A bit of a history lesson just in case you run across your relatives living in beat usually followed by a number: The beats were formed by Mississippi State Law. There are five beats in a county. In La. they are called Parish. The residents of each beat vote and elect a person known as supervisor to work the roads, etc. He is responsible for all the expenses for his beat. The Supervisors meet as a whole body to pass tax levees for each beat, to be able to pay the beat expenses. When the counties were first formed in the early 1800's the supervisors were called a Police Court operating the same as today. During this time the person taking care of the beats changed several time during the year. Most residents in the community would build and work the road such as they were at that time and bill the the county for work done. The person who found her relatives in beat 3 was that these persons lived in beat three at the time of the census was taken. The county offices (Tax Collector, Chancery Clerk, Circuit Clerk,) in the courthouses are elected by voters of the entire county. Thanks, Melissa