Slave Narrative of Gus Clark

Person Interviewed: Gus Clark Location: Howison, Mississippi Place of Birth: Richmond, Virginia Age: (about) 85 Uncle Gus Clark and his aged wife live in a poverty-stricken deserted village about an eighth of a mile east of Howison. Their old mill cabin, a relic of a forgotten lumber industry, is tumbling down. They received direct relief from the ERA until May, 1934, when the ERA changed the dole to work relief. Uncle Gus, determined to have a work card, worked on the road with the others until he broke down a few days later and was forced to accept direct relief. … Read more

The Discovery Of This Continent, it’s Results To The Natives

Columbus Landing on Hispaniola

In the year 1470, there lived in Lisbon, a town in Portugal, a man by the name of Christopher Columbus, who there married Dona Felipa, the daughter of Bartolome Monis De Palestrello, an Italian (then deceased), who had arisen to great celebrity as a navigator. Dona Felipa was the idol of her doting father, and often accompanied him in his many voyages, in which she soon equally shared with him his love of adventure, and thus became to him a treasure indeed not only as a companion but as a helper; for she drew his maps and geographical charts, and also … Read more

Slave Narrative of Jane Sutton

Person Interviewed: Jane Sutton Location: Gulfport, Mississippi Place of Birth: Simpson County MS Age: 84 Jane Sutton, ex-slave, is 84 years old. She is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. She is what the Negroes themselves call a “brown-skin.” “I was born in Simpson County, near old Westville, on a big farm what b’long to Marse Jack Berry. I was 12 years old when de surrender come, so my ole Mis’ say. Her name was ‘Mis Ailsey an’ all us cullud folks call her ‘Ole Mi’s. She an’ Old Marster had twelve chillun: Marthy, ‘Lizabeth, Flavilia, Mary, … Read more

Slave Narrative of Henri Necaise

Interviewer: C. E. Wells Person Interviewed: Henry Necaise Location: Nicholson, Mississippi Place of Birth: Harrison County MS Age: 105 Henri Necaise, ex-slave, 105 years old, lives a half-mile south of Nicholson on US 11. Uncle Henri lives in a small plank cabin enclosed by a fence. He owns his cabin and a small piece of land. He is about five feet ten inches tall and weighs 120 pounds. His sight and hearing are very good. “I was born in Harrison County, 19 miles from Pass Christian, ‘long de ridge road from de swamp near Wolf River. My Marster was Ursan … Read more

Early Mississippi Marriages 1800-1900

Marriage Intention

The following database represents a collection of 151,208 early Mississippi marriage records. The earliest occurs in 1800, the latest in 1900. The counties represented in the database: Adams, Amite, Carroll, Claiborne, Copiah, Franklin, Harrison, Hinds, Itawamba, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Leake, Lowndes, Madison, Marshall, Monroe, Noubee, Noxubee, Pontotoc, Rankin, Sunflower, Tippah, Tishomingo, Warren, Wilkinson, Winston, Yalobusha, and Yazoo.

Grace, Gary Dean – Obituary

Gary Dean Grace, 52, of Halfway died April 26, 2004, at Las Vegas, Nev., from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident outside Kingman, Ariz., on April 22, 2004. There will be a celebration of life memorial service at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Lions Club Park in Halfway. Friends are invited to a potluck at the Lions Club after the service. Gary was born on April 4, 1952, at Biloxi, Miss., to Lowell and Bonnie Lindsay Grace. His father was in the U.S. Air Force, stationed at Keesler Air Force Base at the time. Gary grew up in many different … Read more

Traditions of the Great Flood by the Choctaw

The traditions of the Choctaws concerning the Oka Falama (Returned waters the Flood) is as follows: In ancient time, after many generations of mankind had lived and passed from the stage of being, the race became so corrupt and wicked brother fighting against brother and wars deluging the earth with human blood and carnage the Great Spirit became greatly displeased and finally determined to destroy the human race; therefore sent a great prophet to them who proclaimed from tribe to tribe, and from village to village, the fearful tidings that the human race was soon to be destroyed. None believed … Read more