Provincial Press is now offering The Natchez Ledgers, 1790-1791, A Finding-Aid for Anglo-Americans in Pre-Territorial Mississippi, a valuable research tool ancestor hunters of this period. Think Mississippi’s tobacco history was limited to the recent legislative wars? Think again!

Following the American Revolution, in which Spain played a significant role against England in the Gulf South, Anglo-Americans and other non-Latins began to settle the Spanish-held District of Natchez in even greater numbers than during the English period (1763-1770).

The Spanish governor offered lucrative incentives to attract settlers including easy credit and free land for the cultivation of tobacco. With the example of the tobacco success in the Virginia colonies, would-be planters needed little else for encouragement.

In 1786, Louisiana shipped over 1 million pounds of export tobacco abroad, and only three years later, production from Natchez alone reached almost 1 1/2 million pounds of this popular weed. However, economic disaster was soon to follow when Spain reduced its guaranteed purchases from 2 million to a mere 40,000 pounds annually.

The resulting financial crisis forced the citizens of the District to petition the Spanish government for relief and a year later they were granted a three-year moratorium on debts. The Natchez Ledgers were the records of the accounts entered as exhibits in the petition and involved not only the planters, but the merchants who extended credit and even the small farmers whose very lives depended on credit extended to them.

The records presented in the book are based on the Natchez District Papers in the Papeles Procedentes de Cuba, General Archives of the Indies, Seville, legoja 204, folio 832-918 &045; some 120 oversized pages completed by each individual businessmen in varying penmanship. It provides a glorious record of who was here and what they were doing.

Research for this book was done over a three-year period at the Alexandria Historical and Genealogical Library in Alexandria, La., and with working copies supplied by the Historic New Orleans Collection, the book was compiled by Winston De Ville, FASG.

The information published here were previously unpublished records of Spain and provide a virtual census of the most populated area of the vast Mississippi colony in the years just prior to United States sovereignty. The records are reproduced in clearly legible darkface type and the book is fully indexed.

This is a great addition to private libraries as well as public ones and would make a great gift to genealogical collections throughout Mississippi. The 108-page volume is priced at $33.50 plus $1.50 shipping. Louisiana residents must add 4 percent sales tax.

Orders may be placed email (www.provincialpress.us) or snail mail (Provincial Press, 1067 Rock Pit Road, Ville Platte, Louisiana, 70586-9266). Credit cards only are accepted via the Web site. Checks and purchase-orders will be honored from libraries and other tax-exempt institutions.

DOES ANYONE KNOW Š

Š Doyle L. Jones (71 Shore Drive, Clinton, MS 39056-3500;

jonesdi_71@yahoo.com

) is seeking information about the death of his great grandfather, JAMES THOMAS NELSON of the Silver Creek, Mississippi, area. Nelson was shot to death in a robbery three miles east of Brookhaven, MS, on the Monticello Road on 14 August 1903. ORD JUDD PENNINGTON who was with Nelson reported the details of the shooting to the local authorities. Several people were arrested for the shooting but were released. What happened to Ord Pennington? Was anyone tried and convicted of this robber/murder? Can any reader help solve this mystery?

Š Malcolm Murff (

dot3mac8@stic.net

) is trying to locate the three daughters of GROVER R. TOWERY, JR., and his wife, LOIS MILDRED GRISSOM TOWERY. All three girls were born in Tupelo, MS., between 1949 and 1954. Their names: LINDA GAIL, MILDRED ANN, and MARJIE ELIZABETH. They are part of his Murff family descendants. Can anyone help in locating this branch of his family?

Please send your announcements and queries to FAMILY TREES, 900 Main Street, Natchez, MS 39120 or email

FAMTREE316@aol.com

. All queries are printed free of charge. We look forward to hearing from you!