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The new screwpile lighthouse on Cat Island, Mississippi was lit by Sidney H. Wilkinson for the first time on December 15, 1871. Sid was born on October 13, 1844 in Gainesville, Mississippi. Both of his parents died by the time he was four, so he and his older brother were sent to their widowed grandmother to raise. Sid was a private in the 1st Confederate Battalion Infantry during the Civil War, but he deserted in 1864, which was interesting given the fact that both his father and grandfather had fought well in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Mexican-American War, and were eventually made Generals before their early deaths at ages 43 and 46, respectively. Sadly, Sidney H. Wilkinson joined in the family tradition of dying young when he passed away unexpectedly at the young age of 35 of heart disease on November 16, 1879, while in service at the lighthouse. According to the family Bible, he is buried in the “public graveyard of the City of Bay St. Louis,” which is now known as the Cedar Rest Cemetery.
Back to the edition of: Jan/Feb 2022
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