Attala County

Mississippi Genealogy & History Network




Ethel

    Attala County, Mississippi


submitted by & photos by Gerald & Tammy Westmoreland








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Located about 8 miles northeast of Kosciusko, Ethel was established in 1883 and named for the daughter of an official of the Illinois Central Railroad.


The town was first called Stonewall and was formed from the estates of Robert Bell, John Lane, and John Cook. Robert Bell was the son of Charlie Bell, a native of Ireland who brought a colony to this area in 1874. He bought his land from a widow in Kosciusko named Davis, paying fifty cents an acre for 800 acres. He sold home sites to those who were able to pay, and gave sites to those who would come but were wmable to pay.


Other than its founders there were other important personalities including Dr. J.S. Collins, first physician to open an office at Ethel, where he practiced medicine from 1884 to 1885; Uncle Jim Davis, an old veteran of the Indian Wars who served under General Scott from 1836 to 1837; W.A. Crossely, editor of the only newspaper in Ethel published for twelve years; Captain A.J. Johnson, who was born in 1844, moved to this site in 1890 and contributed greatly to the community through religious, educational, and other channels.





GPS: 33.120278, -89.465833









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