Ellisville, Mississippi
Encyclopedia
Ellisville is a city in Jones County
, Mississippi
, United States
. The population was 3,465 at the time of the 2000 census.
, a former U.S. Senator for Mississippi and descendant of Chief Powhatan
, father of Pocahontas
. Ellisville was the major commercial and population center of Jones County
until being supplanted by nearby Laurel
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
During the American Civil War
, Ellisville and Jones County was a center of pro-Union resistance. Though there were many anti-secession movements and actions throughout the Confederacy
, the "Free and Sovereign State of Jones" (or sometimes "Kingdom of Jones") had from the very beginning posed the most serious and persistent threat, and even went as far as drafting its own constitution. Irregulars formed the Knight Company and were led by Captain Newton Knight
, First Lieutenant Jasper Collins, and Second Lieutenant William Wesley Sumrall. Along with as many as 100 other southern men, they fought several skirmishes with Confederate units sent to crush the rebellion. Referenced in Ken Burns
' monumental documentary The Civil War
; Knight's rebellion was also dramatized in the 1948 motion picture Tap Roots
(based on the book of the same name), where in a few exterior scenes there are prominent mountains in the background – which do not exist in Mississippi.
, the city has a total area of 5.6 square miles (14.5 km²), of which, 5.5 square miles (14.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (1.61%) is water.
of 2000, there were 3,465 people, 1,220 households, and 795 families residing in the city. The population density
was 628.9 people per square mile (242.8/km²). There were 1,380 housing units at an average density of 250.5 per square mile (96.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.42% White, 30.91% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.61% from other races
, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.47% of the population.
There were 1,220 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples
living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.The median income for a household in the city was $23,424, and the median income for a family was $27,955. Males had a median income of $26,477 versus $22,537 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $12,822. About 21.1% of families and 35.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.8% of those under age 18 and 28.5% of those age 65 or over.
.
South Jones High School is located in Ellisville. Their mascot is the Braves.
Ellisville is also home to Jones County Junior College
. Their mascot is the Bobcats.
Jones County, Mississippi
-History:Jones County, formed out parts of Covington and Wayne counties, was established on January 24, 1826 and was named for John Paul Jones. There are other counties named Jones, but it appears that this is the only one named for John Paul Jones...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 3,465 at the time of the 2000 census.
History
The city is named for Powhatan EllisPowhatan Ellis
Powhatan Ellis was a United States Senator from Mississippi and a United States federal judge.Born at "Red Hill" in Amherst County, Virginia, he graduated from Washington Academy in 1809, attended Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 1809 and 1810, receiving an A.B., and studied law at...
, a former U.S. Senator for Mississippi and descendant of Chief Powhatan
Powhatan
The Powhatan is the name of a Virginia Indian confederation of tribes. It is estimated that there were about 14,000–21,000 of these native Powhatan people in eastern Virginia when the English settled Jamestown in 1607...
, father of Pocahontas
Pocahontas
Pocahontas was a Virginia Indian notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, the head of a network of tributary tribal nations in Tidewater Virginia...
. Ellisville was the major commercial and population center of Jones County
Jones County, Mississippi
-History:Jones County, formed out parts of Covington and Wayne counties, was established on January 24, 1826 and was named for John Paul Jones. There are other counties named Jones, but it appears that this is the only one named for John Paul Jones...
until being supplanted by nearby Laurel
Laurel, Mississippi
Laurel is a city located in Jones County in Mississippi, a state of the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 18,393 although a significant population increase has been reported following Hurricane Katrina. Located in southeast Mississippi, southeast of...
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Ellisville and Jones County was a center of pro-Union resistance. Though there were many anti-secession movements and actions throughout the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
, the "Free and Sovereign State of Jones" (or sometimes "Kingdom of Jones") had from the very beginning posed the most serious and persistent threat, and even went as far as drafting its own constitution. Irregulars formed the Knight Company and were led by Captain Newton Knight
Newton Knight
Captain Newton Knight was the grandson of John "Jackie" Knight, who was awarded land grants for his service in the War of 1812 in Jones County, Mississippi and owned slaves. Unlike many in his family and his state Newton Knight was against slavery and favored equality between races...
, First Lieutenant Jasper Collins, and Second Lieutenant William Wesley Sumrall. Along with as many as 100 other southern men, they fought several skirmishes with Confederate units sent to crush the rebellion. Referenced in Ken Burns
Ken Burns
Kenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
' monumental documentary The Civil War
The Civil War (documentary)
The Civil War is a documentary film created by Ken Burns about the American Civil War. It was first broadcast on PBS on five consecutive nights from Sunday, September 23 to Thursday, September 27, 1990. Forty million viewers watched it during its initial broadcast, making it the most-watched...
; Knight's rebellion was also dramatized in the 1948 motion picture Tap Roots
Tap Roots
Tap Roots is a 1948 period film set during the American Civil War. It is very loosely based on the true life story of Newton Knight, a farm owner who attempted to secede Jones County from Mississippi....
(based on the book of the same name), where in a few exterior scenes there are prominent mountains in the background – which do not exist in Mississippi.
Geography
Ellisville is located at 31°36′4"N 89°12′8"W (31.601068, −89.202123).According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 5.6 square miles (14.5 km²), of which, 5.5 square miles (14.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (1.61%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,465 people, 1,220 households, and 795 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 628.9 people per square mile (242.8/km²). There were 1,380 housing units at an average density of 250.5 per square mile (96.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.42% White, 30.91% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.61% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.47% of the population.
There were 1,220 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.The median income for a household in the city was $23,424, and the median income for a family was $27,955. Males had a median income of $26,477 versus $22,537 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $12,822. About 21.1% of families and 35.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.8% of those under age 18 and 28.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The City of Ellisville is served by the Jones County School DistrictJones County School District (Mississippi)
The Jones County School District is a public school district based in Ellisville, Mississippi .In addition to Ellisville, the district also serves the towns of Sandersville and Soso.-Middle/High Schools:*Grades 7-12**Northeast Jones High School...
.
South Jones High School is located in Ellisville. Their mascot is the Braves.
Ellisville is also home to Jones County Junior College
Jones County Junior College
Jones County Junior College is a junior college accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools located in Ellisville, Mississippi. JCJC serves its eight-county district consisting of Clarke, Covington, Greene, Jasper, Jones, Perry, Smith and Wayne...
. Their mascot is the Bobcats.
Notable people
- Lance BassLance BassJames Lance Bass , best known as Lance Bass, is an American pop singer, dancer, actor, film and television producer, and author. He grew up in Mississippi and rose to fame as the bass singer for the American pop boy band 'N Sync. 'N Sync's success led Bass to work in film and television...
, pop singer and member of 'N Sync'N SyncN Sync was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich, *NSYNC consisted of JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick...
, raised in Ellisville - Billy CannonBilly CannonWilliam Abb "Billy" Cannon is an All-American, 1959 Heisman Trophy winner and 2008 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, and one of the American Football League's most celebrated players.He was born in Philadelphia, Mississippi, and moved...
, All-American football player, 1959 Heisman Trophy winner and 2008 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame from Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge, and one of the American Football League's most celebrated players. Attended Jones County Junior CollegeJones County Junior CollegeJones County Junior College is a junior college accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools located in Ellisville, Mississippi. JCJC serves its eight-county district consisting of Clarke, Covington, Greene, Jasper, Jones, Perry, Smith and Wayne...
in Ellisville - Harry CraftHarry CraftHarry Francis Craft was an American Major League Baseball player and manager. Born in Ellisville, Mississippi, he was an center fielder for the Cincinnati Reds from 1937–1942...
, MLB player and manager, First Manager of the Houston Colt .45's and Minor League manager of Micky Mantle (who credited Craft with making him into the great hitter that he was) - Chris McDanielChris McDanielChristopher McDaniel , is an attorney, conservative commentator and a Republican politician in the Mississippi Senate who has represented the 42nd District, which encompasses part of South Mississippi, since 2008...
, State Senator, attorney and host of the nationally syndicated "The Right Side Radio Show" - Luke McDanielLuke McDanielLuke McDaniel , who also recorded under the stage name Jeff Daniels, was an American country and rockabilly music singer and songwriter.-Biography:...
, who also recorded under the stage name Jeff Daniels; American country singer and songwriter - Buddy MyerBuddy MyerCharles Solomon "Buddy" Myer was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball from 1925 to 1941.An excellent hitter, he batted .300 or better in eight full seasons, and retired with a career average of .303. He walked more than twice as many times as he struck out...
, 2-time All-Star second baseman for the MLB Washington Senators in 1930s, batting and stolen base titles, one of the best Jewish middle infielders ever to play in the Majors - Red WestRed WestRed West is an American actor, film stuntman and songwriter.West was born Robert Gene West in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Lois and Newton Thomas West. He was a close high school friend of rock and roll singer Elvis Presley. An excellent athlete and former U.S...
, actor (played "Red" in RoadhouseRoad House (1989 film)Road House is a 1989 American action film partially based on the life of Norman "Storm" Cantwell, directed by Rowdy Herrington and starring Patrick Swayze as a bouncer at a newly-refurbished roadside bar who protects a small town in Missouri from a corrupt businessman. Sam Elliot also plays a...
), and high school friend of Elvis PresleyElvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, played football at Jones County Junior College in Ellisville