These are articles that are in the History of Jones County Vol. 1, published in 1910

There are many interesting items in this book and others at the Edinburgh Museum.

Some Early Commissioner's Records

          The first recorded meeting of the commissioner's court was held February 3, 1840. The first act of the commissioners was to appoint Hugh Bowen, assessor, in the place of Daniel Chaplin, who declined to serve.

          In the further proceedings, we find that George Mefford presented a petition for a county road. It was also ordered that the regular meetings of the board should be held thereafter at the hose of Donald Sutherland until further ordered.

          It was at this meeting also that the county commissioners who had been appointed by act of the legislature to locate the county seat made their report which is set out above, locating the place and calling it Edinburgh.

          An act of congress provided that, as each new county was organized, the United States government would grant to the county commissioners a quarter section of land on which the county seat should be located. Accordingly, we find from the book of Original Entries, that on June 20, 1840, Thomas S. Denson and Charles P. Hutton, as commissioners of Jones county, claimed the quarter section above mentioned, being the northeast quarter of section 36, township 85 north, range 3 west of the fifth principal meridian. This was within half a mile of the geographical center of Jones county and its central location was the argument which secured for it the honor of being the first seat of county government. When the county seat was moved from Edinburg to Newport, no change was made in this grant of land, and the county commissioners retained this quarter section, and later upon this land the county poor farm was established. This same land has remained the property of the county and it now a part of the present county farm.