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Russell Guerin
A Creole in Mississippi
2014-07-14 09:03:58
Newly Discovered Hancock County Records
...Board of Police and Probate Records
Thanks to the continued awareness of employees at the County Clerk’s office, two other original documents have been found. Both of these were dated beginning in 1853.
These documents are important to researchers attempting to reconstruct the early history of Hancock County. Significant in the collection are wills and estate inventories of many of the leading citizens of the time.
In addition, Civil War documents are significant by their absence. In point of fact there are large gaps for the years 1861 to 1865. As noted elsewhere, official activity, including such as record keeping, must have severely curtailed.
First book
One book is partly devoted to Treasurer’s reports of the Hancock County Board of Police and other organizations, and partly for reports of the Hancock County Probate Court. It numbers, in total, 208 pages, and contains financial records covering the years 1853-1860, and probate records from 1866 through 1870.
Second book
The second is entirely devoted to the minutes of the County Probate Court, covering no less than 767 pages. Records from years 1853 through 1859 are included.
These constitute an important addition to the original Police Court Records previously reported, which had been rescued from a private collection. That document has now been turned over to the County Clerk. It is the subject of an article on this website called “Minutes of Hancock Countv’s Police Court. 1863-1866.”