FAMILY DOCUMENTS, Hamilton, Monroe County, Mississippi: 1835 - 1910

by Terry Thornton
email: hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com

The following set of estate papers were bought at Boone's Camp Antique Mall, Boonville, Mississippi. The owner of the shop, Margaret Vanstory, explained she attended an estate sale at Hamilton, Mississippi, some time ago and among the items she acquired was a box of family papers. She sold some of the papers, she explained, but several remained. I bought the lot of them from her because I thought them worthy of being preserved, inventoried and transcribed. Below is an inventory of the thirty-eight individual documents with brief summary of what the document appears to be. A more complete analysis will be offered in subsequent posts. Some of the documents are shown in the photograph below.

The papers relate primarily to the WHITWORTH family but Mrs. Vanstory remembered them coming from the estate sale of a SMITH family. Only one of the documents, the most recent from 1910, relates to J.M. SMITH. Obviously there is a connection yet to be determined between the Whitworth family and the Smith family.

If I am reading the documents correctly, the oldest dates to 1835. One of the more interesting, however, is the most recent document , 1910, for a lease setting up a gin and a mill. Of great personal interest to me is a 1846 deed --- it involves both the surnames NIX and BOYD, both of whom are in my lines.

Transcriptions of individual documents will be posted later at Hill Country. No research has been done on the papers at this point other than to inventory them and to extract the primary names. Meanwhile if you have any of the following names in your line, I'd most appreciate hearing from you.

File # 1

1. Receipt, THOMAS J. WHITWORTH, County Taxes for 1857, dated March 10, 1858. N.H. Dobbs, Sheriff by J. H. Anderson, Deputy.

2. Receipt, THOMAS J. WHITWORTH, for 1862 County and Military Relief Tax, Special Military Tax, dated March 3, 1963. Jno. Vesson, Sheriff

3. Receipt, T.J. WHITWORTH, for 1860 County Tax, J. H. Anderson by J.C. Anderson, D.P.

4. Promissory note, F.M. WHITWORTH, for $60 payable to THOMAS H. WHITWORTH, due December 25, 1860. Signed "his mark" F.M. Whitworth

5. Receipt, T.J. WHITWORTH, for 1863 county tax, state relief tax, and county relief tax, received March 15, 1864, ___?, Sheriff

6. Receipt, T.J. WHITWORTH, for 1867 County Tax an Special Tax, dated March 15, 1868, S.C. Anderson, TC

7. Letter from G.W. GARMANY, Savannah, Georgia, dated April 16, 1887, addressed to John H. WHITWORTH and FENDLE WHITWORTH, Monroe County, Hamilton, Mississippi (no envelope). Letter seeking the address of the heirs of THOMAS WHITWORTH who lived in Franklin County, Georgia about 1824.

8. Receipt # 938 on Sheriff's Office Monroe County Mississippi form. Received from T.J. WHITWORTH the 1870 state and county taxes on real estate (described), receipt dated April 28, 1871, signed J. Anderson, Sheriff and Tax Collector, Monroe County.

9. Receipt, THOMAS J. WHITWORTH ESTATE, county taxes for 1859, signed J.H. Anderson, Sheriff by S.C. Anderson, Deputy

10. Receipt, THOMAS WHITWORTH ESTATE, for 1859 Court house tax and county tax, signed April 18, 1859, J. H. Anderson, Shff by James Moore, Dpty

File # 2

11. Receipt, T.J. WHITWORTH, for County Tax and Military fund, dated June 6, ___?, signed by S.F. Kendrick, Shff by S.C.Anderson

12. Receipt, T.J. WHITWORTH, for Poll, State Tax, County Tax, Special Tax, undated and unsigned

13. Receipt, J.T. WHITWORTH, for 1868 County Tax, Special Tax, dated May 28, 1869, signed by Jas. Oldshaw Shff by R.M. Bradford T.C.

14. Receipt, T.J. WHITWORTH, for 1869 County Tax and Special Tax, dated May 14, 1870, signed S.C. Anderson, TC

15. Receipt, THOMAS J. WHITWORTH, for 1858 Court House Tax and County Tax, undated signed by John H. Anderson, Shff by Jas Moore Dpty

16. Receipt, JOHN L. WHITWORTH, for 1857, Poll Tax, Court House Tax, and County Tax, dated March 11, 1858, signed N.? Dobbs Shff by J. ? Anderson Deputy

17. Promissory note for $450 due and payable to J.T.WHITWORTH, May 1, 1865, signed "his mark" VESTY WHITWORTH on May 1, 1864 (see handwritten note on back)

18. Receipt, J.T. WHITWORTH, for 1866 taxes and collection expenses for County Tax, Printers fee, Advertising, Commission 5%, re: the above cost Commissions for 1866 from B.B. Backer, dated July 6, 1867, signed S.F. Kendrick Shff by S.C.Anderson TC

19. Receipt, from REES (?) STEWARD dated March 30, 1861: "received of J.T. WHITWORTH Sixteen and 80/100 on VISTA WHITWORTH's acct 1858."

20. Power of Attorney, undated, signed by JOHN J. WHITWORTH, naming THOMAS J. WHITWORTH.

21. Receipt on Sheriff's Office Form, J.T. WHITWORTH, the February 27, 1858 Convention Tax on real estate, dated April 22, 1868, signed by S.F.Kenderick Shff by S.C. Anderson TC

22. Receipt on Sheriff's Office Form, T.J. WHITWORTH, the February 27, 1858 Convention Tax on Real estate and personal property, undated, S.F. Kendrick Shff by J.C. Anderson TC

23. Receipt on Sheriff's Office Form, J.B. CRAWFORD, for 1870 State and County Tax, signed May 23, 1871, S.C. Anderson Sheriff and Tax Collector by Jno. R. Gillespie?

24. Receipt, J.T. WHITWORTH, for 1867 taxes, dated April 22, 1868, signed by S.F. Kendrick Shff by S.C. Anderson TC

25. Receipt, THOMAS J. WHITWORTH, 1861 poll, state, county, military, special, and military fund taxes, no specific date, no signature

26. Receipt, L.B. LANKFORD, for state and county taxes for year 1879 dated December 22, 1879 (bottom of form not included)

27. "Knownothing" document --- I am still trying to determine what this document is or means. The word "Knownothing" is written in two places; the name W.B. ? ROBERTS appears; SARAH TAYLOR's name is mentioned. Note on back is not readable at this point.

File # 3

28. Deed, WILLIAM P. GIBSON to HENRY F. COCKERHAM, dated October 4, 1849, signed in front of J.W. Cook JP, recorded March 11, 1851 by T.W. Williams, Clerk. Cockerham, Cook and Williams are of Monroe County; Gibson is of Lafayette County.

File # 4

29. Deed, AMOS CAPPS and ELIZA CAPPS, his wife, to THOMAS WHITWORTH, dated January 2, 1837, signed in front of __? Nix, Justice of the Peace, filed for recording October 27 1838, D.H. Morgan Clerk of Probate Court.

30. Power of Attorney, M.E. WHITWORTH, Calhoun County, Mississippi, appoints HENRY WHITWORTH "attorney in fact" and mentions specifically the lands of M.E. Whitworth lying in Monroe County, Mississippi, signed August 6, 1881, signed and sealed by W. C. Spencer, Clerk of the Chancery Court, Calhoun County.

31. Lease between J.M. SMITH and S.P. COCKERHAM and son J.F. COCKERHAM "in consideration of having a gin and mill for my Commerce and the Community. . ." for a period of ten years and three months, October 11, 1910, to January 10, 1921, signed J.M. SMITH, October 11, 1910 in front of R.W. Eiknor, Supervisor 3rd District, Monroe County, Mississippi.

File # 5

32. Letter, F.F.(?) WHITWORTH of Lafayette County, Mississippi, to his brother, T. J. WHITWORTH, January 14, 1861. No envelope. It is assumed that the letter was sent to T.J. Whitworth of Monroe County, Mississippi. A few given names and nicknames appear within the letter of individuals assumed to be family members.

33. Deed, CHARLES C. WHITWORTH and SUSAN WHITWORTH, his wife, to JOHN L. WHITWORTH, December 14, 1861, signed in front of T. N. Swanzy, Justice of the Peace, filed for recording September 25, 1862, recorded December 12, 1862, C.W. Walton, Clerk of Probate, Monroe County, Mississippi.

File # 6

34. Deed, FENDALL WHITWORTH et al to T. H. WHITWORTH. On February 13, 1860, FENDALL WHITWORTH and ELIZABETH R. WHITWORTH, his wife, of Monroe Country, Mississippi, and THOMAS DUKE and HARRIETT M. DUKE, his wife "in right of his wife the said Harriett," of Lafayette County, Mississippi, lands which descended to us by and at the death of our father THOMAS WHITWORTH late of Monroe County; signed F. H. WHITWORTH, ELIZABETH R. WHITWORTH, T. B. DUKE, and HARRIETT M. DUKE, before Charles Powell, Acting Justice of the Peace, Lafayette County; countersigned February 24, 1860, Rufus A. Morgan, Clerk; recorded August 9, 1867, J.R. Gilleylen, Clerk, of the Probate County, Monroe County, Mississippi. [Probably can be assumed that HARRIETT M. DUKE is the sister of FENDALL WHITWORTH and daughter of the deceased THOMAS WHITWORTH.]

35. Deed, SIMON J. BOYD and ISSABEL BOYD his wife to THOMAS WHITWORTH, November 7, 1835, endorsed August 27, 1836, recorded October 17, 1837, D. H. Morgan, Clerk of the Probate, Monroe County, Mississippi

File # 7

36. Deed, WILLIAM WHITWORTH and MARTHA WHITWORTH, his wife, to THOMAS WHITWORTH, December 5, 1854, attested T.S. Cockerham, Justice of the Peace; recorded November 7, 1857, William G. Elkin, Clerk Probate County, Monroe County, Mississippi

File # 8

37. Deed, THOMAS J. PIRCE and MARY ANN PIRCE, his wife, to ELI WHITWORTH, Administrator of the estate of THOMAS WHITWORTH, September 1, 1856, signed before T.S. Cockerham, Justice of Peace, recorded November 8, 1857, William G. Elkin, Clerk of Probate, Monroe County, Mississippi

38. Deed, December 25, 1846, JOHN W. NIX and SIMON J. BOYD for his infant daughter SARAH JANE BOYD, signed December 25, 1846, before J.W. Cook, Justice of the Peace, dated January 7, 1847.