At 04:01 PM 03/29/2000 -0800, Sheila Lawyer wrote: >My stepmother was born in Petal, pearl co, Miss. and her birth records >also where burned. We had to get a census record from the 1930s to prove >that she was born in 1912 . She thinks that she is either Choctaw or >Chickasaw. Strange all these fires. here is what I have on her. >grand parents >Albert Seaborn Davis about 1810 >Margaret Dell Davis >both of Hattiesburg, or pearl river co. area as far as i know >maternal side of family Hi Sheila, I live in Hattiesburg MS. Hattiesburg was founded in the 1890's. Petal is a suburb. It was founded about the same time. Both are in Forrest County. There is no Pearl County in MS. There is a Pearl River County 2 counties to the southwest. Forrest county was created from Perry County in 1906. Choctaw Indians were the only ones in the area. I think the Chickasaws were farther east in AL. Forrest county has a good webpage. You can find it at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~msforres/ Gene Phillips