Newton County, Mississippi
Newton County History and Information
A significant amount of information about Newton County, including history, can be found at MyMississippiGenealogy.
 Pictured Left: Newton County, Mississippi in 1895
Newton County, Mississippi, was organized on February 26, 1836, its parent county being Neshoba. Neshoba County and other area counties were created in December 1833 from Choctaw Indian Lands in the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. The treaty was signed on September 28, 1830.
Newton County, Mississippi, is located in east central Mississippi and consists of 568 square miles. It is the only perfectly square county in the state.
The county was named for the scientist and philosopher Sir Isaac Newton and its seat of government is located at Decatur on land donated by an early settler, Isaac Hollingsworth.
Newton County Section-Township-Range System
Newton County was formed using the Section-Township-Range system. A Range is measured east or west from the Reference Meridian and each Range is 6 miles wide. A Township is measured north or south from the Base Parallel and each township is 6 miles wide. Each township is a square, 6 miles on each side, whose location is defined by a Township number and Range number. A Section is a square mile (640 acres) within that number Township. Sections are numbered 1-36 (see above diagram). More information can be found at Finding a Map with only the Land Description.
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