Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi

Last updated

Jefferson Davis County
County
Jefferson Davis County Mississippi Courthouse.jpg
Map of Mississippi highlighting Jefferson Davis County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi in United States.svg
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 31°34′N89°49′W / 31.56°N 89.82°W / 31.56; -89.82
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Mississippi.svg  Mississippi
Founded1906
Named for Jefferson Davis
Seat Prentiss
Largest townPrentiss
Area
  Total409 sq mi (1,060 km2)
  Land408 sq mi (1,060 km2)
  Water0.7 sq mi (2 km2)  0.2%
Population
 (2020)
  Total11,321
  Density28/sq mi (11/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
  Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 3rd
Website www.jeffersondaviscountyms.com

Jefferson Davis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,321. [1] Its county seat is Prentiss. [2] The county is named after Mississippi Senator and Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The county was carved out of Covington and Lawrence counties in March 1906. Governor James K. Vardaman signed the bill creating the county on May 9, 1906.

Contents

History

The genesis of the county occurred on March 31, 1906, when a Mississippi state legislative act authorized the new country's boundaries. The residents of western Covington County and eastern Lawrence County had frequently complained of the rivers and streams impeding the route to their respective county seats. Jefferson Davis County was the state's 77th county.

A 1906 special referendum determined that the county seat would be Prentiss, named for either famed Mississippi lawmaker and orator Seargent Smith Prentiss, or wealthy landowner Prentiss Webb Berry. The settlement was originally named Blountville after early settler William Blount.

In 1933, the county was the first in Mississippi to issue a prohibition on alcohol after the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Round dancing in the community hall was banned in 1938.

In 1935, notorious bank robber Raymond Hamilton, known to hide out in the county's wilderness, was involved in a hostage situation after robbing Prentiss' Bank of Blountville, but escaped in Memphis. [3]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 409 square miles (1,060 km2), of which 408 square miles (1,060 km2) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) (0.2%) is water. [4]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1910 12,860
1920 12,755−0.8%
1930 14,28112.0%
1940 15,86911.1%
1950 15,500−2.3%
1960 13,540−12.6%
1970 12,936−4.5%
1980 13,8467.0%
1990 14,0511.5%
2000 13,962−0.6%
2010 12,487−10.6%
2020 11,321−9.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [5]
1790-1960 [6] 1900-1990 [7]
1990-2000 [8] 2010-2013 [9]
Jefferson Davis County racial composition as of 2020 [10]
RaceNum.Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)4,33038.25%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)6,62258.49%
Native American 80.07%
Asian 210.19%
Other/Mixed 2392.11%
Hispanic or Latino 1010.89%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 11,321 people, 4,713 households, and 3,003 families residing in the county.

Communities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Ghost town

Politics

United States presidential election results for Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi [11]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.%No.%No.%
2020 2,53440.79%3,59957.93%801.29%
2016 2,46639.54%3,72059.64%510.82%
2012 2,50736.52%4,26762.16%901.31%
2008 2,87138.96%4,45460.43%450.61%
2004 2,66846.28%2,95951.33%1382.39%
2000 2,43745.83%2,83553.32%450.85%
1996 1,89038.84%2,66354.73%3136.43%
1992 2,22839.55%2,99153.10%4147.35%
1988 2,74547.92%2,94851.47%350.61%
1984 2,88451.81%2,64447.50%380.68%
1980 2,28036.85%3,83161.92%761.23%
1976 1,86839.76%2,74758.47%831.77%
1972 2,83072.83%1,00525.86%511.31%
1968 2976.79%1,46533.48%2,61459.73%
1964 2,35190.91%2359.09%00.00%
1960 22513.06%51029.60%98857.34%
1956 15610.92%1,04973.41%22415.68%
1952 47322.53%1,62677.47%00.00%
1948 513.30%412.66%1,45294.04%
1944 886.03%1,37293.97%00.00%
1940 382.86%1,28996.92%30.23%
1936 674.81%1,32595.05%20.14%
1932 303.09%94096.71%20.21%
1928 16316.00%85684.00%00.00%
1924 8810.73%73289.27%00.00%
1920 17926.76%48572.50%50.75%
1916 456.59%63492.83%40.59%
1912 436.63%54283.51%649.86%

Historic sites

Jefferson Davis County Courthouse in Prentiss is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Wayne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,779. Its county seat is Waynesboro. The county is named for General Anthony Wayne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It was formed in 1870 from Tippah and Pontotoc counties, and in 1874 a portion of Lee County was added. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,777. Its county seat is New Albany. According to most sources, the county received its name by being a union of pieces of several large counties, like other Union counties in other states. However, other sources say that the name was meant to mark the re-union of Mississippi and the other Confederate states after the Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tishomingo County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Tishomingo County is a county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,850. Its county seat is Iuka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Stone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,333. Its county seat is Wiggins. Stone County was formed from the northern portion of Harrison County on June 5, 1916. The county was named for John M. Stone, who served as Governor of Mississippi from 1876 to 1882 and again from 1890 to 1896.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smith County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Smith County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,209. Its county seat is Raleigh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simpson County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Simpson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. Its western border is formed by the Pearl River, an important transportation route in the 19th century. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,949. The county seat is Mendenhall. The county is named for Josiah Simpson (1787-1817), a territorial judge who also served as a delegate to Mississippi's Constitutional Convention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prentiss County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Prentiss County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,008. Its county seat is Booneville. The county is named for Seargent Smith Prentiss, a noted speaker and US Congressman from Natchez.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pike County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Pike County is a county located on the southwestern border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,324. The county seat is Magnolia. Pike County is named for explorer Zebulon Pike. Pike County is part of the McComb, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perry County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Perry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,511. The county seat is New Augusta. The county is named after the War of 1812 naval hero, Oliver Hazard Perry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marion County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,441. Its county seat is Columbia. Marion County is named for American Revolutionary War guerrilla leader Francis Marion also known as The Swamp Fox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,907. Its county seat is Brookhaven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Lee County is a county in U.S. state of Mississippi. At the 2020 census, the population was 83,343. Lee County is included in the Tupelo Micropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Lawrence County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,016. Its county seat is Monticello. The county is named for the naval hero James Lawrence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamar County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Lamar County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,222. Its county seat is Purvis. Named for Confederate Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, the county was carved out of Marion County to the west in 1904.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jasper County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Jasper County is located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. At the 2020 census, the population was 16,367. In 1906, the state legislature established two county courts, one at the first county seat of Paulding in the eastern part of the county and also one at Bay Springs in the west, where the railroad had been constructed. Jasper County is part of the Laurel, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrison County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Harrison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 208,621, making it the second-most populous county in Mississippi. Its county seats are Biloxi and Gulfport. The county is named after U.S. President William Henry Harrison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forrest County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Forrest County is located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 78,158. Its county seat and largest city is Hattiesburg. The county was created from Perry County in 1908 and named in honor of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general in the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Forrest County is part of the Hattiesburg, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Covington County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Covington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,340. Its county seat is Collins. The county is named for U.S. Army officer and Congressman Leonard Covington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attala County, Mississippi</span> County in Mississippi, United States

Attala County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,889. Its county seat is Kosciusko. Attala County is named for Atala, a fictional Native American heroine from an early-19th-century novel of the same name by François-René de Chateaubriand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prentiss, Mississippi</span> Town in Mississippi, United States

Prentiss is a town in Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,081 at the 2010 census, down from 1,158 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat.

References

  1. "Census - Geography Profile: Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. "Jefferson Davis County Mississippi Genealogy & History Network". jeffdavis.msghn.org. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  4. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  5. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  6. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  7. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  8. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  9. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  10. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  11. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 3, 2018.

31°34′N89°49′W / 31.56°N 89.82°W / 31.56; -89.82