Tenn-Tom Turns 20

The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway is turning 20. Events are planned for Columbus, Amory, Fulton, and Iuka on June 1, 2 & 3.

Cemetery Running Out of Room

Biloxi National Cemetery is expected to reach capacity by the year 2015.

Banking History

Today's feature is a nice history of the Bank of Yazoo City.

Whittens of Winston County

I've not found a lot in the news this week pertaining to Mississippi history, and I've been pretty busy. However, I did locate a nice personal web site about a Mississippi family. The Whittens of Winston County, Mississippi has information on the Winston Guards (Civil War unit), on a family "killing," and other interesting additions that make it a site worth a visit. I actually located the bibliography for the Winston Guards first and checked out the rest of the site because of the careful documentation.

Petition to Preserve Funding

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) has been given a proposed budget of nothing for 2006. Historians, archivists, genealogists, and others interested in making sure this vital part of the National Archives is not eliminated are signing a petition requesting restoration of funding.

Bolivar County

If you haven't been to the Bolivar County MSGenWeb site in awhile, you might want to visit again. The county coordinator has been adding lots of information to the site recently.

The Natchez Trace & American Indians

The Daily Journal has a great article about the presence of American Indians along the parkway.

David Halberstam

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Halberstam has ties to West Point. Read more about his accomplishments and future projects in the Daily Times Leader.

Friars Point Update

Recently I blogged about Friars Point Cemetery in Coahoma County. There's more information on the neglected cemetery that has been published in the Clarksdale Press Register. The cemetery is also known as the Maynard-Fitzgerald Cemetery. This sentence sums up the condition of this historic cemetery:

Sadly, the cemetery has not been kept up by the county the way it is supposed to be maintained.

History Corrected

The city of Port Gibson has two new historical markers correcting misinformation on the previous ones.

FBI Locates Document

Missing for years, the FBI has located a derivative copy of a transcript Emmett Till's 1955 trial. An exhumation of his body is expected soon as the FBI takes a closer look at the Civil Rights case.

Regina Hines Ellison Dies

Mississippi genealogist Regina Hines Ellison has died. The Ocean Springs resident was known for her columns in the Mississippi Press of Pascagoula focusing on Gulf Coast genealogy. She served as editor of the paper until three years ago.

Update: More here.

Update: Leland Meitzler has a nice tribute over at Genealogy Blog.

Update (5/18/05): More here.

Natchez Trace Parkway Completed

After 67 years, the Natchez Trace Parkway project is finally complete. The 444 mile historic road runs from Nashville to Natchez.

Related Clarion Ledger links:

Educational guide

Natchez Trace wildlife

Interactive maps

Slide show

Early years

The DAR and the Trace

Natchez Trace Parkway Completed

After 67 years, the Natchez Trace Parkway project is finally complete. The 444 mile historic road runs from Nashville to Natchez.

Related Clarion Ledger links:

Educational guide
Natchez Trace wildlife
Interactive maps
Slide show
Early years
The DAR and the Trace

Mississippi Delta Photos To Go Online

The Dancing Rabbit Library Consortium, Delta State University, the Tunica Museum, and perhaps others are partnering to bring images of the Mississippi Delta to the Internet.

The Legend of Singing River

Betty Clark Rodgers provides insight on the legend of Singing River.

Hancock Rebels - Part 4

The final installment of the series on this Civil War company.

Friars Point

Les Seals, armed with his metal detector, is combing the grounds at Friars Point looking for historic treasures to donate to the North Delta Museum.

Pemberton House to be Restored

Vicksburg National Military Park officials have announced plans to stabilize the roof on Gen. Pemberton's House.

Vicksburg's Cedar Hill Cemetery

The city of Vicksburg has announced that the maps of Cedar Hill Cemetery are now available to the public through Internet access and on display in the sign cabinet located outside the cemetery office. The public may now view and print out a cemetery map displaying streets, entrance gates and divisions.

Software requirements, for viewing are Adobe PDF viewer. Software requirement for full size printing is printer/plotter dependent. If you have 8 1/2 x 11 paper you may select an area to clip and print, zoom in to area and print, or reduce map to fit page. To access this map, go to www.vicksburg.org, and follow these steps:

1. Select "city government" on the left side of the home page
2. Next, select "departments"
3. At this display page, select "Cemetery-Cedar Hill" from the department menu category dropdown list
4. Place cursor over and click on the words "click here for Cemetery map in PDF format" (located near the top right of this cemetery department page)
5. Click on the PDF link located at the bottom of the cemetery and map information page

If you wish to have a full size copy of either map, an open records request may be made through the City Clerk's office. Please make sure to state which map is requested on the Open Records Request Form.

Future mapping project plans are to include square, lot and ownership information. Sources of information for research and database entries are the Cemetery office maps along with Engineering's map Mylar's, "Record of lands" book, rolodexes of ownership and interment information, book of interments, other written records, City Clerk deed purchase (payment)records, maintenance fee records, monthly Cemetery Sexton Opening/Closing reports, Chancery Clerk Plat Records and deed filings and tombstone record books compiled and published by Walter and Annie Salassi with much assistance from members of the Vicksburg Genealogical Society and the UDC.

The last item listed of which includes a compilation of the Fisher records. Interment name and location information already provided on the City's Cemetery website includes records dating from 1967 up through the present. Records between 1967 and 1974 were obtained by the Cemetery office in 1974 from information provided by A.J. Martin Marble Work's tombstone purchase and placement records.

The City is interested in any records information your office, individuals or groups may have that can be used to assist in research to verify Cedar Hill Cemetery information.

If you have any information, questions, comments or ideas on the city's Cedar Hill Cemetery, please contact Anna Booth at 601-619-7884, 1401 WalnutStreet, Room # 310, Vicksburg, MS 39180 or annab@vicksburg.org

Burger Festival Offers History Lesson

The 3rd Dudie's Burger Festival offers a glimpse into the 19th century.

Finding Relatives

A Tupelo woman is doing a lot to locate a long lost aunt.