WELCOME-In The Beginning
On November 2, 1996, an organizational meeting
was held at the Carthage-Leake County Library in Carthage, Mississippi to promote family research in this part of the state.
The Dancing Rabbit Genealogical Society was
formed to emphasize Indian lands acquired by the federal government through the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek.
In 1830, The United States signed a treaty with
the Choctaw Tribe at a place called Dancing Rabbit Creek. Counties formed from this treaty were Attala, Carroll, Choctaw, Clarke, Coahoma, Grenada, Jasper, Kemper, Lauderdale, Leake, Leflore, Montgomery, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Scott, Smith, Tallahatchie and Winston. Parts of Bolivar, Lowndes, Quitman, Sunflower, Webster and Yalobusha were also included in the treaty.
The original six members in the meeting were A.C.
Boozer, Carolyn Gilchrist, Jean McNair, Jim McNair, Teresa Savell and Matsey
Walker.
The original six formulated the purpose of the Society as follows:
1. To help people learn how to research their genealogy by furnishing programs, workshops and seminars
2. To study family history and make it available for
the use of others
3. Raise funds for genealogical purposes
4. Gather local history and family information to be
placed in libraries
They divided the work among themselves.
The first six visualized this group were hoping
to get a total of ten to fifteen members. They were elated and overwhelmed by the response. At the first full meeting in November, twenty-three new members and four of the original six were present. Three memberships arrived in the mail. After that meeting, thirteen memberships came in the mail. Memberships grew from a steering committee of six to more than sixty in the first two months.
A nominating committee was appointed during the
meeting in January 1997 and in February the following officers were elected to serve the remainder of the year:
President-----------------------------------Matsey Walker
1st Vice-President------------------------Jane Williams
2nd Vic-President------------------------Royce Miley
Recording Secretary--------------------Lucy Howell
Corresponding Secretary----------------Dixie Petty
Archivist-----------------------------------Mona Raborn
Director----------------------------------- Ed McKay
Director------------------------------------David Howell
When the Leake County Historical Society closed,
Dancing Rabbit Genealogical Society (DRGS) became Dancing Rabbit Genealogical and Historical Society (DRGHS).
Anyone interested in families who lived in these Mississippi counties is invited to join the Society.
Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month at 1:00 P.M. in the Carthage-Leake County Library meeting
room.
