Jim McLain Forrest County Papers
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of letters and postcards between members of the Thompson-Byrd families, particularly following the deaths of Mary Julia Thompson in 1906, James A. Thompson in 1914, and Mahala Byrd Thompson in 1915. Also included is Mahala Byrd Thompson’s diary, in which she wrote daily entries in 1907.
Dates
- Creation: 1900, 1903, 1906-1907, 1912, 1914-1915
Creator
- Thompson-Byrd (Family)
Conditions Governing Access
Noncirculating; available for research.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code).
Biographical / Historical
John McCallum Thompson (1838-1891) married Mahala Elizabeth Byrd (1848-1915), the daughter of James Sidney Byrd and Susan Carter. The couple is located in the 1870 Federal Census of Leaf River, Covington County, Mississippi, and by 1880 they are in Augusta, Perry County. Mahala, widowed, is found with her children in the 1900 Federal Census of Beat 5, Perry County, and in 1910 she is residing in McCallum, Forrest County, Mississippi.
John and Mahala had the following children: James A. Thompson, John M. Thompson, Jr., Mary Julia Thompson, William A. Thompson, Malcom W. “Mack” Thompson, Eleanor M. Thompson, Susan Kate Thompson, Duncan Thompson, and Annie Thompson. Mahala’s sister Julia Byrd married Wesley Knox Ramsay.
Mack Thompson served as sheriff in Forrest County around the 1940s.
Extent
.25 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Jim McLain Forrest County Papers consist of letters, postcards, and a diary written by members of the Thompson-Byrd Family from 1900-1915. John and Mahala Byrd Thompson lived in Perry County and later at McCallum in Forrest County. The collection is of particular interest to researchers studying Mississippi families and genealogy.
Arrangement
Letters have been arranged chronologically and by topic. Fragile letters have been sleeved in Mylar.
Provenance
Donated by Jim McLain on February 2014.
Sources
Case File
Contents from the collection
"United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6GD-NHM: 14 December 2017), Mahala Bird in entry for James Bird, 1860.
"United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFSL-G1G: 13 June 2019), Mahaly Thompson in entry for John Thompson, 1870.
"United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4G1-LK1: 22 August 2017), Mahala Thomson in household of John Thomson, Augusta, Perry, Mississippi, United States; citing enumeration district ED 134, sheet 296D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,254,661.
"United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9XT-KPT: accessed 15 January 2020), Mahala Thompson, Beat 5, Perry, Mississippi, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 93, sheet 21B, family 407, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,824.
"United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MP88-SMJ: accessed 15 January 2020), Mahalia E Thompson, Beat 4, Forrest, Mississippi, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 17, sheet 20B, family 479, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 739; FHL microfilm 1,374,752.
- Title
- Jim McLain Forrest County Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Collection processed and finding aid written by Jonathan Puckett
- Date
- January 15, 2020
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Historical Manuscripts and Photographs Repository
118 College Drive - 5148
Hattiesburg MS 39406-0001
601.266.4345
