Vignettes

vi·gnette  /vin'yet/  
Noun: A brief evocative description, account, or episode.
Verb: Portray (someone) in the style of a vignette.

The Mississippi Married Women’s Property Act Of 1839

By Sandra Moncrief Mississippi was the first state in the nation to grant married women the right to hold property in their own names. Two little known but important events in the 1830s led to this reform in women’s rights. These events and the laws that resulted have been virtually overlooked by historians — possibly… (read more)

Battle of 1814

J. F. H. Claiborne, in his 1876 address, told that a regiment of Mississippi militia was stationed in support of the battery, but made a hasty retreat to the Big Spring. An invalid lady from Natchez implored the colonel to fire one gun for the honor of the country, but failing to do so, she… (read more)

Steamboats: General History

PROGRESS OF STEAMBOATING   Every year has seen some new steamboat constructed which surpasses in size, magnificence, or speed, those previously made.  There is no doubt that the mechanics of this country excel those of any other in their inland steamboats — let us hope that in a few years the same can be said… (read more)

Interview with Mr. Jules “Poss” LaFrance, Age 91

June 1, 2004 Ansley, MS   Interviewer: Russell B. Guerin, Hancock County Historical Society   Though his gait has been slowed, “Poss” LaFrance’s straight, near 6-foot frame belies his 91 years. He is lean. His memory is keen, his speech is strong, and his dark complexion is a reminder of his many working hours in… (read more)

John S. Brush

On Sunday evening, November 26, 1865, an old man was picked up on the street and taken to the first District lock-up for lodging.   His clothes are ragged and dirty, his feet bare, and he presents a touching picture of want and misery, combined with feeble old age.  His long, silky white locks float… (read more)

A Journal of Our Travels by Amelia Russ (1936)

Foreword This diary was written in 1836 by Miss Amelia Russ, sister of  Miss Adeline Russ, who later married Dr. Mead on Mar 7, 1839.  Adeline Russ Mead was the mother of Lois Amelia Mead born December 15, 1839.  Lois A. Mead married Henry Weston on July 15, 1858 at Gainesville, Mississippi.  The W. Poitevent… (read more)

Incorporation of the Town of Shieldsborough 1818

To establish and incorporate the Town of Shieldsborough.   Sec. 1.  Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Mississippi in General Assembly convened, That the place situated on the West side of the Bay St. Louis, in the County of Hancock, known by the name of Shieldsborough, is… (read more)

Cassette Girls

In 1703, twenty young girls, “reared in Virtue and Piety…” had been approved by Monseigneur Saint-Villier, Bishop of Quebec, as being of high moral character.  They were chosen because the lack of that quality in female immigrants had recently created substantial unrest in Martinique and Saint-Domingue. Most of the girls were between the ages of… (read more)

Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville

Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, French explorer and colonial administrator, was born in Ville Marie (Montreal), Canada, in 1680.  He was the eighth of eleven sons of the wealthy Charles Le Moyne of Montreal.  He joined the French navy at age twelve and during King William’s War served at the Hudson Bay engagement… (read more)

State Flower, Motto, Bird and Tree

Hancock county and Jackson were the only two large counties which comprised the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 1817 when Mississippi became a state at  the First Session, First General Assembly (1817-1818). The great Seal of Mississippi was adopted and is described in the Laws of the State as follows:  “The seal of the state, the… (read more)