Eggleston, Edward Carr, 1813-1872

Edward Carr Eggleston was a law enforcement officer in Mississippi during the nineteenth century. Born on October 30, 1813, in Hanover County, Virginia, Eggleston moved to Columbus, Mississippi, as a young man. By the early 1840s, he sought position as the town constable, and by 1850 he was employed as the town jailor. During the 1850s, Eggleston’s name frequently appeared with the title “Major,” suggesting he held rank in a Mississippi militia unit. However, his title later changed to sheriff, as he occupied that office in Lowndes County for most of the 1860s. He died on January 3, 1872, at the age of 58. He was married to Mathilda Seay and had at least five children. Eggleston is buried in Friendship Cemetery in Columbus, Mississippi. (FindaGrave; The Primitive Republican, Columbus, MS, November 2, 1843; 1850 U.S. Census for Columbus Ward 4, Mississippi, Roll 376, page 128a; The Daily Clarion, Meridian, MS, December 12, 1865)