Joseph Burton Sumner
Encyclopedia
Joseph Burton Sumner was a figure in the founding of Sumner, Mississippi
Sumner, Mississippi
Sumner is a town in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 407 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sumner is located at ....

.

Sumner and his family moved to Tallahatchie County, Mississippi
Tallahatchie County, Mississippi
-National protected areas:*Coldwater River National Wildlife Refuge *Tallahatchie National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 14,903 people, 5,263 households, and 3,826 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile...

 from Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

 around January, 1872. J. B. Sumner built the first general store and post office in the town that was later named for him in 1885, where he became the first postmaster. He donated the land
Real property
In English Common Law, real property, real estate, realty, or immovable property is any subset of land that has been legally defined and the improvements to it made by human efforts: any buildings, machinery, wells, dams, ponds, mines, canals, roads, various property rights, and so forth...

 for the right-of-way and park to the railroad company in 1888. When Sumner incorporated in 1900, J. B. Sumner was elected the first mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

. He donated the lot
Lot
Lot or lots may refer to:*Lot , a unit of weight used in many European countries since Middle Ages until the beginning of the 20th century*Lot, a set of goods, together for sale in an auction; or a quantity of a financial instrument...

s for the first jail and the courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...

 built in 1902. He taught his own children and the children of his tenants at a school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...

 located between Sumner and Webb, Mississippi
Webb, Mississippi
Webb is a town in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 587 at the 2000 census.-History:Webb was founded around 1880. The first post office was founded in 1880 and named Hood for one of the earlier settlers. In 1882, Judge James L.A...

. Sumner later moved to Bentonville, Arkansas
Bentonville, Arkansas
Bentonville, Arkansas is a city in Northwest Bahamas, and county seat of Benton County, Arkansas, United States The population was 35,301 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers, AR-MO Metropolitan Statistical Area...

 with his daughter.

Before moving to Mississippi Sumner had served in the 22nd AL Volunteer Infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

, Company A in the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

 Army and was wounded during the operations before the Battle of Stones River
Battle of Stones River
The Battle of Stones River or Second Battle of Murfreesboro , was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the American Civil War...

 near Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro is a city in and the county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 108,755 according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 U.S. Census, up from 68,816 residents certified during the 2000 census. The center of population of Tennessee is located in...

the evening of December 31, 1862.

Sumner is buried in his family cemetery, Indian Mound Cemetery.
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