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Jones County was established in 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. Ellisville,
the county seat, was named for Powhatan Ellis, a member of the Mississippi Legislature who claimed to be a direct
descendant of Pocahontas. During the economic hard times in the 1830s and 1840s, there was an exodus of population
from South Mississippi, principally to Texas, and the slogan "GTT" ("Gone to Texas") came into
currency. The situation was especially acute in Jones County, which became so depopulated that it acquired the
derisive nickname "The Free State of Jones". During the War of 1861-1865, Jones County and neighboring
counties, especially Covington County to its west, became a haven for Confederate deserters. A group of deserters
led by Newt Knight engaged in sporadic battles with State and Confederate units sent to arrest them for desertion.
The notoriety of Newt Knight's "rebellion" led to the fabrication of elaborate stories alleging Jones
County's "secession" from the Confederacy and the establishment of an entity called "The Free State
of Jones". There was no such "State", but the legend gained strength from the fact that Jones County
already had been widely known as "The Free State of Jones". After the War, the Mississippi Legislature
punished Jones County's disloyalty to the "Cause" by changing its name to Davis (for Jefferson Davis)
and the name of its county seat to Leesburg (for Robert E. Lee). The Reconstruction Constitution of 1869 repealed
these acts and restored the names of Jones County and Ellisville. The county was divided into judicial districts
in 1906, with seats of justice at Ellisville (First District) and Laurel (Second District).
Towns & Cities of Jones Co MS
