During the depression of the 1930's the federal government employed people in need.

One such project was the Federal Writers' Project. One of their sections included historical and current information of the counties. Each county was provided an outline and tasked to elaborate on the points noted. It is interesting how the writers of each county differed in their approach and expansion of the outline. Each county report consisted of about 500 plus or minus pages. The topics listed included soil, wars, schools, arts, negros, customs, and more. The topic of race was treated differently in each county. Kemper County with all its mayhem reflected the most negative attitude towards people of color compared to other counties.

I will refrain from comment because the pieces represented are clear in their distinction.

Shown are a smattering of the writings that included our ancestors. I grouped some by numbers and listed the county. I will continue to add pages with no format or title as my time permits.

I was surprised by some of the findings like Frank Johnson driving a supply wagon for the Confederates. I had thought Eli Lampley (Priscilla Johnson's second husband) was the only slave in our family who served the Confederacy.

Also, I found that my great grandfather Will E. Perryman taught school in Neshoba County before the turn of the century. Then expanded the education of many people of color by establishing schools prior to his work as an agricultural agent. The irony to me was that my grandfather, Walter (Will's first son), could not even read. My father recalls my grandmother teaching him to read later in his life. -emp