Jones County | |
|---|---|
 Jones County courthouse in Ellisville | |
 Flag  Logo | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMississippi | |
 Mississippi's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:31°37′N89°10′W / 31.62°N 89.17°W /31.62; -89.17 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Mississippi |
| Founded | 1826 |
| Named after | John Paul Jones |
| Seat | Laurel andEllisville |
| Largest city | Laurel |
| Area | |
• Total | 700 sq mi (2,000 km2) |
| • Land | 695 sq mi (1,800 km2) |
| • Water | 4.9 sq mi (13 km2) 0.7% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 67,246 |
| • Density | 96/sq mi (37/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional districts | 3rd,4th |
| Website | jonescounty |
Jones County is in the southeastern portion of theU.S. state ofMississippi. As of the2020 census, the population was 67,246.[1] Itscounty seats areLaurel andEllisville.[2]
Jones County is part of theLaurel micropolitan area.
Less than a decade after Mississippi became the country's 20th state, settlers organized this area of 700 sq mi (1,800 km2) of pine forests and swamps for a new county in 1826. They named it Jones County afterJohn Paul Jones, the early American Naval hero who rose from humble Scottish origin to military success during the American Revolution.[3]
Ellisville, the county seat, was named forPowhatan Ellis, a member of the Mississippi Legislature who claimed to be a direct descendant ofPocahontas. During the economic hard times in the 1830s and 1840s, there was an exodus of population from Southeast Mississippi, both to western Mississippi and Louisiana in regions opened to white settlement afterIndian Removal, and toTexas. The slogan "GTT" ("Gone to Texas") became widely used.[citation needed]
Jones County was in an area of mostly yeomen farmers and lumbermen, as the pine forests, swamp and soil were not easily cultivated for cotton. In 1860, the majority of white residents were not slaveholders. Slaves made up only 12% of the total population in Jones County in 1860, the smallest percentage of any county in the state.[4]
Soon after the election ofAbraham Lincoln as United States president in November 1860, slave-owning planters led Mississippi to join South Carolina and secede from the Union. These were the two states with the largest holdings of slaves. On November 29, 1860, the Mississippi state legislature called for a "Convention of the people of Mississippi" to be held to "adopt such measures for vindicating the sovereignty of the State as shall appear to them to be demanded."[5] The Convention convened on January 7, 1861, and the elected representatives from the various counties of Mississippi voted 83–15 to secede from the Union. Notably, included in the vote to secede was the representative from Jones County, Mr. John H. Powell. Other Southern states would follow suit. As Mississippi debated the secession question, the inhabitants of Jones County voted overwhelmingly for the anti-secessionist John Hathorne Powell, Jr. In comparison to the pro-secessionist J.M. Bayliss, who received 24 votes, Powell received 374.[6] But, at the Secession Convention, Powell voted for secession. Legend has it that, for his vote, he was burned in effigy in Ellisville, the county seat.[6]
The reality is more complicated. The only choices possible at the Secession Convention were voting for immediate secession on the one hand, or for a more cautious, co-operative approach to secession among several Southern states on the other. Powell almost certainly voted for the more conservative approach to secession—the only position available to him that was consistent with the anti-secessionist views of his constituency.[6]
Mississippi's Declaration of Secession reflected planters' interests in its first sentence: "Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution ofslavery…" Jones County had mostly yeoman farmers and cattle herders, who were not slaveholders and had little use for a war over slavery.[citation needed]
During theAmerican Civil War, Jones County and neighboring counties, especiallyCovington County to its west, became a haven for Confederate deserters.[4] A number of factors prompted desertions. The lack of food and supplies was demoralizing, while reports of poor conditions back home made the men fear for their families' survival. Small farms deteriorated from neglect as women and children struggled to keep them up. Their limited stores and livestock were often taken by theConfederate tax-in-kind agents, who took excessive amounts of yeoman farmers' goods. Many residents and soldiers were also outraged over the Confederate government's passing of theTwenty Negro Law, allowing wealthy plantation owners to avoid military service if they owned twenty slaves or more.[4] In spite of the great displeasure the law caused, few men actually were affected by the law. For example, out of the roughly 38,000 Slaveowners living in the South in 1860, 200 in Virginia, 120 in North Carolina, 201 in Georgia, and 300 in South Carolina won exemptions.[7]
On October 13, 1863, a band of deserters from Jones County and adjacent counties organized to protect the area from Confederate authorities and the crippling tax collections.[8] The company, led byNewton Knight, formed a separate government, withUnionist leanings, known as the "Free State of Jones",[9] and fought a recorded 14 skirmishes with Confederate forces. They also raidedPaulding, capturing five wagonloads of corn that had been collected for tax from area farms, which they distributed back among the local population.[10] The company harassed Confederate officials. Deaths believed to be at their hands were reported in 1864 among numerous tax collectors, conscript officers, and other officials.[4]
The governor was informed by the Jones County court clerk that deserters had made tax collections in the county impossible.[11] By the spring of 1864, the Knight company had taken effective control from the Confederate government in the county.[4] The followers of Knight raised an American flag over the courthouse in Ellisville, and sent a letter to Union GeneralWilliam T. Sherman declaring Jones County's independence from the Confederacy.[4] In July 1864, theNatchez Courier reported that Jones County had seceded from the Confederacy.[12]
Scholars have disputed whether the county truly seceded, with some concluding it did not fully secede. While there have been numerous attempts to study Knight and his followers, the lack of documentation during and after the war has made him an elusive figure. The rebellion in Jones County has been variously characterized as consisting of local skirmishes to being a full-fledged war of independence. It assumed legendary status among some county residents and Civil War historians, culminating in the release of a 2016 feature film,Free State of Jones.[13][14][15] The film is credited as "based on the books'The Free State of Jones' byVictoria E. Bynum and'The State of Jones' bySally Jenkins andJohn Stauffer."[14]
The county changed its name toDavis County, after Confederate presidentJefferson Davis, on November 30, 1865, and kept the name until four years later.[16]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 700 square miles (1,800 km2), of which 695 square miles (1,800 km2) is land and 4.9 square miles (13 km2) (0.7%) is water.[17]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 1,471 | — | |
| 1840 | 1,258 | −14.5% | |
| 1850 | 2,164 | 72.0% | |
| 1860 | 3,323 | 53.6% | |
| 1870 | 3,313 | −0.3% | |
| 1880 | 3,828 | 15.5% | |
| 1890 | 8,333 | 117.7% | |
| 1900 | 17,846 | 114.2% | |
| 1910 | 29,885 | 67.5% | |
| 1920 | 32,919 | 10.2% | |
| 1930 | 41,492 | 26.0% | |
| 1940 | 49,227 | 18.6% | |
| 1950 | 57,235 | 16.3% | |
| 1960 | 59,542 | 4.0% | |
| 1970 | 56,357 | −5.3% | |
| 1980 | 61,912 | 9.9% | |
| 1990 | 62,031 | 0.2% | |
| 2000 | 64,958 | 4.7% | |
| 2010 | 67,761 | 4.3% | |
| 2020 | 67,246 | −0.8% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 66,250 | [18] | −1.5% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[19] 1790-1960[20] 1900–1990[21] 1990-2000[22] 2010–2013[1] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 41,676 | 61.98% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 19,135 | 28.46% |
| Native American | 364 | 0.54% |
| Asian | 272 | 0.4% |
| Pacific Islander | 24 | 0.04% |
| Other/Mixed | 1,636 | 2.43% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 4,139 | 6.16% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 67,246 people, 24,178 households, and 16,729 families residing in the county.
The economy of Jones County is still primarily rural and based on resources – timber and agriculture.
According to the Economic Development Authority of Jones County, the top employers in the county are:[24]
| # | Employer | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Howard Industries | 3,700 |
| 2 | South Central Regional Medical Center | 1,837 |
| 3 | Ellisville State School | 1,459 |
| 4 | Jones County School District | 1,162 |
| 5 | Sanderson Farms | 889 |
| 6 | Wayne Farms | 715 |
| 7 | Laurel School District | 600 |
| 8 | Walmart | 585 |
| 9 | Masonite | 556 |
| 10 | Jones County | 510 |
| 11 | Sawmill Square Mall | 450 |
| 12 | Jones County Junior College | 427 |
| 13 | MS Industries for Individuals with Disabilities | 415 |
| 14 | Southern Hens | 390 |
| 15 | City of Laurel | 317 |
| 16 | Tanner Construction | 185 |
| 17 | Hudson's Salvage Center | 153 |
| 18 | Dunn Roadbuilders | 145 |
| 19 | Morgan Brothers Millwork | 137 |
| 20 | West Quality Food Service | 135 |
TheMississippi Department of Mental HealthSouth Mississippi State Hospital Crisis Intervention Center is inLaurel and in Jones County.[25]
Interstate 59
U.S. Highway 11
U.S. Highway 84
Mississippi Highway 15
Mississippi Highway 28
Mississippi Highway 29Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport is located in anunincorporated area in the county, nearMoselle.[26][27]
Like much of Mississippi in general, Jones County has been a Republican stronghold since the 1960s.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 20,265 | 73.01% | 7,272 | 26.20% | 218 | 0.79% |
| 2020 | 21,226 | 70.54% | 8,517 | 28.30% | 348 | 1.16% |
| 2016 | 20,133 | 71.01% | 7,791 | 27.48% | 428 | 1.51% |
| 2012 | 20,687 | 68.59% | 9,211 | 30.54% | 261 | 0.87% |
| 2008 | 20,157 | 68.86% | 8,846 | 30.22% | 270 | 0.92% |
| 2004 | 19,125 | 71.72% | 7,398 | 27.74% | 143 | 0.54% |
| 2000 | 16,341 | 67.14% | 7,713 | 31.69% | 286 | 1.18% |
| 1996 | 13,020 | 59.62% | 7,360 | 33.70% | 1,457 | 6.67% |
| 1992 | 13,824 | 56.59% | 8,035 | 32.89% | 2,571 | 10.52% |
| 1988 | 16,764 | 69.07% | 7,383 | 30.42% | 125 | 0.51% |
| 1984 | 17,586 | 70.47% | 7,298 | 29.25% | 70 | 0.28% |
| 1980 | 12,900 | 53.11% | 11,117 | 45.77% | 272 | 1.12% |
| 1976 | 11,098 | 51.49% | 10,139 | 47.04% | 315 | 1.46% |
| 1972 | 16,489 | 83.79% | 2,790 | 14.18% | 400 | 2.03% |
| 1968 | 3,242 | 18.02% | 2,476 | 13.76% | 12,276 | 68.22% |
| 1964 | 12,123 | 85.95% | 1,981 | 14.05% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 2,729 | 25.92% | 4,871 | 46.27% | 2,928 | 27.81% |
| 1956 | 2,463 | 29.81% | 5,137 | 62.17% | 663 | 8.02% |
| 1952 | 4,039 | 40.70% | 5,884 | 59.30% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 193 | 2.96% | 599 | 9.18% | 5,736 | 87.87% |
| 1944 | 337 | 6.58% | 4,782 | 93.42% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 242 | 5.09% | 4,517 | 94.91% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 185 | 3.94% | 4,461 | 95.02% | 49 | 1.04% |
| 1932 | 173 | 4.15% | 3,816 | 91.47% | 183 | 4.39% |
| 1928 | 1,804 | 44.13% | 2,284 | 55.87% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 318 | 10.08% | 2,373 | 75.21% | 464 | 14.71% |
| 1920 | 419 | 30.08% | 734 | 52.69% | 240 | 17.23% |
| 1916 | 196 | 9.42% | 1,664 | 80.00% | 220 | 10.58% |
| 1912 | 34 | 2.37% | 1,058 | 73.88% | 340 | 23.74% |
There are two school districts in Jones County:Jones County School District andLaurel School District (which includes most of, but not all of, Laurel).[29]
Jones County is in the zone ofJones College.[30]
Media related toJones County, Mississippi at Wikimedia CommonsPlaces adjacent to Jones County, Mississippi | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofJones County, Mississippi,United States | ||
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| Indian reservation | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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