I know I have done several articles about the history of Union, but I have not done any articles about the history of Newton County. At first, Newton County had a substantial number of Native Americans that made up the majority of the population. The county was formed out of the Southern part of Neshoba County in 1836. It was reportedly named after Isaac Newton. Shortly after the county formed, it was very small, but growing. By 1860, the county had grown thirty-five percent from its previous census. Newton county was ranked thirty-six out of sixty in the state’s cotton production. Newton County also had twelve churches. By 1880 the county had grown to 13,436 people. The county also had 1,493 farms. The population continued to grow between 1880 and 1900, and in 1900 the county had about 20,000 people. In 1916, the Baptist denomination made up almost seventy percent of all church members in the county. In 1908, a Baptist institution called Clarke Memorial College was founded in Newton. Charles and Medgar Evers were born in Decatur in 1920, and they attended Newton Vocational School. In 1930, the population was at 23,000, and the main agricultural products were corn and livestock. Newton county had twenty industrial establishments at the time. The county’s population declined in 1960, and a quarter of the population now worked in industry. Both men and women worked in factories, and another quarter of the population raised livestock and crops. Newton County’s population has remained steady through recent years, and now we have so many different professions that people are able to go into. So, did you know some of these things about Newton County? Are there any more facts people might like to know about the county? If so, feel free to let me know about more facts about the small corner of the world that we call home.
If you have any article ideas or suggestions, please feel free to email me at acch2006@outlook.com.
