Pearl River County Roots

My name is Tammy Howard-Westmoreland. Welcome to Pearl River County Roots. Our purpose is to provide free resources for genealogical and historical researchers. This site is FREE and will ALWAYS be FREE to all researchers! We are proud to be a part of the Mississippi Genealogy & History Network.

If you have information relating to Pearl River County that you are willing to share with other researchers, let me know. Just email me at tammy.howard@live.com and I will be pleased to place it here on our site. If you have information for other Mississippi counties, please consider clicking on the Mississippi Genealogy & History Network link in the Main Menu and contact the appropriate County Director. Thanks for visiting and good luck with your research!

The following is part of what you will find here on Pearl River County Roots.

• Burial listing with tombstone photos for Tynes Cemetery.
• Burial listing with tombstone photos for Amacker Cemetery.
• Burial listing with tombstone photos for Red Hill Cemetery.
• Burial listing with tombstone photos for Smith Cemetery #2.
• Burial listing with tombstone photos for Lee Cemetery.
• Burial listing with tombstone photos for Ritchie Cemetery.
• Burial listing with tombstone photos for Beall Cemetery.
• Burial listing with tombstone photos for Smith Cemetery #3.
• Burial listing with tombstone photos for McGehee Cemetery.
• Burial listing with tombstone photos for Alexander Family Cemetery.

Pearl River County was originally organized as Pearl County in 1872, using land taken from Hancock and Marion Counties, but the new county was shortlived. Because of a sparse population and limited tax base, Pearl County was abolished in 1878, just six years after its creation. The land was returned to Hancock and Marion Counties.

In the 1880's the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad built a rail line through the area which greatly aided in the area's growth and economic progress, especially in the timber industry. On February 22, 1890, they were ready to try it again. The county was re-formed under the name of Pearl River County using the same areas originally taken from Hancock and Marion Counties. The name of the county was dirrived by the fact that it is seperated from Louisiana by the Pearl River which makes up the county's western border.

Poplarville, named in honor of "Poplar" Jim Smith, was named the county seat. Poplarville, incorporated March 4, 1886, boasted a population of 236 when the county was formed in 1890. In 1892 the first Pearl River County Courthouse was built in Poplarville for the enourmous sum of $8,298.

In 1900 the citizens of Lumberton, one of Pearl River County's main towns, voted to become part of Lamar County. This setback to the county was soon offset by the addition of territory from Hancock, including the town of Picayune, which would become the largest town in the county. This additional land gave the county a total of 828 square miles, making it the fourth largest county in the state of Mississippi.

In 1923, Pearl River Junior College was founded in Poplarville and has become one of the most prominant Junior Colleges in the United States. Now known as Pearl River Community College, it continues to serve educational needs of residents of this region of Mississippi.

Pearl River County's most famous son was Theodore Gilmore Bilbo. A young farmer, minister, and lawyer, Bilbo was elected to the Mississippi Senate in 1907. Bilbo served as Mississippi Governor for two seperate terms, as well as 12 years in the US Senate representing Mississippi.

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