Maud. Tunica County

Maud was a flag stop on the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad about 8 miles south of Tunica.  It was originally called Busby when a post office was located there in 1899.  When it was found that there was already a post office called Busby, the place name was changed to Maud.  Maud was named after the wife of William Garrison Jaquess.  Her actual name was Martha (Mattie) A. Jaquess.  William Jaquess purchased the land around the new post office and is listed as the first post master on February 16, 1899.  Edward M. Dougherty then took over the Maud post office on April 7, 1901.

William Garrison Jaquess was a born around 1849 in Illinois.  When the Civil War broke out in 1861, he was living in Quincy.  He enlisted August 21, 1862 with the 73rd Illinois as. a musician.  He was mustered out on June 12, 1865 at Nashville, Tennessee.

The 73rd Illinois Infantry was organized by the father of William Garrison Jaquess.  His name was James Frazier Jaquess. He had been chaplain with the 6th Illinois Cavalry.  However, he wished to do more so he got permission to raise a new regiment.  This new unit became the 73rd Illinois Infantry.  There were 12 clergymen within the regiment and it soon was nicknamed “the Preacher’s Regiment.”  Colonel Jaquess and several other men actually went to Richmond and met with Jefferson Davis about stopping the war, but nothing came of it.   Colonel Jaquess died on June 16, 1898 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Young William became a national figure when he was featured in a story called “Willie the drummer boy of Chickamauga.”  There definitely will be a biography about Jaquess coming soon.

He married Martha A. Nelson and they moved to Tunica County, Mississippi. He and his family are listed in Tunica County and his job was Deputy Clerk on the 1880 U.S. Census.  He had served as sheriff of Tunica County from June 1877 to January 1878.  His wife passed away in 1910 and he died in 1932.  Both are buried at Tunica.  They had four children.

Justus W. Lake became postmaster next from about 1907 to 1911.  The post office was discontinued for awhile in 1913 and started back again on April 7, 1914 with Willis S. Prince in charge.  On May 19, 1916, Earl Justus Lake took over the post office and he would be postmaster until June 30, 1949 when he retired.  Russell S. Lyle then took over until the post office was discontinued on December 9, 1953.  All mail was moved to Dundee.  The post office was located in the commissary store of Mr. Lake.  It is described in the 1930s as a brick building near the railroad.  No town ever grew up around the post office, but only a community centered around the Lake Plantation.  There was a school for African American children about one mile form the stop. Around 1940, there were about 75 people living near Maud.

Justus W. Lake owned a large plantation at Maud.  Earl Justus Lake was his son.  Justus W. Lake was born about 1850 in Tennessee and passed away on March 31, 1936.  Justus Lake had a large family.  On the 1910 census, he and his wife Ada had five children living with them including Earl J. who was listed as a manager.  His nephew Aubrey Prince, age 12, was also living with them.  Aubrey Prince was murdered in 1916 and is buried along with his mother Mary at Dowd Cemetery.

In the late 1930s, the WPA was sent in to record important events, places, and people of counties all over the United States.  One of these recordings deal with the home of Justus Lake.  “The home of the late Mr. Justus Lake is one mile east of Maud on the old Lake plantation.  It is one of our oldest homes and is a very lovely place.  The house is a two story with a very conveniently arranged floor plan.  It is built of stained shingles and a brick sun parlor.”  The WPA guide also described a segregated school at Maud. “The little school house for white children was built on the J.W. Lake plantation in December 1893.  It is described as being 18 x 22 feet with 8 windows.  It was built of good sound Cyprus lumber.  The building was ceiled and floored with tongue and groove flooring at a cost of $280.00.

Today the old Lake Commissary store and post office is still standing at Maud and a small community with nice homes is located around it on Old Highway 61 and the Maud-Dubbs Road.  Agriculture is the main industry most residents of Maud are employed in.

Map of Tunica County, 1911