Jones County

History

Less than a decade after Mississippi became the country's 20th state, settlers organized this area of 700 sq mi (1,800 km2) of pine forests and swamps for a new county in 1826. They named it Jones County after John Paul Jones, the early American Naval hero who rose from humble Scottish origin to military success during the American Revolution.

Ellisville, the county seat, was named for Powhatan Ellis, a member of the Mississippi Legislature who claimed to be a direct descendant of Pocahontas. During the economic hard times in the 1830s and 1840s, there was an exodus of population from Southeast Mississippi, both to western Mississippi and Louisiana in regions opened to white settlement after Indian Removal, and to Texas. The slogan "GTT" ("Gone to Texas") became widely used.

Jones County was in an area of mostly yeomen farmers and lumbermen, as the pine forests, swamp and soil were not easily cultivated for cotton. In 1860, the majority of white residents were not slaveholders. Slaves made up only 12% of the total population in Jones County in 1860, the smallest percentage of any county in the state.

Civil War

Soon after the election of Abraham Lincoln as United States president in November 1860, slave-owning planters led Mississippi to join South Carolina and secede from the Union. These were the two states with the largest holdings of slaves. On November 29, 1860, the Mississippi state legislature called for a "Convention of the people of Mississippi" to be held to "adopt such measures for vindicating the sovereignty of the State as shall appear to them to be demanded." The Convention convened on January 7, 1861, and the elected representatives from the various counties of Mississippi voted 83–15 to secede from the Union. Notably, included in the vote to secede was the representative from Jones County, Mr. John H. Powell. Other Southern states would follow suit. As Mississippi debated the secession question, the inhabitants of Jones County voted overwhelmingly for the anti-secessionist John Hathorne Powell, Jr. In comparison to the pro-secessionist J.M. Bayliss, who received 24 votes, Powell received 374. But, at the Secession Convention, Powell voted for secession. Legend has it that, for his vote, he was burned in effigy in Ellisville, the county seat.

The reality is more complicated. The only choices possible at the Secession Convention were voting for immediate secession on the one hand, or for a more cautious, co-operative approach to secession among several Southern states on the other. Powell almost certainly voted for the more conservative approach to secession—the only position available to him that was consistent with the anti-secessionist views of his constituency.

Mississippi's Declaration of Secession reflected planters' interests in its first sentence: "Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery…" Jones County had mostly yeoman farmers and cattle herders, who were not slaveholders and had little use for a war over slavery.

During the American Civil War, Jones County and neighboring counties, especially Covington County to its west, became a haven for Confederate deserters. A number of factors prompted desertions. The lack of food and supplies was demoralizing, while reports of poor conditions back home made the men fear for their families' survival. Small farms deteriorated from neglect as women and children struggled to keep them up. Their limited stores and livestock were often taken by the Confederate tax-in-kind agents, who took excessive amounts of yeoman farmers' goods. Many residents and soldiers were also outraged over the Confederate government's passing of the Twenty Negro Law, allowing wealthy plantation owners to avoid military service if they owned twenty slaves or more. For example, out of the roughly 38,000 Slaveowners living in the South in 1860, only 200 in Virginia, 120 in North Carolina, 201 in Georgia, and 300 in South Carolina were large enough to win exemptions.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 700 square miles (1,800 km2), of which 695 square miles (1,800 km2) is land and 4.9 square miles (13 km2) (0.7%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Jasper County (north)

Wayne County (east)

Perry County (southeast)

Forrest County (southwest)

Covington County (west)

Smith County (northwest)

National protected area

De Soto National Forest (part)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 67,246. The median age was 38.8 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.4 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 62.6% White, 28.6% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 4.5% from some other race, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.2% of the population.

37.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 62.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 25,375 households in the county, of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.3% were married-couple households, 18.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 28,488 housing units, of which 10.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.3% were owner-occupied and 27.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.0%.

Economy

The economy of Jones County is still primarily rural and based on resources – timber and agriculture.

According to the Economic Development Authority of Jones County, the top employers in the county are:

Government and infrastructure

The Mississippi Department of Mental Health South Mississippi State Hospital Crisis Intervention Center is in Laurel and in Jones County.

Transportation

Major highways

Interstate 59

U.S. Highway 11

U.S. Highway 84

Mississippi Highway 15

Mississippi Highway 28

Mississippi Highway 29

Airport

Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport is located in an unincorporated area in the county, near Moselle.

Politics

Like much of Mississippi in general, Jones County has been a Republican stronghold since the 1960s.

Communities

Cities

Ellisville

Laurel

Towns

Sandersville

Soso

Census-designated place

Eastabuchie

Moselle

Ovett

Sharon

Unincorporated communities

Amy

Errata

Sand Hill

Tawanta

Whitfield

Education

There are two school districts in Jones County: Jones County School District and Laurel School District (which includes most of, but not all of, Laurel).

Jones County is in the zone of Jones College.

Notable people

Lance Bass, singer with NSYNC

Ralph Boston, Olympic track and field medalist

Jason Campbell, retired National Football League quarterback

Mary Elizabeth Ellis-Day, actress

Carroll Gartin, lieutenant governor of Mississippi

Newton Knight, farmer and opponent of secession and slavery, a Confederate deserter who led a guerrilla rebellion against local Confederate officials as the leader of the Knight Company and Jones County Scouts; he was a US Marshal and a leading Republican figure in the Reconstruction of Mississippi

Ira C. Welborn, Medal of Honor recipient in the Spanish–American War

Tom Lester, actor best known for playing "Eb" on Green Acres

Amos McLemore, schoolteacher, Methodist pastor, businessman, and one-time opponent of Southern secession from the Union; commissioned as a Confederate officer at the rank of major; he was reputedly assassinated by Newton Knight

Charles W. Pickering, retired Federal Circuit Judge who served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Parker Posey, actress

Leontyne Price, operatic soprano

James Street, author

Ray Walston, actor My Favorite Martian