Editing Wayne County

Wayne County was established on 21 December 1809 in the [[Mississippi Territory,]] named for Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne. its geography of [[longleaf pine]] and sandy soils shaped settlement and land use over its 814 sq miles area. Small-scale agriculture, livestock, and timber characterized its economy, while cotton plantations remained limited. Boundary changes in 1818([[Covington County]], 1826 ([[Jones County]]) and 1833 ([[Clarke County]]) greatly reduced its original size. The population fluctuated: 3,338 (1820), 2,980 (1830), 2,120 (1840), and 2,892 (1850). The original county was [[Winchester Mississippi|Winchester]], but it became a ghost town as [[Waynesboro, Mississippi|Waynesboro]] rose to prominence in the county.  By mid-century, Wayne remained a rural county of yeoman farmers, and modest planters, with timber wealth unrealized until later decades.