Kemper County Facts

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Kemper County received its name from Colonel Reuben Kemper (1770-1827), a native of Virginia, who moved with his brothers Samuel and Nathan to the vicinity of Fort Adams, became a leader of the West Florida Rebellion against Spain in 1811, and fought under Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. He was of a somewhat reckless and fiery disposition, but intensely patriotic and won distinction in the service of his country.

Kemper County was one of the sixteen counties formed in 1833 from the territory acquired from the Choctaws by the treaty of Dancing Rabbit, and the act of December 23, 1833, thus defined its boundaries:

"The territory within townships nine, ten, eleven and twelve, of ranges fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen."

The following is a list of its county officers for the year 1838, taken from Besancon’s Annual Register: Lawrence W. Pennington, Sheriff; Lewis Stovall, Clerk of the Circuit Court; Benjamin C. Oppelt, Judge of Probate; William G. Gill, Clerk of Probate Court; C.R. McKaskill, Assessor and Collector; Silas Manor, Ranger; Mathew Newton, Coroner; William B. Jay, County Treasurer; David Henderson, Surveyor; Board of Police, John Rhodes, Mathew Jackson, John F. Aulds, Washington McDaniel, Solomon Lanham; Justices of the Peace, James W. Jones, Rivers, Daniel Ship, Presley Floyd, Alsa Pace, Spears, Benjamin C. Oppelt, Washington A. Cook; Constables, Andrew Jester, Hezekiah Chepman, William Killin.

The county seat is DeKalb near the center of the county. Numerous other small towns are scattered over its area, among which are Sucarnoochee, Electric Mills, Porterville, Scooba, Enondale, and Wahalak on the railroad.

Kemper County is bordered by Noxubee County (north), Sumter County, Alabama (east), Lauderdale County (south), Neshoba County (west) and Winston County (northwest). Cities and Towns include DeKalb, Scooba . The County Courthouse was destroyed in 1882, All records were destroyed.

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