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This article submitted by Lacey D. Mims, III to the Oktibbeha County Genealogy website at http://oktibbehamsgenealogy.org .
The Commercial Appeal
January 6, 1929
Copyright, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN. Used here with permission. No additional reproduction or distribution of this article in any form is permitted without the written approval of The Commercial Appeal (http://www.commercialappeal.com)
Starkville, Miss, Jan. 5 _
Starkville is a flourishing town of Eastern Mississippi, with a population of nearly 4,000. It was named Starkville in honor of Gen. John Stark of Revolution fame and settled in the 1830’s.
The site selected was near a famous big spring, where the Indians were wont to congregate to make baskets, etc. Around the spring was a grove of sweet gum trees and the spot was known among the Choctaws as “Hic-a-sha-ba-ba,” meaning sweet gum grove. Among the earlier settlers of the town and adjacent were the Skinners, Copelands, Halberts, Thompsons, Reeds, Simon C. Muldrow, W. S. Barry, Hugh Montgomery, T. W. Dillard, C. T. Montgomery, Stephen Nash, Hampton Gay, J. W. Ervin, R. A. Lampkin, and others. Many of the descendants of these old pioneers are still living in Starkville.
The Indian agency was at one time located in the county as the agency in Beat 5. Captain Mayhew was the agent here and Mayhew on the Mobile & Ohio Railroad, in Lowndes County, was named for him.
Among the first lawyers who practiced their profession in Starkville were Maj. Livingston Mims, now of Atlanta, and brother of the late Colonel Mims of this county: Charles Miller, father of E. H. Miller, decreased county superintendent of Education: Stephen E. Nash, father of the late Attorney General Wiley N. Nash: Hampton H. Gay, for over 20 years chancery clerk of Oktibbeha County.
The first sheriff of the county was Robert A. Lamapkin, who it is said, carried all of court papers in his hat without experiencing any inconvenience. Charles Debrell was the first clerk of the court and M. A. Reese was probate judge. Judicial proceeding of the circuit court were held under a large hickory tree about four miles north of town. The late Gen. Reuben Davis, a famous lawyer, statesman and author, was the district attorney at that time.
County Set Up in 1833
Oktibbeha County was established December 23, 1833. It derives its name from Tibbe Creek, which was called “Oktibbeha” by the Indians at the time at the organization of the county.
This stream divided the respective territories occupied by the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations, and it was along the banks of this creek back in the early days where several bloody battles were fought between the two tribes. The word “Oktibbeha meaning “bloody waters” named thus because of the many encounters which occurred along its banks. The first commissioners of the county were John Billington, Alony Hogan, Richard Hester, Calvin Cushman and J. Norton. By an act of the Legislature approved Dec. 25, 1833, this board organized Oktibbeha and Choctaw counties. The principal towns of the county are Maben, Sturgis, and Longview.
The Choctaw Indians owned all the lands south of Oktibbeha Creek, while the Chickasaws controlled all on the north. On September 20, 1830, the Choctaws by the treaty of Dancing Rabbit, ceded all of their lands to the government and began their removal to the Indian Territory; but this step was not fully accomplished for several years later. The government did not offer the lands for sale till the later part of 1833. Prior to that time there were quite a number of white people who settled but were not allowed to own land.
About two miles northwest of Starkville a mission station was founded, another at old Mayhew and another in Beat 5, near the south line of Dr. Rice’s place. Then the government operated a store, or agency, on the Robinson Road, or agency, on the Robinson Road, about one mile northwest of the turnpike near the home of J. D. McCann. This was built of brick dried in the sun. The remains of this structure can still be seen.
Prior to the organization of the county, which occurred early in 1834, there were several trails through it, but only two of sufficient dignity to be called roads, one of these, the “White’s Road,” extended from Oktibbeha Creek to where now stands Sturgis. The other extended though beat 5, and was then, as now, called “Robinson’s Road”. This soon became a regular stage route and a great highway of travel. A toll gate company erected pikes and bridges on this road across the Noxubee River and in time this became very valuable property for in 1836 it with some adjoining swamp land, sold for $10,000. In ceding their lands to the government it was provided that certain Indians provided that certain Indians should be allowed to reserve given quantities of land: when they had made their selections the government would issue them certificates that their titles to the lands were good.
Since they were not an agricultural people they invariably selected fertile lands. David Folsom, a half breed chief, reserved a large body of land in beat 5. After this chief sold his land and went to the territory a flourishing town sprang up at his old home on Robinson Road and was called “Folsum”. The land became variable enough to be cut up into town lots, though at present there is nothing to show that the town ever existed. This was more like a frontier town than any other ever in the county.
Indians Reserve Lands
Tradition still repeats some strange tales of the many brawls and fights in that gay and festive village. Two Indians, Talking Warrior and Chin-cha-hoama, each with the title of captain written before his name also reserved considerable bodies of lands in the county. One of these, Lewis Whites, a half breed, reserved the quarter section on which stood old Whitefield, and it is probable that the town was so named in his honor.
Many Indians, reserved lands in the county, but as to their disposition and how the white man acquired them, the records are for the most part silent. There are less than a dozen Choctaw Indian deeds on record. Dr. Aronah Bardwell in 1831 bought of them several tracts and in 1832 John Billings purchased one or two. It seems that the system of buying from the Indians was about this way: After the treaty of Dancing Rabbit and prior to the offering of the lands for sale by the government in 1833, an Indian who desired to sell his lands would enter into an agreement to sell as soon as the government could issue him a patent to the same. Following this, when all was in readiness he would make the deed according to his original agreement. A rule and affidavit was attached to the deed stating that it had been read to the Indian in the Choctaw language. They received from $1.25 to $2.50 per acre for the lands.
The first sheriff, Robert Lampkin, was succeeded J. W. Eastland I n1835, who in turn was succeeded by John M. Moore. It is said this sheriff was called on officially to whip a man who had been convicted of theft, this mode of punishment being in effect at that time.
The first circuit court judge was James F. Trotter. The 160 acres upon which stands the courthouse was bought from the United States in 1833 by Daniel Green of Sumpter, Ala. Six years later R. A. Lampkin entered 80 acres adjoining it on the west, and about a month earlier two speculators having in all the town south of where XXXw stands the Baptist Church—about 320 acres.
In 1835, R. A. Lampkin and W. B. Cushman deeded to the courthouse purposes the 25 acres upon which the present courthouse stands. A short time later the town was laid out in lots, blocks and streets. At the first sale a corner lot 60X160 feet, brought $180.50.
From 1834 to 1838 there was a flourishing bank in Starkville Real Estate Banking Company. In accordance with the laws of that day it printed and put into circulation its own money. It was owned by 13 of the old citizens who have all passed away. Its 13 stockholders proved an unlucky number and it went the way of many other banks of that day. Its failure must have been complete for in December, 1839, the property of its stockholders passed under the sheriff’s hammer.
Its First Killing
The first killing occurred about 100 yards west of the Methodist Church. J. W. Eastland was charged with murdering a man named Holley, the body being buried where the S. B. Critz residence once stood. Later the body was removed to near the Pearson place. About the same time the present Odd Fellows’ Cemetery was started. The first burial was of a man killed by an Indian. The deceased was buried where he was killed.
The first white person born in Starkville was Charles Eastland. He was born the day before Holley was killed.
In the early days Starkville was sometimes called “Board Town”. This was because the houses for the most part were built of boards. Lumber could not be had, for there were no sawmills in the country, boards being used for weather boarding and punchcons for floors. These board houses were supposed to be more elegant then than the farm houses throughout the county which were built of logs. People desiring to entertain travelers were required to give bond to keep an ordinary house. In the year 1834 and 1835 three different parties gave bond to retail spirituous liquors. There must have been small inducements to engage in business as whisky sold for 30 cents a gallon.
The first jail was built of logs, was very small and had no doors. Prisoners were put through at the top. In the early days there were no grist mills in the county. Each family had a steel mill somewhat like a coffee mill, in which they ground their mill, in which they ground their meal by hand, but in the early thirties, Joseph Perkins, father of Doctor Perkins, erected a grist mill worked by horse power. This was located near the Joo Askew place and was patronized by people from many around. The custom was for each man to furnish his own team and do his own grinding. Later on another mill of the same kind was put up a mile north of Starkville. As early as 1835 there was a water mill on the Noxubee, owned by John Mullings who had married an Indian woman.
From 1833 to 1838 the county was on a big boom. When the government offered the lands for sale there was a great rush of buyers, most of the lands being bought up by big speculators who never became citizens of the county. The Massachusetts & Alabama Land Company, the Mayhew Land Company, and Daniel Green and Malcolm Gilchist were among the heaviest buyers. It is evident they bought without ever seeing the land. For after the lands left the government the prevailing price for wild lands was $10 per acre. It seemed to make no different whether the land was good or bad. At that period business was done on a big scale and small transactions were for the most part ignored. It is not unusual to find deeds of that date embracing 8,000 or 10,000 acres of land in a single sale. Mortgages of $5,000 to $25,000 were common, and is one record of $125,000. It is generally supposed that a trust deed on growing crops was an invention of the hard times following the late war: but such is not the case. In the thirties it was common to give mortgages on growing crops and those to be grown. In the mortgage were included the household goods, including quilts, pillows, pots, and kitchen furniture.
In 1839 the flush times changed into paincky ones. Executions were levied thick and fast. In that year Sheriff Eastland sold more land by execution than all the sheriffs combined that the county has ever had before or since his time.
Times have changed since then. Starkville is now enjoying its share of success through its share of success through its enterprising citizens.
Submitted to C. L. Herrick for use on her Oktibbeha Genealogy website in December 2003 by
Lacey Mims
1430 Nantucket
Richardson, Texas 75080
Col. Matthew R. Mims
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