| For
the most part, Itawamba County, Mississippi was composed of small farmers
during antebellum times. Most of the crops were wheat, corn, barley, some
cotton and other subsistence crops on farms of less than 200 acres with
less than three or no slaves. Itawamba County was a small slave-holding
county. However, in the western portion of the county, there were several
plantations where most of Itawamba County's planter class lived along with
their slaves. Some of the larger planter families included the surnames
of Hussey, Crayton, Cummings, Taylor, Dabbs, Stovall, and Robbins. These
large farms of more than 5,000 acres and more than 50 slaves were located
on the fertile lands along the Tombigbee, Boguefala, Mantachie and Twenty-Mile
Creek areas. Western Itawamba was more suitable for larger farms, with
the land, for the most part, being gently rolling with several fertile
bottoms. Most of the land in eastern Itawamba County was too rugged for
large scale farming with the topographic relief too extreme for large farms.
By the time the Civil War began western Itawama had strong Confederate
feelings, while the eastern portion of the county had some Union sentiment.
The large remainder of the county had mixed feelings about the war. As
a whole Itawamba County was pro-Confederate. However, there were some Union
activities in the county, especially along the eastern edge of the county
in the hills bordering Alabama. So keep in mind that your ancestor from
Itawamba County may have fought for the Union. The Itawamba County Courthouse
has no Civil War era military records. However, those records may be obtained
from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. For information
on what is available, write to: Mississippi Department of Archives and
History, PO Box 571, Jackson, MS 39205, or visit their library in the Charlotte
Capers Building, 100 South State Street, Jackson, Mississippi. When writing,
please be sure to specify as much information as possible about your Civil
War ancestor (date of birth, county of enlistment, name of widow, date
of death, etc.) Their records contain information about those ancestors
who served the Confederacy from Mississippi. |
During
1909, Mrs. Mollie Gaither of Fulton, submitted the following 19th century
newspaper clipping to the Itawamba County News. The old newspaper clipping
was printed in the October 14, 1909 edition of the newspaper. Below is
a transcript of the old clipping:
At the breaking out
of the Civil War in 1861, there were about 40 voters within the corporate
limits of the town of Fulton, and 5 or 6 boys who were under age. Of that
number, 18 were killed in battle and died of disease contracted in the
army, towit: Eugene Clifton, died at Pensacola, Florida; J.W. Norwood,
died at Savannah, Georgia; Henry Mulder, died at home; Geo. Mulder, died
at home; M.M. Shelby, died; J.A. Wright, died; A.S. Fry, died at Dalton,
Georgia; J.L. Holmes, killed at Resaca, Georgia; D.N. Owen, killed at Murfreesboro,
Tennessee; J.J. Lindsey, killed at Jonesboro, Georgia; S.S. Owen, killed
near Appomattox, Virginia; W.A. Graham, killed at Mumfordsville, Kentucky;
Pryor McWilliams, killed at Chickamauga, Tennessee; C.H. Walker, killed
at Perryville, Kentucky; Dan Whitener, killed at Murfreesboro, Tennessee;
Capt. B.F. Toomer, killed at Franklin, Tennessee; Frank Rogers, killed
at Murfreesboro, Tennessee; John Guess, killed at Chickamauga, Tennessee.
The corporate limits of Fulton was one square mile. |
