Copiah County genealogical forum

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Copiah County, MS Genealogical Forum at genforum.genealogy.com.

MSGenWeb - Interactive Map of Cemeteris of Copiah Co.

Chautauqua Hotel -- Crystal Springs

All are from the Cooper Postcard Collection, Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

"Chautauqua, an adult educational effort to bring entertainment and culture to rural America, was founded by Methodists in Lake Chautauqua, NY, in the late 1800s.  The movement, which was nondenominational, swept the nation.  It reached the height of its popularity in the 1920s.  


President Theodore Roosevelt has been quoted as saying Chautauqua "is the most American thing in America."


Other states may have had more famous locations, but Mississippi was definitely part of the Chautauqua movement -- witness this "daughter" Chautauqua hotel and beautiful lake in Crystal Springs..."

To read the remainder of this post and browse through similar photos, click here to visit Sippiana Succotash.

Hurricane Camille - photo archives

Hurricane Camille

Mississippi Gulf Coast - August 17-18, 1969

"On the night of August 17, 1969 Hurricane Camille hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Many had scoffed at the forecast of unprecedented high winds and expected a rising tide, but in the early morning hours of August 18th were firm believers. Final data on the storm reported wind velocity in excess of 210 miles per hour and a tidal surge in excess of 24 feet topped with at least a 10 foot sea. Many of those who refused to believe the forecast and stayed at home to ride out the storm lived to regret it.
Some did not live through it. The latest survey reveals l34 deaths; 27 missing; 8,931 injured; 5,662 homes destroyed and 13,915 suffering major losses. This is not counting the loss of businesses, other structures, and much of the natural beauty of the Mississippi Coast. The total destruction area of Harrison County alone was 68 square miles. Because of ample warning the death toll was not as high as in some previous hurricanes, but the destruction was unprecedented in United States history to that time."

To read the remainder of this article and browse the hurricane archives of the Harrison County Library, click here.

The Smiths Go to Town…and Often (1940)

"In 1940, The New Haven Railroad created the publicity brochure, The Smiths Go to Town…and Often. This pamphlet publicizes the half hour service – “Yes, a train EVERY HALF-HOUR from early morning till late at night to and from Grand Central Terminal, New York.”

The brochure is directed at commuter families who reside 30-40 minutes outside of New York City. The publication tells the story of the Smith family who “lived on the sound side of Westchester.” The husband, who worked in the city, took the train because he worked long days and wanted to “go with the dispatch” where he “traveled in good company” and “always arrived on time!”

Mrs. Smith loved..."

To read the remainder of this article from the University of Southern Mississippi Libraries, click here.

Copiah County Research

The MSGen Web project has a great website with links to some very useful information for people doing research in Copiah  County. During the course of my work I have found the cemetery indexes on the site to be especially helpful for researchers who know a relative was buried in Copiah County but they don't know when the relative died or the name of the cemetery.  Check out the site and let us know how you like it.

Site features connections to natural disasters

"Were your ancestors in a tornado?  Was grandpa killed working on the railroad?  Did your grandmother talk about the great flood?  Then, GenDisasters is for you.  While we hope that your ancestors never endured the hardships and sufferings from fires, explosions, floods, mine accidents and other disasters, we're here to help you find the ancestors that did.  From fires to floods, train wrecks to tornadoes, we're chronicling every wreck, every accident, every drowning, every storm - every event that touched our ancestors lives."

To find our more, visit www3.gendisasters.com

Blog features local images from days past

http://sippianasuccotash.blogspot.com/

Nostalgic for days gone by?  Check out this blog hosted by Molly (Sukie Carruth) Mandel, featuring "A look upon the past, present and future of the Piney Woods of Mississippi and beyond ...".

Click here to visit LDS's online site familysearch.org.

"The collections and services of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, and its hundreds of branch Family History Centers throughout the world, are concisely described in this comprehensive book. The thirteen contributors are specialists and professionals in their respective fields. Some of the topics discussed are histories of states and foreign countries containing genealogically important facts, explanations of settlement and migration patterns, concise descriptions of record groups and what they contain, tips for accessing the collection, extensive bibliographies, and what can and cannot be accessed at the centers. Included are tables, a list of 100 genealogical reference works on microfiche, and an index."  (www.amazon.com)

Mississippi State Census Records

 (Archival Resource: G 016.929 LAI)

"Territorial and State censuses are located at:

            Mississippi Department of Archives and History

            Archives and Library Division

            P. O. Box 571

            Jackson, Mississippi 39205

Some early censuses were taken by the Spanish in the colonial period. Territorial and state censuses were taken several times from 1792 to 1866. They name only the head of household. In some cases the household in which a birth or death occurred in that year is indicated, but the name of the person who was born or who died is not given. Some of the censuses give the total of males, females and sometimes voters. Census records from 1818 to 1829 have been indexed in Donna Pannell, Early State Census & Vital Statistics Records (Mississippi Department of Archives and History 1986)."
( Lainhart, Ann S. State Census Records. N.p.: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1992. 70. Print.)

Anne Wester (Mississippi Department of Archives and History) advises that 1870 and 1880 state census records have also been added to their indexes (5/23/2012).  

Renegade South Blog

About Renegade South

"This blog is an extension of my website, Renegade South: The Literary Works of Victoria Bynum, www.renegadesouth.com. I created it because, as a historian who uses a lot of records and documents about ordinary people, I enjoy communicating directly with people about history. Whether you are a historian or someone who just likes history, this blog was created with you in mind. 

As the title, Renegade South, suggests, I study southern dissenters of the nineteenth century. Several kinds of renegades pass through the pages of my books and articles: Civil War Unionists and outlaws, multiracial people, unruly women, and political and religious nonconformists. The Free State of Jones, Unruly Women, and The Long Shadow of the Civil War  highlight such folks in the Mississippi Piney Woods, North Carolina Piedmont, and the “Big Thicket” region of Hardin County, Texas.

It’s often hard to imagine that many white southerners..."

To read the remainder of this article and visit Renegade South, click here.

Society of Mississippi Archivisits - Featured Item for March 2012

Heath’s Book of Beauty, 1833 - Special Collections The University of Southern Mississippi Libraries

www.lib.usm.edu

Victorians were known for their gift-giving culture. The gift book was considered a popular item to present for a variety of occasions. These books were highly prized for their beautiful illustrations, decorative bindings, embossed leather covers, gilt edges, and exquisite prose. They allowed...

To read the remainder of this post from the University of Southern Mississippi, click here.

The Society of Mississippi Archivists can be found on Facebook.

If you have any questions about this item, please contact Jennifer Brannock at Jennifer.Brannock@usm.edu or 601.266.4347.