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Lowndes County History and Information |
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The county of Lowndes was erected January 30, 1830, and was named "in memory of the late William Lowndes". William Jones Lowndes (1782-1822) of South Carolina was a United States Congressman from that State (1811-1822) and an earnest supporter of the War of 1812. Henry Clay called him the wisest man he had ever known in the Congress. The Lowndes counties in Alabama and Georgia also were named for him. It was originally the southern part of Monroe County and embraced within its area a part of the present county of Clay. The act creating the county defined its boundaries as follows:
"All that portion of Monroe County lying south of a line commencing at a point on the State of Alabama, where a line running due east from Robinson’s Bluff, on the Buttahatchie River, would strike the state line of Alabama; thence from said point, due, west, to said Robinson’s Bluff; thence down the said river to its mouth; thence west, to the western boundary line of the county of Monroe, as designated by the act of 1829, extending into the territory occupied by the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes of Indians, shall form a new county, etc."
December 6, 1831, its limits were extended "to commence on the State line of Alabama, at the house of William Lucas, and to run from thence in a northwest direction, so as to cross the Robertson road, at a place on said Robertson’s road, known by the name of Wilson’s stand, so as to include said Wilson’s stand; and from thence on a direct line from the place of beginning until said line strikes the Natchez Trail; and from thence north, along the said Natchez Trail to the northern boundary line of said county of Lowndes." And again December 23, 1833, it was extended to include "all the territory south of a line, running from the junction of the Buttahatchie River, with the Tombigbee River, to the northeast corner of Oktibbeha County, and east of and between Oktibbeha County and the Tombigbee River and north of Noxubee County." Finally in 1872, its northern and western limits were modified, when some of its area was taken to form part of the county of Clay.
The County Seat is Columbus, it may have been named for an older Eastern city by that name, or it may have been named directly for Christopher Columbus. A county in North Carolina is named Columbus, and there are county seats named Columbus in Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas.
The first County Court convened at Columbus, April 12, 1830, and consisted of Thomas Sampson, President, and Micajah Brooks, Samuel B. Morgan, Associates. Other county officials the same year were R.D. Haden, County Clerk; Nimrod Davis, Sheriff; John H. Morris, Assessor and Collector; O.P. Brown, County Treasurer and William L. Moore, County Surveyor.
That portion of the county lying east of the Tombigbee River is older historically by fourteen years than the western part, as the former came under territorial control by the Choctaw cession of 1816, while the western part was not acquired until the Choctaw cession of 1830. The first white man to reside permanently upon the soil of what is now Lowndes County, was Maj. John Pitchlyn, the son of an English army officer, who was reared from boyhood among the Choctaws, and was in after life the sworn interpreter of the United States in various treaties and dealings with the Choctaws.
The following is a list of the pioneer settlers on the east side of the Tombigbee, as compiled by William A. Love, in his interesting sketch of Lowndes County: Settlers in 1817, John Halbert, Silas McBee, Benjamin Hewson; 1818, Thomas Cummings, William Butler, Peter Nail, William H. Craven, Newton Beckwith, John McGowan, Westley Ross, A. Cook, James Brownlee, John Portwood, Thomas Kincaid, Ezekiel Nash, Wm. Weaver, Thomas Cooper, Cincinnatus Cooper, Conrad Hackleman, David Alsop, Spirus Roach, Thomas O. Sampson, Hezekiah Lincecum, Gideon Lincecum; 1819, Robert D. Haden, Ovid P. Brown, Richard Barry, Dr. B.C. Barry, Martin Sims, Bartlet Sims, William Cocke, Thomas Townsend, William L. Moore, William Ellis, William Leech, John Egger.
The early settlements at Plymouth, West Port, Nashville and Moore’s Bluff, are now all extinct, but were important trading points on the Tombigbee River in the early history of the county. These early settlers were attracted from the older states by the richness of the county, its contiguity to a fine navigable stream, its mild climate and the fact that the "Mliitary Road," from New Orleans to Nashville, opened by U. S. troops 1817-1820 offered ready means of access to the region
Lowndes County is bordered by Noxubee County (south), Oktibbeha County (west), Clay County (northwest), Monroe County (north), Lamar County, Alabama (northeast) and Pickens County, Alabama (southeast) . Cities and Towns include Artesia, Bent Oak, Billups, Caledonia, Columbus, Crawford, Flint Hill, Forreston, Kolola Springs, Mayhew, McCrary, New Hope, Penns, Plum Grove, Plymouth, Steens, Trinity, Wells, Whitebury and Woodlawn.
See A history of Columbus, Mississippi during the 19th century for More information. The Official County Website is located at ?. Lowndes County, Mississippi History Books at Amazon.com
- Family History Library - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.
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See Also Mississippi Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records
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PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information. Dates following a slash indicate those materials jointly held by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the FHL |
Lowndes County Clerk of Circuit Court has Marriage Records from 1821 and Court Records from 1825 and is located at P. O. Drawer 31, Columbus, Mississippi 39703;
Phone:(662) 329-5900, Fax: (662) 329-5870 .
Duties of the Circuit Clerk include
Receivin and fileing all law suits, indictments, motions and other related papers in all Civil and Criminal Cases filed in the Circuit or County Courts and issues all process including summons and subpoenas,
Draws Jurors and qualifies Juries,
Keeps a record of all Judgments and Executions,
Issues marriage licenses and keeps records of marriages.
Lowndes County Chancery Court Clerk has Land Records from 1821 and Probate Records from 1825 and is located at P. O. Box 684, Columbus, Mississippi 39703; Phone: (662) 329-5805, Fax: (662) 329-5870.
The Chancery Clerk occupies perhaps the most unique and diverse office in all of Mississippi government. The various duties given the Chancery Clerk by statute, or assumed voluntarily by the individual Clerk, cover a wide range of vitally important functions. Some of the duties and functions of the Chancery Clerk are recording the official minutes. As public recorder, the Clerk handles the recording and storage of several types of documents and maintains various indexes that aid people in researching these records. The primary records are deeds and mortgages relating to real property, but the Clerk also records federal tax liens, Lis Pendens ( notices of pending lawsuits ) and military discharges. The Clerk is in charge of the storage and authorized disposal of older land rolls, tax receipts and many other County records after their active use lifespan. As Clerk of the Chancery Court, the Clerk handles a multitude of tasks such as matters of estates, guardianships, conservatorships, divorces, child custody, adoption, property disputes and other matters of equity.
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There are a few online marriage databases which include: Mississippi Marriages 1767-1935; Mississippi Marriages to 1825; Mississippi Marriages 1826-1850 and Mississippi Marriages 1826-1900. Omline Land records include Mississippi Land Records; Land Claims in Mississippi Territory, 1789-1834 and the BLM Land Records which covers the State of Mississippi. May pioneers and settelers bought land from the government instead of individuals. Online court records include Mississippi Court Records, 1799-1835
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Below is a list of online resources for Lowndes County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Lowndes County Court Records by clicking the link below:
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See Also Vital Records in Mississippi
Some documents are just too important to wait six weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. Birth, Marriage, Divorce & Death Certificates Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Often in as few as three business days!
Lowndes County Health Department has Birth
and Death
Records from November of 1912 .and is located at 1112 Military Road,
Columbus, MS 39701; Phone: 662-328-6091. You may go to any county health department in the State of Mississippi to obtain a certificates can be issued while you wait.
Contact Chancery Clerk for County Divorce Records (See Lowndes County Court Records for Address and Phone number) in the county where divorce was granted, and Contact Clerk of Circuit Court Judge For County Marriage Records (See Lowndes County Court Records for Address and Phone number) in county where license was issued
Mississippi Department of Health is located in the Underwood Building, 571 Stadium Drive, just off North State Street near Woodrow Wilson Avenue in Jackson, Mississippi. The phone number is 601.576.7981. They have the following records:
- Birth Certificates: The Mississippi Department of Health began filing birth certificates in November of 1912 for persons born in Mississippi.
For earlier records, contact the Mississippi Department of Archives and History at (601) 576-6876.The certified copy of the birth certificate is available for $12.00 for the first copy and $3.00 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. You can download an application online for Birth Certificates. You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates much quicker by ordering HERE
- Death Certificates: The Mississippi Department of Health began filing death certificates in November of 1912 for persons who died in Mississippi. For earlier records, contact the Mississippi Department of Archives and History at (601) 576-6876. The fee for a certified copy of a death certificate is $10.00. Each additional copy ordered at the same time is $2.00. You can download an application online for Death Certificates. You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates much quicker by ordering HERE. Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE
- Marriage Certificates: The Mississippi Department of Health began filing Marriage records from January 1, 1926 to June 30, 1938, and for January 1, 1942 to present. for marriages that occurred in Mississippi. (Information for marriages prior to 1926 must be obtained from the Clerk of Circuit Court office in the county where the marriage license was issued.).The fee for a search of the records and a certified copy is $10.00. Additional copies ordered at the same time are $2.00 each. You can download an application online for Marriage Certificates. You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates much quicker by ordering HERE
Checks or Money Orders should be made payable to "Vital Records." Please do not send cash. Fees are non refundable. Additional fees are required for expedited service. Mail all Applications to: Mississippi Vital Records, P.O. Box 1700, Jackson, MS 39215-1700. You can download an application online for Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates or Death Certificates. You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates much quicker by ordering HERE
Below is a list of online resources for Lowndes County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Lowndes County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
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See Also Research In Census Records
Federal Population Schedules that exist for Mississippi are 1820, 1830 (Partial), 1840, 1850, 1860 (Partial), 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. In
1817 Mississippi became the twentieth state to enter the union;
therefore, the first federal population census available is
that of 1820.
Variations of this census appear in three printed forms, none
of which include slave or miscellaneous information.
Enumerations for Pike County are missing in 1830, but the Gillis
index used extant tax records to supplement their index. Transcriptions
are subject to error; use these reprints simply as a guide to
the original records.
A significant addition to the 1840 census supplies the names
and ages of pensioners. Schedules are missing for Hancock, Sunflower,
and Washington counties in 1860.
By 1870, with slavery abolished, all blacks, natives, and Chinese
were included, along with information regarding citizenship.
With the destruction of the 1890 population schedules, only
the schedules enumerating Union veterans are available for Mississippi. There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms
See Also Statewide Records that exist for Mississippi
Below is a list of online resources for Lowndes County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Lowndes County Census Records by clicking the link below:
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Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Alabama and other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for Mississippi showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for Mississippi showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries . You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps. The Alabama Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches, cemeteries, roads, ect... free for viewing or download here
Below is a list of online resources for Lowndes County Maps. Email us with websites containing Lowndes County Maps by clicking the link below:
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See Also Military Records in Mississippi
The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.
Below is a list of online resources for Lowndes County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Lowndes County Military Records by clicking the link below:
- Lowndes County, Mississippi Military Books at Amazon.com
- Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
- Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
- Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Filesi (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, from NARA publication M804.
- Southern Claims Commission from the State of Mississippi (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
- View, Print Copy & Save Original Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900 from the State of Mississippi (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Pension applications for service in the U.S. Army between 1861 and 1917, grouped according to the units in which the veterans served.
- Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Mississippi (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Compiled service records of Confederate soldiers from Mississippi units, labeled with each soldier's name, rank, and unit, with links to revealing documents about each soldier
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See Also Research In Tax Records
Local
county courthouses maintain original tax records, both real
and personal. Microfilm copies of the earlier records are found
in the Mississippi Department of Archives and History where
the collection is extensive, but there are gaps. Although not
many, some counties have published selected years of tax rolls.
Below is a list of online resources for Lowndes County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Lowndes County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
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See Also Other Mississippi Genealogical Addresses
The Repositories
in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical
and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical
Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly,
quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies
should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are
usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived
materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be
more generalized and over look the smaller details that local
societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to
look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy
section and may have some resources that are not located at
archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums
in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years
gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All
these places are vitally important to the family genealogist
and must not be passed over.
Below is a list of online resources for Lowndes County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Lowndes County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
- Columbus - Lowndes Genealogical Society, 314 North 7th Street, Columbus, MS 39701
- Columbus Public Library, 314 North 7th Street, Columbus, MS 39701
- Fant Memorial Library (Mississippi University for Women), W-Box 1625 Columbus, MS 39701 ... Phone (601) 329-7332 ... Fax (601) 329-7348.
- Local Mississippi Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
- Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Ph. (601) 576-6850, fax (601) 576-6964
Physical Address: 200 North Street, Jackson, MS 39201
Mailing Address: P. O. Box 571, Jackson, MS 39205-0571
- Mississippi State Records Center, 929 High Str, Jackson, MS 39201; (601) 354-7688
- Mississippi Historical Society, PO Box 571, Jackson, MS 39205-0571
- Mississippi Genealogical Society, PO Box 5301, Jackson, MS 39296-5301
- Mississippi Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
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See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Mississippi
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Click Here to Search Mississippi Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships. |
There are many churches and cemeteries in Lowndes County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Lowndes County Tombstone Transcription Project.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches and cemeteries free for viewing or download here.
Below is a list of online resources for Lowndes County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Lowndes County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
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When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Lowndes County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Lowndes County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
- Lowndes County, Mississippi Family Books at Amazon.com
- Search 60 Years Of Everton Data: For the first time ever you can get access to more than 150,000 pedigree files and family group sheets from Evertons. Learn More
- Search the Family Tree DNA Project- Use DNA testing to break through your genealogical barriers!
- Sites on USGenweb: [ Lowndes County ] [ Mississippi ] [ Main Page ]
- [GenForum Message Boards] [Rootsweb Message Boards]
- Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
- Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
- Meet your ancestors. Learn their stories. Start your FREE family tree.
- Mississippi Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
- Genealogical Document Search and Retrieval Service
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As early as 1817, some scattered settlements were made in this region, and in 1818 Dr. Gideon Lincecum built the first house on the present site of Columbus. His autobiography contains the following reference to this incident: "We made preparations to set out (from Tuscaloosa, Alabama) on November 1, 1818. In the afternoon of the twelfth day we reached the Tombigbee River, three miles above where Columbus now stands, and there I made my camp. Father went two hundred yards below and pitched his tent. As soon as I got my house done, I went over the river to see the Choctaws. After the road was made by the government from Nashville to Natchez, which crossed the river where Columbus now stands, I went down there to see what kind of a place it was. I thought it was an eligible town site. I was so fully impressed with this belief, that I went home and rived a thousand boards, put them on a raft and floated them down the river with the intention of building a snug little house on a nice place I had selected. I was not the oniy person that had noticed the eligibility of that locality, for when I got down to the place, a man named Coldwell was about landing a keel-boat. He was from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and had a cargo of Indian goods which he calculated on opening on that bluff as soon as he could build a house to put them in. I proposed to sell him my boards and he in turn proposed to sell me his goods. After some parleying, I took the goods, hired his boat hands and went to work, and in three days had knocked up a pretty good shanty. We soon got the goods into it and commenced opening boxes and taking stock; but the Indians heard of the arrival and flocked in by hundreds. I began selling whiskey and such goods as we had marked, and this prevented us from work in the day time. Having only night time to work on the invoice, it took ten days to get through, but I had sold enough to pay the first installment and Coldwell went home highly pleased. I bartered with the Indians for every kind of produce, consisting of cowhides, deer skins, all kinds of furs, skins, buck horns, cow horns, peas, beans, peanuts, pecans, hickory nuts, honey, beeswax, blowguns, etc. Every article brought cash at 100 per cent, on cost. I made frequent trips to Mobile for sugar, coffee and whiskey, staple articles in the Indian trade, but all my drygoods came from the house of Dallas and Wilcox, Philadelphia."
In the extreme southwestern part of the county was an old postoffice known as Dailey’s Cross Roads for its postmaster John A. Dailey. Another old postoffice that antedated the building of the railways, was Prairie Hill, in the west central part of the county. The early settlements at Plymouth, West Port, Nashville and Moore’s Bluff, are now all extinct, but were important trading points on the Tombigbee River in the early history of the county. These early settlers were attracted from the older states by the richness of the county, its contiguity to a fine navigable stream, its mild climate and the fact that the "Mliitary Road," from New Orleans to Nashville, opened by U. S. troops 1817-1820 offered ready means of access to the region. A little later, when the Indian lands were offered for sale, settlers came in rapidly, and as early as 1837, the county had a population of 5,495 whites and 7,362 slaves.
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