What a fish!

Jesse Wilemon, right, with his son Bill

Jesse was married to Mary Opal Dulaney, daughter of Thomas A. "Bunt" Dulaney and Alice Moxley. He was the son of Jerome W. and Erah Beasley. Looks like the photo may have been taken at Pickwick - that sure was a big fish!

Percy's Speech

Itawamba County News
June 20, 1911

Senator Leroy Percy addressed about as large crowd of people Tuesday as we ever saw assembled here to hear a public speaker.

He was introduced by Hon. W. M. Cox of Baldwyn in eloquent terms, in which were related interesting statistics about the U. S. Senate before and since the war, naming several Senators we have had to represent us, and then said that in his opinion we were never more worthily represented in that body than we are today.

Mr. Percy gave a general account of his work in the Senate, his position on many important questions, and said it took work and not oratory to be an effective member. He gave his views on the race question, and took the position that we will gain nothing agitating this question. He read from Vardaman's paper where he proposed to debate the race question in hand with anybody. Percy said he was willing for his friend Alexander to have that job but that he was anxious to meet him at any place in Mississippi.

He said that Mr. Vardaman or friends boasted that Mr. Vardaman was making a campaign free from personalities, but that in his paper and other papers that are supporting him, Vardaman is waging one of the bitterest campaigns ever known in Mississippi.

His speech was well received by a majority of the crowd and he added to his strength by coming here.

The Dorsey Brass Band rendered several good selections for the occasion.

There were several other candidates here who made their announcements.

* * * * *

Leroy Percy was the last U.S. Senator appointed by the Mississippi legislature. He was selected in 1910 to fill a vacancy and served until his defeat by populist James K. Vardaman in 1912 who used race as a divisive issue in the campaign. Vardaman attacked Percy as an aristocratic planter who advocated progressive race relations and education for blacks. Following his defeat, Percy returned to his law practice and Delta plantation. Vardaman served only one term and was defeated in the next senatorial election.

William M. Cox, who introduced Senator Percy to the Itawamba crowd, was a Ripley native who practiced law in Baldwyn and served in the Mississippi legislature and later on the Mississippi Supreme Court. His son, Allen Cox, was the first U.S. District Court judge for the Northern District of Mississippi, appointed by Calvin Coolidge to that position in 1929. Judge Cox took senior status in 1957 and served in that capacity until his death in 1974.

Rara Avis

North of Tremont, along Cotton Gin Road, was a community called Rara Avis. Rara Avis is a Latin phrase that means "rare bird." When early settlers arrived in Itawamba County, there were many colorful birds but unfortunately the birds quickly disappeared. Col. W. L. Clayton wrote in his "Pen-Pictures" column in 1905 about these birds when his family first settled in Itawamba County:

"There was then in this country a beautiful bird in large droves, but which have since disappeared altogether - they were called paraquites, and were a beautiful green, red and yellow color, with very long crooked bills, somewhat like that of a parrot, and they were very much the size of parrots. There (sic) were quite destructive to wheat, oats and rye fields."

The destruction of settlers' crops contributed to the extinction of these unusual birds, but there is also another story involving their demise.

In my files, there is a copy of an article written about Rara Avis. Unfortunately, I did not write down the source of the article nor its author, but it may have appeared in an early Itawamba Settlers publication. If anyone knows of the article to which I am referring, please e-mail me or comment here. The article described the rare birds as being similar to a guinea with "brilliant and variegated" plumage and a call that was "harsh" and "untuneable." According to the author, the birds lived exclusively on a diet of chestnuts. When the chestnut trees were struck by a blight, the rara avis was deprived of their food supply and disappeared along with the trees.

For several years, there was a post office located at Rara Avis which serviced many families in the Tremont area. My great-great grandfather's brother, William Wilkson "Uncle Billy" Robinson was a postmaster when he owned the store at Rara Avis. As Tremont's population grew, a post office was established there and eventually, in 1923, the post office at Rara Avis was closed.

Tupelo tornado

Here's another photograph found in Ma Davis's trunk: a picture of the aftermath of the tornado that hit Tupelo on a Sunday evening in 1936. This tornado is said to be the fourth deadliest tornado in U.S. history, killing over 200 people and injuring 700 when it struck Tupelo around 9 o'clock the night of April 5th. Residential areas were hardest hit as the tornado skipped over Tupelo's downtown business district. At least one-third of the city's homes were destroyed. The tornado hit the Bissell community prior to its touchdown in west Tupelo, and after leaving a path of destruction it picked up and re-landed in the Auburn community.

Who took this photograph or why it was kept by Queenie Clayton Davis is not known. Click on the photo for a larger view.

James Clyde Cofield

Clyde was the older brother of my grandmother, Pearl Cofield Robinson. He was born July 16, 1900 at Hackleburg, Alabama to Mary Marenda "Dollie" Loyd and her husband John Richard Cofield, and he died at the age of 18 at Muscle Shoals.

The photograph of Clyde is encased in a small lapel pin which was found in my grandmother's jewelry case. As a young girl, my grandmother was exposed to death and sadness many times. Her father died when she was three years old, then her mother died just a couple of years later, and her brother Clyde died twenty days before her twelfth birthday.

Clyde, like thousands of other young men during World War I, was required to complete a draft registration card. Three draft lotteries were held, and Clyde barely made the third and final one. He turned eighteen on July 16, 1918 and the third draft registration was held September 10, the first draft that included eighteen year-olds.

The registration card completed by Clyde showed that he was employed by the American Nitrate Company at Muscle Shoals in Colbert County, working as a waiter. His grandfather was listed as next of kin in Bexar, Alabama. A description of Clyde indicated that he was of medium height and medium build with blue eyes and brown hair and no physical disabilities.

Each county in the United States had a local draft board, and Clyde's draft registration card was stamped by boards in both Marion and Colbert counties. The registration was usually held on just one day, starting early in the morning and often ending late at night. Whistles, church bells or canons were used to signal the start of registration. Some towns held parades and patriotic speeches.

How did Clyde come to be employed at Muscle Shoals, about sixty miles away? In late 1917, ground was broken for the first of two nitrate plants in Colbert County. The following August construction started nearby on the Wilson Hydroelectric Dam. Construction on these facilities created a population boom in the area. By August 1918, over 20,000 workers were employed, and it was estimated that it took nearly 80,000 people to keep the workers working. Although wages were high, labor shortages occurred due to the poor living conditions and housing shortages. Clyde was probably drawn by the unheard-of wages of 30 cents per hour and the idea of doing his patriotic duty.

Construction proceeded at a high pace. Over 230 permanent structures were erected, 165 miles of sewer lines and 685 miles of electric cable were laid. Homes for the workers were built. Housing and feeding the 20,000 workers were a chore. Twenty-three mess halls served more than 24,000 meals per day, and it was probably at one of these mess halls that Clyde initially worked for the company. He didn't stay employed as a waiter, however, since his death certificate completed one month after the draft registration indicated that he was employed as a "seal keeper" at the nitrate plant.

In October and November of 1918, the influenza epidemic reached Muscle Shoals. The crowded living conditions at the facilities mimicked those of soldiers' camps and thus were ripe for the spreading of the influenza virus. At that time, medical science was ignorant of the existence of viruses or how diseases were actually spread. At the Muscle Shoals facilities, nearly 8,000 people fell sick and unknown numbers of construction workers were buried on the construction site. This strain of influenza was unique in that it struck healthy robust young men particularly hard as opposed to the usual victims: the young, elderly or sickly population.

Clyde died October 10, 1918. His death certificate shows the cause of death as lobar pneumonia. This was the typical end-effect of the deadly virus. The lungs of victims were usually found filled with fluid, literally drowning them to death. Clyde died exactly one month after completing his draft registration card, at the ANC Hospital, a facility erected on site at the nitrate plant. He was barely eighteen years old. The war ended a month later on November 11, 1918.

"Daisy Morrow and first man"

This photograph was found in Ma Davis's trunk, and on the back is written "Daisy Morrow and first man." I don't know which woman in the photo is Daisy Morrow or who the other people are. Daisy was Pa Davis's first cousin. Her father Tobe was brother to Annalizer Morrow Davis, the mother of James Kelly Davis (Pa).

I found the following obituary abstract online at the Itawamba genforum site:

"Mrs. Daisy Greenslade of Kaufman, Texas, died Jan. 19, 1972 in the Baylor University Hospital in Dallas, Texas. She was 54. She is remembered as the former Miss Daisy Morrow. Funeral services were held in Kaufman."

The writing on the back of the photograph is puzzling. What does it mean "first man" - did Daisy have an earlier marriage?

Daisy was married to Milton Greenslade. Her death certificate indicates that she died of viral pneumonia and was buried in Kaufman Cemetery. She was born November 21, 1918 in Itawamba County.

Green B. Thornton 1822-1892

With the Thornton family reunion coming up this weekend, it is only appropriate to say a few words about Green B. Thornton. Green is the earliest known ancestor of the Thornton clan of northern Itawamba and southern Prentiss counties. He was born November 17, 1822, probably in Georgia, and died January 14, 1892 in Prentiss County. His full name is probably Greenberry, but I hesitate to label him as such since I've not found that name for him anywhere, but his middle initial definitely was "B".

Green's parents are a mystery. It is one of those brick walls that we encounter although usually not this quick in most of our family lines. Complicating matters is that I've only found Green in the 1870 (Itawamba) and 1880 (Prentiss) censuses although I know he was in Mississippi in 1850 and 1860. I've spent hours looking for him so if anyone has better luck than I have, please let me know about it.

Green served in the Civil War under Col. Aaron Hardcastle, enlisting in Itawamba County on November 3, 1863 in the Third Battalion, Mississippi Infantry, Company D. His company originally was part of the 33rd Regiment but was later reorganized under the 45th Regiment. Some online records indicate that Green enlisted in Company B in Choctaw County, but after viewing the muster rolls at the National Archives I know this is incorrect information. His widow's pension application in Prentiss County indicates that he was discharged in April 1865 in Atlanta.

Green was married to Mary whose last name may have been Dunlap, based on family information passed down through the years. In her application for Green's Civil War pension, Mary indicated that they were married in 1851.

The Thorntons lived along the Itawamba-Prentiss line. Deed records in Prentiss County show that Green and Mary owned the land where the Pleasant Valley Cemetery is located today, and it is in this cemetery that they are buried. Green's marker, held together in the picture above, is broken in half while Mary's marker is missing altogether. I don't know what happened to her marker - thankfully, it was listed in an earlier listing of the cemetery so we know it existed. Plus, her descendants are aware that the marker once was there.

Below are the census records I've found for Green and Mary. Note that the two records have conflicting information as to their places of birth. It sure would be nice to find them in another census. Based on answers given by their children in subsequent censuses, I believe that Green was probably born in Georgia and Mary in North Carolina although at least one child indicated in one census record that Green was born in Florida. All of these answers likely have some truth in them. Green probably did spend some time in Florida, and the couple probably also lived in Alabama at some time, maybe as children.

1870 Census
Itawamba County, Mississippi
Township 9
Green Thornton 45 AL farmer 200 real estate/300 personal property
Mary 38 AL
Margarett 19 MS
John 17 MS
George 15 MS
Biddie 12 MS
Martha 8 MS
Charles 3 MS
(only Thornton in Itawamba County in 1870)

1880 Census
Prentiss County, Mississippi
4th Supervisor's District
G. B. Thornton 55 GA GA GA farmer
Mary 46 NC NC NC
Martha 16 MS
Charles 11 MS
Ira 8 MS
Marietta 6 MS
Willie 3 MS
Neighbors: Kizer, Gann, Wright

Children of Green and Mary:

Margarett Priscilla, b 1851, married William C. Gann
John T., b 1853, married Bettie Griffin
George Washington, b 1856, married Mary Jane Gann
Biddie Ann, b 1861, married Jasper Greenberry Franks
Martha A., b 1864, married James Elbert Pounds
Charles M., b about 1865, married Susan A. Shackleford
James Ira, b 1870, married Mary Della Unknown
Mary Etta, b 1873, married John Henry Morgan Schoggen
William Henry, b 1876, married Olar Burton
Fannie, b 1888, died as infant

I would love to hear from descendants of any of these children of Green B. Thornton and especially would love pictures!

Another Brick Store

Itawamba County News
September 3, 1925

Fulton To Soon Have Another Brick Store

Another brick store building will soon be erected and added to Fulton's list of modern store houses. Gaither Bro. have awarded a contract to Mr. Ed Reifers for the building of a twenty-five feet fronting brick store on the lot just south of their present store.

Gaither Bros. will reserve the back part of the building for storage room and will rent the front of the building. Several persons have inquired about renting the store. The building will begin at a very early date.

Nathaniel M. Clayton

Oh boy, this is a good picture: Nathaniel M. Clayton standing in front of his log cabin south of Fulton, in the Tilden community of Itawamba County. If you have been following the Clayton genealogy, you will remember that Nathan was the son of Thompson and Patience Malinda Clayton.

Nathan was married first to Martha Bowen, daughter of John Henderson Bowen and Zinny Putman. They were married August 24, 1873 by W. A. Smith and had twelve children together before Martha's untimely death at the age of 44. One of those twelve children was my great-grandmother Queenie Victoria Clayton, who was born in 1883 and obviously named after Queen Victoria, reigning monarch of England. After Martha's death in 1892, Nathan remarried to Mattie Elizabeth Reed, daughter of William Washington Reed and Mary Jane Tallant, and they had two daughters, Elzora and Jennette. By all accounts, Mattie was a much beloved step-mother to Queenie and her siblings.

Nathan started out farming on land he purchased near his father, land located today just off the Tilden-Nita Lake Road. Within a few years however, he moved a bit further west when he bought land along the Tombigbee River between Beans Ferry and Tilden. Some of this land is under the Tenn-Tom Waterway, but some of the Clayton property remains in the possession of Nathan's descendants today. It was here that Nathan and Martha made their home and built a typical dwelling for that time, a log cabin dog-trot that Queenie and some of her brothers and sisters were born in. The log cabin is still standing, in fairly good condition considering it is over 120 years old.

Nathan and his brother Daniel were both woodworkers, famous for their straight-back chairs with cane bottoms. The Claytons were also known for their watermelons.

Nathan died September 30, 1908. He worked in the cotton fields during the day and died in his sleep during the night. Mattie got up as usual to cook breakfast, and when he didn't get up from bed, she went back to check and found him "sleeping the blessed sleep from which none ever wakes." Nathan was just 60 years old, and his death was a surprise to his family. The following notice appeared in the Itawamba County News:

"Mr. Nathan Clayton, who lived near Tilden, was found dead in bed Wednesday morning. It is said that he had not been subject to heart trouble and had not been complaining, having done a good day's work the day before he died. He was about 60 years of age, had done a great deal of hard work during his life, was very much admired by a large circle of friends, and his death a shock to the entire community. The News deeply sympathizes with the bereaved family."

Nathan's middle name has been found as Merida and also as Meredith. This name puzzled me a bit until some research turned up a probable source for this name. It is believed that Nathan's mother was the daughter of Meredith Brashears. Land records in Spartanburg County reveal that Meredith Brashears is found variously as Merida, Meriday and Meredith. Nathan's middle name could have come from his supposed grandfather.

Don Clayton, great-grandson of Nathan, shared this photograph of Nathan with me and my mother. Thank you, Don, for the hospitality, pictures and information!

Tobe Lee Morrow

Tobe Morrow was a brother to Annaliza Morrow Davis, my great-great grandmother. Their parents were John and Mary Ford Morrow, and their siblings were Maggie, Will, Charlie, Luke, Minnie and Tom.


Tobe was married to Della Umfress, believed to be the daughter of Ben Umfress, and they lived south of Fulton in 1910 on the "Fulton-Amory Road" also known as Highway 25 today.

1910 Census
Itawamba County, Mississippi
Fulton-Amory Road
Tobe L. Morrow 32 MS AL TN farmer, married 5 years
Della 25 MS MS MS 2 children, 1 living
Bernice 3 MS dau

1920 Census
Itawamba County, Mississippi
Beat 5
Tobe L. Marrow 42 MS MS TN farmer
Dessie M. 5 MS daughter
Della 35 MS MS MS wife
Daisy 1 MS

Itawamba County News
June 18, 1914
Tilden News
Mrs. Tobe Morrow and family were the guest of Mr. B. F. Umfress and family Saturday and Sunday.

Itawamba County News
Jan. 3, 1924
Mr. Tobe Morrow and family have recently moved to his father’s old home, and Mr. Jas. Davis and family moved to the home that was occupied by Mr. Morrow.

Below is Tobe's obituary, as found abstracted on the Itawamba genforum website. His Texas death certificate was found online at familysearch.org, and it indicated that Tobe died of "terminal pneumonia." The certificate showed that he had been in Texas for a couple of months although his usual residence was Fulton, Miss.

Tobe Morrow, 75, died Aug. 8, 1951 at the Hall DeFleming Hospital in Kaufman, Texas while visiting his daughter, Mrs. M.E. Greenslade of Kaufman and his son, John Lee Morrow of Ft. Worth.

Services were at the Fulton Baptist Church with burial in the Union Grove Cemetery.

Survivors include two daughters, Mrs. Rodney Richardson of Fulton, and Mrs. Milton Greenslade of Texas; one son, John Lee Morrow of Ft. Worth; one brother, Charlie Morrow of Texas and one sister, Mrs. Stark Roberts of Amory; eight grandchildren.

Pallbearers were nephews: Clearace, Arlie, J.B., Oren, Gene and Walter Morrow.

William Pascal Thornton

I love this photograph of William Pascal Thornton and his mule. The mule was a central character to life in early Itawamba County. Many photographs taken in the early part of the 1900s included the family mule, such as this 1914 photo. Eventually though, the family car replaced the mule in family photographs. The mule was no longer necessary for transportation, and tractors eventually replaced mules in the fields. Willie's granddaughter, Laura, provided this photograph (thank you!), and she said that to her knowledge Willie never owned a car or had a driver's license. He loved to fish and could fish for hours at his fishing hole in the Twenty Mile Bottom.

Willie was married to Beulah Ann Stanford, and the 1930 census-taker found the Thornton family living on the "Jay Senter" Road in northwestern Itawamba County.

1930 Census
Itawamba County, Mississippi
Beat 2
Jay Senter (Jacinto) Road
Willie P. Thosten 38 MS MS MS farmer, married at age 21
Bula A. 36 MS AL AL, married at age 19
Cecil R. 17 MS farm laborer
Troy A. 15 MS farm laborer
Rubel M. 12 MS daughter
Paul L. 6 MS son
Eva L. 4 MS

Willie's sister was Nora Thornton Johnson, my husband's great-grandmother. The siblings were just two years apart in age, with Willie being the older of the two. Nora was 88 years old when she died in 1979, but Willie lived to be 100 years old! He died in 1989.

I understand that the Thornton family reunion is usually held every 4th Saturday in September at the Ryans Well community center. That means it is coming up soon! The Itawamba Thorntons descend from Green B. and Mary Thornton, who were Willie's grandparents. Green and Mary are buried in the Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Prentiss County, just across the border from Itawamba County, on land that was once owned by Green.

Clayton brothers

These five brothers were the sons of Thompson and Patience Malinda Clayton. The Clayton family, which also included six daughters, moved to Itawamba County between 1864 and 1866 from Alabama. As far as I have been able to determine, Thompson and Malinda moved here without other family members - no parents or siblings. Thompson bought land in Section 23, Township 10, Range 9 in eastern Itawamba County.

Nathaniel, my great-great grandfather, was the oldest son, born in 1848 in Georgia. He is pictured far left in the photograph. In fact, the brothers are lined up, left to right, according to their birth order: Nathaniel, Daniel, Elijah, Brooks and Noah. Brooks moved to Lee County, near Tupelo, and is buried in Priceville Cemetery. Noah, who was a Baptist minister, was pastoring Priceville Baptist Church at the time of his death and is also buried in that cemetery. The other brothers are buried in Itawamba County.

Marilyn Leary was very kind and generous to provide this photograph to my mother when she found out that my mother's grandmother was Nathaniel's daughter. Cousin Rita retouched and removed the crease lines from the photograph to provide the image you see here. Thank you both for your generosity.

I'll post more on each of the Clayton brothers later.

Mary Ford Morrow, 1839-1924

A couple of months ago, I found this picture and obituary in the 1925 Itawamba County News and was absolutely thrilled. The find was especially pleasing since I had not been looking for it at all!

Mary Ford Morrow was the daughter of George Ford and Nancy Middleton, and the wife of John Morrow. She is my great-great-great grandmother. Interestingly, although I have a picture of Mary, I do not have one of her daughter Annalizer Morrow Davis, my Pa Davis's mother. I would dearly love to have a photograph of Annalizer and her husband, J. W. A. Davis.

The obituary below omits a son, William Andrew Morrow.

January 1, 1925

Mrs. Mary Morrow died at her home here Sunday night about midnight. Aunt Mary, as she was affectionately known to many of us, had been very feeble for several years before her death and for the past few weeks had been confined to her bed. She would have been 86 years of age on the 5th of this month.

She was the widow of Mr. John Morrow, who died here in 1900. They both had lived near Fulton since childhood. Mrs. Morrow was born in Tennessee but her family came to this county when she was a child.

She leaves no brothers or sisters, but is bereaved by the following: Mrs. Analizer Davis, Mrs. Minnie Roberts, and Mr. T. L. Morrow, who live near Fulton, Mr. Luke Morrow of Florida, and who had been with his mother for several days before her death, and Mrs. Maggie Dabbs and Charlie Morrow of Texas, who were unable to attend the funeral. Also she had one son, Mr. Tom Morrow, who is deceased.

She had been a faithful member of the Methodist church for many years. Her remains were laid away in the Maxcy church cemetery Monday morning by the host of relatives and friends who came to pay their sincere respects.

John Gainey Sloan

John Gainey Sloan was born in the Cardsville community of Itawamba County on September 23, 1881. He was the son of Jackson Samuel Sloan and Melissa Carolina Potts.

Uncle Gainey was a country veterinarian. Although he received no formal training, he studied medicine under his brother, Alfred, who was a medical doctor educated at Vanderbilt. Gainey was known throughout southern Itawamba County as someone to call on when your farm animals or pets needed medical care. And sometimes, when a doctor was not available, Gainey was asked to provide care for people too. On at least occasion, he was called upon to deliver a baby.

On April 11, 1909 Gainey Sloan married Dora Belle Ridings, the daughter of W. W. and Martha Ridings, and they had eight children: Martha, Edgar Acqulis, Johnnie, Una, Shirley or "Squire", Grace, Dorothy and Afton.

Uncle Gainey died October 20, 1950 at his home in Peaceful Valley.

1910 Census
Itawamba County, Mississippi
Cardsville precinct
John G. Sloan 29 MS AL MS farmer, married 1 year
Dorah B. 28 MS MS MS

1920 Census
Monroe County, Mississippi
Boyds Precinct, Pleasant Grove Road
Gainey J. Sloan 40 MS MS MS farmer
Dora 28 MS MS MS
Marthey 8 MS
Aquila 7 MS son
Johnnie 5 MS son
Una 3 MS daughter
Shirley 3 mo MS daughter (should be son)

1930 Census
Itawamba County, Mississippi
Beat 3
Fulton-Barrs Ferry Road
living next to his parents
John G. Sloan 49 AL AL MS farmer, rents, married at age 27
Dora B. 43 MS MS MS
Martha C. 18 MS
Edgar A. 17 MS
Johnnie R. 15 MS son
Una I. 12 MS daughter
Shirley 10 MS
Helen G. 8 MS
Dorothy J. 5 MS
Afton I. 3 MS daughter

A big note of thanks goes out to my Sloan cousins who shared this photo and many others at the recent Sloan reunion as well as to Cousin Rita who retouched the photograph.