The Notorious Mississippi Family You Won’t Learn About In History Books
The story of Sullivan’s Hollow is an interesting one to say the least. Local legends, the Sullivans, are by far one of the most notorious families in Mississippi’s history. The land they once inhabited is still alive with the tales of the family and their way of life, which was comparable to that of the Wild West.
Located near Mize, Sullivan’s Hollow has become a part of American folklore. Today, the hollow is a picturesque valley, making it hard to believe the land once had a reputation for being a place of hard drinking and even harder fighting.
The story of the Sullivans begins with the family patriarch Thomas Sullivan, who would later be known as “Pappy Tom,” a fitting nickname since practically all of the 2,000 Sullivans in Smith County descended from him. Some say the eldest Sullivan was an Irish immigrant, while others claim he was born in the Carolinas; however, it is widely accepted that he resided in Alabama before making his way to what would become known as Sullivan’s Hollow in the early 1800s.
Thomas Sullivan, along with his wife, several children, and brother, made the journey to Mississippi. Originally, the hollow was only six miles long and three miles wide; however, with the help of his sons, Thomas cultivated a great deal of land and soon the hollow encompassed parts of several counties.
One day, an Indian woman known as “Polly,” along with her mother, arrived at the farm. Thomas eventually took Polly as his second wife. By the time all was said and done, Thomas had 11 children with his first wife and 11 with his second wife.
As the family grew, so did their reputation, and by the third generation, the name Sullivan was widely associated with “fightin’ and feudin’.” Thomas’ grandson, Wild Bill, became known as the biggest troublemaker in the family. One of Wild Bill’s most famous hijinks involved catching the sheriff, forcing his head into a heavy split rail, and leaving him in the woods to starve.
Several of the family’s brawls took place in Shiloh Church, including the time Neace Sullivan was stabbed a dozen times and practically disemboweled. According to the story, Neace held in his “innards, drug himself to his mule, and got away.” (Neace’s shotgun, pictured above)
Aside from being known as one tough clan, the Sullivans were known for being pranksters; however, their idea of a good joke normally came pretty close to murder. One of Wild Bill’s most notorious pranks included hitching a salesman to a plow and leaving him like that all day.
The reputation of Wild Bill and the rest of the family spread far and wide, and before long, salesmen as well as other outsiders would avoid the hollow at all costs, travelling miles out of the way in order to do so. Over the course of his lifetime, Wild Bill had been accused of killing at least 50 men, but he was only ever indicted for one murder and that was of his own brother, Wilson.
As the years passed and innovations such as electricity and telephones became more common, the hollow began to clear out; however, several family members still inhabit the infamous hollow to this day. And although the stories of past generations live on, Sullivan’s Hollow is much quieter these days.
There’s so much more to this infamous family’s story. Want to learn more? Click here. And if you have something to add, tell us in the comments section below.
Lastly, a special thanks to Brad Sharp for providing the pictures used in this article. Brad is currently working on a documentary film about the area. He has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds to complete the project. For more information about the project and how you can help, visit the Sullivan’s Hollow Documentary Facebook Page.
Even though she was born in New York, Daniella has lived in the south pretty much her entire life. The self-proclaimed southerner graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2011. Since graduation, she has worked as a freelance writer for several websites and opened a clothing consignment shop in her town of Picayune, MS.
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