C.D. Ellard, Pittsboro, made a map on plywood of the Town of Pittsboro in 1958. The original records were destroyed when the courthouse burned in 1922.
Along with this comprehensive authentic map of Pittsboro. Mr. Ellard compiled the history of the first incorporated town of the county.
After the county seat was first called Orrsville and located in the grove at the old Camp Grounds spring, according to the records complied by Mr. Ellard, ‘on the 26th day of July, 1852, for a consideration that the county seat of Calhoun would be located and settled on the NE 1/4, Sec. 19, Twp. 13 R West, Ebenezer Gaston conveyed to Albert Hallum, Lawrence Brasher, Hiram Hall, Sidney Bratley and John Dowdy, members of the Board of Police of Calhoun County, Miss., the land above described.’
The original map of Pittsboro was destroyed by fire Dec. 22, 1922, when the courthouse and public records burned. The map was platted by Mr. Ellard, a resident citizen of Pittsboro for more than 70 years, and chancery clerk at the time the courthouse burned.
Highway No. 9 was surveyed and laid out through Pittsboro in 1921.
The original survey was made by Wm. Hannah in 1852. Mr. Ellard compiled his in 1958.
On the back of his plywood map, Mr. Ellard has the history of the town.
The history Mr. Ellard has preserved says in part:
“An Act to incorporate the Town of Pittsborough in the County of Calhoun.
“Section 1. Be it enacted by the legislature that the Town of Pittsborough in the County of Calhoun be and the same is hereby incorporated, and the corporate limits of said town shall run to the four cardinal points and form one mile square to be laid off in such a manner so that the center of the public square, or the block upon which the courthouse is situated shall form the center of the corporation of said town of Pittsborough. Approved Oct. 16, 1852.”
On November 13, 1865, by an act of the legislature, the matter of incorporation of Pittsborough was revived, and permitted the election of a mayor, five selectmen, and a constable.
Again in 1878, this act was amended, and read, “Be it further provided that this act shall embrace the towns of Benela, Banner and Sarepta in said county.”
In another account of the town an early writer had this to say:
The public square and lots were laid off, and on the first Monday in Sept., 1852, lots were sold around the square amounting to $3,500, and during the year the balance of the quarter section was sold.
“The entire sale of lots and lands amounted to about $7,000.
“The first house erected in Pittsborough was Tom Odom’s grocery, E.V. Christopher and Bass Driskell soon erected houses which served the double purpose of sheltering the board while in session, and furnishing the members both solid and liquid refreshments.
“In December the building of the courthouse was let to L. Brasher for $8,000 and M.J. McGuire was appointed architect. The courthouse was not completed until 1956.”
Back to Mr. Ellard’s record:
“On Dec. 1892 the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of Pittsborough met in the mayor’s office with the following members present, J.A.B. Miller, mayor, J.M. Strain, F.M. Armstrong, and W.E. Bostwick, aldermen, and elected not to come under the provisions of the Annotated Code of 1892 relating to municipalities, but preferred to remain under the old charter of the town.
“Then on Jan. 25, 1910, the following order appeared:
“Whereas the Mayor and Board of Alderman of Pittsboro appointed the undersigned as commissioners to hold an election to determine whether the town would or would not come under the Mississippi Code of 1906.
“Whereas the said commissioners gave notice that the election would be held in the office of the circuit clerk on Jan. 25, 1910.
“Now, therefore, this is to certify that at said election 30 votes were cast for the code provision and none votes were cast against said code provision, said commissioners further certify that the 30 votes cast for the provision were more than a majority of the legal voters in said town of Pittsboro.
“Commissioners: J.L. Bates, C.D. Ellard, W.H. Blaylock.
“Sworn to and subscribed to before me this the 25th day of Jan. 1910, N.R. Lamar, Clerk.”
C.D. Ellard was born at Ellard near where Arvin Stewart now lives, August 31, 1881, the son of Jess J. Ellard and Maudie Pilgreen Ellard.
The elder Ellard also had a brother, Dr. W.F. Ellard who lived at Ellard and practiced medicine there for over 50 years. His wife was Susie Hawkins Ellard.
When C.D. Ellard was only six years of age, because of ill health, his father moved to Pittsboro. There Mrs. Pauline Ellard Smith, the only other member of the Ellard family now living, was born and still lives.
The Ellards’ grandfather, James Ellard, settled near Concord before the civil war. He joined the army at the then Concord post office. He and his wife, a sister of the late T.M. Murphree are buried in the Concord cemetery.
This article ran in June 13, 1968 Journal