Ellisville is a city located in Jones County, Mississippi. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 3,465.

Table of contents
1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History

Geography

Ellisville is located at 31°36'4" North, 89°12'8" West (31.601068, -89.202123)1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.5 km² (5.6 mi²). 14.3 km² (5.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.61% water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 3,465 people, 1,220 households, and 795 families residing in the city. The population density is 242.8/km² (628.9/mi²). There are 1,380 housing units at an average density of 96.7/km² (250.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 67.42% White, 30.91% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 1.47% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 1,220 households out of which 27.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% are married couples living together, 19.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% are non-families. 31.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.41 and the average family size is 3.02.

In the city the population is spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $23,424, and the median income for a family is $27,955. Males have a median income of $26,477 versus $22,537 for females. The per capita income for the city is $12,822. 35.0% of the population and 21.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 36.8% are under the age of 18 and 28.5% are 65 or older.

History

Named for Powhatan Ellis, a former U.S. Senator for Mississippi and a descendant of Chief Powahatan, father of Pocahontas. Ellisville was the major commercial and population center of Jones County (named after John Paul Jones) until being supplanted by nearby Laurel in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

During the U.S. Civil War, Ellisville and Jones County was a center of pro-Union resistance. Though there were many anti-succession movements and actions throughout the Confederacy, the "Free and Sovereign State of Jones" (or somethimes "Kingdom of Jones") had from the very beginning posed the most serious and persistent threat, and even went as far as drafting its own constitution.

Irregulars led by Newt Knight fought several skirmishes with Confederate units sent to crush the rebellion. Referenced in Ken Burns' monumental documentary "The Civil War"; Knight's rebellion was also dramatized in the 1948 motion picture "Tap Roots" (based on the book of the same name), where in a few exterior scenes there are prominent mountains in the background - which do not exist in Mississippi.