http://www.isjl.org/history/archive/ms/canton.htm has Jewish Community history and photos. [January 2009]
http://www.isjl.org/history/archive/ms/bnai_israel_canton_ms.htm has history and photos of defunct Temple B'nail Israel. [January 2009]
http://www.rootsweb.com/~msmadiso/ has general Madison County information. [August 2005].
1919 Jewish population was 75 according to "Directory of Jewish Local Organizations in the United States" pp. 330-583 in American Jewish Year Book 5680 September 25,1919 to Sept. 12, 1920; volume 21. Edited by Harry Schneiderman for the American Jewish Committee and submitted by Alan Hirschfeld.
B'nai Israel Cemetery: Lyons and Peace Streets.
Burial List [January 2009]
"Much of the history of Jews in Canton is reflected in their cemetery, which dates back to at least 1874. This cemetery bears evidence of Jewish life in Canton even before Temple B’nai Israel was built, and displays graves showing birthplaces from all over Europe including Rehinbellen, Germany, Krotochin, Prussia, and Seibersbauh, Pheinprussien. Increasingly throughout the twentieth century, children in the Canton community chose to forego the store owning careers of their fathers for professional careers elsewhere. Before his death in 1974, Isidore Perlinsky deeded the Jewish Cemetery to the City of Canton, exchanging a $4,000 payment for permanent care of the cemetery. The Canton congregation finally dwindled to zero when Alvin William Levy passed away July 20, 1999. Levy was a World War II veteran, general manager of Levy’s department Store, and lifelong resident of Canton, Mississippi." Source: Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience [January 2009]
UPDATE: This very large, well kept cemetery is located on Lyon Street, between Fulton and Academy Streets, dates from 1777 to present. "It seems to have been the original cemetery for the town. Although the "new" cemetery was opened about 1853, the "old" one continued to be used almost until the end of the century. Many stones have disappeared, and there are countless unmarked graves. There are thirty-four graves with stones broken, unmarked, or otherwise illegible. There is a large old Jewish section in the southeast corner. The cemetery is used by people from all over Madison County, and has a Confederate Soldiers Section with about two hundred names listed. A number of years ago, the cemetery was saved from complete destruction through the efforts of Doctor John B. Howell, Sr. In the center of the cemetery square is a marker which reads: "In memory of those who sleep in unmarked graves. Erected by Dr. John B. Howell." Patrick Harrison (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) transcribed some of the headstones listed at site. Source: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ms/madison/cemeteries/canton4.txt [August 2005]
The Jewish section, established in 1870, is located in the Southwest corner of the cemetery, behind rows of Confederate graves. There is a narrow break in the Confederate graves to allow access to the Jewish section, and there is a white gazebo by the Jewish section. Source: Larry Brook, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [May 2005]