This Musing is a continuation of Musings 1, 2 and 3 in that these are the final Mississippi counties where I find Choctaw bands circa 1836. As in the earlier Musings, I used the BLM GLO Search features to find Choctaw Individual Properties (CIP). I plotted the CIP on a county and township. My interest is not only knowing the Choctaw band locations but also determining the name of the bands. Differing from Musings 1, 2 and 3 there will be no township figures. I will provide the townships in which the bands are located. If one is intrigued, he or she may look the CIP locations up on the BLM GLO website.

In this Musing I will be as brief as possible. I will progress using the contemporary counties boundaries. . .

SIMPSON COUNTY

Simpson County was founded in 1824.

On the east side of Township 2N R2E in the northwest corner of the county on either side of Big Creek was a small Choctaw band. The United States original survey documents did not name the creek. Big Creek is a tributary of the Pearl River.

Likewise, in the middle sections of Township T1N R4E east of Strong River and north of Rials Creek was another small band. The United States original survey did not name the creek. However, Wikipedia offers "boge homi" (meaning bitter creek) as a Choctaw name for the Strong River. Perhaps these were the Bogue Homa people?

A third band was situated in the northern part of Township 10N R17W and the southern part of Township T1N R6E along Okatoma Creek.

Another Simpson County band is included in Rankin County below.

A local county history, An Early History of Simpson County, Mississippi, written by Bee King who was a former Mayor of Mendenhall provides some insight to these bands. Mr. King indicated there were as many as five small villages in Simpson County until 1820. Further, he stated that only a few of the Choctaw remained by 1880. He called all of these Choctaw villages "Six Towns people." He did not provide any further identification of the villages (bands).

COPIAH COUNTY

Copiah County was founded in 1823. Like Simpson County it was created from lands from the Choctaw/United States Treaty of Doak's Stand 1820.

As far as the Choctaw properties are concerned, the Choctaw were well represented in Copiah County circa 1836. There was a fair distribution of Choctaw throughout the county.

A band was situated in southwestern Township T1N R1W on Copiah Creek. In fact, the original United States survey has this band situated on headwaters of an unnamed tributary of "Copire Creek.

In Township T1N R2W there was a small band in the center and southern sections. It appears that Long Creek and Jones Creek headwaters served these peoples. Both of these creeks are tributaries of Bayou Pierre.

Another band was located in southern sections of Township T2N R1W on Brushy Creek. The United States original survey did not name the creek.

Yet another band was located in south central Township T2N R2W on headwaters of Turkey Creek. The United States original survey did not name the creek.

A band was situated in southwest and central sections of Township T2N R3W south of "Bayou Pierre." The band extended west to include T2N R4W north of "Bayou Pierre" and its tributaries.

A large band existed in northwestern sections of Township T9N R8E including the southwestern parts of Township T10N R8E with both townships located on King Creek. The United States original survey documents did not name the creek.

And lastly a small band was situated in northeastern sections of Township T9N R6E on headwaters Valley Creek and Providence Creek or north of the "Head waters of the Homo chitto" per the Original United States Survey notes.

Other than Sixtown group of Choctaw peoples in Copiah County; the names of the bands likely shared the names of their Choctaw named creek: i.e. Copiah Creek peoples shared the name of the Copiah Creek per early settlers. Likewise those bands that lived on Bayou Pierre and Homo chitto could have shared the creek names.

HOLMES COUNTY

Holmes County was formed in 1833 from Choctaw lands obtained by the United States at Treaty of Doak's Stand.

There were three bands in Holmes County. The eastern most band was located on the western side of Township T14N R4E on Box Creek, a tributary of the Big Black River. Perhaps this band was called Bogue Lusa?

The largest band included the center and eastern sections of Township T15N R3E and the western sections of Township T15N R4E both on Black Creek and its tributaries. The original United States surveyors called Black Creek "Bogue Lusa."

The westernmost band was situated in the northwest corner of Township T14N R1W on Bee Lake which the original surveyors called a "lagoon." Bee Lake was a cutoff of the "Yazoo River" as called by the original surveyors.

At present I do not know the group affiliation with these bands. The band on Bee Lake may have been called Yazoo while those on Big Black Creek or River may have shared the band name Bouge Lusa.

COVINGTON COUNTY

Covington County was formed in 1819. It was surveyed in 1810-1811.

There were two bands in 1836 in Covington County. The smaller of the two included the west side of Township T9N R14W along the east side of the contemporary named Leaf River. The original United States surveyors also used "Leaf River."

The larger band was located in the center of Township T7N R15W on Okatoma Creek. The original survey plat did not name the creek, and the survey notes were not included in the BLM GLO database.

Perhaps the larger band was known as the Okatoma people?

RANKIN COUNTY

Rankin County was formed in 1828. The original survey was performed in 1821-1822.

The largest band included the central sections of Township T3N R4E and the northern sections of Township T2N R4E Simpson County. This band was bounded by Dabbs Creek on the west and Campbell Creek on the east. The United States original survey documents did not name the creeks.

On the west side of the county and immediately opposite the city of Jackson was a band in the northwest corner of Township T5N R2E which was situated just west of the Jackson airport and east of the Pearl River. The original United States surveyors used "Pearl River" as well.

A third band was located in the central and western part of Township T4N R5E and the eastern side of Township T4N R4E on Campbell Creek, a tributary of Strong River. Neither the original survey plats nor notes yielded additional information about any of the water bodies mentioned above.

Pearl River was a group name of bands.

MADISON COUNTY

Madison County was formed in 1828. The county was originally surveyed in the early 1820s.

There was one band in Madison County. It was located in the northern sections of Township T9N R5E and the adjoining southern sections of Township T10N R5E in the headwaters of Doaks Creek and Lottville Creek. This band neighbored "Doaks Stand" where the Choctaw/United States Treaty of Doak's Stand was signed in 1820. In addition, the Robinson Road ran through the band's sections, and the Pearl River was one mile to the southeast.

This band could have shared the name with the Pearl River.

JONES COUNTY

Jones County was formed in 1826 from Wayne and Covington counties. It was surveyed in the early 1820s.

The band in Jones County is located near Ellisville in the center and southern sections of Township T7N R12W and the northern sections in Township T6N R12W along Tallahala Creek. The original United States surveyor named the creek "Bear Creek."

Likely the band was named after Tallahala Creek.

LAWRENCE COUNTY

Lawrence County was organized in 1814.

There were three bands in Lawrence County, all on its eastern border. The smallest band was located in the northeastern sections of Township T5N R20W along the east bank of the Pearl River.

The largest band included the northwestern and central sections of Township T6N R20W which are east of the Pearl River and south of Silver Creek.

The final band was located east of the Pearl River swamp and generally west of Silver Creek in Township T7N R20W.

I did not find a Choctaw name for Silver Creek. However, all of these bands could have shared a group name from the Pearl River.

JEFFERSON DAVIS COUNTY

Jefferson Davis County was founded in 1906 and created from Lawrence and Covington counties. There were a number of CIP near the center of the county.

There were three bands of Choctaw in the land that became Jefferson Davis County. The largest band included sections of the western side of Township T8N R18W on both sides of Jaybird Creek and the eastern side of Township T8N R19W along White Sand Creek.

The next band lived in the northern sections of Township T7N R18W along Jaybird Creek and its tributaries.

The final band dwelled the center sections of Township T7N R19W generally east of Dry Creek, along White Sand Creek and Jaybird Creek.

I did not find any information in the original survey records to assist naming these bands.

WAYNE COUNTY

Wayne County was organized in 1809 under the Mississippi Territory.

There was a small band in Township T10N R6W generally east of Dry Creek which is a tributary of the Chickasawhay River.

FORREST COUNTY

Forrest County was formed from Perry County in 1908.

A small band was located in the headwaters of Big Creek in Township T5N R14W. Big Creek is a tributary of the Bouie River.

PERRY COUNTY

Perry County was formed in 1820.

There was a small band located along the Leaf River in Township T3N R11W. The original United States Surveyors also called the water body "Leaf River." The Geographic Names Information System provides a number of Choctaw or corrupted Choctaw names for the Leaf River.

HANCOCK COUNTY

Hancock County was created in 1812.

There were two bands in Hancock County. In Township T9S R14W in the northwest corner there was a small band of Choctaws circa 1836. The water features have changed dramatically with development. Bay St. Louis is a mile southeast of the nearest CIP.

The larger band was in the southwest corner of Township T7S R14W with the Bay St. Louis approximately one mile distant from the closest CIP.

Perhaps these Choctaw people settled in the former towns of one of the smaller coastal peoples?

HARRISON COUNTY

Harrison County was founded in 1841 from parts of Hancock and Jackson counties.

There were several Choctaw bands that lived in Harrison County. The largest band was in the northern two-thirds of Township T7S R10W on the west side of the western edge of Back Bay and northern side of Back Bay. In addition, the CIP in the southern part of the Township T6S R10W joined this band.

A second band lived in the eastern half of Township T7S R11W on the Bayou Bernard tributaries. Most of this land is included in the City of Gulfport and developed. The last and smallest band was located in the northern end of Township T5S R12W on the tributaries of the Biloxi River.

It could be that the Choctaw bands settled in the earlier old towns of the Biloxi peoples. Perhaps the Choctaw married into the Biloxi generations before 1836?

JACKSON COUNTY

Jackson County was created in 1812.

The largest band in Jackson County lived in the eastern half (mostly northeastern) of Township T7S R8W and the northwestern sections of Township T7S R7W all along Old Fort Bayou.

Another band resided mostly in the southeastern sections of Township T6S R9W along Tchoutacabouffa River.

The smallest band lived in the southeastern sections of Township T6S R5W along the Escatawpa River. I did not find any CIP in neighboring township of Alabama.

Perhaps these bands occupied former old towns of the Pascagoula peoples?

I will endeavor to find the names of these bands using primary sources.