Winona, Miss.)

Tri-State Transit Company operates two buses daily north and south through Montgomery County. Prior to February, 1938, two buses ran east and west through the county, but due to bad roads and lack of traffic, these were discontinued. The bus station is located at the corner of Church and Summit Streets in Winona. (2): (2 D. B. Dotson, Winona, Miss.)

Transportation in the early days was slow and hard. Trails which could hardly be dignified by calling them roads were used by farmers to wind their way through the woods and over the hills. Ox-wagons were the surest mode of travel in the earliest days. Later, came, the horse drawn vehicles, the stagecoach, buggies and scurries. Roads were improved, widened, and keep passable through the winter months. Later, a railroad was built, and today the county's transportation facilities are as good as those of any other county in the state, and far ahead of some.

The two oldest roads that traversed the section of what became Montgomery County in 1871 were called the Greensboro-Carrollton road and the Durant-Grenada road. The town of Middleton was situated at the point where these two roads crossed.

A stagecoach drawn by four horses and driven by a Mr. Eubanks carried mail and passengers along the Durant-Grenada road, stopping daily at Middleton, where barn and stable were located. Mr. Eubank's stables were about one mile south of Middleton. Horses were changed about every twenty miles, and Mr. Eubanks always had waiting a fresh team when the stage reached the barn. The coaches were kept in a barn located near the Young Hotel, in Middleton.

At the outbreak of the War Between the States, a number of coaches and some harness were stored in this barn. It is surmised that the coach service was discontinued through the years of, the war, for the coaches were never moved but were appropriated by the, farmers of this section to repair wagons and other implements.

The Greensboro-Carrollton road was generally used for local traffic, as it led to Greenwood, and it was from this town that all merchandise was brought to Middleton. This road was the connecting link between Choctaw and Chickasaw counties. Cotton was hauled from these markets to Greenwood by horse and mule wagons over the Greensboro road in trains of two dozen or more wagons. The season for marketing cotton was from November 15 to January 15, a time of year when roads were in such poor condition that traffic was impeded for days. Even a wagon drawn by oxen was a difficult undertaking, and frequently this was the only mode of travel between, these towns. (1): (1. C. C. Pace, Winona, Miss.)

In speaking of road conditions and travel in Montgomery County fifty years ago Alvin Oliver, a farmer who lives on U. S. Highway 51, three miles south of Winona and who has been a life-long resident of the county, said:

"The first time I recollect, going to Winona was in 1882 when I was about twelve years old. My father, T., J. Oliver, was going to, Winona to take three bales of cotton to market. We lived about fifteen miles from the little town then. We loaded the cotton the day before so we could get an early start, and left next morning about two hours before day light, driving an ox-team with eight oxen to the wagon. People today wouldn't, call the road we went over a road. It was nothing unusual for us to have to unload the wagon every hour or so, in order to lighten the load so that the steers could pull out of the mud holes in which they would be bogged up to their knees. Big Black River, where we had to cross, was two and one-half miles from our home and there was no bridge and no ferry to cross although; later a- man named Powell ran a ferry across the river at the point where the present bridge is. This bridge is now called Powell's Ferry Bridge.

"Well, we got to the bridge about an hour before sundown. It took fourteen hours to go two and a half miles and us though we had made good time at that. We unloaded our cotton at the river and had to swim the oxen across, after which we put the cotton back on the wagon and then camped for the night. We had an early start next morning, and in the two remaining miles of swamp road, before we were out of Big Black bottom, we had to unload twice to get the steers out of mud holes. We traveled all day steadily and arrived at Winona tired and sleepy, the second night at eleven o'clock, so we were in Winona waiting for daylight.

"On the return trip we fared better, of course, for we were not loaded, and we thought we had made good time in taking only four days to make the round trip.

"If you want to really appreciate the roads now, you only need to get a glimpse of the fix they were in, back when I was a boy. You probably think I have exaggerated in this, but I have told it just as I know it used, to be. We didn't think much about the hardships and trouble; we had never had any better, and we just tool it as a matter of course."

Building and maintenance of county roads are under direct supervision of the board of supervisors. There is no regular Federal appropriation for Montgomery County roads. The Farm to Market Road project under the Works Progress Administration is at present functioning in our county. Funds for labor are supplied by WPA, also an amount equal to half the sum paid for labor which may be used for material. Gravel is the usual material purchased. The sponsors of the project (board of supervisors) furnished all machinery, such as trucks, tractors, and gas and lumber. The average mouth of Federal funds received for county roads through this source is about $2,500 per month. (1): (1. Robert Reese, Winona, Miss.)

The only state appropriation for county roads is the Maintenance Fund for ten miles of graveled road, which branches at the U. S. Highway 82, Kilmichael, and runs southwest through Montgomery to the Choctaw County line. (2):

Montgomery County has three sources of road funds: The regular four mill common road maintenance levy, the funds collected for automobile privileges—less than one dollar, which goes to the state for tags—and the gasoline tax.

There is a state levy of seven cents per gallon on all gasoline sold. One cent of this tax goes to the Federal Government, and forty per cent of the remaining six cents is returned to the county. Forty per cent of this is used for county road building and maintenance. (3): (3. Huntley Kent, Winona, Miss.)

United State Highways 51 and 82 traverses Montgomery County; Highway 51, running north and south, has twenty-one miles of paved road, which was financed through the Federal Highway Improvement program and completed in 1937; Highway 82, running east and west for approximately twenty-five miles, is a gravel road.

Work on the new highway has been under construction since 1936. While most of all dirt and, bridge work has been completed (1938), the highway is not open for through traffic; however, local people use the road in dry weather. This work is being financed through the Federal Appropriation Highway Improvement program, and it is generally supposed that this highway will be paved within the near future.

A second-rate state highway branches from Highway 82 at Kilmichael, continues ten miles southeast to the Choctaw County line near French Camp. This unmarked highway was built at county expense in 1929 and is maintained by state funds through private contract. (1): (1. Cecil C. Oliver, Kilmichael, Miss.)

Secondary roads are maintained by road workers of each beat, and are well drained, and graveled at points where needed. All the hills and low places are given a thin gravel coating. These roads are very narrow, and in the hill sections there are much verve, but taken as a whole, these secondary roads are kept in passable condition. Within the last eighteen months much improvement has been made on these roads through WPA Farm-to-Market Road program.

The Tri-State Transit Company operates buses daily on U. S. Highway 51 (See Chapter 17, Industry), this being the only bus line in the county.

The first railroad operating in Montgomery County was the Mississippi Central, running north to Grenada and south to Canton, which was completed in 1858. At this time the section of land where the town of Winona is row located was the farm home of Colonel O.J. Moore. The Station was placed on this farm. (See Chapter 1, Formation).

When the first trains were run over this line the engines were fired with wood. E. E. Foltz, whose home was located near the railroad tracks, three miles south of Winona, contracted with the company to supply wood for the engines. Fuel stations were located at Sawyer and Eskridge. Service on this line was discontinued during the War Between the States as the schedule was disrupted at points north and south of Winona. By the end of the; year 1865, however, a depot had been built and service on the line continued. This line later became part of the Illinois Central system and continues to operate. There are now (1938) ten passenger trains in daily operations on this line. (1): (1. Henry Hart, Winona, Miss.)

The Georgia Pacific was the second and last railroad built through Montgomery County. This line runs east and west and crosses the Illinois Central at Winona. When it was under construction the county poor house was situated at a point which lay directly in the path of the proposed right-of-way. In April, 1888, W. T. Townsend, agent for the Georgia Pacific, made an application for deed and right-of-way through these grounds, but this application was rejected by the Board of Supervisors. However, in July, the deed and right-of-way were granted, the railway company paying $5.00 per acre for a stretch of land one hundred feet in width on six acres. At this time permission also was granted to the Georgia Pacific by the board of supervisor; to erect houses on the poor house grounds for the use of their hands while operating the steam shovels in the poor house cut; "said homes to be permitted to remain on said lands so long as property belonging to said poor house is not depredated upon the hands occupying the said houses are not obnoxious to the keepers of the poor house, and no longer." (2): (2. Minutes, Board of Supervisors, Montgomery County; Vol. I, pages 369, 362, 414.)

Completion of track-laying in Montgomery County was accomplished in June, 1889, and the last spoke was driven about a half mile east of Winona. A special passenger train bearing the officials of the road reached Winona about eleven o'clock, June 21, 1889, just at the time the finishing strokes, were being given. The trailed pulled up to the junction with- the Illinois Central, and the officials were received and escorted to the Simmons House by a committee of citizens. About three o'clock in the afternoon a splendid dinner was served and speeches were made by Dr. B. F. Ward and Major J. W. Johnston, of the Georgia Pacific. (3): (3. The Winona Times, Winona, Miss., June 21, 1889.)

As a usual thing a town or county is no better than its press. Montgomery County's press, from the elementary newspaper days of the seventies, when publication were produced under great difficulty by old style hand-presses, until the present, with its electric linotype equipment, has had an intimate a part in bringing the county to its present status as any other business or industry.

The press was here at the birth of every enterprise and faithfully did its part helping build the town, and county; it has fought the battle of prohibition, democracy, and good government; it has printed the happenings of the world and has told of births, deaths, marriages, and countless other matters of interest. It has printed editorials which, no doubt, have been important factors in determining the trend of events.

The Historical Research Project, in this manuscript on the, publication, of both past and, present, has endeavored to follow the press from its earliest development to the present time, including therein names of editors and owners, biographical sketches of the owners, and the parts played by them in the county's up-building.

Old newspapers, unopened for years, dust-covered and yellowed by time and almost forgotten, which have, fulfilled the purpose for which their editors intended —to carry news and enlightens to subscribers—are now serving Another purpose. They are an important source of data for those in quest of accurate information pertaining to almost any subject, which arises on questions or civic, social, political, and other activities.

The "Vidette" was the first newspaper to be printed in Winona, though it was not_, the first newspaper edited in the county.

"Family Organ" was being published at Middleton in 1843. (1) No issues of either paper are in existence (1): (1 Mrs. Mollie Lovett, Winona, Miss.)

The "Vidette" was first under the editorial control and management of M. H. Allen, who bought the press and outfit from L Walpole, Greensboro, and moved it to Winona about 1868. After a few months operation, Allen sold the plant back to Walpole, who, in turn, sold it to Booth and Son, and they sold it to G. A. Spivey.

Later, Colonel R. D. Money purchased the plant, and B. F. Jones assumed management, editing it first under the name of the "Winona Democrat;" later as the "Advance Democrat." After Mr. Money's election to Congress the name was changed to the "Winona Advance." Jones edited this paper until May, 1882, when he was succeeded by A. B. Hurt and H. B. Wear, who edited it until May, 1883, when James K, Vardaman and W. V. Money published it jointly for three months; when Colonel Money sold it; to George S. Applegate. (2): (2. The Winona Times Winona, Miss., April 29, 1892.)

The "Winona Advance" was an eight-column, four-page weekly, carrying local and foreign news and advertisements. Its political policy was always Democratic. This paper was used as the official organ of Montgomery County and did job-printing. Files have been kept on the "Winona Advance" from January 1, 1881 to September 19, 1890. Copies of each year's issue are bound and on file in the office of the Chancery clerk, where they have beer preserved as official records.

B. F. Jones, who had served in the Confederate Army, came to, Winona soon after the War Between the States and became one

of the leading men of the county. In 1881 he was president of the Mississippi Press Association and his career as a journalist made him thoroughly conversant with the politics and prominent personage of the state. He was a strong and forceful writer, and contributed greatly to the readjustment of affairs in the day’s immediately following reconstruction. After he served his connection with the "Winona Advance," Jones served two terms as sergeant at arms of the state Senate; afterward, one term as a member of the Legislature from Montgomery County. He was for a time a member of the staff of the "Agricultural Review," New York City, but later returned to Winona, where he spent the rest of his life. (3): (3. Henry Hart, and Edward Logging, Sr., both of Winona, Miss.)

George S. Applegate, a pioneer citizen of Winona, formerly of Old Middleton, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. February 12, 1812. On assuming control of the "Winona Advance," May 1883, he selected Percy L. Moore to assist in editing it. Moore's ability being proved, he was given entire management of the paper. During his first year of service he was married to Miss Addie Applegate, daughter of George S. Applegate, who had charge of the society column of the paper. Methods of printing were crude in those days; Mr. Moore trained an old Negro, Jeff Davis, to turn the hand-press, and when an issue came off the press it was folded by hand, wrapped, the addresses written with pin and ink, and mailed.

During Moore's editorship, a military company, the "Winona Rifles," was organized, and he was made captain of the company. This was one of the finest military companies in the state, and Mr. Moore received many laudatory press notices in various state publications relative, to the activities of this company.

In 1890, the "Clarksdale Banner" bought half interest in the "Winona Advance," when the publication of the latter was discontinued and the plant moved two Clarksdale. Moore also moved to Clarksdale but remained there only a short while before he received an appointment to Government service and went to live in Washington, D. C. He died there, June 9, 1902, and his body was brought back and interred in Oakwood Cemetery, Winona (1): (1. Mrs. Lizzie Applegate Brown, Winona, Miss.)

The "Winona Times" made its first appearance March 14, 1884 with John W. Ward as editor and proprietor. This publication was eight-column, four-page weekly, devoted to local, state and foreign news, advertisements, etc. The political attitude was, as it has always been, Democratic. It was "a thoroughbred, home-made journal, alive to the best interests of the people in whose midst it Is printed, working zealously for every measure that promises good to the land we live in." (2): (2. The Winona Times, Winona, March 14. 1884.)

John W. Ward served as editor and proprietor until October 2, 1885, when the plant was sold to Dr. W. A. Hurt. Dr. Hurt remained editor until January 2, 1902, when he was succeeded by 0, B. Taylor, who was succeeded, by G. W. Williams January 2, 1903.

In 1905 E. W. and H. Taylor bought the plant and edited it until November 22, 1907, when, George Williams and B. F. Ward, Jr. purchased it and ward became editor. In a short time, however Ward sold his interest to George Williams, who became solo owner. In the fall of 1910, Walker Wood, then a resident Of Senatobia, and former owner of the "Senatobia Democrat," and Sid Robinson purchased the paper from George Williams. Later Walker Wood purchased Sid Robinson's interest and was publisher and editor until 1926, when he became Secretary of State under the late Henry L. Whitfield.

Walker Wood was born in Vicksburg, April 19, 1873. His father accepted a position in Washington, leaving Walker, the lad, in care and custody of his aunt. Mrs. E. A. Thompson, of Oxford, where he attended the public schools, and afterwards took a course of studies in Memphis. Mrs. Thompson at that time was owner and editor of the "Oxford Eagle" and was the first woman editor in the state.

Wood, who was ambitious, determined to secure a thorough education and applied himself diligently to such studies as would best serve his advancement. He read law in the office of John W. Faulkner, meanwhile working on the "Oxford Eagle" with his aunt. At the age of sixteen he became associate editor of the paper; later, he bought and successfully operated the "Senatobia Democrat" for a time, after which he bought the "Winona Times" and made Winona his home.

While serving in the state legislature, Wood sponsored a bill authorizing the consolidation of county schools, which after a fight, was adopted and became a law, giving to Mississippi one of the best educational systems in the United States. He was also instrumental in reducing the ten per cent rate of interest, the privileging rate of banks, to eight, and was the first man in public life in the state to advocate a sales tax.

Among the positions of honor and trust that he has held in the state are: President of the Winona unit of the Exchange Club 1925; president of the Jackson Exchange Club in 1927; president of the District Exchange Club in 1928; and president of the state organization in 1934. In 1923 he entered the race for Secretary of State, but was defeated. When a vacancy occurred in that office, however, he was appointed by the late Governor Whitfield to fill out the unexpired term, and in the following campaign he once more entered the race and was elected without opposition, which position be has held to the present (1938).

More statesman than politician, Walker Wood has won his battle on merit and achievement. The "Winona Times," under his ownership, ranks among the best newspapers of the state, and, outside of big cities, there is not a better equipped office in the South. In "Who's Who among Newspaper Men" of the Publisher's Auxiliary of Chicago, under date November 2, 1935, is a column devoted to Walker Wood's phenomenal achievements. This publication acknowledges him as one of the foremost newspaper men in the country and one of the state's most forceful executives. (1): (1. Edward Logging, Sr., Winona, Miss.)

Leon McLean Trotter, editor and business manager of the "Winona Times" from 1926 to 1929, is the son of the late O .P. Trotter and was born in Winona, Montgomery County, on January 15, 1889. After graduating from the Winona High School he learned the printing business under Dr. W. A. Hurt. After his graduation from the School of Military Aeronautics, University of Texas, he returned to Winona and became an employee of the "Winona Times." During the World War be served from October, 1917, until March 1918, in the Aviation Corps and from 1918 until 1922 was in the Naval Intelligence Division of the United States Navy. Returning from the navy, he again went to work in the office of the Winona Times, but soon left to accept a position on the staff of the "Greenwood Enterprise." He has been associated with the following state publications "McComb Enterprise," the "Houston Times Post," the "Yazoo Sentinel," the "Yazoo Herald,' and the "West Point Time. During the three years in which Trotter edited and managed the 'Winona Times" his ability as a journalist and business man was established. In 1910 he accepted a position in the office of Secretary of State, Jackson.

During his residence in Winona he assisted in organizing the Nick T. Pegues Post No. 52, American Legion, (See Chapter 21, Organizations) and was its first adjutant. He has been a member of the American Legion for twenty years is a Blue Lodge Mason; a member of the Eastern Star; a member of the subordinate lodge of the Odd Fellows, the Encampment, Rebecca’s, and Theta Rho Club; Past Noble, Grand Capitol Lodge No. 11, Jackson; Chief Patriarch, Choctaw Encampment No. 3; honorary member of Jackson Fire Department and the Exchange Club; and a deacon in the Presbyterian church. (1): (1. M. V. (Deeks) Branch, Winona, Miss.)

In 1930, George Wood, son of Walker Wood, succeeded Leon Trotter as editor of the Winona Times. He was followed by Hal Spraggins, Jr., in 1932, who assumed management until 1936, when he was succeeded by his wife, Mrs. Ollie Wood Spraggins. George Wood is again (1938) editor of the paper, having succeeded Mrs. Spraggins in 1937.

From the date of its advent in 1884, until today (1938), it has carried on the policy for which its original founders labored.

To work for the interests of the people and to sponsor every measure that promised good to the county and its citizens.

The "Winona Times" is at present the only paper published in Montgomery County. It is an eight-page weekly, with a circulation of about 2,100, and the modern, efficient job-printing establishment is known as the Central Mississippi Printing Company. Bound copies of every issue of the Winona Times are on file in the office, of the Chancery Clerk, Winona, as official records.

The "Kilmichael Record" was established in 1905 by Joe T. Parks, of Kilmichael, who served two years as editor and publisher. The "Kilmichael Record" was a five-column, four-page weekly, given mostly to local news and advertising. In 1907 Otis E. Brannon assumed management and became editor and publisher. A job-printing department was maintained and the paper was awarded a two-year contract for county printing in 1908. Files, dating from August 7, 1908 through 1913 inclusive, have been preserved in the office of the Chancery Clerk, Winona. In 1913 the paper was purchased by Walker Wood of the Winona Times and publication was discontinued. (1): (1 Otis E. Brannon, Winona, Miss.)

The "Duck Hill Furnace," weekly paper, was published at Duck Hill in 1888. During its one year of circulation is was edited by J. A. Rosenbrough. No copy of the paper is obtainable, and very little can be learned regarding it. (2): ( 2 Will Oliver, Duck Hill, Miss.)

The "Free Press" a small county paper, was edited and published in 'Winona by A. B. Hurt, who was later proprietor of the "Winona Advance." No issues of this paper can be found, but it is thought that it was published in the period from 1865 to 1875. (3): (3 A. C. Robinson, Winona, Miss.)

Another paper, the "Livestock Gazettee," began circulation in 1884, but there is no information as to the date when the publication was discontinued. The following item, dated March 24, 1884, was taken from the "Winona Advance": "The Livestock Gazettee, another Winona paper, made its appearance on the 17th inst., Dr. W. F. Yongue, proprietor; F. R. Holleman, editor, fighting editor and business manager. It is a live little paper, devoted to the interests of agriculture and stock rising, and gives a goodly share of general news." (4): (4. The Winona Advance, Winona, Miss., Mar. 24, 1884.)

The following is a strong argument against the system of leasing convicts which was taken from the "Winona Times", February 21, 1890, and signed by Percy L. Moore:

"It is very generally believed by the public at large that the system of leasing out convicts in the state of Mississippi has been abolished. How the belief has been current we are unable to say, yet it is a fact, and we regret to say that there is not a word of truth in it. But it ought to be. It is a shame of the deepest dye on the people of Mississippi that such a system should be perpetuated. The intention of all law in making the commission of crime punishable by certain penalties is to reform the criminal, and in so far as it is possible to make better citizens of them in the future. That is the outgrowth of civilization, and whatever tends to make bad men better, certainly ought to be fostered with the greatest care. But on the contrary, whatever tends to make bad men worse, ought to be abolished at once. There was never a truer expression used than that of Governor Stone's when he said that the leasing system was obnoxious to the principles of civilization, and hateful to the people of Mississippi.

"The system has not one redeeming feature, and many to condemn it. The convicts, under the leasing system, are placed in a position far worse than abject slavery; for under the control of master during slavery, they were his own property, and very valuable, having a value like reel estate, or any personal property; but under the leasing system the convict is only valued for the amount of labor that he can perform, and every means that can be used or devised to increase that amount is resorted to, never once thinking of health, life or comfort of the convict; in fact the contrary seems to have been the rule, and they have been most cruelly treated by subordinates, who were desirous of holding their positions, and for that purpose imposed the hardest task possible on the poor Devils under them. We said above the system was worse than abject slavery. Yes, a thousand times worse, for even the worst of masters there sometimes were hours of relative ease and comparative freedom; but under the leasing system it never comes, and they must bear their lot uncomplainingly for fear of something worse. If the people over the entire country could see the working of the system as it really is there would be a general uprising and a demand that it be abolished.

There is no reform under that system, for it means degradation of the worst character. Of course, there are some exceptions where men are employed upon farms where the owners are humane and considerate men, and they are treated well, but in nine cases out of ten the treatment is brutal and no wonder it results in so marry deaths from exposure and from guns in the hands of the inexperienced boys and young men, who are told that they have a perfect right to kill them if they attempt to escape.

The whole system is horrible, and ought to be abolished at once. It is true the railroad commissioners have control of the penitentiary with a few convicts, but the great bulk of convicts are out on the farm, railroads, and in the swamps, clearing up land that no man will attempt unless he is forced to do it. Let the people be informed upon the inhumane workings of the leasing system, and they will demand something better for convicts." (1): (1. Percy L. Moore, Winona Advance, Winona, Miss., Feb. 21, 1890.)

The following, written by John W. Ward, is taken from "Winona Times," January 16, 1885:

"With the first issue off the 'Winona Times, we sent out a prayer that the cause of prohibition then agitating our county, might prevail. With the first issue of the second volume we reiterate that wish, and pledge our efforts in this issue as in the past to that cause.

"In attempting to stop the sale of liquor as a beverage what we say is born of no bitterness to those engaged in this practice. Good men sell whiskey—mores the pity. But they do not see, as we do, that every crimson drop is the birthplace of sorrow, and every sparkling glass rings the death knell of some fond hope or some fair life. We are prohibitionists, extradition’s, ignition’s, conflagration’s, anything to stop the spread of the fearful cancer whose red lips are licking the life blood of so many of the best and most promising of our fellow men. We have seen so many sweet homes laid waste by this curse, so many gentle women stand in dumb agony as husbands, fathers, son or brother reels down to degradation and death, that we have often wished we had the power to grasp all the liquor there is in the world and spill it at one swoop into the Hell into which it should have been first produced. We are no fanatic, but we can see and feel, and we know that the misery it causes far outweighs any possible pleasure it may produce; and we would that every man and woman in the land would rise and help to pass it out." (2): (2. John W. Ward: The Winona Times; Winona, Miss. Jan. 16, 1885)

From the Winona Advance, January 3, 1890:

"Mississippi, with all the boasts of her industrial and collegiate institutions, is still for behind the progress of education. Starkville, Columbus, Oxford, Clinton, and the proposed Methodist College may sound big in the ears of the stranger, but he will hardly turn away from the bright glare of these wonderful seats of learning before he will inquire? 'How are these schools to be fed'? The answer will be, of course, from the common schools. Then comes’ an examination that is almost revolting--the common schools are in most localities, a total failure, and four-fifths of the college students enter i11 prepared, and even when graduated are but poor specimens of elementary scholars. A foundation must first be laid and then the building.

"It is a lamentable fact that our land is full of graduates who do not understand the branches of elementary arithmetic, geography, etc, Why is this? The answer comes, 'These things were never earned because there was no chance,' except a four month.' session, sometimes running two month; in winter and two in the summer; and that taught by incompetent teachers’ Our wise solons, have for last few years busied themselves to a very great extent about education, but have entirely overlooked the grandest of a11 educational institutions—the Public Schools. A reformation is needed in this system—one that will revolutionize things. Until it is had, Mississippi will continue to be branded as among the most illiterate of states.

"What we need is a longer school term of not less than eight months. The majority of the children are dependent upon these schools for an elementary education, and as long as they remain as they are, ignorance will still hold the black mantle of darkness over the people. Let the next legislature use every legitimate means in its power to render our public school system more effective. The good done by a few colleges to which only the rich can go, pales into insignificance when compared with that of the common schools.

"What our county needs is more common schools---better and more effective ones; and the only way to attain it is through legislation. College should be the outgrowth of common schools, but they are the predecessors in this country. The people are taxed to sustain these schools, and very few get any benefit from them. It is an old charge that our Southern country usually goes at things 'stern foremost,' and it has not been untrue in the matter of schools. We have been trying to build a done without a structure. "We, however, must not be understood as opposed to higher education, neither are we apposed to Starkville or Columbus Colleges.

"In our opinion they are only premature. Mississippi could well dispense with half of her colleges for the simple reason that they are not needed. The average material in them could find an ample employment for several years to come in a good country academy. The average A. B. and B. S. of our colleges are decidedly inferior to the graduates of the graded schools of New England. There are hundreds of graduates turned out every year that have not the mental ability to conduct a common school successfully. Much might be said that would show the farce of Mississippi Collegiate education—and not only of Mississippi, but many other southern states. It can all be traced to one cause--the wretched condition of the public schools.

"Whatever is without foundation is of short duration; this is proven by the average graduate, in a short time forgetting what he does learn while at college, and in the end, he has neither a primary nor classical learning. Such cultivation is detrimental to the development of the mind. We, however, have the colleges in operation, and it would be folly to try to abolish them; but we can supply their wants and needs by establishing all over the state a thorough and systematic grade of free schools. This, of course, is easier said than done; there will have to be many changes; new laws, stricter and more comprehensive examination, etc., and a wide-awake Board of Education, that is fully competent, in every county. With such a system established, Mississippi would be found in the front ranks of the world, and could appreciate that beautiful verse:

Let the school-house and the scholar

Crown the slope of every hill,

let the goddess, Education,

Be rounded and complete.
Then will the proud old land Dixie

With all the world compete

Labor dignified by learning

Ignorance is a foe to progress,

Dixie's watchword must be "light." (1): (1. The Winona Advance, Winona, Miss., Jan. 3, 1890.)

The Kilmichael Record, October 29, 1909, contributes the following:

"Farmers, Attention: Have you raised enough hogs to make your meat for 1910?

"Has it occurred to you that meat during 1909 has brought the highest price for many years?

The retail price for meat in Memphis now, per pound is, ham, 21 cents; bacon, 28 cents; side meat, 16 cents. With pastures for your hogs, peas in your corn and a little corn, you can grow meat for three cents to five cents per pound.

"Hogs have within thirty days, brought ten cents per pound on foot in Chicago.

"Have you ever figured how the farmer in Iowa, on land worth one hundred fifty dollars per acre, is getting rich raising hogs? When you buy meat from his hogs, you pay the expense and profit to the farmer, the hog buyer, the railroad to Chicago, the packing house, the railroad to Memphis, the middleman, the railroad to your town, and the country merchant with whom you deal. Can any country stand this drain? Can any people prosper and pay so high for their meat?

"Recently a car of hogs grown in Shelby County was shipped to St. Louis, sold for $8.65 per cwt. and brought the farmer $1,323.

"Prior to 1860 the South raised her hogs. Is there any good reason why you cannot do it now?

"Examine your meat bill for 1909 and get to thinking." (1): (1. Kilmichael Record, Kilmichael, Miss., Oct. 29, 1909.)

"It seems that most of pure young men entered into an agreement among themselves to shave off their moustaches on the first day of January, with fifty cigars as a forfeit. We hear a good many complaining of having the cigars to pay, and say their moustaches were too dear to lose; while others are going around with their upper lips looking as bare as the Desert of Sarah. Mr. F. J. paid the penalty; Mr. K will have to start a new growth; Mr. R. V. L. is still undecided while Herman's lip reminds us of a peeled onion. The question: moustaches or no moustaches"? (1): (1. Kilmichael Record, Kilmichael, Miss., Oct. 29, 1909.)

"We learn that Mr. F. Jesty has contracted to erect six dwelling houses in town. That looks like we are living in an age of progress. Winona always keeps up with the times." (3): (3 Ibid, Feb. 22, 1884.)

"Mr. George W. Weir, distinguished citizen of Oildale, California, visited the Winona Times office this week. Mr. Wear was an employee of the newspaper office in Winona, in 1872, sixty-six years ago.

"Mr. Wear, who is a very interesting conversationalist, stated that when he first began work at the newspaper office here it was for Mr. B. F. Jones, who published the Winona Democrat. He said that the Democrat was then taken over by Mr. Hernando Money who edited the paper under the name of the Winona Advance. Mr. Money later became United States Senator.

"Mr. Weir is author of a number of books and is a well-known writer. He is visiting relatives and friends in Duck Hill at the present time and plans to remain in Mississippi until October." (1): (1. The Winona Times Winona, Miss., June 17, 1893.)

"Mississippi has gained 100 per cent in five years in manufacturing industries; having at this time $7,000,000 invested in such enterprises." (2): (2. The Winona Advance, Winona, Miss., Feb. 1, 1884.)

"Work will begin the 15th of this month on the waterworks and sewerage system and will be rushed rapidly to completion. Mr. C. R. Kelso, who is at the head of this enterprise, has been a success at everything he has undertaken, and the Times feel confident that Winona will have one of the best systems of waterworks to be found anywhere." (3): (3: The Winona Times, Winona, Miss., Jan. 1, 1904.)

"That letter of Mrs. Jefferson Davis, from her New York home, to Dr. Ward, expressing her appreciation of his recent delivery on the race question, has the merit of a classic, the beauty of a gem. Enfeebled with age worn with the extraordinary cares of preserving inviolate the last relic of the Southern Confederacy, wearied with the regretful memories of the turbulent times through which she has lived, yet she has the power of freighting the purest words with loftiest thought and weaving them into sentences that are the creatures Of power. Of all the commendations the Doctor has received from people at home and abroad, we doubt if my surpassed this letter in their grasp upon his feelings." (4): (4: The Winona Times, Winona, Miss., May 20, 1904.)

"The worst storm that has visited this section in a long time struck Winona Saturday night about eight-thirty. No live were lost, but the damage to property is estimated to be between eighteen and twenty thousand dollars. The cloud came from the west and did its work of destruction in a few minutes. The light plant was struck and the electric lights went out and left the town in total darkness in the midst of the clash and roar of winds and flying debris and heavy Downpour of rain.

"After the worst was over numbers of people groped their way through the dark streets in an effort to ascertain what dam-age had been done, and their inquiries propounded would remind one of the parrot's ‘Where the — was you when the storm struck us?'

"The telephone and telegraph lines were badly damaged; the Christian Church completely destroyed, the Catholic Church suffered two thousand dollars worth of damage and the colored Methodist was wrecked. The Episcopal Mission at Middleton was also hit by the wind, as were practically all residences and business houses in Winona." (1): (1: The Winona Times, Winona, Miss., Nov. 23, 1903.)

"Honoring their dead mistresses:

. . A very interesting scene took place here today at the burial of Mrs. O. J. Moore, wife of Colonel Moore, the father of Winona. Mrs. Moore died yesterday morning at three o'clock and was buried at the town cemetery today. She was fully conscious of her approaching dissolution and requested before her death that her old slaves, who were very devoted to her up to the last, should be permitted to fill her grave. Her request was complied with; four old gray headed men, acted as grave diggers with sobs and tearful eyes in the presence of all the people of the town." (2): (2: Ibid, Aug. 22, 1884.)

"A -scientific writer declares that it is his belief that the course of fifty years, electric lights will be as common to our people as lamps are now." (3): (3: The Winona Advance, Winona, Miss. Feb. 12, 1886.)

"The planks on the sidewalk on Summit Street need nailing down." (4): (4: Ibid, March 17, 1882.)

"Be it ordained by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen of the Town of Winona; That if any person on the first day of the week, commonly known as Sunday, shall himself labor at his own trade, profession or business, or shall employ his servant in labor or other business, except it be the ordinary household office of daily necessity or charity, shall, on conviction, be fined not exceeding twenty-five dollars for each offense, deeming every servant employed as a distinct offense." ( 1) : (1: The Winona Times, Winona, Miss., June 15, 1894.)

"Be it ordained by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen of the Town of Winona; that it shall be unlawful to sell, barter or deliver any cigar or cigarettes or any smoking tobacco or snuff to any child under the age of eighteen years old." (2) :( 2: Ibid.)

"Grand Ball .... There was one of the grandest balls at Witty's Hall on last Wednesday night that it was ever our good for tune to attend. The young men of our town deserve credit for the occasion and the gallant manner in which they received and entertained the guests from a distance.

The Oxford Orchestra was out in full blast and executed as lovely music as was ever had on such occasion. There were a number of ladies elegantly dress from Grenada, Canton, Vaiden, Durant, and other places accompanied by gentlemen from these respective cities. Oxford was well represented. Our home girls were looked lovelier, and if we do say it, there is no town in the state that has a more beautiful set of young ladies. Our boys, as usual, courteous and dignified, added much to the success of the occasion. The different committees acted well their parts and made everything pass off very pleasant. The supper was elegant and bountiful. In all, it was the grandest success of the season." (3): (3. The Winona Advance, Winona, Miss., Dec. 28, 1883.)

"Married in Winona, on May 31, 1884, at the residence of Mrs. J. W. Hicks, by the Reverend W. B. Murrah; James K. Vardaman, Esq., to Mrs. Robinson of Sidon, Mississippi.

"The happy couple left at one for a visit to their place over on the river. May this divine passion, Love, which prompts the union of man and women, ever linger with them, and may their Paths be paths of peers and felicity, and, the holy bond of matrimony as sacred to them as was the golden calf to the ancient mariners".(1)

Colored wedding: There was a very respectable marriage at the colored Baptist Church in this city on Tuesday evening, December 31, 1890. J. C. Leonardo, pastor of the colored Baptist Church at Canton and Rose Lee Adam, of this place were the contracting parties. A quiet reception at home followed the marriage. The 'Advance' was remembered and received a wetter of fruit and some of the nicest cake we have ever seen (2):

Brannon-Holland----Wedding.
The editor of this paper and Miss Homa Holland of Walthall were happily married at the City Hotel in Winona, on Friday, February 11, 1910, at 3 o'clock p.m.

Rev, J. A. Hall, Pastor of Moore Memorial Methodist Church of that city officiated.

"There were present at the ceremony, besides the contracting parties, Mrs. Troy R. Langston, of Walthall, wife of Representative Langston of Webster County and also a sister of the bride, Miss Mamie Lindsay of Choctaw, daughter of Mr. Mack Lindsay, representative, of Choctaw County. Mrs. Langston, Miss Landsay and Miss Holland had been on a several days’ visit to relatives in Jackson.

"We will refrain from saying anything complimentary of our self, (even if it were possible) or otherwise, but will add a word or two in behalf of our better half.

"She is the youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Holland of Walthall, and from one of the oldest, most prominent and respected families of Webster County. Her father is at present postmaster of that city and has also served his county for a number of years efficiently as its chancery clerk.

She is the sweetheart and schoolmate of our boyhood. Of course, we think one of the finest girls at all. The wedding, as we were told, came as a surprise to some of our friends, but it had been planned quite a while before its occurrence.

"Kilmichael, we suppose, will be our home, and where we will be gad to welcome a visit from any of our friends." (1): (1: The Kilmichael Record, Kilmichael, Miss. Feb. 18, 1910.)

"The wedding bells peals forth on last Sunday four miles east of Winona, The occasion was the marriage of W.S. Bond to Miss Mary daughter of ex-sheriff W. A. Gee.

"Reverend Dr. Zealy performed the ceremony. Only, the family: and a few friends, being present.

"The Advance wishes them a long, happy and useful career and a haven of rest in the bright beyond." (2): (2: The Winona Advance, Winona, Miss. May 14, 1890.)

"Fred Dunning, Tom Townsend, Tom Wood, and Gelrge Clowers are attending the State Fair at Jackson this week. They say if they never see anything else as long as they live that when they get old they can say with pride that we saw President Taft, and Dan Patch, the noted trotting horse once upon a time. (3): (3 Kilmichael Record, Kilmichael Oct 29,199.)

                                                          Odd Advertisement
"Jesse James; (no kin to the celebrated James boys), practical machinist, Winona, Miss.; Can repair or mend any kind of machinery under the sun. Satisfaction guaranteed or no pay accepted. (4) :( 4: The Winona Advance, Winona, Miss. Jan. 3, 1890.)

The prettiest style of calico at 41/2 cents at the new Red Star Store Summit Street" (5) (5. The Winona Times, Winona, Miss. Feb. 13, 1885.)

'Call often and stay longer that we may show you price what we have in things to eat and wear at Nabors."(1) :( 1: The Winona Advance, Winona Miss. May 30, 1890)

Good Soda Water. . . The old reliable Soda fountain of Mc- Lean and Mathews Will begin operation with the beginning of the warm weather, about the first of May, and continue throughout the season, and furnish the best and purest, water, sparkling and cold, as though just from the Arctic region, to cool the parching thirst of the heated public. We will be on time." (2) :( 2 [bid, April 11, 1890)

"Wanted----Fifty healthy cats to rid my place of rats; I will pay one dollar apiece for them if delivered to my residence at nine o'clock, this Thursday night. William Pettibone." (3): (3. Ibid, April 18, 1884.)

"29.50 Reward . . .On last Friday night I had the misftune to have to leave our Ford truck on the street in front of Campbell's photograph gallery and during the night some low down Crum Maliciously cut my back tire with his pocket knife.

I am offering the above reward for the low down scoundrel who done it. It is not the value of the tire I care for, it is the principle involved. I wish that could put in print what I would like to say about the scoundrel, but our editor refuses to publish Branch Grocery Company." (4) (4 the Winona Times, Winona, Miss., April 4, 1919.)

"A good brother to whom wee last year sold many liens declares this year to enter into the business, and says this mortgage business in ruining the people. We have believed this for some years past, but if people will give them and merchants and others will take them, we want it understood that we keep for sale an instrument of this kind so legally strong that it will almost pull the cracklings from fatty bread. So, if you will ruin and be ruined, come and get liens that will scratch a lazy man from January 'till gin time." (1): (1: The Winona Time, Winona, Miss., Jan. 18, 1865),

The "W. H. S. Live Wire ,''established April 21, 1823, is published twice, monthly by students of the Winona High School.

The "Big Black Riple" is published weekly by the senior class of the Big Black Special Consolidated School at Kilmichael; Publication of this paper was begun in 1934.

The "Alva Tattler," published by the students of Alva, Consolidated School, is a weekly; and the "Binford Booster" is published weekly at Duck Hill by students of the Binford High School.

                                                     Commercial Job-Shops

The first lawyers who practiced law in Winona were, according to old citizens, Colonel Tip Gamble and Mr. Booth. It is not known at what date they were engaged in the practice of law, or whether they formed a partnership (1)

David A. Holman, one of the prominent lawyers in the early days of the county, was born in Carroll County, and became a Baptist minister. In 1868 Holman came to Montgomery County to begin the practice of law.

In the first court ever held in Montgomery County, Holman was defense lawyer for Madison Teat, who was charged with the murder of George and William Steen. A special venire of seventy-five men was summoned from which to select the jury, and this case was one of the most famous in the annals of Mississippi criminal jurisprudence.

The trial excited widespread interest, and was ably conducted by both sides, and D. A. Holman as leading counsel for the defense.

The jury found a verdict of guilty, but a new trial was subsequently obtained; at this second tail the jury stood one for conviction, and eleven for acquittal. The one was a colored man, and as no inducement could cause him to change his view, the result was a mistrial. A third trial was held which resulted in a verdict of guilty, and Teat was sentenced to death, but the Governor commuted this sentence to life imprisonment. Later, Teat was given a full pardon by Governor Stone. Holman won quit a reputation by his skill and able defense of Teat.

Holman's life was clouded by an unfortunate and terrible fight which occurred at Johnsonville, about 1881 with Dr, Lowry, brother of ex-Governor Lowry. In this sanguinary fight Dr. Lowry, his clerk, Arnold and Dr. Walker, father-in-Law of Holman, were all slain, and Holman himself was badly wounded. He was tried and acquitted of this offense, and afterwards moves to Texas (1) (1: The Winona Times Winona, Miss., April 15, 1892)

D. L. Sweatman was born in South Mississippi December 25, 1832. He came to Winona in 1869 and cast his lot among the people with whom he became conspicuously identified, both as a lawyer and citizen. He was married in 1881 to Mrs. M. C. Kittrell, and lived here until his death in the late 1880's. (2): (2. The Winona Times, Winona, Miss., April 29, 1892.)

Hernando DeSoto Money of Carrollton, one of Mississippi's representatives in the Senate of the United States, was born August 26, 1839, in Holmes County, Mississippi. He received his Collegiate advantages at the University of Mississippi and after completing his scholastic work became a planter and engaged in the practice of law. When the War Between the States began, Mr. Money joined the Confederate Army and served until September 26, 1864. Defective eyesight compelled his retirement from the service. As the representative of his district, he was a member of the Forty-fourth, Forty-fifth, Forty-sixth, Forty-seventh, and Forty-eighth, Fifty-third and Fifty fourth congresses in the House of Representatives. In January 1896, he was elected to the United States Senate for the tern beginning March 4, 1899. On October 8, 1894, be was appointed to fill the vacancy in that body caused by the death of Hon J. Z. George.

On August 14, 1897, the legislature elected Money to fill out the unexpired term and in 1899 he was elected to serve a full term; he was re-elected on January 20, 1903. (3): (3 Dunbar Rowland, Encyclopedia of Mississippi History, Vol. 11 page 273.)

Colonel H. D. Money was for few years, prior to his election to Congress, a resident of Winona. While living here, during 1870 to 1876, he was associated with B .F. Jones on the Advance Democrat, a paper published in Winona. Colonel Money engaged in the practice of law at the same hame. For a short while in 1875 be served as Mayor of Winona, but resigned this position following his nomination to Congress. (4): (4 Mrs. Claude Mingo, Winona, Miss.)

Walter Trotter, the son of Isham P. Trotter and Elizabeth Peebles Trotter, was born at Lodi, Montgomery County November 28, 1849. He attended the public schools of this county and later entered Cumberland University at Lebanon, Tennessee where he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Law in June, 1871. In the following year, Trotter located at Winona, when he practiced for over thirty years, being a member of the law firm of Sweatman, Trotter and, Knox. A deep student and processing a legal mind, Trotter soon became one of the shining lights of the bar, and was known as a sure judge of the law and one of the stalwarts of his day in the Democratic ranks of Mississippi, having been a member of the executive committee of the party in the state in 1895. In 1896 he represented the state again as presidential elector, having been one of the staunch supporters of William J. Bryan. He served as president of the Bank of Winona for twelve years.

At an early age Trotter became a member of the Baptist Church and throughout his life was a prominent figure in the varied activities of that church. He served as Sunday school superintendent for a number of years, and at the time of his demise was senior deacon, which position he had filled for many years.

Many young men owe, is measure, their success in life to the financial aid rendered them by Mr. Trotter. A keen judge of humanity, he seldom failed to aid, any deserving young man who asked his assistance.

In 1876 Mr. Trotter married Miss Anna Billingsley, who died in 1885, leaving two children, Maude and Anna. Maude was the wife of Walter H. Witty, a merchant of Winona, and Anna was the wife of Dr .Eugene Rosamond, of Memphis, Tennessee. The second marriage was in 1888, when Miss Con Chamberlain, of Grenada, became his wife. She died in 1890, and was survived by two sons, Walter, Jr., and William Chamberlain. In 1891 Mr. Trotter married Miss Anna Bailey, daughter of the late Captain Leonidas Bailey, of Winona.

Mr. Trotter died at his hone here August 16, 1915, and was interred in Oakwood Cemetery. (1) :(1: Mrs. Anna Bailey Trotter, Winona, Miss.)

G. A. McLean was born November 16, 1859, near Winona, and his entire life was spent here. Judge McLean was a graduate of the Law School at Lebanon, Tennessee, and began the practice of his profession in his home town. Ho served the State as a senator for the Twenty-sixth district from 1904 to 1908; he also served as judge of the Fifth Judicial district from 1908 to 1912. His record both as senator and judge bears testimony to his unswerving loyalty and fidelity to the principles of loyalty and truth. He was a lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church; a loyal Christian gentleman, filling his life with good deeds to those less fortunate than himself. Many poor boys owe their advancement in life to his kindly help.

Judge McLean died at his home in Winona, June, 1927, and was buried in Oakwood, cemetery. (1): (1. F. R. Hawkins, Winona, Miss.)

Wilson Shedric Hill, one of the most brilliant and outstanding lawyers that the bar of Montgomery county has produced, was born at Lodi, then Choctaw County, in 1863. He received a preliminary education in the common school, of his native county, later matriculating at the University of Mississippi.

This legal training was secured at Cumberland University, Lebanon, Tennessee, after which he began the practice of law in Winona, 1884. He was elected to the lower house of the state legislature in 1887, and served one term; there he took front rank with the leaders of his state and party. In 1891, Hill was, elected district attorney for the fifth Judicial District, and was re-elected without opposition in 1895 and 1899. In 1902 he was elected to Congress.

Mr. Hill was appointed district attorney by President Wilson during the first year of his admiration, which position he held continuously until his death.

It is said that Senator John Sharp Williams declared that the only appointment he expected to ask at the hands of the incoming Republicans was the reappointment of Shed Hill.

In his official life, Hill's record is without stain. While he was for nearly twenty years a, prosecutor, he never failed in sympathy for the prisoner. Painstaking and diligent efforts often procured for the accused, right and privileges he never knew.

Mr. Hill was prominent In the Moore Memorial Methodist Church, Winona; was identified with the Free and Accepted Masons; the Independent Order of Odd Fellows; The Woodmen of the World; and the Knights of Honor.

On the last day of his life be delivered an address on "citizenship" to the men's Bible class at his Sunday school at Greenwood, and died at Greenwood February 4, 1921, and was interred at Oakwood cemetery, Winona. (1): (1. The Winona Times, Winona, Miss, March 4, 1921.)

Thomas Upton Sisson was ban in Attala County, September 22, 1869. He graduated from southwestern University, Clarksville, Tennessee, and the Cumberland University, Lebanon, Tennessee; he was admitted to the bar in Memphis and came to Winona, where he formed a partner skip with W. S. Hill.

In 1900, Mr. Sisson was Democratic elector for the state-at large; later he was District Attorney for the Fourth Judicial district and from 1909 to 1928 he represented the Fourth Mississippi District in Congress.

Sisson underwent a terrific strain during his late years in Congress as a high ranking member of the Appropriations Committee. He was known as one of the most indefatigable workers in Congress, and was one of the most popular members of that body, not only with his own delegation, but with the members In general on both sides.

He was a Mason and serves that order at state grand master.

He died September 26, 1923, at Congress Hall Hotel, in Washington, and was interred at Oakwood Cemetery, Winona. (2): (2 Winona Times, Winona, Miss., Sept. 28, 1923.)

W. T. Knox is the oldest lawyer in Montgomery County, both in years and in point of service. He came from Grenada County to Winona and began the practice of law in 1881, where be has continued to practice. Knox is an earnest worker in the Presbyterian Church, of which he has been an elder for over fifty years. (3): (3 W. T. Knox, Winona, Miss.)

Vernon D. Rowe, who was born in Winona, and who has practiced law here since his admission to the bar, was appointed chancery judge to fill the position of Judge J. G. McGowen after the resignation of the latter. Mr. Rowe holds only two courts while occupying this position, having served only from January 3, 1925, until March 8, 1925. He has been attorney for Montgomery County board of supervisors since 1916, is a member of the first Baptist Church, and is prominent in all civic and church affairs.

Miss Mary Sue Brannon, who has the distinction of being the only woman admitted to the bar In Montgomery County, began to practice law in Winona in 1935, and continued one year. Miss Brannon then went to Washington, D. C., where she held a position in the Department of Justice until 1937. At present she in special attorney for the Veterans Bureau with headquarters at Aberdeen, Mississippi, and Washington, D, C.

James William Conger, one of the leading members of Montgomery County's bar, and one of the most outstanding citizens, was born near Vaiden, September 29, 1883. His early education was obtained in the schools of Carroll County, after which he received a degree at A. & M. College (now Mississippi State), Starkville. He later attended the University of Wisconsin one year, the University of Chicago one year, and the University of Mississippi two years. From the latter collage he received his law degree in 1910.

Mr. Conger taught mathematics for years at the University Of Mississippi Training School, after which he entered the practice of law at Vaiden.

In 1921 he moved to Winona, where he has continued to practice his profession.

John E. Aldridge, son of Chas. H. Aldridge, Was born in Winona,
attended the city schools and graduated from high school in
1930. Aldridge attended University of Mississippi, where he ob-
tailed his B. A. and law degrees, and was admitted to the bar in
1935 and began his practice in Winona that year.

                                                          County Board of Health

The Montgomery County Board of Health was established in 1880, when the first county health officers were appointed by the state board, and the first health officer of Montgomery County was Dr. B. F. Ward, Winona, who served, for a number of years. (1): (1. The Winona Advance Winona, Miss., April 7, 1882.)

Other physicians who have served the county in this capacity were Dr. T. R. Trotter, Dr. Geo. Baskerville; Dr. H. J. Small; Dr. J. S. Hooper; Dr. J.O. Ringold; Dr. F. L. Harris; Dr. J. P Synnott, and the present (1938) officer, Dr. E. C. O'Cain. Montgomery has only a part-time setup. The personnel consists of the health officer only, who directs public health activities, has charge of the control of contagious diseases, instructs citizens in matters of public health, examines infants, pre-school, and school children for physical defects; inspects sanitary conditions in schools and public buildings, holds prenatal conferences, instructs midwives, collects vital statistics, and vaccinates against smallpox, diphtheria, typhoid fever, and rabies.

When the first case of yellow fever appeared in Winona, in 1878, immediate steps were taken to prevent its spread. The cases reported were taken to prevent its spread. The cases reported were placed under rigid quarantine. The board of supervisors, co-operating with the mayor and Board of aldermen, appointed a County Board of Health to direct this work, placing Dr. B. F. Ward in charge of Beat 1; Dr. T. R, Trotter, Beat 2; Dr. W. Hart, Beat 3; Dr. Armistead, Beat 4, and Dr. W. B. Frizzell, Beat 5 (1). These physicians worked tirelessly, and it is due to their courage and diligence that yellow fever did not reach the epidemic stage in Winona.

(1. Minutes: Board of Supervisors, Chancery Clerk's office, Winona, Miss., Vol. 1, page 540.)

When the temporary board of health had been appointed, notice was served to every family in Winona, where the fever had not appeared, to vacate their homes and move into the rural sections. This decree was quickly complied with, and the only people left were a few appointed guards, the doctors and nurses and members of families who had the fever. Twelve deaths from this disease occurred in Winona, but not a case was reported among the refugees.

Life for the "refugee" citizens was not easy; some of then were admitted into homes of people in the country, carrying with them their bedding and supplies. A resident of Winona, who was fifteen years old at that time, relates that she, with her family occupied a Negro cabin seven miles_, northwest of Winona, where they remained for three weeks. Life was especially hard for the refugee Negroes, who were forced to leave town, for there were no homes to which they could go; they had to live in the woods. There were no provisions made for food or shelter for them.

When the epidemic was at worst in Grenada, calls for help were sent to neighboring town for nurses; a party of heroic young men from Winona volunteered to go. John B, Applegate, a young man of twenty-one of Winona, worked day and night nursing the sick and helping bury the dead. At the end of three weeks, he contracted the disease, died, and was buried it a trench with other victims. (1): (1: Mrs. Lizzie Applegate Brown, Winona, Miss.)

The smallpox epidemic of 1900-1901 was of minor importance in Montgomery County, as it had only a few cases. Dr. B. F. Ward who was health officer during this period did everything possible to prevent its spread. People who had contracted smallpox were isolated and others were vaccinated. All reported cases were in Winona, and the city officials cooperated with the local health officer in enforcing quarantine regulations. Only twenty cases were reported, with no deaths, while free and compulsory vaccination was resorted to, more than a thousand were vaccinated.

"For the superb management of the disease and its early approach, great credit is due Marshal Thompson, who shunned no danger in the discharge of his duty. We doff our hats to him and salute him as the best marshal in Mississippi." (2): (2: The Winona Times, Winona, Miss., March 2, 1900.)

The first case of influenza appeared in September, 1918, in a virulent form. Many cases complicated with pneumonia, and these increased through the month of October and November, then decreased in December to such an extent that physicians hoped that the epidemic was subsiding. During the holidays, when students returned from school and wherever crowds gathered, many new cases appeared. By January 15, 1919, the cases had increased rapidly, and the disease was of greater extent than in the fall and early winter. In both, town and rural sections the disease raged and there was a high mortality rate throughout the county.

During this epidemic Dr F. L. Harris was the only physician in Winona, the others having enlisted in the World War. Though Dr. Harris was not one of the soldiers in that struggle, he faced, in this epidemic, a charge as ruthless and as destructive of life as any waged on the battle front of France. Dr. Harris had a deep sense of duty and unselfish spirit and fully demonstrated these characteristics during this epidemic. He worked day and night, serving rich and poor alike, giving the best in him without a thought of Compensation.

It was at his instigation and through his efforts that a soup kitchen was established at Winona and food was prepared and taken to the homes of the sick that were unable to attend their own needs.

Dr. Harris was not a physically strong man, yet he served through this epidemic and remained in active practice of his profession until his death occurred, December 29, 1936.

However, Dr. Harris was not alone in the profession in giving his best efforts to relieve suffering humanity; Dr. H. J. Flowers, Kilmichael; Dr. C. H. Ingram, Poplar Creek, now a resident of Pickens.; and Dr. C. P. Hemphill of near Lodi, all worked day and night during the duration of the epidemic.

The co-operation given by the county to the State Board of Health in the control of malaria consists of a yearly drive against mosquitoes, which takes place in late spring. Drainage problems are worked out, stagnant water holes where mosquitoes breed are treated with oil, and a general clean-up of all breeding places is made. Screening is the most effective method of mosquito control in the county, and the majority of homes, whether in town or country, are well screened. Though these precautions are taken, our county still suffers from malaria to a great extent.) (1): (1. Dr. T. P. Synnott, Winona, Miss.)

To control tuberculosis, the Montgomery County Tuberculosis Association has been functioning about twelve years with Miss Louise Dunstan, Winona, as chair-Man. This association sponsors the sale of Christmas seals each year, the proceeds of which go to aid patients of the county suffering from tuberculosis. Milk, eggs, fruit, and other nourishing foods are furnished to patients of the county who are unable to buy necessities. This is done for both white and colored people. In March, 1936, through the efforts of the" Tuberculosis Association, Dr. W. D. Hickerson, of the State Sanatorium and Board of Health, came to Montgomery County and gave free x-ray examinations to all persons in the county who had tuberculosis and to those showing symptoms of the disease, if recommended by a local physician. Dr. Hickerson examined twenty-four persons and sent reports to family physicians. There are six cases from the county in the state sanatorium. (2) :( 2. Ibid)

Other communicable diseases, such as typhoid fever and diphtheria, are controlled by inoculation, administered by the county health officer and local physicians and by encouraging and instructing citizens in improved sanitary conditions and cleanliness. Free inoculation for typhoid and diphtheria, with toxin furnished by the State Board of Health, and is given to school children and children of pre-school age through the Months of March and June of each year. Local physicians inoculate many person in their private practice throughout the year. The number of persons immunized in the county during 1933 and 1934 for diphtheria, typhoid, and smallpox were: 1933, diphtheria, 70; typhoid, 404; smallpox, 3; 1934, diphtheria, 228; typhoid, 4,113. (1):

Scarlet fever, measles, mumps, whooping cough, scabies, etc., are kept under control through cooperation of teachers and individuals with the county health officer. School children developing symptoms of such diseases are sent home and kept away from school until they are well of the disease. Many inoculation; on both dogs and human beings, who have been exposed to the in infection are given each year in the control of rabies. Persons receiving treatment are required to pay for the vaccine, but it is administered by the health officer, who charges nothing for his services.

In 1936 when an epidemic of infantile paralysis was feared, physicians stressed the importance of the use of nasal spray on all persons coming in contest with crowds and on all school children. School openings in the county were deferred two weeks, or until they were opened at the recommendation of the health officer. Use of nasal spray on all school children was made, compulsory. Co-operation was given by all teachers and parents, and Montgomery County did not have a case of infantile paralysis.

Only one large factory is located in the county, a cotton mill at Winona. Regular inspection takes place three times each year by an inspector, who is a physician, sent by the State Board of Health to visit the factory. He inspects the entire grounds, examines sanitary conditions, and immunizes employees and their children against typhoid fever and diphtheria. The county health officer also inspects the factory at regular intervals, (2): (2. Dr. J. P. Synnott, Winona, Miss.)

No organized method of child hygiene and public health nursing is sponsored by the county, but three methods of instructing mothers on maternal hygiene are advice by family physician, midwives, and literature. White mothers, generally, are attended before and after birth of the child by physicians who have given prenatal advice. Negro mothers are attended usually by midwives, who are required to have a permit from the State Board of Health. In order to obtain a permit, the person applying must be qualified and approved by the county health officer, and these midwives pass the information on to the mothers. The health officer states that the death rate of mothers has been reduced in recent years.

Vital statistical records, for the county shows that, thirty-four infant deaths constitute the infant mortality for the period of July 1, 1935 to July 1, 1936.

For the pest twelve years dentists of the county have examined the school children's teeth. They try to impress upon them the importance of caring for their teeth while young. The Parent Teacher Association has co-operated with the dentists, aiding some, of the children who are not financially able to have dental work done. In 1936 the Parent-Teacher Association had two hundred cavities filled for students, paying twenty-five cents per filling. Hygienists visit the schools, giving tooth brush exercises and lectures on mouth hygiene. (1): (1: M. Y. Kemp dentist, Winona, Miss.)

Dr. E. C. O’Cain, a native of Madison County, graduated from high school at Camden and entered Agricultural and Mechanical College Starkville. After obtaining his literary degree from that institution he entered University of Tennessee, obtained his medical degree, and served one year as interne and house surgeon at City Hospital, Memphis, and one year as interne and house surgeon at St. Joseph's Hospital Memphis. He also did special work at the Eye, Ear, Nose and throat Hospital in Memphis.

In 1917 he came to Winona and severed a few months as medial examiner for the Montgomery County draft board, United States Army. Later, in the same year, he enlisted in the United States Army and served the duration of the war as regimental surgeon, of the 214th Engineers. When the armistice was signed Dr. O’Cain returned to Winona, resumed the active practice of medicine and surgery, and has operated a medical and surgical clinic since that time.

In 1937 he was appointed health officer for Montgomery County and has bean surgeon for the Illinois Central Railroad Company since his coming to two Winona.

He is a member of the American Association of Public Health, the American Association of Rail-road Surgeons, the Tri-State Medical Association, the Mississippi State Medical Association, and the Winona District Medical Association, in the last of which he has served as president a number of times. He is also a member of Kappa Phi Medical Fraternity; he is a member of the Moore Memorial Methodist Church and is prominent in civic and school activities.

In 1920 Dr. O'Cain was married to Miss Emma Williams, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. H. S. Williams, of Pickens. Dr. and Mrs. O'Cain have one daughter, Sydney Casteel. (1): (1. Dr. E. C. O'Cain, Winona, Miss.)

Dr. J. P. Synnott, a practicing physician in Montgomery County for forty-three years, was born In Webster County, near Walthall. As a boy, he attended the school of that county, later, entering Memphis Hospital Medical College, where he obtained his medical degree. He also receives instructions at New Orleans Polyclinic.

He located at Lodi in 1895 sad served that place and surrounding territory until 1919, when he moved to Winona, where he has since resided and practiced medicine. In 1929 he was appointed health officer for Montgomery County and served in that capacity until 1937. (2): (2. Dr. J. P. Synnott, Winona, Miss.)

Dr. Homer Howard, native Winona, graduated from high school here, attended University of Mississippi from 1926 until 1929 and the University of Arkansas from 1929 until 1932, securing his medical degree from the latter place. Later he served as interne at Grady Memorial Hospital.

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