Thomas Holden, Sr.

Thomas Holden, Sr.
Photo Courtesy of Ancestry/Donavin Cole
Original submitted by Irishmocha67

Thomas was born in 1828 in Amite County, Mississippi to Thomas Holden and a enslaved woman named  Elizabeth Strickland. He was married to Amanda Hackett Holden. They were the parents of seventeen children. Thomas died in 1918 in Amite County, Mississippi. His father was born in 1783 in Laurens, South Carolina and died in 1849 in  Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. Thomas mother was born in 1803 and died in 1900.

Amanda Hackett Holden

Amanda Hackett Holden
Photo Courtesy/Ancestry: Donavin Cole

Amanda was born in 1836 in Amite County, Mississippi and died in July 1924 in Attala County, Mississippi.  Amanda married to Thomas Holden in 1851. They were the parents of seventeen children. She died at the age of 88 and was buried in Amite County, Mississippi. Their children were: Lucy, John, William, James Monroe, Thomas A. J., Josephine, Ellen, Eliza, Hander, Ida, Seaborn, Arthur, Amelia, Charity, Balzura Bell, George W, and Lillian Holden.

Source: Ancestry/ Donavin Cole Family Tree

Genealogist Antoinette Harrell visit with Civil Right Icon Jeanette Smith of Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Vernon Dahmer funeral, Jeanette Smith carrying 
one of the flowers,  Photo Courtesy: Mrs Jeanette Smith

Some years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting civil rights icon Jeanette Smith of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Known for her benevolence and knowledge, she was a beautiful and wise woman. I felt as if I were listening to a local history audio book. It was a pleasure to sit with her and talk with her. She was born in Soso, Mississippi. Her late husband was Dr. C.E. Smith. 

In the early 1960s, Jeanette Smith and her husband played a crucial role in the birth of the civil rights movement in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Both were elected as presidents of the Forrest County NAACP Chapter.  She shared with me a story about Vernon Dahmer, a civil rights leader who was murdered in 1966.

Smith recalled a visit Dr. Martin Luther King made to Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The church was so packed, she said. From wall to wall, people flocked to hear Dr. King speak. Many civil rights leaders stayed at their home, including Dr. King.Furthermore, she discussed the threats to her life and the lives of her family. Despite the gunshot fired in her home and the threats to her and her family's lives, she stood up for justice and equality. After leaving her beautiful home that evening, I hoped to sit down with her again at a later time. After my first visit, she extended many invitations, which fulfilled my wish.

Palmer Crossing and surrounding communities were the focus of many visits Walter C. Black, Sr. and I made to Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Members of Muhammad's Study Circle in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, let by Min, took us around the city.  Akwete Muhammad scheduled an appointment for us to meet Hattiesburg's mayor, Johny Dupree, so that we could discuss some of his constituents' housing conditions. 

Dr. Antoinette Harrell visit Mrs. Jeanette Smith
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Photo Credit: Walter C. Black, Sr. 

Dorothy Chesser Civil Rights Icon of Liberty, Mississippi

Dorothy Scott Chesser
Photo Credit: Antoinette Harrell

Dorothy Scott Chesser of Liberty, Mississippi was a Civil Rights Leader who was part of the federal lawsuit to desegregate public transportation in Mississippi. She worked with Medgar Evers in 1963 to register African-American voters. The Mississippi NAACP awarded Chesser with the Sam Bailey Long Distance Runner Award for her leadership during the civil rights movements  and continued diligence in fighting for the rights of others. 

Peonage Cases in Pending in Mississippi 1907

 Clarksdale: Complaint that a negro  named McGhee is held in bondage.

 Minter City: Anonymous letter relating to William Wall.

 Sharkey County: Mary Sue Hyche states that her children are her in peonage.

 Leflore County: Complaint that negroes have been enticed from  Texas and held on a Tallahatchie    

 plantation.

 Itta Bena: Complaints of peonage by Mrs. V. Carman.

 Marathon: Complaints of Italians held in peonage by Dr. Brooks and Goldfarth.

 Greenwood: Complaints of peonage made by B.T. Jordan

Source: Jackson Daily News: Money, Dec 16, 1907 Pg 8

George Humphrey Tichenor Antiseptic Company

George Humphrey Tichenor
Photo Courtesy: Ancestry, Rhonda Carter

George H. Tichenor  invented  Dr. Tichenor antiseptic in Amite, County, Mississippi. George was born in 1837 and died in 1923.  He enlisted in the Confederate Army with the Williamson Company Dare Devils commanded by Capt. William Ewing.  The first official documentation of Tichenor with a license to practice medicine can be found. 

Source: Journal of the Mississippi State Medical Association Page Seven.

Negro Who Was Hung and His Body Dissected

Jackson Free Press

It is said that Dr. William McGehee, who practiced medicine in the county perhaps a century ago, in prosecuting his studies,  obtained the body of a Negro, who had been hung, dissected it, and constructed his own skeleton.

Source: Liberty Advocate, Liberty, Miss., Dec 6, 1851

             Source Material for the Mississippi History, Amite County Volume III, Part Two