Decatur, Newton County, Mississippi, 1891
Decatur, the seat of justice of Newton County, was named in honor of
Commodore Stephen Decatur, and has about two hundred inhabitants. Hickory, on
the Alabama & Vicksburg railroad, has a population of two hundred and
ninety-four; Newton, on the same line, has a population of five hundred.
Lawrence is a smaller railroad station. A good local trade is done at all these
points.
In Newton county Masonic lodges are established at Newton, Decatur, Conehatta,
New Ireland, Pinckney, Chunkey and Hickory; Masonic Royal Arch chapters at
Newton and Decatur; one lodge of K. of P. at Newton, one of K. of H. at Newton.
There are three academies or high schools for white boys and girls at Newton,
Conehatta and Hickory. The county supports eighty free schools, four months each
year, forty-six white and thirty-four colored.
The churches of this county are as follows: Baptist, regular white churches,
twenty-four; colored, twelve; primitive white, five; members white regular
Baptists, one thousand six hundred; colored, one thousand two hundred; white
primitive, one hundred and fifty; total, three thousand nine hundred and fifty.
Methodist white churches, ten; colored, six; white members, about eight hundred;
colored members, about six hundred.
Presbyterian white churches, four; members, two hundred and fifty. The first
Baptist church was instituted in 1836.
The first Baptist members conducting the churches and living in the county at
that time were Revs. James Merchant and Cuder Price. The great civilizer and
missionary of east Mississippi, Rev. N. L. Clarke, of the Regular Baptist
church, now in his four-score years, lives at Newton, edits the Mississippi
Baptist, supplies his churches and travels to the neighboring country when
called to preach the Word.
Back to: Mississippi Counties, Cities and Towns, 1891
Source: Biographical and Historical Memories of Mississippi, Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1891
