Prentice Montgomery Bynum was born in Jones County, Mississippi on January 5, 1846 to the marriage of
Benjamin Franklin Bynum, Sr. and
Margaret "Peggy" Collins.
In the fall of 1863, at the age of seventeen, Prentice and his uncle, Tapley Bynum, joined the Knight Company. Formed by Captain Newt Knight and Jasper Collins, this group of southern men were loyal to the union and defied the Confederacy.
Prentice and Tapley remained a part of the group for a little over a year, clashing with confederate soldiers on several occasions.
After the death of Tapley Bynum, Prentice traveled to New Orleans where he enlisted in the Union Army at Fort Pike, Louisiana on May 26, 1864.
In October of 1864, he was in the University Hospital of New Orleans due to a disabling injury to his left foot caused by the "scold of shoe" and aggravated by fever and abscess.
He was later transferred to St. Louis General Hospital on January 5, 1865. Prentice remained there until April of 1865 before being transferred to McDougall U.S. Hospital at Fort Schugler, New York.
After being discharged from McDougall U.S. Hospital on May 22, 1865, Prentice returned to New Orleans and was discharged from the Union Army.
Prentice made his way home to Jones County, Mississippi where he married
Frances "Fanny" Welch several months after his return.
The following children were born to the marriage of Prentice and Fanny:
Aurelia Margaret
Mary Matilda
James Benjamin
In 1870, Prentice Bynum was appointed as the Chancery Clerk of Jones County and Circuit Clerk.
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| Chancery Clerk |
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| Circuit Clerk |
In 1872, Prentice Bynum was elected as the Coroner and Ranger in Jones County. He was appointed the local Commissioner to the Southern States Agricultural and Industrial Exposition in 1876.
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| Coroner and Ranger |
Fanny Welch Bynum died in 1876, leaving Prentice as a single parent of their three young children. In 1878, he married
Nancy Caroline Rawls who became a mother to these three children as well as eight more children born to this marriage.
The following children were born to the marriage of Prentice Bynum and Nancy Rawls:
Ida Burtie
Prentice Buford
John Franklin
Felix Jefferson
Robert Everett
Willard William
Nannie Nita
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| Lamar County Supervisor |
Prentice Bynum served as deacon of the Oral Baptist Church and was instrumental in organizing the first school in the Sumrall area. He was also the first teacher in the school.
In 1904, Prentice Bynum was appointed the first supervisor of Lamar County, a position he held until his death.
Prentice Montgomery Bynum passed from this life on November 14, 1906. He is buried alongside his second wife in Rawles Cemetery, Lamar County, Mississippi.
