xt7rr49g7g55 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7rr49g7g55/data/mets.xml Amite County, Mississippi Mississippi Historical Records Survey 1937 Prepared by The Historical Records Survey, Division of Women's and Professional Projects, Works Progress Administration; Includes index; ii, 85 leaves, illustrated, 28 cm; UK holds archival copy for ASERL Collaborative Federal Depository Program libraries; Call number Y 3.W 89/2:43 M 69i/no.3 books English Jackson, Mississippi: The Survey This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed in accordance with U. S. copyright laws. Mississippi Works Progress Administration Publications Inventory of the County Archives of Mississippi, Number 3 Amite County (Liberty) text Inventory of the County Archives of Mississippi, Number 3 Amite County (Liberty) 1937 1937 2015 true xt7rr49g7g55 section xt7rr49g7g55   rn . \ K:   5 7 . Aix rr I ’ 71,1- #,1 » VAT >.   A
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  `   No. 3. AMITE COUNTY ·
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 INVSNTGRY OF THE COUNTY ARCHIVES
OF qIoSlo5I:il
Prepared by
The Historical Records Survey
Divlsion of Nom©n's and rrofossloual Erojocts
Works Progroos idmimismrltiom
NO¤ 3. AulTE COUNTY {LloQRlY)
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The Historical Hecoriz Survey
Seytombor, lQ}Y

 PREFACE
Tho Survey of state und locul historicul rccords, known is thc
Historical Records Survcy, was ostublishod in Jonu ry, l9}6, under thc
A notional direction of Dr. Luther H. Evuns. It was inuugurotcd us a part
of tho Fodcrul Writers' Projects and work vis started in Missiosippi in
Fobruury, l936. later tho Mississippi survey was made n ccpuruto unit
to continuo under the stare direction of N. 3. Hgyuic who h;d nchod uc
supervisor from tho beginning or tho work. Mr. Hiymic hooded thc Survey
until July l5, l9}7. C. C. Fishcr, formerly cditor—in—chicf is now
Store Director.
Tho gonor;l objective of the Historical Records Survey his boon to
locitc, prcscrvo, and make acccssiblc muioriol for rosogrch into Amcricin
history by guihoring imformition on the cxistcncc and general chiructcr
of collections oi hinhoriccl ditu throughout thc Umitcc Statcs.
To uccomplizh this purposc specifically, thc Survcy his unucri;kcm to
chock public rccorio kagt by stobc, county, ind municipll governments ind
_ propnro dcscriptivc, uniform inventories of theo; rgccrds. Xork to follow
will bc thc compilution of lisis of historic l mgmuscripts and mapm in do-
positorics and privutc collections. Anothcr task Jill be loc ting »nl in-
vcntoryimg the rzcordc of all churches in all couuiics und urrguginy un
historicul sketch of c;ch church builuing togath¤r with imporiumb frcic
iboub the dovoloymcnt of thc rcligious cni sociul life of ouch county
is rcvoulcd by inc rccordo. An inventory of W portion of th; rccoruc,
books, and pcpcrc in thc Siutc Dopcrimcut of nrcuivcc ind History has occn
put unéor muy.
Tho Survoy plums to punlish um Invcnto s gg
mississiugi in 82 units, one for oich county in the sb,tc. Euch county
inventory will bc numbered scp;r;Loly from l ko U2, the numbering dopcnd-
ing on thc rclutivc uosition of oich county in on olphunoticul list of
all tho counties in the stxtc. Thus, thc numocr for thc inventory of
Amito County is 3. Tho invcntorics of thc stitc urchivcs, church rccords,
and of municipal und other loc l rgcorus will be published scpcr;tcly·
The vzrious unit; of che lgxlgcory of ih; Coug§y_£rcgiXjs of uiigigg-
iopi will bo mim.ogr;yhc; for froc distribution to chute ind county of- ·
ficoro, to yuolic librurics in Mississippi ;md to u limibci numbor of
libraries and govcrnmcut agcncigc ouisiuc thc chute.
In Missiscipoi, ctrqss hus boon placed on complcting u obuiv-uiuc
examination of county records yith thc vicw to orccerving ihom and mik-
ing thou more Accosciulo to thc public. By usscmblinq umu yrcyurinq con-
cisc, uctoilod inventories of, or guicos to the crcuivcr of ouch county,
thc Survey Jill make uvuilublc un imstrumcni which will; dizpluy for com-
parison tho rocords sysicm of the S2 countics of the ctuto, thc mhudy of
which may lood to the uuopbion of a simplified, stunuurlizod method ibut
will oliminabc uunccoasury und ovcrl;pping rcooric, givz u com,rch¤mci¢o
medium which will I niliarizo thc Qomcrnl public with hickory is cho n uy
rccordc imo arousc inicraat in it; ind help officc holders Lo 4 ncthcr
undorsiumdinj of the cx ot scope oi their office rccoria ..i. uu show thou
tho rocori work of their pradcccszors.
i

 ii
The survey of the records of Amite County was started January 8, 1937
and was finished March 25, 1937. Mrs. Norma Hardy, Historical Rycords dur-
t vcy field worker, completed the work unaided by other paid assistants. Be-
tween gay l, 193o and November, l936, preliminary work had been done in tho
county by Mrs. Ruby Toler Hazelwood. hrs. Hardy's husband, N. H. Hardy,
voluntarily helped Mrs. Hardy examine the records and by doing so, expedited
the survey in this county. No advisory committee was formed but all county
officers showed great interest in the work and gave valuable assistance.
Q. G. Nelson, chanccry clerk; H. Gt Gordon, circuit clerk; and J. N. Steel,
superintendent of education, all cooperated with the Survey. John Parker,
who is writing a history of Amite County, generously furnished much inform ~
·tion and many facts, Miss Alun Causey, Amite County director of the WPA
state~wide Historical Research Project, was likewise helpful.
The records of Amite County are in as good condition as could be ex-
pected under the circumstances. The historic courthouse, built in 1840, is
small and does not provide enough storage space to care for the accumulated
records of 128 years. However, through a WEA project an attempt has been
made to enlarge the facilities, and only the lack of money has prevented the
completion of the much~needed improvement. _
The inventory of county records of Amite County was prepared in the
state office in Jackson, mississippi, by an editorial staff of which Robert
E. Strong is editor-in~chief.
57 K7 -,J_ ,4 2
Ct  ¤.“a.tQ;*   “
State Director
Historical Records Survey
for Mississippi

 .-1-
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. Amite County and Its Records System
Page
1. Historical Sketch of Amite County... ..............¤...,.°¤.,..... .. 3
Development of Counties in Hississippi..... ..¤............. ..... 5
2. Governmental Organization and Records System..... ..¤. . .... ......... 7
Chart of Amite County Governmental Organizations.... ....... .....1OA
3. Housing, Care, and Accessibility of Records... ...... ...... ...... ... ll
4. List of Abbreviations and Explannatory Notes........ .... ........... 13
B. County Offices and Their Records
I. Board of Supervisors. ............... . ......... . ....... . .... . .... 15 A
Proceedings. Claims. Warrants. Bonds. Road Overseers* Commis-
sion.
II. Recorder. ...................... . ..... . .......................... 19
Abstracts. Deeds. Homesteads. Leases. Land Sales and Redemp·
tions. Discharge Record. Newspapers and Maps. Miscellaneous.
III. Clerk of the Chancery Court... ........ . .... ..... ............... . 22
Proceedings and Case Records. Dockets and General Court Rec-
ords. Apprentices. Fees. Certificates. Wills and Estates.
IV. Circuit Clerk......................... ............ .... ...... .... 28
Proceedings and Case Records. Dockets and General Court Rec-
V ords. Indictments. Fees. Certificates, Poll and Registration
Records. Marriages. Licenses. Naturalization Records.
V. County Court. .... ................ ...... . ................... ..... 37
VI. Justice of the Peace ........... ........ ..... . ........ . .......... 44
VII. County Prosecuting Attorney..... .... . ................. . .... ..... 49
VIII. Sheriff....... .... ....... ........... .... ...................... .. 5C
IX. Constable.... .... ..... ........... . .... .... ......... .... ..... .... 53
X. Coroner........ ...... . ............... . ......... . .... . .......... . 53
XI. Tax Assessor......... ...... ........... .... ...... ................ . 54
. ` Assessments. Tax Rolls.
XII. Tax Collector................. .................................. 57
Cash Receipts. Privilege Licenses. Tax Receipts. Tax Sales
Records. Register of Motor Vehicles,
XIII. Treasurer and Auditor................... ........ .. ........ ...... 61
XIV. County Superintendent of Education.......... .................. .. 64
Administrative. Certificates. Teachers’ Records. School Trans-
portation. 16th Section Records. Educable Children.
XV. County Health Officer.... ....................................... 7O
Vital Statistics.
XVI. Clerk of the Pension Board of Inquiry.. ..... . .............. . .... 71
XVII. Surveyor....... ..... .......... ....... . .................. ........ 73

 -2..
Table of Contents
Page
XVIII. R&ngsr.... ..... ....... ............ .. ...°.¤.¤¤.....°.,...¤.. ... 74
XIX. County Agricultural Domonstriction Agont...... ...... ........... 75
Reports, Cotton Control. Soil Conservation; Miscellaneous.
XX. County Agent of Homo Economics .......... . ..................... 78
XXII Indcxlllllllllbtitco¤¤IOi|•¤|¤\O•¤¤|•I•¤¤••6¤lII¤¤•!0|•¤¤a¤¤¤I  
I

 -3- »
1. ·HISTORlCAL SKETCH OF ANITL COUNTY
Amite County was established February 24, 1809 with an original area
of 1,729 square miles (Turner‘s Digest of the Statutes of the M. T., p.
95, part 23, sec. 1). The county seat is Liberty, a small farming town
with a population of 551. Amite was the fifth county to be organized in
the Mississippi Territory and it is situated in the southwestern corner
of the state in the old Natchez District. When the Territory was created
April 7, 1798, its white population was concentrated in this fertile
region where some 6,000 people lived. The section was first settled in
1716 by the French who lost it along with Canada to the English in 1763.
In reality, a fourteenth colony of English when the seaboard colonies re-
belled in 1776, it was seized in 1779 by Galvez, Spain‘s brilliant young
Governor from New Orleans. The Natchez District, ruled by the Dons, was
the center of a suave, punctilious civilization supported by the growing
commerce of the River and the local raising of indigo and tobacco. In
1795 the Spaniards by the Treaty of San Lorezo el Real recognized American
Territorial rights as far south as the 31st parallel, but they would not
evacuate and by a policy of procrastination attempted to retain the land
contrary to the treaty. The Federal Government, urged on by Ohio Valley -
and Kentucky settlers, ousted the Spaniards in 1798 and took possession of
the Natchez region. The cotton gin had been invented in 179}, cheapening
the expensive process of separating the fiber from the seeds. The gin,
slave labor, a mild climate, and fertile soil combined to make the Natchez
country one of the first great cotton—producing areas in the South. The
River swarmed with thousands of flatboats that drifted down from the upper
Valley and disgorged cargoes of freight and settlers at the town of Nat-
chez on the bluffs. The Natchez Trace, the ago-old Indian Trail connect-
ing Natchez and Nashville, opened up by the United States in 1801, teemed
with inrushing pioneers who came to claim a share of the cheap, plentiful
land and the crop of white gold that could be raised on it. From this
fecund country in 1799, within a year after the Mississippi Territory had
been established, Adams and Pickering Counties were organized. Subsequent-
ly five additional counties arose in the District: Wilkinson, Amite, Frank-
lin, Claiborne, and Warren. In 1802 the name of Pickering County was chang-
ed to Jefferson to honor Thomas Jefferson. ·
Wilkinson County, formed from Adams County in 1802, was divided to
create smite County. The boundaries of the new county, as specified in
the original organization act were, "Beginning at the thirty mile post,
east of the Mississippi River on the line of demarkation (the line running
between the United States and Spanish West Florida) and running with the
township line due north until it intersects the line of Adams County,
thence with the said line east to the line of Washington County (the ori-
ginal Washington County, set up June 4, 1800, is now a part of Alabama)
_ thence along said line to the aforesaid line of demarkation, thence west
along the said line to the place of beginning; and all that country lying
east of the dividing line shall compose one county by the name of Amite."
(Original Acts of the Territorial Legislature, Series D. Vol. 6. Dept. of

 ,4-
Historical Sketch of Amite County
Archives and History, Jackson; Turner‘s Digest, l€lb, p. 95, part 2}, sec.
1). The Western boundary line of Washington County in l€O9 was Pearl
River (Turmer's Digest, p. 87, part 21, Proclamation of Governor Winthrop
Sargent). Marion County was established December 9, loll and took the east-
ern part of Amite County from the eo mile post on the line of demarcation
ieet to Pearl River (igig., p. lO5, part 51, sec. lll). In turn, from the
Jostern portion of Marion County, Pike County was created in l8l5 end Wel-
uhell County was established in l9l4. Thus it can be said that these two
counties were organized from land that originally belonged to Amite County.
The remaining boundaries have been unchanged and at present Amito County is
bounded on the north by Franklin and Lincoln Counties, on the east by Pike
County, on the south by the Louisiana line, and on the west by Wilkinson
County.
Early French explorers found peaceful Indians living along the small
stream that flows through the region that ie now Amite County so they nimed
them the "emite" or friendly Indians and they called the stream the "2mite" -
` river. The district became known as the Amite country and th,t Home was giv-
en to the new county in lSO9.
The 19jO census showed the county to heve a population of l9,7l2 of
which 9,271 were native white and 10,417 were negro. It is an isolited,
rural, and agricultural community that is industrialized only by a numeer
of scattered cotton gins, saw mills, and grist mills. One railroad touches
the county only on e portion of the western border where Gloster, popula-
tion l,lj9, the largest town in the county, was established in loo}. Approx-
imately J2 percent of the county's 714 square miles of area is under culti-
vetion and its assessed property value io $4,200,32}. Its rurel—ferm popu-
l¤~¤i¤¤ ie 1J’¤G5L¤-· <éiemzi;zl-.Be;w2;i-.g£;a;2éeeutzl2;;-2£-§iel2,..i2.i1;.@.-L2ei;‘·.l2-
E2E.<2...<2£.illé;§.iL£<1;~2£.22li-.l.5ilj1;lQQ} ·
The original settlers of ihe Amlme country oeme principally from the
Carolinas, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and the upper portions of Miesiss- ’
ippi. Most of them arrived with the heavy surge of imnigretion that follow-
ed the signin; of the Treaty of Chickasaw dluffs in l€Ol whereby the Chicke-
sew Indians in return for being allowed to operate all tavern; and ferries
on the Netcnez Trice, eunrunteed the unmolestcd peeeege of immigrants and
United States soldiers along the trail. Many others came the "Luke Route";
down the Ailuntic Oceen, around Florida, across the Gulf of Mexico and the
Mississippi bound, through Lakes Ponehertrain and Mourepes, and Hy the Amiie
River, or through Beyou Mancheo from the Lekes and up the Missieni;gi River
to Natchez. Still many more drifted down the Mississippi River on fleiboeis
with their families, slaves, livestock, and all their household poeeeeoione.
The first ceuous of the county made in l8lO and certified mc oy eedeoley
Gayden, tex eesessor and collector, placed the population at 3,68Q of wnloh
2,594 were white, l,O69 were eleves and nine were free colored (Orioimel
Acts of the Territorial Legislature, Series D, vol. 5, Department cf Archives
end History, Jlckson, Mies,). The lend they cleered wes turneu to common
raising and the simple was hauled YO miles over the old Liberty load to
Natchez to be sold. Cotton is siill che leeding produce of Amite County.
I

   ..5..
Development of Counties in Mississippi
Q The county organization act provided for the appointment of five com-
missioners (James Robertson, Thomas Waggoner, Joshua Collins, Rooert Mont-
i gomery, and James Chandler) to choose a site for the county seat "by pur-
chase or otherwise, not less than 50 acres of land, and not more than half
a mile from the center of the county, including a good spring; nearest to
the center of the county whereon to erect public buildings." Reserving
two acres for the building, the tract was to be laid out into half acre
lots and sold at public auction, the money derived from the sale to be ap-
plied toward defraying the expenses of erecting the public buildings of the
county (ibid.). The town, called Liberty, developed into a typical inland
planters' business center influenced by wealth and culture based on the
growing of cotton.
The first officers of Amite County were appointed by the Governor, March
24, 1509, and included the following; five justices of the peace who constitu-
ted the county court, one of whom was chief justice of the orphans‘ court; a
clerk of county court, a surveyor, and a sheriff. A tax assessor and collect-
or and a clerk of superior court were appointed January l, 1810 (§egiste;_gQ
é;s;~z2énh¤2sidl.@£.a%rQ—i.@·iaai.Q£f.`-ic..s>.r.s-;¢19@i.l@>.§..i2;».§l2» D¤r&rt¤€¤¤t Of A¤¤hiv<¤S»
Jackson, niss.). 4
The first courthouse, a log building, was erected in ldll. Until it was
· ‘ completed, court was held in the home of William Richardson on Conne1l's Mill
Greek  D 3 9 9
There still remained the task of extinguishing Indian titles within the
limits of the Territory. The Choctaw Indians were eliminated by three trea-
ties: the treaty of Mount Dexter, November 16, 1805; the treaty of Doak's
Stand, October 20, 1520; and the treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, September
27, 1320. Two treaties, that of Chickasaw Old Fields, Jeptember 20, 1816, ·
and that of Pontotoc Creek, October 20, 1832, ridded the state of the Chick-
asaw Indians.
On May 14, 1312, the United States formally annexed the coast section
known as the Mobile District and ended the Spanish regime in Mississippi.
Dy 18jé, 19 years after mississippi became a state, its entire area had
been converted into counties; those originating later bein; formed by dis-
membering and dividing counties already existing. _
Bibliography
American State Papers, Class Il, Vol. I.
Claiborne, J. F. H., mississippi as a Province, Territory and State, Vol. 1;
Jackson, hiss., 18dO. 1
Claiborne, N. C. G., Official Letter Books of, edited by Dunbar Rowland,
Director of State Depirtment of Archives and History; Jackson, hiss., 1917.
Dunbar, Seymour, A History of Travel in America; Tudor Publishin; Co., Ney
York, 1937.
Mississippi Official and Statistical Register, Department of Archives and
History; Jackson, hiss., 1908.
Mississippi Official and Statistical Register, Department of Archives and
» History; Jackson, Liss., Centennial Edition, l$17.

 $4
; -7-
7 Governmental Organization and Records System
Mississippi Provincial Archives, 1704-1743, Vols. I-III; Rowland and Sanders,
, Jackson, Miss., 1929.
1 Rowland, Dunbar, Mississippi, The Heart of the South; Chicago--Jackson, 1925.
United States Statutes at Large, Vol. 7.
wailes, B. L. G., Report on the Agriculture and Geology of Mississippi; Jack-
son, Miss., 1854.
3. GOVjRNIENFAL ORGANIZATION AND RECORDS SYATEH
Mississippi is made up of 82 counties. The first two were created in
April, 1799, and the last one was organized in 1918. The largest county,
Yazoo, contains 905 square miles, and the smallest, Alcorn, contains 366
square miles. The most populous, Hinds, has 85,212 inhabitants, and the
least populous, Stone, 5,704. The population of the state is 2,009,821 of
which 898,807 are native white and 1,009,718 are negro. Mississippi is the p
only state in which the number of negroes exceeds the number of whites {Fif-
teenth Census of the U. S., Vol. III, part 1).
An Agricultural Commonwealth
Government in Mississippi has developed to meet the economic and social
requirements of a rural and agricultural community that has not been mate-
rially affected by urban and industrial influences. Early settlers were
attracted by the fertile soil and the equable climate. Their descendants
have clung tenaciously to the land and to the one-crop economy of cotton
raising. The state has the largest rural population of any of the states,
83.1 percent being classed as rural and 67.7 percent being designated as . M
rura1—farm. Only 1} cities have a population of more than 10,000 and in
1930, Jackson, the capital and largest city, had a population of 48,282,
O followed by Meridian with 31,594 and Vicksourg with 22,94} (ibid.),
Cotton, politics and government have always been important features
of social and economic life and the records reflect these influences,
1 Social Factors in the Organization of Counties
In the creation of counties in Mississippi, as in other states, admin-
istrative convenience was frequently considered; but perhaps more weight
was given to local pride, to the ambitions of a growing center, to the do-
sire of individuals to exercise greater influence in county administration
and to have their friends and neighbors installed as county officials, to
some transitory jealousy or antagonism, or to some considerations havinm
to do primarily with the courts.

 ? -8-
Governmental Organizntion and Records System
4 9
Tradition played an important part in thc establishment of counties.
The Iirst settlers brought with them ideas of government to which they had
l become accustomed. Institutions existent in oldcr states were frequently
and with slight modification transplanted to Mississippi, In thc minds of
most people of thc time, county government bulkcd lnrgcr und sccmcd more
important than the ccntral government of thc state. It was thc only govern-
ment with which many persons ever cnmc in contact, Thus, there are today
in thc county and in thc internal organization of thc county, survivals of
institutions which can bc traced through thc original American colonies back
to medieval dngland.
Furthermore, in tho early history of mississippi there was rcnl need
for thc county. The people lived in separated communities, cnch with its
own local needs. A high dcgrcc of centralization in government would at
that time have been impractical. Roads wcrc poor. Rivers were widely used
_ for transportation. Communication was difficult and cxpcnsivc. Judicial
convenience contributed to thc establishment of thc county as n fact und a
tradition.
Legal Status of thc County
The county in Mississippi, as in other commonwcalths, is a territorial
area established by thc state govcrnmont for convenience of ndministrntion.
Tho supreme court of Mississippi remarked that "A county is n govcrnmcntcl
agency, created for locol purposcs;" but the court uddcd that it is also
“for many purposes, a corporuti0n...or at least is clothed with corporate
functions" in relation to certain subjects. (Rainey vs. Hinds County, 78
Miss. 313). Thus thc county in this, as in other statcs, is not a municipal
corporation, it is a quasi—municipal corporation. It cannot be sued, cxccpt
by virtue of u law passed in tho legislature (Miss. Codc, l$3C; scc. 2l4).
(Report of thc Brookings Institution on thc Organization und Administration
of state and County Government in Mississippi — l9}2).
The IBGO constitution (soc. 260) stipulates thnt a new county cannot
be created unless & majority of thc qualified electors of thc county or
counties concerned, voting at a special election, approve of such creation.
The como section specifics that no county contain less than 4OO square miles _
_ and thut no existing county bc reduced below that size. Thus it appears
that tho legislature cannot abolish n county without thc consent of a major-
ity of tho electors in thc area conccrncd. However, the legislature is not
prevented from changing county boundaries without thc consent of the people.
Functions
The principal functions of the county in Mississippi can bc classified
as follows: (lj administcring thc fiscal and business uffcirs of thc county;
(2) enforcing stutc laws and dacrces; (3) administering justicc; (4) holding
clcctions; (5) collecting taxcs; (6) maintaining thc pence; (7) acting as o
recording agency; (8) cdministcring education; (9) rcgullting hcnlth und can-
itntion; (lC) supcrvising agricultural work.

 m
J
/
-9-
V Governmental Organization and Rccords System
Administration of Affairs
Tho board of supervisors, givcn oxtraordinary powers and duties, admin-
isters thc business and fiscal affairs of thc county. Thic scmi—lcgislutivc
body has exclusive and absolute disbursing power, may borrow money and issue
bonds. On it arc conferred gcncrul authority of organization, supervision
and control; the power to levy taxes, purchase supplies, care for county
buildings, and make all contracts for public works. It is givcn jurisdiction
ovcr all matters of county police and ovcr many in thc ficld of county educa-
‘tion, public health and welfare, agriculture and foroctry. As a matter of
courso, thc board of supervisors occupies an all—importont, patcrnalistic
position in thc political, cconomic, and social mako-up of thc county.
The chanccry clerk has boon dolcgatcd a multitude of unollicd dutics,
functions and responsibilities which make his office unique in Amcrican
county govcrnmont. As thc business of conducting thc affairs of thc coun-
ty has grown in volume and complexity, more ond moro administrative burucns
havc been imposed on_thc chanccry clcrk. Consoqucntly, ho has bccomc thc
most important und influential county official. In gcncrul thc duties which l
have been conferred upon thc chanccry clerk, in addition to his functions as
clerk of tho court, arc those of: clark of thc board of supervisors, recorder,
auditor, clerk of thc pension board of inquiry, treasurer, and accountant.
Enforcement of Lows
Laws arc cnforccd through tho district attorneys, thc county attorncys,
by thc Sheriffs, and by thc constublcs. Tho coroner and rangcr is also u low
cnforccmcnt cfficcr¤
Administration of Justicc
Justice is udniniutcrcd through JuStiCc of pccco courts, county courts,
~ circuit courts, and cnuncory courts. Tho juctico of youco courts huvc been
prominont in county govcrnmcnt from the timc thc first counties wcrc octob-
lished in 1799. Thcir powcr and influence novo boon comowhot decreased in.&
- small numbor of countics whcrc county courts huvc boon croutod, but thcy orc
still important in othor counties. Tho county court, having jurisdiction in
civil suits involving not morc than $1,000, ic thc court of origin of many im~
portant luw·suits und prosccutiono for scricuc criminal offcnoos und is tho
court of appeal from city and justicc courtc. Tho circuit court is thc court
of appoul from thc infcrior courts, has jurisdiction in litigation involving
more than $1,000, and is a court of criminal prosecution. Tho olcrk of tho
V circuit court is also clcrk of tho county court.
» ‘ Tho chanccry court is cssigncd cognizancc in cll ccscs in couity.
· Elections
Tho clork of thc circuit court in rogiotrur of olcctionc und kcotor of
olcction rccords. rho board of cuyorvioorc ic rcquircd to coll zpocial cloc-
tions whcn petitioncd to do so by tmc clcctoruto.

 j`
dl
 
-13-
Governmental Organization and Record Systcm
Tax Gcllcction
The sheriff is the constituted collector of real property and personal
propprty taxes in Mississippi.
Maintenance of Peace
The sheriff, as elsewhere, is charged with maintaining tha peace in his
county. Constables, regularly elective county peace officers, while primari-
ly attached to the Justice of the Peace courts, are directed by law to assist
0th@r proper officials in preserving the peace. The coroner and ranger can be
classified as a conservator of the pcuca.
Recording
The clerk of the chuncery court is the recorder of deeds, deeds of
trust mortiavcs wills court *r0c©cdin¢s and a wide v&ri©t* of cthur
A > lp > s b 2
documents,
Education
The suoerintcmdant of education directs the cmuntv educational rorram
b
as part of the state educational systcm.
The Health Department
The county health officer, appciuicd by the Stato Board of Hunlth, but
paid by the county, regulates health and sanitation work in the county.
Agricultural Pr0gr&m
Uhm agricultural demonstration agent supervisws local agricultural ac-
tivities under the control of thu Extension Department of Mississiypi State
Collage. The county agcnt 0f home economics, working under the direction of _
the county agricultural demonstration agent, carries on home dcmontrntion
work in the county. As prescribed by law fnis office iw flllcd by u womgm.
N0 Standard Records System
with respect to establishing a system of accounting and reporting Lhcrc
has been little advancement made in Mississippi since the fiyst laws warn
drafted in 1779 under the direction of Territorial Governor 8arL©ut. In Luis
instrument the rucorder was directed to "gr0vid© Jurchmwnt or Quod, l¤r;¤ ,
books of royal or other large paper, well bound ¤nd covcrmd, wmursln he shall
record in a fair ;nd leglbla hand ull deeds and c0uvoyunccs."
For the most part the Mississippi Code of 1930 docs not go much fur >=e. ucv
than this as it mmrcly specifies taut officers shall keep "well bound bwsxs
properly imd2xcd."
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