LINCOLN PARISH HISTORY: Historical Sketch of Lincoln Parish
Contributed by: Jo Autrey
This information has been generously shared by the 1976 Bicentennial Committee
who published "Lincoln Parish History 1776-1976."
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HISTORICAL SKETCH OF LINCOLN PARISH
Lincoln Parish History,
Edited by Mary Frances Fletcher, Ralph L. Ropp
Copyright, Lincoln Parish Bicentennial Committee, 1976
Used with Permission
Submitted by Jo Lyon Autrey
In 1804, Shortly after France had sold to the United Stated that vast territory,
which was called Louisiana, the whole purchase was divided into two districts.
The northern and western part was called the District of Missouri; the southern
part was called the Territory of Orleans. What is now Lincoln Parish was of
course in the Orleans Territory.
W. C. C. Claiborne was appointed by President Thomas Jefferson as governor of
this new Territory of Orleans. This was a particularly difficult position to
fill because people of different languages and customs were to live under one
government; but with his supervision the Orleans division prospered greatly, so
much that after eight years it was admitted to the Union as the state of
Louisiana. This was in 1812; but before the state was formed the territorial
government saw the necessity of looking after their distant settlements in the
northern part of the territory, such as the one at Natchitoches and the smaller
ones far up the Red and Ouachita rivers. To provide this care the Territory was
further divided. In northern part of the state Natchitoches and Ouachita
parishes were formed; Natchitoches Parish embracing all that particular part of
the country between Ouachita Parish and the Sabine River, the latter dividing
line between the United States and Mexico. Ouachita Parish included what was
later Union Parish as well as Morehouse and parts of the Carrol parishes,
together with the parish of Ouachita. The county of Ouachita, which was an
earlier division, included "All that county commonly known and called by the
name of the Ouachita settlements". The parish was not so large and, as we shall
see later, it as further divided. Most of what is now Lincoln was included in
Ouachita Parish, but a small portion was in Natchitoches.
In 1812, all this section of North Louisiana was one great forest, and under the
trees there was often a thick mat of underbrush and vines. Here was the home of
the wolf, the bear and the panther, with wild horses and cattle running free
over the country. There are accounts of Indians roaming here and there through
this region but is uncertain whether they were of the Caddo tribe or of the
Ouachita - possibly of the latter. Anyone familiar with the old "Wire Road"
which passed east and west through Vienna will recall the higher ground west of
Cypress Creek Levee; here, in former times, was the picturesque spring which it
is said Indians used, making their camp on the hill above. The many arrowheads
and other Indian relics found here in years past rather confirm this tradition.
There are several other spots in the parish that are rich in these relics,
notably a certain field of Iron Rock Farm which is several miles south of Ruston
and a site near Dubach where Indian weapons have been uncovered.
According to early writers this part of the country was known as a veritable
paradise for adventurous hunters. They came from far and near, and in some way
the forests were set on fire, making a tremendous conflagration that burned all
the underbrush and in some instances even tall timber. The fires raged for
several successive summers and were most destructive, but when they finally
burned out they left the country looking like a beautiful park diversified with
vast openings and vistas most enchanting, the early settlers said. Game of
every sort abounded; turkey, deer and buffalo, and in the winter, covering ponds
and bayous, were the water fowl. The fame of the hill country of North
Louisiana spread far and wide. The hunters and surveyors told also of the
fertility of the soil and of the healthfulness of the higher lands. What was of
course a crowning inducement to settlers was the fact that lands could be had
from the government for almost nothing. The Wilder brothers who came to this
state in the eighteen-forties purchased several sections of land from the state
at the rate of 12 ½ cents per acre; some land sold for even less. All these
inducements caused settlers to pour into this section. They came so rapidly
that it was found necessary to divide the great parishes, for the people rightly
claimed that the seats of government were too far for the more distant settlers
to reach. It is related that in the early days young couples in the northern
part of the state who wished to get married had to make a journey of some days
to the village of Natchitoches or to Fort Miro (later Monroe) before they could
find someone who could legally issue a license and marry them. In response to
the demand the state legislature in 1828 passed an act to form the new parish of
Claiborne, named for the first governor. The parish was to include, briefly
speaking, all that land south of the Arkansas Territory, west of Ouachita
Parish, east of the Red River and north of a line starting at the east bank of
Red River at a point fifty miles north of the village of Natchitoches, thence
due east to the Ouachita boundary. So a portion of what is now Lincoln Parish
was a part of Claiborne for many years.
From 1828, but particularly during the forties, the influx of immigration became
a steady stream. They came on the Mississippi and its tributaries; they came by
way of Mobile, across the Gulf to New Orleans, thence up the Mississippi and
Ouachita, then by private conveyance. Largely, they came overland in big
companies of covered wagons; many traveled horseback because of the condition of
the trails. One courageous woman belonging to the Marbury family, with her
husband, bought land in North Louisiana during the Spanish Domination. After
some years her husband died and the government officials, sometimes inclined to
be unscrupulous, claimed that she was not a lawful wife, hence had no right to
the property. To support her claims she rode all the way back to Georgia on
horseback with only a colored servant and returned bringing the legal papers
that vindicated her entirely.
The land that now comprises Lincoln was first settled about one hundred and
twenty-five years ago. The section around what was later Vienna was probably
the first settlement. This was made by Daniel Colvin and his family about 1807.
Other early settlers in this neighborhood were Phillip Brinson, Thomas Nelson,
and the Rev. Mr. McFarland, who was the first Baptist preacher in this part of
the state. Another early settlement was the one at Woodville, sometimes called
the Redwine Community, about ten miles south of the Vienna settlement. Here the
Redwines, the Hintons, the Grigsbys, the Smiths and the Iilands were some of the
early families. Near what is now Choudrant there was a third early settlement,
though probably later then the others, with the Wheats, the Roanes an the Rev.
Abraham Pipes among the prominent people. Rev. Mr. Pipes was the first
Methodist preacher to labor in this vicinity.
In 1839, Union Parish was formed from the northwestern part of Ouachita, so for
some years a large part of what is now Lincoln was in Union Parish.
Jackson Parish was formed in 1845 "out of the contiguous portions of the
parishes of Ouachita, Union and Claiborne." A considerable part of what is now
Lincoln was thus made a part of Jackson and so remained for twenty-five years.
Those were eventful years for this part of the state. They saw the fresh, rich
land cleared and cultivated and made to yield bountiful harvests for all comers.
They saw the people settling in their new homes, being able year by year to add
some of the comforts and niceties of life to what had been, necessarily, hard
living at first. The last few years before the War Between the States saw many
planters as well as merchants prospering greatly. Then came the four terrible
years of war, with the women, children, and slaves left at home while the men of
fighting age were in the army. The men of this section went to fight almost to
a man, and the very few who failed in their duty to their country had the fact
cling to their names through the years. There was one instance of a man who
lived several miles south of Vienna who hired another man to go to war for him.
He was to pay his substitute with a certain farm he owned. The man went to the
army, fought, and at the end of the war returned unhurt to claim the farm, which
was duly made over to him.
There was no fighting in this immediate section, fortunately, and few of the
enemy troops were to be seen; but anxious mothers listened to the booming
cannons in the siege of Vicksburg, over one hundred miles away, and news from
the engagements on the Red River and from the Battle of Mansfield was sought
feverishly. The most of the War that this parish saw was that pitiful,
straggling army of sick and wounded soldier boys who came from to be nursed to
health again, or to die, as their lot might be.
After four years the war was over, but then came another period which lasted
longer and proved to be almost as trying as the other, to a people already worn
out with bloodshed and strife. This Reconstruction time is of special interest
in a history of Lincoln Parish, for out of conditions arising then came the
demand for the organization of a new parish. It was not that the people were
demanding smaller parishes and parish sites more conveniently located. There
may have been some need, but the principle demand was from Radical politicians
who wanted more offices and more power.
The parish was organized in 1873, during Kellogg’s administration. Of the
succession of carpetbag governors who had possession of the state at that time,
Kellogg was perhaps the most unscrupulous, not even excepting Warmoth, his
predecessor in office. Loot and graft were rampant over the state, with decency
and honesty helpless to correct the evils. In the election of 1873, it was
commonly understood that John McEnery had rightly won the governship, but the
Federal Authorities backed Kellogg and his supporters through the state wherever
anyone dared to contest an election.
Allen Greene, a citizen of Vienna, ran for senator of the district composed of
Jackson and Union parishes and claimed that he had been elected. His opponent,
E. M. Graham of Vernon, knowing that he had received a large majority of the
votes and being urged to do so by many citizens, contested the election; but to
no avail for the carpetbaggers, scalawags, and their followers were in control.
Green’s opponent said many years later that in contesting the results of the
election he had to go before the Returning Board in New Orleans, which was
composed of two white men and a Negro, and of the three the negro came nearest
to being a gentleman. Such were conditions in the parish in 1873.
Allen Greene was seated as senator, though a large part of his constituency felt
that he had not gotten the place fairly. Being of the Radical party which had
possession, he and his son, C. J. Greene, who was representative from Jackson
Parish, had a great deal of power. In a letter to a committee from the
Conservative Democratic party, Allen Greene said: "...as Republican members of
a Republican state government it was of course in our power to control the
appointment of whoever we may fit to office in the new parish." Actually,
several men who might well have been the choice of the people were appointed
along with three of Greene’s son’s, one man brought into the parish to fill
office, and several Negroes. The officers were as follows: C. J. Greene,
parish judge; S. P. Colvin, clerk of the court; J. B. Ray of Ouachita Parish,
sheriff; William Taylor (Negro), coroner; W. L. Greene, tax collector; J. A.
Greene, assessor; Dr. A. C. Simonton, recorder; J. M. Roane, surveyor. Allen
Greene was Director of Education, and John Scott (Negro) was one of the parish
school board members. Two Negroes, Marshall Jackson and Hicks, were appointed
members of the Police Jury.
Greene had the power to remove any of the officers who failed to meet his
approval, so in the course of a few months, several of the best officers were
removed; but feeling that they were being dispossessed of their offices unjustly
and knowing that they had the citizenry behind them, they refused to vacate when
the newly appointed men claimed their places. This angered the Radical element
very much and they committed many high-handed and illegal acts, such as moving
the court records to Greensboro (Greene’s home) and failing to hold regular
sessions of the parish and district courts.
The people were growing desperate and began to talk of mobbing their rulers, but
the older and wiser citizens counseled moderations and suggested the circulation
of a petition asking Greene, his three sons, and several other citizens to
resign. This was very readily signed by a large majority of the taxpayers. The
committee of citizens who drew up this petition had the white voters behind
them, but the Radicals had Kellogg and the state government and behind them
Grant and the federal government who would back them in whatever they did.
Nothing but the feeling that theirs was a righteous cause could have made men
willing to protest against such odds. It was a reckless thing for defeated men
who had been dispossessed of their property and of their political rights to
take a stand against their oppressors, for any rumors that ex-slaveholders were
not submitting to the state government were soon heard in New Orleans and
Washington. The citizens felt that it was more than likely that there would be
trouble; but they had stood as much as self-respecting men could stand, so they
demanded that the Radicals resign their offices. The tenseness of the occasion
is felt in the following letters, written to the committee of citizens from
adjoining parishes:
Sparta, La., Aug. 26, 1874
Dear Sir:
Mr. Ellis informs us that you want us to have one hundred men ready to march to
your assistance whenever there is necessity for them. In reply we take pleasure
in informing you that, judging from the expressions of all with whom we have
conversed, there will be no difficulty in getting that number and even a larger
one if necessary. Our citizens, to a man, express the strongest sympathy for
you and your cause and hope you will resist the Metropolitianist to the last.
Please inform us by courier when the Metropolitans reach Monroe.
Respectfully,
(Signed)
J. A. Dorman
J. F. Pierson
"Resolved by the 3rd Ward Club of Ouachita Parish"
That, whereas a large majority of the tax-payers and best citizens of Lincoln
Parish, moved thereto by the corrupt and illegal acts of the officials appointed
for that parish by W. P. Kellogg, acting governor, civilly demanded the
resignation of said officials; and
Whereas intelligence has been received that the acting governor has ordered
Metropolitan policemen, armed and organized, to said parish to maintain the said
officials in office contrary to the solemnly declared will and best interests of
the people of that parish therefore:
Be it resolved, that this club construes this act of Mr. Kellogg as the
expression of a purpose to intimidate the people of this state and to carry the
approaching election by violence and in defiance of the will of the people.
Be it further resolved that the people of Lincoln Parish have the sympathy of
this club in the struggle to perpetuate free and honest government, and that we
pledge them our earnest and active support.
"Adopted 22nd of August, 1874.
(Signed) Thos. G. Aby, President
A. L. Slack, Secretary
The carpetbag government was shrewd enough to know when men were so desperate
that they would stand for nothing more. Squads of the Metropolitans rode
through the country, arresting a few citizens here and there, but no large
company of them came to wreak vengeance on the citizens of Lincoln. Political
affairs were bad on occasions but never so bad after this. G. L. Gaskins and
Edgar Howard, both men of the community, were made parish judge and sheriff
respectively. Other abuses were remedied, several of the Radicals left the
parish, and things were more quiet for a while but the elections of 1876 brought
a renewed excitement to the people. In this election, as the day drew near, a
troop of cavalry sent out from the Federal Forces stationed at Monroe made raids
into the surrounding county, arresting prominent citizens on some slight pretext
and hailing them before these authorities. Such a raid was made on Vienna, and
men noted for their sobriety and moderation in all things were seized,
handcuffed, and carried off to show how powerful the Government could be. Some
of the more influential people realized that if they wanted to be on hand to
vote on election day, it would be wise to hide out until that time. So, they
left their homes and their businesses and slept in the fields and woods in order
that they might vote and free the state of her tyrants.
An exciting incident of the election of 1876 was the parade of a big company of
negroes through the streets of Vienna. They paraded double file on horseback,
going west to one polling place to vote the "Publican Ticket." The powers that
directed their movements well knew well how dangerous the ignorant freedmen
could be if they were encouraged a little and they knew, too, that if the people
always feared un uprising among them.
The Radical had the Negroes well in hand and managed their vote for the state
political machine. To do this they associated with them in a social way,
entertaining them in their homes, to the amazement of their fellow citizens; and
they did this, not from any mistaken idea of helping the Negro race but for what
they could get of out of them.
The people of that day have said in their justifiable wrath some things that
were too harsh, and they may have failed to give credit for what good the
Radicals did, but the sober judgment of years remains that in a time of all
times, when their section needed the loyal and unselfish support of its
citizens, they seized the opportunity to mend their own fortunes when doing so
meant untold injury to their neighbors.
While these things are true it is also true that whatever is exciting or tragic,
or, one might almost say, romantic in the early history of the parish centers
around this same time. Allen Greene, he was a kind neighbor, as many could
testify, and very hospitable to all who went to his home. The site of this
place, "Greensboro", may be seen from the "White Lightening" road a few miles
west of Vienna. His broad fields extended over the fertile hills and valley
well beyond what we call now the McLure Hill, the beauty spot of the parish.
Allen Greene was a man of vast energy and had many projects in mind for the
building of his plantation. One of these ideas was the establishment of a shoe
factory where he employed a good many workmen. Even in his later years he
planned a broad, straight road that was to lead from his place to the V. S. & P.
Railroad, at a station called Allen Greene (now Grambling) some four miles west
of Ruston. The highway at his death was left uncompleted, and his different
projects soon faded away. Today there is nothing left of Greensboro.
After 1876 the rule of the carpetbagger was practically over through some of the
evil effects of that regime were felt for many hears. This was especially true
of the negro vote, which was a source of corruption in Lincoln as in the other
parishes until the constitution of 1898 eliminated it from politics.
After fifteen years of war and political oppression were over this section waked
to the fact that it was really at the beginning of a new era of freedom and
progress. The V. S. & P. Railroad, long awaited, was actually being built
through the parish in 1883. This meant much to a people whose nearest market
was thirty odd miles distant, over bad roads. Lincoln Parish was strictly rural
without a single big town in all her 472-square miles of territory. Vienna, the
parish site, hardly reached the one thousand mark even in her palmist days. The
other post offices were merely thickly settled communities, such as Knowles’
store or Mitchell’s schoolhouse, which were used as polling places at election
time. The new railroad, near the eastern part of the parish, passed through one
of the earliest settlements and located a station, called at first Shuder
Station, later Choudrant for the big creek of that name which wound through the
adjacent lowlands. It might be of interest to mention that the two bayous in
the parish have the only names of French origin to be found here. It is not
hard to imagine that some hardy Creoles found their canoes in these big creeks
as they explored the Ouachita regions, and perhaps stayed to hunt and trap in
the creek bottoms until their names came to be associated with the streams.
When the new railroad builders had constructed their tracks eight miles west of
Choudrant they located a station which they called Ruston, destined soon to be
made the parish site. Another eight miles completed and they located a station
at what was already an old settled community, Simsboro. As early as 1848 James
Monroe Sims settled at the place that came to be known by his name. Old
Simsboro was made up of his residence, together with the Negro houses, a mill
and a store. Today, a thriving little town has grown up, with churches, business
houses, an approved high school, and the luxuries of a bigger town in their
lights and water.
When the east and west road was completed to Shreveport, public spirited
citizens looked forward with high hopes to a road that would pass through
Ruston, connecting it with northern markets and with New Orleans. They expected
it right away and felt that it would be the means of establishing Lincoln’s
prosperity. Actually it was sixteen years before the road materialized,
connecting us on the north with Little Rock, Arkansas, and on the south with
Alexandria, La.
Following in the tracks of the railroad builders there came lumbermen setting up
saw mills along the road and, as was natural to suppose, some of these saw mill
communities survived and grew into towns. Such a one was Dubach, which took its
name from a lumberman. It has developed in its forty-odd years of existence
into a thriving town with public buildings, waterworks and lights and a trading
radius of many miles.
In the years that have passed since Lincoln Parish was established her
boundaries have been changed once. This occurred in 1877, when certain citizens
living in the southeastern part of the parish desired that they be transferred
to Jackson Parish. The land in question was described as "The North half of
Township Seventeen North, Range One and Two West." The necessary steps were
taken and the transfer was duly made; but after more than a quarter of a century
(1904) there was a persistent demand that this plot of land be returned to
Lincoln Parish. During the years since 1877 the parish site of Lincoln had been
moved four miles nearer them and had developed into a good market town, whereas
Vernon, the capital of their parish, had dwindled into an insignificant village
with the seat of government soon to be moved farther down in the parish. It was
decidedly to their advantage to be in the parish of Lincoln, but for some reason
the election authorized by the legislature failed to carry, so the boundary
lines remain as established in 1877.
One of the problems that faced these citizens must have been the stretches of
bad road that lay between them and the outside world, for roads have always been
a special matter of concern to our people. Twenty-five years ago the prosperity
of whole communities was affected by impassable roads. Lincoln shared with all
the state in its demand for better roads, so for the past thirty years there has
been a steady improvement in our highways. At the present time we have a very
good system: approximately 27 miles of the paved Dixie Overland Highway extend
from east to west in the parish, and about 21 miles of the paved Pershing
Highway extends north and south. Other short stretches of pavement are to be
found here and there in our boundaries, with many miles of graveled roads and
many more of native gravel and improved roads.
With the improvements of the roads came a good system of rural free delivery of
mails that has connected numerous isolated farm homes with the outside world.
The network of telephones that is gradually covering the parish is likewise
serving to better conditions, as is also the Louisiana Power and Light Company’s
rural electrification system.
Lincoln Parish has always been considered, and is today, one of the most
healthful parts of the state. The land is well drained by the D’Arbonne and
Choudrant bayous with the aid of Sugar, Cypress, Middle Fork and Stowe creeks,
their principal tributaries. The elevation while not high as compared with
other parts of the South, is among the highest in the state. In the vicinity of
Ruston, it is something over three hundred feet above sea level, though in the
creek "bottoms" there is an elevation of just about one hundred feet, not
surprising in this land of hills and valleys. It would seem because of the lay
of the land that here would be a promise of mineral wealth, but repeated efforts
have failed so far to unearth the much coveted oil. However, in prospecting,
two gas wells have been discovered that will eventually provide an abundance.
It would seem too, that the different clays found here might be valuable, but
nothing has been done with them in a commercial way. Some years ago, a vein of
antimony was reputed to have been found in the neighborhood of Ruston. This
discovery aroused considerable interest, and a company was formed to promote the
mining of this valuable substance. In their efforts to get possession of the
promoters brought such pressure to bear upon the Negro owner of the land that he
felt it expedient to turn over the deed of his property to a white neighbor and
to leave for parts unknown for a few months. The owner came home after a time
and was never again molested. He died some years ago, and there is probably no
one now who knows the exact location of the supposed mine.
The character of the people remains the same as in earlier years. There have
been no great tides of immigration into the parish nor any considerable movement
out of it, so except for the natural increase in the population we have remained
the same. The colored portion of the population, approximately 40 per cent, is
on the whole law abiding and thrifty, with an increasing number owning their own
homes. As concerns race difficulties, while it is hoped that they are now a
thing of the past. The Negro citizens of the parish are to be congratulated on
their school at Grambling, which they organized themselves. The developments of
the school are briefly as follows: In 1900 a sawmill was set up on a site near
the Vicksburg, Shreveport, and Pacific Railroad about four miles west of Ruston.
The owner and operator of the mill, Mr. Judd Grambling of Ruston, doubtless
selected this spot because of large tracts of timbered land near by. So
extensive were the tracts that the plant operated here for a number of years,
the railroad finally locating a station here and calling it Grambling, after the
owner. Millwork demanded intelligent and industrious workmen, so the colored
people who settled in this neighborhood were probably above the average. They
organized a school for their children, calling it Allen Greene School, but they
could find no suitable teacher, so they appealed to Booker T. Washington, the
president of Tuskegee School. He recommended one of his graduates, Charles P.
Adams, who came to Grambling in 1901 to take charge. The school began in a very
small way and for a few years had a rather chequered career but the enrollment
increased from year to year, and they were able to acquire a few acres of land.
For several years there was a dissension among the patrons over a leader, but
Adams seems to have been able to retain his position and, needing help badly, he
appealed to Northern friends for aid. A number of people contributed, among
them a Miss Fidelia Jewett of California, who gave substantial help. They were
thereby able to purchase two hundred acres of land, construct some buildings,
and pay their teachers. In 1918 when the Parish School Board took charge of the
institution, it was a very flourishing school with ten grades and was named the
Lincoln Parish Training School. The funds from the parish enabled them to
construct a building and to assure their teachers a fixed salary. In 1928 a
bill was introduced in the Legislature to make this a state-supported school.
The bill was finally passed but it carried no appropriation with it. However,
the Parish Board agreed to finance the school until the Legislature should meet
again. In 1930 an appropriation was finally made, the sum being $9,000.000. In
1936 the Institute was reorganized, the name being changed again to the
Louisiana Negro Normal and Industrial Institute. Charles Adams retired, and
Ralph W. E. Jones was appointed in his place. President Jones, who had already
served the school in several capacities, was well qualified for his new work,
holding a B. A. degree from Southern University and an M. A. from Columbia
University. At this time the good work they have been doing at Grambling is
beginning to be known, not only in the state but well beyond her borders. It is
her good fortune to have been located in a community composed largely of colored
people; also to have been placed in a section well removed from any other school
for their race. So with an assured income, capable leaders, and a fairly good
plant it would seem that the Louisiana Negro Normal and Industrial Institute has
a bright future before it.
As to our farmers. The farmers, and they make up a good part of the population,
have been accused of being unprogressive, of farming as their fathers before
them, but in the prosperous years after World War I, they made great strides
toward new farming enterprises - truck and fruit growing, animal husbandry,
forage crops, et. It is true that the Depression with its attendant ills has
caused a serious setback, but our farmers have definitely put behind them the
idea that cotton is their one money crop and have become dairy-minded. Many
people feel that this may be the ideal dairying section of the nation and that
we may confidently expect in the not too distant future to see numberless fat
cattle on Lincoln’s thousand hills.
The following are lists of those holding the principal offices in Lincoln Parish
from its organization in 1873 up to the present time.
As a whole, the parish has been blessed with excellent officers, many of them
being kept in office a number of years. Clerk of Court J. W. (Tobe) Williams,
Sheriff Eugene Howard, and Tax Assessor N. B. Gill are outstanding examples of
efficient and popular officers of our earlier days: Mr. Williams serving as
Clerk of Court from 1876 until 1904, when he retired on account of advancing
years. Mr. Howard, being Sheriff from 1880 until his death in 1899; and Mr.
Gill serving as tax assessor from 1876 until 1896.
DISTRICT JUDGES
J. R. Trimble, 1872-1876
E. M. Graham, 1876-1880
E. M. Graham, 1880-1884
John L. Young, 1884-1888
Allen Barksdale, 1888-1892
Allen Barksdale, 1892-1896
Allen Barksdale, 1896-1900
Robert B. Dawkins, 1900-1904
Robert B. Dawkins, 1904-1908
Robert B. Dawkins, 1908-1912
J. B. Holstead, 1912-1916
J. B. Crow, 1916-1920
J. B. Crow, 1920-1924
(S. L. Digby filled unexpired term)
S. D. Pierce, 1924-1930
E. L. Walker, 1930-1936
E. L. Walker, 1936-1942
E. L. Walker, 1942-
SHERIFFS
J. B. Ray, 1873 -
Edgar Howard, 1874-1876
R. E. Russ, 1876-1880
Eugene Howard, 1880-1884
Eugene Howard, 1884-1888
Eugene Howard, 1888-1892
Eugene Howard, 1892-1896
Eugene Howard, 1896-
(J. L. Bond filled unexpired term)
T. B. Finley, 1900 -
(A. H. Mayfield filled unexpired term)
L. C. Gahagan, 1904-1908
L. C. Gahagan, 1908-1912
J. M. Colvin, 1912-1916
J. M. Colvin, 1916-1920
A. J. Thigpen, 1920-1924
A. J. Thigpen, 1924-1928
A. J. Thigpen, 1928-1932
A. J. Thigpen, 1932-1936
A. J. Thigpen, 1936-
(J. B. Thigpen filled unexpired term)
Clyde Frazier, 1940
CLERKS OF COURT
S. P. Colvin, 1873-1878
J. W. Williams, 1876-1880
J. W. Williams, 1880-1884
J. W. Williams, 1884-1888
J. W. Williams, 1888-1892
J. W. Williams, 1892-1896
J. W. Williams, 1896-1900
J. W. Williams, 1900-1904
J. M. Sims, 1904-1908
J. M. Sims, 1908-1912
Dhu Thompson, 1912-1916
Dhu Thompson, 1916-1920
E. D. McCallum, 1920-1924
Max Bradley, 1924-1928
Max Bradley, 1928-1932
Ross Neill, 1932-1936
Ross Neill, 1936-1940
Ross Neill, 1940-
DISTRICT ATTORNEYS
Robert T. Vaughan, 1873-1876
Allen Barksdale, 1876-1880
Allen Barksdale, 1880-1884
E. H. McClendon, 1884-1888
E. H. McClendon, 1888-1892
E. H. McClendon, 1892-1896
C. B. Roberts, 1896-1900
Fred Preaus, 1900-1904
Fred Preaus, 1904-1908
C. B. Roberts, 1908-1912
Howard Warren, 1912-1916
Howard Warren, 1916-1920
(S. L. Digby filled unexpired term)
S. L. Digby, 1920-1924
REPRESENTATIVES FROM LINCOLN PARISH
C. J. Greene, 1873-1876
G. L. Gaskins, 1876-1880
Max Feazel, 1880-1884
Will Van Hook, 1884-1888
John Stallings, 1888-1892
George M. Lomax, 1892-1896
T. W. Pipes, 1896-1900
S. D. Pearce, 1900-1904
S. D. Pearce, 1904-1908
Sam L. Atkinson, 1908-1912
Fred Price, 1912-1916
Fred price, 1916-1920
Burns Colvin, 1920-1924
J. T. M. Hancock, 1924-1928
C. B. Roberts, 1928-1932
Ashley Wright, 1932-1936
Ashley Wright, 1936-1940
Ragan D. Madden, 1940-
SENATORS FROM THIS DISTRICT WHO WERE FROM LINCOLN PARISH
Allen Greene, 1872-1876
Will Van Hook, 1876-1892
C. K. Lewis, 1900-1904
C. K. Lewis, 1904-1908
S. D. Pearce,1916-1920
Howard Warren, 1920-1924
Howard Warren, 1924-1928
R. B. Knott, 1928-1932
A. K. Goff, 1940-
TAX ASSESSORS
J. A. Greene, 1873-1876
N. B. Gill, 1876-1880
N. B. Gill, 1880-1884
N. B. Gill, 1884-1888
N. B. Gill, 1888-1892
N. B. Gill, 1892-1896
John R. Heard, 1896-1900
John R. Heard, 1900-1904
George Knowles, 1904-1908
George Knowles, 1908-1912
Allen Givens, 1912-1916
R. R. Hightower, 1916-1920
R. R. Hightower, 1920-1924
R. R. Hightower, 1924-1928
R. R. Hightower, 1928-1932
Rhode Smith, 1932-1936
Rhode Smith, 1936-1940
Rhode Smith, 1940-
CORONERS
Wm. Taylor (Negro), 1873-1876
J. W. Stallings, 1876-1880
Dr. C. H. Griffin, 1880-1884
Dr. M. A. Laurence, 1884-1888
Dr. N. B. Null, 1888-1892
Dr. C. H. Griffin, 1892-1896
Dr. John R. Moore, 1896-1900
Dr. S. L. White, 1900-1904
Dr. S. L. White, 1904-1908
Dr. N. B. Null, 1908-1912
Dr. N. B. Null, 1912-1916
Dr. N. B. Null, 1916-1920
Dr. W. S. Rutledge, 1920-1924
Dr. W. S. Rutledge, 1924-1928
Dr. W. S. Rutledge, 1928-1932
Dr. W. S. Rutledge, 1932-1936
(Dr. H. N. Harper filled unexpired term)
Dr. H. N. Harper, 1936-1940
(Dr. J. J. Bennett filled unexpired term)
Dr. J. J. Bennett, 1940-