FORMATION OF LAWRENCE COUNTY When Established Lawrence County was established December 22, 1814, from the older county of Marion. It was one of the fourteen territorial counties represented in the Constitutional Convention of 1817 (1) The date of the establishment of the county suggests the War Between the United States and Great Britain, and it was named in memory of Captain James Lawrence, who commanded the ship Chesapeake, in that great struggle, whose last words when mortally wounded were, "Don't give up the ship." (2) Shape, Size and Boundaries The present shape of the county is somewhat rectangular, and it has an area of 418 square miles. The original act defined the boundaries of Lawrence County as follows: "Beginning at the Franklin County line where the middle section of the fifty township intersects the same; thence east along the said line to its intersection with the eastern boundary line of the county of Marion; and all that tract of country on the north side of said line and within the original boundary of Marion County, shall form a county to be known as Lawrence." The original area of the county was about 1000 square miles, but by act of January 5, 1891, it contributed part of its eastern area to form the county of Covington. On February 12 of the same year, it surrendered to Marion County the northern half of township 5, ranges 17 and 18. In 1870 it contributed a tract of western area to form the county of Lincoln. In 1906, a part of its territory was deducted in the formation of Jefferson Davis County. The area at one time was 414,382 acres, or 638 square miles. At present Lawrence County is bounded on the north by Copiah and Simpson on the east by Jefferson Davis and Marion; on the south by Marion and Walthall; on the west by Lincoln. The area of the county at present (1937) is 418 square miles, or 267,520 acres. County Seat MONTICELLO, the county seat, established March 1, 1815, is situated on a high bluff on the west bank of Pearl River, and was named in honor of the famous residence of Thomas Jefferson. During the early part of the nineteenth century, Monticello was an important business point and a political center of note. The legislature at one time selected Monticello for the state capital, but rescinded its actions twenty-four hours later and located it elsewhere. During the first five years of the county's history, courts were held at Wright Mitchell's house. The first courthouse was a crude log structure, built in 1818, on the same site as the present one. The first court was organized March 6, 1815, with Harmon Runnels, chief justice; Stephen Noble, Benjamin Goodson, and James Stigler, associate justices; Hardin D. Runnels, sheriff; and Harmon M. Runnels, clerk. At one time there were deeds recorded in the chancery clerk's office written in Greek, Hebrew, French, Spanish, and English. These old documents were destroyed in 1931, when the courthouse burned. These valuable records were stored in a room located in the dome of the courthouse, where the fire was first discovered, making it impossible to save them. In 1806 the old Federal road from Ocmulgee River in Georgia to St. Stephens in Alabama was opened (by treaty) through the country of the Creeks and was extended two years later to Natchez, running through the present town of Monticello. This made it easy for the settlers of South Carolina and Georgia to immigrate into the section of Mississippi Territory through which this road ran, and many of these immigrants settled in that portion, which afterwards become Lawrence County. The earliest settler of the town and county was Harmon Runnels, who built the first house in Monticello and there reared a large family of sons and daughters. One of his sons, Hiram G. Runnels, was elected governor of the state; and his grandson of the same name was subsequently elected governor of Texas. Other early settlers in this section were: Wright Mitchell, Joseph Cooper, Bartholomew Longino, Henry Maxwell, James Buckley, Elias Mullens, Josse Maxwell, John Maxwell, Samuel and Brewster Jayne, Aaron Hickman, Luke Butler (grandfather of William Butler who served several terms as sheriff of the county), and many other families prominently connected with the growth and progress of the county. These pioneers were brave, honest, enterprising, and hospitable people. Among the early merchant of Monticello were John M. Elder, Samuel Jayne, Francis Blair, William Whitehead, and Charles Lynch; the latter afterward was governor of the state, making two early governors furnished by this county. The Nagle Hotel, one of the early hostelries of Monticello, managed by Edward Bowen, was a two-story building coving practically a block; the stables and negro quarters for the hotel covered another block. The Planters Hotel, owned and operated by Mr. Daughtry, father of Mrs. G. A. Teunisson, covered the square where the present high school is located. The brick Methodist church, a two-story building, provided pews for the members in the main auditorium and a balcony for the slaves. There were also provisions made for a nursery. In the building of this church, one member made for a nursery. In the building of this church, one member made a donation of $1000 and had his own padded pew.